Chapter 186: Mad Killer’s End

One spear hovered beside Yu Xuan, another was gripped tightly in his hand, and the third remained buried deep in the Mad Killer’s chest, black blood still leaking around it.The guardian lifted his tusked face, red eyes blazing as he watched Yu Xuan descend from above like a golden meteor.

With a sharp breath, Yu Xuan extended his will. His [Telekinesis] surged outward, seizing the Fourth Guardian’s massive body.

For a heartbeat, the Mad Killer’s enormous frame resisted but Yu Xuan’s will pressed harder, wrenching the beast off balance. The guardian’s body twisted, dragged into the air, his posture forced into a horizontal line.

"This is the end now." Yu Xuan’s eyes shone brighter as he fixed his aim.

His spear vibrated with lethal intent. The one in his hand gleamed with a silvery edge, the air itself trembling as he hurled it downward.

The Mad Killer raised his axe in defiance, a guttural roar shaking the battlefield. But the motion was too slow. Too late.

The spear split the air and drove through his skull with brutal finality.

Crack!

A jagged, sickening sound echoed as bone shattered. The guardian’s body convulsed once before crashing to the ground with a thud.

Yu Xuan landed lightly beside the fallen Mad Killer, chest heaving with exertion. His gaze swept the battlefield — one spear impaled in the Mad Killer’s chest, another protruding from his head. Blood pooled thick and corrosive beneath the corpse.

"It’s... done," Yu Xuan muttered under his breath, exhaling deeply.

But the moment’s relief was shattered.

Without warning, a massive hand, still dripping with black blood — shot upward. Fingers like steel claws wrapped tightly around his ankle.

Yu Xuan froze, his golden eyes widening. The Fourth Guardian was supposed to be dead.

And yet, even with spears skewering both heart and skull, the Mad Killer’s grip was strong, unyielding, as if death itself refused to claim him.

The Fourth Guardian swung his massive arm and flung Yu Xuan across the battlefield.

"Shit!" Yu Xuan spat as his body crashed against the torn earth. Even pierced through vital points, the Mad Killer’s vitality was monstrous.

The beast didn’t relent. His hulking form surged forward, every inch of him now blazing with slaughter aura, a crimson inferno that twisted the air around him.

Yu Xuan steadied himself, planting the remaining spear into the ground. His golden eyes narrowed, hands moving in a sharp motion as his [Telekinesis] flared.

The embedded spears within the Mad Killer shuddered violently — then wrenched sideways.

"AAHHHHHH!" The guardian’s roar tore through the night, shaking the forest.

Black blood gushed from his wounds, sizzling as it corroded the ground. Yu Xuan’s temples throbbed with pain, a dull headache spreading as he forced the spears to grind deeper.

The strain of controlling multiple weapons at once pressed hard against his mind, but he clenched his teeth and pushed through.

The spear lodged in the guardian’s skull twisted savagely, tearing through bone and flesh until nearly seventy percent of his head was destroyed. And yet... the one in his chest still refused to finish the job. It was close, but not enough to sever the monstrous heart entirely.

Panting, Yu Xuan ripped the grounded spear free and charged.

The Mad Killer, despite his ruined body, lunged forward like a rabid beast.

Their clash was instant. Yu Xuan slipped past the sweeping axe, spun low, and drove his spear into the guardian’s mangled head once more.

This time, the slaughter aura erupted in violent resistance, pressing against the weapon, trying to repel it. Sparks of red energy crackled against the silver luster of Yu Xuan’s spear.

With a grimace, Yu Xuan shoved forward relentlessly. At the same moment, the Mad Killer swung a massive fist toward him.

Impact.

Yu Xuan met the blow head-on, his free hand punching against the monstrous fist. Pain flared through his arm, his bones vibrating from the raw force. He groaned. The slaughter aura clawed at his flesh, threatening to rip him apart.

But he did not let go.

With a final, merciless thrust, Yu Xuan drove the spear deeper. The weapon split through what remained of the guardian’s skull.

The Mad Killer stiffened. His crimson aura flickered, then shattered like glass.

With one last shuddering roar, the Fourth Guardian collapsed. His massive body hit the ground with a thunderous boom, black blood gushing freely. This time, there was no strength left to rise.

Yu Xuan staggered backward, chest heaving, sweat mixing with the blood staining his clothes. His arm throbbed painfully from the impact, but his eyes remained sharp.

Finally, this time for certain — the Mad Killer was dead.

Yu Xuan wasted no time. He tore away the strips of his robe where droplets of black blood had splattered.

Even though his [Telekinesis] barrier had kept most of it from touching him, the few spots that grazed his clothing were already hissing, threads dissolving like wax before fire. He grimaced and yanked off his shoes as well — corroded, useless.

His gaze fell back on the Mad Killer’s ruined corpse. The fight had dragged on far longer than he had anticipated.

’Are all warriors of the Fallen Heaven like this?’ Yu Xuan thought. ’If so... then a true clash with their kind will be nothing but trouble.’

He exhaled, steadying his breath. The battlefield stank of black blood and slaughter aura, heavy enough to make the Air Quality Index beyond the norm. Though he wondered if there was a thing such as AQI in cultivation world.

Only then did he turn his head toward the lone spectator.

Not far away, Lingluo lounged on a thick branch, legs swinging lazily as she tore open another small packet.

Crisp~

"It’s slightly salty," she said aloud, completely unconcerned, munching her chips as if she were at a street festival and not watching her brother fight the monster.

A vein bulged on Yu Xuan’s forehead. He deliberately forced the air out through his nose in a long, controlled exhale. He could hear her crunching as clear as if she were right beside him.

He shut his eyes.

’Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.’ he thought thrice, like everyone in the cultivation world does.

With deliberate steps, Yu Xuan walked a little away from the blood-soaked ground, sat cross-legged. His breathing slowed. Golden light flickered faintly across his eyes before fading as he closed them.

It was time to focus inward — time to digest the small but precious enlightenment that had sparked during the battle. His spear intent was waiting to grow. He would not waste the chance.

***

An hour later...

Yu Xuan slowly opened his eyes. For an instant, they gleamed sharply, as though they could pierce through all things between heaven and earth. The illusion faded quickly, and Yu Xuan exhaled with a wry smile.

He knew it was nothing more than the euphoria of advancement, the mind’s delusion after a breakthrough. Cultivators often stumbled here — believing themselves invincible, only to be buried by reality soon after.

"Arrogance leads to downfall," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned the scattered spears across the battlefield. They trembled, black blood still dripping faintly, before flying obediently into his grasp. Yu Xuan inspected them carefully. The areas where the Mad Killer’s corrosive blood had touched were pitted and scarred, their sharpness dulled.


’Tsk... isn’t the tower too money-hungry?’ Yu Xuan cursed inwardly.

’Every battle costs weapons. At this rate I’ll need new weapons before every trial.’

Still, he did not discard the spear immediately. Instead, he lifted it, feeling its familiar weight settle into his hands. He adjusted his stance and began to move, body flowing like water, thrusts clean and sharp.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Each swing cut the air. A faint glow shimmered at the edge of the spearhead — proof of a new understanding. Yu Xuan ended with a flourish, the spear pointing at the heavens where the blood moon was beginning to climb once more.

"This is a massive gain," Yu Xuan whispered, satisfaction hidden beneath his calm tone.

His spear intent had risen. No longer at the fumbling, clumsy stage of a novice, he now stood at the threshold of true practice. A beginner; one who starts walking firmly upon the path.

He let out a breath, lowering the spear. As elated as he was, night was falling, and the dangers of the trial did not rest. More hunters might appear at any moment.

Footsteps approached lightly. Lingluo came forward, her expression bright, her usual playful smile tugging at her lips.

"That was a great fight," she said, her tone both genuine and teasing.

Yu Xuan’s silence stretched a moment, then he sighed. "Let’s move. Today, I’ll rest. You keep watch."

Lingluo chuckled, but nodded without complaint.

The two siblings walked until they found a thick old tree with roots wide enough to serve as crude shelter. Lingluo gestured toward it, settling in cross-legged, her eyes already scanning the darkened woods for movement. Yu Xuan, for once, allowed his weary body to sink against the tree trunk.

Within moments, his breathing evened into the rhythm of sleep.

Lingluo glanced at him, then turned her gaze outward again.

And so, the second day of their trial ended.