Chapter 61: Tempering Ziyue

Chapter 61: Tempering Ziyue

Huang Yi thrust his sword forward as Mu Feng and the others watched from the side, making no move to intervene.

Bai Ziyue was like unrefined steel—a sharp blade yet to be honed.

Since it was an unpolished sword, it was up to him to sharpen its edge himself.

As Huang Yi's sword came for him, Bai Ziyue sidestepped the attack and swung his own blade in a horizontal slash toward Huang Yi.

Huang Yi blocked it with a quick parry, their swords clashing with a resounding clang. He shifted his body and countered with another thrust toward Bai Ziyue's chest.

Although Bai Ziyue lacked real combat experience, Mu Zhong had frequently trained him, and Mu Feng had taught him the lower-tier Profound Grade sword technique, the Phantom Sword Art.

Their blades moved in swift arcs, their clash lighting up the center of the courtyard with sparks.

"Brother Feng," Mu Kuang said with a hint of worry, "Ziyue doesn't have any experience in life-and-death combat. Isn't it dangerous to pit him against Huang Yi like this?"

"A sword's edge is forged through grinding, and plum blossoms bloom only in bitter cold. If he truly wants to change himself, he must rely on his own efforts. We cannot help him. You know how brutal the martial world is," Mu Feng replied calmly, though inwardly he was prepared to intervene if Bai Ziyue's life was in jeopardy.

"Don't worry," Mu Zhong said with a smile. "The boy's cultivation level is one stage higher than Huang Yi's, and his comprehension of sword techniques is extraordinary. He just needs a bit of ruthlessness and experience."

Shk!

Huang Yi's sword cut across Bai Ziyue's abdomen, leaving a bloody gash. Bai Ziyue winced and stumbled back, clutching his wound, as Huang Yi sneered and pressed forward for the kill.

"Ziyue!" Mu Kuang exclaimed, almost stepping in.

"I can do this myself!" Bai Ziyue roared, gritting his teeth as he charged forward. His eyes reddened, and a genuine killing intent began to emerge.

His sword trembled as he swung, creating three shimmering white sword shadows in the air, all aimed at Huang Yi.

Huang Yi's expression shifted, and he quickly raised his sword to block. The three sword shadows were deflected, but before he could catch his breath, a brilliant white flash struck like a thunderbolt, piercing straight toward his throat.

Shk!

The slender blade drove through Huang Yi's throat. His eyes widened in shock as his sword fell from his limp hand. He clutched his neck, blood pouring between his fingers.

Shk!

Bai Ziyue drove his sword deeper, the blade emerging from the back of Huang Yi's neck. Huang Yi's eyes dimmed, his body collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

Panting heavily, Bai Ziyue stared at the corpse, his killing intent still burning.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Consumed by fury, he began stabbing Huang Yi's body repeatedly, turning it into a bloodied sieve.

"Ziyue, enough. He's dead," Mu Feng said, rushing forward with Mu Kuang to restrain him.

"He's dead… He's dead…" Bai Ziyue murmured, his gaze meeting Mu Feng's before he suddenly burst into tears. "Brother Feng, I killed someone. Please don't abandon me!"

"Good brother, I won't abandon you. It's over now," Mu Feng said, patting Bai Ziyue's shoulder in reassurance.

"Young Master Feng, all of the Huang family's martial artists, including their two Qi Condensation Realm elders, have been slain," Mu Hai reported as he approached with his group.

Mu Feng released Bai Ziyue and nodded. Pointing to a courtyard, he instructed, "Gather all the bodies in that courtyard. Clean up the scene and prepare to retreat."

Mu Hai nodded, organizing his men to collect the corpses.

Soon, over a hundred bodies were piled in the courtyard. The remaining group cleaned up the area and looted the Huang family's valuables. After all, no one would leave behind anything of value after annihilating a family.

Mu Feng entered the courtyard alone and shut the gate. The Asura Divine Jade floated out, absorbing the blood essence and energy from the corpses. In moments, the bodies were reduced to dried husks.

Mu Feng set the remains ablaze, engulfing the entire courtyard in flames.

The Asura Divine Jade, now brimming with the absorbed blood essence, glowed with newfound energy. Inside the jade's blood-red space, drops of essence floated and condensed into thumb-sized crimson pills. Some pills bore one streak of pattern, while a few had two. The eerie sight of these blood-red pills suspended in the jade was chilling.

After cleaning up the scene, the Mu family's forces retrieved their stolen artifacts and retreated from the Huang estate by around 2 a.m., leaving behind the cries of ordinary Huang family members.

The Next Day

A middle-aged head constable, dressed in a black martial robe and hat with a government-issued saber at his waist, stood at the scene of the carnage with a group of constables.

"Sir, all 123 martial artists of the Huang family were slaughtered. Their bodies were burned in that courtyard. Only ordinary family members remain," a constable reported respectfully.

The head constable nodded, sighing. "One of the three major families, the Huang family, is finished. Let's go."

"Sir, aren't we going to investigate?" another constable asked.

"The Jianghu and the court are separate. This concerns only the martial world. What's there to investigate? If they could destroy the Huang family, they can destroy us too. Let's go," the head constable said with a cold snort, leading his men away.

The news spread quickly throughout An Nan City.

One of the city's three major families, the Huang family, had been annihilated—a shocking event in the small city.

"Did you hear? Last night, over a hundred of the Huang family's martial artists were wiped out. Ruthless!"

"Yeah, who could have such a grudge to destroy the entire Huang family's martial strength? The family's finished."

"First, the Mu family was robbed. Now, the Huang family's been exterminated. What's happening in An Nan City?"

In a tavern, Jianghu travelers sipped their drinks and discussed the event.

Meanwhile, in the Wang family estate, another of the city's major families:

"What? The Huang family was annihilated!"

In the grand hall, a middle-aged man shot to his feet in shock upon hearing the report from a family disciple.

The man, dressed in a green martial robe, was tall and imposing, with a square face exuding authority and eyes glowing faintly green. He was none other than the Wang family head, Wang Bin.

"This is true, sir. The entire city is talking about it. We sent men to confirm, and it's indeed true," the disciple reported.

"Who could have done this? Did the Huang family provoke someone they shouldn't have?" Wang Bin murmured in disbelief.

"Our men questioned nearby residents. There were loud shouts and sounds of battle last night. It's clear the attackers weren't just one person but an entire faction. I suspect…" The disciple hesitated.

"You suspect the Mu family?" Wang Bin narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, sir. The Mu family was robbed recently, likely by the Huang family. This could very well be their retaliation," the disciple speculated.

Wang Bin's eyes gleamed as he murmured, "If it was truly the Mu family, they've hidden their strength far too well…"