Chapter Sixty-Four: The Death of Mudou (Please Vote)

Ouyang Xin pinched the half blade between his fingers and thrust it into the man in black, piercing his body as blood spattered out.

A shrill scream rang out, and the eyes of the man in black brimmed with blood.

Ouyang Xin struck the man with his palm, sending a surge of true energy that shook his internal organs. The man in black, hidden behind his mask, coughed up several mouthfuls of blood in succession, his aura plummeting rapidly.

Just as Ouyang Xin moved to end the man’s life, another figure in black darted to his side like a ghost, striking at the back of Ouyang Xin’s head with a palm.

Ouyang Xin flipped agilely into the air, his body suffused with surging true energy that billowed around him, even making his robes balloon out.

The man in black’s palm missed its mark. He spun around, his own true energy surging, and a similar aura billowed about him. It was clear that Ouyang Xin’s momentum was rising.

At the peak of their power, both men struck out at once, and two opposing streams of true energy collided.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three thunderous explosions echoed as true energy burst forth, sweeping the ground and sending a layer of dust into the air.

Ouyang Xin’s robes danced, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, but his stance remained unshakable.

The man in black, however, let out a muffled grunt, withdrawing his hands abruptly as the sleeves of his arms were shredded. He staggered back four or five steps before managing to steady himself, blood trickling from beneath his mask.

“You truly live up to your reputation as Yuyang City’s foremost expert. Judging by your progress, it won’t be long before you break into the Intermediate Postnatal Realm,” the man in black said coldly, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

“Enough useless talk. You dared stir trouble in my Yuyang City—don’t think any of you are leaving!” Ouyang Xin had no patience for banter, lunging directly at the man in black.

“Hurry and go, I’ll hold him off!” The man in black bellowed, engaging Ouyang Xin in a fierce battle; his words were meant for his gravely injured companion.

Despite his injuries, the other man in black, being a Postnatal Realm martial artist, was far tougher than those at the Qi Guiding stage. Mustering his remaining true energy, he still managed to hold on.

Casting a glance at the chaos enveloping the Mu Manor, he gripped the broken blade and fled outside.

At this moment, the dozen or so Qi Guiding peak martial artists, who had been waiting on the sidelines, finally sprang into action. They’d been unable to intervene earlier, but now that a severely wounded Postnatal martial artist was fleeing, he could no longer intimidate them. They moved forward to apprehend him.

Seeing the group closing in, the injured man in black scoffed coldly. “Just a few of you dare stand in my way? Courting death!”

With that, he reached into his robe and unleashed a flurry of throwing darts.

The darts shot out with alarming speed. Several of the Qi Guiding peak martial artists, caught off guard, failed to evade and were struck, collapsing to the ground with their fate uncertain.

With a single move, the man in black tumbled several times and escaped the battlefield, vanishing without a trace.

Seeing one of the assailants escape, Ouyang Xin’s attacks grew even fiercer, each blow brimming with true energy, driving the remaining man in black back step by step.

“There are thousands of men surrounding the city. Do you really think he can get away?” Ouyang Xin’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

“That’s not your concern. Today, none of you will leave here alive!” the man in black retorted.

“Oh, really?” Ouyang Xin’s lips curled into a cold smile. Over on Mu Dou’s side, the tide had already turned.

Though none of Xu Wenwu’s group could match Mu Dou alone, together, the four of them overwhelmed him. After hundreds of exchanges, Mu Dou felt his true energy nearly depleted.

Mu Dou’s withered hand lashed out, clashing with Xu Wenwu’s palm, only to be immediately met by a sword thrust from Bai Fei, forcing him to defend again. At the same time, Yuan Heng and Yang Yuanzhen flanked him from both sides, draining his strength at a rapid pace.

“Is this all you’ve got, Mu Dou? Four Qi Guiding peaks have forced you to such a state,” taunted the man in black, seeing Mu Dou falter.

“These four are the strongest Qi Guiding peaks in Yuyang’s martial world. Lasting this long is no easy feat. If you’re so capable, come and help me eliminate them. Otherwise, when I fall, your situation will only grow more dire,” Mu Dou shot back, irritation burning in his eyes.

“Nothing I can do. My opponent is far tougher than yours. If you’re this useless, I’ll leave you to your fate,” the man in black replied curtly. Mu Dou seethed with anger, but with Xu Wenwu and the others pressing hard, he had no chance to retort and was forced to retreat further.

“You really think you can escape? This battle ends now.” Ouyang Xin gave a cold snort, suddenly shifting his technique—his left palm transforming into a piercing finger.

With lightning speed, he jabbed at the man in black’s right palm, inflicting a wound before the pain could register. Ouyang Xin followed up with another rapid strike, forcing the man to retreat again.

With his qi disrupted, the man’s speed faltered. Before he could recover, Ouyang Xin jabbed twice more at his vital points, sending a surge of force into his meridians. The man in black screamed, vomiting blood repeatedly.

Seizing the moment, Ouyang Xin unleashed another finger strike, this time directly at the man’s dantian.

The impact utterly destroyed the man’s dantian, wrenching from him a heart-wrenching scream.

The dantian is the foundation of a martial artist, where all cultivated true energy is stored—destroy it, and the person becomes a cripple.

The man’s true energy dissipated rapidly. Stripped of all dignity, he cried out as Ouyang Xin approached, “Spare me!”

“You wish for death? It won’t be that easy,” Ouyang Xin replied coldly, delivering several palm strikes that shattered every meridian in the man’s body, crippling him utterly beyond hope of recovery.

Witnessing Ouyang Xin’s prowess, Mu Dou’s face turned ashen with despair. He realized that, after all he had done, falling into official hands would mean a fate worse than death. His eyes grew wild with desperation.

“If I must go, I’ll take you with me!”

Mu Dou, already gaunt, let out a furious cry as his skin and flesh shriveled, clinging to his bones, his blood and flesh dissolving in an instant.

In exchange, Mu Dou’s aura soared, breaking through the limits of the Qi Guiding stage to reach the Postnatal Realm.

Xu Wenwu and the others grew grave at the sight, daring not to hold back. Together, they sealed off all avenues of escape.

Mu Dou’s eyes shone with madness. Burning the last embers of his life, he pushed his Flowerwood Technique to its extreme. If he could not survive, he would at least drag them down with him.

His true energy erupted, both hands delivering a flurry of palms so fast they left afterimages, impossible to follow.

The four gave their all, matching each palm with desperate force. At last, Mu Dou let out a final, furious roar, pouring every ounce of his true energy into one last strike.

Xu Wenwu and the others met the blow head-on, only to be sent flying, rolling across the ground, spitting blood, unable to rise.

Mu Dou, having unleashed this final attack, saw that his foes, though gravely wounded, yet lived. Unwillingness flickered in his eyes, but his life force ebbed away, and he collapsed for good.

With Mu Dou dead, one man in black crippled and another having fled, the battle was over.

After sealing the crippled man’s acupoints, Ouyang Xin turned to the dozen or so Qi Guiding peak martial artists nearby, displeasure etched in his gaze.

None of them dared meet his eyes. They knew their cowardice had allowed the other man in black to escape—a dangerous failure.

“I’ll settle with you later. Wang Yi, Wang Er, convey my orders: lock down the entire East City. The man in black’s meridians are shattered; even if he survives, he won’t last long. He can’t have gone far.”

Ouyang Xin swiftly issued his orders, and Wang Yi and Wang Er left at once. But then he realized Yang Ze, who had been observing nearby, had vanished.

Yang Ze had slipped away the moment the fighting ended. With a few agile leaps, he left Mu Manor behind.

Outside, chaos reigned. Yang Ze immediately understood—the man in black had escaped, and those outside had failed to stop him.

To Yang Ze, this was no surprise; the strongest outside were only high-level Qi Guiding martial artists. Against a desperate Postnatal Realm foe, they truly stood little chance.

Amid the chaos, Yang Ze made no pause, fleeing at his fastest speed.

That man in black had previously tried to kill him. Now, with his enemy gravely wounded, it was the perfect time to strike—lest endless trouble be left behind.