Chương 113: Hunting the Hunter

To avoid exposing his identity, Zhang Huaijin gritted his teeth and detonated two Tier 2 spirit artifacts. The explosion tore through the chaos, and in that fleeting moment of confusion, he snatched Jiang Wengyin's body and fled. If his guess was right, the Foundation Establishment Pill the Jiang family had obtained would be on Jiang Wengyin. —— Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Huaijin came to a halt. He let loose his spiritual sense, sweeping it across the surroundings like an invisible tide.

The moment he caught a familiar trace, he shot off in that direction. … Not far away, Yen Tianyang was cursing under his breath.

'What a complete waste. An eighth level cultivator couldn't even handle two sixth level fighters and he got himself killed. With trash like that, no wonder the Jiang family is doomed.' Lately, Yen Tianyang felt that his luck had run dry. The fortune he'd once stumbled upon seemed to have finally abandoned him. First, he'd drawn the ire of the Wu family of Shangfu county by killing Lu Anlan. Then, just when he thought he'd latched onto the Jiang family, they turned out to be a bunch of useless nobodies.

With Jiang Wengyin dead, their strongest cultivator, the Jiang family's peak combat power was now weaker than his own. And to make things worse, he had also made enemies of the Hong and Xing families. Especially Xing Haomiao of the Xing family, who wanted him dead more than anyone. Now he couldn't even stay in Jianqu County. And over in Langya County, the Zhang and Wu families were tied by marriage. They were probably already searching for him as well… He tallied it up and felt a chill.

Of the nine Qingtai counties, three were now off limits. A bitter resentment welled up inside him. How had things fallen apart so badly? He stopped, suppressed his aura, and carefully got his bearings.

'I'll head to Qingtai city,' he decided. There was no point lingering in the nine counties anymore. Besides, at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment Realm, he was solidly mid-tier even inside the city. He could find a fresh start there. But before he could take another step, a dark figure materialized in front of him. A cold bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. That silhouette… it was familiar. It was the same black robed figure from earlier.

If he wasn't mistaken, that person was the one who had killed Jiang Wengyin. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. A flicker of confusion passed over Yen Tianyang's face. He forced himself to speak.

"And you are…?" Huaijin, still cloaked in black, chuckled softly.

"I heard you were looking for me. So here I am." He smiled and pulled back his hood, revealing his face. Hiss! Yen Tianyang's expression froze. His heart seemed to gulp down ice water. It was Zhang Huaijin. And his strength… it was terrifying. He had killed Jiang Wengyin, an eighth level cultivator, in a single blow.

"Ah… Fellow Cultivator Zhang! Where did you hear such a thing? I have no idea what you're talking about." Yen Tianyang's lips trembled as his courage crumbled.

"I have urgent matters to attend to. I'll take my leave now." He spun around and ran.

"Hey, we're from the same hometown. Running away the moment you see me? That's not very polite," Huaijin said with a soft laugh. He tapped the ground lightly and closed the gap in an instant. The Blue Bamboo Serenity Sword shot from his palm, radiating a cold, sharp gleam. A slash of azure sword energy arced through the air, aimed straight at Yen Tianyang's back. Yen Tianyang whipped around, his face dark. He threw both fists forward, summoning two roaring fire dragons.

Blazing heat exploded outward, carrying terrifying force. Looking closely, he wore a pair of gloves that pulsed with spiritual energy, a spirit artifact. But the next moment, the fire dragons were shredded like paper by the sword energy, and Yen Tianyang's body was hurled backward. Huaijin's casual strike alone was enough to match a sixth level cultivator.

"Blazing Sun Sky Thunder!" Yen Tianyang roared. He punched again. This time, the flames gave birth to a blinding flash of crimson lightning. Fire and lightning merged into a single, devastating force, power that rivaled the late stages of Foundation Establishment Realm. A column of lightning-fire condensed and blasted toward Huaijin.

"Thunder…" Zhang Huaijin's eyes gleamed with interest. He remembered, Yen Tianyang had no lightning attributed Spirit Root. Cultivating lightning techniques to this level without one was genuinely impressive.

"Soul Burial," Zhang Huaijin intoned. A dense mass of azure sword energy coalesced into a towering blue coffin. An aura of burial and annihilation swirled around it, warping the very air. Boom! The two attacks collided. Thunder and sword light exploded in a violent roar, like ten thousand lightning strikes going off at once. But despite the power of Yen Tianyang's lightning technique, the gap between their combat strength was insurmountable.

The lightning-fire dimmed rapidly, snuffed out under the relentless pressure of Huaijin's sword energy. Clang! The blue coffin lid swung open. A flash of brilliant azure light, pure sword energy wrapped in the power of destruction, swept forward like a reaper's scythe. Faster than a startled serpent, it slammed into Yen Tianyang's chest. Shhk! Blood sprayed. The strike left a vicious, three inch deep wound carved into his torso. Yen Tianyang crashed to the ground, his body limp.

His eyes were wide with terror as his blood pooled beneath him, soaking the earth.

'This combat strength… this talent…' Huaijin walked toward him slowly. His spiritual sense surged outward, condensing into a chain of black and white. It tore into Yen Tianyang's sea of consciousness and coiled tightly around his soul.

"Give me the map fragment you have," Huaijin said, his voice calm as he stared into Yen Tianyang's eyes. Sensing the strangeness invading his sea of consciousness, Yen Tianyang's face went even paler. His eyes were filled with horror.

'His soul cultivation… it's this advanced? He can actually imprison my soul?' Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled out a fragment. Huaijin glanced at it. Then, with a flick of his will, the black and white chain sprouted dense, razor-sharp spikes, like thorns made of pure energy, that writhed and stabbed deep into Yen Tianyang's soul.

"Bring me the real fragment. I'm only saying this once." As he spoke, he didn't wait. He pressed two fingers together. Golden light swirled at their tips as he activated the Metal Finger Art. Pfft! A three inch beam of energy, sharp as any sword, shot out and pierced directly through Yen Tianyang's Dantian. Yen Tianyang's pupils blew wide open. He could feel the spiritual energy in his meridians draining away. His cultivation was collapsing.

His Dantian had become like a leaking sieve, unable to hold even a wisp of energy. Unspeakable terror flooded his eyes. He stared at Huaijin's calm, unmoved face and saw a demon.

"You…" Yen Tianyang's lips quivered. Rage and despair choked him. Then, with a violent spasm, he coughed up a mouthful of black blood and fell unconscious. His cultivation kept falling, from the sixth level of Foundation Establishment Realm all the way down… past the fifth, the fourth… until he crashed into the first level of Qi Refining Realm. In the end, he was weaker than an ordinary mortal. For any cultivator, such a fate was unbearable.

He had never imagined that someone as young as Zhang Huaijin could be so utterly, mercilessly ruthless.