56: Wen An's death

"Save me, quickly!"

Cheng Xi was struck with absolute horror, shouting for help urgently and repeatedly while struggling desperately.

His cultivation at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation, which he had been so proud of, was completely useless now; he could only watch helplessly as the iron chains continued to tighten.

He even heard the sound of his own ribs snapping.

The other three also rushed to save him. Yao Cheng and Lei Su attacked the iron chains frantically, attempting to hack them apart. However, the chains were unexpectedly sturdy; though their attacks made it seem like the chains would break at any moment, the iron held firm.

Without a second thought, Wen An thrust his sword straight for Guan Yi's throat. The sword light was like a shadow, vanishing in an instant. Seeing the blade was less than half a meter from his throat, Guan Yi still showed no intention of defending himself.

A cruel smile couldn't help but appear on Wen An's face. At this distance, even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator wouldn't be able to block this strike; he had absolute confidence in his sword.

But in the next second, he was dumbfounded.

He saw a cruel and crazed smile appear on Guan Yi's face as he used his free hand to directly meet the Dharma Sword, which was enveloped in abundant spiritual energy.

Like a hot knife through butter, four fingers on Guan Yi's palm were sliced off cleanly by Wen An's sword, which then continued to pierce toward the vital point of Guan Yi's neck.

The Dharma Sword pierced Guan Yi's neck, but it had been hindered by the palm after all, causing its direction to deviate slightly. Thus, while it looked terrifying, it didn't actually hit Guan Yi's vitals.

Guan Yi stuck out his tongue and licked the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, letting out a 'he-he' laugh as he whispered, "You're the one who came closer yourself, little darling."

Then, Guan Yi used his fingerless arm to pull Wen An into a direct embrace. His spiritual energy surged frantically as he used his blood-covered head as a battering ram, headbutting Wen An with all his might.

The confident expression on Wen An's face had vanished, replaced by panic and fear. He wanted to pull away, but Guan Yi's embrace was incredibly strong, like a golden hoop that he simply couldn't break free from.

He could only watch helplessly as this malicious ghost, who seemed to feel no pain at all, slammed his head into him again and again.

Wen An could only circulate his spiritual energy to protect his head while using his right hand to frantically hack at Guan Yi's arm with his sword, hoping to cut the arm off and escape.

"Then let's see who wins—will I hammer you to death first, or will you cut off my hand first?"

Guan Yi muttered. To Wen An's ears, this whisper sounded as terrifying as a vengeful spirit's death curse.

The frequency and power of his attacks weakened by thirty percent. Smelling the pungent scent of blood, Wen An's head began to spin, and the circulation of his spiritual energy grew sluggish.

"Get lost! You devil, get away from me!"

Wen An actually had plenty of combat experience, but he had never encountered someone like Guan Yi who fought by trading life for life from the very start. Faced with a life-or-death crisis, he forgot all his usual methods, leaving only one thought in his mind: "Run, as far away from this devil as possible!"

However, he failed in the end.

As Wen An's right hand slowly lost its strength, the glowing Dharma Sword in his hand dimmed and fell to the ground. His head, which had become like a smashed watermelon, heralded his death.

He was the first Cultivator among the four to die.

Guan Yi's current state was also dire. His entire left arm had been hacked into a mess by Wen An, with only a thin layer of skin stubbornly keeping it attached to his body.

This all happened too quickly, in just a few breaths. On the other side, the two who had just severed the chains to rescue Cheng Xi saw their old friend die such a tragic and violent death before their eyes.

"Wen An!"

Yao Cheng let out a roar, his eyes gradually becoming bloodshot. He never expected that taking on such a simple mission would lead to the violent death of a friend he had known for many years.

"You dog, give me your life!"

Yao Cheng's weapon was a long-handled giant axe. He disregarded everything and was about to charge forward, wanting only to use the axe in his hand to avenge his friend.

However, his footsteps soon faltered because he saw a scene that filled him with mortal terror.

As if finding the arm in the way, Guan Yi directly tore the severed limb off while he was still alive, then casually tucked it into his belt. From a distance, it looked as if he had sheathed a precious sword.

"Want revenge? Come then, I'll give you my other hand too."

Guan Yi's tone was chilling, like a wail from the abyss, making one's hair stand on end.

"Guan Yi, is it really worth risking your life for a newcomer who just entered the manor a few days ago?" Lei Su asked, keeping a wary guard.

Yao Cheng, whose head was filled with rage, stopped his advance, but his verbal onslaught didn't cease: "You're a monster! You actually killed Wen An. He was my dearest friend, my own brother! Today, I will take your head to avenge him."

Guan Yi smiled contemptuously and said loudly, "I promised Mountain Master Pang that I would protect Junior Brother Hong. Unless I die, no one touches him. This is a man's promise; what the hell do you people know!"

"We really don't understand your idiotic way of thinking—risking your life for a stranger for such a ridiculous reason. Do you think he'll be grateful to you?"

While Cheng Xi mocked him, he secretly instructed the other two: "He is practicing the Dragon-Trapping Body Locking Art, using the dragon binding ropes made of special Materials wrapped around his body. This allows him to contain several times more spiritual energy than an ordinary ninth-layer Qi Refining Cultivator. Usually, one Cultivates this technique for the final sprint toward Foundation Establishment, focusing on breaking through the Realm with brute force. However, once he fights someone, especially if the dragon binding ropes is fully released, he will undoubtedly die if he fails to break through to Foundation Establishment.

So let's not face him head-on. Once time is up, even if we don't act, he will die from body explosion. What we need to do now is wait."

Lei Su and Yao Cheng nodded upon hearing this, and their desire to chase Hong Yu extinguished. Although the opponent seemed unable to move, if they went after Hong Yu, he would surely fight desperately.

Thus, they focused on guarding against the remaining iron chains in Guan Yi's hands.

At this moment, not far away, Hong Yu had a complicated expression. He truly hadn't expected Guan Yi to go this far for him.

Relying on the Blood Shadow Movement Technique, his speed was only slightly weaker than the Foundation Establishment Stage, so Hong Yu hadn't fled too far and had been keeping an eye on the situation on the battlefield.

Asking himself, if their positions were reversed, Hong Yu would definitely not have gone this far for someone he wasn't familiar with.

"Don't overthink it. Senior Brother Guan Yi is upright and generous, certainly a friend worth having. But my cultivation is low; forget saving him, I'm afraid I'll only be a burden if I go back. It's better to escape and keep myself alive to avenge him in the future."

Hong Yu comforted himself while slowly moving his feet.

The battlefield was in a stalemate; slipping away early was the best choice.

But before he could take two steps, he gave himself two slaps. "Damn it, if you leave now, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

A youth's hot-bloodedness always comes so suddenly. Hong Yu resolutely stopped his footsteps and called out frantically in his mind: "System, I want to use auto-pilot!"