Translator: CinderTL
Two figures, one clad in black and the other in white, surged forth from the depths of the cave kiln.
Accompanying them, an overwhelming sense of pressure instantly enveloped the entire underground space.
Some martial dao experts, when still, stood as immovable as deep pools and towering mountains. Yet with every gesture, they could topple rivers and mountains, and their roars shattered the sky like thunder.
This was Qi Prowess!
This formless prowess was more potent than any tangible force. Invisible yet profoundly palpable, it could be felt in the very marrow of one's bones.
The oppressive aura now blanketing the entire area stemmed from this very source.
All those below the first breakthrough felt as if a colossal mountain were pressing down on their hearts, suffocating them.
Wan Yaoyang's brow furrowed slightly as he watched the two figures charging toward him.
An elderly man in black robes and another in white.
The terrifying Qi Prowess emanated from these two!
"So, there were two more first breakthrough martial artists hiding here?" Wan Yaoyang chuckled softly. "This is getting interesting."
As his words faded, the sword case behind him finally opened.
Clang! A blade of icy light shot skyward—a crimson-gold longsword.
A faint golden-red starlight shimmered across the sword's blade, its tip radiating a sharp, dazzling brilliance like a star in the night sky.
This was a Star Weapon, a weapon forged specifically for cosmic martial artists. Not only could it channel stellar energy with maximum efficiency, but it also possessed terrifying lethality against creatures like the Shadow Clan.
Boom!
Wan Yaoyang unleashed his terrifying Qi Prowess, charging at the Black and White Elders with the sword.
Meanwhile, the two Ancheng teams found themselves surrounded.
Jiang Ye and his companions were under attack by six black-clad figures. These assailants were all exceptionally powerful, each just a hair's breadth away from achieving their first breakthrough. Every one of them was on par with Zhao Qingli in strength. Moreover, these rats from the Hidden God Organization were ruthless killers who licked blood from their blades.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Zhao Qingli faced three opponents alone, fighting with desperate tenacity as she was forced to retreat repeatedly. Jiang Ye and Wang Zi'ang, back-to-back, struggled to fend off the remaining three attackers.
"We need to end this quickly!" Jiang Ye knew they had to escape while Wan Yaoyang kept the Black and White Elders occupied.
Otherwise, if Wan Yaoyang couldn't defeat those two, things would get very difficult.
"Brother Wang, hold one of them off!" Jiang Ye shouted, sheathing his dagger and rolling away.
Seeing him try to escape, two of the black-clad figures immediately moved to surround him.
"Jiang Ye!" Wang Zi'ang's expression changed drastically at the sight.
With Jiang Ye's strength, facing two opponents alone was a hopeless situation.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ye hadn't rolled far before the two black-clad figures cornered him again.
"Little brat, trying to run? Did you ask your grandpa's permission?" one of them sneered, swinging his blade viciously at Jiang Ye.
"Trash," Jiang Ye spat, his eyes flashing with icy coldness as he raised his arm to block.
Though now unarmed, his movements were far more precise and powerful than when he wielded the dagger.
Both the Star Martial Cultivation Method and the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist only taught basic fist and leg techniques. Jiang Ye had never learned swordsmanship.
His most lethal and explosive killing technique remained his fist strikes.
Earlier, he had avoided fighting barehanded to minimize the risk of injury.
But now, he couldn't afford such considerations.
Clang!
A black-clad figure slashed at Jiang Ye's arm, but Jiang Ye deflected most of the force with his fist technique. The remaining impact was blocked by his arm guard. Jiang Ye felt only a slight sting.
Whoosh!
Seeing this, the two black-clad figures relentlessly swung their blades, hacking at him like a storm. Though their swordsmanship was crude, each strike was viciously aimed. A hit to a vital point would be fatal.
After parrying for a while, Jiang Ye abandoned his defensive stance.
Thud!
He lunged forward, his fist technique breaking through their encirclement to strike one of the black-clad figures.
The other figure seized the opening, slashing down with his blade.
Jiang Ye ignored the attack.
An exchange of wounds!
Kill!
The punch carried terrifying force. A faint silver light flickered across the fist's aura.
Boom!!!
The sound exploded like thunder.
The Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist, infused with stellar energy, slammed squarely into the black-clad figure's chest.
50% damage increase!
The figure sneered, confident that this mere youth couldn't harm him with just his fists. He was on the verge of his first breakthrough.
But the next moment—
Pfft!
The black-clad figure spat out a mouthful of blood!
You—
The nearly first breakthrough figure stared in disbelief.
Jiang Ye gave him no chance to recover.
In the blink of an eye, with a 35% attack speed boost, his second punch landed with brutal force on the same spot.
Bang!
Crack!
A faint sound of bone shattering echoed through the air.
The black-clad figure, pummeled by two consecutive blows, flew backward, his internal organs ruptured. He collapsed to the ground and quickly fell still.
Though it takes time to describe, the entire sequence unfolded in a mere instant.
So swift was Jiang Ye's attack that the other black-clad figure didn't even have time to react before his comrade was already dead.
The price?
Jiang Ye himself was slashed across the shoulder by the remaining assailant.
A gruesome gash tore through his flesh.
Even with the protection of his stab-resistant vest, the full-force strike from a near-first breakthrough martial artist instantly wounded him.
As searing pain shot through his shoulder, Jiang Ye's gaze grew even colder.
"Kill!"
Without hesitation, he stomped forward and lunged at the remaining black-clad figure.
"You—" The man's expression flickered, but it quickly hardened into a savage grin.
"Ah Morati..."
He chanted a mantra, and dark markings rapidly spread across his skin. In an instant, his entire body transformed into a pitch-black hue, making him look almost indistinguishable from a member of the Shadow Clan.
"Roar!"
The black-clad figure let out a bestial roar and swung his blade at Jiang Ye.
Clang!
Jiang Ye took the blow head-on, a searing, tearing pain erupting from the wound.
"Is this the Hidden God Organization's secret technique?" Jiang Ye's gaze turned icy.
The Hidden God Organization possessed the ability to grant individuals a rapid, temporary boost in power.
This was no mere rumor.
The black-robed figure's strength had increased by at least 30% compared to before.
Yet Jiang Ye's face showed no trace of fear.
As the agony surged through his wound, his eyes remained utterly calm.
[Find Joy in Suffering: While in pain, all attributes receive a significant temporary boost. The deeper the pain, the greater the enhancement.]
An increasingly surging power began to brew within Jiang Ye's body.
"Kill!" Jiang Ye roared, transforming into a blur as he lunged at the black-robed figure.
He blocked another strike.
Then, Jiang Ye's fist slammed into the black-robed figure's chest.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fueled by multiple buffs, Jiang Ye unleashed over a dozen consecutive punches in rapid succession, like a human jackhammer.
Nearly ten of those strikes received a 50% damage boost!
Thunderous booms echoed relentlessly.
The "darkened" black-robed figure never had a chance to retaliate, his body pulverized by the relentless barrage of heavy blows.
Thud.
When Jiang Ye finally stopped, the black-robed figure lay lifeless on the ground.
A gaping, blood-soaked hole, twenty inches in diameter, had been punched through the figure's chest, a gruesome testament to the brutal assault.
(End of the Chapter)