Chapter 28: A Narrow Victory

The entire inn had been reduced to rubble. Only a single table in the main hall remained unscathed. Seated beside it was a man whose face was unusually grim. His fingers trembled, and the wine glass in his hand instantly shattered to dust.

“To simultaneously exert influence over different targets—only someone who has reached the Divided Spirit stage of cultivation can manage that. But this kid before me is at most in mid Foundation Establishment stage. Impossible.”

“Sister! Sister! Father is really amazing! He sent them flying with just one strike!” A flower spirit standing not far away clapped joyfully.

“Yes,” Qing Ling nodded, inwardly thinking, “Brother Lei has indeed improved. I’ve never seen these moves before. Those two were obviously cultivators. The moment he struck, they were both sent flying. In just a few short days, Brother Lei has reached such a level.”

The Hidden Dragon Divine Movement had surpassed Lei Yan’s expectations. Not only had it pushed his speed to unprecedented limits, but it also allowed him to create a clone. After merging back, Lei Yan’s true essence surged to twice its original strength. He quickly realized the truth: this clone was a manifestation of half his body’s strength transformed into an energetic duplicate. It looked like him and even mimicked his movements, but it was still a clone. Since it drew half his power away, its attacks were only half as strong, and Lei Yan’s own attacks were halved in turn.

Though the offensive power was halved, the attacks infused with the Way were no easy matter to defend against. Yan Tao and Yan Lang crashed to the ground, their chests scorched black, blood continuously spewing from their mouths. The guards of the Gu family wore expressions of terror. Yan Tao and Yan Lang were envoys of the Gu family—godlike figures in their eyes. They hadn’t even landed a blow before being sent flying. And judging by their state, they were close to death.

With two envoys dead, the Gu family’s guards fell into panic.

“What’s there to panic about? Lord Zi Chao is still inside. He’s much stronger than the two envoys. As soon as Lord Zi Chao makes a move, that guy won’t stand a chance,” one guard shouted sharply.

“Right, how could I forget Lord Zi Chao? He’s the strongest among our envoys. That kid is no match for him,” another guard quickly chimed in.

“Exactly! Even if that kid is strong, he’s no match for our Lord Zi Chao.”

...

The man sitting amidst the ruins of the inn was none other than Lord Zi Chao, the very figure the Gu family’s guards spoke of. He took a deep breath. “Kid, you’re strong, but do you really think you can challenge my Golden Core stage cultivation with your mid Foundation Establishment level? Hand over the Golden Core obediently, and I’ll spare your life. Otherwise, this day next year will be your death anniversary.”

“Golden Core stage…” Qing Ling’s expression shifted. Unlike Lei Yan, she possessed neither supernatural abilities nor had she reached the Golden Core stage, so she couldn’t probe the opponent’s strength with her spiritual sense. Hearing this, worry crept into her heart. “Brother Lei…”

“Don’t worry. I can handle him,” Lei Yan said with a smile over his shoulder. But as he turned back, his face grew cautious. The Golden Core stage cultivation meant greater true essence than the Foundation Establishment stage, along with a deeper understanding of the Way. In other words, the power of the natural forces they could wield in attacks far surpassed his own. Regardless of the cultivation method, as long as it contained the Way, it was not to be underestimated.

“Looks like you won’t cry until you see the coffin,” Zi Chao sneered, raising his right hand. The sword on the ground nearby trembled, then with a whistle flew into his grasp. Slapping the table before him with his left hand, he vaulted into the air, executing a flip as he pointed the sword at Lei Yan. The table turned instantly to dust as he leapt.

“No magical attack—that means he’s incorporated the Way into his swordsmanship,” Lei Yan’s eyes narrowed. His supernatural ability locked firmly onto Zi Chao. Stepping into the Hidden Dragon Divine Movement, his body became ethereal.

“Such petty tricks, and you dare show off,” Zi Chao sneered midair. His longsword trembled, unleashing a blade of light that shot toward Lei Yan like a sharp edge.

Lei Yan’s face changed. He hadn’t expected Zi Chao to so easily detect his movement trajectory. He shifted slightly, and the sword energy brushed past his body. Yet that shining blade still sliced through his demon weapon, cutting his skin and drawing blood.

Someone immediately cheered at the sight of Lei Yan’s injury. “See? I told you, the moment Lord Zi Chao strikes, that kid is finished! Hahaha,” a guard outside laughed loudly.

“Exactly, exactly. How could he possibly be stronger than our Lord Zi Chao?” another guard agreed.

“Brother Lei…” Qing Ling clutched her chest, anxiety etched across her face, while the flower spirit beside her shouted, “Daddy, you can do it! You’re the best!”

Hearing the flower spirit’s encouragement warmed Lei Yan’s heart. His mind quickly analyzed the situation. Earlier, Yan Tao and Yan Lang had used a similar sword energy. This sword energy not only pierced his demon weapon’s defense but was much stronger than their attacks. “Relying solely on the demon weapon’s defense won’t suffice,” he thought. Concentrating, the demon weapon on his body writhed. In an instant, a faint red glow spread across its surface.

“What is that? A defensive spiritual weapon? No wonder he dodged that sword just now,” Zi Chao frowned, having clearly noticed the change on Lei Yan’s body. Yet earlier, he had detected no abnormalities. Without Lei Yan’s true essence infused with the Way, he wouldn’t have noticed.

“Kid, I’ll give you one last chance. Hand over that Golden Core,” Zi Chao said coldly.

Lei Yan sneered disdainfully. Suddenly, he thought of the Golden Core’s original owner, Zi Yue. This Zi Yue seemed connected to the Gu family, and so did Zi Chao. There must be some connection between the two. A strange smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing Lei Yan’s expression, Zi Chao’s rage flared. “You’re courting death!” With that, his sword flashed, forming a massive net of golden sword light in the air—a vast assault descending upon Lei Yan.

The golden light sparkled fiercely, blinding those watching.

“Lord Zi Chao is incredible! That attack will surely finish that kid,” a Gu family guard exclaimed excitedly, not bothered by the dazzling light.

“Ah, what a pity. I wanted to see how that kid dies,” another guard sighed.

“Brother Lei, please, stay safe,” Qing Ling prayed anxiously.

Lei Yan’s expression changed. The sword net fell from above, cutting off all escape routes. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his right fist, infused with the Way of Fire, into the net. A crack appeared. His right hand was shredded, flesh torn and bloody. The sword net had pierced his demon weapon, and even destroyed the Way energy in his hand. Clearly, Zi Chao’s understanding of the Way far exceeded his own.

“Damn, he broke through,” Zi Chao was slightly surprised but quick to react. As Lei Yan burst through the net, Zi Chao lunged with a sword strike.

The blade stabbed deep into Lei Yan’s heart. A faint smile crept onto Zi Chao’s lips—he was truly pleased to kill Lei Yan. But his smile didn’t last. Within a breath, it froze. A sinister feeling crept over him. “Something’s wrong.” Looking again at Lei Yan, who had been pierced in the heart, he realized no blood flowed from the wound. Lei Yan’s spiritual sense dispersed instantly. His face paled. “Damn it.” He spun sharply, slapping backward.

Lei Yan had anticipated Zi Chao’s follow-up strike as he broke free from the sword net. At that moment, he deployed his clone to intercept the sword, while he himself stealthily attacked Zi Chao from behind. Lei Yan’s punch collided with Zi Chao’s palm, triggering a ripple of spatial energy.

They separated immediately.

Lei Yan was thrown backward, coughing up blood. Despite the sneak attack, he gained little advantage. Zi Chao took a step back, his throat burning as he nearly spat blood. Yet he swallowed it down stubbornly.

“Kid, you still won’t die now? Hahaha…” Zi Chao laughed triumphantly, watching Lei Yan fly back.

“Sizzle.”

Zi Chao’s laughter abruptly stopped. Lowering his head, he saw his chest pierced—the wound caused by the Lei Yan behind him, the one whose heart had been stabbed. A wave of weakness swept through him. His legs buckled and he knelt down, vision blurring.

“Explode.”

Lei Yan rose from the ground, growling low. The clone that had stabbed Zi Chao’s heart flashed red. Zi Chao’s body exploded violently, blood spraying everywhere. A golden orb flew out from the blood.

With a wave of his hand, Lei Yan retrieved the Golden Core. Zi Chao was truly powerful, capable of killing him, but Lei Yan’s calculation and luck had been flawless. First, the clone distracted Zi Chao’s attention, then the real Lei Yan struck from behind as Zi Chao focused on the clone. When Zi Chao thought the clone was dead, it launched a final attack, securing the victory. If Zi Chao had been wary of the clone, Lei Yan might have died here today.

“Lord Zi Chao is dead!” a guard shouted in shock.

“Run!” another yelled, immediately fleeing, followed by the rest.

“Xiao Lan, kill all those guards,” Lei Yan commanded the flower spirit.

“Yes, Daddy!” The flower spirit sprang into the air, releasing waves of green leaves from her body like arrows, piercing the fleeing guards.

Despite so many deaths, the people of Yicheng did not panic. Instead, they cheered as though the demise of the Gu family’s men was a cause for celebration.