140: Chapter 140 Raging Fury

One palm strike.

The square-faced man's body flew backward like a tattered sack, slammed into a tree trunk, slid down, and slumped at the roots.

His eyes were still open, but his pupils were already beginning to dilate. Foamy blood mixed with dark red fragments surged from his mouth, trickling down his chin onto his lapel. From the moment of the strike to his death, it had taken no more than a single breath.

The mountain forest went silent for a moment.

The lean man's short dagger was still held in mid-air, the eerie blue poison light on its blade trembling slightly.

The Tall Thin Man's water-parting spike was only halfway extended, its tip still three feet away from Lin Tian's waist and ribs. The two men stood frozen in place, as if someone had cast a binding spell on them.

Their eyeballs were about to pop out.

The square-faced man was the strongest in direct combat among the three of them; after channeling his Internal Energy into his iron fists, he could crush a millstone-sized bluestone.

But they had seen that scene just now clearly—Lin Tian had used only one palm, a plain, ordinary palm strike without any bells or whistles, just shot straight out.

Then the square-faced man's fist shattered, his chest collapsed, and his body flew away.

How could this be an Early Stage Fourth-Rank Warrior? How could an Early Stage Fourth-Rank Warrior kill another Early Stage Fourth-Rank Warrior with a single palm?

"How is this possible..." The lean man's voice squeezed out from between his teeth; his throat felt as if it were blocked by something, dry and hoarse.

The Tall Thin Man's face had already turned pale.

But his reaction was faster than the lean man's. Gritting his teeth, a ruthless look rose in his eyes: "Damn it! This kid is so strong! Let's join forces, use our ultimate move!"

The two of them moved simultaneously.

This time, they did not hold back, nor were they thinking about a one-hit kill anymore.

The Internal Energy in their Dantian was pushed to the limit, the Qi in their Meridians circulated wildly, and their robes billowed without wind. The lean man lowered his frame, his whole body almost hugging the ground, like a venomous snake slithering through the grass.

The short daggers in his hands were crossed in front of his chest, the eerie blue poison light on the blades stretching into two thin lines, stabbing straight at Lin Tian's lower body. He used his full strength for this strike—

Internal Energy was channeled into the short daggers, causing the blades to vibrate and emit a buzzing hum. The poisoned daggers pierced the air, leaving a faint blue afterimage.

The Tall Thin Man leaped high from the right. His arms were extremely long, and as he leaped, he spread them out like a diving hawk.

The water-parting spike rotated in his hand, switching from a forward grip to a reverse grip, its tip pointing downward. Borrowing the momentum of his descending body, he thrust it fiercely toward the top of Lin Tian's head.

The Internal Energy channeled into the water-parting spike overflowed, tearing the air at the tip and emitting a sharp screech.

One from above, one from below, one from the left, one from the right—they sealed off all of Lin Tian's escape routes.

This was the ultimate combined attack they had practiced countless times. In their assassination career for the Qingyun Martial Arts Hall, this move had sent at least seven or eight warriors of the same Realm to their graves, never once failing.

Lin Tian did not retreat.

He didn't even lift an eyelid.

The hidden energy within his body was no longer held back; the Qi in his Dantian exploded violently, like a flood that had been blocked for a long time finally breaking through a dam.

His Middle Stage Fourth-Rank cultivation erupted completely at this moment. That thick, majestic aura surged out from him, pushing the surrounding fallen leaves outward, and even the loose stones on the ground trembled slightly.

Left hand, Great Strength Vajra Palm. Right hand, drawing his sword.

The moment the autumn water sword was unsheathed, a clear, bright sword light illuminated the dim light of the mountain forest.

A layer of faint purple radiance flowed across the sword body; it was the light naturally emitted after Internal Energy had been channeled to its limit.

Lin Tian struck with his left palm toward the lean man; the palm force remained condensed, and the air at his palm center was compressed into a visible, translucent ball of energy.

His right hand thrust the autumn water sword toward the Tall Thin Man, the blade vibrating as Internal Energy oscillated at high speed across it.

Thunderclap Sword Technique.

One palm and one sword, struck simultaneously.

The lean man's short daggers collided with Lin Tian's left palm first. The moment the daggers pierced his palm, the lean man's expression changed.

He felt as if he hadn't stabbed a flesh-and-blood palm, but a piece of red-hot iron.

The Internal Energy on the short daggers was shattered by Lin Tian's palm force the moment they made contact, and immediately after, the eerie blue poison light on the blades was extinguished by the palm wind.

The force of the Great Strength Vajra Palm traveled through the short daggers into his arm, and he heard a crisp snapping sound from his wrist.

Then his whole body was sent flying sideways by this palm strike, flipped twice in the air, and slammed heavily onto the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The Tall Thin Man's fate was even worse.

The moment his water-parting spike collided with Lin Tian's autumn water sword, the sound of thunder exploded.

With a loud boom, it was like a muffled thunderclap exploding in the mountain forest. The sound wave erupted from the tip of the sword, shaking the surrounding leaves until they trembled.

The Tall Thin Man only felt a tremendous force coming from the water-parting spike; the webbing between his thumb and index finger tore instantly, and the spike flew out of his hand. Immediately after, a sword light shone before his eyes, so fast that he didn't even have time to close them.

A sword strike through the throat.

The Tall Thin Man fell from the air, slamming onto the ground. He clutched his throat with both hands, blood gushing out between his fingers.

His mouth was wide open, trying to inhale, but only a gurgling, bubbling sound came from his throat. His body twitched a few times, then went still.

Killed with a single sword strike.

The lean man lay on the ground, watching the Tall Thin Man collapse while clutching his throat; his whole body felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over him from head to toe.

It was too terrifying. Truly too terrifying. Three against one, three Early Stage Fourth-Rank Warriors fighting one, and the result was the opponent killing one and severely injuring one with a single palm and a single sword.

This wasn't a battle between people of the same Realm at all; it was a crushing defeat.

He suddenly realized—Lin Tian was not an Early Stage Fourth-Rank Warrior at all.

That aura that had just erupted, that hidden energy so thick it was suffocating, that terrifying power that shattered iron fists with one palm and sent the water-parting spike flying with one sword strike—this was definitely not something an Early Stage Fourth-Rank Warrior could possess.

This was the power of a Middle Stage Fourth-Rank Warrior. Damn that Young Master Zhao Qingyun! The information he gave them was wrong!

If they had known the opponent was a Middle Stage Fourth-Rank Warrior, they wouldn't have dared to come, not even if it killed them.

Although there was only a small Realm difference between the Middle Stage and Early Stage of the Fourth Rank, the gap in strength was substantial.

The thickness of Internal Energy, the speed of circulation, and the intensity of the explosion were not on the same level at all.

Moreover, the young man before him was clearly not an ordinary Middle Stage Fourth-Rank Warrior—his palm techniques and sword techniques had both been practiced to an extremely profound level.

The lean man didn't dare to think anymore. He used his elbows to support himself on the ground, crawling forward desperately. His wrist was broken, so he used his elbows. His knees were rubbed bloody against the loose stones, but he didn't care about the pain. There was only one thought in his mind—escape. Escape as far as possible.

Lin Tian watched the figure crawling desperately on the ground, his expression unchanged.

He strode forward, walking over unhurriedly. He unleashed his Cloud Shadow Step; each step covered a distance of two or three zhang, and in a few steps, he arrived behind the lean man.

He raised his foot and brought it down. With a bang, the lean man was stepped on his back, his whole body pressed against the ground, his mouth full of fallen leaves and dirt.

He wanted to struggle, but that foot pressed onto his back like a mountain, pressing down so hard he couldn't even catch his breath.

Lin Tian's toe stepped on his back, and the tip of the autumn water sword rested against the back of his neck.

The sword tip was ice-cold, and the point touching his skin sent a bone-chilling coldness through him. The lean man's body froze, not daring to move.

"Speak." Lin Tian's voice came from above, as calm as stagnant water, devoid of any emotion. "Who sent you?"

This was the second time.

The first time was in the night forest while returning to the Qixia Sect from Yunzhou Prefecture, the blade light slashed by that masked assassin from the darkness. That time he killed the opponent, but found nothing on him—

No tokens, no banknotes, nothing that could identify him.

He had thought at the time that it was the Black Tiger Gang seeking revenge, because he had killed several Fourth-Rank Warriors of the Black Tiger Gang in the canyon; it was reasonable for them to send someone to kill him.

But this time was different. This time, there were three.

Three Early Stage Fourth-Rank Warriors, following him all the way from Yunzhou Prefecture to the Taixuan Mountain Range, choosing specifically to act when he was alone.

Moreover, the style of these three men was completely different from the Gang warriors of the Black Tiger Gang who licked blood from the blade. The Black Tiger Gang members were wilder, more ruthless, and more chaotic in their attacks. The coordination of these three was too tacit, their moves too methodical; they were clearly professional assassins who had trained and fought together for years.

Two assassination attempts. One last time, three this time.

Did they really take him for a pushover? Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone Lin Tian, a master who could slay a Fourth-Rank Warrior with a single sword strike.

He didn't kill the lean man directly, just to keep one alive. Last time he didn't leave a survivor and found out nothing. This time, he was going to get clear answers.

The lean man's face was pressed against the fallen leaves, his lips trembling, but he didn't speak. Lin Tian's wrist moved. The tip of the autumn water sword moved away from the back of his neck, traced an arc, and stabbed into his shoulder blade.

It wasn't stabbed in, but sliced across. The sword tip pierced in from the upper edge of the shoulder blade, cut along the bone joint, and made a gash inside.

This strike avoided vital points and major blood vessels, but the pain of being sliced through the bone joint by a sharp blade was ten times more painful than just stabbing him.

The lean man let out a shrill scream, his whole body thrashing on the ground like a fish thrown onto the shore.

But Lin Tian's foot was on his back, so he couldn't thrash; he could only bury his face in the fallen leaves, emitting a muffled, indistinct wail.

Lin Tian pulled the sword tip out of the wound and pressed it against the back of his neck again.

The sword tip was stained with blood, which dripped one by one onto the lean man's collar. "If you don't speak, I have ways to torture you." Lin Tian's voice remained calm, so calm it made one's heart run cold.

The lean man's psychological defenses completely collapsed. He wasn't a tough guy; he was an assassin raised by the Qingyun Martial Arts Hall, working for money, not loyal to anyone. Who would want to die if they could live?

Who would want to be tortured if they could die a quick death? His body shook like a sieve, and his voice squeezed out from his throat, with a crying tone: "Stop... I'll talk... I'll talk..."

"Who sent you?"

"It's... it's the Young Master."

"Who is your Young Master? What is his name?"

The lean man's lips trembled several times, and finally he squeezed a few words out from between his teeth: "Young Master Zhao Qingyun. The Young Master of the Qingyun Martial Arts Hall."

Young Master Zhao Qingyun.

Lin Tian frowned, then his brow smoothed out, replaced by a cold, sharp killing intent. He had thought it was someone from the Black Tiger Gang.

He had killed several Fourth-Rank Warriors of the Black Tiger Gang in the canyon; for the Black Tiger Gang to send people for revenge, while vicious, was at least justified. But Young Master Zhao Qingyun?

What grudge did he have with this person? The first time they met was at the starting point of the Liu family caravan, where Young Master Zhao Qingyun had questioned him with sarcasm.

Later, in the canyon, when news came back that he had killed several Fourth-Rank Warriors alone, Young Master Zhao Qingyun's expression had turned ugly.

But what kind of grudge was that?

Coldness in attitude, being overshadowed, a few sarcastic words—just because of this, he had to send people to kill him? Twice?

"What is the reason?" Lin Tian's voice turned a few degrees colder.

"The Young Master said... said you offended him."

Offended. The corners of Lin Tian's mouth curved slightly, but it wasn't a smile; it was a curve that was cold to the extreme.

He didn't consider himself to have offended Young Master Zhao Qingyun.

There was no intersection between the two sides originally, just a few meetings, a few verbal disagreements.

He had never taken Young Master Zhao Qingyun seriously, let alone provoked him.

But just because of this, Young Master Zhao Qingyun had sent assassins to kill him twice. One last time, three this time. If he hadn't been strong enough, he would have died the first time in the night forest.

If he hadn't broken through to the Middle Stage of the Fourth Rank, he might not have been able to retreat unscathed this time against the siege of three Early Stage Fourth-Rank Warriors.

He was truly arrogant and domineering.

The Young Master of a major martial arts hall, keeping several Fourth-Rank assassins, sending people to kill whoever he didn't like.

If he killed them, he killed them; the Taixuan Mountain Range was so huge that killing a person or two was like killing an ant, and no one would ever trace it back to him.

A biting killing intent appeared in Lin Tian's eyes. Since Young Master Zhao Qingyun wanted to kill him, he didn't need to be polite either.

"Where is your Young Master?"

The lean man had been scared out of his wits and dared not hide anything, pouring out everything like beans from a bamboo tube: "In Yunzhou Prefecture... at the Zuixian Restaurant on East Street in Yunzhou Prefecture... second-floor private room... the Young Master is there waiting for us to return and report back..."

Lin Tian asked for the location of the Zuixian Restaurant and the specific direction of the private room. The lean man answered one by one, his voice growing weaker and weaker, whether from blood loss or fear, it was unknown.

After listening, Lin Tian didn't ask any more. The tip of the autumn water sword pushed forward, cleanly and neatly piercing the back of the lean man's neck. The lean man's body tensed up violently, then went limp, his face buried in the fallen leaves, and he stopped moving.

Lin Tian drew his long sword, wiped the blood off the blade on the lean man's clothes, and sheathed it.

He bent down and searched the three men, taking all the banknotes, Medicinal Pills, and loose silver into his own pocket.

Then he dragged the three corpses into a hidden gully and covered them with fallen leaves and dead branches.

The Taixuan Mountain Range was so big that by the time someone discovered these three corpses, he would have long finished what he needed to do.

After finishing all this, Lin Tian stood up straight and dusted the dirt off his hands. He turned around and walked toward the direction of Yunzhou Prefecture.

Twilight spread over the ridge from the east, dyeing the entire mountain forest a dark, gloomy gray-blue.

Lin Tian's figure was stretched into a long shadow in the twilight, his pace unhurried, the autumn water sword at his waist swaying gently with his steps, the scabbard clicking softly against his leg.

He was walking the road he had come, but in the opposite direction.

When he came, he was leaving Yunzhou Prefecture; now he was going back. Going back to find the person who had sent people to kill him twice.