7: Oh no, Yunyun is going to get hooked!

Outside the valley, the night wind intensified, causing the trees to groan.

Five figures, like specters, emerged from the darkness, forming a semicircle to block the narrow valley entrance.

The leader, a tall man with a sinister face, had a saber scar slashing diagonally across his left eye, practically tearing half his face. He was none other than Mu She, the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group and a Three-Star Dou Ling!

The four confidants following him had heavy, concentrated auras, clearly skilled experts who were all above the Five-Star Great Fighter level.

Mu She's single eye swept over the silent valley, finally resting on the lone figure standing in the open space at the entrance.

It was a young man in plain clothes, holding a simple refined steel blade, standing there as if merged with the surrounding darkness.

"Was it you who killed my third brother?" Mu She's voice was like sandpaper rubbing, carrying an icy chill.

He had received the blurry image and location information that Centipede Scar had secretly transmitted back before his death, and immediately led his men to track him here.

He had expected a renowned expert, but never thought it would be such a young lad.

Li Ao raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over the five people, pausing briefly on Mu She.

"Wolf Head Mercenary Group, you truly haunt the living."

"Arrogant!" A bald, burly man behind Mu She roared. He was the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's second leader, a Seven-Star Great Dou Master. "Boss, why waste words on him? Kill him and avenge Third Brother!"

He had a fiery temper. Before his voice faded, he stomped forward violently, and a powerful earthen-yellow Dou Qi erupted, condensing into a giant rock fist the size of a millstone, smashing down on Li Ao with an aura capable of crushing everything!

"Fissure Punch!"

The punch wind howled, cracking the ground beneath the pressure.

This single punch was powerful enough to flatten a small hill!

Facing this fiercely unmatched strike, Li Ao's eyes turned slightly cold.

Instead of retreating, he advanced. Activating the Thunder Sound Steps, his figure moved like a twisting bolt of lightning, narrowly avoiding the strongest point of the punch wind and instantly cutting into the bald man's center!

The refined steel blade silently shot out. There was no light, no wind, only an extremely condensed cold glint, aimed directly at the opponent's throat!

Fast! Extremely fast!

The bald man's pupils constricted. He hadn't even seen how the blade arrived!

In his haste, he could only frantically condense his Dou Qi in front of his throat, forming a thick, earthen-yellow shield.

"Pfft!"

The blade tip met the shield, emitting a slight muffled sound.

The next moment, under the bald man's disbelieving gaze, that Dou Qi shield—which was capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a powerhouse of the same level—was easily pierced by the blade tip, like a fragile eggshell!

The cold blade plunged into his throat without hindrance, emerging from the back of his neck!

"Uh..." The bald man's forward momentum abruptly froze. The fury in his eyes turned into utter confusion and terror. He opened his mouth, but could only produce gurgling sounds of bloody foam.

Li Ao flicked his wrist, withdrawing the blade and retreating.

The bald man's massive body crashed heavily to the ground, like a collapsing mountain of gold and jade, kicking up a cloud of dust.

One strike! Instantly killing a Seven-Star Great Dou Master!

The remaining four people at the valley entrance, including Mu She, all paled in horror!

"Second Brother!" Mu She's single eye immediately became bloodshot, and he let out a beast-like roar. "You little bastard! I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

He no longer cared about maintaining the dignity of a leader. The terrifying aura of a Three-Star Dou Ling burst forth without reservation!

Deep blue Dou Qi surged out like a tide, forming a violent energy vortex around him. The air itself hummed under the strain!

He abruptly drew a snake-shaped longsword from his waist. The blade was wreathed in a cold, sinister glow, pointing directly at Li Ao!

"Form the array! Trap and kill him!" Mu She commanded sharply.

Although the other three Great Dou Masters were terrified, they dared not disobey the order. They instantly flashed into a triangular formation, linking their Dou Qi to form a pale blue energy net that immediately descended upon Li Ao!

This combined attack formation was the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's ultimate trump card, capable of trapping an initial-stage Dou Ling expert for a moment!

The energy net rapidly contracted, sealing off all of Li Ao's escape routes.

Mu She sneered. His snake-shaped longsword erupted with dazzling blue light, and an extremely condensed sword aura, carrying a highly poisonous and corrosive essence, silently stabbed toward Li Ao's back like a venomous snake leaving its lair!

Attacked from front and back, a continuous killing blow!

Inside the stone cave, Yun Yun watched the scene through the gaps in the vines, her jade hands instantly clenched tight, her fingertips turning white.

Three Great Dou Masters forming an array to trap, and a Three-Star Dou Ling launching a sneak attack!

This kind of situation would require careful handling, even if she were in her peak condition!

Her internal Dou Qi subconsciously threatened to erupt, urging her to rush out and help.

However, just as the energy net was about to envelop him and the poisonous snake sword aura was about to strike—

Li Ao moved.

He remained standing in place, not even turning his head to look at the lethal sneak attack.

He merely bent slightly, his right hand gripping the hilt of the blade, his left hand pressing lightly on the back of the blade.

An "intent" far sharper, more domineering, and purer than before erupted violently with him at the center!

It was not Dou Qi, yet it felt substantial!

Countless minute cutting sounds, like silk being ripped apart, echoed in the air!

The pebbles and grass clippings on the ground silently turned into dust!

The profound meaning of the Furious Wind Quick Blade—Thousand Blade Slash!

He struck!

No one could clearly see how many times he struck!

As if in a single instant, countless crisscrossing pale white blade auras burst forth around him!

These blade auras were dense, swift, and unmatched in sharpness, forming an airtight Wheel of Death that swept outward maniacally!

"Chi chi chi chi—!"

The energy net, condensed from the Dou Qi of the three Great Dou Masters, instantly shattered upon contact with the blade wheel, making a jarring, tearing sound, like ice meeting the scorching sun.

"Puff!" "Puff!" "Puff!"

The three Great Dou Masters maintaining the array couldn't even scream before they were sliced into a sky full of bloody mist and shredded flesh by the countless passing blade auras!

Not even a complete piece of their corpses remained!

And Mu She's poisonous snake sword aura, the moment it entered the range of the blade wheel, was instantly shredded and annihilated by countless fine blade auras!

The blade wheel dissipated.

Li Ao stood holding his blade. Within ten meters around him, the ground was scraped down by an inch, smooth as a mirror, with only the spot where he stood remaining intact.

The night wind blew, carrying a heavy scent of blood, yet it could not disperse the sharp blade intent around him that seemed capable of severing everything.

Silence!

Deathly silence!

Mu She remained frozen in the posture of his sneak attack, his single eye wide and round, filled with extreme shock and disbelief.

His three capable subordinates, the core fighting strength of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, were just... gone?

Not even a complete corpse was left?

What kind of blade technique was that?! What kind of power was that?!

Was this young man... truly human?!

Fear, like a cold viper, instantly wrapped tightly around his heart.

Li Ao slowly turned around, his gaze falling upon Mu She. That look was suffocatingly calm.

"It's your turn."

Three words, like a death sentence.

Mu She started violently, jolting awake from boundless terror.

He let out a strange cry, no longer caring about revenge or the dignity of a leader. The Dou Qi of a Three-Star Dou Ling frantically poured into his legs, and his figure rapidly retreated, wanting only to immediately flee this devil!

"Trying to leave?"

Li Ao's eyes sharpened.

Pushing the Thunder Sound Steps to the limit, thunder seemed to boom beneath his feet. His figure blurred instantly, arriving before Mu She despite starting later, blocking his path of retreat with a speed far exceeding his own!

Mu She was scared out of his wits. The instinct for survival made him unleash his full potential, wildly brandishing his snake-shaped longsword and executing the strongest Dou Technique of his life!

"Profound Ice Venomous Python Sword!"

Deep blue Dou Qi transformed into a giant Frost Venomous Python, baring its fangs, roaring as it lunged at Li Ao with a coldness that could freeze the soul and a highly corrosive venom!

Facing this desperate attack, Li Ao took a deep breath. The Black Iron Hegemon Body within him operated at full power. His skin instantly transformed into a deep black iron color, and a fierce aura, like that of a primordial giant beast, soared into the sky!

He cast aside his blade, clenching his right fist. The black iron-colored fist seemed to condense the power of mountains!

"Hegemon Fist, Quaking Mountain!"

He smashed out a punch! It was still pure physical strength!

But this punch seemed to harness the momentum of the earth. Wherever the fist passed, the air twisted, emitting a dull rumble!

The fist and the sword python brutally collided!

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening crash exploded outside the valley!

The violent energy shockwave spread out in a ring, destroying all the trees within dozens of meters!

The terrifying Frost Venomous Python, the moment it met the black iron fist, collapsed segment by segment from head to tail, as if it had struck an eternal divine mountain!

The freezing ice crystals and corrosive venom shattered and were annihilated before that absolute power!

The snake-shaped longsword let out a mournful cry and snapped into pieces!

Mu She's protective Dou Qi shattered like paper!

"No—!" Mu She screamed in despair.

The black iron-colored fist, unstoppable, slammed into his chest.

"Bang!"

Amidst the muffled sound, Mu She's chest visibly collapsed around the point of impact. The clothes on his back suddenly ripped open, revealing a clear fist imprint protruding outward!

He flew backward like a kite with a broken string for over a hundred meters, smashing through seven or eight large trees before softly sliding to the ground like a broken sack. Blood gushed from his mouth, nose, ears, and even eye sockets. After two spasms, he fell silent.

Three-Star Dou Ling, leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, Mu She—Dead!

Li Ao slowly retracted his fist. The black iron luster around him faded, and his breathing was steady, as if that earth-shattering punch had not consumed much of his energy.

He walked over to Mu She's corpse, bent down, and removed a low-grade storage ring from his finger, putting it away without even looking.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic, battle-scarred valley entrance, finally settling on the direction of the stone cave.

"It's handled."

The calm voice pierced the night wind and entered the cave.

Yun Yun slowly unclenched her jade hands. Deep marks had already been pressed into her palms by her fingernails.

She looked at the young man walking toward her, treading through blood and fire, looked at his calm, unruffled face, and the refined steel blade in his hand that was free of bloodstains.

An unprecedented stirring, like a tide, crashed against her emotional defenses.

Powerful, ruthless, mysterious... yet possessing a reliability that brought peace of mind.

She walked out of the stone cave. The night wind billowed her robes, outlining her graceful curves.

She walked up to Li Ao, her beautiful eyes studying him with complexity, and asked softly, "Are you... alright?"

Li Ao shook his head.

Yun Yun's gaze fell on his seemingly ordinary blade, then looked at the battlefield-like scene around them, finally unable to resist asking, "Your blade... and your body refinement technique, exactly..."

Li Ao met her searching gaze, then suddenly spoke, interrupting her: "Want to learn?"

Yun Yun's delicate body trembled violently, her beautiful eyes instantly widening as she looked at him in disbelief.

He... what did he say?