Chapter Twenty: Kill

"Young Master Gu, aren't you being a bit too nervous? What kind of waves could a single person like him possibly stir up?" the man called Zi Yue said with a chuckle. As he spoke, his divine sense swept toward Lei Yan, revealing a look of utter disdain. "Oh? Only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment."

Zi Yue had just taken a step toward Lei Yan when he suddenly turned back. "Hmm... Young Master Gu, I believe this is a rare opportunity. With your current late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, this little fellow is certainly no match for you. How about this? I will hold the line for you; why not use him to test your skills?"

The man in the cyan robe glanced at Zi Yue, then looked up at the sky, where black clouds were gathering incessantly over the valley. He frowned slightly. "Zi Yue, you know that the inner core of this Horned Leopard is very important to me. I do not want any mistakes to occur."

"This eldest young master of the Gu family is truly a lovesick fool," Zi Yue thought to himself. Of course, he knew what the young master wanted the inner core for—was it not just to win a smile from a beauty? Was it really worth risking so much? He didn't understand it, but with a mocking laugh, he said, "Fine, fine. I hope this Horned Leopard survives this ordeal; otherwise, your joy will be in vain." With that, Zi Yue walked toward Lei Yan.

Perhaps because of Zi Yue's words, the Horned Leopard, currently bracing itself for the heavenly tribulation, looked at him with eyes full of hostility. Yet, it dared not move; having already gained intelligence, it knew it had to conserve its energy for the tribulation.

Meanwhile, Lei Yan stood not far away, watching the two men with cold indifference. He said nothing; at this point, any words would be futile. Since the other party intended to kill him, he would make them pay the price, even if it meant his own death. Moreover, he wanted to test that dried-flesh-like demon artifact. Through the fusion, he knew it was a defensive item, and he vaguely sensed its defensive capabilities were exceptional. He wanted to see if a Golden Core stage cultivator could break through it.

Seeing Zi Yue walking slowly toward him, Lei Yan focused his mind and unleashed his special ability. In a single breath, everything around Lei Yan became clear, yet sluggish.

Zi Yue looked at the guarded Lei Yan and laughed with contempt. "What a pity. So young, yet about to die." As he spoke, he pinched a spell formula, and a streak of cold light shot toward Lei Yan’s heart like a meteor.

"So fast!" Lei Yan's expression shifted. The 'slowness' of his surroundings clashing with the 'speed' of the cold light made his chest feel tight and his head throb. Seeing the light about to strike, he ignored the dizziness, poured his true essence into the demon artifact, and tilted his body slightly.

It all happened in a flash.

*Clang!* A small red sword was deflected away from Lei Yan’s chest.

"Impossible!" Zi Yue could not believe his flying sword had been deflected. That was a mid-grade spiritual weapon! With his Golden Core cultivation, even if he hadn't managed to kill Lei Yan, the sword shouldn't have been repelled like that. However, Lei Yan was not faring well either. Although the demon artifact had blocked the strike, the immense recoil made his chest constrict, and a mouthful of blood surged to his throat.

"Must not spit it out. Must not," Lei Yan warned himself. If he spat it out, Zi Yue would realize he was injured and would surely follow up with relentless attacks. The previous strike had caused the demon artifact fused to his skin to crack, though it was slowly regenerating. As long as he held on, it would recover.

Lei Yan swallowed the blood hard. Taking advantage of Zi Yue’s momentary shock, he lunged forward. With a flash of his form, he slammed a fist toward Zi Yue’s chest.

"Zi Yue!" a cold shout came from the young master of the Gu family nearby.

Zi Yue jolted to his senses. Seeing the fist about to land on his chest, he narrowed his eyes and quickly channeled his true essence to meet the blow.

*Boom!*

Their fists collided in mid-air, creating a ripple in space. Lei Yan focused his mind, a flash of red light erupted within him, and he let out a low shout. The flames on his head exploded outward.

Zi Yue’s arm was blown apart as if by an explosion. The severed limb flew off, and blood sprayed from the stump. Zi Yue’s face turned deathly pale as he staggered back, his left hand quickly tapping points on his right shoulder to stem the bleeding.

"Not skilled in close-quarters combat," Lei Yan thought. If Zi Yue had integrated the 'Dao' into his attack, his previous strike would never have caused such severe damage. Using the force of the rebound, Lei Yan performed a backflip, landed on the ground, and pushed off with his toes, his entire body launching toward Zi Yue like a cannonball.

"Go to hell!" Zi Yue roared, almost screaming. He pointed with his left hand, and the flying sword shot toward Lei Yan once more.

"Bad move." Lei Yan’s expression changed, and he instantly compressed the demon artifact on his skin onto his right fist. Suddenly, it appeared like a boxing glove on his hand, covered in a dense layer of true essence.

*Boom!*

Lei Yan was sent flying back, but the sword striking him shattered instantly. With the destruction of his weapon, Zi Yue could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Is he dead?" Zi Yue watched Lei Yan lying on the ground, his nerves still taut. Lei Yan’s strength had exceeded his imagination, so he dared not be careless. He swept his divine sense over Lei Yan’s body.

"Not dead." Zi Yue’s expression shifted. His senses caught a strange, eerie smile on the corner of Lei Yan’s mouth—a smile that filled him with an inexplicable, mounting fear. In a panic, he roared at the man in the cyan robe, "Young Master Gu, quick! Kill him!"

Lei Yan was indeed smiling. The compression of the demon artifact had actually enhanced its defensive power; the sword’s attack had left it completely undamaged, and his own retreat had been entirely due to the recoil. Pressing his hands against the ground, Lei Yan sprang up, his eyes filled with intense killing intent. In a flash, he charged toward Zi Yue like a meteor.

Suddenly, moving at his limit, Lei Yan’s body seemed to split, transforming into four silhouettes in the air that completely surrounded Zi Yue. All four figures struck simultaneously, and a rain of fists hammered onto Zi Yue’s body.

The expression on Zi Yue’s face, his body billowing with true essence, instantly froze. Gradually, his essence began to fade.

"Explode!"

Lei Yan, merging back into one, let out a low shout and retreated. At the same moment, with a loud *boom*, the motionless Zi Yue’s body shattered as if self-destructing. Blood splattered everywhere, and amidst the gore, a glowing golden sphere shot out and tumbled onto the grass.

"Die!"

The young master of the Gu family, who had been waiting for an opening, pinched a spell formula just as Lei Yan was retreating, and a streak of cold light shot toward him.