Chapter 184: Chapter 184: You Are at the Flesh Refining Realm

CLANG—

The Mo Yuan Saber left its sheath with a dragon’s roar that shook the heavens.

The slash was so fast it surpassed the limits of vision. Even the air itself was instantly sliced apart by the razor-sharp saber energy, letting out a piercing shriek.

A terrifying wave of saber energy, black as ink and wreathed in a crimson glow, swept out like an awakened black dragon!

BOOM—

First came the sharp crack of metal shattering, followed by a deafening explosion!

Yin Zhao’s savage grin froze on his face, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.

The moment their blades clashed, he felt an overwhelming, terrifying force surge madly up the hilt of his saber. The power was so immense that it was in no way inferior to his own, a mid-stage Flesh Refining Realm expert!

Even more horrifying was the crimson-black saber energy! It was incomparably sharp, carrying a heart-stopping destructive force that sliced through his Ghost Head Saber—forged from hundred-refined steel—as if it were tofu!

’Damn it! I was careless!’

’Curse it all, I shouldn’t have used the Ghost Head Saber as a disguise. I should have used my own Treasure Saber!’

PTUI!

The next moment, the webbing between Yin Zhao’s thumb and forefinger split open, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His forward charge was brought to a dead stop by the tyrannical slash. His feet gouged two half-foot-deep trenches into the ground, but he still couldn’t halt his backward momentum. His entire body shot back like a cannonball!

BANG!

He slammed heavily into a weapons rack inside the stockade. The solid wood frame instantly exploded into a shower of splinters, and weapons clattered to the ground.

"*Cough, cough*... Impossible!"

Yin Zhao clutched his aching chest, staring intently at the slender figure who stood perfectly still, having already sheathed his saber. His voice was a hoarse roar.

"This power... this level of Qi and Blood..."

"You’re in the Flesh Refining Realm!"

Su Yu’s expression was cold. He didn’t answer, merely exhaling a slow, turbid breath as a faint white mist steamed from his body.

Their exchange had happened in a flash.

Song Mirror was only just now snapping out of it, even more shocked than the scarred man, Yin Zhao.

’My Lord... My Lord is in the Flesh Refining Realm?’

’No way. Hasn’t it been less than a month since he attended the Yuan Lantern Festival and defeated Sun Yan and Ding Mianyue? Wasn’t he still at the Third Acupoint back then?’

’In one month... he crossed a chasm that countless Martial Artists could never cross in a lifetime?’

’Wait, wait, am I confused? Did I get the time wrong?’

He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his eyes filled with disbelief. He quickly ran through the timeline in his head again, still unable to accept it.

He was one step short of counting on his fingers before he finally confirmed it: he hadn’t miscalculated!

Song Mirror swallowed hard, the awe in his eyes transforming into fanatical worship.

’My Lord’s terrifying breakthrough speed... How can you call that talent? He’s a monster!’

He had lived in Black Stone City for so many years, but he had never seen or even heard of such a monstrous talent.

Even the radiant Cui Wanhe, who was three years older than his lord, was now completely eclipsed!

"What are you standing around for? Take down this rabble and wait for My Lord’s judgment!"

Song Mirror’s cold voice cut through the air, snapping the other Security Guards out of their stupor.

At that moment, Song Mirror could practically see a glorious future where he would rise to the heavens along with his master. He was desperate to put on a good show for Su Yu!

"Yes, sir!"

Their morale soaring, the Security Guards surrounded the remaining bandits.

...

Yin Zhao got to his feet and spat a bloody mouthful onto the ground, his face dark as he stared at Su Yu.

"Good, you brat! So you were hiding this deep. It seems the Patriarch was deceived by you as well. If he’d sent someone even a little weaker, they would have fallen into your trap and been killed instead!"

"But don’t think you’ve won, kid. I saw your attack. Your Qi and Blood aren’t at the mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm, are they? Do you have some kind of special constitution?"

At this, his face twisted into a maniacal laugh. "HAHAHA! To think you have such monstrous talent! A pity you’re not cautious enough—you actually dared to leave the city alone. Today, I will kill you and eliminate this great threat once and for all!"

The next moment, Yin Zhao took a deep breath, and a terrifying roar like a bursting dam erupted from within his body.

As his Qi and Blood surged wildly, his already burly frame swelled, his muscles hardening and bulging as if being inflated!

The muscles on his back, in particular, rippled and expanded, RIIIIP!—tearing his upper-body clothing to shreds. They revealed horrifying, twisted muscles, blackish-green like iron and coiled like dragon scales!

At this moment, he no longer looked human. He looked more like a man-eating, humanoid beast!

"What Cultivation Technique is this?"

Su Yu’s brow furrowed.

’Something’s wrong with Yin Zhao’s state,’ Su Yu thought. ’His Qi and Blood are suffused with a wild, demonic aura. It doesn’t seem like orthodox Martial Arts, more like some kind of wicked Secret Skill!’

Su Yu shook his slightly numb wrist, his expression growing more serious.

It had seemed like he held the upper hand in that last exchange.

But that wasn’t the reality of it!

He had been building up power for that strike for some time, while his opponent had launched a sneak attack, changing his move midway through, and hadn’t had time to fully channel his Qi and Blood.

Moreover, he had relied on his strongest Demon-subduing Saber energy to barely injure his foe. He had to admit, the gap between each level of the Flesh Refining Realm was far greater than in the Skin Tempering Realm.

’But this just goes to show how freakishly strong I’ve become,’ he considered. ’The White Ape Saint Body has transformed my body to a degree far beyond that of an ordinary genius!’

"Die, you brat!"

Yin Zhao roared, the ground beneath his feet exploding and leaving a deep crater.

Using the repulsive force, he vanished in an instant, reappearing right in front of Su Yu!

A fist larger than a man’s head, wreathed in baleful, dark-red Qi and Blood, descended toward Su Yu’s head amidst a piercing gale!

Before the fist arrived, the wind it generated felt sharp enough to cut his face!

"Demon Ape’s Chaotic Dance!"

Instead of retreating, Su Yu advanced. He gripped the hilt of the Mo Yuan Saber with both hands as his Qi and Blood surged like molten mercury. The Profound Silver Flow Armor instantly covered his arms.

The Mo Yuan Saber transformed into a black, furious dragon, slashing viciously toward the iron fist!

BOOM!

Another earth-shattering explosion.

A violent shockwave swept outwards, sending all the scattered weapons on the ground flying.

Su Yu felt a powerful tremor run up his arms, the webbing of his hands going numb. It was like he had just struck a speeding iron mountain! This time, Yin Zhao’s strength was a full thirty percent greater than before!

THUMP!

Using the force of the blow, Su Yu did a backflip and landed lightly several dozen feet away.

BOOM!

Yin Zhao’s next punch missed, slamming into the ground and creating a deep, washbasin-sized crater that sent dust flying.

"Hahahaha! Kid, the acupoints in your arms haven’t even been opened yet! So you’ve only just entered the Flesh Refining Realm. You’re not getting away this time!"

Yin Zhao laughed, looking completely certain of his victory.

’Good heavens, this kid only just broke through to the Flesh Refining Realm, and he can already withstand my attacks!’

’A monster! An absolute monster!’

’I have to kill him. If he’s allowed to go back and cultivate for a while, he probably won’t even need to reach the mid-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm before he can turn around and kill me!’

At this moment, Yin Zhao’s killing intent reached its peak. He had to be killed!

Su Yu, meanwhile, was also gaining a clearer understanding of his own strength. ’I guess I have a special constitution now. With the addition of the Demon-subduing Saber energy, fighting above my level is no problem at all.’

’But against a veteran expert, it’s still not enough!’

’In that case, time to call for backup!’

The next moment, Su Yu put his fingers to his lips.

FWEEEEET—

A piercing whistle echoed through the clouds.

"What are you doing? Do you have reinforcements?"

Yin Zhao’s heart sank. He instinctively sensed that something was wrong. His figure once again blurred into an afterimage as he charged recklessly at Su Yu, hoping to end the fight before any backup arrived.

But in the next instant, a graceful figure flashed out from the woods not far behind him. She moved with ethereal grace, covering several dozen yards in the blink of an eye.

It was none other than Lin Wanzhu!

Su Yu slid a step, moving naturally and skillfully to position his Senior Sister in front of him, then gave her a small smile.

Lin Wanzhu shot Su Yu an exasperated glare.

Nevertheless, she unhesitatingly stepped in front of him and sent out a seemingly casual palm strike.

The strike looked ordinary, but it contained the terrifying Ming Jin of a Late-stage Flesh Refining Realm expert.

BOOM!

The slender, jade-like palm collided with the massive iron fist in mid-air.

The scene seemed to freeze.

A second later, Yin Zhao’s previously unrivaled, violent aura dissipated in an instant, like a punctured balloon.

He felt an irresistible force surge up his arm, and then that tyrannical power exploded!

CRACK!

The sharp sound of breaking bone rang out.

Yin Zhao’s arm twisted at an unnatural angle. He screamed as his entire body was sent flying backward as if struck by a giant beast.

THUD!

His body slammed into a massive stone millstone, shattering the thousand-pound object into several pieces!

BLURGH—

Yin Zhao sprayed another mouthful of blood, his face ashen. The blow had nearly pulped his internal organs. His eyes were filled with incredulous terror.

"L-Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm?"

’Damn it, was the Patriarch sure he wasn’t sending me here to die?’

’This pretty boy has already broken through to the Flesh Refining Realm, and he has a terrifying Late-stage Flesh Refining Realm woman protecting him. How am I supposed to kill him?!’