Lu Yan walked at a leisurely pace, stepping up to the cultivator who was fast asleep.
The man leaned against the city wall, his head nodding as he slept deeply. His breathing was slow and steady, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Lu Yan raised his hand and delivered two resounding, heavy slaps right to his face.
Smack! Smack!
The two sharp sounds echoed as his hands slammed against the man's cheeks.
The Central Continent Alliance gatekeeper was instantly slapped into a daze. His head buzzed, his mind a complete muddle. What the hell? Who just hit me? Where did someone get the balls to do that?
He forced his heavy eyelids open in a daze. His vision was blurry, and it took a while for his eyes to focus. Once he clearly saw that the person standing in front of him wasn't his usual superior, a surge of anger flared up from the depths of his heart, instantly burning away any remaining sleepiness.
Gnash-toothed, he let out an angry roar, “You're looking for death!”
He grabbed the long saber lying on the ground beside him with one hand. The blade whistled through the air as he slashed it straight toward Lu Yan. Unfortunately, he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and an utterly mediocre, unremarkable one at that. If he had even a shred of real talent, he wouldn't have been relegated to squatting at the city gates, guarding them day in and day out.
Lu Yan's eyes weren't very good to begin with, but even so, dodging this slash was incredibly easy. He tilted his body slightly to the side, and the sharp blade grazed past his shoulder without harming a single strand of hair. Lu Yan shook his head slightly, letting out a click of his tongue, his tone carrying a hint of mild disappointment. “Have the disciples of the Central Continent deteriorated to such a pathetic state?”
A faint light flickered in his palm. Fine formation lines formed in an instant, vanishing just as quickly. Lu Yan took a step forward, making no attempt to dodge. Instead, he met the rushing cultivator head-on, pressing his palm firmly against the disciple's abdomen.
As the word “Impact” fell, the cultivator's body violently doubled over, as if struck by an invisible mountain. A muffled crack of shattering bones exploded from him as his entire ribcage collapsed inward. He flew backward like a flung stone, tracing the curve of the city wall before crashing heavily into a pile of rubble on the other side, unable to get up for a long time.
“Looks like I won't make it home in time for dinner today, haha.”
Lu Yan lightly shook his hand. The recoil from that strike had left his palm slightly numb. He turned his head, his gaze landing on the remaining gatekeeper.
This man's face was deathly pale, completely devoid of color. His legs trembled uncontrollably, and his hands shook so violently he could barely hold the hilt of his saber.
With a trembling voice, he stammered, “Y-who are you... We are cultivators under the Central Continent Alliance. If you dare to hurt us, the Central Continent Alliance will never let you get away with this!”
Lu Yan let out a low chuckle, his laughter filled with mockery, devoid of any goodwill. “Listen to you, as if the Central Continent Alliance would let me off even if I didn't make a move. Forget it, I might as well let you die with a clear mind. I am the Holy Son of the Formation Sect, Lu Yan. I've returned today specifically to collect my debts and seek revenge.”
Clang—
The long saber slipped from the gatekeeper's grip, clattering loudly onto the stone ground. His legs gave out, and he knelt straight down on the hard floor, forcing a smile that looked several times uglier than a crying face. “Holy Son! Just now... just now, we were only joking around...”
Lu Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing. Heh, this kid isn't stupid at all; his mind works fast. He raised his hand and lightly patted the man's cheek, his slaps neither too hard nor too soft. “Take me to your base here. I've come today to collect a little interest.”
The kneeling cultivator scrambled to his feet, bending his waist so low his spine curved like a shrimp. He nodded repeatedly, saying, “Yes, yes! I'll lead the way right now! Immediately!”
But in his heart, he was calculating rapidly. Once they reached the main hall garrisoned inside the city, there would be a Nascent Soul Elder and a whopping five Golden Core Consecrators sitting there. When that time came, they would definitely beat this arrogant Formation Sect Holy Son to a pulp.
The guide standing on the side watched the entire scene unfold, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. The employer I hired... is actually this fierce?
He sized Lu Yan up in earnest. The youth looked slender and frail, with long, pitch-black hair loosely cascading down. He seemed to have an eye ailment, with a strip of plain white silk wrapped around his eyes, lacking even a shred of intimidation.
Yet, despite his fragile-looking physique, he had sent a Foundation Establishment cultivator flying with a single, effortless palm strike. Good lord, that is incredibly powerful.
Lu Yan noticed the guide staring at him. Now that they had successfully entered the territory of Beizhou City, their employment agreement was practically complete. He waved his hand at the guide. “Go on. You're free now.”
Hearing this, the guide's face was lined with sweat. Why does that sound like I sold myself to him? But since the other party was his employer, he didn't dare to speak back. The man could say whatever he pleased. In his heart, he secretly hoped this guy would kill a few more of those Central Continent Alliance dogs.
Lu Yan paid no more attention to whatever thoughts were running through the mind of the guide he had just hired. Even if he knew exactly what the guide was thinking, he had no interest in dealing with it right now.
He had completely seen through things now. Morality, benevolence—to hell with all of it. Since the world today was ruled by the law of the fist, then he would simply meet force with force. He would fight and see if his own fists were hard enough.
Lu Yan took a few steps forward and bent down to pick up the storage bag dropped by the cultivator he had sent flying. With a thought, he opened the bag. Scanning the contents inside, he couldn't help but marvel. This guy was incredibly loaded; there were at least a thousand spirit stones in there.
If he took care of a few more Central Continent Alliance disciples, he might be able to pool together a significant portion of the cost needed to replace Jiang Ci's heart.
Lu Yan's eyes darkened as his gaze slowly swept over the cultivator who was still bowing and scraping in front of him. Feeling that gaze on him, the guiding disciple shuddered violently, a chill creeping up his spine. He didn't dare hide anything, hurriedly untying his own storage bag and offering it to Lu Yan with both hands.
Lu Yan nodded in satisfaction. Sensible. He felt quite pleased at this moment. “Let's go. Show me around your headquarters.”
The guiding cultivator hastily replied, leading the way. “Yes, yes, of course!”
The two of them walked one after the other, heading deep into Beizhou City.
On the other side of the city wall, the cultivator with the collapsed ribcage lay with his eyes wide open. Bloody foam mixed with bits of flesh bubbled from the corners of his mouth. In a weak, halting voice, he cried out, “Wait... save me... I think I can still be saved...”
Rate on N.U.
