"Elder Yi, Elder Ba," Qian Xì called out.
Two short elders stepped forward, their long gray beards swaying with each movement. Despite their stature, the moment their Qi was released, the air in the pavilion trembled under the weight of their aura. Much stronger than Liang Wu's.
Qian Xì's brow furrowed as he assessed the situation. He couldn't shake the feeling that Liang Wu still had more tricks up his sleeve, and so he sent forward their two strongest elders.
Liang Wu's wide smile stretched across his face, his excitement palpable. "This is where the real show starts!" he declared, a hint of madness in his eyes.
But as he stared down the two Core Building cultivators, he felt his heart begin to race. "I'll have to time this perfectly," he muttered under his breath, his voice low and tense. "One wrong move, and I'm done for."
The two elders approached, their combined pressure suffocating. If it weren't for their beards, Liang Wu might have mistaken them for children, but there was nothing childish about the deadly aura they exuded. The very air hummed with the raw power of their Qi, making every hair on Liang Wu's body stand on end.
A mocking laugh echoed from the back of the pavilion. "Ahaha! He's only a Qi Forming little whelp!" one of the Qian elders barked, joined by others who sneered.
"We were worried for nothing," another snickered. "I thought he was a Soul Severance powerhouse, but he's just a little kid!"
The laughter grew louder, swelling within the room like a tidal wave.
But Qian Pang, standing at the rear, didn't join in. His arms were crossed, his gaze sharp. "Still," he said, his voice slicing through the noise, "he defeated Shun Hanpo. His martial arts are also impeccable, certainly nothing to scoff at."
Liang Wu could feel Qian Pang's eyes boring into him, but his focus remained on the two elders who now stood only a few paces away. There wasn't time for hesitation.
Elder Yi took the lead, his lips curling into a disdainful sneer. "A Qi Forming whelp like you thinks he can stand against us?" His voice rumbled low, dangerous.
In an instant, Elder Ba lunged. His foot slammed into the ground, releasing a wave of Qi that hurtled toward Liang Wu like a speeding boulder. The sheer force behind the strike was terrifying, sending shockwaves that rippled through the pavilion's walls.
Liang Wu leapt to the side, barely avoiding the brunt of the attack as it grazed his side, the force of it making him wince. One hit, and it would all be over. These weren't guards he could shrug off with a clever trick—these were seasoned fighters, cultivators leagues beyond his own strength.
Luckily I've saved up my free points. His mind raced. This has to work. It has to.
As the two elders pressed their attack, moving in perfect sync, Liang Wu found himself on the defensive. Every strike from them was like a hammer, and each time he dodged, it was by the thinnest of margins. Qi blasts grazed his body, each hit leaving his lungs gasping for air, bruises forming where the attacks barely missed.
He was only holding on thanks to his increased defense, otherwise he would have been ripped to shreds.
"Damn it," Liang Wu muttered, clutching his ribs as pain radiated through his body. "I can't keep this up forever."
Elder Yi's eyes gleamed with victory as he launched a crushing fist toward Liang Wu's chest. Time seemed to slow for Liang Wu as he saw the attack coming—a blow he knew he couldn't dodge.
Now!
The elder's fist collided with Liang Wu's chest. A sharp intake of breath came from the audience, but to everyone's shock, nothing happened. The elder's strike sank into Liang's body like a fist into cotton. For the briefest of moments, a soft glow emanated from Liang Wu's chest.
Liang Wu grinned. "Gotcha."
Before Elder Yi could react, Liang Wu's counterattack came in a flash. His fist, now growing spikes from his knuckles, hurtled toward the elder's face. Elder Yi, stunned by the failed strike, was too slow to react as Liang Wu's spiked fist connected with brutal force.
CRACK!
The sound echoed through the pavilion as Elder Yi's face crumpled under the blow. He was sent flying, blood spraying in the air as his body slammed into a nearby pillar.
Elder Ba's eyes widened in horror, his gaze flickering to his fallen comrade. That moment of distraction was all Liang Wu needed.
With lightning speed, Liang Wu followed up with a savage attack. His hand transformed into a sword blade, and he drove it straight through Elder Ba's chest.
The elder coughed, blood spilling from his mouth as he stared down at the blade that had pierced him, then back up at Liang Wu's face. "H-How—" His words faltered as Liang Wu tore his hand free, ripping the elder's heart from his chest.
Blood sprayed everywhere as Liang Wu held up the still-beating heart, crushing it in his hand. The sight sent waves of horror rippling through the Qian family.
Liang Wu staggered, his chest heaving from the exertion, blood splattered across his face and clothes. But he'd won.
Blarg!
Behind him came the unmistakable sound of vomiting.
Liang Wu glanced back, spotting Daiyu hurling in the corner. Chen Li Li rushed over, her face etched with concern. "Daiyu, are you alright?" she asked, gently rubbing her friend's back.
Daiyu coughed, her body trembling. "I-I'm fine," she muttered, though her voice was shaky. "I just… I can't handle it."
Li Li's brow furrowed. "Can't handle what? We've fought before."
Daiyu's eyes dropped to the floor, her expression pained. "It's not the fighting," she whispered. "It's the killing. I was trained for it, but I've never done it. Seeing him rip out that man's heart… I'm just not built for this."
Li Li smiled softly, squeezing Daiyu's shoulder. "No one's asking you to kill. We all have our strengths. You're here because of your talents, not because you need to fight like him."
Daiyu gave her a weak nod, though the doubt lingered in her eyes. "Thanks, Li Li. I'll try not to let it get to me."
---
Meanwhile, across the room, the Qian family's laughter had long since died. The atmosphere had shifted—fear now filled their eyes as they looked from the broken elders to Liang Wu.
"He's injured," an elder whispered. "Now's our best chance."
"But who do we send?" another asked, voice trembling.
"The clan leader… is the only Core Building cultivator we have left." a third muttered, his tone uneasy.
Qian Xì glanced at his son, Qian Pang, and made his decision.
Bang!
Qian Xì fell to his knees before Liang Wu, the sound of his body hitting the floorboards echoing through the pavilion.
Bang!
Qian Pang followed suit, kneeling beside his father. His weight shook the pavilion.
Knock!
"Please, spare our clan!" Qian Xì begged, slamming his head against the floor.
Bang!
"Please!" Qian Pang echoed, his voice cracking with desperation.
The Qian family was stunned into silence, watching as their leaders groveled before Liang Wu.
"Clan leader, what are you doing!?" an elder gasped in disbelief.
"All of you, kneel!" Qian Xì barked, his voice trembling as he demanded the others follow suit.
"Why should we kneel to this little sh—" another elder tried to dissent, but was interrupted by a powerful shout from Qian Xì.
"KNEEL!" Qian Xì's voice was filled with the power of his cultivation, sending the elders reeling.
The remaining elders exchanged uneasy glances before, one by one, they dropped to their knees, their heads lowered in submission. The once-mighty Qian family, who had jeered and mocked, now knelt in fear before the man they had underestimated.
Liang Wu stood there, his breath heavy, blood dripping from his hand as the weight of the moment settled on the pavilion. He wiped his brow, exhaustion creeping in, but his face remained calm as he turned to look at Chen Li Li.
"Li Li," Liang Wu called out, his voice steady. "What do you want to do with them?"
Chen Li Li hesitated for a moment, her gaze shifting from the cowering Qian family to the bloodied floor. She opened her mouth, but no words came out at first. Her eyes flickered over to Daiyu, who still looked pale and shaken in the corner. Li Li's heart ached for her friend, and the reality of the situation weighed heavily on her shoulders.
"I…" Li Li began, her voice quiet. She took a deep breath before speaking louder. "I never wanted any of this, Liang Wu. All this killing… it wasn't supposed to go this way." Her eyes softened as she glanced back at Daiyu. "It's making her sick."
Liang Wu frowned, his gaze traveling from Li Li to Daiyu, whose face still held a mix of nausea and distress. He took a slow breath, as if digesting her words.
"I just want to leave," Li Li continued, her voice wavering slightly. "Let's put this all behind us. None of this… none of this is worth it."
Silence hung in the air for a moment. The Qian family, still kneeling, held their breath, awaiting Liang Wu's decision.
Liang Wu looked down at the trembling figures before him, then back to Li Li. His expression softened, the madness in his eyes gradually lessening. With a nod, he took a step forward, standing before the kneeling Qian Xì and Qian Pang.
"You're lucky," Liang Wu said, his voice calm yet commanding. "My friend has more mercy than I do." He looked back at Li Li with a soft smile. "You can thank her for your lives."
Qian Xì's body trembled as he bowed his head even lower, his voice barely a whisper. "Th-thank you… Thank you for your mercy."
A few screens flashed in the corner of his eye, but with a wave of his hand, he dismissed them.
"Let's go," Liang Wu said, turning to Li Li and Daiyu, the tension in the air starting to ease. "We're done here."
With that, they left the Qian Manor behind, stepping out into the cool evening air. None of them spoke as they walked away, each lost in their own thoughts.
And though they had won the day, the weight of what they had done lingered in the silence between them.