Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 272: Chapter 157: Bribery (Part 2)

BANG!

CRACK!

Luo Tong thrust out both palms, desperately unleashing the Gang Qi he had cultivated his entire life in an attempt to shatter the golden Fist Gang hurtling toward him through the air.

But it was useless. The golden Fist Gang was like a real fist, smashing through his Gang Qi as if it were bamboo, shattering his arms before slamming heavily into his chest.

BANG!

With a sound like a heavy hammer striking a leather drum, Luo Tong began to bleed from all seven orifices as the sharp cracks of breaking bones echoed from his body.

His forward lunge toward Xu Yang was frozen mid-air. Pinned by the golden Fist Gang, his entire body was sent flying backward even faster than he had charged.

BOOM!

Rock shattered and dirt flew as Luo Tong’s body was embedded directly into the mountainside, his breaths growing shallow and faint.

His face was a mask of disbelief. ’I couldn’t even take a single long-range punch from Xu Yang? A Bone Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist can’t possibly be this terrifying!’

He tried to struggle, but his arms and internal organs had been pulverized by that one punch. His body was like a deflated ball, his Gang Qi and the light in his eyes rapidly fading.

COUGH, COUGH...

He spat out several mouthfuls of blood mixed with bits of his internal organs, his head lolled to the side, and he moved no more.

Luo Tong, a Blood Lotus Sect disciple at Gang Qi Great Success, was killed by a single, long-range punch.

"Luo Tong!"

Ma Ming roared, a chill running down his spine as he felt his very soul tremble in fear.

A Gang Qi Great Success Martial Artist was as weak and vulnerable as an ant before Xu Yang.

He didn’t even have the courage to strike at Xu Yang. He hastily dropped from the air, his Gang Qi flaring as he fled for his life.

BOOM!

A sound like muffled thunder reached his ears. Ma Ming had just left the ground when a large hand, like a tidal wave, came crashing down on him from above.

"Think you can escape?"

Xu Yang’s indifferent voice echoed in his ears. The large hand, wrapped in immense power, tore through the air with a deafening shriek.

Despair filled Ma Ming’s face. It felt as if a great mountain was crashing down on him. The palm hadn’t even arrived, yet the immense pressure was already causing his Gang Qi to stagnate and his Protective Gang Qi to flicker unstably.

BANG!

In a final, desperate struggle, Ma Ming poured all his strength into raising his hands above his head to block. In an instant, he felt as if Mount Tai itself was crashing down. An incomparably immense force transmitted from the opposing hand, crushing his own power with devastating ease.

CRACK!

He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. A tremor ran through his entire frame, and his arms shattered instantly, white bone piercing through flesh as blood sprayed into the air.

PTHOO!

Ma Ming involuntarily spat out a large mouthful of blood. His body, which had been rising into the air, plummeted like a meteorite, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets from the impact.

However, this was not the end.

Xu Yang’s large hand followed like a shadow, continuing its descent to slap Ma Ming’s head like a paddleball.

BANG!

CRACK!

With a dull thud and the sound of cracking bone, his neck snapped instantly. His head was driven into his chest cavity, and his body slammed into the ground like a cannonball, blasting a large crater.

"Stay right there!" Sun Tao roared.

His opponent, Yang Chao, was already scared out of his wits by Xu Yang’s terrifying display and was trying to flee, even if it meant taking one of Sun Tao’s sword strikes head-on.

Sun Tao unleashed his Fine Rain Shocking Wind Sword, a flurry of strikes that left Yang Chao coughing up blood and riddled with countless bloody holes.

BOOM!

The air roared as Xu Yang landed before Yang Chao like a bolt of lightning. His tyrannical aura was so terrifying it threatened to rupture Yang Chao’s very organs.

There was nothing left to say. He reached out, his five fingers like iron tongs, tearing through Yang Chao’s Protective Gang Qi and clamping down on his neck.

"Sp—"

Yang Chao was horrified, but before he could get the word "spare" out, a sharp CRACK echoed as Xu Yang snapped his neck.

And just like that, the meticulously planned ambush was over. In an instant, all four disciples of the Blood Lotus Sect were dead.

’Junior Brother Xu is incredible,’ Sun Tao thought. ’Killing Gang Qi Great Success Martial Artists is like slaughtering chickens and dogs for him.’

Sun Tao stopped in his tracks, his Gang Qi gradually calming, but he couldn’t quell the shock in his heart.

Xu Yang had only made four moves, and all four Blood Lotus Sect disciples had been slain.

’No wonder Junior Brother Xu insists on being so low-key.’

He finally understood why Xu Yang kept a low profile. If talent like this became common knowledge, he would undoubtedly become the Blood Lotus Sect’s number one target for elimination.

If the Blood Lotus Sect knew Xu Yang had already achieved Marrow Cleansing, they wouldn’t have sent two at Gang Qi Great Success today; they would have sent two at Marrow Cleansing.

"I didn’t expect the Demon Sect to actually send people to ambush us. This makes it easier to explain things when we get back," Xu Yang said with a smile.

He had earned merit and could now cover up the fact that he had killed Li Qiang and Gu Haoming. He would just say the two of them died fighting the Demon Sect.

As a bonus, he could also publicly announce that he had broken through to Gang Qi Great Success. It was killing multiple birds with one stone.

"Senior Brother, let’s clean up the battlefield."

The two began to search the bodies. Besides some silver coins, they found a waist token engraved with a red lotus on each of the four men.

"Let’s take their heads back too," Xu Yang said.

"Alright!"

Sun Tao drew his longsword, lopped off all four heads, and wrapped them in a piece of clothing.

The two mounted their horses and continued on their way to the Purple Sun Sect.

Several days later, two dust-covered figures appeared at the gates of the Purple Sun Sect.

"We’re finally back!" Sun Tao said with a laugh as he dismounted.

He took the longsword from his saddle, picked up the bundle of heads, and the two of them soon found Sun Ke in the Task Hall.

"Report on your situation!" Sun Ke said, his expression grave.

Xu Yang and his companion were not the first to return. The disciples sent to other counties had also been ambushed. Some teams had only one or two survivors, while the weaker teams were completely wiped out.

Of the twenty-four disciples sent out in total, fewer than five had returned so far. Only Xu Yang and Sun Tao had managed to bring back the heads of Demon Sect disciples.

The others who made it back had all escaped with serious injuries.

Xu Yang said in a somber voice, "We were ambushed by four Blood Lotus Sect disciples—two at Gang Qi Great Success and two at Gang Qi Minor Achievement. Senior Brother Li Qiang and Gu Haoming died fighting valiantly.

If I hadn’t broken through to Gang Qi Great Success on my way back to Qingyuan, causing the Blood Lotus Sect to underestimate my strength, I’m afraid Senior Brother Sun Tao and I wouldn’t have made it back either."

Sun Tao’s eyelid twitched violently. Seeing Xu Yang’s expression of grief and lingering fear, he thought that if he hadn’t personally witnessed Xu Yang slaughtering Li Qiang and Gu Haoming, he would have believed every word.

Sun Ke’s eyes lit up. "You broke through to Gang Qi Great Success?"

Xu Yang nodded.

Sun Ke said, "You two were truly lucky. If you hadn’t reached Gang Qi Great Success, your entire team would have likely been wiped out."

He didn’t ask for any details about the deaths of Li Qiang and Gu Haoming.

"These are the heads of those Blood Lotus Sect disciples and their waist tokens." Xu Yang placed the items on the table.

"Let me see!"

Sun Ke examined the waist tokens one by one. "These are indeed Blood Lotus Sect disciple tokens," he confirmed.

He then placed his hand on each of the heads. Using some unknown method, he confirmed that the deceased were also Blood Lotus Sect disciples.

"According to the mission rules, you each get a base of thirty contribution points. For killing two at Gang Qi Minor Achievement, you get eighty points. For killing two at Gang Qi Great Success, you get one hundred and twenty points. That’s a total of two hundred and sixty contribution points," Sun Ke said with a smile.

Both Xu Yang and Sun Tao’s eyes lit up. The mission had been risky, but the rewards were excellent.

Sun Ke left and quickly returned, handing a pile of contribution point tokens to the two of them. "As for how to divide them, you can split them based on your respective contributions."

Xu Yang nodded. As he reached out to take the tokens, he discreetly slipped several silver banknotes into Sun Ke’s hand.

Sun Ke paused for a moment, then, right in front of Sun Tao, he unfolded the silver banknotes Xu Yang had secretly passed him.

Well now. A full three hundred taels.

"Alright, speak. What is it you want from me?" Sun Ke said with a smile.

There were only the three of them there, so he wasn’t afraid of Sun Tao knowing he had accepted a bribe from Xu Yang. It was an open secret in the Purple Sun Sect that Outer Sect Stewards accepted bribes.

As long as they didn’t violate any sect rules, the higher-ups would turn a blind eye.

Xu Yang cupped his fist. "I have a younger sister who was fortunate enough to achieve Dragon Ascension in this year’s Martial Arts Examination. I’d like to ask Steward Sun to help arrange a long-term, easy, and safe task for her. If this amount isn’t enough, please don’t hesitate to say so, Steward Sun."

Sun Tao looked surprised. Xu Yang never spent money to pull strings for his own missions.

His sister, Xu Qing, hadn’t even arrived at the Purple Sun Sect yet, and here he was, already spending money to pave her way. He really doted on Xu Qing, terrified she might suffer after joining the sect.

Sun Ke pondered for a moment, then smiled. "What’s her talent like?"

’He’s asking about her talent even though I’m pulling strings?’

A strange look appeared on Xu Yang’s face. He answered honestly, "Her talent is average. She’s been training for a year and a half, practicing the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. She only just comprehended Wind and Thunder Strength right before the Martial Arts Examination."