NOVPUB
Chapter 79: Chapter 79: The Sword Strikes, A Head Falls!
"Such a swift sword..."
Zhou Jinchuan only felt a chill on his forehead. In his vision, Luo Cheng had already sheathed his sword and stood motionless. Zhou wanted to draw his blade to counterattack, but his body wouldn’t obey—an eerie sensation.
Bam!
The eerie feeling lasted only a moment. Zhou Jinchuan toppled straight to the ground, his eyes wide open as if he hadn’t realized he was already dead.
"What!"
Everything happened too quickly. Huang Shang had just prepared to attack Luo Cheng when she saw Zhou Jinchuan collapse lifelessly. Her face turned pale with fright, and her bright eyes stared at Luo Cheng in terror:
"You! You’re supposed to be the one who awakened the Wasted Martial Soul—a worthless failure! How can you be this strong!"
She knew Zhou Jinchuan’s strength very well. Among martial artists of the same level, he was considered exceptional; otherwise, she wouldn’t have allied herself with him.
Now, he’d been killed in a single strike by Luo Cheng!
Luo Cheng ignored her and asked coldly, "Do you know who sent out the message to take my life?"
Huang Shang’s eyes flickered briefly before she quickly donned a smile. "Senior Brother Luo Cheng, I’m not sure who spread the news. However, anyone capable of such a thing must be one of the elders overseeing the assessment!"
"Senior Brother, you’re my savior. How could I ever want to harm you? Everything was Zhou Jinchuan’s idea. He wanted to take your head and exchange it for promotion to Outer Disciple status."
"Such a treacherous ingrate—his death is well-deserved!"
Huang Shang hurriedly shifted all blame onto Zhou Jinchuan.
After all, he was already dead.
Dead men tell no tales!
"Oh."
Luo Cheng nodded but said nothing.
"I’ll take my leave then. Senior Brother, I’ll repay your life-saving grace another day when I visit you personally to express my gratitude."
Sensing the perfect moment, Huang Shang smiled charmingly, stepped back two paces, and darted toward the dense forest nearby.
As she turned away, a glint of icy resolve flashed in her eyes.
She had already decided to spread the news of Luo Cheng’s location far and wide.
By then, no matter how formidable Luo Cheng was, he’d face certain doom!
"Did I say you could leave?"
Luo Cheng’s voice, devoid of emotion, echoed as his figure sprang forward, instantly catching up to Huang Shang. His palm struck down casually.
Both furious and terrified, Huang Shang immediately raised her sword to block.
Clang!
The sword vibrated violently, and the immense force felt like a sledgehammer pounding her chest. She spat out a mouthful of blood, her body flung away, rolling on the ground several times.
Seeing Luo Cheng approaching step by step, Huang Shang panicked momentarily but quickly composed herself. Gently tugging at her skirt hem, she feigned vulnerability and spoke in a soft, pleading tone:
"Senior Brother Luo Cheng, everything was Zhou Jinchuan’s idea. Please let me go—I swear to repay you properly. I’ll serve you as a slave or servant and fulfill any request you desire..."
"It’s too late."
Luo Cheng’s gaze remained cold.
Feeling the killing intent radiating from Luo Cheng, Huang Shang began to truly panic.
She had always believed her beauty would be enough to sway men, yet Luo Cheng didn’t even spare her a glance!
"Even if I die, I won’t let you have it easy!"
A look of grim determination appeared in Huang Shang’s eyes.
The next moment.
"Help! Luo Cheng is here! Kill him and you’ll become Outer Disciples!"
Huang Shang’s shrill voice spread far and wide.
Luo Cheng frowned and swung his Meteor Sword.
Slash!
The sound stopped abruptly, and Huang Shang’s head rolled to the ground.
"Truly a venomous heart!"
Luo Cheng shook his head, glancing at the sword mark on his left arm. He finally understood why his grandfather often said that the martial world was treacherous. To achieve greatness, one must be ruthless—a kill when necessary, leaving no loose ends!
Especially with beautiful women—one must be doubly wary!
A single lapse in vigilance could lead to irreparable doom!
Exhaling lightly, Luo Cheng recalled Huang Shang’s words, his gaze turning icy.
"The elder in charge of assessments... It must be Elder He! Killing me grants direct promotion to the Outer Sect—that’s enough to make me a public enemy, pushing me into a deadly corner! But could an Outer Elder truly wield such power, manipulating everything with a single hand?"
Luo Cheng wasn’t sure whether Elder He orchestrated everything alone or if there was someone pulling strings behind him.
Now was clearly not the time to dwell on it, however.
Without a doubt, many people were hunting him, eager to eliminate him at all costs!
The direct promotion condition was an irresistible opportunity for servant disciples—a heaven-sent chance worth risking one’s life for!
Facing threats from disciples in the Fourth Layer of Transcendence Realm was manageable. However, if Fifth Layer disciples came in groups, Luo Cheng wasn’t confident he could escape unscathed.
"I must quickly break through with the True Dragon Technique!"
Luo Cheng’s gaze settled on the corpses of Huang Shang and Zhou Jinchuan.
As Luo Cheng prepared to absorb their Martial Souls, a shadow suddenly darted out from behind a nearby tree, unleashing a fierce punch with overwhelming force!
Luo Cheng frowned and swung his own fist to counter.
Bam!
The air exploded, and a figure landed steadily three paces in front of Luo Cheng.
"Impressive—you could block one of my punches!"
The newcomer laughed heartily.
Looking up, Luo Cheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Han Feng!"
The newcomer, dressed in black, with narrow eyes and a hooked nose, emanated a sinister aura—it was indeed Han Feng!
At that moment, footsteps sounded, and two more figures rushed out from the dense forest, taking positions behind Han Feng.
"So this is where you’ve been hiding, you worthless failure!"
Han Feng glared at Luo Cheng and sneered fiercely.
Ever since Han Feng stepped onto Qingyun Island, he’d been searching for Luo Cheng’s whereabouts.
Unfortunately, Qingyun Island was vast, and he’d had no luck—until he just happened to hear Huang Shang’s scream, leading him here.
Glancing at the corpses on the ground, Han Feng smirked. "Good—I’m glad no one beat me to it. Your life belongs to me!"
"Just you?"
Luo Cheng sneered.
Before breaking into the Fourth Layer of Transcendence Realm, Luo Cheng had never thought much of Han Feng—much less now.
"How dare you speak like that to Senior Brother Han Feng!"
"Senior Brother Han Feng, kill him quickly! Then you’ll be an Outer Disciple!"
The two servant disciples following Han Feng shouted angrily.
Han Feng’s gaze turned cold. "Boy, this isn’t within the sect grounds. Who do you think will stick up for you?"
"I told you last time—when I see you again, I’ll make you kneel and lick my boots! Now it’s time to make good on that promise!"
"Choose: kneel obediently for a quick death, or let me slowly torture you until you beg for death yet can’t die!"
"Is that so? Take this strike, then I’ll tell you!"
Luo Cheng’s eyes were calm as he swung his sword—a strike that appeared slow but was shockingly fast.
"Wind Stopping—the first form of Heavenly Fall Four Forms!"
Whoosh!
The sword light formed a single beam, like a white stallion galloping past, an electric serpent cutting across the sky.
"Foolish..."
Han Feng’s eyes held disdain as he punched toward the sword.
Just as his fist was about to strike the blade, the sword disappeared from Han Feng’s view!
Slash!
Blood splattered—the sword tip emerged from Han Feng’s back.
"How... how could this..."
Han Feng stared at the sword protruding from his chest, disbelief written all over his face. He couldn’t comprehend how he’d been struck.
Luo Cheng offered no explanation. Retrieving the Meteor Sword, he turned to kill the other two.
"Ah! Senior Brother Han Feng is dead!"
"Run!"
The two servant disciples, accustomed to bullying others under Han Feng’s protection, were only at the Third Layer of Transcendence Realm. Seeing Luo Cheng charge at them, their souls seemed to leave their bodies, and they turned to flee.
But Luo Cheng was faster.
Slash! Slash!
The sword swung—heads rolled!
