Chapter 211: Everyone Will Die
Chapter 211: Everyone Will Die
Cheng Lingyu struggled to hold his ground, forced into retreat by the trio. The situation unfolded exactly as their enemies had anticipated.
Without external assistance, the pressure of fighting three opponents alone weighed heavily on him. Though unremarkable, these three cultivators had all reached the peak of Soul Martial—three full stages above Cheng Lingyu.
“Die, brat!”
A massive palm materialized above Cheng Lingyu’s head, slamming downward. Howling winds tore through the air as the void trembled beneath the giant hand’s oppressive force.
Cheng Lingyu’s brows twitched. He abruptly summoned the mid-grade spirit artifact, Chaotic Soul Splitting Bell. Deafening bell sounds erupted, mingling with the Split Cloud Sword Technique’s slashes. The three enemies were flung backward in an instant.
“Curse you! I—*agh*—”
A furious roar morphed into a shriek as one enemy, barely standing after landing, was sliced at the waist. Entrails spilled across the ground, painting a grisly scene.
The other two leaped upward to flee but became trapped by the lingering bell chimes. Mid-air, their bodies ruptured—skin tearing, veins bursting—as their physical bodies failed to endure.
“I’ll take you down with me!”
One cultivator, realizing escape was impossible, unleashed a mental attack. He burned his merged martial soul, shaping it into a soul arrow aimed at Cheng Lingyu.
The remaining three followed suit, hurling spiritual assaults in a desperate bid to kill Cheng Lingyu and reverse their fate.
Cheng Lingyu shuddered, snarling as he staggered backward like a drunkard, swaying precariously as though mortally wounded.
The man in white and man in green, spectators until now, exchanged a glance. They lunged forward, launching a vicious assault on Cheng Lingyu.
The sudden ambush left no time to react. Struck by both, Cheng Lingyu hurtled sideways, smashing into a stone wall before crumpling to the ground.
“Why?”
Cheng Lingyu glared at them, fury etched across his face.
“For this spirit artifact. Reason enough?”
The man in green coldly snatched the Chaotic Soul Splitting Bell from mid-air.
“Just that?”
The man in white said, “That’s reason enough. Why ask more?”
Nearby, the bisected cultivator laughed hoarsely. “Cheng Lingyu! The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Your spirit artifact surprised us, but it sealed your fate. You’re destined to die here!”
Cheng Lingyu smiled bleakly, rising slowly to brush dust from his robes.
“Many things defy expectations. You witnessed the start but failed to foresee the result.”
The man in white frowned. “What do you mean?”
Cheng Lingyu sneered. “Had you stayed as spectators, all would’ve been well. But greed doomed you.”
The man in green scoffed. “All men are greedy. What matters is whether they’re strong enough to act on it.”
Cheng Lingyu said, “Thus, all men die. The only difference is *when*.”
He stepped forward. His aura shifted abruptly, an icy killing intent flooding the space. The six men froze in shock.
“You… weren’t injured?”
The man in white was shocked, hardly believing the result.
The man in green raised an eyebrow. “Kid, your spirit artifact is in my grasp. With your puny Soul Martial Fourth Realm cultivation, how could you possibly challenge us?”
Cheng Lingyu smirked coldly. “Why not ask those four who ordered my death?”
“What does that matter?”
“How would you know unless you ask?”
Frowning, the man in green glanced at the four gravely wounded men. “Who sent you? Speak, and I’ll slay him for you. Refuse, and I’ll kill you first.”
The four exchanged looks. The bisected man rasped, “Divine Martial Sect.”
A cultivator from another faction added, “Ji Yaozu of the Tianhua Ji family. We bargained with him moments ago.”
The man in green’s face darkened. “Divine Martial Sect… They clearly want you dead.”
Cheng Lingyu’s voice held frost. “Yet I still breathe.”
“Killing you would earn me favor with them!” The man in green grinned.
“Then why hesitate?”
Cheng Lingyu stood motionless, his eerie calm infuriating.
The man in white stroked his chin. “We could spare you. Even execute these four. Just leave the spirit artifact, and this never happened.”
Cheng Lingyu’s smile turned predatory. “What makes you think I’ll let you live?”
“Ungrateful wretch!” The man in green roared.
His foot slammed down, splitting the earth into a fissure. The explosive power dwarfed ordinary human capability.
Flaming fists tore through crackling air as he struck. Cheng Lingyu met the punch head-on. The collision ripped through time and space with an earsplitting bang.
Cheng Lingyu staggered half-step back, handsome features flickering with intrigue. The green-clad man’s eyes narrowed. “You’re truly Soul Martial Fourth Realm?”
“Does it concern you?”
In a blink, Cheng Lingyu closed the distance. Fists and palms blurred, each strike fracturing the void, shaking time and space.
His Physical Body defied reason – forged through merging with active metal source, Nine Immortal Souls, and Thousand Layers of Snow’s ultimate tempering. Though the green-clad man boasted peak Soul Martial strength, challenging this combat power proved folly.
The green-clad man reeled from successive blows, retreating dozens of paces, face crimson with rage.
Seeing their ally falter, the man in white joined the assault. Together, they barely checked Cheng Lingyu’s advance.
“Flee!” The four wounded men began dragging themselves away.
Cheng Lingyu’s foot stamped. Brilliance erupted beneath him, formations materializing instantly to seal every exit.
“The task wasn’t completed, and you’re leaving? Not a good idea, is it?”
“What do you want? Don’t push us too far.”
The four roared furiously, sensing the danger. All they wanted now was to flee and survive.
“Didn’t you all want me dead? I’m just granting your wish.”
Cheng Lingyu’s eyes turned icy. His Dreamy Magic Eyes glowed coldly as his mental power morphed into a soul-severing blade. In an instant, it pierced through one enemy’s Mental Defenses, annihilating his soul entirely.
“No… ah…!”
A shrill, despairing scream—brief yet thick with regret—echoed before cutting off.
The others froze, baffled by how Cheng Lingyu had killed the man so effortlessly.
His Gaze swept over the three gravely injured men. One by one, they screamed and collapsed, souls destroyed, leaving only lifeless husks.
The man in white paled. The man in green shifted uneasily.
“You lured us into attacking on purpose?”
Cheng Lingyu scoffed. “Your greed made you strike. Blame yourselves.”
“We’ll return the spirit artifact,” the man in white bargained. “Let’s part ways peacefully.”
“Tempting offer. But did you forget? Why would I spare you?”
Cheng Lingyu’s twisted grin infuriated the man in green. “Stop gloating!”
“Regret won’t save you. Those who seek my death never live to try again.”
He stepped forward, Slaughter radiating from him. Formations shimmered like chains of brilliance around his body, expanding relentlessly. The men in white and green scrambled backward.
The Valley’s cramped floor left little space. When they tried darting past him, Cheng Lingyu blocked their path.
“Enough games—kill him now!” the man in green barked.
The man in white hesitated, then summoned a spirit artifact—a compass etched with spinning Eight Trigrams.
The man in green unleashed the Chaotic Soul Splitting Bell, aiming to command it against Cheng Lingyu. But the bell vanished into Cheng Lingyu’s grasp.
“Dare touch what’s mine? Fool.”
The tiny bell swelled, hurtling toward the compass. Mid-air, their collision erupted in violent light waves.
The compass glowed fiercely, its light dissolving the bell’s assault. Cheng Lingyu tried repeatedly but failed to breach its defense, finally recalling the bell.
“Yield now,” warned the man in white, “or you’ll regret it.”
Cheng Lingyu smirked. “Patience. I’m just warming up.”
“Boast all you want,” the man in green taunted. “How will you break my elder brother’s Eight Trigrams Compass?”
“Watch closely, then.”
Cheng Lingyu flicked his wrist. A magic knife materialized, morphing into a black streak that lashed at the compass.
“No—!”
The man in white shuddered, gripped by terror. His compass trembled wildly, blazing with defensive light.
The black streak coiled around the compass like a demon dragon, devouring it whole.
A crack—then the compass exploded. The man in white screamed, blood gushing as the magic knife consumed the fragments.
“Elder brother!” the man in green cried.
“He’s done for.” Cheng Lingyu’s voice held no pity.
He advanced, the supergravity field flaring beneath his feet. Crushing pressure forced both men to their knees.
The man in white, already wounded from his compass’s destruction, strained under the thousand-fold weight. Despite his peak Soul Martial cultivation level, his bones creaked.
The man in green fared little better. Sweat drenched his face as he snarled, eyes blazing with despair. He refused to believe this was the end.