Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Killing Xue Qinghe

"Haha, you jest, Leader Xue. You’re not dead yet, so how could I dare die before you?" Shen Haoran said with a smile as he walked to the center of the hall, looking at Xue Qinghe.

"Hmph, such a sharp tongue! Since I failed to kill you last time, I’ll give you another taste of death!" Xue Qinghe said, staring coldly at Shen Haoran.

"It’s not yet certain who will be the one to die!" Shen Haoran’s expression darkened as he spoke in a cold voice.

"What arrogance! You dare come to our Leader Xue’s headquarters and speak so brazenly? Believe it or not, the spit from all of us combined would be enough to drown you!" a skinny Martial Artist who had come to offer congratulations said upon hearing Shen Haoran’s words.

"Exactly! What an arrogant brat!" At this, everyone in the hall chimed in with agreement.

Seeing all the Martial Artists in the hall siding with him, the corners of Xue Qinghe’s mouth lifted into a slight smirk as he watched Shen Haoran with a mocking gaze.

Faced with so many Martial Artists, Shen Haoran showed no sign of panic. Instead, a smile played on his lips as his eyes swept over them. A bone-chilling killing intent erupted from his body!

"Today, anyone who dares to interfere in the feud between Xue Qinghe and me will be killed without mercy!" Shen Haoran’s voice was completely devoid of emotion, as if it had emerged from the depths of the Nine Netherworld.

The moment Shen Haoran finished speaking, Ji Lingxuan stepped out from behind him. A powerful aura instantly enveloped everyone present!

Feeling this immense pressure, everyone’s faces turned pale. They couldn’t help but gasp, exclaiming, "A Spirit General powerhouse!"

’Such a young Spirit General, and she even takes his orders... Could he really be a disciple from some Major Sect? If so, I absolutely cannot let this brat live!’ Xue Qinghe’s mind raced.

Shen Haoran nodded in satisfaction as he watched the now-silent Martial Artists in the hall. ’Even though Ling Xuan’s strength has fallen to the Spirit Pupil Tier, her aura as a Spirit General is as imposing as ever. It’s still more than enough to intimidate these people!’

"Leng Feng, since this is a feud between the two of us, do you dare to face me in a one-on-one battle?" Xue Qinghe declared loudly.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran sneered inwardly. ’Looks like he’s afraid of Ji Lingxuan. After all, a Spirit General could kill him as easily as crushing an ant. That’s why he’s proposing a duel. What a sly old fox!’

"Why wouldn’t I dare?" Shen Haoran agreed, despite knowing Xue Qinghe’s intentions. ’After all, Ji Lingxuan’s current strength is only that of a Tier Three or Four Spirit Pupil. Her Spirit General Level aura is just a facade.’

"You’ll regret this decision!" Xue Qinghe sneered, ripping off his celebratory robes. The aura of a Tier Five Spirit Pupil erupted from him, plain for all to see!

"Hmph, we’ll see who’s the one to have regrets!" Shen Haoran said coldly, letting out a long breath and assuming a fighting stance.

Xue Qinghe was a Tier Five Spirit Pupil, after all—the strongest opponent Shen Haoran had faced besides Zuo Chuan. He didn’t dare to underestimate him in the slightest.

After gathering his aura, Shen Haoran shot toward Xue Qinghe like a cannonball! Facing a massive gap in strength, Shen Haoran chose to seize the initiative. If Xue Qinghe controlled the pace of the battle, it would become incredibly difficult.

Watching Shen Haoran charge at him, Xue Qinghe sneered and surged forward to meet the attack.

BANG! The two moved with extreme speed. An instant later, their fists collided with a muffled thud.

After their fists met, both Shen Haoran and Xue Qinghe faltered for a second. A moment later, they recovered and began to brawl even more frantically, the dull thuds of their blows echoing throughout the hall.

Shen Haoran was no longer the combat novice he had been half a year ago. In the past six months, he had fought countless battles against Spirit Beasts in the Profound Spirit Mountain Range, living on the edge of life and death every day. His combat skills had improved by leaps and bounds.

After trading a few blows, Xue Qinghe figured out Shen Haoran’s cultivation level: a Tier Eight Spirit User! But this Tier Eight Spirit User shocked him to his core!

Facing Shen Haoran, Xue Qinghe couldn’t find a single opening. Shen Haoran, on the other hand, attacked like a thunderclap and defended like an iron fortress. Furthermore, his strength was immense, not at all inferior to his own—in fact, it was even slightly greater. Xue Qinghe found it hard to believe this was the combat prowess of a mere Tier Eight Spirit User. He couldn’t find a single weakness!

’Dammit!’ Xue Qinghe cursed internally. ’I can’t even handle a Tier Eight Spirit User!’

’Hmph, if that’s the case, I’ll just drag this out! I refuse to believe that a Tier Eight Spirit User like you has deeper reserves of Spiritual Power than I do!’ Xue Qinghe thought.

With this in mind, Xue Qinghe stopped clashing head-on with Shen Haoran and instead began to fight evasively.

Sensing the shift in Xue Qinghe’s combat style, Shen Haoran immediately understood his intent. ’Hmph, trying to drain my Spiritual Power? How naive!’

BANG! Another explosive clash sent them both flying backward from the force of the impact.

After they separated, Shen Haoran rubbed his numb arm. ’I can’t let this drag on,’ he thought. ’I only have one Spirit Pill left in my system, so my Spiritual Power definitely isn’t as deep as a Tier Five Spirit Pupil’s! It’ll be bad for me if this keeps up!’

’Looks like I’ll have to settle this in one move!’ Thinking this, Shen Haoran took a long breath and slowly began to channel the rest of his Spiritual Power.

Sensing the Spiritual Power surging around Shen Haoran, Xue Qinghe’s eyes narrowed. He knew Shen Haoran possessed an incredibly powerful Martial Skill, so he didn’t dare be complacent. He also began to channel his own Spiritual Power, preparing to receive the coming blow.

"Hah! Heaven-Breaking Kill!"

A moment later, the shout ripped from Shen Haoran’s throat. His body moved like a hidden dragon bursting from the abyss, and in an instant, he was before Xue Qinghe, his massive fist hurtling toward his face.

The force of the punch sent a gale washing over Xue Qinghe, and his expression changed dramatically. He never expected Shen Haoran’s Martial Skill to be so powerful—the sheer pressure from the attack made it hard for him to breathe!

For the past few months, besides his regular Cultivation, Shen Haoran had been relentlessly practicing this Profound Tier, High Tier Martial Skill: Heaven-Breaking Kill! With his monstrous comprehension, he had long ago mastered it to the stage of Great Success. If not for his limited strength, he could have unleashed it with the might of an Earth Tier Martial Skill!

But this level of power was more than enough. Profound Tier Martial Skills were already rare, and Earth Tier ones were even scarcer. Even within the Spirit Crane Sect, an Earth Tier Martial Skill would be considered a treasure that defined the Sect’s power, let alone in a tiny place like Yunluo Town.

"Blood Evil Palm!" Feeling the intense pressure from the incoming fist, Xue Qinghe knew he had no path of retreat. He had no choice but to unleash his own strongest Martial Skill. ’As long as I can block this one attack, he’ll be spent. Then, his defeat is certain!’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

At this thought, Xue Qinghe desperately poured all the Spiritual Power in his body into his palm to meet Shen Haoran’s Heaven-Breaking Kill!

BOOM!

As fist and palm collided, a massive explosion erupted. Cracks spiderwebbed out from beneath their feet, spreading to the surrounding walls. Then, the entire building collapsed with a deafening roar!

The crowd in the hall reacted instantly, leaping outside the very moment the building began to collapse. Staring at the ruins before them, they were all aghast. They couldn’t believe that a mere Tier Eight Spirit User had actually pushed Xue Qinghe, a Tier Five Spirit Pupil, to this extent!

THUD! Just as the crowd stood in shock, a figure shot out from the dust and smoke, landing hard in front of them. The body rolled a few times on the ground before coming to a stop.

When the crowd got a clear look at the face of the person on the ground, they all couldn’t help but gasp. The one lying there was none other than Xue Qinghe!