Jiang Chen’s voice came from behind.

Gongsun Yang froze, a look of shocked disbelief on his face. He turned to look at Jiang Chen, his pupils constricting slightly. "To think you could escape my Blood-Feathered Arrow alive. No wonder you’re so arrogant."

"You talk too much!"

Jiang Chen scoffed, sweeping his sword out. He leveled the razor-sharp edge, glinting with a deadly light, at Gongsun Yang and spoke coldly, "One year from today will be the anniversary of your death. Gongsun Yang, die!"

"Hahaha, you little bastard, you think you can kill me? Then bring it on! I’m going to tear you to shreds..." Gongsun Yang laughed, his fury reaching its peak.

A surging fluctuation of True Essence erupted from his body, transforming into a swirling gale that enveloped him completely.

A terrifying storm brewed around Gongsun Yang, kicking up grass, sand, and stone into the air. Amidst the flying debris, a silver gleam of an arrow shot through the sky.

It was followed by a second, then a third...

A total of nine arrows flew in succession, coordinating with one another to block all of Jiang Chen’s escape routes!

"Little bastard, I’d like to see how you’ll block my Nine Stars in a Row!" Gongsun Yang’s gaze was frigid as he spoke slowly.

Nine Stars in a Row!

This was a move from the Low-level Profound Tier Secret Manual, the Ten Thousand Arrows Style. Once the Ten Thousand Arrows Style Secret Technique was activated, it could fire nine sharp arrows at maximum speed and power. Each arrow was comparable to a full-power strike from a True Martial Realm Second Stage expert. With nine arrows in a row, it was impossible to defend against!

The nine arrows were incredibly fast, their Hexagram-shaped heads spinning continuously.

In their wake, they created a powerful gale.

The arrows were still five or six meters from Jiang Chen, but the gale they generated was already howling, forming a cage of wind that locked him firmly inside.

The Blood-Feathered Arrows Gongsun Yang used were no ordinary items; each one was at the Yellow Tier Weapon Level.

Moreover...

To enhance the arrows’ power, Gongsun Yang had spent a great fortune to have ’Gale’ Inscriptions carved onto them. Once the Inscriptions on an arrow were activated, they would form gusts of wind around it, increasing its power.

Combined with the precise control of the Ten Thousand Arrows Style, this was what created the Storm Cage phenomenon!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Jiang Chen struck the Storm Cage with his Cyan Blade Sword, producing a series of crisp, metallic clashes. He couldn’t help but frown. ’What powerful wind. As expected of an Elder of the Qinghuo Gang, to possess such a powerful technique. There are countless Martial Artists in the world, and everyone has their own trump cards. I must never underestimate anyone on my journey.’

Besides restraining its target, the Storm Cage’s more important purpose was to confuse the trapped person’s vision and attention.

This created a better opportunity for the arrows that followed to hit their mark!

If an ordinary Martial Artist were trapped by the Storm Cage, they would undoubtedly attack it repeatedly, trying to break free, thus creating an opening for the nine succeeding arrows!

But... Jiang Chen showed no signs of panic.

Aside from his initial probing strike on the Storm Cage, he kept the Cyan Blade Sword held tight. Jiang Chen’s eyes narrowed to slits, a cold light shooting out from within.

Like two beams of pure light tearing through the void, his gaze pierced the Storm Cage and fell upon the nine arrows following close behind.

"Nine Stars in a Row? Your archery isn’t bad. Too bad you’re using it on the wrong person!" Jiang Chen sneered and took a sudden step forward.

Wind Sword Intent spread across his body.

Layer upon layer of Wind Fluctuation coated him. Under the influence of the Wind Sword Intent’s power, the Storm Cage suddenly faltered, then dissipated with a BOOM.

At the same time, Jiang Chen gripped his sword with both hands, raising it high above his head. The True Qi in his body circulated madly and burst forth, unleashing a ten-zhang-long strand of Sword Qi. Pulsing with a sharp Sword Aura, Jiang Chen swung both hands forward, and a piercingly bright sword light descended from the sky!

BZZT! BZZT!

The Sword Qi crackled with faint purple electricity, a piercing sound erupting as the currents collided.

Its speed surpassed lightning, its might surpassed thunder. This grand and powerful attack was none other than the second move of the Aurora Sword Technique—Thunderbolt!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Thunderbolt Sword Qi was incredibly fast. Laced with arcs of faint purple lightning, it shot toward the arrows.

Nine consecutive impacts set off nine blasts of energy. As the smoke and dust cleared, all nine Blood-Feathered Arrows from the Nine Stars in a Row had been cut in half by Jiang Chen, their broken pieces falling to the ground!

"How is that possible?" Gongsun Yang’s face was a mask of disbelief.

Each of those Blood-Feathered Arrows was priceless, costing him more than half his fortune. He only had ten in total, and Jiang Chen had just destroyed almost all of them!

Gongsun Yang gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with venomous hatred as he glared at Jiang Chen. "You little bastard," he seethed, "how dare you destroy my Blood-Feathered Arrows. I’ll cripple your cultivation. I’ll sever your limbs and flay you alive to quell the rage in my heart! Die for me—Life-taking Strike!"

THWAP! THWAP!

Gongsun Yang lunged forward. His entire body arched like a fully drawn bow as he nocked his final Blood-Feathered Arrow onto his large silver bow.

"ROAR!"

Gongsun Yang’s face was savage, veins bulging on his forehead. His face flushed a deep red, and every muscle in his body tensed. The muscles on his arms bulged like blocks of lead as he pulled back forcefully. With a low VMMMM, the silver bow was drawn into a full moon!

"Brat, not even an expert at the True Martial Realm Second Stage could block this strike from your grandpa! Just obediently accept your death!" Gongsun Yang sneered viciously and released the string.

TWANG!

The bowstring snapped like a clap of thunder. The entire silver bow shuddered violently as the Blood-Feathered Arrow shot out with a WHOOSH.

As soon as the Blood-Feathered Arrow left the string, its head began to spin wildly. A stream of white airflow appeared from the tip, followed by more and more. The booming sound of the storm was enough to make one’s scalp tingle. A cylindrical pillar of wind over three meters in diameter formed around the spinning arrow as it charged forward.

The arrow, encased in the pillar of wind, skimmed just above the ground, carving a six-to-seven-meter-wide trench in the earth.

Soil was churned up, sand and stones sent flying!

Faced with this powerful and swift Life-taking Strike, Jiang Chen’s expression turned grave. Gongsun Yang hadn’t been bluffing; this move was indeed enough to kill an expert at the True Martial Realm Second Stage!

"Hahaha, brat, you’re dead for sure!" Gongsun Yang roared excitedly. The skin on his arms had split open, and blood was streaming down.

Executing this Life-taking Strike placed an immense burden on his body!

However, Gongsun Yang didn’t care. As long as he could kill Jiang Chen, it was all worth it!

As the Arrow of Death closed in, Jiang Chen, who had been standing unmoving in the gale, finally made his move. He slowly raised his hand, and the Cyan Blade Sword in his grasp began to dance in a peculiar way. The glints of sword light grew increasingly blurry, as if countless swords were moving at once.

Then, all these glints of light overlapped at incredible speed, fusing back into a single sword!

Jiang Chen’s gaze suddenly sharpened. He stomped his feet hard, launching himself into the air. With a sweep of his blade, he pointed it at the raging Arrow of Death!

Jiang Chen’s sword-like eyebrows arched slightly as he spoke coldly, "Wind—Fluctuation!"

BOOM—

Wave after wave of wind, endless and inexhaustible like a tempestuous sea, surged through the Cyan Blade Sword and slammed into the Arrow of Death. The Wind Fluctuation, carrying an infinite Destruction Power, instantly threw the gale surrounding the arrow into chaos, scattering it in all directions.

CLINK!

The arrowhead and the sword tip collided, erupting in a dazzling flash of sparks.

"Break for me!"

Jiang Chen put forth a sudden burst of power. His sword tip surged forward, and cracks spread across the Blood-Feathered Arrow. With a BOOM, it shattered.

With the Blood-Feathered Arrow no longer an obstacle, Jiang Chen’s forward speed became blindingly fast.

"Instant Sword!"

As the sword struck, it was as if time itself had stopped, as if everything happened in a single instant. The sharp sword light swept through space, clearing all obstacles, and zipped past Gongsun Yang with a WHOOSH.

Gongsun Yang’s body trembled violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood and knelt on the ground, staring at Jiang Chen in utter disbelief. "S-So fast... a sword so fast..."

"Gongsun Yang of the Qinghuo Gang? I told you, you’re not worthy of taking my life!" Jiang Chen walked up to Gongsun Yang, holding the Cyan Blade Sword, and placed its edge against his neck, ready to end his life at any moment.

Gongsun Yang’s eyes were filled with venom and hatred as he stared at Jiang Chen. "Brat, I admit I underestimated you. But don’t get cocky. I am an Elder of the Qinghuo Gang. If you dare to treat me like this, the Qinghuo Gang will never let you go. You probably don’t know how powerful the Qinghuo Gang is. Let me tell you... AARGH..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Chen’s sword flashed, severing both his hands. "This is for Yulan Tianpeng!"

His two arms lay on the ground. Gongsun Yang’s entire body trembled. "You... how dare you do this to me?"

"I seem to recall you saying you were going to sever my limbs? With this strike, I’m just helping you achieve your wish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gongsun Yang’s screams rang out again as Jiang Chen cut off his feet.

Holding the Cyan Blade Sword, Jiang Chen said coolly, "I, Jiang Chen, can say with a clear conscience that I never once provoked you from start to finish. But the moment you appeared, you treated us as mortal enemies. That is a crime punishable by death. You then went so far as to harm my brother. That too is a crime punishable by death. And you have tried to take my life time and time again. That is even more a crime punishable by death. Don’t think it matters that you’re just an Elder of the Qinghuo Gang. Even if the leader of the Qinghuo Gang himself were here, I would still cut you down without mercy!"

With all four limbs gone, Gongsun Yang was like a human torso, writhing in agony on the ground. He stared at Jiang Chen with eyes full of ultimate venom. "Brat, don’t be so proud! You’ll regret this! You will definitely regret this!"

"WAAH!"

Gongsun Yang let out a sudden, terrible scream as his body began to swell. With a massive BOOM, his body exploded like an overinflated balloon. His body was torn to pieces, flesh and blood flying everywhere. Strangely, however, a cloud of blood mist coalesced and refused to dissipate, floating above Jiang Chen’s head.

Upon seeing this cloud of blood mist, Jiang Chen’s expression turned utterly grim.

’He’d rather die just to place this Blood Soul Curse on me? This Gongsun Yang is truly vicious!’