Chapter 48

“Yue Chong, Golden Core realm!”

When Niu Gui spoke these words, everyone’s faces, including Xu Jin’s, turned pale.

The disciples present had only been cultivating for three or four months, but they already knew much of the knowledge.

Only after reaching the seventh layer of Canxia could one forge a star; only after successfully forging a star could one refine it.

A Golden Core expert could effortlessly wipe out ten of them—Canxia first or second layer disciples—with one hand.

In an instant, Niu Gui’s shock vanished, replaced by grim resolve; he lowered his voice and spoke to Xu Jin beside him.

“With a Golden Core expert here, we have no chance of winning, but I have the Star Burst Seal the Duzhu gave me—if luck holds, I can severely wound him; if not, I can at least delay him. You take everyone and retreat the way we came, ride hard back to Heshui County.”

“Their one-star warhorses can’t catch up; once you reach the Heshui County government office, they won’t dare storm it.”

BOOM!

Niu Gui hadn’t finished speaking.

A thunderous crash echoed—behind them, a massive boulder had fallen, along with several tall pear trees still rooted and leafed, instantly blocking their rear path.

A burly man, bare-chested and bare-breasted, his chest shimmering with starlight, leapt down from the high ridge, clapped his hands, sat cross-legged atop a large rock, placed his iron club across his knees, and calmly watched Niu Gui’s group.

With the front blocked, the rear sealed, and a Golden Core expert present, all the disciples turned pale; some beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

Niu Gui turned and stared fixedly at the bare-chested giant. “Xiong Tiegun, you’re only Canxia seventh layer—why aren’t you focusing on forging a star? Why are you getting involved in this mess?”

“Someone promised me one entry into the Plucking Star Tower—I came,” Xiong Tiegun said calmly.

“You believe that?”

“I have no choice but to believe it; otherwise, I have no chance to enter the Plucking Star Tower and forge a star!” Xiong Tiegun said.

Niu Gui sneered, turning to Yue Chong. “Yue Chong, you’re a Golden Core second layer, and all of you—how dare you attack our Patrol Star Guards? Don’t you fear the Duzhu exterminating your entire clans afterward?”

“Do you really think the Duzhu’s Blood Butcher title is just talk?”

Yue Chong crossed his arms and smiled. “Of course I’m afraid of it, but the Blood Butcher’s reputation only reaches within Jinshan County. After I kill you and claim the bounty, I’ll flee far beyond Jinshan—what can the Blood Butcher do to me?”

“Is that your thinking too?” Niu Gui scanned each of them; some eyes flinched, then quickly hardened again.

“Yue Chong, can’t you give us a way out? Do you know what these scum have done? Forget rape and plunder—seven or eight children—”

“None of my business!”

Yue Chong cut Niu Gui off. “Talk to me about justice? Have you forgotten how the Duzhu earned his Blood Butcher name?”

“Niu Gui, we’ve known each other a while—I respect you as a man. Choose: hand over all your wealth and gear, and I’ll give you a quick death.” Yue Chong barked outright.

Even as he spoke, Niu Gui swiftly whispered to Xu Jin: “Of the other seven, one is Canxia sixth layer, one is fifth layer, the remaining five are all fourth and third layer—no chance to fight them head-on.”

“When I charge backward to engage Xiong Tiegun, Yue Chong will come after me—I’ll use the Star Seal to block him. You lead everyone past the roadblock and flee—don’t look back. Save whoever you can.”

In that instant, Niu Gui had resolved to die.

He sought to buy time for the others—but how many would escape depended on fate.

His deliberate instructions weren’t just to let Xu Jin escape.

Among this group, beneath him, Xu Jin had the strongest combat experience—even slightly inferior to him—and was cleverest; his chance of survival was highest.

If Xu Jin lived, he could complete the Duzhu’s mission, deliver Niu Gui’s letter and wealth safely to his wife and children, and perhaps even secure their future protection.

“Yue Chong, let’s make a deal: we hand over all our wealth and gear, I stay behind—let these kids live?”

“They’re only teenagers,” Niu Gui continued bargaining.

Even as he spoke, he ordered the youths: “Come, hand over everything valuable you’ve got!”—while subtly signaling them to spread out, preparing to turn their horses around.

The horses couldn’t charge through, but a sudden rush could create chaos, create an opening.

Xu Jin thought for half a second—and made his decision.

The items he kept for survival didn’t need hiding.

If he hid his survival tools and let Niu Gui die, Xu Jin would never forgive himself.

“Big Brother Niu, we can try another way,” Xu Jin suddenly said.

“Huh?”

Niu Gui, desperately trying to create escape opportunities for the youths, paused. “In this situation, no tactic will help—the gap in strength is too great.”

Niu Gui assumed Xu Jin still clung to hope, wanting to try another strategy—but the next instant, Xu Jin’s words stunned him.

“Big Brother Niu, I have one too—I can kill him.” Xu Jin glanced at Yue Chong.

Niu Gui’s eyes instantly filled with disbelief and joy.

Joy from death to life.

Beyond joy, disbelief: “Really?”

Xu Jin nodded.

Yue Chong, growing impatient, shouted: “Niu Gui, stop stalling! No reinforcements are coming!”

“I’ve given you your chance—ten breaths left. Choose: full corpse or no burial at all!”

In the next instant, Yue Chong shouted, and with his seven Canxia disciples behind him, leapt down from the boulder, advancing slowly.

Behind them, Xiong Tiegun remained seated on the hundred-meter rock, iron club across his knees—clearly intending to seal the rear, not yet joining the fight.

Behind him, Xiong Tiegun remained seated atop a boulder a hundred meters away, iron rod resting across his knees, clearly intent on blocking the rear path and not joining the battle for now.

“Full corpse is death—fighting is death too!”

“Either way, I’ll die—but I’ll bite off a piece of flesh before I go!”

Xu Jin roared, leapt off his horse, and shouted behind him: “Brothers! Death either way—fight them!”

With a roar, Xu Jin leapt off his horse and shouted behind him, “Brothers, it’s death either way—fight them to the end!”

“Fucking fight!”

Qian Xiaohu, Song Ye, Qiao Ruonan leapt down, joining Xu Jin, eyes blazing red.

Inspired by them, the other disciples followed suit.

Yue Chong’s expression changed.

Though powerful, his main threat was Canxia sixth layer Niu Gui—this man, military-born, ferocious in battle, had once fought a Star-Forging expert; now armored, with others aiding him, even if Yue Chong killed him, he’d pay a heavy price.

That’s why Yue Chong had spoken so calmly—he’d aimed to shatter their morale, then eliminate them with minimal cost.

He must eliminate them with minimal cost.

Because after killing them, he must flee, escape Jinshan County, run far away.

The Blood Butcher’s reputation was no empty threat.

But now, clearly, it had failed.

Seeing Xu Jin step forward first, Yue Chong decided to kill him to establish dominance: “Bold! Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll kill you first, then the rest!”

As he spoke, starlight flared around Yue Chong—he surged forward at blinding speed toward Xu Jin; the seven behind followed, but lagged far behind.

As he spoke, Yue Chong’s body erupted with starlight, instantly accelerating toward Xu Jin; the seven behind him followed closely but fell far behind.

Xu Jin spoke only six words—Niu Gui understood instantly.

“Fuck it—better to die fighting!”

Facing the charging Golden Core expert Yue Chong, Xu Jin didn’t retreat—he accelerated forward. Simultaneously, Niu Gui roared and charged from the side: “Yue! Your opponent is me!”

Behind them, Xiong Tiegun sat motionless on the rock, club across his knees.

Clearly, he believed sealing the rear was enough—Yue Chong could handle everyone.

Clearly, he believed that as long as he blocked the rear, Yue Chong could eliminate everyone.

Seeing Xu Jin and Niu Gui charging toward him, Yue Chong spat two words, then leapt upward with explosive speed, his longsword slashing down—its blade erupted into a three-meter blade of light, aimed at Niu Gui.

Niu Gui rolled aside—the three-meter starlight blade followed like a shadow, slashing again; Niu Gui raised his blade to block.

One strike—the ordinary military longsword shattered under Yue Chong’s blow. Niu Gui had no choice but to summon a star shield to block the blade, yet in his left hand, he suddenly flipped out a seal.

In a single strike, Niu Gui’s standard-issue long knife was severed by Yue Chong’s blade; with no choice, Niu Gui immediately summoned a star shield to block the slash—but in his left hand, a crest suddenly appeared.

“I knew it!”

Yue Chong, already wary of Niu Gui’s move, saw the Star Seal—and instantly retreated in lightning speed, slashing his sword repeatedly, each strike forming a star shield hovering before him.

Yue Chong, having anticipated Niu Gui’s move, instantly retreated like lightning the moment he saw the star crest in Niu Gui’s hand, while simultaneously slashing his blade repeatedly—each cut summoning a star shield to hover before him.

Xu Jin, about to engage another Canxia sixth layer rogue, suddenly sidestepped backward, and hurled the spinning blade seal he’d already gripped—injecting star power into it, sending it flying toward Yue Chong, two meters away.

The moment the spinning blade seal received star power and was thrown, it exploded into a massive rotating blade-wheel—one meter high, two meters wide—hurtling toward Yue Chong.

Yue Chong had been watching Xu Jin—on the battlefield, one must always monitor all enemies—but the moment Niu Gui’s Star Seal appeared, Yue Chong focused entirely on him—it was a deadly weapon!

Yue Chong had been keeping watch over Xu Jin; on the battlefield, one must always monitor other enemies. But the instant the star crest appeared in Niu Gui’s hand, Yue Chong focused all his defense on Niu Gui—that was a deadly weapon!

He never expected a blade-wheel to strike from the side.

The shocking star power made him snap his head around—and in that instant, the brilliant starlight blade-wheel was already upon him.

No time for complex reactions—he channeled all his star power to his chest, instantly forming a basic star shield.

With no time for a full response, all his star power surged to his chest, instantly forming a star shield there.

One of the few star arts Yue Chong could cast instantly.

But useless.

Under the impact of Ning Yuchan’s handcrafted star blade-wheel, Yue Chong’s Basic Star Shield shattered instantly.

The next instant, Yue Chong’s inner armor and entire body were sliced into dozens of pieces, then shredded.

After shredding Yue Chong, the blade-wheel’s residual force slammed into the nearby ridge—rock fragments exploded outward.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden turn.

No one expected the Golden Core second layer expert Yue Chong to be tricked and killed by this mere boy.

Yet Niu Gui, though shocked, didn’t pause his actions.

But although Niu Gui was startled, his hands did not stop moving.

Because he knew the crisis had not yet been lifted; the remaining bandits still possessed formidable strength.

Almost at the very moment Yue Chong was shredded by the blade wheel, Niu Gui lunged forward, instantly channeling star force into the starburst seal clutched in his hand, then hurled it and guided it slightly with his soul force.

In the next instant, a burst of starlight exploded beside two nearby cultivators!

(End of Chapter)