Chapter 35

Zhuang Buran's languid gaze faded, killing intent surged like a dark tide, and an awe-inspiring fist posture appeared on his body that made one's spine chill.

It seemed he turned the azure sea and blue sky into a fist frame; as he stepped, it was like stormy waves smashing the shore, rocks flying through the air, yet his figure was like drifting clouds passing through a gap, leaving no trace.

This was none other than Zhuang Buran's uniquely created Azure Falls Shocking Wave Step, based on various lightness techniques.

In the span of a breath, over twenty people were lifted into the air and then slammed heavily to the ground, dying instantly.

The Qingcheng Sect elders and disciples seized the opportunity and repeatedly threw dark azure pellets.

"Remember to eat, not to fight."

The blue-robed youth shuddered all over, and the myriad hidden weapons were all bounced back by his immense internal force.

Bang bang bang

Not only were the Qingcheng Sect's disciples nearly wiped out, the surviving ones rolled on the ground in anguish, wailing without cease; most of the elders perished, only two elders managed to dodge in time, sustaining minor injuries.

The Qingcheng Sect's junior sect head survived solely thanks to an elder who sacrificed himself to save him, while the martial artists who came to assist were hit by collateral damage, leaving only four or five of them.

"Not good, the demon lord is fierce; we are no match, retreat quickly," a martial artist hissed.

The remaining martial artists immediately understood; they knew the first to shout retreat was merely unwilling to be the one to stand out, provoking the blue-robed youth's pursuit, and so they silently split up and fled.

"Naive!"

Zhuang Buran did not notice when a few steel needles had been pinched between his fingertips; with a flick of his finger, the several martial artists trying to flee collapsed to the ground and died instantly.

A Qingcheng Sect elder spoke expressionlessly:

"Your external training rivals the perfected Golden Bell Shield; your internal force is incomparably pure and massive—this calamity befalls us only because we have repeatedly underestimated you."

"Only now do we realize we should not have harbored greed for the ultimate treasure; you are far more reckless and ruthless than the former Divine Master of the Central Plains and Huang Shang, cold-blooded and heartless."

"Now that we know, is it perhaps too late?" the blue-robed youth stood in place.

"Senior Brother Sun, no need to waste words; this time our oversight failed to anticipate his martial arts reaching such a level." Another elder drew two steel awls from his waist and glared at Zhuang Buran.

"I refuse to believe that even risking my life could injure you in the slightest."

Having said that, he lunged at the blue-robed youth with a violent flurry of strikes and thrusts.

The Qingcheng Sect's Elder Sun hesitated not at all, drawing a steel awl and a small hammer from his waist and attacking the blue-robed youth; he stabbed and pried with the awl, struck horizontally and vertically with the hammer, aiming for vital points.

Zhuang Buran had one hand behind his back and casually struck out with the other, unexpectedly releasing a palm force over two zhang; after a few blows, the two Qingcheng Sect elders kept retreating, vomiting blood incessantly.

"The Qingcheng Sect's martial arts must be deteriorating; their Azure Nine Strikes are only three or four moves, and their City Eighteen Breaks only eleven or twelve."

"Demon, you dare to look down on our Qingcheng Sect's supreme technique."

The Qingcheng Sect's junior sect head came forward with sword in hand; his swordplay was swift and precise, using offense to defend, seizing openings to intercept.

Zhuang Buran scoffed, pinched with two fingers, and made the Qingcheng Sect's junior sect head break into a sweat, standing frozen; he simply discarded his sword and executed the Heart-Stirring Palm.

Suddenly his face lit up with joy, only to discover the blue-robed youth remained motionless; the instant his palm struck, his expression changed drastically as he felt a rebound force like a raging elephant surging toward him like a flood.

He was immediately flung backward, crashing to the ground with his five viscera ruptured, killing him instantly.

Zhuang Buran exerted force with the fingers gripping the sword tip; the long sword snapped, and the broken blade almost instantly slit the throats of two Qingcheng Sect elders.

"Farewell, everyone; whether in conduct or affairs, favoring one over another is the utmost taboo—I, Zhuang, understand this well, and I will surely torch the Qingcheng Sect."

"Of course, if I kill without setting fire, I always feel something is missing."

"You"

The two Qingcheng Sect elders clutched their throats, pointing angrily at the blue-robed youth, their eyes blazing with hatred, wishing to devour his flesh, drink his blood, sleep on his skin, and crush his bones.

Not long after, their gaze faded, their hands went limp, and they breathed their last.

The blue-robed youth glanced not at the corpses littering the ground, lifted his leg, and walked toward Mount Qingcheng.

As the sun set, thick smoke billowed from the mountain.

A few days later.

The martial world was shaken; another great sect suffered annihilation, and the many martial artists who came to assist were also slaughtered, none surviving.

Now everyone understood that the being they had regarded as a living treasure of martial arts had attained the ability to roam the world unchecked, and his disposition had become utterly vicious and malevolent.

Many martial artists who had planned to profit from the chaos could not help but beat the retreat drum.

Even the prominent sects felt a chill; contemplating this lone foe while they possessed vast holdings, the saying goes "barefoot one fears no shoes," yet the consequences would be unimaginable.

Some unknown strategist suggested that rather than being picked off one by one by the demon Zhuang, they should unite their forces, doubting his skill could kill them all at once, while they could exploit the advantage of numbers.

If the demon Zhuang relies solely on his profound internal force to act violently, then we can bury him in corpses; eventually his internal force will be exhausted.

Although most people thought his wording somewhat improper, it was still a makeshift solution; for now, the plan is to eradicate this heaven-harming, wicked demon, lest future troubles be endless.

Thus, numerous prominent sects issued hero summons across the martial world, gathering at Mount Hua to convene a demon-extermination assembly.

Because of this demon-extermination assembly, those opportunistic fair-weather followers who sought profit from chaos mostly abandoned the idea of fleeing, believing that even if one's martial prowess were supreme, could he really slay thousands at once?

On a mountain range stretching hundreds of miles, with verdant peaks, a blue-robed youth gazed happily at the surrounding scenery.

One could see mist and clouds entwining the mountains like a fairyland, at times gauzy and ethereal, at times rolling like waves, adding a touch of mystery and ethereality to this continuous range.

"No wonder it is Kunlun Mountain, honored as the ancestor of all mountains; Zhuang's journey through dust and toil was not in vain."

Meanwhile, at the Kunlun Sect's encampment not far away, the atmosphere in the main hall inexplicably grew oppressive.

"Sect Head, the demon Zhuang arrived at Kunlun Mountain ahead of us, causing batch after batch of disciples rushing to Mount Hua to be cut down by him," a red-faced elder said, suppressing his anger.

"This demon even intends to leave a survivor to return and spread the word, thereby dooming our Kunlun Sect to be trapped like fish in a barrel, unable to escape even with wings."

He had just finished speaking when a long-bearded elder furrowed his brow.

"It is simply because our sect is too remote, causing the delivery of pigeon messages to be delayed greatly; otherwise, how could we have been blocked at our own gate?"

Another black-haired elder in his fifties let out a long sigh.

"Could it be that today we shall follow the same doomed path as Kongtong and Qingcheng?"

The refined, approximately forty-year-old Kunlun Sect leader spoke:

"After learning successively of Kongtong and Qingcheng's annihilation, I had already made the worst contingency, secretly allowing some disciples not to return to the mountain; elders, rest assured, our sect's lineage will not be broken in our hands."

As his words fell, everyone's nostrils twitched; they actually smelled a hint of blood, their faces changed abruptly, and then they heard from outside the hall a repeated "bang bang bang."

Four people hurried out of the hall, and as soon as they looked, they saw their own sect's disciples lying on the ground, fresh blood gushing from the throat wounds.

It's better that they came by chance than that they came well.

A youth in blue robes stood on the stone lion outside the hall, his face bearing a lazy smile:

Your sect, top to bottom, only lacks you all, and then we can all go to the Yellow Springs together; please don't make it difficult for Zhuang Buran.

(End of chapter)