Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 279: Chapter 161: Coercion

"That little bastard’s finally here. He enters a city and has to spend days in a brothel. No wonder he was the last of the Ten Heroes to reach Gang Qi Great Success."

A ruthless glint flashed in Su Qiming’s eyes as he growled, "Don’t kill him outright. I want to question him about his connection to the Blazing Blade."

He had received an anonymous letter suggesting Xu Yang might be in league with the Blazing Blade.

But the sender hadn’t signed their real name, and the letter only hinted at a possible connection.

This speculation coincided with his own initial thoughts.

Of course, even if the sender had provided proof that Xu Yang and the Blazing Blade were working together, he wouldn’t dare to openly kill a disciple of the Purple Sun Sect.

Secretly, those in Cyan Yang City who dared to kill Purple Sun Sect disciples were a dime a dozen, but almost no one would do so openly.

It was a Martial Arts Sect, after all. If one of its disciples was brazenly murdered and the Sect didn’t even make a peep, morale would plummet, and loyalty would fracture.

"I understand, Master. Please watch over the battle for me," Su Jie said.

He also had a Great Achievement in Gang Qi Cultivation. However, he was a Pill Master, and having been well-protected by the Su Family, the number of life-or-death battles he had fought could be counted on one hand.

Xu Yang was a Ten Heroes Genius, after all. Even though he had only recently achieved Gang Qi Great Success, Su Jie couldn’t guarantee a one-hundred-percent chance of victory against him.

"You worthless thing. Your Gang Qi has already reached Perfection. Even if your combat experience is inferior to his, you should be able to crush him with your abundant Gang Qi alone.

He’s just a mud-legged bumpkin with no background who reached Gang Qi Great Success just over a month ago. His Gang Qi isn’t even a third of yours.

Go ahead and use him for practice. With me here, he won’t be able to cause any trouble."

Su Qiming snorted coldly, displeased with Su Jie’s caution. It was a sign of a lack of ruthlessness.

Pill Masters rarely fought, but they absolutely had to possess that ruthless streak.

"I have been taught."

Su Jie’s tone firmed. His body suddenly shot up like a great bird, and he swooped down toward Xu Yang below.

In mid-air, he unleashed the full might of his Great Achievement in Gang Qi Cultivation, stirring up a fierce gale of Gang Qi.

"Xu Yang, die!" Su Jie roared.

His palm cut through the air, striking toward Xu Yang with a sound like muffled thunder.

’Still not tempered enough!’

At almost the same time, Su Qiming rose from his position on the mountain.

’This disciple, Su Jie, really has been too sheltered. His combat experience is pathetic. He could have launched a sneak attack, but instead, he had to shout and alert his opponent.’

’It’s one thing when your cultivation is higher than your opponent’s, but if they were evenly matched, a shout like that means forfeiting the initiative.’

Xu Yang had long since noticed the gaze filled with killing intent and wasn’t panicked. However, hearing the man shout his name did surprise him slightly.

The instant Su Jie’s palm was about to strike, Xu Yang’s body abruptly vanished.

He didn’t counterattack, merely dodged.

The man standing on the mountain had a profound aura, and his gaze was bone-chillingly cold, exerting immense pressure on Xu Yang.

’If I’m not mistaken, that’s a Martial Artist who, like me, has already undergone Marrow Cleansing.’

"BOOM!"

The Gang Qi erupted. Su Jie’s Palm Force missed its target, and the spot where Xu Yang had been standing was blasted by the Gang Qi, creating a large crater. Dirt and rock flew everywhere amidst a cloud of billowing dust.

’This isn’t the place to fight.’

Xu Yang turned and rushed into the mountain forest.

’I don’t know the identity of that Marrow Cleansing Martial Artist, and I’m not confident I can deal with him quickly.’

’A fight between Marrow Cleansing experts is bound to cause a huge disturbance. If the battle drags on, we’ll easily be discovered.’

’Not only would my true cultivation be exposed, but if this man has a powerful background, I’ll be in trouble whether I kill him or let him go.’

"Where do you think you’re going? Stay here and die!"

Su Jie dispersed the dust and smoke, only to see Xu Yang’s figure flash once in the woods before disappearing.

Without any hesitation, he leaped forward and gave chase.

"Think you can get away?"

Su Qiming tapped his toes on the ground, shattering the earth beneath. His body shot forward like a bolt of lightning, tearing through the air as he, too, pursued in the direction Xu Yang had vanished.

In the forest, two figures chased one another, while Su Qiming followed behind at a leisurely pace.

’This disciple of mine, Su Jie, has far too little combat experience. I should give him more time to be tempered. He has an impressive cultivation, but without corresponding battle experience, he’s no different from trash.’

"AHH—"

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence of the mountain forest, startling flocks of birds into flight.

"Ah Jie!"

Su Qiming’s expression changed drastically. That scream had come from his disciple, Su Jie.

’I didn’t even hear a fight. How could Su Jie be in trouble already?’

With no time for deep thought, he unleashed his Marrow Cleansing cultivation like a bursting dam, and his body shot forward at an incredible speed.

A few breaths later, he found them in a clearing. He saw his disciple, Su Jie, forced to his knees with his head bowed, held by the neck in Xu Yang’s grasp. He was a miserable sight.

One of his arms was twisted like a pretzel, its bones clearly broken, while the other was pinned behind his back, on the verge of snapping as well.

"Master, save me!" Su Jie cried out.

The intense pain almost made him pass out, and his whole body was trembling.

As a Pill Master, his willpower was not strong, and he had never endured such suffering before.

"Shut up!"

Xu Yang tightened his grip on Su Jie’s neck, infusing it with Gang Qi to prevent him from speaking further.

"Let him go, and I’ll grant you an intact corpse. Dare to kill him, and I’ll make you beg for death."

Su Qiming’s voice and expression were stern, but a flicker of apprehension crossed his eyes.

Su Jie was a Pill Master cultivated by the Su Family since childhood. The family had spent, at the very least, tens of thousands of silver on him. If he were to truly die at Xu Yang’s hands, the Su Family’s losses would be immense.

Even someone of his status would be punished.

The money was a small matter; the main issue was that people with a talent for Alchemy were simply too rare.

At the same time, a look of confusion also flashed in his eyes. He couldn’t figure out what had just happened for Su Jie to have his arm broken and be captured by Xu Yang in an instant.

’Could it be that this disciple of mine really is a worthless piece of trash when it comes to fighting? To be defeated in just a few moves, even when his cultivation is so much higher than Xu Yang’s.’