Chapter 219: The Ultimate Punch (I)

"Would you really not reconsider?" Pei Jian's voice was cold as a powerful surge of momentum qi erupted from his body, pressing down toward Lin Zheyu.

The corners of Lin Zheyu's lips lifted slightly. He smiled faintly at his opponent, unfazed. The man before him was only a newly advanced Marrow Refining Realm martial artist; his momentum qi was even weaker than Chen Mu's, let alone enough to affect him. When Pei Jian saw his aura fail to suppress the other, he suddenly lashed out from under the table, his right foot shooting toward Lin Zheyu's crotch.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Bang!

Lin Zheyu clenched his fist, and a powerful surge of momentum qi burst from his body. The force of his blood qi erupted violently as his punch slammed into Pei Jian's shin. A crisp, cracking sound echoed, the sound of bone snapping. Agonizing pain shot through Pei Jian's leg, his face twisted in shock, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"Are you planning to take it by force?" Lin Zheyu sneered, making no move to press his advantage. His opponent was from one of Ruyang City's most prominent families, and killing him would bring no end of trouble.

"Fine. Very fine," Pei Jian said with a low voice as he endured the sharp pain in his leg. With the help of his companions, he slowly stood up and walked out of the inn.

"Sir, are you all right?" one of the men beside him asked nervously as they left the inn.

"I'm fine. He didn't go for the kill; he just shattered the bone," Pei Jian said grimly. He could feel that his shinbone had splintered rather than merely cracked. Even if it healed, his leg would never regain its full strength.

"Fuck, he' so strong. He's at least mid-stage Marrow Refining Realm. Damn it, refusing a toast only to drink punishment wine.[1] A martial artist from the Southern Barbarian Region dares to show no respect to the Pei Family.

Hmph!

"

As a member of the Pei Family, he hadn't suffered such humiliation in a long time. In the past, even outsiders would first inquire about the major powers of Ruyang City, about who could be offended and who could not. Once he mentioned the Pei Family's name, others would always show him respect.

"Send men to keep watch on them. Don't let them escape. I'll find Brother Ming and have him handle it personally," Pei Jian said coldly, his expression dark. Since the man refused to cooperate, killing him and taking what he wanted would be no different.

"Yes, sir!" the subordinate replied respectfully.

Before the words had even faded, however, a fierce gust of wind swept from behind. Pei Jian's face changed drastically, as he hadn't expected his enemy to strike so boldly, showing no regard for the Pei Family's name. His blood qi flared violently as he swung his saber backward with all his might.

Slash.

But halfway through the swing, a chill swept across his neck. Under the night sky, a streak of blade light flashed like lightning, slicing cleanly through Pei Jian and the subordinate beside him. Both heads tumbled to the ground, eyes wide open and faces frozen in disbelief.

Lin Zheyu glanced at the two corpses but didn't stop to search them. He rushed straight back into the inn. The Pei Family held great influence in Ruyang City, and having killed two of their men, he couldn't afford to stay. He had to leave immediately. Inside the inn, Liang Yunhui and Liang Yuhan looked tense, but when they saw Lin Zheyu enter, both let out a breath of relief.

"Don't say anything. Pack your things; we're leaving tonight," Lin Zheyu said decisively when he saw Liang Yunhui's lips part as if to speak.

Though he had just slain Pei Jian and his companion with ease, there was no satisfaction in his heart. After encountering so many Marrow Refining Realm martial artists, Lin Zheyu now had a clear sense of the power difference within the realm. The gap between martial artists of the same realm was immense, especially between those who broke through after different numbers of blood qi qualitative changes. Yan Jun, whom he had met in Bafang City, was a mid-to-upper-tier fighter among those who broke through after the fourth transformation.

With his current strength, Lin Zheyu hardly regarded any Marrow Refining Realm martial artist below the fifth transformation as a threat. Those who broke through after the fourth transformation had physiques far inferior to his own. After cultivating the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual to Perfection, his body was comparable to that of a Marrow Refining Realm beast. It was far beyond what ordinary martial artists could match.

If he unleashed the Barbaric Ox Fist at eighteenfold power, no Marrow Refining Realm martial artist who hadn't trained a body-refining technique could withstand it. And with his Golden Goose Technique refined to mastery, even those who tried to dodge would find it impossible to escape.

Lin Zheyu judged himself to be about as strong as those who had broken through after the fourth transformation, if not stronger. As for prodigies who reached the Marrow Refining Realm after the fifth transformation, he had never encountered one and thus could not compare. His strength was great, but still nowhere near the level of a family like the Pei Family.

As one of Ruyang City's renowned families, the Pei Family certainly possessed many talented martial artists, perhaps even those who had reached the Force Transforming Realm. Alone and without backing, Lin Zheyu knew he was in no position to challenge them head-on.

Hearing this, Liang Yuhan nodded gravely. With a light leap, she grabbed Liang Yunhui and bounded to the second floor. She understood all too well how dire the situation was. Crossing a great family like the Pei Family could mean utter annihilation if they made even one mistake.

Lin Zheyu picked up the drowsy Little Black and lightly stepped up to the second floor. Most of his valuables were already on him, and anything that could be bought again wasn't worth carrying now. His gaze fell on the heavy armor in the chest beside him, and he sighed helplessly.

He had no choice but to abandon the armor. Weighing five hundred kilograms, it couldn't be hauled by cart or beast during an escape, as it would only slow him down. Grabbing what he could, he opened the window and leapt down. Below, Liang Yunhui and Liang Yuhan were already ready to go.

"

Huh?

Senior Zhao, where are you all headed?" Lai Mao hummed a tune as he strolled over from afar, his expression turning startled when he saw the group.

A bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart. He had just secured Lin Zheyu's promise to spare him and, feeling at ease, had gone out to relax. Yet on his way back, he ran straight into them, preparing to flee. If even someone as powerful as Senior Zhao was running, that could only mean they had provoked a terrifying enemy.

His mind spun rapidly. His life was still in their hands; if he didn't follow, the poison in his body would eventually kill him. Yet going with them might be worse. Whoever could force someone like Senior Zhao to flee was far beyond what a mere fourth transformation martial artist like him could face.

"A night stroll," Lin Zheyu replied flatly.

The three ignored Lai Mao completely and shot off into the distance, vanishing into the night.

"Senior Zhao, wait for me! What about the antidote? You promised me!" Lai Mao called out anxiously, hurrying after them.

"Here. It's a half-finished antidote, and its missing ingredients are the Azure Ghostgrass, White Ginseng, and Ground Peppervine," Lin Zheyu said, tossing him a black pill. "Try your luck at the black market. Whether it works or not depends on fate."

It was Lai Chang who had offended him, not Lai Mao. The man had been cooperative these past days and had even allowed Lin Zheyu to learn the intriguing Forbidden Reversal Method. Finding him somewhat agreeable, Lin Zheyu simply tossed him the unfinished pill.

"

Ah!

"

Lai Mao snatched the pitch-black pill, with hesitation clouding his face. He glanced at Lin Zheyu and the others fading into the distance, then gritted his teeth and dashed off in another direction. No, he couldn't get involved. That would mean death. He could only trust Lin Zheyu's character now and hope that, once he gathered the remaining herbs, this half-finished antidote could truly cleanse the poison in his body.

***

The night grew heavy, the cold wind howling through the dark. A storm was brewing as clouds gathered to blot out the moon.

Once beyond the marketplace, everything was pitch-black. The moment Lin Zheyu and his group burst from the inn, several figures sprang from the surrounding shadows, chasing in their direction, with two of them splitting off to pursue Lai Mao. After all, the Pei Family was influential in Ruyang City, and they had many eyes and informants in this market.

***

The three moved swiftly, cold wind whistling past their ears. Lin Zheyu slapped Little Black awake, and Liang Yunhui clung to the beast's back as it sped along. In terms of speed, he was the fastest, followed by Little Black, then Liang Yuhan. As for Liang Yunhui, she hadn't even reached the Blood Qi Realm.

After running about three kilometers, his brows furrowed.

So fast!

Lin Zheyu was slightly surprised.

When they had first left the marketplace, he had sensed many people tailing them, but those people had been weak, untrained martial artists who could never keep up. Yet now, the pursuers behind them were fast. They were alarmingly fast and were still closing in.

What impressive tracking ability,

Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

After leaving the market, they had plunged into the mountains, using the forest's cover. Finding them shouldn't have been easy. Yet their pursuers had followed swiftly and precisely. Even Lin Zheyu himself wouldn't have been able to do that; he had never studied tracking techniques or undergone specialized training.

"You go on ahead. I'll catch up soon," Lin Zheyu said solemnly.

If Lin Zheyu were alone, he could have easily shaken off those behind him. But with two burdens in tow, escaping on his own would only leave Liang Yuhan and her mother to be captured, and when the Pei Family couldn't find him, they would surely vent their hatred on them instead. He halted and faced the pitch-black forest ahead. Behind him, Liang Yuhan and the others quickly vanished into the night, knowing they were too weak to help and would only hold him back.

Gulp, gulp.

Lin Zheyu pulled a waterskin filled with medicinal broth from his pack and drank deeply. It was better to prepare first; if his blood qi was drained too quickly in battle, he could replenish it using Origin Force.

The cold wind blew through the forest, making the trees rustle softly. Faint moonlight filtered through thin clouds, casting a pale glow. Suddenly, a dark figure shot out from the shadows, charging at Lin Zheyu. The heavy hammer in his hands whirled with a deafening roar.

Lin Zheyu swung his Golden Scale Saber, tracing a dim silver arc through the darkness as it clashed against the incoming hammer.

Clang.

A crisp clash of metal rang out as a terrifying force surged from the opponent's body. Lin Zheyu was blasted backward, twisting midair before planting his right foot against a nearby tree to steady himself.

1. 敬酒不吃吃罚酒 (Refusing a toast only to drink punishment wine) is an idiom for refusing goodwill and only submitting when forced. ☜