C38 Killing Three People in a Row
The scream was cut short as a Qi Refining Stage Level Four expert from the Ding family was cleaved in two by Wei Lulin's swift strike.
"You're courting death!" Upon witnessing their ally bisected by Wei Lulin, the remaining two Ding family members were consumed by rage. Weapons in hand, they charged at Wei Lulin with fury.
They believed their comrade had fallen not due to Wei Lulin's superior strength, but because of his own carelessness. They hadn't anticipated Wei Lulin's ruthless tactic of targeting their ally's critical points, leading to the fatal outcome. As they advanced, they were not only highly cautious but also exerted their full power.
Wei Lulin watched the two assailants approach, his expression unchanging. He deftly kicked up the long sword that had fallen from the fallen Ding family disciple, flicking it with force.
Transformed into a deadly projectile, the sword shot towards the Qi Refining Stage Level Five adversary. Wei Lulin then channeled one-fifth of his Spiritual Force, leaping high and unleashing the Hua Mountain Slashing technique on the Qi Refining Stage Level Four opponent.
Much like the ordinary warrior Wei Lulin had encountered upon leaving the Endless Forest, this opponent attempted to block the attack with his weapon.
Despite being of a higher realm, his strength paled in comparison to Wei Lulin's. The ordinary Ten-refinement Weapon he wielded managed to block the steel blade, but the sheer force of the Hua Mountain Slashing was overwhelming.
The steel blade bore down, cleaving into his scalp as blood spurted from the wound.
Wei Lulin, seeing his foe barely clinging to life, wasted no time. With a powerful kick to the chest, he ended the struggle.
The man fell without a sound, dead before he hit the ground. Meanwhile, the Qi Refining Stage Level Five expert, who had just drawn his sword, was still three meters from Wei Lulin.
The sight of his fully committed ally struck down and lying dead ignited a fury in the strongest of the Ding family Experts. He let out a roar and executed the Flying Swallow Sword Technique, aiming for Wei Lulin's arm.
Wei Lulin nimbly dodged the full-force strike. As the expert's move fell short, Wei Lulin countered with the Coiling Style, ensnaring his opponent's weapon. Not missing a beat, Wei Lulin also launched a kick squarely at his opponent's groin.
Confronted with Wei Lulin's unexpectedly swift kick, the Ding family Expert inwardly cursed the move as underhanded before reluctantly stepping back.
Wei Lulin seized the opportunity presented by his retreating adversary, spotting an opening. Without hesitation, he executed a pushing technique, thrusting the tip of his steel blade directly toward the opponent's chest.
"Damn it!" The Ding family Expert, witnessing Wei Lulin's relentless and lethal assault, finally caught on.
Though his opponent's level wasn't particularly high, his strength was formidable, and his combat experience extensive. Had it not been for Wei Lulin's superior level and his own wealth of combat experience, he would have likely been slain by the opponent's blade by now.
This, however, was a mere misconception. Unbeknownst to him, Wei Lulin had only exerted a mere one-sixth of his strength since the fight began.
As the steel blade neared his heart, the Ding family Expert had no time to block with his weapon; he could only attempt to deflect the blade's edge with his right hand.
But he had gravely underestimated Wei Lulin's reflexes. Just as his right hand was about to strike the back of the blade, it suddenly twisted, the edge now targeting his palm.
Committed to his forceful deflection, he was unable to withdraw in time, and his palm met the sharp edge of the blade.
The steel blade, a Ten-refinement Essence weapon handpicked by Wei Dong for Wei Lulin, was exceedingly sharp.
The collision resulted in the blade cleanly severing his palm.
"Ah!" The Ding family Expert screamed in agony, having lost half of his palm along with five fingers.
Wei Lulin remained indifferent to his opponent's excruciating pain. After severing the palm, he didn't retract the blade. Instead, he twisted his wrist, flipping the handle upward and the blade downward, and used the same slicing move that had dispatched his previous foe to cleave the man in two.
Having eliminated three adversaries in quick succession, Wei Lulin's energy reserves were hardly depleted. Yet, he didn't bother to collect the valuables from the bodies or retrieve the Flower Tail Fox's inner core. With his steel blade in hand, he swiftly made his escape to the east.
Just as Wei Lulin had moved from his original spot, a sharp longsword pierced the air where he had just been, striking only his afterimage.
Watching Wei Lulin's rapid departure, the master swordsman who had launched the surprise attack gazed after him with a grave expression, remarking in a weighty tone, "He's extremely alert!"
Possibly due to possessing two souls, Wei Lulin found his awareness to be exceptionally keen. As he dispatched the three competitors from the Ding family, he sensed an impending threat.
Yet, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the danger. It wasn't until he was facing off against the Qi Refining Stage Level Five expert from the Ding family that he acutely detected the threat's location, which allowed him to swiftly react and make a timely exit.
After dashing away for several meters, Wei Lulin glanced back, a hint of chill flickering in his eyes.
The assailant was a member of the royal family named Qi Fengyun, a formidable practitioner from a collateral branch, already at the Qi Refining Stage Level Six. In a one-on-one fight, Wei Lulin wasn't actually afraid of him; with both combatants going all out, the outcome was far from certain.
Wei Lulin's decision to flee stemmed not from fear, but from a reluctance to prematurely draw the attention of the royal family's experts.
While others might not recognize him as Wei Lulin, Yao Yafeng did. Drawing the scrutiny of the royal family's experts now, particularly with his true identity known, would likely make him a prime target for them in the near future.
With his High Level Grade Eight talent, he posed a significant threat to the royal family. They would prefer to eliminate him early, even if it meant sacrificing some performance in the Hunting Competition.
Among the participants, aside from Xie Jutong, who had reached the peak of the Qi Refining Stage Level Seven, and Jiaang Que, who had achieved Qi Refining Stage Level Seven Perfection, the royal family's experts were the last people Wei Lulin wanted to encounter.
Once he had covered some ground and saw that Qi Fengyun wasn't pursuing him, Wei Lulin slowed down and pulled out the map Wei Ying had provided.
Upon reviewing it, he realized he was nearing the final marked location.
Only three days had passed since the Hunting Competition, and Wei Lulin had planned to further enhance his combat experience as per the original plan. But with the marked location on the map within such close proximity, he decided to investigate it first. Should there be treasures capable of boosting his strength, they would undoubtedly be a significant advantage in the forthcoming challenges of the competition.