Chapter 21: Ruthless Extermination
Xing Kuan gripped Gu Zhan’s saber with all his strength,
The blade was embedded in his chest; he summoned the last of his power.
The stroke Gu Zhan had delivered, feigning weakness and seizing the moment, had already severed Xing Kuan’s heart vessels—he knew there was no hope for survival. In these final moments, he chose to give his son a chance at life.
Because he understood,
These Martial World Gangs, strictly speaking, were nothing but a ragtag bunch. Without him as the leader, even with their numbers, they couldn’t escape a fate of scattering like frightened birds,
One wrong move, the entire game lost.
He unleashed the last surge of his Third Grade cultivation, grabbing Gu Zhan’s saber, risking everything—even if he couldn’t kill Gu Zhan, he meant to seriously injure him.
Yet, in that instant, Gu Zhan let out a light laugh:
"Oh, that’s your son? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you two are reunited!"
"Gu Zhan!" Xing Kuan’s howl was pure hysteria.
"Fuck you!"
In that moment,
Gu Zhan cursed angrily, took advantage of Xing Kuan before he could make his final desperate move, stepped forward half a pace, tilted his head back, and slammed it fiercely into Xing Kuan’s forehead.
"Bang!"
A heavy impact echoed—
Xing Kuan’s vision went black, dizziness overwhelming him.
Gu Zhan ignored his own bleeding forehead, gripped the saber with both hands, twisted hard, and crushed Xing Kuan’s heart.
The blade was freed,
He swung it in reverse and hacked at Xing Kuan’s neck.
[Experience Points +450]
A head soared into the air—
Gu Zhan reached out and grabbed Xing Kuan’s head, roaring, "Xing Kuan is dead! Who still dares resist, your whole family will be executed!"
Blood sprayed everywhere, bursting like a river breaking its dam.
Xing Kuan’s headless body collapsed with a thunderous crash—
At that instant, every Martial World tough on the street was stunned,
Xing Kuan was dead.
The Broken Sword Scholar, famed for years, was butchered before the eyes of all.
Xing Kuan’s reputation was for beating the strong with the weak, the few over many,
He stepped onto corpses of the powerful to make his name,
Now, as if in karmic cycle,
He too died in a battle where the weak overcame the strong, becoming another’s stepping stone to fame.
In that moment, silence lasted for a blink,
Gu Zhan wiped the warm blood from his face, threw away the Horizontal Saber, and plunged back into the mob, instantly slaughtering seven or eight Martial World toughs,
"Run!"
Voices screamed in terror, fleeing in panic,
Then, more and more began to rout,
"Father!"
Xing Ying’s eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted in rage, howling as he tried to rush Gu Zhan for revenge, but loyal guards clung to him, holding him back.
"Kill them!"
Right then, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, turning the tide, started bellowing, their voices booming,
This crushed the morale of the already dispirited Celestial Water Gang members, breaking them faster, scattered like a mob.
"Gu Zhan, just you wait! This father-son hatred can never be reconciled!"
Xing Ying was dragged away, screaming madly.
"Gu Zhan, I’ll slaughter your whole family!"
"You bastard, I swear I’ll kill you..."
Gu Zhan cut down a Martial World tough with one stroke, kicked Xing Kuan’s severed head toward Xing Ying, and shouted, "Let me deliver you the family reunion you want!"
"Kill!"
Gu Zhan was covered in blood, his appearance now unrecognizable,
Some of the blood was his own, most belonged to others,
All that could now be seen was a face drenched in fresh blood, and a pair of clear, indifferent eyes,
He chased and slashed at dozens of men in a frenzy,
Charging toward the hysterical Xing Ying,
Carving a path of blood through the crowd,
Like a demon bursting forth from the gates of hell,
At that moment,
The raging Xing Ying suddenly felt ice cold, as reason overcame rage and fear began to bloom.
"One day, I will kill you!"
He screamed, spun around, and ran.
"You won’t get the chance!"
Gu Zhan roared and charged straight at Xing Ying.
At this instant,
The blood-soaked Gu Zhan seemed like a fiend.
The Celestial Water Gang members scattered in terror, fleeing through every alley and street corner.
Gu Zhan’s saber was like the scythe of Death, swiftly slaying the Martial World toughs near Xing Ying.
Blood splattered onto Xing Ying’s face, snapping him back to full awareness; he stared at Gu Zhan in terror, his body shaking uncontrollably, before breaking into a run.
"Pshhhh"—
The Horizontal Saber pierced through his chest,
Xing Ying crashed to the ground, his body twitching.
Gu Zhan strode over, pulled out the blade, then chopped down again, voice grim: "I, Gu Zhan, keep my word. I said I’d reunite you father and son, I meant it."
Blood sprayed forth,
Xing Ying’s body gradually stopped moving.
Now, the long street had grown strangely quiet,
Gu Zhan stood amidst a field littered with corpses, his feet awash in blood. He slowly thrust his blade into the ground, panting heavily. Then he opened the system and looked:
Player: Gu Zhan
Realm: Fourth Grade
Cultivation Technique: Profound Yuan Skill (Sixth Floor 0/1000)
Skills: Wind-Breaking Saber Technique (Great Success)
Big Goose Skill (Great Success)
Mountain-Opening Saber Technique (Great Success)
Experience Points: 754
...
This battle was a huge gain; his cultivation broke through to Fourth Grade, only a little away from advancing to Third Grade; Mountain-Opening Saber Technique and Big Goose Skill both reached the Great Success Realm,
Even without ambush, in a frontal fight,
He could now face most Third Grade Martial Artists with confidence.
At this moment,
The remaining Embroidered Uniform Guards, some slumped down on the bloody ground, some dragging their battered bodies to hunt for any lucky survivors, some lay groaning on the street.
To live—there’s nothing better,
This battle turned the tide against all odds,
But amongst the surviving Embroidered Uniform Guards, probably less than half remained, not a single one unscathed.
Everyone unconsciously focused their gaze on the youth standing in the center of the street—the slightly thin silhouette, at this moment steeped in night, seeming so tall and imposing.
They all knew,
After tonight,
Gu Zhan would make his name throughout Linjiang City,
This Martial World is always like this—people come and go, waves rise and fall, but some will always break through the storm, shining bright and illustrious.
About half an hour later,
Outside the street, footsteps suddenly sounded,
By firelight,
The Hundred Households Office reinforcements finally arrived,
At that instant,
The tense Embroidered Uniform Guards finally let out a long breath of relief; this half hour had been agonizing, but they couldn’t leave—too many were badly wounded, and those able to move were few.
At this moment,
The rescue Embroidered Uniform Guards arrived at the scene and, seeing the battlefield, couldn’t help but gasp,
Too tragic,
Too horrifying and bloody,
When they saw Gu Zhan in the darkness, drenched in blood, they shuddered, a chill running down their spines.
And at this moment, Gu Zhan also let out a long sigh of relief,
Tonight, at last, was over!