24: Chapter 24 Those who offend my Gu family will be eradicated!

The rain gradually eased. The fine drizzle washed over the bloodstains on the long street, but it could not wash away the thick, nauseating scent of blood.

At the end of the street, Gu Yan and the Chief stood facing each other from a distance.

One was drenched in blood, yet remained spotless, his expression as indifferent as an emotionless jade carving.

The other, a burly figure, was trembling uncontrollably—not from the cold, but from a fear that originated from the depths of his Soul!

The Chief looked at the corpses of his brothers covering the ground, looking at the man who had single-handedly slaughtered the entire elite force of his Black Wind Stronghold. His heart, numbed by years of alcohol and slaughter, finally felt a long-forgotten fear.

He could not understand! He truly could not understand!

How could a Qi Refining Stage 4... how could he possibly be this strong?!

Ghost-like footwork, sword Moves with no traceable path, and a True Qi that seemed inexhaustible...

This was simply not the strength a Qi Refining Stage 4 should possess! This guy... was a monster!

"You... who exactly are you?!" The Chief's voice trembled for the first time.

Gu Yan did not answer him. He only slowly raised the iron sword in his hand, its original color now unrecognizable, its tip pointing obliquely toward the ground.

Rainwater slid down the blade, washing away a smear of blood to reveal the chilling gleam beneath. This action already made his stance clear. Further words were useless; there could only be a battle!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Seeing this, the Chief knew there was no possibility of a peaceful resolution today.

Beg for mercy?

He, the Chief, had run rampant for half his life; that word did not exist in his dictionary!

In that moment, fear was replaced by an even more violent ferocity!

"Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"

He let out a beast-like roar, and the True Qi of Qi Refining Level 5 within his Dantian erupted without reservation!

A pressure, many times stronger than that of the Retainer from before, swept across the entire scene with a boom!

The bluestone slabs beneath his feet cracked inch by inch!

His tower-like frame, with knotted muscles and bulging veins, seemed to grow a size larger out of thin air!

He gripped the door-sized ghost-head blade with both hands and stomped down hard, splashing a large amount of bloody water. His massive body turned into a cannonball fired from its chamber, carrying an unstoppable, tragic Aura as he charged wildly toward Gu Yan!

"Black Wind Blade Technique! Go to Hell for me!"

The blade had not yet arrived, but the momentum came first!

The sharp Saber Qi tore through the rain curtain, churning up the blood and severed limbs on the ground to form a blood-colored tornado that rushed toward Gu Yan!

This strike was his long-renowned ultimate technique, the foundation he relied on for survival!

There were at least three, if not five, Cultivators who had died under this blade!

He was confident that even a fellow Qi Refining Level 5 Cultivator would not dare to easily block his full-force strike head-on!

However, facing this violent blade strike that seemed as if it would split heaven and earth.

Gu Yan's face remained calm and composed.

He did not retreat a single step.

Just as the blood-colored Saber Qi was about to reach him, the iron sword in his hand moved.

There was no earth-shattering Aura, no flashy or dazzling Moves.

He simply thrust his sword forward.

This sword strike was plain and unremarkable, yet it seemed to contain some profound truth of heaven and earth.

All the True Qi was condensed onto the tip of the sword, transforming into an extremely brilliant starlight.

Clang!

A crisp sound, so faint it was almost inaudible.

Gu Yan's sword tip struck with absolute precision at the very core, the weakest point of the Chief's violent Saber Qi.

Piercing the whole with a single point!

The blood-colored Saber Qi, capable of splitting stone monuments, vanished into thin air like a popped balloon before that single point of starlight!

What?!

The Chief's pupils contracted to the limit!

He could not comprehend how the opponent had seen through the only flaw in his blade technique!

But he had no time to overthink.

Because Gu Yan's figure, having seized the moment the Saber Qi was broken, followed like a shadow and pressed forward!

The distance between the two was closed to within three feet!

The Chief was terrified. With his offensive spent, he could only awkwardly hold his ghost-head blade horizontally across his chest, attempting to block.

However, Gu Yan's sword was faster than his reaction!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three sword lights, fast to the extreme, flashed and vanished in the rainy night.

The first sword strike tapped onto the Chief's right wrist, which was holding the blade.

A penetrating, clever force erupted. The Chief felt his wrist go numb, and he could no longer hold the heavy ghost-head blade.

With a clang, the ghost-head blade flew out of his hand and stuck obliquely into the muddy ground in the distance.

The second sword strike tapped onto his left shoulder blade.

True Qi penetrated the bone, instantly crippling the mobility of his entire left arm!

The third sword strike was like a viper flicking its tongue, piercing with absolute precision through his right knee!

Splat!

Blood sprayed everywhere!

"Ah—!"

The Chief let out a shrill howl of agony. His tall frame could no longer support him, and he fell to one knee on the ground, splashing up a pool of bloody water.

His face was filled with pain and disbelief.

Defeated?

He... had actually been defeated?

And defeated so cleanly, so thoroughly!

From the start of the engagement to his defeat, it had been a mere three Moves!

The opponent's exquisite sword technique, which seemed capable of discerning everything, had completely shattered all of his fighting spirit!

He looked at the man who was slowly sheathing his sword and looking down at him from above. The last bit of ferocity in his heart was replaced by endless fear.

He was afraid.

He was truly afraid!

He did not want to die!

"Don't... don't kill me!"

The Chief threw away all his dignity and began to beg for mercy with a trembling voice, "Immortal Master, spare my life! I was also acting under orders! It is the Wang Family! It is that old bastard, the Family Head! He spent one hundred Spirit Stones to hire me!"

"As long as you spare my life, I... I am willing to be your dog! All the treasures of my Black Wind Stronghold... I will offer them all to you!"

Gu Yan listened quietly; the expression on his face did not change in the slightest because of his plea.

He only slowly raised the iron sword in his hand.

Seeing this action, the Chief's begging came to an abrupt halt.

He knew that the opponent... had never intended to let him go!

A surge of extreme malice and madness flooded his face!

"Gu Yan! You will die a horrible death!"

"If you kill me, the Family Head will not let you go either! And the Black Fiend Sect... my younger brother is an Inner Sect Disciple of the Black Fiend Sect! He will definitely avenge me!"

"I will wait for you... in Hell!"

He used his very last ounce of strength to utter the most vicious curse.

Gu Yan's eyes finally showed a trace of fluctuation.

He looked at the Chief and slowly spoke the second sentence since the battle began.

"I will be waiting."

As his words fell, he flicked his wrist, no longer hesitating in the slightest.

He did not choose to slit his throat with one sword strike.

Instead, he poured all the remaining True Qi in his body into the ordinary iron in his hand!

Hum—

The iron sword emitted an unbearable hum, and a brilliant radiance burst forth from the blade!

"Go."

He released his grip and threw the iron sword with all his might!

Swish!

The iron sword turned into a brilliant stream of light that tore through the rain curtain, carrying a sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air. Arriving after being launched but striking first, it pierced with absolute precision from behind through the Chief's burly chest!

"Ugh..."

All the Chief's curses were blocked in his throat.

He lowered his head, looking in disbelief at the blood-stained sword tip that had pierced through his chest.

However, this was not over yet.

After piercing through his body, the iron sword's momentum did not diminish, carrying his heavy frame all the way forward!

Finally, with a dull "thud" sound!

It pinned him firmly onto the huge plaque not far away, which had the two characters "Gu Mansion" written on it!

The Chief did not die immediately.

His body was hung high on the plaque, his limbs twitching weakly.

Blood gushed out from the wound in his chest, staining the ancient "Gu Mansion" characters on the plaque a shocking, vivid red.

This scene was clearly seen by all the residents of Luoyun Town who were hiding in the dark, watching.

It would become a nightmare they would never be able to erase in this lifetime.

Gu Yan walked under the plaque, looked up, and watched the Chief struggling painfully above.

He said slowly, in a tone so calm it was almost indifferent: "Those who offend the Gu Family shall be rooted out."

After finishing, he gripped the hilt and pulled it out with a sudden jerk!

Splat!

Blood sprayed all over him.

The Chief's body slid softly from the plaque, fell into the muddy water, and completely ceased to breathe.

Gu Yan carried the dripping sword and turned around.

He did not look at the corpse on the ground again, nor did he pay attention to the terrified gazes around him.

Carrying a Killing Intent so thick it could not be dissolved, he walked step by step, under the gaze of everyone, toward the other end of the long street—the direction of the Wang Family Mansion.