Chapter 149. The Matter Is Settled
After killing Han Li, Bai Jinwu did not pause for even a moment. He turned and charged back toward Xu Yuan, joining forces with Zhao Wuji to fight him together.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
None of the three were easy opponents. Their dense barrage of attacks collided one after another, and the force spilling out from the exchanges caused all the surrounding buildings to collapse.
But if an eight-meridian martial artist had been present, they would have been shocked to discover that Xu Yuan was actually pressing the other two down and beating them back!
‘Damn it, how has the defense of his body become this strange?’
Bai Jinwu threw a punch into Xu Yuan’s shoulder, only to be forced back half a step instead.
Zhao Wuji, beside him, was not having an easy time either.
Perhaps because his luck was worse, he would trigger the Paralysis effect from time to time. It made him feel as if his body were jamming up, attacking once and then stalling, which was unbearable.
Suddenly, Xu Yuan tapped the tip of his foot and lunged forward, sweeping toward Bai Jinwu.
Bai Jinwu instantly felt the hair on his body stand on end. He flashed to the side and dodged Xu Yuan’s strike, then said with a grave expression,
“So what if you broke through to the eight-meridian level? This time, you still will not escape the fate of being killed!”
“Oh? Is that so? Then I will wait and see.”
As Xu Yuan spoke, he glanced at Zhao Wuji, whose face was flushed red from unstable qi and blood, and said,
“Chief Overseer Zhao, do not be in such a hurry. Your opponent is here.”
The moment his words fell, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept in from the surroundings, as though a giant arrow were shooting toward them at blinding speed.
“Qin Chuan is here!”
Zhao Wuji and Bai Jinwu’s faces changed at once, and the thought of retreat rose in their hearts. “The plan has failed. Withdraw first!”
“Hahaha! Since the two of you are already here, why not come to my residence for a cup of tea before you leave?”
Amid a burst of hearty laughter, Qin Chuan appeared.
He first looked at Xu Yuan and let out a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed Battle Overseer Xu really had broken through to the eight-meridian level.
Then he swept his gaze over the surroundings, and his face immediately darkened. Two battle overseers had actually died. This battle had brought truly grievous losses!
However...
Qin Chuan fixed his eyes on Bai Jinwu and Zhao Wuji. As long as they could keep the big fish here, it would all be worth it.
With thoughts racing, Qin Chuan darted into the middle of the group, cutting off Zhao Wuji, and a great battle was about to erupt!
Bang bang bang bang!
On this side, Xu Yuan also caught up to Bai Jinwu, and the two clashed in an instant. Because they were moving so fast, every collision seemed to lag for a split second before the air finally burst with a thunderous explosion.
Both of their movement techniques were quite exceptional, though their fighting styles were clearly different.
Bai Jinwu used the Cloud-Treading Step, making his whole body seem like a streak of azure clouds, weaving and shifting through space. Xu Yuan’s Wandering Dragon Step, meanwhile, made him look light and graceful, sensing the force of the wind and air currents as he slipped through them and cut inward, his speed clearly a step faster.
As the two fought and killed, there was an indescribable elegance to the battle, as though they were performers on an opera stage, coordinating with each other. One attacked while the other dodged, one lunged while the other retreated, almost like a rigged match.
But only someone with real insight would be able to see the killing intent hidden beneath it all. Every move was perilous to the extreme. A single mistake would mean life or death.
In less than ten breaths, they had already exchanged dozens, perhaps over a hundred moves. Then, in the final collision, with a loud bang, each of them struck the other’s shoulder.
Rip!
The clothing over Xu Yuan’s shoulder exploded apart. His body swayed, yet he stood rooted firmly in place like an old tree, utterly unmoving.
Step! Step! Step!
Bai Jinwu, on the other hand, was shaken backward again and again, leaving a string of clear footprints on the ground. Blood dripped steadily from his shoulder, where the flesh had already split open into a mangled mess.
Then the force that had invaded his body erupted, turning his face pale. With a loud retch, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Chief Overseer Bai!”
Zhao Wuji’s expression tightened. He wanted to rush over, but Qin Chuan blocked him firmly.
‘This time... I may really die here...’
Blood trickled from the corner of Bai Jinwu’s mouth. Seeing the situation before him, his heart was filled with unwillingness.
With their lineup, if they had faced any ordinary veteran eight-meridian martial artist, that person would have died on the spot.
But Xu Yuan’s talent was simply monstrous.
One or two months ago, Bai Jinwu had been chasing Xu Yuan around and beating him down. But how long has it been since then?
Now, even with Zhao Wuji fighting by his side, the two of them together were still being suppressed by Xu Yuan alone. It was simply unreasonable.
‘Fine. Fine. This man has already grown into his strength. Unless a Grandmaster personally moves against him, it will be difficult to stop him now. I only hope my life will be enough to warn the higher-ups...’
Bai Jinwu gave a bleak smile, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and stood up again, throwing Zhao Wuji a meaningful look.
Then he secretly swallowed a red medicinal pill. His body shook, and he suddenly gave off a pressure that seemed to exceed even the eight-meridian level.
He stepped forward and actually forced Xu Yuan back by sheer strength. Then he even exchanged punches head-on with Qin Chuan, and the tremendous force drove Qin Chuan backward again and again.
“Chief Overseer Zhao, go!”
Without even turning his head, Bai Jinwu shouted, “This was my misjudgment. I cannot drag you down with me as well... Remember to tell them this: if the Bai Family wants to return to its former peak, Xu Yuan must be killed!”
“Chief Overseer Bai...”
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth, stopped hesitating, and fled quickly into the distance.
Xu Yuan wanted to intercept him, but Bai Jinwu cut him off and forced him back.
His eyes were bloodshot, and blood kept spilling from the corners of his mouth as he rasped,
“Xu Yuan, I have lost this time, but it is not over yet!”
Xu Yuan let out a quiet sigh. Bai Jinwu had clearly swallowed something that rapidly boosted his strength, and his power had suddenly become terrifying.
Moreover, the boost from Berserk had already ended, and the backlash would arrive soon. There was no way he could continue pursuing now.
Under the joint assault of Xu Yuan and Qin Chuan, Bai Jinwu was still able to seize the upper hand at first, but very quickly his momentum began to weaken.
Combined with the many injuries on his body, his combat strength fell rapidly.
“I made the wrong judgment. I hate this!” Bai Jinwu roared, his face as pale as paper.
“In victory, one is king; in defeat, one is a bandit. What is the point of saying more?”
Xu Yuan darted forward, caught both of Bai Jinwu’s palms, and, following the motion downward, raked through them. Amid Bai Jinwu’s scream, he crippled the meridians in both of his hands. Then Xu Yuan pressed his fingers together like claws and slashed again across Bai Jinwu’s legs, crippling the meridians in his feet as well.
“Chief Overseer Qin, as agreed, this man is yours.”
‘Battle Overseer Xu is an honorable man indeed. He truly keeps his word.’
Qin Chuan sighed inwardly, withdrew his gaze, and walked forward with a cold smile. “Chief Overseer Bai, have a safe journey.”
...
On the night of November 15,
Xu Yuan revealed his eight-meridian cultivation and turned the tide. Joining forces with Qin Chuan, he fought fiercely against Bai Jinwu and Zhao Wuji, ultimately killing Bai Jinwu... Then, pressing the advantage, they caused the Bai Family to suffer a crushing defeat!
When the news spread, it was like a huge stone crashing into a deep pool. The Shangyang Residence was shaken, the Bai Family was shaken, and the entire Prefecture City was thrown into turmoil!
That very night, Qin Chuan ordered men to deliver the battle report to the Residence at full speed on horseback, together with Bai Jinwu’s severed head.
By the next morning, this victory report had already spread throughout the Level Four zone.
In streets and alleys, teahouses and restaurants, people everywhere were discussing the thrilling battle.
“Have you heard? Battle Overseer Xu fought one against two and forced back the Bai Family’s two eight-meridian martial artists!”
“That is nothing. I heard he first killed two seven-meridian martial artists, then watched Bai Jinwu slaughter Han Li and Yang Cang with his own eyes before finally getting serious...”
“Th-this... does that not count as killing with a borrowed knife?”
“Shh, what do you know? Bai Jinwu was the one who killed them himself. What does that have to do with Battle Overseer Xu?”
“That is true... Still, Han Li and Yang Cang were really unlucky. Would it not have been better to wait for Battle Overseer Zhang and come together? Why did they insist on rushing over to join the excitement?”
“Exactly. I heard the two of them originally wanted to pick up an easy advantage, but instead of getting one, they ended up throwing their own lives away.”
Amid all the discussions, there was regret, there was sighing, but even more than that, there was awe.
After this battle, Xu Yuan’s name was completely established throughout the Level Four zone.
Everyone now knew that this young battle overseer was not only astonishingly talented, but also ruthless and seasoned in his methods. Those who became his enemies died. Those who opposed him were on the verge of dying as well.
As for Han Li and Yang Cang, who had always looked down on Xu Yuan, their final fate left quite a few people secretly delighted.
As for Xu Yuan himself, at this very moment he was sitting in the rear courtyard of the Battle Overseer’s residence, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops and spilled down, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow across the ground.
Leaning back in his chair, he rested with his eyes closed, though in his mind he was already planning the road ahead.
After this battle, his battle merits had increased again.
Adding Qin Chuan’s promised fifteen hundred points and the merit from killing Bai Jinwu, his total battle merits should rise by quite a bit more.
【Skills: Jade Platform Stance Art (Perfection 96%) Thunderclap Fist (Perfection 98%) Golden Bell Shield (Minor Accomplishment 45%)】
【Aptitude: 40 (One in Ten Thousand)】
【Martial Seed (0): Berserk, Paralysis】
‘It is almost time.’
Looking at the panel’s progress, a smile rose on Xu Yuan’s lips. In less than a few days, he would be able to break through to the Extraordinary Meridians.
When that happened, it would be time to look for the path beyond the Extraordinary Meridians.