Chapter 340: Chapter 338: Annihilation with a Single Sword Strike
He shook his head, trying to banish the ominous thought. It was impossible for there to be any powerful experts in Hai City. For years, the city had been the Sea Tide Gang’s private backyard! There was no way any Martial Artist capable of threatening them could exist there.
And the only ones who could possibly threaten them, those three unknown youths, were already out at sea!
On this vast, boundless sea, the chances of an encounter were far too slim. It was practically impossible!
But he never could have imagined that Qin Li and his companions... were heading straight for the Sea Tide Gang’s island!
Concluding he was overthinking things, the Fifth Master turned and boarded the large vessel. The ship slowly set sail, gradually vanishing into the night.
Yet no one saw a faint shadow, like a wisp of smoke, dart toward the great ship. In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the vast night along with the vessel sailing into the distance.
The real name of the Sea Tide Gang’s Fifth Master was Li Chao, a man born and raised on this very island. His father had once been a steward in the Sea Tide Gang, a position of no great importance, but Li Chao had shown remarkable talent from a young age, far outshining his peers. Under Chen Haichao’s vigorous patronage, he had finally, after many years, become the Fifth Master of the Sea Tide Gang.
Li Chao stood at the ship’s bow. The night sea breeze was cool, yet he still felt a little hot. His palms were faintly damp.
The wrinkles on his gaunt face seemed to have multiplied. In truth, he was loath to carry out the order to massacre the city, for he knew that whoever did such a thing would be reviled for ten thousand years.
However, he had neither the means nor the courage to defy Chen Haichao’s command, for he knew that the boss who made him could just as easily destroy him.
So, Li Chao stood at the bow, facing the night sea breeze, and repeatedly tried to console himself: ’Forget it. Those worthless peasants in Hai City all deserve to die! They killed a huge number of our Sea Tide Gang members and destroyed the gang’s centuries of influence in Hai City in one fell swoop. These people... deserve to die, deserve to die, deserve to die!’
Just then, he heard the sound of light footsteps behind him. Li Chao didn’t turn around. This ship was filled with the Sea Tide Gang’s elite warriors; there were no outsiders. The only people who would approach him at a time like this were his few trusted subordinates.
"I told you not to bother me unless it was important." Li Chao’s gaunt face was etched with impatience. He wanted to be alone for a while. ’In a few days, once this ship docks at Hai City’s harbor, it means over a million people... will have their souls sent to the Underworld! No matter how much they pretend not to care, that kind of pressure... really... it isn’t something just anyone can bear.’
The person behind him said nothing. Li Chao instantly sensed that something was wrong. He whipped his head around. The deck... was empty!
"Who’s there!" Li Chao roared. His voice carried far across the night sky, momentarily drowning out the sound of the waves parting before the great ship.
"Fifth Master, is something wrong?" A dozen or so men instantly leaped out from various corners. All of them looked sharp and capable; they were the trusted confidants the Fifth Master had cultivated over the years.
"You all..." Li Chao started to ask if they had seen anyone approach, but he swallowed the words. ’If they’d seen someone, they would have reacted. If I ask them, they’ll just think I’m getting paranoid and might even laugh at me in their hearts.’
With that thought, Li Chao waved his hand. "It’s nothing, it’s nothing. All of you, go back. The wind is strong tonight, no need to come out."
The men exchanged glances. Though they weren’t sure what was wrong with their master, none of them presumed to ask.
After everyone had withdrawn, Li Chao frowned, the wrinkles on his gaunt face deepening. ’Could I have really misheard?’ he thought to himself.
TAP... TAP... TAP. The sound of light footsteps echoed behind him once more. Li Chao’s eyes flew wide open. This time, he did not turn around. An icy chill shot up his spine, making him shiver involuntarily.
Never mind someone of his power—even Celestial Level Martial Artists didn’t much believe in ghosts and spirits. They believed that even if such phantoms existed, they couldn’t possibly approach a powerful Martial Artist. The fluctuations of Primordial Power alone would be enough to shred any soul to pieces!
So, the Fifth Master instinctively felt that the presence behind him... was definitely a person!
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Li Chao asked, feigning a calm and quiet tone. The ship was sailing with the wind, so his subordinates, who were far from the bow and upwind, couldn’t possibly hear their master speaking.
"Heh heh. I’ve come to kill you."
At that voice, all the color instantly drained from the Fifth Master’s face!
He could never forget that voice. His first major stumble in so many years had been at the hands of this young man! He would never forget that voice, not even in death!
"It’s you?" The Fifth Master slowly turned around. A young, handsome man stood before him in the darkness. But to his utter astonishment, even though the man was standing right there, he couldn’t sense his presence at all!
"Are you a man or a ghost?" the Fifth Master asked, his face deathly pale.
Qin Li smiled faintly. "It seems you have a guilty conscience. Otherwise, what would you have to fear from me?"
"Hmph, what guilty conscience could I have? Young man, back at the restaurant in Hai City, we already admitted defeat. We can just stay out of each other’s way from now on. What do you think you’re doing, suddenly appearing on our ship? What is it you want?" After his initial panic, the Fifth Master had regained some of his composure. ’There’s no way this young man could know about that matter! Therefore, he won’t dare to do anything to me!’
A faint, mocking smile touched Qin Li’s lips. "Facing death and still so oblivious," he said with a laugh. "People like you are truly stubborn to the bitter end."
"What do you mean by that?" the Fifth Master couldn’t help but raise his voice.
His trusted subordinates, along with other elite warriors of the Sea Tide Gang, all poured out from the shadows. Seeing the Fifth Master in a standoff with a young man, they all froze, stunned that someone had actually managed to sneak aboard their ship!
"Massacring a city... I truly can’t imagine how you made such a decision. As the saying goes, even thieves have a code. From you people, I only see a side worse than any beast; I see no trace of honor. In a word, none of you are worthy of being called members of a gang!" Qin Li said, shaking his head slightly. "Moreover, this world of yours has no Lord Guan. You’re just a bunch of scum lacking any faith!"
As Qin Li spoke, his body suddenly blurred into motion, lunging toward the Fifth Master. To the onlookers, it was as if Qin Li had vanished in that instant!
A crushing pressure, as if a great mountain were bearing down on him, instantly caused the Fifth Master’s face to fall!
Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly felt an excruciating pain in his abdomen. The Fifth Master let out a bloodcurdling scream that tore through the night sky over the deep sea, audible for dozens of miles!
Then, all sensation vanished from the Fifth Master’s body. He knew he was finished. His throat worked, and an expression of release suddenly appeared on his face. He wanted to say, ’Truthfully, I didn’t want to do it either...’ But when he opened his mouth, all that came out was a spray of fresh blood. The Fifth Master’s body crumpled to the ground.
It all happened too fast, in the mere blink of an eye. Many of them hadn’t even processed what was happening before the Fifth Master was already dead.
"The Fifth Master is dead! The Fifth Master is dead!"
Someone screamed in a frenzy and turned to flee. This young man was simply too terrifying! He had killed the Fifth Master in a single move. The rest of them stood no chance against him. Rather than wait here to die, they had to find a lifeboat and escape!
After all, the vast majority of them had grown up on islands; this boundless ocean was their home. As long as they could escape the clutches of this terrifying young man, they were certain they could survive!
Qin Li’s face was perfectly calm, betraying no emotion as his body slowly rose into the air. He drew the Blood-Drinking Sword, held it in his hand, and began to circulate the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable Heart Method. An aura of absolute supremacy, as if he were looking down upon the entire world, slowly began to emanate from his body!
This was the imposing aura of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable combat Technique!
When this aura reached its peak, Qin Li himself seemed as dazzling as a red sun in the dead of night, brilliantly eye-catching!
For the first time, the full aura of "Only I am Venerable" manifested around Qin Li!
One slash of the sword, downward!
BOOM!
Amidst the heaven-shaking roar, the great ship was obliterated by the impossibly tyrannical Sword Qi from Qin Li’s single strike, blasted into nothing but splinters!
Every member of the Sea Tide Gang on board who was so much as grazed by the Sword Qi was instantly vaporized! This power was like the supreme might of the heavens, utterly irresistible!
In that instant, a wave over a hundred meters high erupted from the sea!
Carrying with it the countless fragments of the great ship, it flew into the sky, then... crashed back down like a torrential downpour!
A flash of excitement finally appeared in Qin Li’s eyes. He let out a long breath. ’I never expected it,’ he thought. ’That a single move from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable combat Technique—the ’Only I am Venerable’ strike—could possess such power!’
Originally, this was the most refined move in the entire combat Technique, one that was impossible to execute before reaching the Venerable Realm. Furthermore, Qin Li had rarely ever attempted area-of-effect attacks in the past, so even he was surprised that this single sword strike could be so devastatingly powerful!
All the men the Sea Tide Gang had sent to massacre Hai City were wiped out, completely and utterly, by this single sword strike from Qin Li.
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I finally finished delivering all the gifts today. My wife and I went to buy a few things for the New Year this afternoon. *Sweatdrop.* And I really do mean a few—the supermarket was so packed we didn’t dare go in.
Everyone, please be careful if you go to crowded places during the holiday season. It’s hard to say if pickpockets take holidays too, so please be extra vigilant while you’re enjoying the Spring Festival. (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more Chapters and to support the author and official publication!)
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