Chapter 45: Assassination of the Eighth-Rank

“The clan elder gives this to you!”

At a distance of about one meter from Xu Zhiji, Xia Daoming cupped the bundle in both hands.

Xu Zhiji eagerly reached out and snatched the bundle.

At that moment, a surge of blood qi, like a volcanic eruption, burst forth from Xia Daoming’s body.

The hands that had just been holding the bundle instantly shot out like lightning.

One hand struck with a Snake Head Fist, aimed straight at Xu Zhiji’s heart; the other thrust with a Snake Tongue Knife, piercing his throat.

Even though Xu Zhiji was an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master with an acute sense of danger,

his spirit was nearly entirely fixated on the Ice-Purple Shouwu, and the distance was so close—he was caught completely off guard.

In haste, Xu Zhiji threw away the Ice-Purple Shouwu; his uninjured right hand barely blocked Xia Daoming’s Snake Tongue Knife aimed at his throat, but his injured left arm reacted too slowly and failed to block the Snake Head Fist.

Yet Xu Zhiji, being an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master, still reacted swiftly—he instinctively tilted his upper body slightly backward, avoiding the vital center of his chest.

“Boom!”

Though he dodged the vital point, his chest still took a solid punch.

A terrifying hidden force, like a mountain flood, surged through his body.

Xu Zhiji was flung backward, his chest caved inward, blood spurting uncontrollably from his mouth, splattering in droplets—brilliantly red under the sunlight.

As Xu Zhiji reeled backward, Xia Daoming followed like a shadow.

His hands struck in rapid succession—now a palm-knife, now a Dragon Claw, now a Snake Fist.

Xu Zhiji was formidable too—wounded, he retreated while swinging his arms continuously, barely holding off Xia Daoming’s storm-like assault.

One retreated, one advanced; one defended desperately, the other attacked with full force.

In the blink of an eye, countless punches and kicks exchanged.

The fierce combat stirred up dust and fallen leaves from the ground.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Each blow landed on flesh, hidden forces piercing through each other’s bodies, colliding violently within.

Blood kept oozing from Xu Zhiji’s mouth; the more he fought, the heavier his heart sank, his eyes filled with horror.

He had not yet lost hope after being gravely wounded by Xia Daoming’s sudden strike.

He was an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master—surely a dying camel still outweighs a horse; even if victory was impossible, escape still had a chance.

But within this brief, furious exchange, Xu Zhiji realized in terror that Xia Daoming was not only treacherous and cunning, with deep scheming, but his power was terrifyingly strong.

He was only a Sixth-Rank Great Martial Master, yet his unleashed force rivaled that of an Eighth-Rank.

Even if he had been uninjured, he could only hope to win by using his Eighth-Rank realm and vast combat experience to end the fight swiftly.

Otherwise, at his age, prolonged fighting would inevitably lead to his defeat!

Now, his chest had taken a crushing blow at close range—his ribs shattered, his heart and lungs injured—each breath brought searing pain, as if his next breath would never come.

If he didn’t escape soon, continuing to fight meant certain death.

But Xia Daoming’s assault was like a storm—there was no chance for him to turn and flee.

Turning to run would only make him die faster!

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The sound of fists and kicks striking never ceased.

From afar, only two figures darted and crossed in the swirling dust and falling leaves.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, one figure was flung backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

It was Xu Zhiji.

He gasped for air, trying to rise, but collapsed back onto the ground.

Both arms trembled uncontrollably.

“Damn it, old man, I’ll teach you to be arrogant! To use my master and me as cannon fodder! Come on, get up and fight me again!” Seeing Xu Zhiji unable to rise, Xia Daoming didn’t give him a moment to recover—he rushed forward and delivered rapid blows to his head.

In just a few strikes, the once haughty, domineering Xu Zhiji’s head was beaten into a swollen pig’s face, his old teeth scattered across the ground.

“Boom!”

Finally, Xu Zhiji’s body tilted sideways, his head slamming hard against a rock.

Blood stained the stone.

“I never imagined—I never imagined! I spent my life as a wise man, only to be brought down by a young pup!” Xu Zhiji forced open his swollen eyes, glaring at Xia Daoming with unbearable resentment.

“So, old man, don’t be too arrogant—show mercy when you can! Your Xu family is too arrogant, too cruel. You are, and so is that Xu Shixiong—someday, I’ll kill him too!” Xia Daoming sneered.

Saying this, he stepped forward and jabbed his toe into Xu Zhiji’s heart.

Xu Zhiji’s body convulsed violently, his eyes rolled up, and he died instantly.

“Ancestor!”

Not far away, Xu Shisen—already being driven back by Liang Jingtang, his robe stained with blood—caught a glimpse of Xu Zhiji’s death out of the corner of his eye and nearly lost his soul.

Though young, Xu Shisen had only just entered the Sixth Rank, and even his sixth meridian had only partially opened a few key acupoints—he was no match for Liang Jingtang.

He had also been distracted by the Ice-Purple Shouwu.

At the moment Xia Daoming struck, Liang Jingtang suddenly attacked him too.

Xu Shisen barely reacted in time and was wounded immediately.

But since Liang Jingtang was at a distance, Xu Shisen reacted relatively quickly—his injury wasn’t severe.

Even so, under Liang Jingtang’s full assault, Xu Shisen could only defend, unable to counterattack.

“Master, let me handle him!”

As Xu Shisen was on the verge of panic, Xia Daoming leapt forward and delivered a Dragon Tail Kick—his right leg swung like an iron whip, smashing into Xu Shisen’s ribs.

“Crack!”

“Boom!”

The sound of broken ribs followed by a heavy body hitting the ground rang out in sequence.

“Puff!”

Xu Shisen struggled to rise from the ground, but spat a gush of blood and collapsed helplessly.

“Young Master Xu, weren’t you so mighty? So arrogant? Come on, keep going!” Xia Daoming stepped forward and planted his foot on Xu Shisen’s head.

“Spare me! Spare me! I won’t dare anymore! I’ll give you everything—no, I’ll bring you all the family silver when I return!” Xu Shisen babbled in utter terror.

“Spare you? You shattered my Master Gu’s martial path, humiliated my sister-disciple, and tormented me and my master all along—and now you dare ask me to spare you? Don’t you find that laughable?” Xia Daoming sneered.

“I’m still young—I don’t want to die!” Xu Shisen cried.

“If you’d shown some courage, I’d have respected you as a man. But you’re just like Shi Yingdeng—pathetic! He begged me the same way before he died!” Xia Daoming scoffed.

“You killed Shi Yingdeng!” Xu Shisen’s eyes widened.

“Heh, surprised?” Xia Daoming coldly smiled, then suddenly lifted his foot and jabbed his toe into Xu Shisen’s temple.

Xu Shisen’s head tilted to the side—he died instantly.

Beside them, Liang Jingtang stared, frozen like a statue, at the corpses of Xu Shisen and Xu Zhiji.

Before the attack, he had prepared for the worst!

Yet Xia Daoming’s performance surpassed even his darkest expectations.

He had actually killed an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master!

Only when Liang Jingtang saw Xia Daoming expertly looting the bodies did he snap back to reality.

Awakening, two trails of old tears rolled down his cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, Liang Jingtang strode forward and picked up the bag containing the Ice-Rabbit Heart and the Ice-Purple Shouwu.

And of course, the bundle as well.

As Liang Jingtang lifted the bundle Xu Zhiji had thrown aside, he heard Xia Daoming muttering to himself.

“Pfft, for an Eighth-Rank Great Martial Master, this guy’s broke—can’t even find half a silver note!”

“This…” Liang Jingtang was speechless.

“Huh? This again!” Just as Liang Jingtang was stunned, Xia Daoming uncorked a jade vial, sniffed it, and showed a hint of surprise.

“What is it?” Liang Jingtang asked curiously.

“Do you know this, Master?” Xia Daoming handed it over casually.

“This… this is Yunshou Jade Liquid!” Liang Jingtang trembled, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“What does Yunshou Jade Liquid do?” Xia Daoming blinked in surprise.

“It enhances vitality, slows the decline of blood qi and force! This vial is worth at least seventy thousand taels of silver—and you can’t buy it even in Li City.” Liang Jingtang said.

“Just this one vial is worth seventy thousand taels? My goodness, my goodness—I must’ve misjudged Clan Elder Xu!” Xia Daoming exclaimed in shock.

“Uh…” Liang Jingtang was speechless again at Xia Daoming’s next remark.

“Since it enhances vitality and slows decline, it’s perfect for you, Master.” Xia Daoming said.

“How can I accept this!” Liang Jingtang was horrified.

This Yunshou Jade Liquid was worth at least seventy thousand taels—even as the head of the Qianjiao Martial Arts Gym, he couldn’t afford it, even if he sold everything he owned.

And now, in Li City, it was priceless—even if you had the money, you couldn’t find it.