Chapter 174: Extinction of the Group

The one-eyed man’s hand accurately gripped the heavy sword’s broad hilt. But before he could even laugh, he felt an immense pressure, as if of a thousand tons, suddenly bear down on his arm.

Crack!

With a weight of 3,900 jin and falling from the air, the one-eyed man’s arm was instantly crushed and broken. The heavy sword, losing none of its momentum, slammed directly into his chest. With a loud thud, the one-eyed man was violently thrown to the ground, screaming. Under the immense weight of the sword, half of his body sank into the ground with a dull crash. More than a dozen of his ribs were simultaneously broken, and a mouthful of blood gushed out.

In truth, had the one-eyed man gathered all his profound energy, formed a robust profound energy defense, and braced himself, even if he couldn't catch the heavy sword, he wouldn't have been half-dead. But facing a sword casually tossed by a young boy, no one would use all their profound energy to receive it.

The Black Dragon bandits, who had been jesting moments ago, were all dumbfounded, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Yun Che crossed his arms and sneered, "Is my sword fun?"

"You... you..." The heavy sword was still pressing on his chest, collapsing the One-Eyed Dragon's ribcage and completely suffocating him; he couldn't even draw a breath. He widened his eyes, painfully uttered two words, then rolled his eyes back and fainted.

It was as if not a sword, but a small, heavy mountain was pressing on the One-Eyed Dragon's chest.

Everyone present was caught completely off guard by this scene, staring blankly for a long time, unable to recover. Black Dragon also had wide eyes, and a sudden, immense vigilance arose in his heart towards this youth whom he had initially dismissed as a mere fat sheep. To be able to crush the One-Eyed Dragon, who possessed Profound True Realm Level 5 strength, to such an extent, that greatsword must weigh at least over three thousand jin.

Black Dragon himself found wielding such a weight extremely strenuous, yet this young man, who clearly only had Profound True Realm Level 4 strength, could casually toss it without even changing his expression. What terrifying arm strength that must be.

Having survived for nearly a decade in the Death Wasteland, where death lurked everywhere, Black Dragon was naturally not a mediocre or foolish individual. Even though Yun Che's revealed profound energy aura seemed negligible compared to his own, the vigilance in his heart still prompted him to decisively order a full-scale assault.

The Black Dragon bandits surrounding Yun Che were abruptly jolted out of their daze. With a shout, they all drew their weapons and swarmed forward. Mu Xiaoling, pinned to the ground, cried out in alarm at this sight, closing her eyes, unable to bear witnessing the tragic scene of Yun Che being hacked to pieces.

The lowest profound energy cultivation among these bandits was Profound True Realm Level 5, with some reaching Profound True Realm Level 10. In the outer reaches of the Death Wasteland, this was a truly terrifying bandit group. Yun Che's expression darkened. With a gesture of his right hand, profound energy surged, and the 3,900-jin Tyrant Overlord Sword was forcefully pulled from the One-Eyed Dragon's body back into his hand. He then held the heavy sword horizontally and abruptly swung it around in place...

Whoosh!!

This simple swing of the heavy sword surprisingly conjured a massive whirlwind. Amidst the flying sand, before the Black Dragon bandits could even get close, they all felt an irresistible storm rushing towards them, forcefully lifting their bodies, sending them tumbling through the air with two or three backflips, and slamming them violently onto the ground without exception. Some even had their weapons blown far away.

"Wha... What?!" Black Dragon and Vice-Leader White Dragon simultaneously recoiled several steps, their faces drained of color in shock. What an incredibly domineering and terrifying sword technique! It didn't touch anyone, nor did it use any profound skills; merely the sword wind generated by its swing had knocked everyone to the ground!

The scene that followed nearly shattered Black Dragon and White Dragon's courage.

Yun Che didn't bother wasting another second on these individuals. He slammed his heavy sword onto the ground, and fierce flames ignited along its blade. From his forehead, the golden Phoenix mark emitted a dazzling golden light.

"Burning... Star... Demonic... Lotus!!"

With a low chant, Yun Che was engulfed in flames. The explosive Phoenix flames instantly shot several meters high, then spread outwards in layers from his body, fiercely blossoming into an incredibly enchanting lotus of fire that instantly enveloped an area of over twenty zhang. The deadly Phoenix flames mercilessly swept up all the fallen Black Dragon bandits.

More than a dozen overlapping screams echoed from within the giant fire lotus, as desolate as wails from the nine levels of hell. But the Burning Star Demonic Lotus showed no mercy, continuing to bloom ruthlessly. Its layered tongues of flame gradually opened into an increasingly vast and scorching fire lotus, engulfing figures who writhed in despair until they were utterly reduced to ashes.

This was Yun Che's second time unleashing the Burning Star Demonic Lotus, but its power was several times greater than the first time.

Black Dragon and White Dragon had plundered countless people and killed countless more over the past decade; the word "cowardly" certainly did not apply to them. Yet, before the flames that had incinerated all their subordinates into dust in an instant, their faces were ashen, their teeth chattered, their legs trembled, and their entire bodies convulsed violently.

"B-Brother..." White Dragon stood before Black Dragon, his voice trembling.

"Run... Let's run quickly!!"

Black Dragon took two steps back, then abruptly turned and fled. White Dragon paused in surprise, then quickly followed suit in retreat. Two middle-aged profound practitioners, who had lived lives on the edge of death and whose profound energy reached Spirit Profound Realm Level 1, were actually terrified into fleeing by a youth who only possessed Profound True Realm Level 4 strength.

They hadn't run far when a figure shot out from the fire lotus, instantly catching up and appearing above them. The massive heavy sword, carrying immense power, slammed down from above their heads.

Black Dragon and White Dragon turned around, letting out a roar. Their two long blades, instantly imbued with all their profound energy, met the attack together.

A Profound True Realm Level 4 practitioner clashing head-on with two Spirit Profound Realm Level 1 practitioners... This was something only a madman or someone who didn't want to live would do. Yet, facing the simultaneous full-strength counter-attack from both men, Yun Che's gaze merely flickered slightly. He showed no intention of dodging, instead meeting them head-on. His sword momentum, in an instant, became nearly ten times more ferocious.

If he had been holding any other type of weapon at that moment, even with the Great Way of the Buddha, he absolutely wouldn't have dared to do this.

But in his hand was a heavy sword.

In a direct confrontation, who could possibly match a heavy sword!

With the physical enhancements and profound energy boost from the three Dragon Blood Pellets, he was completely confident that he could now effortlessly withstand Ling Jie's Heaven's Might Absolute Sword, which had previously put him in a sorry state. How much more so the combined attack of two Spirit Profound Realm Level 1 practitioners?

"Falling Moon Sinking Star!!"

CLANG!!!!

An incredibly deafening clash resounded, and both Black Dragon's and White Dragon's long blades shattered into several pieces. Under the enormous impact, the two men were sent tumbling far away like two bouncing balls. When they finally stopped, they were clutching their right wrists, groaning in agony. Their right arms were extensively shattered from flesh to tendons to bone, bleeding profusely, nearly crippled. Their bodies, paralyzed, couldn't stand for a long time, their entire skeletons nearly falling apart from the violent force of the impact.

Yun Che landed with a backflip, then took a few small steps back, effortlessly dispelling the recoil force.

The Spirit Profound Realm, upon first entering Profound Sky Academy, was an incredibly high level of existence. Only three disciples in the entire Profound Sky Academy had reached this realm; one could say he didn't even have the qualifications to challenge them. But now, with a single move, "Falling Moon Sinking Star," wielded with his heavy sword, he had effortlessly overwhelmed two such practitioners.

The profound energy rampage and berserk profound arts under the "Evil God Arts," the heaven-defying physique granted by the "Great Way of the Buddha," the destructive power brought by the "Phoenix Ode of the World," and the divine might of the heavy sword bestowed by the "Heavenly Wolf Hell God Arts"...

The first two of Yun Che's four powers originated from ancient True Gods—the Evil God and the God of the Wilderness—while the latter two came from ancient Divine Beasts—the Phoenix and the Heavenly Wolf. These four divine powers, converged within the body of a mortal, granted Yun Che the strength to challenge beyond an entire major realm!

It also destined him to be extraordinary and astound the world!

For Yun Che at this moment, let alone two Spirit Profound Realm Level 1 practitioners, even an ordinary Spirit Profound Realm Level 4 practitioner would be possible to defeat.

Giving Black Dragon and White Dragon no chance to catch their breath, Yun Che darted forward, swung his heavy sword, and brought it down on the temporarily incapacitated Black Dragon and White Dragon.

"Wai... wait a minute..."

Black Dragon's pupils constricted, but before he could finish his sentence, Yun Che's heavy sword simultaneously slammed down on both him and White Dragon.

BOOM!!

With a deafening explosion, both their bodies were simultaneously broken, sent flying with blood spraying everywhere, their corpses incomplete.

Yun Che's expression remained unchanged. He put away his heavy sword, not even glancing at the two corpses. He slowly walked back to the two siblings, Sun Zhou and Mu Xiaoling, stopped, and looked at them expressionlessly.

"Tha... Thank you, benefactor, for saving our lives again."

The formidable Black Dragon mercenary group had been reduced to charred corpses by the young man's casual actions. Even their leader was killed in an instant. The scene unfolding before her eyes was simply too shocking, leaving her feeling as if she were in a dream. She stammered when speaking to Yun Che, her gaze a mix of admiration, gratitude, and fear.

"Thank you... Thank you, benefactor, for your great kindness!" Sun Zhou also hastily shouted, his voice rushed and trembling.

Yun Che glanced at him and said indifferently, "Was it you who led them here to me?"

These words instantly made Sun Zhou sweat profusely. He frantically shook his head and said, "No, no, no! Benefactor... Benefactor, please listen to my explanation! Just now, my junior sister and I fell into the hands of these villains. I feared they would harm our lives, so I had no choice but to resort to such a desperate measure. Fortunately, your divine might is invincible, and you eliminated these people. Please, benefactor, be magnanimous and forgive us siblings. My junior sister and I will be eternally grateful and never forget your kindness."

"Oh? Is that so?" Yun Che sneered. His gaze darted to Mu Xiaoling, and his lips curved into a grin, his eyes suddenly turning lecherous. "Your junior sister looks quite good, doesn't she? She's probably still a virgin."

With Yun Che's words and his gaze, how could Sun Zhou not understand? Without a second thought, he said excitedly, "Yes! Yes! My junior sister is still a virgin... If benefactor likes her, you can take her and enjoy her as much as you like. I'm sure my junior sister will also be willing."

As Sun Zhou uttered such words once again, Mu Xiaoling no longer even bothered to feel disappointment. Only a sad, cold laugh escaped her.

The lecherous glint in Yun Che's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by icy coldness. He suddenly stepped forward, kicked Sun Zhou to the ground, then advanced and placed his foot on Sun Zhou's neck.

"Benefactor, you..." Sun Zhou's eyes widened. As soon as he spoke, Yun Che's foot pressed down slightly, causing Sun Zhou's eyes to roll back, unable to utter another word.

"Trash like you just pollutes the air by living in this world. I'll send you to meet Yama!"

As his voice fell, a "crunch" sound came from under Yun Che's foot. Sun Zhou's eyes bulged, and he died then and there.

"Ah—" Mu Xiaoling screamed, her face filled with terror. "You... you... Why did you kill him! Although he was a despicable and shameless scoundrel, he hadn't killed anyone... His crime didn't warrant death... Why did you kill him?"

Yun Che glanced at her and said indifferently, "Your senior brother usually has an excellent reputation for character and talent within the sect, doesn't he? But today, facing death, he revealed all sorts of ugly behavior. Do you think, if he had lived, he would have allowed these shameful acts to be known by others? And your other two senior brothers who came out with you are already dead, leaving only you who knows about these things."

Upon hearing this, Mu Xiaoling's face turned completely pale.

"He seemed to have designs on you. So, what he would do next is rape you first, then kill you, and then return to the sect claiming that you all were killed by villains or profound beasts in the Death Wasteland... His shameful deeds would not be exposed at all; he would still be the revered and admired senior brother in the sect, while you would have died after enduring humiliation... Do you still need to ask me why I killed him?"

With that said, Yun Che did not linger, departing to the north.

Mu Xiaoling stood stunned for a long time before slowly slumping to the ground, softly murmuring, "Thank you..."