Chapter 276: Damn You, Zhu Laosan, You Must Be A Traitor!?

At first, in Li Yanchu’s eyes, those five broad-shouldered, saber-wielding retainers were nothing more than martial experts skilled in combined battle formations. Against demons and fiends, they would surely be at a disadvantage.

But to his surprise, they could survive a pierced heart, their wounds knitting themselves back together in moments. That was something Li Yanchu had not expected.

The hulking, dim-witted brute of a man was immensely strong. His skin was tougher than fine steel, and he commanded the Black Wind Method; one breath of it left men dazed and stupefied. He was a formidable opponent indeed.

Yet the treasured sword in Lu Ying’s hand radiated righteous qi, and her swordsmanship was sharp beyond measure.

After several exchanges, it was the hulking brute instead who was stabbed several times, blood pouring from his wounds.

Pfft!

He suddenly opened his mouth wide, spewing forth a choking gale of black wind. Then, using the moment while Lu Ying fended it off, he turned and vanished into the storm outside. He had arrived with thunderous momentum and departed just as swiftly and cleanly, without hesitation.

That left the Beaked Daoist bearing the full weight of the fight.

Lu Ying arched her brow and declined to give chase, and she instead locked her killing intent firmly on the Daoist.

Clang!

Her sword thrust forward, and by the time the sound rang out, half a chi of sword-light was already driving straight for the Beaked Daoist’s chest. A stabbing pain shot through him, and his expression changed drastically. Scarlet light flared across his body, barely deflecting the strike.

He then spun and fled.

It was a scale from a mountain python on the verge of transforming into a flood-dragon, a relic that could ward off three mighty blows. Just now, one use had already been spent, and the Beaked Daoist felt a pang of heartache.

The messy-haired woman dissolved into a streak of black light and flew back into his gaping mouth.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of that young Daoist off to the side leisurely watching the battle, with wine in one hand and a roasted chicken in the other. When he saw this, a nameless fire of rage suddenly surged in his chest.

He was already a murderous heretic who regarded human lives as weeds. Now, as he fled, he decided he’d take this Daoist’s head as interest. His hand spread into claws, lunging straight for the young Daoist’s heart!

Li Yanchu raised a brow.

I was just planning on sitting back and enjoying the show... and you decide to come over here and kill me? Oh. So you’re looking down on me!

Li Yanchu never thought of himself as some lofty master, nor would being looked down upon normally stir killing intent in him.

But for a heretic weighed down with karmic debts, so blind as to provoke him,

that

he could not tolerate.

And so, before everyone’s eyes, the Beaked Daoist, who had just fled with blinding speed, suddenly wheeled around like lightning and struck at the handsome young Daoist who had only been watching from the side.

Then, the young Daoist casually extended a palm, and a deafening boom rang in their ears!

Bang!

Even under the siege of five martial guards tempered with Heaven Official’s Blessing of the Kingdom of Qian, the Beaked Daoist had managed to retreat in order. Yet now, he had half his body blown apart into a mist of blood. His soul scattered, spirit destroyed.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Divine Astral Hands! Void-Splitting Palm!

The entire room fell deathly silent.

Lu Ying, the five martial guards, and Lady Yun were speechless.

Just like that... he died?!

Everyone stood dumbstruck, unable to believe it. Their shock was boundless.

However, Li Yanchu’s expression remained calm, as though he had done no more than brush away a speck of dust.

After a long moment...

Boom!

The hulking brute who had fled earlier came crashing back through the door, his massive frame smashing the doorway into splinters that flew in every direction.

Two figures followed at his side: an elderly man with a gaunt, rodent-like face, and a swollen-faced female corpse. The moment the three appeared, the temperature in the room plummeted, yin qi and ghostly qi spreading like a suffocating fog.

The hulking brute let out a booming laugh. “Young lady, I brought some friends, let me show you a taste of my true methods!”

His grin was wild and arrogant. Just now, he had been pierced several times by that pretty young lady’s sword and was unable to properly unleash his sorcery, leaving him sullen and frustrated. So he had deliberately called in several nearby heretics to join him.

But his laughter soon froze stiff.

His gaze fell upon the Beaked Daoist’s half-shattered corpse lying in a pool of blood on the ground. An unstoppable chill crept up his spine.

Judging by the direction of the gore... it seemed that this handsome young Daoist before them had slain him?! The three heretics exchanged glances, their expressions filling with horror.

At this time, the gaunt, rodent-faced elder’s face darkened.

Damn you, Zhu Laosan! You bastard, you must be a traitor!

His eyes blazed with killing intent as he shot the hulking brute a glare, and then he simply turned and bolted.

Among the three, his reaction was the quickest. Or perhaps... “as timid as a mouse” had never been more fitting.

And then, before everyone’s eyes, the young Daoist extended a finger and tapped lightly into the air.

The rodent-faced elder instantly froze in place. His body locked stiff, and one leg half-lifted in the act of fleeing, leaving him frozen in a comically awkward running pose.

Immobilization Spell!

The hulking brute’s face twisted in terror. He took great strides, preparing to cloak himself in sorcery and vanish into the storm outside.

“Stay where you are!” Li Yanchu’s voice boomed like thunder!

From his palm burst forth an overwhelming surge of qi.

Divine Astral Hands!

Crane Control Hand and Dragonbind Hand!

The brute’s massive body was yanked backward uncontrollably, dragged as though by invisible chains. His head suddenly twisted at a grotesque angle, like it was without bones.

Pfft!

A mouthful of rancid, fetid black wind spewed forth. It was a demonic art he had mastered, one that seized and bewitched the soul.

But before the black wind could even sweep forward, it was locked in place by an invisible force. It was the Wind Tamer!

The hulking brute’s eyes widened in sheer terror, and he was unable to comprehend what was happening.

Crack!

Li Yanchu’s fist smashed down, shattering his spine. The brute’s entire body froze, then collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.

At that very moment, the bloated-faced corpse-woman had just fled three or four zhang away.

Boom!

Li Yanchu struck with a single palm, qi bursting from his hand like a raging tidal wave. Everyone nearby felt as though their chests were being crushed by an unbearable weight.

Divine Astral Hands! Void-Splitting Palm!

The corpse-woman’s body was struck by an invisible force, instantly exploding into a mist of blood, and her remains burned to ash beneath the scorching palm force.

+ 1,000 merit points!

Among the three heretics, the corpse-woman had been the weakest, nothing more than a common corpse-demon.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yanchu had slain the Beaked Daoist and torn through his foes with ruthless dominance. Of the three heretics: one was slain, one was crippled, and one was captured.

Such overwhelming might left everyone shaken.

Even the five towering martial guards involuntarily stepped back, their eyes filled with the purest fear. This young Daoist was too terrifying! They would rather clash with the fiercest demons and most savage monsters than face him directly.

Lu Ying’s eyes shone brightly, her spirit surging with emotion.

“Daoist Master Li, what magnificent skill!” She was inwardly astonished.

For someone so tyrannically powerful, he had restrained himself earlier when she rashly struck at him, not lashing out in retaliation.

It was clear now that he was a true cultivator, a master with profound Daoist virtue, not one to kill wantonly.

Li Yanchu smiled, cupping his fists in greeting. Then he walked over to the rodent-faced elder, now bound in place, and studied him closely.

“Old man, who are you people? What are you here for? How many more companions do you have? By rights, I should at least ask you this once. Are you willing to talk?”

The rodent-faced elder, bound by the Immobilization Spell, could only glance from the corner of his eye, just in time to see this young Daoist snatch Zhu Laosan back with a single grab. With one punch, he had shattered Zhu Laosan’s vaunted iron-hard body.

Now, under that calm, unblinking gaze, the elder felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. Even his eyes stung with pain.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk!” His body trembled as his words tumbled out in desperate haste.