Chapter Forty-Two: If I kill you, the prize is still mine!

"Second Brother, be careful!"

Just arriving, Xiao Wu saw Luo Tian injure Sun Huangkun with a single sword strike and was still reeling from shock. Suddenly, he noticed that the youth had already set his sights on Second Brother Zhou Gang, wielding Big Brother’s weapon. His heart surged with panic, and he couldn’t help but cry out a warning.

"Wh—"

The long blade left Luo Tian’s hand, flying forth like a stone hurled from the heavens, a meteor falling. Its tip flashed with a chilling brilliance under the sunlight, captivating and terrifying, whistling through the air with the sound of wind, traversing the space between them with deadly speed.

Zhou Gang barely uttered a syllable before catching, out of the corner of his eye, a glint of cold steel hurtling toward him like an arrow released from the string.

Damn!

He wanted to dodge, but the distance was short, and Luo Tian had seized the initiative. Moreover, Luo Tian’s overwhelming strength left Zhou Gang with no time to react or mount any defense.

A sharp hiss.

The long blade pierced Zhou Gang’s side without suspense, like a rainbow shooting across the sun.

The immense force carried Zhou Gang over ten meters away, throwing him heavily to the ground. All his strength seemed to drain away along with the blood gushing from his wounds, his gaze unfocused, scarlet liquid spilling from his mouth, as if his life itself were ebbing away.

This strike pierced Zhou Gang’s heart directly.

Let alone Luo Tian, whose cultivation was already at the late stage of the sixth transformation of the Qi Condensation realm, easily overwhelming Zhou Gang; even had they both been at the third transformation, such a sudden attack would have left Zhou Gang with no chance.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, Luo Tian’s movements swift as wind and lightning, executed in one seamless flow. He then immediately pursued Sun Huangkun—if Sun managed to summon reinforcements, it would complicate matters. Compared to that, Luo Tian could only leave Zhao Lin’er aside for the moment.

But it shouldn’t be a problem. Zhao Lin’er herself had the strength of the third transformation of the Qi Condensation realm and, after enduring the recent turmoil, she should be more than capable of handling the bandit who subdued Qian Bo. If she couldn’t, Luo Tian could return swiftly.

"Lin’er, I leave it to you!"

Luo Tian had always seen great promise in Zhao Lin’er and their relationship was close, so he called her by name without hesitation.

Without waiting for her reply, Luo Tian’s feet moved faster, his speed increasing.

Freed from her bonds, Zhao Lin’er felt a moment of daze, but seeing Xiao Wu—who had discarded Qian Bo—rushing toward her, she immediately snapped to attention, seized her longsword, and dispatched the bandit who had dared to leer at her.

Sun Huangkun still retained some vital energy. Without hesitation, he drew upon the power he had comprehended from the earth and began to run at full speed, losing all courage to turn and fight again.

Damn it! If only the Divine Sun Sect had explained the benefits of the body-refining secret technique more clearly at the start, I would never have abandoned it halfway, leaving me with only comprehension but unable to let earth-attribute vital energy enter my body. How hateful!

Hateful!

Sun Huangkun roared in his heart, unwilling to accept his fate.

Luo Tian followed in pursuit, running faster than a charging horse, his legs alternating with incredible speed, the earth receding beneath his feet as he relentlessly closed the distance with Sun Huangkun.

Sun Huangkun’s cultivation in terms of vital energy was not weak, but the newly acquired ability, though useful, consumed an enormous amount of energy. Now, exhausted, he felt his strength faltering.

Luo Tian, on the other hand, was different. This was his first true battle after two months of arduous training—a moment akin to forging a sword over ten years. He had just defeated a stronger opponent, and the momentum of victory surged within him, spurring him on to press the attack, never considering retreat.

"Young brother!"

Sun Huangkun quickly changed how he addressed Luo Tian, dropping all pretense in the face of death. "There’s no deep hatred between us—"

"So you want to kill me?"

Luo Tian replied coldly, unmoved, his feet picking up speed.

The longsword in his hand shone with a fierce, chilling light, its edge unmatched. Luo Tian could feel the power within him eager to be unleashed.

"Ha... well—"

Sun Huangkun faltered, unsure how to respond, but quickly found a reason. "Young brother, you’re unharmed! I think—"

"Heh, enough nonsense!"

Luo Tian laughed coldly in anger. So, because he was unharmed, he should let Sun Huangkun go? If he had been injured, would he have been meat on the chopping block, waiting helplessly for death?

"I still remember you promised to give us something at the start!"

"Something?"

Sun Huangkun’s eyes brightened, like a drowning man grasping his last straw. However hopeless it seemed, it was his only hope. "There is! Yes, yes! As long as we shake hands and make peace—"

"If I kill you, the things will be mine just the same!"

Luo Tian recalled his battle with the iron-black giant ape and refused to show mercy. Righteousness and virtue were important, and the principle of not imposing on others what one wouldn’t wish for oneself should be remembered, but when it was time to act, he acted without hesitation.

Letting Sun Huangkun die by his hand, Luo Tian felt no psychological burden—only a surge of satisfaction.

The drain of Sun Huangkun’s vital energy heightened his terror. Without strength, a cultivator was like a tiger without teeth or an eagle without claws, little better than an ordinary person.

"Grandpa Sun will fight you to the end!"

Sun Huangkun suddenly stopped, shouting in fury. It was less a desperate stand than a reckless gamble.

Of course, it was futile.

Luo Tian stabbed his sword straight into Sun Huangkun’s heart, giving him no chance to fight back.

He quickly took Sun Huangkun’s storage pouch and immediately retraced his steps.

Qian Bo, that useless fool, had been captured so easily—Luo Tian wondered if Zhao Lin’er could hold out. He could only hope she lasted long enough.

Long enough for him to return.

Luo Tian wasted little time and soon arrived at the mouth of the rocky valley, only to find Qian Bo’s throat slashed open, blood streaming from the grim wound. Qian Bo’s eyes were wide, as if unable to believe he had died so suddenly, his face still bearing traces of unwillingness and resentment.

Xiao Wu, meanwhile, clutched his dagger tightly, collapsed on the ground, a deep sword wound evident on his back.

Around Zhao Lin’er lay several members of the Breeze Bandit Gang, dead beyond all hope. She stood alone upon the battlefield, the blood on her longsword tracing irregular patterns along its blade, then dripping slowly to the earth.

"Lin’er?"

Luo Tian saw that Zhao Lin’er seemed unharmed, yet appeared distracted. He hesitated, then softly called out to her.