Chương 3: Bai Clan (Part II)

Lucian's expression turned cold. Another mutant, he thought, analyzing Xin Fang's movements. And a stronger one at that. From the sound of roots snapping beneath Xin Fang's kick and heavy steps, Lucian noticed that this one's strength far surpassed that of the deceased Pan Xunmeng. His steps and running stance are unusual, Lucian noted inwardly. The air shimmered faintly around Xin Fang, distorting and heating as he rushed forward, his arms moving in circular motions.

Just as Lucian sidestepped to evade him, Xin Fang abruptly halted and clapped his hands together, fingertips pointing toward Lucian. Under normal circumstances, Lucian's body would have been saturated with Blood Essence, his runes passively active, so that such an attack would neither surprise him nor injure him. But now, he had only one rune summoned and a pitiful amount of Blood Essence stored. Worse still, little of that essence was reinforcing his body, as he was conserving energy for techniques.

For that reason, he failed to notice and defend against the compressed gust of wind mixed with Qi erupting from Xin Fang's palms. The Qi itself had condensed into a small sphere before shooting toward him. The wind projectile struck Lucian's right shoulder, tearing through cloth and flesh. Fortunately, it missed the bone before dispersing. Nonetheless, the attack left a two-finger-wide hole through his body.

The wound was similar to those on the corpses by the burning wagons, giving him a clue about who was the one who killed most of the armed guards in the camp. The one most surprised by the attack, however, wasn't Lucian. Xin Fang was stunned when he saw the projectile hit and draw blood.

"What!?" he shouted, his eyes shaking as disbelief overtook him. Xin Fang had been so tense before the attack hit that his aim had gone astray. He ended up missing despite the short distance and the familiarity with the technique. He had never thought he would survive long enough to conjure the technique, let alone that the attack would hit its target! While he struggled to process what had happened, Lucian had conjured the Blood Essence to staunch the bleeding and seal the wound.

Without hesitation, Lucian capitalized on Xin Fang's distraction and surged forward, intending to overwhelm his opponent with a flurry of strikes, just as he had done with Pan Xunmeng. Xin Fang's battle instincts flared when he saw the black silhouette coming to him, his attention back on the battle. He leapt to the side, hands moving in circular motions as Qi flowed through his four open meridians, and he began conjuring the same Qi Gathering technique. But Lucian was too close. Love this story?

Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! Xin Fang gnashed his teeth, regretting not attacking earlier. He felt closer to death now! Lucian's swift movements and Pan Xunmeng's shriveled corpse convinced him that his opponent was a Demonic Cultivator who possessed some lethal close-combat method capable of ending him swiftly.

After all, Pan Xunmeng's body had been mummified, so Xin Fang couldn't see how Lucian had beaten his friend before draining all the blood and killing him. Amidst his regretful thoughts, Lucian reached him and threw a punch, forcing Xin Fang to interrupt his technique. Because of this, he coughed up blood as the strain tore at his meridians. Nonetheless, he had to interrupt his technique to change his arm's trajectory and block the incoming punch.

Lucian's fist connected, and before Xin Fang could process, Lucian shifted his stance and struck again. Just as Pan Xunmeng had done before, Xin Fang raised his arms to shield his head. However, unlike his deceased Second Brother, Xin Fang could not circulate Qi to reinforce his body, as his meridians needed time to recover from the forced interruption of Qi flow. As blow after blow rained down, Xin Fang's face twisted from previously pale, fearful to a red, furious one.

"You bastard!" he roared, tears of rage and grief spilling from his eyes.

"You must have exhausted all your Qi during your seclusion and spent what little remained to kill Second Brother!" Lucian struck again, unbothered by his enemy's outburst.

"I will kill you!" Xin Fang screamed maniacally.

"I will kill you and devour your flesh. You will not even have a burial site, damned demonic scourge!" While Xin Fang raged, Lucian kept calm, targeting every vulnerable point he could find and refusing to leave the slightest opening. He knew that if Xin Fang managed to land a solid hit with that wind bullet, the battle would become dangerous for him. A near-fatal blow would be enough to awaken the Curse of Wrath, which would be a huge loss in Lucian's view. Everything is under control.

I will kill this one and then search for— His thoughts were cut short as a burst of Qi slammed into his chest, sending him crashing to the ground. In an instant, he rolled aside and pushed himself up, eyes locking onto the source of the attack. Xin Fang! Bruised and battered, Xin Fang stood with a tear-streaked face stretched into a wide grin, while his eyes gleamed with a jade green light. In his right hand, a torn pouch hung loosely, fragments of Jade and Gray Spirit Stones scattering onto the ground at his feet.

Xin Fang burst into laughter.

"To think you would let me use the Spirit Stones," he wheezed between breaths.

"You are dead!" His chest rose and fell rapidly, while Lucian observed and steadied himself. So those Spirit Stones had this type of effect. Is this some elemental mana? It does not seem like it. No, wait— Though the sensation had been faint when the earlier projectile pierced his shoulder, this direct hit to the chest left no doubt. It is that tainted energy. Xin Fang was using the same transparent energy that Lucian's body had failed to refine. It was Qi, but Lucian didn't know its name.

Fighting him is not worth the cost, Lucian thought, calculating that he would have to expend too much Blood Essence in the fight to win. Worst, even if he won and avoided every single strike, he would not recover the Blood Essence spent. There's nothing more for me to gain here. This situation is nearly as wasteful as activating the Curse of Wrath. He was prepared to withdraw when a sharp clapping sound interrupted his plans.

Moving on instinct, he leapt sideways just as a compressed projectile of wind and Qi tore through the space he had occupied.

"Rejoice, demonic scoundrel!" Xin Fang shouted, his hands moving once more in a circular motion.

"You will accompany my brother to the netherworld!" Lucian's eyes flashed a crimson light. Drawing upon what little Blood Essence remained, he empowered the Rune of Lust within his mind, nearly exhausting his reserves. Next, Lucian spoke in a cold voice.

"Die." And before Xin Fang could complete his technique, he felt his mind tremble and his vision turn red.