Chapter 400: Chapter 399: Yang Hao’s Despair
Wang Lei transformed into a phantom, his figure bursting forward with incredible speed as he swung his blade in a cleaving motion.
A thunderous sound erupted, and the fierce blade intent enveloped the young man and Yang Changjin like a cage in an instant.
Yang Changjin’s face paled with fright, almost losing control of his bladder.
The young man’s pupils contracted; he hadn’t expected Wang Lei’s blade technique to be so domineering and fierce. A thought crossed his mind, and he promptly pushed Yang Changjin towards Wang Lei.
Yang Changjin’s body hurtled toward the edge of Wang Lei’s blade.
Wang Lei promptly withdrew his blade.
He had sensed the young man’s murderous intent earlier, which was why he had drawn his blade, attempting to save Yang Changjin’s life in such a manner. Now that the opponent was decisively pushing Yang Changjin towards him, trying to have Yang Changjin killed by his own blade, how could he be unprepared?
The blade veered aside, Wang Lei’s left hand reached out to catch the flying body of Yang Changjin, then he pushed him to the side.
In the next moment, a shadow emerged behind Yang Changjin like a ghost, and a flash of silver light signaled the advance of a sharp longsword thrusting towards Wang Lei’s chest.
The assailant had calculated that Wang Lei would save Yang Changjin, seizing the opportunity to gain the upper hand.
"Pfft!"
A stream of blood sprayed from Wang Lei’s left shoulder as the sword pierced his right shoulder. Wang Lei’s expression remained unchanged. Knowing he couldn’t dodge in time, he didn’t attempt any superfluous evasive maneuvers nor did he resist. Instead, he retaliated with a backhanded slash towards the young man’s head.
Trading injury for life!
The young man’s pupils contracted, his face showing a hint of shock.
Though his Realm was stronger than Wang Lei’s, his combat experience might not measure up, especially when facing Wang Lei’s life-for-life fighting style. Reluctantly, with no other choice, he had to pull back his sword to save himself.
"Clang!"
The crisp sound of the blade clashing with the sword resonated, sparks flew, and both were knocked back by the recoil.
Wang Lei’s expression was solemn, his killing intent overflowing. His energy locked onto the young man as he said in a deep voice, "Uncle Yang, you all go, the farther the better!"
Yang Changjin was launched away by the gentle force of Wang Lei’s push, and though he fell to the ground, as a farmer with rough skin and a sturdy body, he wasn’t injured. Although it was his first time in such a situation, he knew staying would be a burden, so he quickly ran to Yang Hao and helped his son up.
Having been kicked in the abdomen, Yang Hao had sustained an internal injury. With his father’s support, he stood up, sweating profusely and in unbearable pain.
Seeing his son in this condition, Yang Changjin was startled, and rapidly shouldered Yang Hao, turning to run.
The young man watched Yang Changjin and his son leave but did not stop them. Although he was a bit stronger than Wang Lei, being targeted by Wang Lei meant he couldn’t afford to be distracted and risk falling into a disadvantage.
"Duanmu Yun, you shouldn’t have come to stir up this trouble," Wang Lei said, staring at the young man.
A confident smile appeared on the handsome, scholarly face of Duanmu Yun: "Just you?"
Wang Lei shook his head slowly and replied with a smile, "His growth to this point, his achievement and reputation, all come from his own effort."
Duanmu Yun, considering Wang Lei’s high opinion of Yang Fei, couldn’t help but take him more seriously and said, "To be so regarded by you, it seems Yang Fei indeed has some real talent, a true cultivator prodigy. But since he is a Taoist Inheritor, his death is certain."
Wang Lei nodded, "That’s right, from the moment I learned he was a Taoist Inheritor, I knew he would eventually die at the hands of the Hidden Sect’s powerhouses. But he will definitely not die by your hand."
Duanmu Yun grew slightly angry, "Do you actually think he’s stronger than me?"
Wang Lei said, "In the Hidden Sect World, there are many who boast of their genius, but there are not more than three who can truly rival him. You, Duanmu Yun, are certainly not among those three."
Duanmu Yun, realizing he indeed could not rank in the top five among his peers in the Hidden Sect World, felt a mix of shame and anger, then said mockingly, "You, Wang Lei, were not worse than me, but since you left the Hidden Sect World for this external life, without the powerful cultivation resources of the Hidden Sect World, you are now inferior to me. What gives you the right to lecture me?"
Wang Lei shook his head slowly, "I never thought I had to be more powerful than anyone else; I only want to live the life I desire. And out of recognition for our past acquaintance, I warn you not to come here to meet your death. If you believe me, turn around and leave, return to your own world."
"Since I’ve come out, I will not return empty-handed. You, a scion of the Wang Family, are willing to serve and fight for him, a lowly person from the Mortal World, which is an insult to the Hidden Sect World. I think you must be eyeing his status as a Taoist Inheritor, hoping to gain trust and obtain the Taoist Secret Skill in this manner," Duanmu Yun said with scorn.
Wang Lei didn’t get angry, instead, he calmly said, "People like you will never understand what loyalty and friendship are."
"Since you value loyalty and friendship so much, I’ll capture you and see if he values you just as highly," Duanmu Yun stated.
Wang Lei began to laugh, "I might not be your match, but if I want to escape right now, you won’t be able to stop me."
Duanmu Yun sneered, "Do you think that by deliberately engaging me in conversation earlier, to delay the time, they would be able to escape?"
Wang Lei’s pupils shrank slightly as he stared at Duanmu Yun.
Duanmu Yun spoke indifferently, "A freakish genius who even Zhang Wenfeng of the Divine Travel Realm couldn’t catch, I, Duanmu Yun, am confident but not so arrogant as to believe I could take him down alone."
Wang Lei’s expression changed drastically, and without any hesitation, he struck at Duanmu Yun with his sword.
Sparks flew in the dim basement, and the flashes of sword and knife were incessant.
Both experts from the Hidden Sect World, strong and formidable, exchanged blows equally matched, making it difficult to determine a superior.
Elsewhere, Yang Changjin, carrying Yang Hao, had just emerged from the basement when he encountered a long-haired man.
Yang Changjin didn’t take it seriously; after all, it wasn’t uncommon for young men to have long hair these days, so he wasn’t surprised. All he wanted was to get away from this place, to check on his son’s injuries, and more importantly, to find a way to contact Yang Fei to ensure his nephew was safe.
Just as he passed by the long-haired man, a sudden intense pain came from his legs.
The next instant, Yang Changjin felt his balance gone, his legs unable to support him, as he and Yang Hao together fell forward.
"Ah!"
Falling to the ground, Yang Changjin saw that he had lost his legs.
Somehow, his legs had been severed below the knees, and blood was spurting wildly from the cuts.
Agonizing pain swept over him, causing Yang Changjin to roll and writhe on the ground.
After landing, Yang Hao became slightly more conscious. Attracted by his father’s screams, he looked up and was utterly terrified, "Dad, your... your legs, how were they cut off?"
Though he was severely injured himself, feeling weak all over, and sweating profusely from the smallest of movements, Yang Hao still struggled to crawl towards his father to try and help him.
"A hostage; one is enough."
A cold voice came from the side.
"Puff, puff, puff!!!"
Blood burst forth from Yang Changjin’s body.
Yang Hao was stunned with shock.
He witnessed a horrifying and bizarre scene.
No one seemed to be inflicting any harm on his father, yet fierce winds howled around his father’s body.
As those winds appeared, his father’s body was slashed as if by countless blades, creating an array of conspicuous cuts from which blood sprayed and splattered.
Just like that, he watched helplessly as his father was mercilessly slaughtered before his eyes.
"Ugh!"
It was too horrifying.
His father’s death right before his eyes, coupled with the strong smell of blood and the gruesome manner of dying, was too much for Yang Hao to bear, and he immediately began to retch.
He trembled all over, overwhelmed by sadness, sorrow, and an unprecedented sense of despair and fear.