Chapter 56: Purple Intent (I)

"No, impossible! You're not Lin Zheyu. Who in the world are you? Lin Zheyu has trained for less than half a year. There's no way he could possess such terrifying strength! Who are you? Why would you disguise yourself as Lin Zheyu to lure me out?" shouted Xing Jinglong loudly.

He still could not believe that the terrifyingly strong expert before him, one who had reached the Blood Qi Realm, was the same Lin Zheyu he once knew.

This couldn’t be that storyteller who had trained for less than half a year! Impossible!

Even the direct descendants of the Xing Family, who had tempered their bodies with precious medicines since childhood and cultivated under the guidance of renowned masters with abundant resources, were still not guaranteed to break through to the Blood Qi Realm.

Though the gap between the peak of the Organ Forging Realm and the Blood Qi Realm was but a single step, it had blocked countless martial artists.

To cross into the Blood Qi Realm, it was not enough for one's body to reach peak refinement with essence and qi overflowing. One also needed a will strong enough to perceive blood and fuse it with essence and qi through the power of one's mind to condense it into a new form, Blood Qi!

Time and again, Lin Zheyu broke through his physical limits. With each shattering of his own boundaries, his spiritual will grew tougher and stronger. Only when he entered that special state brought upon by the Origin Force could he break through with ease. For ordinary people, stepping into the Blood Qi Realm was dozens, or even hundreds of times harder.

Seeing that Xing Jinglong had fallen into a daze as if possessed by a demon, Qiao Quan shouted again, "Young master, stop hesitating! Go, quickly!"

"

Haha!

Don’t be retarded. He’s not going anywhere!" Lin Zheyu let out a cold laugh.

A flying dagger slid from his sleeve. With a forceful flick of his right arm, the blood qi energy burst forth with a thunderous roar. The dagger shot out with a sharp swish, piercing toward Xing Jinglong's brow at an astonishing speed.

"How dare you!" bellowed Qiao Quan.

A surge of special energy erupted from within his body as he swung his spear, flicking away the incoming dagger with a metallic clang. The immense force behind the dagger sent a numbing shock through his arm.

Such terrifying power!

"What are you standing there for? Take the young master away!" shouted Qiao Quan, ordering the men of the Wuding Gang to drag Xing Jinglong away.

The veins across his body bulged as an intangible special energy enveloped him, staining his skin a faint bluish-purple. The essence, qi, and spirit condensed together, forming a special energy. Though he could forcefully wield it through the formation, the pressure it placed on his body was immense.

His strength at the Blood Qi Realm came only from borrowing the formation's power. Such an unnatural method could not last long. A formation of merely ten elite warriors carried severe flaws, placing an unbearable burden on its commander.

"I may not know how you managed it, but I understand the principle now. Your mission is over. It's time for you to depart," said Lin Zheyu lightly, no longer concealing his strength.

The restraints of the Tortoise Breath Grand Method fell away, and the blood qi within his body surged forward violently. Until now, he had been using the Tortoise Breath Grand Method to suppress his aura, reducing the fluctuations of his blood qi to the lowest point. Once released, his aura rose rapidly.

"So strong! This isn't the early stage of the Blood Qi Realm!"

Sensing the overwhelming force of blood qi erupting from the youth's body, Qiao Quan was utterly shocked. The young man before him looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, yet his strength had reached such a terrifying level. It was simply beyond belief. A martial artist who reached the Blood Qi Realm in his teens was inconceivable!

On the way here, he had heard Xing Jinglong say that their target was merely a Bone Forging Realm martial artist, skilled in leg techniques and exceptionally fast. After learning that, Qiao Quan had treated this trip as nothing more than a leisurely outing. But damn it, was this monster really just a Bone Forging Realm martial artist? If not for the dire situation, he would have grabbed that fat fool Xing's neck and given him a piece of his mind.

"Who exactly are you, and why are you targeting Young Master Xing?" Suppressing the terror in his heart, Qiao Quan asked in a deep voice, "Has our young master wronged you in some way? Please let us know, and we will offer our apology and compensation."

Boom.

Lin Zheyu gave no reply. He knew well the principle that villains perished from speaking too much, and that one must always finish the kill. The soil beneath his feet exploded as surging blood qi poured into his legs. In the next instant, his figure vanished.

So fast!

Qiao Quan was secretly alarmed.

The special energy within his body burst forth, making the veins across his body bulge violently. As the strange energy coursed through him, intricate violet patterns spread across his skin, and an eerie purple intent appeared in his eyes.

Boom!

Gripping his spear, Qiao Quan thrust it forward, blocking Lin Zheyu's whipping leg as it came crashing down toward Xing Jinglong. But Lin Zheyu's strength was just too overwhelming.

The dense blood qi erupted along his leg, and the terrifying force phased directly the spear, smashing directly into Xing Jinglong's body.

Bang!

Crack, crack.

Horror filled Xing Jinglong's eyes as he witnessed the scene. Before he could dodge, he was sent flying and let out a miserable cry. He crashed through two tree trunks in succession before finally coming to a stop. His bloated body sagged inward at the chest, his eyes bulged, and blood gushed from his mouth. He was on the brink of death.

"You court death!" shouted Qiao Quan as murderous intent erupted violently from him.

He reached into the pouch at his waist and flung out red powder mixed with poisoned needles toward Lin Zheyu. As a close friend of Zhao Wude, he had obtained a considerable amount of potent poison powder and darts from him, and now was the perfect moment to put them to use.

Poison!

Lin Zheyu immediately held his breath and darted aside, evading both the flying needles and the drifting poison.

Taking advantage of the opening, Qiao Quan, who had just been putting on a show of risking his life, suddenly turned and fled.

This guy,

thought Lin Zheyu, speechless.

He had thought the man was a loyal retainer, ready to fight to the death for Xing Jinglong's sake. But clearly, he had overestimated him. Using the Golden Goose Technique, he pushed his speed to the utmost and charged after Qiao Quan.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Several flying daggers appeared in Lin Zheyu's hand. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he sent them shooting outward in every direction.

Though his skill in handling concealed weapons was rather crude, the sheer force he wielded, combined with his sharp perception, was more than enough to deal with the Wuding Gang members who had not even reached the Organ Forging Realm.

The daggers whistled through the air and struck with precision, piercing the skulls of five panicked Wuding Gang members and the Wind-Chasing Gray-Furred Marten that had been tracking his scent. All were killed instantly with a single strike.

Who in the world is this man? Since when did Songyi City have such a powerful Blood Qi Realm expert?

thought Qiao Quan in terror.

He was shaken to his core. Even though he had relied on the formation to raise his strength to the level of the Blood Qi Realm, it was still borrowed power. Against a true Blood Qi Realm martial artist, he had no chance of victory.

It would be a different story if the formation was built from over a hundred elite soldiers, but unfortunately, it was not. At his side were only ten soldiers, and they were not even true elites. The special energy these soldiers provided could only barely push him into the Blood Qi Realm.

It was enough to bully a peak Organ Forging Realm martial artist, but against a genuine Blood Qi Realm martial artist, it was utterly inadequate!

Whoosh, Whoosh, whoosh.

Qiao Quan kept hurling poisoned darts, clouds of toxin, and even venomous insects behind him to slow Lin Zheyu's pursuit. The formation's strength was formidable, yet its speed was far from impressive. If not for his poisonous tricks, Lin Zheyu would have already caught up.

Luckily, Qiao Wuan was not Zhao Wude, and the poisoned powders and hidden weapons he had prepared were few. They were soon exhausted.

What a pity that Zhao Wude had been killed in a sneak attack. Otherwise, with the formation supporting Old Zhao's poison arts, even if they could not defeat the opponent, they could at least have escaped safely.

"I have no enmity with you. Since Young Master Xing is already dead, why must you keep chasing me?" asked Qiao Quan. As he spoke, he casually scattered another handful of poisonous powder.

Lin Zheyu frowned and slipped past the red cloud. This fellow's methods of using poison were endless. Poisoned darts, hidden weapons, toxic powders; one after another, they kept coming. Lin Zheyu had not studied much when it came to poisons. He did not dare to close in too much to avoid being poisoned.

"Then why bother running? Stop and let us talk," said Lin Zheyu.

"

Heh!

"

Qiao Quan let out a short sneer and scattered his last handful of red poison powder. The surrounding leaves withered into a sickly yellow the instant the poison touched them. The poison was not only lethal when inhaled; even a touch could corrode flesh. To avoid contact, Lin Zheyu reached for his waist pouch, drew out several dozen flying daggers, and hurled them at the ten soldiers forming the battle formation.