C5 A Punch to Kill

"Is this really all you had to say?" Jee Yun's brow furrowed as he turned to leave, having expected Mo Shan's sudden visit to be about something of urgency, not idle chatter.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you? Even after a decade," Mo Shan chuckled ruefully. But his laughter faded, and his deeply lined face grew serious. "Xue Tiandao has sent someone. Rumor has it he's reached the Martial Saint realm. Your feud with him..."

Jee Yun halted but didn't turn back, his expression the epitome of calm, betraying no emotion. "Hmph! His son died by my sword trying to take the Starry Decree from me. I spared Xue Tiandao's life once. If he hasn't learned his lesson, Martial Saint or not, I'll end him!"

Mo Shan fell silent, knowing full well Jee Yun's capabilities. He pressed on, "And what of her? What's your plan?"

A flicker of complexity crossed Jee Yun's eyes. After a long pause, he spoke, "I'll offer her a choice. If she wishes for a divorce, I'll consent. It's the least I can do to repay Su Nantian for saving my life."

"I see," Mo Shan nodded, then added, "One more thing. Yun Xiuchen may not remember you, but prepare for the worst. He's from the Star Domain, after all. If the battle for the stars takes an unexpected turn, consider that option, perilous though it may be..."

Before Mo Shan could finish, Jee Yun cut him off, "Enough. It's late, and I should return."

With those final words, he strode away without a backward glance.

Mo Shan watched Jee Yun's retreating figure, exhaling softly, "I've said my piece. Take care of yourself."

...

Nestled in a tranquil corner of the eastern Central Mansion district lay the Su Mansion.

After his encounter with Mo Shan, Jee Yun approached the Su Mansion, now just a stone's throw away. Suddenly, as if picking up on an unseen threat, he halted in his tracks, then with a swift motion, he blinked several yards away.

"Boom!"

In the nick of time, as Jee Yun evaded, a powerful and tyrannical spear tore through the air, impaling the very spot he had just vacated.

"Clang!"

Stones shattered and scattered as a hole the size of a fist appeared in the tough ground, a testament to the spear's formidable destructive power.

"Hmph!"

Jee Yun's eyes blazed with intensity as he watched the quivering spear. His sharp gaze quickly fixed on the rooftop of a nearby house.

"Huh? He dodged it!" Blood Asura, observing Jee Yun, cracked a smile, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, but it was fleeting.

Once hailed as the Venom God, Jee Yun's prowess had seemingly waned since his defeat at the hands of Yun Xiuchen from the Star Domain. To a Martial Grandmaster like Blood Asura, he was no more significant than an ant.

But then, a fearsome aura erupted from Blood Asura, and in a flash, he transformed into a vibrant comet, streaking towards Jee Yun with a blade of sharp Astral Qi.

Astral Qi burst forth, the mark of a Grandmaster!

"Seeking death!"

With a cold laugh, Jee Yun slammed his foot down, and the earth shattered as if detonated. His form became that of a wild, rampaging beast, tearing through the air at an inconceivable speed, whipping up a whirlwind as he barreled towards Blood Asura.

"This is bad!"

Feeling the onslaught of the terrifying aura, Blood Asura's face twisted in alarm. His comet-like form froze mid-air, and without a second's delay, he spun and fled.

"Damn it, wasn't he supposed to be a broken man after that lucky escape?"

He hadn't anticipated that his Grandmaster presence would be overwhelmed by Jee Yun. Now, he felt as vulnerable as a tiny vessel tossed about in the roaring sea.

"Crash!"

The wall along the street crumbled abruptly as Jee Yun launched himself into the air, rocketing towards Blood Asura like a shot.

The entire ordeal was intense, domineering, and charged with unrelenting ferocity!

"Puchi!"

Blood Asura, who had thought his retreat would open an opportunity for a counterattack, was violently shaken. His bones shattered in an instant, his blood and Qi roiled, and even his internal organs were displaced.

Blown back by Jee Yun's punch, he crashed into the house behind him, reducing it to rubble!

"Are you with the Red Rebel?"

Jee Yun halted, brushing off the dust that had settled on him from the crumbling wall, and methodically advanced toward Blood Asura.

The collapsed house reeked of blood, a clear sign that its inhabitants had been slain.

"Cough, cough... At the ninth level of Martial Tao... transcending the ordinary... The Sect Master has miscalculated... The Venom God hasn't lost his powers. Cough, cough..."

Blood Asura's cough was violent, his chest bones pulverized, his organs jolted out of place. His life was ebbing away.

"Heh, I had expected Xue Tiandao himself to show up, not just a junior at the eighth level of Martial Tao!"

"Cough, cough... Jee Yun, don't get cocky. Even if you've regained your strength, the Sect Master has already ascended to the Martial Saint realm. The outcome is far from decided... Alas, the Sect Master underestimated you, and I can't even get this message out..."

With those final words, Blood Asura succumbed to his grave injuries.

"Heh!"

Jee Yun chuckled softly, his expression unaltered, as if such scenes were commonplace to him. Gazing at Blood Asura's corpse, he commented coolly, "Even if Xue Tiandao himself had come, his fate would be no different than yours."

"Foolish weaklings... You have no understanding of true power!"

...

In the Su Mansion, Su Xuerou and Su Xiaomei were deep in conversation when Su Xuerou abruptly looked outside, as if sensing something.

"Sis, what's the matter?" Su Xiaomei inquired, her youthful voice laced with allure.

Su Xuerou withdrew her gaze and shook her head, "Just now, a fleeting but terrifying pressure passed by. It felt like the might of a grandmaster, yet there are no martial grandmasters in Central Mansion. It must have been an illusion!"

"Alright then," Su Xuerou responded, as Su Xiaomei gave a nonchalant shrug and remarked, "So, sis, have you given any thought to my advice? Jee Yun is nothing but a loser. Maybe it's time you considered divorcing him."

As Su Xiaomei spoke, Jee Yun entered from outside the Su Mansion, catching her words. He cast a cool glance at the sisters, his face betraying no emotion.

Catching sight of Jee Yun, Su Xuerou shot Su Xiaomei a warning look and shook her head. "Let's discuss this some other time," she suggested.

With those words, the smile that had been on her face withdrew, leaving behind an icy detachment.