Chương 75: The Evil Cult’s Ghost-Masked Man Was Actually Him

The forging hammer drifted slowly through the air. It went toward County Lieutenant Wang's head.

"You reckless little—" County Lieutenant Wang sneered inwardly. The battle among the ghost-masked man, Sun Tiexin, and the others was naturally beyond his power to meddle in. Yet a junior from Jiangxin Hall (Hall of the Craftsman's Heart), at most newly entered into the Third Grade—how could he injure me? What peerless genius with three arts at Great Perfection? Behold this hammer, limp and feather-light; does it possess even the slightest might? County Lieutenant Wang drew his blade!

He meant to teach Su Zhe a lesson. In the next instant— A bone-piercing chill surged into his heart. Not right! His life was in peril!

"Boom!" County Lieutenant Wang felt as though a mountain had struck him.

"Clang!" The plain saber in his hand shattered on the spot into countless fragments. At a speed nigh dreadful, he flew backward and smashed straight through a boulder thick enough for one man to embrace.

"Wa!" County Lieutenant Wang spat blood. He discovered that the hand which had gripped the saber, together with his chest, had been smashed as one. What monstrous brute strength! Ten thousand jin? A hundred thousand jin? The wind howled.

"A county lieutenant who cannot even hold his blade?"

"A useless sack of wine and rice—this, we taxpayers shall not allow!" Another hammer descended. Swung in a full arc. Its momentum was like wind and thunder; its speed was as lightning.

"Bang!" County Lieutenant Wang's head burst apart, and he died on the spot. Su Zhe carried the forging hammer and did not so much as glance at County Lieutenant Wang, who lay like rotten mire. With great strides, he went toward Sun Tiexin.

"At this moment, this Su is terrifyingly strong!" In Su Zhe's right hand was the forging hammer. Upon the five immortal apertures of his body were equipped— The Fire-Refining Furnace, the Tiger-Roar Baleful-Soul Saber, the Demon-Scale Inner Armor, the Flood-Dragon Silk, and the Phantom Shark Mask. The dark sickle lay hidden in his left hand. Each of his hands held a Fourth-Grade treasure weapon. Of his five pieces of equipment, two were Fourth-Grade treasure weapons, and three were peak Third-Grade mortal weapons.

Especially after equipping the Fire-Refining Furnace— Though Su Zhe was at the high stage of the Third Grade, the three-spirits-united inner force within his body circulated with even greater purity. This Su— Could battle the Fourth Grade! Su Zhe raised his head and looked toward the ghost-masked man. ……

"Roar!" Lightning flashed and thunder rolled. The wind screamed. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. The tiger follows the wind; the clouds follow the dragon. When dragon and tiger stir, wind and cloud gather.

"Master!" Su Zhe's eyes fixed upon Sun Tiexin.

"Bang!"

"Clang!" Sun Tiexin crashed heavily to the ground. As for Zhang Yunshun, he had long since lost all strength to fight. Guo Ju and Xiao Xunhuan guarded Sun Tiexin with all their might. As Sun Tiexin spat blood, he cursed furiously:"Cough, cough! Begone! Break out of the encirclement! Pay no heed to this old man!"

"So long as you live, go to Jiangxin Hall and take that brat Su Zhe far away!"

"In days to come, when he has grown into his power, let him avenge this old man!"

"Pff!" His beard, originally black as steel needles, had been dyed purplish-red. Sun Tiexin gasped for breath in great mouthfuls. The three drops of treasured blood had already all been taken. In the present state of things, not even immortals could save him.

"Master!" Guo Ju was stricken with grief; Xiao Xunhuan wailed aloud.

"What are you crying for, useless things!"

"In this life, this old man has accepted three disciples. I have no regrets! No remorse! No shame!"

"Heavens, thou hast treated me well!" Sun Tiexin roared, his voice gradually weakening, seeming to carry one final thread of unwillingness as he murmured:"What a pity… I did not see him obtain the ancestor's inheritance…"

"If he lives, let him come before my grave and tell me… just what that inheritance was…" The ghost-masked man's figure appeared like a specter.

"Die!" The dark sickle fell. Su Zhe drove his foot heavily into the ground. Upon the forging hammer, inner force erupted, and three-colored flames actually ignited! From high above, he smashed down toward that swiftly passing figure!

"Master! The ancestor's inheritance—your disciple… has obtained it!"

"If thou wouldst know what it is, then… live!" Twin Flood-Dragons, Three Tigers, Fourteen Oxen! Two paths of Spirit Snake Swallows Elephant Force! Mantis Arm Mantis Form! Phoenix Rises, Flood-Dragon Soars! Su Zhe's four limbs swelled, directly bursting apart his fine garments. Both hands gripped the hammer. Each piece of muscle seemed to come alive, writhing ceaselessly, while blue veins stood out like earthworms. A vast and mighty force, yet hidden without trace!

"You!" The ghost-masked man was, after all, formidable. In an instant he perceived it, turned his head, and felt his scalp go numb. The dark sickle in the ghost-masked man's hand slashed out again and again. Inner force surged, transforming into a net of blades!

"Boom!" Hammer and blade collided. The web between the ghost-masked man's thumb and forefinger split open, and his body was driven a full meter into the earth!

"Su Zhe!"

"Little shidi!" Sun Tiexin, Guo Ju, and Xiao Xunhuan stared in disbelief. At the critical moment, little shidi had come to rescue them? No, that was not right! How could little shidi be so fierce? This… Was this truly not a dream? Su Zhe… Zhang Yunshun, County Magistrate Zhao, County Deputy Gongsun, and the other experts were all stunned. Who was this man? Was there such a figure of renown in Lu County? No! It seemed he was the peerless young genius whose name had recently risen like thunder!

"You call this fierce man, who repelled a Fourth-Grade martial artist with one blow, a youth?"

"Whose genius could be monstrous to such a degree?" The experts of Lu County widened their eyes, dumbstruck where they stood. Especially Zhang Yunshun. His Cao Gang (Canal Transport Gang) had also produced a genius with upper-upper Class-A root bones, named Yuan Ba. He had once believed that one such as Yuan Ba could be counted a genius born of all the gathered grace and fortune of Lu County, shaped by the spiritual qi of creation. One genius was the work of fate.

Two geniuses meant the heavens had opened their eyes. But looking now… What Yuan Ba! Was he worthy to be named alongside Su Zhe? That Yuan Ba, proud of the title of genius, was in truth no more than a Second-Grade martial artist, one who could only look toward the future. But Su Zhe could already lock wrists directly with the Fourth Grade. The difference was plain at a glance!

"Tietniu, in the matter of taking disciples, I… have lost to thee…"

"You damned fellow… hid this far too deep… Had I known thy disciple could fight so well…"

"Why make me keep leaping back and forth upon the road to the Yellow Springs?" Zhang Yunshun forced himself to sit up and spoke to Sun Tiexin with some helplessness.

"Shut your mouth!" Sun Tiexin snapped. His pair of eyes stared fixedly at Su Zhe and the ghost-masked man.

"Su… Su Zhe…" The ghost-masked man's right hand trembled without cease, blood dripping down. He too had failed to react in time. That peerless genius of Jiangxin Hall—in merely a few months, he had gained the strength to contend with him. It was as if waking from a dream, yet the dream still lingered.

"Boom!" Su Zhe uttered not a word. His body shook, and the great hammer once more charged toward the ghost-masked man!

"Zheng!" The dark sickle moved. Mantis Arm Seals The Throat! The sickle became black lightning, stabbing toward Su Zhe's throat!

"Shua!" Su Zhe swept out his left hand. A dark sickle appeared in his grasp. Mantis Arm Seals The Throat! The exact same move directly swept that strike aside!

"Sickle-Shadow Mantis-Slaughter Art! Already reached Lesser Achievement! How… how is this possible!" The ghost-masked man cried out in alarm. Treasure arts differed from mortal arts. Even with Class-A root bones, without ten years of immersion, how could one cultivate the Sickle-Shadow Mantis-Slaughter Art to Lesser Achievement? If Su Zhe merely possessed Great Perfection in the Blacksmith Gang's three martial arts, that would have been one thing. How long had he been practicing martial arts?

Yet even a treasure art had reached Lesser Achievement? In that instant— Su Zhe… Had drawn close! Inner force erupted. He pressed on without pause. The great hammer danced, swung in full arcs until fierce winds rose. Gales swept forth in waves, scattering the surrounding evil cultists into bloody mist. Lifting the heavy as though it were light—strength of a hundred thousand jin!

"Bang!" The ghost-masked man's face was struck by a sweeping blow. His mask flew high into the air. Disheveled hair spilled loose, and white hair was revealed.

"You! You court death!" The ghost-masked man raised his head. Half his face had been ruined by the blow, bone and flesh exposed, his features hideous beyond recognition. And when the appearance of the remaining half of that face was revealed, everyone stood dumbstruck.

"Xiu!" The ghost-masked man slapped his waist. From within his belt, a soft sword sprang out like a spirit snake flicking its tongue, striking forth to kill. In his left hand, the Spirit Snake Sword; in his right hand, the dark sickle!

"It is… Yang Dingtian!"

"Gang Leader Yang!"

"How could it be Gang Leader Yang!" …… Among the experts of Lu County, cries of shock immediately rose one after another. Yang Dingtian. After entering Yandang Mountain, he had vanished without a trace. Only now had he appeared. The ghost-masked man of the evil cult was actually… Yang Dingtian!