Chapter 58: Instant Death! Who in the Cui Clan Could Defeat Him?

Li Hongzhuang froze. Even though she had carefully disguised herself, the members of the Cui Clan still recognized her. Then again, considering that she had already snuck in once before to steal the Marrow Transformation Pill, it wasn't all that surprising they remembered her.

She snorted. "Old fool, we'll see who really dies today."

"Miss Li," one of the elders said, looking at Lu Changsheng, "so this is the expert you brought? No wonder you dared walk into the Cui residence so boldly."

He paused, eyeing Lu Changsheng from head to toe. "At the peak of the Organ Refinement Stage... Truly remarkable. If I'm not mistaken, you're also the one who killed Master Luo Tian at the Chamber of Red Delights, aren't you? I suppose that was to draw away some of our martial artists?"

Lu Changsheng said nothing. His gaze stayed locked on the Three Elders. They radiated a fierce presence as their blood qi surged and seemingly intertwined.

"Brother Shisan," Li Hongzhuang whispered, "they are the Three Elders of the Cui Clan, all of them are experts at the peak of the Organ Refinement Stage. I never imagined they’d been hiding in the furnace chamber this whole time..."

Suddenly, a thought struck her. She narrowed her eyes, "Don't tell me... the three of you took the Marrow Transformation Pill?"

Indeed, with thirteen Marrow Transformation Pills, why wouldn't they take some themselves? Once they took the pill and cultivated the Marrow Transformation secret technique to Perfection, they could successfully transform their marrow.

As the Three Elders remained silent, Li Hongzhuang shook her head and scoffed, "No way! You're just putting on an act. Even if you had the pills, do you even understand how difficult it is to cultivate the secret technique? Reaching Perfection is easier said than done."

Li Hongzhuang had been cultivating the marrow transformation secret technique for ten years and had only reached Initial Mastery. She had no idea how far she was from Advanced Mastery, let alone Perfection. Marrow transformation was difficult to complete because the pill was hard to refine, and mastering the secret technique to Perfection was even harder.

"Well, we're about to find out if they're really bluffing," Lu Changsheng said. Then, before anyone could react, he lunged forward.

Clang!

A streak of white light flashed. For a moment, the Three Elders felt as though invisible blades were carving through their flesh.

"Three Force Formation!" the Three Elders yelled as they drew their swords and moved into formation.[1]

With this formation, even if Lu Changsheng managed to kill one of them, the other two could strike back immediately and cut him down. No matter how strong he was, he was still made of flesh and blood. Without iron armor like that worn by Zhao Xing of the Myriad Poison Cult, he would not survive.

"What incredible speed!"

"You don't often see someone this fast among Organ Refinement martial artists."

"We can't allow him to live!"

"No Organ Refinement martial artist can break our Three Force Formation!"

The Three Elders were confident. With their speed and coordination, even the strongest Organ Refinement martial artist would falter against them. Years back, they had even killed one of the most renowned supreme Organ Refinement martial artists in the jianghu using this formation. But too many years had passed since they last fought as a unit, and their reputation had long been forgotten.

Three steps. Two steps. One step.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Changsheng was only one step away from the nearest elder. From this distance, he could easily drive his blade into the elder's throat.

The elder stared in disbelief as Lu Changsheng wasn't slowing down or stepping aside. Was he really prepared to give his life just for this one kill?

"I call your bluff! I'm an old man, like a sun setting on the horizon. But you, you're young. Are you really that stupid to trade your young life for mine?"

The elder clenched his jaw and held his position. At the same time, the other two elders swung their swords at Lu Changsheng from different directions.

"Brother Shisan!" Li Hongzhuang cried out, trying to warn Lu Changsheng.

As someone watching from a distance, Li Hongzhuang could see the situation more clearly than anyone else. Even if Shisan could kill one of them, that would cost him his life. She knew him well enough—he wasn't the king of man to throw away his life like this.

Lu Changsheng had already broken through the formation. The closest elder was just one step away, well within reach of his blade, and even if there had been three steps between them, it would have made no difference. With his speed, he could easily close the distance and deliver the fatal blow. Unless the elder had already entered the Divine Strength Realm, there was no way he could block Lu Changsheng’s sword.

Squelch!

The sound of blade cutting flesh rang out as Lu Changsheng's sword pierced the elder's throat. Blood splurted out as the elder stared at Lu Changsheng in disbelief. Just like that, one of the famed Three Elders, a peak Organ Refinement artist, fell.

"A life for a life then?!" the two others roared. "Fine! Die!"

In a flash, the two elders swung their swords at Lu Changsheng. They were filled with rage by the death of their comrade. The three of them had fought side by side for decades, their bond forged through blood and battle. Yet now, one of them had fallen to a young man who was recklessly throwing his life away.

Their blades came in from different angles, swift and precise, each one aimed at a vital point. Lu Changsheng was fast, but there was no way he could dodge in time.

"Life for a life?" Lu Changsheng scoffed, his frosty gaze fixed on them. "You people think too highly of yourselves."

He never had any intention of trading lives—not with the Three Elders, or with anyone else in the Cui Clan.

"All you have is this Three Force Formation, and you think you're unbeatable?" He mocked, channeling his blood qi.

Boom!

Instantly, a dense mass of blood qi formed above his head, condensing into a thick crimson cloud.

"Silken Thread Sword!" Lu Changsheng cried out, and the blood qi cloud above him split apart.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

Countless silk-like threads shot toward the two elders, each one sharp as a blade. They might have been able to block a few strands, but against thousands, they were helpless. The combined force was overwhelming—and this was not even half the amount of blood qi Lu Changsheng could release.

"What?"

The two elders turned pale. The Silken Thread Sword was fast, and at such close range, they knew if they went on with their attack, the threads would kill them before their blades could reach Lu Changsheng.

In a split second, they gave up on the attack and instead swung their swords at the oncoming threads.

Swish!

They managed to slice apart most of the threads with ease. After all, they were formed from blood qi, so they weren't as hard as an actual longsword.

While the elders were focused on clearing a path, Lu Changsheng was already making his next move. The moment one of the elders finished cutting down the threads, sword-light flashed before his eyes. A chill went down his spine, and panic surged through him.

The elder raised his sword, but it was already too late.

Squelch!

A sharp sound cut through the air. Lu Changsheng' blade had pierced the elder's throat. After a moment, he pulled back, leaving a bleeding gash behind.

"So fast..." the elder gasped, clutching at his throat. His eyes were wide with shock as he crumpled to the floor.

Within a few moments, two of the elders had fallen.

"No!" The last elder staggered back, terror flooding his face. He quickly turned and bolted toward the furnace chamber, slamming the door shut behind him.

Lu Changsheng stopped where he was, sword still in hand. Blood trickled down the blade, dripping beside the two corpses at his feet.

"The Three Elders of the Cui Clan... Is that the best they can do?" he murmured, shaking his head. "Disappointing."

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

In Lu Changsheng's eyes, none of the elders could individually measure up to Zhao Qilei. At least Zhao Qilei's speed with the saber was impressive, whereas this so-called Three Force Formation had been utterly futile. He had shattered it with a flick of his finger.

Li Hongzhuang stared at Lu Changsheng, her eyes filled with shock and astonishment.

The Three Elders weren't weak. Against most opponents below the Divine Strength Realm, their formation was unbreakable and deadly. However, Lu Changsheng's Silken Thread Sword and Deathflash had made a mockery of their Three Force Formation.

"Maybe it isn’t that the Three Elders were weak," she murmured. "Maybe you're just too strong..."

Her gaze drifted down to the bodies on the floor, and a rush of excitement flared up within her. Two elders slain in the blink of an eye—with strength like that, who in the entire Cui Clan could stand against Lu Changsheng?

1. This is a specific martial arts formation for three individuals. Named after the philosophical concept of the Three Forces (三才)—Heaven (天), Earth (地), and Man (人)—the formation is designed to link the movements and strengths of the three participants to multiply their collective power and stability, making them a highly effective and adaptable fighting unit. ☜