Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Stepping Stone
’So he wants to use me as a stepping stone.’
Han Yuan naturally overheard the chatter and understood why Liu Zhou had provoked him.
He finally lifted his head and looked ahead.
Liu Zhou was dressed in dark blue Martial Artist attire. His skin was lightly tanned, and he stared at Han Yuan with a look of pure provocation.
A junior brother stood beside him, his face also filled with contempt.
"It’s true what they say: fame courts trouble."
"The moment I get a bit of a reputation, every worthless nobody comes crawling out of the woodwork to pick a fight and ride my coattails."
Han Yuan sighed.
This was the Martial World.
Once you made a name for yourself, it was only natural that others would try to use you to do the same.
Hearing Han Yuan call him a worthless nobody, Liu Zhou’s expression grew even darker.
The junior brother beside him snarled, "Who the hell do you think you are? You’re nothing but a filthy insect!"
BOOM!
A deafening crash shook the entire Longsheng Inn.
Han Yuan stomped his foot, shattering the floorboards. He activated the Seven Stars Step, blurring into a black shadow as he unleashed a Piercing Kill Kick—a strike like black lightning aimed straight at Liu Zhou’s junior brother.
"Watch out!"
Liu Zhou hadn’t expected Han Yuan’s sudden attack and was too slow to intervene.
His junior brother had no time to react at all before an immense pain exploded in his chest.
The onlookers from the Martial World felt their scalps tingle in horror.
They had all seen Han Yuan’s kick land squarely on the chest of Liu Zhou’s junior brother.
BAM!
A bloody hole burst open on the junior brother’s back.
His heart was sent flying right out of his chest!
Such a gory scene was enough to horrify even the most blood-soaked veterans of the Martial World.
"You’re dead!"
Liu Zhou roared, his right fist glowing faintly as he threw a vicious punch straight at Han Yuan’s face.
BOOM!
His punch was exceptionally fierce, causing the very air to boom!
Han Yuan’s expression remained calm. A chorus of cracking sounds echoed from his bones as his entire spine seemed to undulate, like a great serpent waking from slumber. Immense power surged into his right arm, and he met the attack with a punch of his own.
The two fists collided with brutal force.
It was like two iron sledgehammers smashing into one another.
BANG!
The floor beneath their feet instantly splintered and burst apart.
Han Yuan didn’t budge an inch.
But Liu Zhou was forced back a step!
"See? I told you you were just a worthless nobody."
Han Yuan sneered.
"If you’ve got the guts, let’s take this outside."
"There’s not enough room to fight in here."
Liu Zhou said, his expression grim.
"When it comes to a dead man’s wish..."
"I’m always happy to grant it."
Han Yuan smiled faintly.
Liu Zhou snorted, his figure flashing out of the inn.
Han Yuan was right behind him.
Once they were on the main street, the eager onlookers from the Martial World quickly cleared a wide circle for them.
In moments, the rooftops of the surrounding buildings were packed with spectators.
"Who do you think will win?"
"I think Han Yuan and Liu Zhou are pretty evenly matched. It’s hard to say."
"It really is too close to call."
Everyone eagerly awaited the start of the show.
"Han Yuan... I wasn’t going to kill you."
"But now that you’ve killed my junior brother, I have no choice but to kill you here today."
Liu Zhou said coldly.
He really had acted on impulse.
He had only intended to grab a meal with his junior brother at the Longsheng Inn. But then he’d heard that Han Yuan of the Observatory was there and decided to seize the opportunity to defeat him, hoping to tarnish the Observatory’s reputation.
He never imagined Han Yuan would be so ruthless, killing his junior brother in a surprise attack!
This was a debt that had to be paid in blood!
"Enough with the chit-chat. Are you going to fight or not?"
Han Yuan grinned.
"Time to meet your maker!"
Liu Zhou shot toward Han Yuan like a cannonball, his fist a streaking meteor aimed straight for Han Yuan’s heart.
He wanted to make Han Yuan’s heart explode, too.
’Let’s try this... without my saber.’
An increasingly bizarre smile spread across Han Yuan’s face.
He wanted to beat Liu Zhou to death with his bare hands.
The instant his opponent’s fist arrived, he unleashed his own Mountain-Breaking Fist.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The two of them began to trade blows right there on the main street.
They traded punches at speeds the naked eye couldn’t follow, each earth-shattering collision generating waves of force.
Liu Zhou clearly had some skill. His Fist Technique was intricate and versatile, shifting between overwhelming power and bizarre, unpredictable angles.
Han Yuan’s Fist Technique, in contrast, seemed simple and direct. He was relying purely on his immense Qi Power to overwhelm his opponent.
But brute force trumps fancy technique!
Even so, Han Yuan’s punches were so powerful that Liu Zhou’s very bones ached with each block.
After more than ten exchanges, however, Liu Zhou finally found an opening.
Liu Zhou’s eyes narrowed as he suddenly thrust a punch toward the ribs beneath Han Yuan’s arm.
He channeled his Inner Breath into the strike, a terrifying surge of power intended to shatter Han Yuan’s ribs and drive the shards into his lungs.
THUD!
But when his fist landed on Han Yuan’s body, it was like striking a plate of tempered steel. His Fist Force couldn’t penetrate at all.
"Is that all you’ve got?"
Han Yuan viciously slammed his shoulder into his opponent’s chest.
Liu Zhou cried out in pain as the blow sent him flying back more than ten meters.
Han Yuan immediately leaped into the air, aiming a Piercing Kill Kick straight at his opponent’s abdomen.
But Liu Zhou twisted at the last second, dodging the blow with an unnatural contortion. A savage grin spread across his face. "Die!"
His entire right arm erupted with terrifying Qi Power, and he brought it crashing down toward the back of Han Yuan’s head like a falling meteor.
Han Yuan spun, raising his right arm to block while simultaneously sweeping his left elbow across Liu Zhou’s face.
CRACK!
The elbow strike sent more than a dozen of Liu Zhou’s teeth flying from his mouth.
He spat out a mouthful of blood and launched a flurry of strikes with both hands.
He was desperate, because Han Yuan’s fists were already descending upon him like giant, frantic hammers!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
After blocking a dozen blows, Liu Zhou’s left arm suddenly burst, beaten into a bloody pulp.
"How fragile!"
Han Yuan threw another punch!
BOOM!
Liu Zhou barely managed to raise his right arm to block. The entire limb was torn from its socket at the shoulder blade and sent flying.
With a strange, excited look on his face, Han Yuan continued to rapidly hammer Liu Zhou’s body with his fists.
Liu Zhou’s bones were shattered and his organs ruptured under the onslaught.
After a dozen more punches, Han Yuan seemed to have finally had his fill. He leaped into the air and delivered a vicious roundhouse kick to Liu Zhou’s head.
CRUNCH!
The kick shattered Liu Zhou’s neck, sending his head flying clean off his shoulders.
For a moment, the entire street was dead silent.
Everyone had expected a fierce battle between titans.
No one had expected it to end in such a bloody, one-sided massacre.
This Han Yuan... he was a true monster who had come to shake things up.
Just then, a squad of officials pushed through the crowd.
The lead constable frowned slightly upon seeing the carnage.
But when his eyes landed on Han Yuan, his frown was instantly replaced by a smile. "Master Han, what’s all this then?"
Han Yuan was surprised. "You know me?"
"We met once at the Government Office, back when you were on night patrol."
"You probably don’t remember me, but I wouldn’t dare forget you."
The constable said with a laugh.
"I see."
"These two provoked me, so I killed them."
"I think they were from the Divine Fist Sect. Take the bodies back to the Government Office and tell the Divine Fist Sect to come and collect them."
Han Yuan ordered casually.
"Right away, sir." The constable quickly ordered his men to remove the bodies and disperse the crowd of gawking Martial World Wanderers.
Seeing the matter handled, Han Yuan didn’t linger. He turned and headed for the Observatory.
"Shopkeeper."
"Why didn’t you ask Lord Han to pay for the damages?"
the attendant asked curiously, standing by the door.
"You think I’d dare ask him?"
"My head... I don’t think it could take a kick like that."
Shopkeeper Pang said with a wry smile.
Anyone who had witnessed that scene firsthand wouldn’t dare ask Han Yuan for a single coin.
It was far too bloody, far too brutal.
