Chapter 180: Chapter 159: Martial Marquis List, Sixth_1
Lu Yan leapt into the air, crossing dozens of meters in an instant, pouncing towards the second-level Mutated Beast King. His fists glowed in a golden hue as he pounded them relentlessly.
The second-level Mutated Beast King was on its last legs, too weak to avoid Lu Yan’s punches. After a few blows to the head, its skin tore open, bones shattered, and it collapsed on the ground, wheezing its final breaths.
Lu Yan drew out the Red Blood Blade, slashing it at the creature’s neck to cleanly remove its head, and put it to an end.
Alien beasts, unlike nefarious spirits or martial spirits, did not possess such robust vitality. Once beheaded, they died instantly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Six figures formed a semicircle, surrounding Lu Yan.
"Stranger, this second-level Mutated Beast King was our collective kill. Are you planning to snatch it from us?" A burly man wielding a Mountain-opener Knife spoke coldly.
"You misunderstood, I have no intention of stealing it. This beast king and I share a connection," said Lu Yan earnestly.
The crowd: "..."
"What bullshit connection."
The man with the Mountain-opener Knife exploded into swearing, evidently a hot-tempered character.
"Don’t believe me? Why else would this beast king run towards me when I sit quietly here? If this isn’t fate, what is? It’s destined."
Lu Yan added.
"Sir, stop spouting nonsense. We painstakingly hunted this second-level Mutated Beast King. If you plan to steal it, let’s see if you have the ability. Be careful not to lose your life over this," warned a towering, robust middle-aged woman.
Although Lu Yan had seemingly effortlessly dealt with the second-level Mutated Beast King, they didn’t consider it meaningful. The beast was at the brink of death, killing it was not difficult.
"Everyone, this beast king truly shares a connection with me. It’s destiny. If you force against it, you might encounter a bloody disaster," Lu Yan cautioned.
"Bullshit! Gentlemen, let’s team up and kill this man. We’ll decide on the ownership of the Heart Orb later, how about that?" The man with the Mountain-opener Knife proposed, his voice echoing.
Nobody responded. The other five coldly watched, not out of fear for Lu Yan, but intending to remain neutral. They hoped the man would fight Lu Yan to a draw, leaving one less competitor.
"Each one of you is so cunning. Why practice martial arts? Watch me deal with him," the man with the Mountain-opener Knife sneered. He sprang into the air, striking Lu Yan with his knife, emitting a sound like a mountain being split.
This man was very strong, a top figure on the Martial Marquis List. He had cultivated two bone strengths, no less powerful than Zhao Yi.
Lu Yan sidestepped his knife, slapping his palm against the blade.
Hum!
The Mountain-opener Knife trembled violently. The man, as if struck by lightning, staggered backwards.
Lu Yan stepped forward and struck the man’s chest with his palm, flinging him twenty meters away. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale.
"I warned you; defying destiny brings a bloody disaster. You should’ve heeded my advice," Lu Yan sighed.
He glanced at the remaining five and said, "Would you five like to have a go? Beware of the bloody disaster."
The group looked gloomy, but were taken aback within.
The ease with which he defeated that man suggested that Lu Yan had an unfathomable strength.
Yet, surrendering at this point was unacceptable to them.
The Heart Orb!
Master-level Feudal Lords possessed the secret recipe to cultivate a second-level Mutated Beast King, but it took decades to raise one on average.
However, how many were in line among the Master-level Feudal Lords?
Given the constant emergence of talents, when would it be their turn?
The Heart Orb was too rare.
Kunwu Mountain was a shortcut.
"Everyone, let’s join forces. We cannot remain bystanders anymore. Only by defeating this man together can we possibly obtain the Heart Orb," suggested the middle-aged woman in a low voice.
"Sounds good."
"No other option."
The remaining four nodded.
Whoosh!
The one to move first was not the woman’s group, but Lu Yan.
Knowing they intended to join forces, he had to strike first.
Lu Yan was incredibly fast. An elderly man caught off-guard was flung dozens of meters away by Lu Yan’s punch, crashing through two large stones. Blood flowed from his head, and he struggled to stand.
The remaining four were shocked, attacking simultaneously.
But Lu Yan was too fast. He dodged the four attacks and drew the Red Blood Blade.
It streaked through the air, resembling a flash of lightning.
Following which, four figures hastily retreated. Each clutched their chest, blood seeping through their fingers, their faces full of fear.
They realized Lu Yan had shown mercy; otherwise, they would have been dead.
They were no match for Lu Yan, whether in terms of bone strength or martial arts knowledge.
"I warned you, disobeying destiny invites a bloody disaster. Leave now, or you’ll risk your lives," Lu Yan said calmly.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
A young man in his thirties emerged from the woods, clapping. "Sir, your strength is impressive. It’s made me itch for a fight. Would you honor me with a few pointers?"
This man was dressed in a purple robe, carrying a long spear on his back. Handsome with an extraordinary aura.
"That’s him, Tuoba Zhu."
Seeing this man, the others were filled with uncertainty.
It seemed that Tuoba Zhu had been watching them the entire time. Even if they hadn’t encountered Lu Yan, Tuoba Zhu would have intervened. The Heart Orb was destined to be theirs no longer.
After all, Tuoba Zhu was ranked sixth on the Martial Marquis List.
This figure was virtually an undefeated existence among the Martial Marquises unless a Grandmaster intervened.
Within the Martial Marquis realm, there were hardly any who could rival him.
"Tuoba Zhu."
Lu Yan’s eyes slightly narrowed.
He naturally had heard of Tuoba Zhu’s name.
The direct descendant of the Tuoba Clan from Nanyi County, and also the fifth strongest combatant in the Tuoba Clan, ranking just below the four Grandmasters.
Rumor had it that this man had cultivated four bone strengths, was extremely insightful, and his fighting power was extremely formidable.
"Well, if you don’t dare to fight, just retreat and hand over the Heart Orb."
With a spear in hand, Tuoba Zhu slowly approached Lu Yan.
"What if I win?"
Lu Yan said.
"If you can overcome even one of my moves, I’ll turn around and leave."
Tuoba Zhu said.
"Come."
Lu Yan held a knife with one hand, his aura surging out. Nine bone strengths were simultaneously stirred up, circulating within his entire skeletal system.
Buzz!
Tuoba Zhu had a strong fighting spirit, his bone strength burst, one step forward, his spear was thrust straight at Lu Yan.
Man and spear combined, like a straight line that could penetrate everything.
Lu Yan dared not be careless. Even if his Vajra Indestructible skill worked to its fullest, he could not block this spear and would be pierced.
Lu Yan stood still, staring at the spear tip without blinking. When the spear tip approached, Lu Yan swung his knife to block it.
With a clang, the spear was deflected from its original position after being blocked by the Red Blood Blade, passing by the side of Lu Yan’s neck.
And Lu Yan, in turn, swung his knife.
The Red Blood Blade, sliding down the length of the spear, slashed towards Tuoba Zhu’s palm.
"What a powerful knife technique."
Tuoba Zhu couldn’t help but praise.
A professional can always tell.
Lu Yan’s knife seemed simple, but it demanded a precise grasp of strength and timing. Otherwise, it would be suicide.
Tuoba Zhu dared not be careless. All four of his bone strengths burst out, flowed into the spear, and then he violently shook the spear.
The spear shaft twisted violently like a snake’s body, hitting the Red Blood Blade and creating a loud clanging noise.
Tuoba Zhu aimed to force Lu Yan back with his formidable bone strength, before launching a fierce spear attack.
However, how could he predict that Lu Yan’s bone strength had surpassed his own.
He had cultivated four bone strengths, and had reached the peak of Martial Marquis Level Five. The only ones who could outdo him in bone strength would have to cultivate five bone strengths.
But in the entire six counties of Lingdong, the number of those with an Innate Martial Body, capable of possessing five times the normal Qi-blood, could be counted on one hand.
And out of those, only three reached Martial Marquis Level Five.
Two of them had left the six counties of Lingdong before the outbreak of the demon chaos and went to Shengxuan Sect for cultivation. Therefore, only one person entered Kunwu Mountain and cultivated five bone strengths at Martial Marquis Level Five.
And that person was definitely not Lu Yan.
So, he had misjudged his opponent.
His misjudgment put him at a disadvantage. Not only did he fail to knock Lu Yan back, but his own arm was numbed by the impact.
And Lu Yan’s Red Blood Blade was already close.
Tuoba Zhu had no choice but to retreat, dragging his long spear along.
He retreated, Lu Yan advanced, and even faster at that.
The next moment, Lu Yan’s Red Blood Blade had already reached Tuoba Zhu’s neck.
Tuoba Zhu’s face turned pale.
When masters fight, the slightest error could lead to failure. He had misjudged Lu Yan’s cultivation level, which left him on the back foot. One mistake led to another, and his sturdy spear techniques completely had no room to be displayed.
If it had been a fight to the death, Lu Yan would have already killed him with one stroke.
"I lost."
Tuoba Zhu sighed deeply, dragging his long spear and turned to leave. But after walking a certain distance, he turned around unwillingly and said, "We will have a rematch when there’s a chance. Just now, I didn’t bring out my full strength."
"Coincidentally, neither did I."
Lu Yan said.
"..."
Tuoba Zhu no longer lingered and quickly left.
The people on the sidelines, seeing Lu Yan easily defeat Tuoba Zhu, didn’t dare to stay and also left one after another. Soon, only Lu Yan was left on the scene.
Lu Yan lifted his knife and approached the level two Mutated Beast King, cutting open its chest. Finally, near the heart, he found a steaming Heart Orb.
The Heart Orb was in fact like a piece of Mutated Heart Meat.
But the Heart Orb was no longer meat-like, it was spherical, solid as a solid, the size of a child’s fist, much like a bead, hence the name Heart Orb.
It was like the concentrated embodiment of Mutated Heart Meat.
Moreover, with one Heart Orb as the main ingredient, together with more than twenty kinds of Lingzhi such as Ink Jade Ganoderma, one could cook a Martial Food named Ink Jade Heart Bead. Consuming it could increase the chances of breaking through to Master Level by 30%.
It was worth a fortune.
Lu Yan took out a box, put the Heart Orb in it, and put it into his backpack.
"The harvest is not bad, a Phoenix Blood Worm and a Heart Orb, one of each. This trip was worthwhile."
Lu Yan smiled.
If he were to cook the Phoenix Blood Heart Protective Soup and the Ink Jade Heart Bead, consume them together, plus the empowerment of the Heart Tempering Decision, the breakthrough to Grandmaster level would be almost guaranteed.
Once he thought of this, Lu Yan remembered the Phoenix Scent. He went back and took a look, but there was no harvest.
"It seems there are no Phoenix Blood Worms here. Let’s look elsewhere."
Lu Yan pondered, extinguished the Phoenix Scent, packed it up, and moved to another location.
There was still about half of the Phoenix Scent left, and he hoped there would be some harvest.
In a blink of an eye, a day passed without any gains, not even a patch of red earth was found.
It was not until the second night that Lu Yan found another patch of red earth, lit the Phoenix Scent, and waited quietly.
