Chapter 173: Total Annihilation
One-Eyed Dragon's hand grabbed accurately onto the broad hilt of the heavy sword, but before he could even laugh out loud, he felt a crushing weight like a thousand catty slam down from his arm.
*Crack!*
Weighing three thousand nine hundred catties and falling from midair, One-Eyed Dragon's arm was instantly snapped apart. The heavy sword continued its descent without losing momentum, smashing straight into his chest. With a loud *bang*, One-Eyed Dragon let out a miserable shriek as he was ruthlessly flattened to the ground. Under the heavy sword's crushing weight, half of his body sank into the earth with a dull *boom*. More than ten ribs shattered in an instant, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out violently.
In truth, if One-Eyed Dragon had mustered his full profound force, reinforced his defenses, and braced himself properly, he might not have been able to catch the heavy sword, but at least he wouldn't have lost half his life to it. Facing a sword casually tossed by a youth, however, no one would think to channel their entire profound force to catch it.
The Black Dragon bandits, who had been laughing and joking, were all stunned. Their eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets. Yun Che crossed his arms over his chest and sneered, "My sword, is it fun?"
"You... you..." The heavy sword still pressed against his chest, crushing his ribcage inward, leaving him completely suffocated without even a breath. His eyes wide, he struggled to spit out two words before his eyes rolled back and he passed out.
It was as if the weight pressing on One-Eyed Dragon's chest was not a sword but a heavy little mountain.
No one had anticipated this scene. They stood frozen, unable to snap out of it for a long time. Black Dragon's eyes were also wide, and a tremendous sense of alarm toward this youth he had initially taken for a fat sheep suddenly surged within him... To crush a True Xuan Realm Level 5 expert like One-Eyed Dragon so thoroughly, that greatsword must weigh at least three thousand catties.
At that weight, even Black Dragon himself would find it extremely strenuous to wield. Yet this youth, clearly only at True Xuan Realm Level 4, could casually toss it out without changing his expression... just how terrifyingly strong were his arms?
"All of you... kill him!"
Having roamed the Death Wasteland for nearly a decade without dying, Black Dragon was naturally no fool. Even though the profound force aura Yun Che displayed seemed negligible compared to his own, his instincts prompted him to decisively order a full assault.
The Black Dragon bandits surrounding Yun Che snapped out of their shock and, with a unified shout, drew their weapons and swarmed forward. Mu Xiaoling, pinned to the ground, let out a scream and shut her eyes, unable to bear witnessing the tragic scene of Yun Che being chopped into bloody pieces.
These bandits had profound force cultivation ranging from at least True Xuan Realm Level 5 to as high as True Xuan Realm Level 10. At the outer edges of the Death Wasteland, they were a rather terrifying bandit squad. Yun Che's expression darkened. He waved his right hand, his profound force surging, and forcibly sucked the three-thousand-nine-hundred-catty Overlord Giant Sword back from One-Eyed Dragon's body into his hand. Then, gripping the heavy sword horizontally, he spun around and swung it violently.
*Whoosh!!*
That simple swing of the heavy sword stirred up a colossal cyclone. Sand and stones flew everywhere. Before the Black Dragon bandits could even get close, they all felt an irresistible gale rushing toward them. Their bodies were forcibly lifted, somersaulting two or three times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground without exception. Some even had their weapons blown far away.
"Wh... what?!" Black Dragon and the vice-captain, White Dragon, both stumbled back several steps, their faces filled with shock. How overbearingly terrifying was that single sword stroke? Without touching anyone, without using any profound skill, merely the sword wind generated by swinging the blade had sent everyone tumbling.
But the next scene made Black Dragon and White Dragon's hearts tremble to the point of nearly shattering.
Yun Che couldn't be bothered to waste even a second more on these people. He slammed the heavy sword into the ground, causing blazing flames to ignite on the blade's surface. Between his brows, the golden phoenix mark emitted a piercing golden light.
"Burn... ing... Star... Demon... Lotus!!"
In a low chant, Yun Che's entire body burst into flames. The exploding phoenix flame shot up several meters high, then spread outward layer by layer from his body, furiously blooming into a dazzlingly enchanting fire lotus that instantly covered a distance of over twenty *zhang* in all directions. The deadly phoenix flame mercilessly engulfed all the fallen Black Dragon bandits.
Dozens of overlapping screams erupted from within the massive fire lotus, as miserable as wails from the Nine Nether Hell. Yet the Burning Star Demon Lotus showed no pity; it continued to bloom ruthlessly. Layer upon layer of fiery tongues gradually opened into an ever-larger, scorching hot fire lotus, wrapping around figures that writhed in agony and despair until they were completely reduced to ashes...
This was the second time Yun Che had unleashed the Burning Star Demon Lotus, but its power was several times stronger than the first.
Having robbed and killed countless people over their decades-long careers, Black Dragon and White Dragon were far from the word "cowardly." Yet before the flames that had instantly incinerated all their underlings into charred remnants, their faces turned deathly pale. Their teeth chattered, their legs trembled, and every muscle in their bodies spasmed violently.
"B... big brother..." White Dragon stepped in front of Black Dragon, his voice trembling.
"Run... we need to run!!"
Black Dragon retreated two steps, then spun around and fled. White Dragon was stunned for a moment before quickly following in his retreat... Two middle-aged profound practitioners who lived by the edge of the blade, with profound force at the Spirit Xuan Realm Level 1, were terrified to the point of fleeing by a mere True Xuan Realm Level 4 youth.
They didn't get far. From within the fire lotus, a figure shot out and caught up to them in an instant, appearing above them. The massive heavy sword descended with crushing momentum, smashing down onto their heads.
Black Dragon and White Dragon turned back, roaring. They poured all their profound force into their long blades and raised them to meet the attack simultaneously.
A True Xuan Realm Level 4 facing off against two Spirit Xuan Realm Level 1 profound practitioners head-on... only a madman or someone with a death wish would do such a thing. But facing their simultaneous full-power strikes, Yun Che's gaze merely flickered. He showed no intention of dodging, charging straight ahead, but his sword momentum suddenly became nearly ten times more ferocious...
If he had been wielding any other type of weapon at that moment, even with the Great Dao Pagoda Art, he would never have dared to do this.
But in his hand was a heavy sword.
In a direct clash, who could compare to the heavy sword?!
With the enhancement of his physique and profound force from three Dragon Blood Pills, he was fully confident that he could now easily withstand the Heavenly Might Sword that had previously made Ling Jie utterly miserable—let alone the combined strike of two Spirit Xuan Realm Level 1 profound practitioners.
"Falling Moon and Sinking Star!!"
*Clang!!!*
A piercingly harsh clang rang out. Both of Black Dragon and White Dragon's long blades shattered into several pieces. Under the immense impact, the two were sent rolling far away like rubber balls. When they finally stopped, they clutched their right wrists and howled in agony... From flesh to tendon to bone, their right hands were heavily crushed, blood gushing out, nearly crippled. Their bodies were numb, unable to stand for a long time, and all their bones felt on the verge of falling apart from the violent force of the collision.
Yun Che backflipped to the ground, taking a few small steps backward to easily dissipate the recoil.
Back when he first entered the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, the Spirit Xuan Realm was an existence of such lofty heights. Only three disciples in the entire palace had reached that level—it could be said he wasn't even qualified to challenge them. But now, with a single Falling Moon and Sinking Star using the heavy sword, he had casually crushed two.
The violent surge of profound force from the Evil God Art and its ferocious techniques, the heaven-defying physique granted by the Great Dao Pagoda Art, the destructive power of the Phoenix Ode Scripture, the divine might of the heavy sword from the Celestial Wolf Prison God Scripture...
Of these four powers of Yun Che, the first two came from the ancient true gods—the Evil God and the Desolate God—while the latter two came from ancient divine beasts—the Phoenix and the Celestial Wolf. Four divine powers, gathered in a single mortal body, granted Yun Che the strength to challenge opponents an entire major realm above him!
And it destined him to shock the world!
For the current Yun Che, let alone two Spirit Xuan Realm Level 1 cultivators, even an ordinary Spirit Xuan Realm Level 4 was not beyond his ability to defeat.
Not giving Black Dragon and White Dragon a chance to catch their breath, Yun Che took a quick step forward, raised the heavy sword, and smashed it down at the two who had temporarily lost their ability to move.
"Wait... a moment..."
Black Dragon's pupils contracted, but before he could finish his words, Yun Che's heavy sword descended simultaneously onto him and White Dragon.
*Bam!!*
With an explosive sound, both their bodies were snapped in half. They flew off, spraying blood everywhere, their bodies mangled beyond recognition.
Yun Che's expression didn't change. He put away the heavy sword, didn't spare a glance at their corpses, and slowly walked back to the siblings Sun Zhou and Mu Xiaoling. He stopped, looking at them expressionlessly.
"Th... thank you, benefactor, for saving our lives again."
The terrifying Black Dragon mercenary band had been reduced to a field of charred corpses in the blink of an eye by the youth before her. The scene before her eyes had such a huge impact that she felt as if she were in a dream. When she spoke to Yun Che, she stammered. Her gaze was half worship and gratitude, half fear.
"Thank you... thank you for your great kindness, benefactor!" Sun Zhou also hurriedly shouted, his voice rapid and trembling.
Yun Che glanced at him and said indifferently, "Did you lead them here to me?"
At this remark, Sun Zhou instantly broke out in a cold sweat. Shaking his head frantically, he said, "No, no, no, no! Benefactor... benefactor, please let me explain! Earlier, my junior sister and I fell into the hands of these villains. Fearing they would harm us, I had no choice but to resort to that measure. Fortunately, the benefactor's divine might is invincible, and you eliminated these scoundrels. Please, benefactor, be magnanimous and forgive us two siblings. I and my junior sister will be eternally grateful and never forget your kindness."
"Oh? Is that so?" Yun Che let out a cold laugh. His gaze shifted toward Mu Xiaoling, and the corners of his mouth curled up. His eyes suddenly turned lecherous. "This junior sister of yours, she doesn't look bad. She should still be a virgin, right?"
Yun Che's words, combined with his expression, made Sun Zhou understand immediately. Without a second thought, he said excitedly, "Yes! Yes! My junior sister is still a virgin... If the benefactor takes a fancy to her, feel free to enjoy her. I believe my junior sister would also be willing."
Hearing Sun Zhou say such words yet again, Mu Xiaoling couldn't even muster any disappointment anymore. She only let out a bitter sneer.
The lechery in Yun Che's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by an icy coldness. He suddenly stepped forward, kicked Sun Zhou to the ground, then placed his foot on the back of Sun Zhou's neck.
"Benefactor, you..." Sun Zhou's eyes bulged. As soon as he opened his mouth, Yun Che applied a slight pressure with his foot, making him roll his eyes. The rest of his words were choked off.
"Trash like you pollutes the very air by living. It's better to send you to meet the King of Hell!"
As his words fell, a *crack* came from under Yun Che's foot. Sun Zhou's eyes bulged one last time before his life was snuffed out.
"Ahhh—!" Mu Xiaoling let out a sharp scream, her face full of terror. "You... you... why did you kill him!? Although he is a despicable and shameless scoundrel, he has never killed anyone... He doesn't deserve death... Why did you kill him!?"
Yun Che looked at her and said calmly, "This senior brother of yours, back in the sect, he probably had a good reputation and was well-liked, right? But today, faced with death, he revealed all his ugly sides. Do you think, if he survived, he would allow others to know about these shameful deeds? The other two senior brothers who came out with you are already dead. The only person who knows these things now is you."
Hearing this, Mu Xiaoling's face had already turned deathly pale.
"He seemed to have some designs on you. So, what would he do next? He would rape you, then kill you, then return to the sect and claim that you were killed by villains or profound beasts in the Death Wasteland... In that way, his shameful deeds would never be exposed. He would still be the respected senior brother in the sect, while you would die in humiliation. You still want to ask me why I killed him?"
After finishing, Yun Che didn't linger. He turned north and departed.
Mu Xiaoling stood there for a long time, then slowly collapsed to the ground. She murmured softly, "Thank you..."