Chapter 539 - 240: People from Tingtao

Chapter 539: Chapter 240: People from Tingtao

Xie Quan was known as ’The Reaper’s Note.’ The name spoke of impermanence, but its purpose was to claim lives.

He specialized in Hidden Weapons, and his signature Ultimate Skill was the [Reaper’s Soul-Taking Chain Nails].

The three ’Soul-Chasing Nails’ were merely his opening move.

So when he saw Fang Shuwen send the three ’Soul-Chasing Nails’ right back at him, he wasn’t the least bit concerned.

His hands moved in a blur. WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH! WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH! Six more ’Soul-Chasing Nails’ shot out in succession.

Three flew in the front to meet the incoming attack head-on.

Three flew behind, concealed by the ones in front. The moment the first three nails collided with the ones Fang Shuwen had thrown, the second set would exploit any opening, shooting through the gaps to take Fang Shuwen’s life.

This was one of his favorite tricks, and it had almost never failed him.

But he never expected what happened next. At that moment, a series of pings echoed out. TINK, TINK, TINK! TINK, TINK, TINK!

The first three ’Soul-Chasing Nails’ shattered on impact, leaving no openings for the three behind them. The nails Fang Shuwen had thrown advanced with unstoppable force!

Xie Quan’s expression changed dramatically. With his move foiled, he instinctively raised his hands.

But it was too late.

THWIP THWIP THWIP!!!

In terms of technique and accuracy, the three ’Soul-Chasing Nails’ Fang Shuwen had thrown were a far cry from Xie Quan’s.

Their power, however, was orders of magnitude greater.

In a fraction of a second, the three ’Soul-Chasing Nails’ pierced through Xie Quan’s skull. They flew out the back of his head and slammed into the wall behind him. But it didn’t end there. Their momentum undiminished, they blasted straight through the wall and vanished from sight.

Xie Quan died with his eyes wide in disbelief!

It wasn’t that his Martial Arts were weak. The truth was, he hadn’t even had the chance to use any of the true techniques of his [Reaper’s Soul-Taking Chain Nails].

A single miscalculation had cost him his life.

"Second Brother!!!"

’Ghost Blade’ Mo Qi and ’Heart-Gouging Finger’ Song Xiang were Xie Quan’s true sworn brothers, bonded by life and death. Seeing him fall, their eyes burned with fury.

A shadow flickered, and Mo Qi’s figure seemed to melt into the darkness.

Song Xiang, meanwhile, leaped into the air. The prosthetic finger on his right wrist jabbed straight toward Fang Shuwen’s forehead.

’What is this thing?’

Curious, Fang Shuwen simply reached out and caught the finger, holding it fast in his palm.

Song Xiang’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared with fury:

"Die, you evil thief!!!"

This finger of his was no ordinary prosthetic.

Otherwise, even if he had lost a hand, he would never have used something so hideous to adorn his right wrist.

But its ugliness didn’t matter; its utility was everything.

The finger was forged from thousand-year-old Profound Iron found in the depths of the East Sea. It was exceptionally heavy and impervious to blades.

Over the years, Song Xiang had completely integrated his Ultimate Skill, the [Heart-Gouging Finger], into this prosthetic. When he channeled his Finger Power, it could pierce metal as easily as paper.

With him now using his full strength, not even their enigmatic Boss could have emerged unscathed from this attack.

Moreover, the very instant Fang Shuwen caught the finger, Mo Qi’s blade had already emerged from the shadows, silently streaking toward the back of Fang Shuwen’s neck.

"Be... be careful..."

Luo Shuqing cried out frantically.

But as the blade descended, Fang Shuwen didn’t even turn his head. He simply reached back with his left hand.

CLANG!

Mo Qi’s blade was stopped cold in Fang Shuwen’s hand, unable to move another inch.

Meanwhile, Fang Shuwen gave a sudden tug with his right hand.

"Give it here."

Song Xiang’s mind went blank. ’Give what here?’

The next moment, a searing pain shot up from his right wrist.

His massive finger, the one forged from Profound Iron, had been torn right off his wrist.

Fresh blood gushed from the old wound, and he couldn’t stop a piercing scream from escaping his lips.

"This thing is kind of interesting, though it looks pretty lewd."

Fang Shuwen glanced at it, amused.

"Would have been better if it was a middle finger."

As he spoke, he lashed out with a kick. The still-screaming Song Xiang was sent flying, his body going limp in mid-air.

With half his skull caved in, how could he make a sound?

For a moment, Mo Qi didn’t know whether to feel rage or grief.

In the blink of an eye, first his Second Brother, then his Eighth Brother, had fallen. Two of his sworn brothers, separated from him by death in an instant.

He let out a furious roar, his Inner Breath surging violently as he tried, like a madman, to sever Fang Shuwen’s hand.

But... he couldn’t do it!

Fang Shuwen’s hand didn’t look particularly sturdy.

As his Inner Strength had grown, the physical signs of his martial training had become less and less apparent.

The calluses from years of fist training were gone, leaving his hands fair and soft, like those of a pampered young master from a wealthy family.

You wouldn’t even need a blade to harm such a hand; a firm squeeze should have been enough to leave it red and swollen.

And yet, Mo Qi’s blade, the culmination of years of arduous training, couldn’t even break his skin!!

Just then, Fang Shuwen suddenly clenched his left fist. CRACK!

The blade in Mo Qi’s grasp instantly shattered into pieces.

It felt as if his heart had shattered along with it, leaving behind an empty void.

His ears went deaf, and a loud ringing filled his head.

It was a backlash from his own Inner Strength. He struggled to raise his head, only to see a single finger growing larger and larger before his eyes...

PFFT!!

The finger plunged into the space between his eyebrows. Mo Qi’s pupils lost focus, and he died on the spot.

In the span of a breath, he had killed three men.

’Thousand-Handed Buddha’ Huaiyuan and his companions had all risen to their feet.

But before they could act, Fang Shuwen spun around, and the massive phantom of a fist appeared above the heads of Chen Qingyan and Qu Qianyin.

Her title, ’Unrivaled in Poetry and Painting,’ was surprisingly honest, as Qu Qianyin was not at all proficient in either art form.