Chapter Thirty-Five: Enlightenment

The rain poured relentlessly as galloping hooves splashed mud in all directions. Over a hundred riders thundered at breakneck speed toward Green Wolf Mountain. Leading them was a burly man, nearly two meters tall. Though it was almost April and still chilly, he rode with his chest exposed, muscles rippling.

To his right rode a man cloaked in black, his entire form shrouded, cold gleams flickering in his eyes, exuding a sinister aura. On his left was a man with a long scar across his face, gripping a heavy saber that gleamed menacingly beneath the rain.

"Hmm?" The leader frowned, glancing up. Strange beams of light streaked across the sky near Green Wolf Mountain.

"Stop!" With a sharp command and a wave of his hand, the entire company drew to a halt.

"Third Brother, take a squad and investigate! Those lights seemed unusual. If it's a treasure, seize it. If anyone stands in your way, kill them! Second Brother and I will await your news on the mountain!" the leader ordered.

"Don't worry, Big Brother! Green Wolf Mountain is our turf—who dares deny us what we want? Ha!" The scarred man laughed, hefting his saber onto his shoulder. "Brothers, let's go claim the treasure!"

With a curt nod, the leader pressed on with the remaining two squads up the mountain.

A chill breeze swept by, carrying a hint of coolness. Lei Yan shook the rain from his soaked clothes and wiped his face.

"A detour around Green Wolf Mountain would be wise—that place is full of opportunity," Lei Yan mused with a smile. He suddenly recalled the Joy Fruit he’d once eaten; though not deadly, it induced wild hallucinations. Mixed with certain herbs, it could drive a person mad.

A sudden, wolf-like howl split the air, and the ground trembled violently. Instinctively, Lei Yan looked ahead. A squad of riders was charging toward him, and the howls came from their midst.

"Thirty-two men, and one innate master," Lei Yan's psychic sense immediately discerned their numbers. He frowned; if the innate master was on guard, poisoning would be impossible, and with the rain, his powders would be useless.

"Run!" Without the slightest hesitation, Lei Yan bolted—he was no match for an innate master yet.

"There he is! After him!" the scarred man shouted, spotting Lei Yan fleeing.

"Hyah! Hyah!" The man spurred his horse, eyes glinting with icy intent. The steed surged forward, rapidly closing the gap. As he neared, the scarred man flicked his wrist, swinging his saber out, a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes.

With a whoosh, the heavy blade cleaved the air toward Lei Yan's back.

Though Lei Yan didn't look back, his psychic power painted the scene in his mind. As the saber descended, he flung himself forward, rolling to narrowly evade the blow.

The scarred man hadn’t expected his attack to miss. His expression darkened. With a snort, he tapped the horse’s back with his toe, launching himself into the air. The heavy saber flicked, scattering rain in every direction.

Again, with a shrill whistle, the blade chopped down at Lei Yan's head.

In a flash of cold light, Lei Yan rolled aside, barely dodging again.

Slash after slash, the scarred man struck, but Lei Yan evaded each blow by the barest margin, relying on his abilities.

The man's brow furrowed. How could an ordinary person dodge so many attacks? And judging by the faded blood on Lei Yan, he wasn't just anyone. He gave a wry smile. "Friend, I am Scarblade, the third chief of the Green Wolf Gang. We're all trying to survive in the martial world. Hand over the goods, and I'll let you walk away."

"Goods?" Lei Yan feigned confusion, but quickly realized—the lights from the four orbs must have drawn everyone's attention on Green Wolf Mountain. The Green Wolf Gang, of course, would know. But so what? Lei Yan had no intention of yielding his treasure. He played dumb. "What goods?"

"Come now, friend, there's no need for pretense," Scarblade replied with a grin. "That strange light came from your direction. You're alone here—do you expect me to believe otherwise?"

"Sigh... I was drawn by the light too, but when I got there, no one was left," Lei Yan replied mournfully.

"Oh?" A cold glint flashed in Scarblade's eyes. If not for the blood on Lei Yan’s clothes, he might have believed him. "In that case, friend, why not let my men search you? If you’re telling the truth, I’ll apologize right here!" For an ordinary man, a body search was nothing, but for a martial artist, it was an insult. Scarblade, cautious, made the suggestion.

A flicker of killing intent crossed Lei Yan's eyes, but he smiled wryly. "Then be quick about it. I’m in a hurry."

"Good! Qu Bai, search him!" Scarblade shouted.

Qu Bai dismounted and strode up to Lei Yan. "Forgive me," he said, reaching for Lei Yan's chest.

Suddenly—

Lei Yan’s hand became a claw, seizing Qu Bai’s throat. He sneered, eyes cold. Qu Bai’s face contorted in terror—Lei Yan’s speed was lightning, and he’d struck without warning. In an instant, Qu Bai was captured.

With a snap, Lei Yan crushed his throat. Qu Bai died instantly.

Scarblade started at the sound. Realizing the deception, he raised his saber and swung hard at Lei Yan’s waist.

"I’ll use you as test subjects," Lei Yan murmured, dodging the attack in a blur, then hurtled into the crowd of bandits like a bolt of lightning. His right leg swept in a wide arc, kicking a horse’s leg. The bandit atop was thrown off with a shriek.

"Brothers, show no mercy! Kill him!" Scarblade roared, now truly enraged. At his command, the bandits surged at Lei Yan.

Mounted, they’d have held the advantage, but against Lei Yan, it meant little. Each punch and kick targeted the horses, and his speed was unmatched—soon, the bandits were thrown into chaos.

"Get off your horses!" Scarblade yelled, and the bandits who hadn't yet been struck by Lei Yan hurriedly dismounted.

A twisted smile played across Lei Yan's lips. This was exactly what he wanted—without horses in the way, he could test his mastery of the human body.

Snap—a bandit's throat was crushed.

Snap—another's skull was shattered.

At first, Lei Yan targeted the throat and skull, but as he grew more comfortable, his strikes became more varied. Each punch and sweep was slow, seemingly gentle, but in truth, deadly fast, and the force entered the body softly.

"So this is how force is transmitted," Lei Yan muttered, having found the key. Slowly, he closed his eyes and continued attacking the bandits by sensing their movements with his power.

Crack—

Lei Yan landed a punch on a bandit's chest. The man felt a tremor within, the blow painless, and as he prepared to strike back, found himself paralyzed. Blood gushed from his mouth. He collapsed, never to rise again.

A sweeping kick—Lei Yan's leg, like thunder, struck another bandit, who convulsed violently on the ground before dying in a pool of blood.

"Sigh… For now, I can only control dead objects and transmit force through muscle," Lei Yan sighed softly. Still, excitement stirred in his heart—he had found his path, the path of slaughter.

Scarblade noticed that Lei Yan hadn’t used any inner force—just pure, casual might. Even blows that struck weapons ended in death for his men. Watching his subordinates writhe and collapse, Scarblade gripped his saber tighter and tighter, his knuckles bloodless. "No inner force! External martial arts? How terrifying! Why am I afraid?" A man who’d rolled on the blade’s edge all his life, Scarblade couldn’t understand his own fear.

Thuds and screams rose in a dreadful chorus, and Scarblade’s eyes turned red. "A fight to the death? I’ll show you!"

"Die!" he suddenly roared, unleashing his lightness skill and charging at Lei Yan, heavy saber gleaming coldly.

Lei Yan was now fully immersed in the slaughter. The chaos favored him—so many points to borrow force from, he became a ghostly shadow, moving without pattern or logic. His every move was killing, and killing alone.

Scarblade chased after Lei Yan, bellowing as he tried to catch him, but even with his speed, he couldn't pin Lei Yan down. Every time he swung his saber, one of his own men stood in the way.

As his men twisted and fell, bones breaking, Scarblade’s eyes grew bloodier still. "Damn you, come at me! Stop running!"

With a crash, the last of his men fell. Scarblade snapped—his inner force exploded, and his saber blazed with light as he charged, screaming, "Ah! Ah! Ah!" He was upon Lei Yan in an instant.

With a shriek, Scarblade’s saber came crashing down from above. Caught in his trance, Lei Yan didn’t realize this was an innate master; he thought it just another bandit, and punched the side of the descending blade.

Boom!

The force transmitted through the blade sent Lei Yan flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth. He crashed hard into a tree, toppling it. Only then did he come to his senses, his body wracked with fractures, unable to move. He looked across at Scarblade.

Scarblade stared wide-eyed, trembling even more violently than his fallen men. In an instant, he collapsed, his final thought—too terrifying.

Lei Yan exhaled sharply, sweat cold on his brow—not from pain, but from fear. If not for entering that strange state, he would never have dared clash head-on with an innate master. Yet it was that very state that brought him new understanding.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration lit up Lei Yan’s mind. "Innate inner force can also transmit power! Everything can transmit—then so can true innate force…"

"This is no place to linger," Lei Yan thought, catching his breath. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed a healing pill, forced himself to his feet, and staggered toward the left side of Green Wolf Mountain.

(Haha! Lei Yan’s technique has finally taken shape! That’s it for today’s two chapters! If you enjoy this book, please help spread the word and add it to your collection—thank you!)