Chapter 28: The Thousand Clouds and Myriad Blossoms Technique

But Yan Min had barely taken two steps when she suddenly felt her body grow heavy. Glancing back, she saw Yang Ze’s hand pressing down hard on her shoulder, pinning her in place and making it impossible to run.

“Trying to escape right under my nose? You must not think much of me,” Yang Ze said coldly, his left hand gripping Yan Min’s shoulder with such force that the sound of bones shattering echoed in the air.

Crack, crack—the excruciating pain made Yan Min scream, her desperate wails ringing out along the cliffside like those of a slaughtered animal.

“Madam Hua, Madam Hua, save me, save me!” Yan Min cried in agony, begging for help, but the beautiful woman in red didn’t so much as glance at her.

Yang Ze snorted, and the muscles of his left arm tensed with power. Yan Min’s shoulder was completely crushed, and half her body went limp.

But it wasn’t over. With a sudden move, Yang Ze’s left hand clamped around Yan Min’s throat. He squeezed, and after a few feeble cries, Yan Min’s breath ceased.

Casually, Yang Ze flung Yan Min’s body aside and clapped his hands twice. His voice was cold as he said, “I forgot to mention, the only reason I brought you along was to deal with you outside the city—spare Yu Yang City from your filth. Remember this: if you have no skill in martial arts, don’t meddle in the world of the jianghu in your next life.”

The woman in red laughed lightly, “Looks like I helped you out, didn’t I? Shouldn’t you thank me?”

“Why didn’t you save her?” Yang Ze asked indifferently.

“She gave me a feeling of utter disgust. I simply didn’t want to save her. Besides, if you hadn’t acted, I would have taken care of her myself,” said Madam Hua, looking at Yan Min’s corpse with clear disdain.

“Then I suppose I’ve done you a favor, and we owe each other nothing,” Yang Ze replied.

She laughed, “You’re good at finding reasons! Owe each other nothing, you say? I was thinking you should give me your life as a gift in return, but it seems I’ll have to take it myself.”

“If you really have the skill, come and try,” Yang Ze said, his eyes cold as they fixed on the woman in red.

“Do you truly not know who I am, or are you just pretending? How dare you speak to me like this? Well, seeing as you’re so young, perhaps you really don’t know. Let me enlighten you.

“They call me Madam Hua because I practice the Thousand Clouds and Myriad Blossoms technique. Five years ago, I reached the advanced stage of Qi Guiding. With this martial art, I killed my own husband—who was also a master at that level. I didn’t deceive you. My husband was killed by me right here at Hump Ridge, and the martial arts you seek are indeed here—they’re the very arts my husband cultivated, and now, they’re mine. Do you want them?” As she spoke, Madam Hua’s gaze grew intense, almost as if she would devour Yang Ze whole.

“I’ve never heard of your deeds, but the fact that you can recount them so proudly shows you’re not human at all—merely a venomous viper. All the better—I’ll have no regrets putting an end to someone like you,” Yang Ze answered, undaunted.

“Arrogant brat,” Madam Hua’s eyes grew cold.

“If you’re going to act, do it now. My people will be here soon, and when they arrive, it’ll be you who dies,” Yang Ze said, utterly unfazed.

“So eager to die? Let me oblige!” Fury flashed across Madam Hua’s face, and as the last word left her lips, she moved.

Despite her delicate appearance, her attack was nothing of the sort. In a mere instant, she was already upon Yang Ze.

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Da Zhuang had long since cowered in the rear, terrified. The two guards, seeing someone trying to kill Yang Ze, were equally fearful of Madam Hua’s strength but had no choice but to grit their teeth and charge forward.

Their broadswords swept out at Madam Hua. With a few graceful flicks of her jade-like fingers, she parried the blades so swiftly that both weapons were sent flying.

The two guards turned pale. They hadn’t even seen how she moved—only felt an overwhelming force in their arms as their weapons were knocked away.

But it was not over. Madam Hua’s hand shot out, aiming straight for their throats. In the blink of an eye, the two guards were at death’s door.

Chills ran down their spines; they didn’t even know which way to dodge. At that moment, Yang Ze intervened!

Yang Ze’s right hand clenched into a fist and lashed out, colliding with Madam Hua’s hand. The impact sent both of them stumbling two steps back.

“You two, fall back—you’re no match for her. Leave this one to me,” Yang Ze said sternly, his eyes fixed on Madam Hua.

Others might not see it, but Yang Ze could tell—Madam Hua’s strength was indeed formidable, and her Thousand Clouds and Myriad Blossoms technique truly powerful. With her bare hands, she could deflect the sharp edge of a blade.

“Why so rough? Don’t you know how to cherish a flower?” Madam Hua withdrew her hand, stroking it as if in pain.

“If there’s any cherishing to be done, let’s see if you can withstand my blade!” Yang Ze drew his sword, slashing horizontally.

Madam Hua retreated, deftly dodging the attack. The seductive expression disappeared from her face, replaced by fury. “You wretch, so determined to die—I’ll grant your wish. Thousand Clouds and Myriad Blossoms!”

Her inner energy surged as she gathered all her strength in her hands. As she struck at Yang Ze with lightning speed, her movements blossomed like petals, leaving afterimages that attacked from all directions at once, making it impossible to tell where the true strike would land.

Yang Ze’s expression turned grave. It was clear Madam Hua had mastered the technique. He felt a real sense of life and death with every move.

He unleashed Tiger’s Claw, his blade drawing the very air itself. A flurry of metallic clashes rang out as Madam Hua’s hands struck his sword repeatedly.

With a twist of his wrist, Yang Ze kept control of his weapon and followed with a sweeping Tiger’s Roar.

Madam Hua countered, her hands weaving a web of afterimages, all striking Yang Ze’s blade. The Tiger’s Roar was rendered useless.

But Yang Ze didn’t relent. He shifted forms, alternating between Tiger’s Claw and Tiger’s Roar, his momentum building ever stronger.

The perfected Black Tiger Blade technique, when wielded by Yang Ze, was even more powerful than Yang Yuan Zhen’s, despite the difference in their levels. He held his own against Madam Hua, who was a whole realm above him.

Madam Hua hadn’t expected to be stymied by someone of lower rank, and her fury mounted as her attacks grew more vicious.

Yang Ze, who had been able to hold out, now felt Madam Hua’s speed and power escalate. He pushed his inner energy to its limits, barely managing to fend her off, but he was clearly losing ground.

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“Boy, you should have spent a few more years training before venturing out. These little tricks of yours are nothing. To die under the finishing blow of my Thousand Clouds and Myriad Blossoms is a privilege. Thousand Clouds and Myriad Blossoms!”

After so many exchanges, Madam Hua had discerned that Yang Ze’s sword technique was quite ordinary, easily countered by her own. She now unleashed her killing move, intent on ending him.

Concentrating her inner energy in her right hand, she flicked her jade-like fingers. Yang Ze’s blade was knocked aside, and dozens of afterimages swept toward him.

Yang Ze let the force spin his sword away, using the momentum to leap back several steps. Summoning all his strength, his right arm tensed, and he prepared the final move of the Black Tiger Blade: Tiger Descends the Mountain.

As Yang Ze’s blade cleaved through the air, it was as if the roar of a real tiger echoed. The afterimages faltered beneath the onslaught.

Madam Hua’s face changed drastically—she hadn’t realized Yang Ze had been holding back. His all-out strike collided with her attack.

Under the ferocity of his blade, her hand was slashed, a line of blood blossoming in her palm. She had to withdraw, but Yang Ze’s momentum did not halt. She struck with her left hand to finally repel his attack.

Madam Hua tried to use the opportunity to gain distance, but saw that Yang Ze’s momentum was undiminished, in fact only growing fiercer, all his power flowing into the blade in his right hand.

“Tiger Descends the Mountain!” With a roar, Yang Ze unleashed his trump card—an all-out Tiger Descends the Mountain.

This time, the strike was even more powerful and swift. Madam Hua’s face went pale—she had just been wounded by Yang Ze’s blade, and could only muster her inner energy to her hands in a desperate defense.

But Yang Ze’s blade was not only strong but incredibly fast. In an instant, it was upon her, the blade’s energy exploding and striking her in the abdomen.

Yang Ze’s blade energy could shatter stone—how could mere flesh and blood withstand it?

In a flash, the blade energy pierced through Madam Hua’s body. Blood spurted from the wound.

“Blade energy—you’re not at the Qi Guiding stage, you’re at the Postnatal stage…” Madam Hua stared at Yang Ze in disbelief. She had never imagined he could wield blade energy.

Yang Ze gave her no answer. Without pulling his blow, he twisted his wrist and plunged the blade into her body, then withdrew it. Madam Hua collapsed to the ground, dying at Yang Ze’s hand.

After dispatching Madam Hua, Yang Ze’s face was drained of color. He gasped for breath several times, and only when he was sure she was dead did he allow himself to relax.

When Yang Ze had finally taken care of Madam Hua, Old Xie appeared with a dozen men. Seeing Yang Ze unharmed, Old Xie breathed a sigh of relief.