Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Fierce Battle
A gentle night breeze rustled by, carrying the occasional chirp of an unknown bird.
The small courtyard was deathly silent.
Bai Yuan and Xu Kang faced off from a distance.
The house was already empty; Bai Yuan had moved Xiao Qiaoniang to another location via a secret passage.
Sister Qiao was a capable fighter, but she was nowhere near qualified to participate in this battle.
In fact, no one in all of Qinghe was qualified.
Xu Kang’s bristly beard fluttered in the wind. A set of stark white teeth gleamed from within his thick facial hair, looking especially ghastly under the moonlight.
The next instant!
Xu Kang brought his fingers together and thrust a palm at Bai Yuan’s face.
He had killed the previous two Divine Mansion Army commanders in this exact manner.
His moniker was Thunderbolt Hand, so naturally, he specialized in palm techniques.
However, his palm techniques were fused with profound footwork, allowing him to strike his foes with the suddenness of a thunderclap and catch them completely off guard. That was how he had earned the name Thunderbolt Hand.
He had killed countless famous experts in Ling Province by relying on the coordination of his Body Technique and palm strikes.
Bai Yuan’s body swayed, and he slid across the ground, nearly flat against it.
This footwork was even a few degrees more profound than Xu Kang’s own.
Each art has its own specialization. When it came to pure footwork, the master-level Night Wanderer Step completely suppressed the Thunderbolt Hand.
Xu Kang raised an eyebrow.
’Aside from the assassins of the Soul-Chasing Tower, not many Martial Artists are proficient in Body Techniques. This kid’s got some real skill.’
But what he hadn’t expected was—
After dodging his palm strike, Bai Yuan didn’t try to use his Body Technique to escape. Instead, he drew his saber and slashed at him.
"You’re courting death!"
Xu Kang sneered inwardly.
’Does he really think I’m a good-for-nothing like Zhou Tao?’
Only yesterday, he had received intelligence that the one who killed Zhou Tao wasn’t Hu Ben, but the young man before him.
That was why Xu Kang had suddenly changed his itinerary to appear in Qinghe County—to eliminate this genius, Bai Yuan, before he could mature.
He had to admit, Bai Yuan was truly a genius.
Killing an Entering Martial Artist while at the Blood Refining level... ’I couldn’t do that,’ he admitted to himself.
The last person to achieve such a feat had been this kid’s master, Dong Wanjun.
One Dong Wanjun was already enough of a headache for the Soul-Chasing Tower. They absolutely could not allow the Divine Mansion Sect to produce a second one.
’This kid has to die!’
With a surge of viciousness, Xu Kang neither dodged nor evaded, meeting Bai Yuan’s descending long saber directly with his palm.
CLANG!
A crisp, loud clang rang out.
The immense force sent Bai Yuan stumbling back several steps.
Xu Kang, in contrast, hadn’t moved an inch. He had taken the blow with his bare hand, which now only bore a white mark on the palm.
Such was the domineering power of Inner Strength.
Xu Kang had enveloped his palm in Inner Strength, allowing him to catch a sharp blade with his bare hand.
Otherwise, no matter how tough his hand, it would have been impossible to block a long saber forged from Celestial Meteorite Iron.
"Is that all you’ve got?"
A savage grin spread across Xu Kang’s lips as he attacked with both palms, sealing off Bai Yuan’s retreat.
Bai Yuan remained expressionless. With a twist of his waist, he swung his long saber in a wide arc.
Mountain’s Return!
...
In the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, he and Xu Kang had exchanged over fifty moves.
The longer Xu Kang fought, the more alarmed he became.
He was horrified to find he was struggling to withstand the momentum of the young man’s saber strikes.
’This kid’s saber technique is too bizarre! It’s like waves crashing on a reef—each one stronger than the last. The power behind his strikes now is more than five times what it was at the beginning!’
What frightened him even more was that Bai Yuan’s saber strikes had, without him realizing, sealed off his escape. Paired with that bizarre footwork, he had nowhere to run.
But Xu Kang was a veteran of life-and-death battles in the Jianghu; he had no intention of giving up.
A viciousness flared in his heart, and his palm techniques grew even more ferocious.
This was the difference between a Wandering Martial Artist and a Sect Disciple. Sect Disciples often fought with a certain reservation, but those who roamed the Jianghu, accustomed to life-or-death struggles, could always erupt with extraordinary combat power.
Another forty moves...
"Fuck!"
Xu Kang finally panicked.
Bai Yuan’s last strike had nearly severed his right hand. If this kept up, he would surely die.
However, Xu Kang didn’t entertain the thought of escaping.
His Jianghu experience told him that the moment he showed fear, he would die even faster. Only by fighting to the death could he find a chance to survive.
Another thirty exchanges...
Xu Kang’s eyes began to shine. He realized his palm technique was showing faint signs of a breakthrough.
Mastery of his palm technique!
Epiphanies during battle were extremely rare in the Jianghu. He never expected such a heaven-defying stroke of fortune would happen to him.
’If I can just comprehend the next level of the Thunderbolt Hand, I might be able to turn this battle around!’
"Ha, ha, ha!"
"You wretched creature, die!"
Xu Kang felt the Inner Strength circulating faster and faster within him and couldn’t help but laugh maniacally.
He fought with increasing ferocity.
But just then—
BANG!
A loud report echoed.
A blossom of blood bloomed on Xu Kang’s body.
Xu Kang stared in disbelief in the direction of the sound.
Xiao Qiaoniang, who had long since left, had reappeared. She was holding a hand cannon, its dark muzzle aimed squarely at Xu Kang.
The next instant, Chu Yuan and the others appeared at the courtyard gate, each of them also holding a hand cannon.
BANG... BANG... BANG!
Xu Kang was tied down by Bai Yuan, his every move sealed off by the long saber. All the fired steel balls struck him with perfect accuracy.
"ARGH!"
Xu Kang’s hair and beard whipped about as he roared in absolute fury.
More blossoms of blood bloomed across his body. The steel balls were coated in snake venom, causing him immense agony.
Bai Yuan finally found his opening. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
SQUELCH...
The long saber in his hand pierced through Xu Kang’s left chest, right where his heart was.
"Urgh... ah..."
The long saber was pulled free, and Xu Kang’s body collapsed limply to the ground.
The powerful physique of an Entering Martial Artist kept him from dying instantly. He lay on the ground, spitting up blood and convulsing nonstop.
In his final, hazy moments of consciousness, he saw Bai Yuan walk up to him, coldly holding the long saber.
The saber rose and fell.
And so, Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang ended up decapitated.
"Hang it on the city wall."
Bai Yuan instructed Zhao Han, who had hurried over.
"Yes, sir."
Zhao Han bowed respectfully. He was now in complete and utter awe of his young commander.
Killing a long-famous Entering Martial Artist... it was a goddamn miracle!
’From now on, if anyone dares disrespect Commander Bai, I’ll be the first to cut them down.’
Sister Qiao rushed into the small courtyard.
"Brother Yuan, are you all right?"
Bai Yuan shook his head. "I’m fine."
Chu Yuan, Zhang Yang, and the others also walked over.
The reason they were there was, of course, Xiao Qiaoniang.
After leaving through the secret passage, Sister Qiao had found Chu Yuan and the others, then returned with the firearms to provide support.
Zhang Yang excitedly held up his hand cannon. "Kid, this thing is amazing."
To think a small piece of iron and wood could injure an Entering Martial Artist... It was truly terrifying.
Chu Yuan and the others also marveled at the hand cannons, clicking their tongues in wonder.
After Bai Yuan returned to Qinghe, he had given each of them one of these little contraptions and told them to practice with it. They never expected it to be so powerful.
Under a volley of shots, even Xu Kang had been taken down.
Of course, that was only because Bai Yuan had him pinned down. Otherwise, hitting Xu Kang with hand cannons alone would have been extremely difficult.
Still, if the hand cannons hadn’t interrupted Xu Kang’s epiphany, the outcome of the fight would have remained uncertain.
"The hand cannon’s greatest advantage is the element of surprise. Do your best to keep its existence a secret."
Bai Yuan advised Chu Yuan and the others.
Everyone nodded.
...
「The next day.」
Zhao Han hung the body of Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang on the city wall.
Just like Zhang Bin before him.
It was a taste of their own medicine.
Around noon, Hu Ben and Liu Li appeared before the Qinghe County City Gate.
They gazed at Xu Kang’s body hanging from the wall, clicking their tongues in amazement.
"Grand Commander Dong really has a good eye."
Liu Li couldn’t help but praise him.
He and Hu Ben had been led on a wild goose chase by Xu Kang for days without catching a glimpse of him, only for Bai Yuan to kill the man and hang him on the city wall.
Including Zhou Tao, this was already the second Entering Martial Artist that Commander Bai had killed.
Killing an Entering Martial Artist while at the Blood Refining level was a near-death gamble every time, yet for Bai Yuan, it was becoming as common as eating a meal.
"But of course."
Hu Ben said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Everyone in the Divine Mansion Army knew the commander of Gang Camp was Old Dong’s staunchest supporter. As far as he was concerned, Old Dong could do no wrong.
Liu Li rolled his eyes and strode into the city.
"Commander Bai, you’re a true prodigy! This old brother is humbled."
Liu Li boomed with laughter upon seeing Bai Yuan at the Huwei Arts Hall.
And he wasn’t just being polite.
When he was still at the Blood Refining Pass, he would have run at the mere sight of a Junior Grandmaster, never daring to entertain the thought of fighting back. He was genuinely humbled.
Hu Ben also looked at Bai Yuan with a broad smile.
It was like looking at a younger version of himself.
Of course, he’d never done anything as outrageous as killing an Entering Martial Artist back when he was at the Blood Refining stage.
"You flatter me, Commander Liu," Bai Yuan said.
"By the way, Commander Bai, after last night’s battle, you’ve certainly drawn the attention of the Soul-Chasing Tower. You must be extra careful."
"Thank you for the warning, Commander Liu."
’I had intended to hide my strength, but since it’s out in the open now, I might as well get the most out of it. For example, I could ask Sect Leader Murong Tian and Old Dong for some benefits.’
’A Cultivation Technique or something like that would be ideal.’
Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang had killed two commanders; by dealing with him, Bai Yuan had performed a great service.
The Divine Mansion Sect certainly wouldn’t let it go unrewarded.
...
「The Palace, Ten Thousand Mountains」
Jia’s expression was as dark as it could be.
"Bai Yuan..."
He muttered the name under his breath.
The Soul-Chasing Tower’s intelligence network was terrifyingly efficient. He had received the news of Bai Yuan killing Xu Kang almost at the very moment Xu Kang’s body was hung on the city wall.
He had originally thought sending Xu Kang to kill Bai Yuan was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but he had still underestimated the strength of that True Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect.
"It seems I underestimated you."
Jia’s expression instantly returned to calm.
Anyone familiar with him would know: Bai Yuan was now on his kill list.
...
No one knew who the secret figure behind the Heaven and Earth Lists was.
The day after Bai Yuan killed Thunderbolt Hand Xu Kang, a new edition of the Earth List was published.
The biggest change, naturally, concerned him.
His ranking skyrocketed from fifty-third all the way to eighth.
The top seven on the Earth List were, without exception, Entering Martial Artists. His appearance in the eighth spot was therefore particularly jarring.
For a time, his name was on the lips of every Jianghu person in Huanglong Prefecture.
Even some powerhouses in Ling Province had taken notice of him. One could say he was becoming famous.
At the same time, both Murong Tian and Dong Wanjun bestowed rewards upon him.
When Murong Tian heard that Xu Kang, a renowned expert from the Soul-Chasing Tower, had been killed by one of the sect’s newly-promoted True Disciples, his mood improved immensely.
The war between the Divine Mansion Sect and the Demon Sect was already at a fever pitch. Xu Kang’s death was undoubtedly a huge morale boost for the Divine Mansion Sect.
Bai Yuan had performed a great service, and as Sect Leader, his generosity would naturally be anything but small.
He rewarded Bai Yuan with five hundred pounds of Tier Six Monster Flesh, as well as a seemingly endless supply of Spirit Medicine.
It was a reward so generous that even an Entering Martial Artist would be green with envy.
In addition, Old Dong also gave Bai Yuan a reward.
Old Dong’s reward was even more direct.
He granted Bai Yuan unrestricted access to Wan Jun Hall.
It was common knowledge that Old Dong cultivated a myriad of techniques. His collection of Cultivation Techniques was frighteningly vast, rivaling even that of the Instructor Hall.
Those Cultivation Techniques were all stored within Wan Jun Hall.
By granting Bai Yuan free access to Wan Jun Hall, Old Dong was essentially allowing him to browse his entire collection of Cultivation Techniques at will.
Having killed Xu Kang, Bai Yuan would now certainly be targeted by the experts of the Soul-Chasing Tower.
The next assassin the Soul-Chasing Tower sent after Bai Yuan would undoubtedly be terrifyingly strong.
Naturally, Murong Tian would not allow a genius disciple like Bai Yuan to be cut down in his prime, so he directly ordered Bai Yuan to return to the Divine Mansion Sect to regroup.
A small place like Qinghe could not possibly stop a true expert. It was far too dangerous for Bai Yuan to remain there.
As soon as Bai Yuan received the transfer order,
he happily brought Sister Qiao and the others back to the Divine Mansion Sect.
He was a True Disciple now. If he wanted to, he could bring the entire Huwei Arts Hall with him to Wan Jun Peak, and no one would say a word.
