C33 Kill Him with a Slash

"The fact that you could ambush me in this desolate place at midnight clearly shows you've been plotting this for a while. So, do you really think I'd let you go, just to give you another chance to come after me?" Chu Yan spoke with a calm detachment.

His composure elicited a cold huff from the lanky silhouette nearby.

Ye Chen was initially taken aback, but he quickly snapped back to reality, his face contorting into a malevolent sneer. "Cut the act, Chu Yan! You're probably shaking in your boots right now! There's no one from the Lin Clan here to save you! And let me tell you, you're as good as dead today!"

"You think you can intimidate me with your Genuine Force Stage Three lackey and that Stage Four?" Chu Yan retorted.

"How can you be so arrogant? You're merely at Genuine Force Stage Three..." Ye Chen's taunt was cut short as he noticed something astonishing, his eyes bulging in disbelief. He stared at Chu Yan, hissing through clenched teeth, "You... you've reached Stage Four of the Genuine Force?"

His voice reached a piercing crescendo, reminiscent of a duck being strangled.

His complexion shifted rapidly between shades, but Ye Chen quickly composed himself, his face once again twisted with intent to kill. "What does it matter! You're at Stage Four of the Genuine Force, but so are we. I refuse to believe you can escape—What... what are you doing!"

Ye Chen's sinister smile morphed into a shriek of terror before he could finish his sentence.

Chu Yan hadn't waited for him to finish; he had already charged forward.

For a practitioner at Stage Four of the Genuine Force, a distance of over thirty meters was nothing but a blink of an eye.

Moreover, Chu Yan's physique was far more honed than his peers, granting him superior strength and swifter speed. To Ye Chen, he appeared as a meteorite, hurtling towards him with ferocious momentum.

"Watch out!" The servant beside Ye Chen roared, his wrist snapping as two curved blades intersected, slicing through the air towards Chu Yan.

In the instant Chu Yan made his move, he had already spotted the servant with Stage Four of the Genuine Force rushing towards him from a distance, closing in rapidly.

At that moment, all he needed to do was hold off Chu Yan until the Stage Four Genuine Force servant arrived, and they would have the numerical advantage to defeat their foe.

The servant's intentions were commendable, but he had overlooked one crucial detail: he was a full stage below Chu Yan in power.

Swish!

Chu Yan's silver scale spear swept out with a sudden ferocity. He had cleverly angled the spear to avoid catching the light, rendering it invisible against the night's murky moonlight. Thus, the weapon in Chu Yan's grasp went unnoticed by those around him.

The spear's swift arc left the Ye Family servant, merely at Stage Three of Genuine Force, no chance to react before his head was shattered by the blow. The sound was akin to a ripe watermelon bursting open mid-air, a gruesome mix of red and white splattering hotly, drenching Ye Chen in a ghastly shower that left the Ye Family's prodigy utterly petrified.

"You... You..." Ye Chen stammered, confronted by Chu Yan's menacing presence just a breath away. The air itself felt dense, as if compressed into a solid mass around him. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, unable to form coherent words.

He had been no match for Chu Yan before, and now, he couldn't even discern Chu Yan's movements.

In a sudden grip of terror, Ye Chen felt his neck constrict. Looking down, he saw the spear shaft protruding from his throat. His mouth opened, perhaps to speak, perhaps in disbelief at his imminent death.

But only a gush of blood poured forth, silencing any last words.

Chu Yan watched Ye Chen's eyes dim with a chilling detachment. It was then he heard the whistling of an attack from behind, accompanied by an enraged bellow.

"High-rank Mortal Realm technique, Lotus Leaf Double Wood Slash!"

BOOM!

The whistling crescendoed into a thunderous roar, as if the air itself churned into a swirling vortex of blade-like currents.

Without a moment's hesitation, Chu Yan thrust his silver scale spear forward, piercing through Ye Chen's throat. In the same fluid motion, he sidestepped, repositioning himself behind Ye Chen's now lifeless form.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Ye Chen's body bore the brunt of the assault, and in a mere instant, was cleaved into four pieces by the blade's light, his blood spilling steaming hot onto the ground.

"Damn you!" Witnessing the carnage, the Ye Family servant, a fourth-stage Genuine Force wielder, unleashed a torrent of enraged roars, fury blazing in his eyes, nearly erupting forth.

The moment Chu Yan gripped the silver scale spear, he stomped the ground and spun his body like a whirligig, the spear sweeping through the air as effortlessly as a breeze scatters autumn leaves.

"Blood Chains Across the Sky!"

In a flash, over a dozen spear shadows formed an impenetrable barrier in front of Chu Yan.

The saber light struck without warning, clashing violently with the spear shadows, sparking a dazzling array of fireflies against the night's canvas.

"I will not forgive you!" Realizing his strike failed to take down Chu Yan, but instead reduced the Ye Family's young master to chunks, the servant's shock and rage were beyond words. He lunged forward once more, his blade swirling into a vortex, descending in a furious slash at Chu Yan.

"The feeling's mutual," Chu Yan replied, his gaze icy, his voice cool, as his murderous intent surged forth like a tempestuous wave.

"Blood War's Waning Sun!"

The Blood Yang Spear Art's first move was offensive, the second defensive. At that moment, Chu Yan's entire being was taut like a drawn bow, releasing a spear thrust with unreserved might, aiming straight for the servant's face, utterly disregarding the incoming blade light.

The servant's pupils contracted at the sight.

If he were to recklessly strike down Chu Yan now, his own head would surely be skewered by the silver scale spear.

After a brief hesitation, he swung his arm forcefully, transforming the blade light into a fierce lash, knocking the incoming spear aside while bellowing with venomous triumph, "Without your precious spear, let's see how you fare in combat!"

"A weapon is unnecessary to end you!" Chu Yan's voice erupted suddenly next to the servant's ear, startling him so fiercely his heart nearly ceased its beat.

"Furious Dragon Coiling Kill!"

Chu Yan's arm bypassed the opponent's long blade, his fingers clawing through the air, and like a mighty dragon rising from the depths, he delivered a crushing blow to the servant's heart.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In a mere moment, the sound of bones shattering echoed from the opponent's chest. Simultaneously, the back burst open, a gruesome mix of thick blood and torn flesh spraying outwards.

The Ye Family servant's eyes bulged in horror as a gut-wrenching scream escaped his lips. He was flung like a sodden sack, flying dozens of feet before crashing heavily to the ground. Blood gushed from his wounds as his body twitched a few times before falling eerily still.

This wasn't Chu Yan's first kill, but it was the first time he reveled in the exhilarating sensation of regaining his lost strength.

And in that moment, he solidified a realization.

"Even at the same Fourth Stage of True Martial Realm, I am far superior to this Ye Family servant. The physical cultivation technique of the Whale-Swallowing Spirit Hunting Art truly yields remarkable results!"