Chapter 103: Chapter 104: Crushing Them All

With that step, Chen Che’s black hair fluttered in the wind.

In an instant, his True Essence, Qi and Blood, and Divine Sense surged to their absolute peak.

A ferocious aura stirred the dust on the ground, creating a gray shockwave that surged in all directions. Countless plants and trees were flattened in its wake.

"How is this possible!"

The fierce wind whipped against his face like a blade, its whistling sound filling his ears.

The triangle-eyed man’s pupils contracted, his expression one of utter shock.

’Wu Hui was the weakest among them, but he was still at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer! How could he not even block a single sword strike?’

Moreover...

’He’s only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. How can he possess such immense True Essence?’

"Don’t be afraid, everyone! He must have used some kind of Secret Technique. He’ll be weakened after this one move. He’s definitely just bluffing right now. Kill him first, then stop that kid from Jinyun Valley. Don’t let word of this get out!"

After his initial shock, the triangle-eyed man quickly made a decision, abandoning Hu Yao and charging forward, saber in hand.

Without him needing to say a word, the other two Tribulation Cultivators also quickly closed in to attack.

"Dammit!"

Seeing them abandon everything to attack Chen Che, Hu Yao cursed angrily and immediately rushed toward the battlefield.

"A Secret Technique?"

Hearing this, Chen Che couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

’The Cyan Lotus Sword Technique that Wu Hui used was almost identical to the Sword Control Technique I learned in my second year of high school. It was just a bit flashier, that’s all.’

Just then, the triangle-eyed man was upon him.

CLANG!

With the ring of a saber, the blade lunged forward in an instant, like a furious dragon emerging from the sea. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The triangle-eyed man slashed through the air, unleashing a thirty-foot-long blade of light. It fell like a torrent of starlight, a strike that showcased the absolute pinnacle of his lifelong training.

’This strike will definitely kill him!’

The triangle-eyed man was full of confidence.

White Ape Wind-breaking Slash!

Impossibly hard and powerful, its ferocity was unmatched. Forget a bluffer like Chen Che; even a Cultivator of the same realm wouldn’t dare to face it head-on.

CLANG!

However, to his surprise, Chen Che simply lifted his sword slightly and blocked the attack. Not only did the slash fail to injure his opponent, but the impact sent a painful shock through the hand gripping his own saber.

"How is that possible!"

The triangle-eyed man’s eyes were filled with sheer terror.

By then, Chen Che had already returned the favor with a sword strike of his own.

The strike looked completely ordinary, like a common person casually swinging a blade. ’But having witnessed the power of Chen Che’s attack, how could I dare block it head-on?’

With no time to dodge, he could only sidestep slightly.

His entire right shoulder was struck by the blade. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was sent flying, landing seven or eight meters away. Amid the spray of blood, his severed arm, still clutching the saber, thudded to the ground.

"So strong!"

Seeing this, the expressions of the other two men changed drastically.

The triangle-eyed man wasn’t like Wu Hui; he had been a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Cultivator for several years. That last strike had been backed by dense True Essence, holding nothing back—he was even halfway to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer. And yet, even that wasn’t enough to block a single blow from Chen Che.

"Dodge!"

The triangle-eyed man, who had just landed, saw the two of them frozen in a daze and quickly shouted a warning.

The Cultivator on the left was startled, only then realizing that Chen Che was sweeping toward him through the air.

His heart skipped a beat, and the hair on his body stood on end. He instantly pushed his True Essence to its limit and leaped backward. But just as he jumped, Chen Che had already brought a palm down.

Tier One Middle Grade Palm Technique: Cloud-Hanging Hand!

A technique from the second-to-last unit of his sophomore Magic Skill Class.

BOOM!

With a tremendous roar, the Cultivator in mid-air was suddenly swatted down by a massive cyan palm and slammed into the ground. When the giant palm dissipated, all that remained was a Hand Seal roughly a zhang in diameter. The Cultivator had been smashed into a bloody pulp!

’How does this guy have such terrifying strength?’

The triangle-eyed man’s jaw was agape. ’Is he really only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer?’

’This level of power... it might not even be inferior to an Eighth Layer Cultivator.’

Hu Yao, who had been rushing to the rescue, stopped dead in his tracks, staring intently at the Hand Seal on the ground. "What kind of Palm Technique is that?"

He had seen Chen Che fight before, but that was just killing a few scoundrels in the Market. But this single palm strike from the air, which had instantly killed a Seventh Layer Cultivator and crushed the ground several feet deep, was far beyond his imagination.

Just then, with a SWOOSH, everyone looked up to see that the last Loose Cultivator, unable to bear the terror, had turned and fled into the dense forest.

"He’s trying to escape?" Hu Yao said, startled.

Of course he had to flee. Ever since he saw Chen Che kill two people and grievously injure the triangle-eyed man, his heart had plunged into a bottomless abyss.

Chen Che’s strength had far surpassed his imagination.

’We were only here for money, not to throw our lives away. No matter how good the Spirit Stones are, they aren’t worth dying for!’

’Damn that Li Hong for making us fight this monster! If I get out of this alive, I’m definitely going to settle the score with him!’

In just an instant, he had already retreated hundreds of meters. Seeing the dense forest right in front of him, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But just then, a leisurely voice came from behind him:

"Trying to leave? Too late!"

Chen Che chuckled softly, raised his hand and pointed, and the Pure Jun Sword suddenly levitated into the air.

The next instant, it transformed into a streak of white light and shot forward. Like a bolt of lightning, it crossed hundreds of meters in a flash, piercing through the man’s back with a sickening SQUELCH and bursting from his chest covered in blood!

THUD!

As the Pure Jun Sword returned, the corpse crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

「In less than twelve breaths.」

Of the four Seventh Layer Cultivators who had surrounded Chen Che, three were already dead. Only the triangle-eyed man was left, lying alone on the ground.

The entire scene was deathly silent.

Hu Yao stood frozen in a stupor.

Four Tribulation Cultivators had laid an ambush, and he had thought it was a dead end. He never expected that Chen Che alone would slaughter and crush them all as if they were chickens and dogs. He looked at the blood-soaked ground, and then at Chen Che, who didn’t have a single speck of dust on him.

Hu Yao felt as if he were trapped in a dream.

CLICK!

While he was still stunned and at a loss, Chen Che had already sheathed his sword and slowly turned around.

"Now, are you ready to talk?"

"I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Senior, I’ll talk!"

The triangle-eyed man had already dropped to his knees. Clutching his severed arm, he kowtowed desperately and cried out:

"It’s true, Li Hong sent us! He contacted us before the new year and said he had a big job for us! He told us to flee far away after we did the deed, and that he would clean everything up. We were so damn blind..."

’Before the new year?’

Chen Che sneered inwardly. ’It seems that after Ji Xianlong died and those waves of Tribulation Cultivators failed to assassinate me, they contacted this group.’

"Oh? So where is he now?"

Chen Che ignored the man’s pleas for mercy and said coolly, "Can you contact him? Get him to come here."

"Yes, yes!"

Trembling, the triangle-eyed man took out a bamboo tube from his robes.

"Senior, this contains Spirit Flying Ants. They’re Tier One Middle Grade Demon Insects. This is how I contact Li Hong. They will lead him here!"

After speaking, he prostrated himself, trembling as he said, "Senior, I’ve told you everything I know. Please, spare my life..."

"No."

"What?"

The triangle-eyed man was jolted with shock.

Before he could react, his vision went black as a large foot came stomping down.

SPLAT!

With a sound like a watermelon bursting, the triangle-eyed man’s head was stomped into pieces, splattering blood everywhere.

Hu Yao was utterly dumbfounded.

Only Chen Che remained standing there, his expression indifferent, as if he had just crushed an ant.