"..."
Li Renyao stood frozen. He stared blankly at the head resting near his feet, his mind utterly blank.
The scarred leader's lifeless eyes seemed to bore into him, the lingering sneer on its lips mocking his stupidity. Blood seeped from the severed neck, soaking his shoes unnoticed.
"Swish…"
A streak of silver light sliced through the air beside Li Renyao's ear, jolting him awake with primal terror. His eyes widened with sheer panic and despair. He recoiled like a scalded cat, instinctively slapping a hand to his own neck, terrified his head might follow suit.
Realizing he was unharmed, a wave of giddy relief washed over him. He looked down, seeing the sweat slicking his palm, feeling the cold dampness soaking through his back.
"Agh!" "No!" "AHHH!!"
But the next instant, a chorus of piercing screams shattered his fragile calm, yanking his heart back into his throat. He looked up, horrified, just in time to witness three more heads tumble to the ground!
—Three men standing nearby had suffered the same fate as their leader. The silver flash had severed their necks cleanly, separating head from body.
"F-f-f-f… flying sword!! It's a flying sword!!!"
Li Renyao wasn't the only one stunned. The remaining 'Tigers' reacted with identical, ashen-faced terror. One, quicker to grasp the horror, shrieked, his voice ripping with terror.
"Swish!!"
The silver streak appeared again, cutting through the air. The scream died instantly—a hole the width of two fingers punched through the shrieking man's chest.
"Im… impossible!!" "Flying sword! It really is a flying sword!!" "He's a Golden Core cultivator! GOLDEN CORE!!" "ARGH!!"
In an instant, the warehouse descended into utter pandemonium. The men who, mere seconds ago, had been unleashing a barrage of talismans, now reacted like terrified peasants facing a demon. Some bolted blindly for the exits. Others stood paralyzed by fear, staring dumbly at the growing pile of corpses.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
While they panicked, the flying sword remained calm, precise, lethal. Its light flashed like lightning, weaving effortlessly through the chaos. Every pass near a man left behind either a gaping throat or a punctured heart, claiming another life instantly.
Some, in frantic desperation, conjured spiritual shields, activated defensive artifacts, or flung protective talismans. All were utterly futile. Those attempting to dodge fared no better; even if they narrowly evaded the first strike, the sword would effortlessly correct, darting back before they could react, silencing them forever.
—Slaughtering mere Foundation Establishment cultivators with a Spirit Artifact flying sword presented no challenge at all. It was like slicing through rotten fruit.
"DIE!!"
Finally, a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator, knowing escape was impossible, charged Lin Feng in a berserk frenzy. A massive golden axe rose high above his head before crashing down towards Lin Feng with murderous force.
"CLANG!!!"
Despite its impressive momentum, the axe struck Lin Feng's golden barrier and bounced away with a deafening ring. The wielder himself was thrown off balance, staggering back several steps.
"Swish!!"
Before he could even steady himself, the familiar, deadly whisper of air parting reached his ears. Despair flooded his eyes just as the flying sword flashed across his throat. A spray of crimson marked the end of his consciousness.
Witnessing this, the last few men who might have considered a desperate fight instantly lost their nerve. Two of them, a shared thought striking them simultaneously, locked eyes. Without a word, they lunged towards Zhang Fangzhou, intending to seize the hostage as their final bargaining chip.
Lin Feng, however, had anticipated this exact move. His attention had never truly left Zhang Fangzhou. The flying sword hummed, its trajectory altering instantly in mid-air. Its speed suddenly surged, crossing dozens of meters in a blink. It pierced through the chest of one man, then sliced clean through the neck of the other. Both bodies crumpled lifelessly at Zhang Fangzhou's feet.
Within his protective golden shell, Lin Feng's gaze swept the room. Two stragglers had reached a small side door on the right, mere steps from escaping the slaughterhouse.
A cold glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. His right hand flicked. The flying sword became the scythe of death, slicing through the intervening space. It caught the two fleeing cultivators at the threshold, cutting them down before they could cross it. Their bodies slumped against the doorframe.
The so-called 'Thirteen Tigers' had been utterly annihilated.
The entire process… had taken less than a minute.
"..."
A tomb-like silence descended upon the warehouse. Corpses lay in grotesque heaps. Severed heads lay scattered. Blood flowed freely, pooling on the dusty floor, transforming the space into a charnel house that reeked of death.
Amidst the carnage, only two figures remained standing: Lin Feng, his expression cold and detached, and Li Renyao, petrified beyond reason.
Li Renyao stared at Lin Feng with vacant, unseeing eyes. His lips trembled violently as if trying to form words, but no sound emerged. He was utterly incapable of processing the horrific reversal.
"AAAHHH!!!"
Finally, when Lin Feng's gaze shifted and settled upon him, Li Renyao jolted back to reality. His face drained of all color. He screamed, a raw sound of animal terror, and spun around, scrambling to flee!
"..." Lin Feng's brow furrowed slightly. He had spared Li Renyao momentarily, intending to question him. Seeing him attempt escape, a killing frost settled in Lin Feng's eyes. His right hand pointed. The flying sword, which had just returned to hover near him, shot forth again with a vengeful howl, streaking towards the fleeing figure.
Just as the sword seemed poised to strike, Li Renyao whirled back around, his face contorted with desperate fury. He flung out a single, gleaming golden talisman.
"Hummm..."
The moment it left his hand, the talisman exploded in a blinding burst of golden light. A solid-looking, radiant golden shield materialized instantly in the air before him.
"CLANG!"
The flying sword struck the shield squarely and was violently deflected, sent spinning away!
"High-Grade Tier 3 Golden Shield Talisman?!"
Lin Feng's pupils contracted sharply. He recognized the talisman instantly. The fact it could repel his Spirit Artifact flying sword meant it was at least High-Grade Tier 3. 'The Li Family really does run a talisman shop... He even carries such a powerful life-saving charm.'
"DIE NOW!!!"
Blocking the flying sword didn't make Li Renyao resume his flight. Instead, madness blazing in his eyes, he pulled out another talisman. With a guttural roar, he raised his hand, poised to activate it.
Lin Feng's expression hardened. Gritting his teeth, he channelled his true essence violently. His right hand slashed downwards through the air.
The deflected flying sword sang sharply. Instantly correcting its course, it lanced back towards Li Renyao with renewed ferocity.
"CRACK!! SHATTER!"
The Golden Shield Talisman, potent as it was, was no match for a sustained assault from a Spirit Artifact. The radiant shield splintered under the sword's second, furious impact. The blade's momentum barely slowed. It sheared clean through Li Renyao's raised forearm, then plunged deep into his chest!
"..."
Li Renyao's entire body locked rigidly. His expression of frenzied hatred froze into a grotesque mask. His eyes dropped mechanically to the sword buried hilt-deep in his chest. Confusion and profound, searing resentment flickered in his gaze. Then, without a sound, he toppled backwards, crashing to the blood-soaked floor. Life fled his body instantly.
"Huff…"
Lin Feng let out a tense breath he hadn't realized he was holding, the knot of anxiety in his chest finally loosening. He was certain Li Renyao had been about to unleash an extremely powerful attack talisman. Fortunately, the man's own cultivation was weak. Activating the High-Grade Tier 3 Golden Shield Talisman had momentarily drained his true essence, creating the crucial delay Lin Feng needed to launch his second strike. Had that attack talisman been unleashed… 'The outcome could have been disastrous.'
A flicker of regret surfaced. The urgency had forced his hand; capturing Li Renyao alive for questioning had become impossible. The answers he sought had died with the Li Family heir.