Life-and-Death Struggle

Translator: CinderTL

"Explain in detail, what is the difference between a Spirit Herb and a Precious medicine?"

Xu Sanyan pressed forward step by step, and for every step the old man retreated, he followed.

The old man's expression turned grim. "Will you let me go after I tell you?"

Xu Sanyan smiled. "Don't worry, I never go back on my word."

The old man felt slightly reassured and decided to trust him once more. He then said, "Precious medicines are only useful for ordinary martial artists. Their effectiveness diminishes greatly for those at the Celestial Being Realm, and they become completely useless after Foundation Establishment."

Xu Sanyan nodded in understanding, which aligned with his own speculations. The Spirit Herb should also be able to provide "Vitality."

While Xu Sanyan was deep in thought, the old man seized the opportunity, his expression shifting as he swiftly retreated backward.

Seeing this, Xu Sanyan flipped his wrist, and the long blade flew out of his hand with a speed that was almost imperceptible to the naked eye. The sharp blade grazed the old man's graying hair, cutting off a few strands.

The old man froze in place, a cold sweat dripping down his cheeks, his heart trembling uncontrollably.

It had been many years since he had last felt the breath of death, ever since he had reached the Peak Stage of the Celestial Being Realm. Yet, that single blade had brought back the sensation of hanging by a thread.

If that blade had been aimed at his head, he wasn't sure if he could have dodged it.

The old man swallowed hard. The older one gets, the more one fears death, and he hadn't lived enough yet.

"Young Master Xu, you just said you would let me go..."

Xu Sanyan nodded. "I want your Spirit Herb."

The old man clenched his fists. He finally understood that this young man had no intention of letting him go. A sense of being toyed with rose in his heart, and his expression turned fierce. "Do you really think you have me cornered?"

Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. Did the old man still have a trick up his sleeve?

The old man's expression turned serious. He raised his right hand high and slammed it heavily against his chest. With a "pfft," he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his face visibly paled.

Xu Sanyan's eyelids twitched. What was this? Self-harm?

"Heh heh heh..."

The old man's lips were stained with blood as he let out a cold laugh. His fingertips once again emitted a golden light, and he forcefully stabbed them into his abdomen. A bloody hole appeared, and blood gushed out.

The old man's face paled even further, looking less like a living person and more like a corpse that had been dead for several days.

"You forced this on me. Let's die together!"

The old man roared, and as the blood flowed, his face grew even paler.

Xu Sanyan secretly raised his guard. This method was truly sinister, something he had never even heard of. Could one really gain strength through self-harm?

"Die!"

The old man's three fingers hooked like an eagle's talons, swiftly striking toward Xu Sanyan's neck, moving at least thirty percent faster than before.

One should not underestimate this thirty percent increase. At their level, even a slight difference in strength was significant.

Xu Sanyan didn't dare to be careless. He leaned back to avoid the fierce strike, while simultaneously delivering a whip kick aimed at the old man's waist, like a bolt of lightning.

Boom—

The old man couldn't dodge in time and took the full force of the kick, crashing heavily into the courtyard wall. The stone wall collapsed instantly, sending up a cloud of dust.

Xu Sanyan felt slightly relieved. Based on his experience, taking such a kick would usually render the opponent incapacitated.

After all, the waist was a vital area, and Xu Sanyan's whip kick was powerful enough to shatter stone pillars, let alone a human body.

Just as Xu Sanyan was about to step forward to check, a fist-sized stone suddenly flew out of the dust, heading straight for his head with a sharp whistle.

Xu Sanyan's pupils contracted, and he quickly sidestepped to avoid it, his heart filled with confusion. How could the old man still have the strength to fight?

"Heh heh... such great strength."

The old man emerged from the rubble, his clothes tattered and his body covered in bloody wounds, but his face bore a fierce smile.

Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes. The old man's ribs were clearly misaligned, and his body looked extremely uncoordinated. If a normal person suffered such injuries, they would undoubtedly be unable to stand.

It seemed... he couldn't feel the pain?

"Die!"

The old man's face was full of malice as he charged forward again in a strange posture, his fist carrying a gust of wind aimed directly at Xu Sanyan's face.

This strike was even more ferocious than the last. Xu Sanyan's heart tightened, and in the blink of an eye, he moved to the old man's side, grabbing his arm with both hands and twisting it forcefully.

With a "crack," the arm went limp, but the old man's expression remained unchanged, as if he felt no pain, as if the arm that had just been crippled wasn't his.

A flash of ruthlessness appeared in Xu Sanyan's eyes. He suddenly exerted force with both arms, and with a "rip," he tore the entire arm off, bones and all.

"Ah!"

The old man roared, his remaining hand forming a blade-like shape, slashing toward Xu Sanyan's throat like a sharp dagger.

Xu Sanyan ducked, then closed in, delivering a palm strike to the old man's chin.

Bang—

The old man fell heavily to the ground. Xu Sanyan didn't let up, his face full of ferocity. He clenched his right fist, his knuckles slightly protruding, and with all his strength, punched the old man's chest.

Pfft—

The large fist plunged into the chest, shattering the heart.

Even though the old man couldn't feel the pain, this fatal blow was impossible to ignore. His face slowly turned from pale to flushed, then back to pale again, as if performing a magic trick.

Xu Sanyan let out a long breath. To be safe, he grabbed the old man's head with both hands and twisted it forcefully, ensuring there was no chance of survival.

He quickly searched the body, finding nothing but a few hundred taels of silver. Xu Sanyan shook his head in disappointment, then gathered the old man's corpse and ran off into the distance.

Not long after, Yang Qiyuan arrived with a group of soldiers, her face filled with anxiety. All that remained at the scene were the ruins of the battle and pools of blood, nothing else.

Yang Qiyuan, rarely losing her composure, shouted at the soldiers behind her with tears in her eyes, "Hurry and search! You must find my husband!"

"Yes!"

The soldiers didn't dare to delay and immediately scattered to search.

Meanwhile, Xu Sanyan carried the old man's corpse to a secluded alley. He inserted the Blood-Red Dagger into the chest, and as the body dried up, seven or eight drops of bright red blood appeared on the hilt.

He tilted his head back and swallowed the blood. Immediately, a warm energy flowed through his internal organs, slowly strengthening them.

After two quarters of an hour, Xu Sanyan opened his eyes, feeling quite satisfied. As expected of a Celestial Realm Martial Expert, the effect was far better than that of an ordinary person.

This one was equivalent to five or six Inner Qi Realm martial artists.

He then used his Inner Qi to vibrate, reducing the dried corpse to dust, leaving no trace behind.

Xu Sanyan thought for a moment, then raised his right arm and struck his chest heavily. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he staggered home.

As the sky grew darker, Yang Qiyuan limped around searching for Xu Sanyan, her face filled with anxiety.

She had just described the situation to her mother, Consort Yang, who said that the old man named An was a Peak Stage Celestial Realm Martial Expert, a rare opponent in Xiang City.

And Xu Sanyan was only at the Initial Stage of the Celestial Being Realm. How could he possibly withstand such an opponent?

Yang Qiyuan grew even more anxious. As time passed, the sense of unease in her heart grew stronger.

(End of the Chapter)

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