Chapter 64: Slay
Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Slay
"Everyone thinks I, Master Zhao Si, rely on my father and brother to get ahead. What they don’t know is that I, Zhao Gui, am the true top expert of the Zhao Family."
Zhao Gui grinned menacingly as he approached Su Mu.
Su Mu slowly drew his long saber, his expression turning grave.
Wei Yongfu was tied up fighting someone else. Now, Su Mu could only rely on himself.
Zhao Gui was a Hall Master of the No-Heaven Sect, and his brother was an acting head constable. He was definitely the type who’d never been short on money.
Unlike him and Wei Yongfu, people like Zhao Gui never had to worry about finding a Body Tempering Technique or the silver needed for Body Tempering Potions. As long as they put in the effort, their Body Tempering Realm was bound to be impressive.
’This man is definitely a formidable opponent!’
Su Mu’s vigilance sharpened.
His skin tightened as the muscles within his body suddenly erupted with their full power.
Submerging Wave Saber Momentum—Nine Waves of Breaking Waves.
He unleashed nine strikes in a single instant, which blurred into a single streak of white light.
Even with Su Mu’s formidable physique, his muscles ached, and his skin stung as if torn by the explosive force.
But he couldn’t afford to dwell on the discomfort. Saber in hand, he was already preparing to unleash the technique a second time.
Being cautious was one thing, but holding back in the middle of a fight was a death wish.
Just then, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.
Then, Su Mu saw a figure go flying backward.
He froze mid-step, halting the second attack he’d been about to unleash.
For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he should give chase.
THUD!
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Gui slammed heavily onto the ground a few steps away with a sickening thud.
A shocking wound gaped open on his chest. Torn skin and exposed muscle revealed he had nearly been disemboweled.
"Dharma Protector, save me!"
Zhao Gui shrieked, rolling on the ground in agony.
Su Mu: "..."
’Was Zhao Gui that weak, or have I gotten that strong?’
’You were acting so high and mighty a moment ago, you almost had me fooled.’
Su Mu was starting to understand. They were both Flesh Martial Artists, but since he had mastered saber momentum, he naturally held a massive advantage over Zhao Gui.
’Maybe I’m a little stronger than I thought.’
He couldn’t assume everyone was as powerful as Lin Qi Huan just because he had witnessed one of his attacks.
In Wuling City, especially in the Outer City, the Second Stage of Body Tempering was not considered weak at all.
Having come to this realization, a small smile touched Su Mu’s lips.
He raised his saber and advanced.
"Careful!"
Wei Yongfu shouted.
A fierce gust of wind rushed him from behind.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Su Mu spun and slashed with his saber.
CLANG!
His blade felt as if it had struck solid rock. A massive force slammed into him, driving him back several steps before he could regain his footing. His arm was numb from the impact, and he’d nearly dropped his saber.
Horrified, he looked ahead.
A figure stood protectively in front of Zhao Gui. The man’s skin was as black as if it had been painted with ink, and his fingernails were long and sharp.
He was hunched over like a wild beast, his eyes glaring viciously at Su Mu and Wei Yongfu.
Su Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He had seen someone like this before: the murderer who had massacred Landlord Zhao’s entire household.
’That Landlord Zhao was supposedly related to Zhao Ji. Who would have guessed that the one to wipe out his entire family was being controlled by Zhao Ji’s own brother?’
"Watch out!"
Wei Yongfu had already rushed over to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Su Mu. He said in a low voice, "This man isn’t a demon, but he already has some demonic characteristics.
"Damn it, even my copper skin can’t stop his claws. This job is a bust!"
Wei Yongfu spat, his saliva streaked with blood.
His clothes had been torn to ribbons by his opponent’s fingernails, and the skin beneath was covered in bloody scratches.
To be able to push Wei Yongfu—a man at the Third Stage of Body Tempering with natural copper skin—this far meant that the Dharma Protector Zhao Gui had called for was incredibly strong.
"I’ll add to your pay."
Su Mu said gravely. "Take him down. Three hundred taels."
"Thank you, Boss."
Wei Yongfu grinned, his eyes instantly lighting up. His entire body seemed to surge with power.
"You son of a bitch!"
The next moment, the bluestone tiles beneath Wei Yongfu’s feet shattered as he launched himself into the air, pouncing on the so-called Dharma Protector.
The Dharma Protector let out a guttural, beast-like roar and lunged forward like a mother animal protecting her young.
The two figures collided in mid-air.
Two more bloody gashes appeared on Wei Yongfu, but he used the momentum to grab his opponent’s calf and slam him violently into the ground.
With a dull thud, Su Mu felt the very ground tremble. He winced just watching the impact.
Spurred on by the promise of silver, Wei Yongfu exploded with one hundred and twenty percent of his combat strength.
If an ordinary person had been slammed with such force, every bone in their body would have likely been shattered.
But the Dharma Protector seemed completely unharmed, leaping up again in an instant and leaving behind a spiderweb of cracks on the ground.
The sound of flesh on flesh echoed through the air.
In the blink of an eye, Wei Yongfu and the Dharma Protector had exchanged dozens of blows, appearing to be evenly matched.
Just as Wei Yongfu slammed the Dharma Protector to the ground again, a streak of white light flashed through the air, instantly striking the Dharma Protector’s neck.
SQUELCH!
The Dharma Protector, halfway through leaping up, fell back down. A shallow gash had appeared on his neck.
Su Mu’s full-power strike had only managed to break the man’s skin, failing to even reach a major artery.
’This man’s defense is terrifyingly high.’
"Again!"
Having spent years walking the line between life and death, Wei Yongfu’s sense of timing in battle was instinctual, etched into his very bones.
Seeing his opponent’s defense broken, he pounced without hesitation. He threw his arms around the No-Heaven Sect Dharma Protector as he tried to get up, locking him in a tight hold and shouting to Su Mu.
Su Mu understood immediately. He took a deep breath, and his Submerging Wave Saber Momentum erupted once more.
THWACK!
The second strike.
The third strike!
The No-Heaven Sect Dharma Protector’s neck was finally sliced halfway through. Blood gushed out, and his struggles gradually ceased.
Only when the No-Heaven Sect Dharma Protector was completely motionless did Wei Yongfu finally let go, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.
He was drenched in blood, cutting a rather pathetic figure.
But the thought of the silver he was about to receive made him excited again.
’Sure enough, the rougher the seas, the bigger the fish.’
’The silver from this one job would be enough to fund his cultivation for months.’
Zhao Gui had just stuffed a few healing Elixirs into his mouth and hadn’t yet had a chance to bandage his chest wound when he saw the Dharma Protector meant to be protecting him get slaughtered on the spot.
His face was a mask of terror. He scrambled backward, trying to get as far away from the two men as possible.
"You can’t kill me! I’m Zhao Gui! My brother is the head constable of the South City Bureau! You’re both his subordinates! My brother will never forgive you!"
Zhao Gui shouted as he crawled, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
"Halt!"
Just then, a furious roar echoed from nearby.
It was followed by the sound of numerous, frantic footsteps.
The South City Bureau’s acting head constable, Zhao Ji, swarmed in with dozens of constables, completely surrounding Su Mu and Wei Yongfu.