Chapter 30: Blasted Alive

A few people had just sprinted over ten li when suddenly a sharp whistling sound came from ahead.

"Ssshh… ssshh…"

Seven or eight arrows shot toward them, their tips glinting with cold light.

"Ambush!"

Li Yunhua roared, slashing forward with his blade and severing the arrows before him, his gaze burning with murderous intent toward the forest ahead.

At that moment, seven or eight martial artists clad in tight-fitting attire stepped out from a thicket.

The leader was tall and broad, his temples bulging prominently, clearly possessing formidable martial arts cultivation.

When Lu Zhangsheng saw the leader, his pupils contracted sharply.

He had seen this man once in the County City, back when he himself had gone to take the Demon-Slaying Office examination—the leader of the Wenxiang Sect.

"Could these Guai be connected to the Wenxiang Sect? And who was the Venerable Lord mentioned by the Guai we just killed?"

A cloud of suspicion settled over Lu Zhangsheng's heart, making him extremely wary.

"Kill…"

The Wenxiang Sect leader waved his hand, leading his men to charge at Lu Zhangsheng and the others.

"Ssshh… ssshh…"

The rustling of robes cutting through the forest sent waves of howling wind echoing through the trees.

"They're prepared—scatter and retreat!"

Li Yunhua shouted loudly, showing not the slightest intention to lead the group in defense.

He turned and fled straight backward.

With a single kick of his leg, he shot several meters away, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The remaining few scattered in all directions, sprinting wildly along the mountain trails.

Lu Zhangsheng activated his Perfect Grade Step Technique, Floating Light and Shadow, and raced swiftly eastward.

With each footstep, he leapt over a zhang and more, his speed astonishing.

The forests beside him blurred and retreated at breakneck speed.

He couldn't help glancing back at his pursuers—each of them was followed by two hunters, yet only one man chased after him.

The pursuer was a middle-aged man, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent as he stared at Lu Zhangsheng.

After chasing for over half an hour…

At a small hill, Lu Zhangsheng stopped, stood with his hands behind his back, and turned calmly to face the front.

"Kid, why aren't you running anymore? Ready to die yet?"

The middle-aged man grinned cruelly.

He stepped slowly closer to Lu Zhangsheng, his face filled with mockery.

Lu Zhangsheng wasted no words—he raised his Slaughtering Pig Blade and slashed forward with full force.

"Whhhhh…"

Even the air screamed with the blade's passage, its edge flashing brilliantly, painfully bright.

This slash, descending from above, combined the Perfect Grade Saber Technique of Five Tiger Severing Gate, his own eight-thousand-jin strength, and the Precious Blade in his hand—its power was terrifying.

"No good!"

Seeing the terrifying force before him, the man's face twisted in horror.

Even with his Refining Skin Perfection, he felt he could not possibly block it.

He hadn't expected the soft target he'd randomly chosen to be a sleeping tiger.

Now it had woken—and the realization filled him with utter panic.

He hastily drew his Long Blade and held it horizontally across his body to block.

"Crack…"

With a soft sound, his Long Blade snapped cleanly in two, the cut smooth and precise.

Then, Lu Zhangsheng's Slaughtering Pig Blade, its momentum undiminished, slashed toward the man's head.

"Aaah…"

The man was split cleanly from head to toe, blood gushing out and staining the ground red.

At that moment, Lu Zhangsheng strode forward, reached down, and rummaged through the corpse's belongings—after a moment's search, he pulled out a Secret Manual and several Silver Notes, then turned and walked away.

After killing the pursuer, Lu Zhangsheng headed toward the County City, moving at a steady, unhurried pace.

………………

At noon.

Lu Zhangsheng walked along the mountain trail, hands clasped behind his back, utterly carefree.

More than an hour had passed since he killed the Wenxiang Sect pursuer.

He had no intention of lingering outside the County City—he chose to retrace his steps directly.

As Lu Zhangsheng reached a small hill, his gaze turned icy.

"Come out."

He stared at the thicket to his side, his face frostbitten with cold fury.

Soon after, a young man with a sinister expression stepped out from the distant thicket.

It was Li Yunhua.

"Kid, you run pretty fast—made me go through all this trouble looking for you."

Li Yunhua looked at Lu Zhangsheng with mocking amusement.

With his Refining Skin Perfection, killing a mere Common Martial Artist was effortless.

You also earn a reward, making it a win-win.

As a family member, cultivation resources are limited; they can't all be spent on oneself.

As for camaraderie among colleagues? What's that? He never cared.

"The scenery here is excellent—perfect for you."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled calmly. At these words, Li Yunhua's face froze in shock—he wondered if Lu Zhangsheng, nearing death, had begun hallucinating.

"Die."

Li Yunhua's eyes blazed with murderous intent; he slashed forward in one swift motion.

The blade's glow blazed brilliantly, its momentum terrifying, like a mountain collapsing down.

"Die."

Lu Zhangsheng swung his own blade—light, drifting, utterly unremarkable.

In an instant, the two blades collided.

"Boom—boom—boom…"

The violent impact echoed through the forest; Lu Zhangsheng's Slaughtering Pig Blade shattered the opponent's Long Blade, then severed his head.

"Impossible—who are you? How could you possess such strength?"

Li Yunhua's face twisted in terror, as if he'd seen a ghost.

Lu Zhangsheng, always harmless, had transformed into a monstrous dragon.

The moment they clashed, he felt an overwhelming force crush down upon him—unstoppable, shattering his spirit.

Such a gap in strength could only exist when the difference was immense.

He was already at Skin Refining Peak—so Lu Zhangsheng must possess Flesh Refining power.

"Spare me… I'm the Li Family Orthodox Heir…"

Li Yunhua blurted it out—he was young, his Martial Dao future boundless; he didn't want to perish here in these wild hills.

But what met him was only a cold steel blade.

"Aaah…"

A torrent of blood sprayed into the air, leaving only a dying scream in empty space.

As his consciousness faded, Li Yunhua was filled with unbearable regret—he shouldn't have let greed and pride lead him to provoke someone he should never have touched.

After slaying Li Yunhua, Lu Zhangsheng sheathed his Slaughtering Pig Blade.

The outcome of this strike was exactly as expected.

With his eight-thousand-jin strength, killing even Skin Refining-level Martial Artists was like crushing ants with a boulder.

The opponent had at most two thousand jin of force—a colossal gap; no wonder he couldn't block a single strike.

Not to mention he held a Sharp-Grade Weapon, a Precious Blade.

With Lu Zhangsheng's current strength, even a Flesh Refining Strong Person could be matched.

This was one of the benefits of perfectly breaking through Skin Refining—his combat power was astonishing.

Then, Lu Zhangsheng walked to the corpse, reached out, and found another Secret Manual and several Silver Notes.

He quickly stuffed them into his pocket, then pulled out a bottle of Corpse-Dissolving Powder and poured it over the body.

"Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle…"

After a puff of white smoke, only a black stain remained on the ground—the clothes entirely corroded away.

Thus, Li Yunhua was reduced to ash.

Lu Zhangsheng killed, looted, and erased all traces—fluid, seamless, as if he'd practiced it countless times.

Then he continued walking toward the County City.

………………

Several hours later.

Lu Zhangsheng returned to Changping County, filed his report at the Town Suppression Office, then went back to his Courtyard.

In just a few days, once the Town Suppression Office verified it, a Small Merit reward would be credited—very convenient.

He entered his bedroom and began tallying his gains.

Dozens of Silver Notes lay on the bedside table—each worth ten taels, issued by Dazhou Imperial Merchants, exchangeable anywhere.

He counted them: over five hundred taels—more than enough for a long time.

Then his gaze turned to the two Secret Manuals.

"Wild Wind Chaotic Shadow Saber," "Great Strength Bull Demon Fist"—large characters were engraved on their covers.

He knew at a glance these manuals were excellent, far superior to common-grade ones.

And this 【Great Strength Bull Demon Fist】 was a Flesh Refining Cultivation Technique, progressing step by step from Skin Refining to Flesh Refining, with meticulous details and included medicinal bath formulas.

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated—he began reading both Secret Manuals.

Soon, a crisp alert sounded in his mind.

"Found Great Strength Bull Demon Fist. Record?"

"Found Wild Wind Chaotic Shadow Saber. Record?"

"Record."

Lu Zhangsheng nodded inwardly.

Seeing the two Secret Manuals appear on his Panel, he had no intention of training them immediately.

His immediate priority was to evolve the Iron Cloth Shirt into its next stage, to rapidly break through to Flesh Refining.

The situation was growing increasingly murky—Wenxiang Sect Heretic Cultivators dared openly ambush him and his group; they must be plotting something huge. Hidden forces lurked in the shadows, filling him with urgency—he must break through to the next Realm as soon as possible.

There was still the threat from the Sanhe Gang.

Moreover, the Li Family's affairs will eventually be exposed, but for now, the Wenxiang Sect can still be used to deceive for a while.

Only after entering the Refining Flesh Realm does one not count as weak in all of Changping County.

Some Gang Protectors, Yellow Rank Demon Subduing Envoys, and many veteran Escort Masters are of this Realm.

They form the backbone among countless Martial Artists.

Moreover, having achieved a Perfect Skin Refining Breakthrough, his strength ranks among the upper tier within the Refining Flesh Realm.

(End of Chapter)