Chapter 93: Chapter 68: The Blade Like a Cold Dragon!
Thousands of Soldiers Retreat!—3
Chen Zhuang had advanced to the Divine Bravery Stage not long ago, and his strength was noteworthy. But now, due to Shi Zijian’s death, he had lost all reason, pouncing without any technique or routine, just like a wild beast that had lost its mind, ignorant of dodging, which was entirely a suicidal action.
“Pfft!”
Su Changkong’s Iron-Cutting Sword chopped down from above, splitting Chen Zhuang’s body in two. The momentum was unexhausted, leaving a two-meter-long, seemingly bottomless fissure in the ground!
Chen Zhuang’s body, cleft in half, ran a few steps forward out of inertia, passing by the sides of Su Changkong’s body, and floppily collapsed on the ground, dead beyond any doubt.
Su Changkong’s heart was also slightly conflicted. On their first encounter, Chen Zhuang had led dozens of knights to Black Iron Manor, his Divine Power unmatched, smashing the manor’s gate with his body alone, making even the Su Changkong of that time marvel at how powerful a Martial Artist could be!
Yet, years later, Su Changkong had caused him to fall on the spot with a single strike!
Chen Zhuang would never know that this wasn’t their first meeting; the one who had killed him was a youth standing unnoticed among the crowd at Black Iron Manor, a place he had visited multiple times!
Whoosh!
After delivering three sword strikes in quick succession, slaying Shi Zijian and Chen Zhuang, Su Changkong relaxed his mind and then felt a vertigo of weakness, his face deathly pale, with waves of darkness clouding his vision, nearly fainting on the spot.
Although he had executed only three strikes, these beyond-the-limit strikes had drained Su Changkong’s Essence Qi Spirit completely, and he just wanted to lie down with his head thrown back.
But Su Changkong held on with sheer will, knowing this was the Black Cavalry Gang’s territory, and showing weakness was a one-way ticket to death!
“The leader, third in command… dead…”
“Killed by the Iron Beast!”
At this moment, hundreds, nearly a thousand pairs of eyes, stared dumbfounded at the only figure still standing in the center. They wore faces of horror, their teeth chattering as if the sky had collapsed!
Unperturbed by the surrounding chaos, Su Changkong stepped toward the bisected corpse of Shi Zijian, drew his sword and sliced, severing Shi Zijian’s head and holding it in his hand.
Drip drip drip!
Blood dripped from the severed head onto the ground, making a clear sound that seemed to resonant with a thud in everyone’s heart!
“To dare to anger me and stand against me, this is your fate! Su Changkong said with a hoarse voice, looking around, the cold glint flickering in his dark eyes chilling those he looked upon to the bone.
Some, scared out of their wits, stumbled backward, their legs giving way as they fell to the ground.
Having said this, Su Changkong walked away from the Black Cavalry Gang as if no one else was present.
Along the way, the disciples of the Black Cavalry Gang involuntarily gripped their weapons, yet none had the courage to act. Instead, their legs uncontrollably made way for Su Changkong to pass!
What these people did not realize was that beneath the armor, Su Changkong was pale as a ghost, sweat pouring down his weak forehead, a few members could have slain the already exhausted Su Changkong on the spot!
The head in Su Changkong’s hand continued to drip blood, dripping, causing the teeth of the supposedly fierce elites of the Black Cavalry Gang to chatter in fear—who would have the gall to obstruct or attack Su Changkong?
“Clang! Clang!”
Only the friction and collision of metal armor could be heard as footsteps gradually receded into the darkness.
“The big boss, the third boss…are they all dead?”
“Was that Iron Beast from the Black Lotus Sect? Too horrifying…
It was only a good while after Su Changkong had left that the members of the Black Cavalry Gang were able to breathe again, each of them pale and still looking lost and clueless.
Not long ago, the Black Cavalry Gang had wiped out the White Jade Gang, their prestige unmatched. Yet tonight, an unforeseen catastrophe had occurred: a master who claimed to be an Iron Beast of the Black Lotus Sect came alone to the Black Cavalry Gang and with just two or three strikes had slain Shi Zijian and Chen Zhuang, leaving observers suspecting they were under an illusion!
“The big boss and the third boss were killed by the Iron Beast… The treasures in the storeroom… getting a bit of it would mean a lifetime of ease!”
Some were terrified, unable to accept reality, while others had a gleam in their eye.
A portion of the Black Cavalry Gang’s wealth was used to reward disciples; most of it, however, was spent by Shi Zijian to purchase rare heavenly materials and substances that replenish Qi and blood, in the hopes of returning to his peak. The true gold and silver that remained in the storeroom were not actually much.
But for the ordinary person, it was a fortune they couldn’t amass in ten lifetimes. Now that Shi Zijian was dead, many of the Black Cavalry Gang’s martial artists were tempted to share in the spoils. After all, they had joined the Black Cavalry Gang risking their necks for the sake of profit!
Su Changkong, of course, had no idea that a power struggle for leadership and wealth had erupted within the Black Cavalry Gang on the very night after he left.
“My Blade Technique, combined with the Blade Nurturing Art, indeed has terrifying killing power, although its only flaw is that it consumes too much, leaving me with only two or three strikes!
At this point, Su Changkong had already left the Black Cavalry Gang headquarters several miles behind. He removed his helmet and sat cross-legged in a grove of trees, practicing controlled breathing to recover some strength. He also marveled at the terrifying power of his three strikes.
The Iron-Cutting Blade Technique was already phenomenally lethal, but when combined with the Blade Nurturing Art, it produced an effect greater than the sum of its parts!
“It’s a pity… The Black Cavalry Gang must have accumulated a not insignificant fortune, but I’m in too poor a state to linger any longer…” Su Changkong couldn’t help but regret it, but he was too weak, and the longer he stayed at the Black Cavalry Gang, the more dangerous it became; the rational choice was to make a swift exit!
“When daylight comes tomorrow, I’ll head to Clearwater City to stay temporarily.”
After a complete cycle of breaths, Su Changkong had recovered some strength and pondered his next move.
Soon, the news of Shi Zijian’s death would surely shake the whole of Clearwater City!
Su Changkong had no plans to return to Black Iron Manor, for he was preparing to venture into a wider world!
-I previously asked Liu Feng about the ingredients for the Qi-Blood Pill; most of them can’t be purchased around Clearwater City, so I’ll have to visit Ink Forest Prefecture City. But before that… I need to earn more money and make preparations!”
Su Changkong decided to go to Ink Forest Prefecture City after some time. It was the most bustling place in Ink Forest Prefecture, the center of an entire prefecture’s domain, far from comparable to a county city like Clearwater City. However, the ingredients for the Qi-Blood Pill were expensive, and getting an alchemist to perform the alchemy was a considerable expense.. Su Changkong had saved up some money, but it might not be enough, hence accumulating more money was essential!