Chapter 188: One Slash, One Death

Pfft~

The Yin Sword effortlessly pierced through Gong Rentai's protective Qi, sinking straight into his abdomen.

Uhh~~

Gong Rentai's body jerked violently; a bone-chilling pain and icy coldness, as if freezing his soul, surged through his abdomen, causing his Qi circulation to instantly stall in a fatal pause—he froze midair, his defensive posture collapsing.

And in that fleeting instant of his injury and rigidity, Wu Guanglin's furious, unleashed slash—like a blood-red banner—descended from above!

No—

Infinite terror and despair exploded in Gong Rentai's eyes; he tried to block, to dodge—but his rigid body and agonizing abdomen slowed him half a beat.

Ssschhh—

The blood-colored blade aura cleaved through his Judge's Pen without resistance, striking solidly against his chest!

The sound of shattering bones erupted like popping beans.

Gong Rentai's sternum and arm bones shattered over large areas; a grotesque wound stretched from shoulder to waist, nearly splitting him diagonally in half!

Even his heart within the chest cavity was severed cleanly by the furious blade aura.

The light in Gong Rentai's eyes dimmed instantly; he spat out a gush of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, his body collapsing like a puppet with severed strings, plummeting straight down to crash heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Second Chief of Yanhu Stronghold, the Earth Altar Realm's Peak Consolidation expert Gong Rentai, died on the spot!

The entire battlefield fell into a momentary, deathly silence due to this sudden turn of events.

Wu Guanglin also froze for a moment—he hadn't expected his slash to succeed so easily; his burning rage vanished instantly, his mind clearing.

He stared at Gong Rentai's corpse, thoughts racing.

"... This is the reckoning!"

Wu Guanglin sheathed his blade and let out a low command.

As the words ended, he swung his hand sharply, "Let's go!"

Whoosh~

The Feisha Stronghold troops, having ceased fighting, immediately retreated, carrying the bodies of their fallen comrades, withdrawing like a tide—leaving only chaos and silence before Yanhu Stronghold's gate, and the gradually cooling corpse of Second Chief Gong Rentai.

Blood soaked into the yellow earth; Gong Rentai's wide-open eyes still held shock, fury, and a trace of disbelief.

The aura of the Earth Altar Realm's Peak Consolidation expert had not yet fully dissipated, yet he was already dead beneath the blade.

"Second Chief!"

"Big Brother!"

After the brief silence, the Yanhu Stronghold bandits finally snapped out of their shock, erupting in panicked cries.

The Fourth Chief and Fifth Chief, who had just rushed out, turned ashen; they exchanged glances, seeing identical horror in each other's eyes.

This had escalated—so far beyond control that they could no longer contain it!

"Quick! Send for the First Chief to break his seclusion! Hurry~!" The Fourth Chief's voice trembled as he screamed.

…

Boom—

The stone door of the secret chamber was forcibly shoved open; Sikong Qinhu, who had been condensing the Five Qi, was interrupted; his surging true essence churned chaotically, and he snapped open his eyes, his pupils brimming with murderous intent nearly solidified.

"You'd better have a matter of cosmic importance!"

His low voice carried the fury of Lei Ting.

The Fifth Chief collapsed to his knees with a thud, stammering urgently, "Big Brother! Disaster! Second Brother… Second Brother was killed by Wu Guanglin of Feisha Stronghold!"

"What?!"

Sikong Qinhu's aura exploded violently, causing the entire secret chamber to tremble.

His towering figure shot upright in an instant, stepping out of the chamber in a single stride.

"Say it again!!"

"S-Second Brother is dead! Killed by Wu Guanglin!!"

…

…

In the mountain forest.

Wu Guanglin walked with a grim expression, striding forward.

Behind him, the elite of Feisha Stronghold remained silent.

Yet many in their ranks flickered with worry.

Gong Rentai was dead!

As the man who, for years while Sikong Qinhu remained in seclusion, managed every detail of Yanhu Stronghold, Gong Rentai's status and position were nothing like Ge Qingsong's, let alone Guo Zhanggui's.

Wu Guanglin killed him—this feud was now immense!

Bigger than when the Third Young Lady killed Sikong Qinhu's eldest son.

Even Stronghold Master Huang Baitian's intervention would be useless.

Yanhu Stronghold and Feisha Stronghold would inevitably go to war.

Thinking of this, many felt their hearts pound with dread, their eyes filled with unease.

Among the crowd, Chen Mu fell silently to the rear.

Gong Rentai had died at Wu Guanglin's hands—he had claimed a True Essence Card.

Two years and four months of True Essence!

As for the others: two Qi Cards, eighteen Internal Power Cards, three Cultivation Cards, four Skill Cards, three Power Cards.

The harvest was still decent.

Although Lin Kuan hadn't appeared, and Sikong Sheng hadn't shown himself, with Gong Rentai dead, Feisha Stronghold and Yanhu Stronghold were now locked in a fight to the death.

Two strongholds fight to the death—Lin Kuan and Sikong Sheng can't keep hiding in their strongholds!

Thinking of this, Chen Mu slipped away silently, vanishing into the forest and returning to the outskirts of Yanhu Shanzhai.

…

Yanhu Shanzhai, Gathering Righteousness Hall.

The atmosphere was oppressive, solemn and silent.

The Grand Chief, Sikong Qinhu, sat on a tiger-skin armchair; his frame was massive, his face rugged, and his tiger-like eyes flashed with piercing light with every blink, radiating a suffocatingly powerful aura.

"Speak."

Sikong Qinhu's expression was blank, his voice like ice clashing, "What happened to the third brother? Where is he now? And how did the second brother die?"

"T… Third Brother hasn't returned yet."

The Fourth Chief's voice trembled, "Third Brother went out of the mountains yesterday, at Sheng's request, to deal with the new Inspector Chen Mu—but so far, he hasn't come back, and we still don't know why he killed Guo Zhanggui."

"As for Second Brother… Second Brother was cut down right before all of us—by Wu Guanglin of Feisha Shanzhai—one slash… one slash!"

"One slash?" Sikong Qinhu asked coldly, "Could Wu Guanglin possibly kill the second brother with a single blow?"

Everyone fell silent.

In terms of strength, Gong Rentai was indeed several notches stronger than Wu Guanglin.

That was the record from past battles!

Among the Five Shanzhai of Cangshan, every chief's specific realm and strength had long been known to all.

Under normal circumstances, even if Gong Rentai had intended to yield, he could never have been slain by Wu Guanglin in one strike.

Yet this time, it happened!

…

Boom~

"Speak!!"

Sikong Qinhu slammed his fist onto the armrest—its hard ironwood instantly turned to dust, and a violent aura swept through the entire hall, making everyone shudder involuntarily, hearts pounding with terror.

"Father!"

Sikong Sheng's face was now pale; he didn't even wipe his sweat, but cried out urgently, "It's my fault—I asked Uncle Ge to go to Wulong Fucheng to handle Chen Mu, but I didn't expect…"

"Didn't expect he killed Guo Zhanggui of Feisha Shanzhai, is that right?" Sikong Qinhu's face remained expressionless.

"…"

Sikong Sheng lowered his head—he truly couldn't fathom it.

Why had Ge Qingsong suddenly changed targets?

Lin Kuan, standing behind Sikong Sheng, also kept his head down, his back soaked in cold sweat.

He had fled here seeking protection, but now, Yanhu Shanzhai had lost one of its top experts.

Second Chief Gong Rentai—he was a Peak-Level Earth Altar realm powerhouse, one of Yanhu Shanzhai's pillars!

Now he was dead.

This loss was far more severe than Feisha Shanzhai losing Guo Zhanggui.

If the two strongholds now fight to the death, Yanhu Stronghold's chances of victory will plummet—and Lin Kuan, as one of the catalysts behind all this, would have no good end.

'No! I must leave—I must get out of this place as fast as possible!'

Lin Kuan screamed inwardly, his eyes flickering as he began plotting his escape…