A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Chapter 96 Blood Dance Eight-Sword Slash

"You're Zhou Yuan, the one who's been all the rage in Luochuan lately?"

A Bone Forging Realm martial artist who rose to power by killing my son and my deputy chieftain?

Zhao Qingfeng walked slowly, his steps unhurried, yet carrying a heavy sense of oppression.

Perhaps driven to the extreme by rage, the eyes of his bronze mask revealed no emotion whatsoever, yet the almost tangible killing intent made the surrounding air thick and viscous, as if one had fallen into an ice cave.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan merely raised his eyelids slightly.

He first bent down and quickly pressed his fingers on several major acupoints on the seriously injured Lü Chong's body, temporarily sealing off his ever-dwindling life force.

Then, he slowly stood up.

A new and powerful aura emanated from his body, no longer the fierce strength he had developed during bone forging, but rather a resilience that permeated his entire body.

The power belonging to the Yi Jin Jing realm met the overwhelming killing intent head-on.

Zhao Qingfeng stopped in his tracks.

For the first time, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes beneath the bronze mask.

"No martial artist at the Yi Jin Jing level has ever dared to look me in the eye like this."

Zhao Qingfeng grinned and let out an unpleasant laugh, which contained both cruelty and sarcasm.

"Never before? Well, today you have."

Zhou Yuan's expression remained calm.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingfeng's smile widened.

"You think that by forging bones to sever tendons, you can reverse the process of marrow cleansing after breaking through to the tendon-changing stage?"

He shook his head slightly and slowly drew a long sword from behind his back.

It was a long, blood-red sword, its blade covered with strange, dark patterns. The moment it was drawn from its sheath, an intense, overwhelming stench of blood filled the air.

On the square, both the bandits and the patrol soldiers felt a deep unease.

At the exit, several men in black robes from the Changsong Martial Arts School also noticed this scene.

"This Zhao Qingfeng actually revealed his Blood Drinker right from the start?" A man in black robes spoke, his voice arrogant. He was Qin Lie, a disciple of Changsong Martial Arts School. "It seems that Zhou Yuan can't even withstand a single move."

"Wouldn't it be better to get rid of Zhou Yuan through Zhao Qingfeng?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Du Chong's mouth.

"We must not be careless." A figure wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat spoke in a deep voice, "That person's movements are somewhat strange. We must guard against him escaping in the chaos."

Beneath the straw hat, a pair of venomous eyes were fixed intently on Zhou Yuan's every move in the center of the square.

"Don't worry." Du Chong's voice was full of confidence. "With the three of you having undergone the Marrow Cleansing Ceremony today, no matter how great Zhou Yuan's skills are, he is doomed. Once he dies, Qingyang Martial Arts School will have no more geniuses to speak of. That old fellow Zhu Xiaowen will only be able to pass on the Fundamental Diagram to you."

The burly man in the straw raincoat didn't reply, but simply watched the scene in silence.

On the other side, Xue Min, who was leading his troops to desperately resist Duan Fei and a group of bandits, saw that Zhou Yuan not only did not take the opportunity to break through, but instead faced Zhao Qingfeng directly, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

In her view, this was tantamount to openly disobeying military orders!

Zhou Yuan has broken through the Yi Jin Jing, and his strength will definitely increase greatly. But how easy is it to deal with someone in the Xi Sui Jing? It's already lucky that he was able to hold out for dozens of moves without being defeated.

He must have become overconfident after defeating two masters of the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Technique) in succession, thinking that he could really compete with masters of the Xi Sui Jing (Marrow Cleansing Technique).

-

But she knew all too well that the gap between marrow cleansing and tendon changing was far greater than the chasm between tendon changing and bone forging, and could not be bridged by so-called innate divine strength.

Xue Min sighed inwardly. Zhou Yuan was indeed young and impetuous.

Originally, if Zhou Yuan had acted quickly enough, with his strength, he might have been able to fight his way out, which would have been their only chance of survival today.

But now, with the exit blocked and Zhou Yuan targeted by Zhao Qingfeng, defeat is inevitable.

"Zhou Yuan! Zhao Qingfeng is not someone you can contend with. Quickly retreat to my formation!"

Xue Min, being a seasoned veteran, did not give up even in the face of danger, attempting to combine the strength of the two and use the military formation to maneuver.

"Xue Min, you dare to be distracted while fighting me? Is this how your grandfather taught you?!"

Seizing the moment she was distracted, Duan Fei let out a sinister laugh and swung the heavy iron rod in his hand, which carried a vicious wind, straight at Xue Min's face.

Xue Min was startled and quickly swung her spear to block.

"clang!"

With a loud crash, the spear collided with the iron rod, and a tremendous force struck, causing her blood to surge and her feet to stagger back several steps.

With her current strength, it would be too difficult for her to directly confront someone at the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Duan Fei's offensive came one after another like a storm. Xue Min dared not be distracted in the slightest. She could only focus on using her family's secret spear technique and rely on the cover of the army formation to fight Duan Fei.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Zhao Qingfeng's momentum had reached its peak.

A boundless killing intent, mixed with the bloody stench emanating from the Blood Drinker Blade, pressed down on Zhou Yuan like a raging storm, causing his robes to flutter wildly.

"I heard that you killed Shanshui and Qingyi with just one move each."

Zhao Qingfeng's voice sounded like it came from the deepest hell.

"Today, I will do the same. To kill you, I will only need one move."

The moment he finished speaking, he no longer hesitated, pushed off the ground with both feet, and soared into the sky.

In mid-air, he stroked the blood-red longsword with one palm, and the strange patterns on the blade suddenly lit up, covering the entire sword with an eerie red light.

A powerful aura, far exceeding that of ordinary Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivators, suddenly erupted from the blade!

As soon as this aura was released, everyone in the square, whether friend or foe, was shaken and looked at Zhao Qingfeng.

-

"It was that move!" Du Chong narrowed his eyes slightly. Even he felt a slight palpitation from that aura.

Even as they were locked in fierce combat, Xue Min and Duan Fei involuntarily stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes toward the sky.

"The chieftain actually used this move—" Duan Fei's eyes were full of surprise.

This move consumes one's own vital energy, but its power is extremely domineering. It can unleash dozens of strikes in an instant, each strike containing immense force, capable of instantly dismembering an enemy into eight pieces. The method is extremely cruel.

It seems that the chieftain's hatred for Zhou Yuan has reached its peak.

A look of panic finally appeared on Xue Min's face.

She never expected that Zhao Qingfeng would use his trump card right away!

The rumors surrounding this tactic are recorded in detail in the patrol battalion's files.

Many years ago, a commander of a thousand men in the patrol battalion was slicing into mincemeat by this very trick.

It was precisely through this tactic that Zhao Qingfeng rose to fame and secured his position as the leader of Qinglong Village.

Now, Zhou Yuan, who is only at the Yi Jin realm, would surely die if he faced this move!

A hint of sadness suddenly appeared in Xue Min's beautiful eyes.

"Die!"

Just then, Zhao Qingfeng finally finished gathering his strength, and his terrifying and eerie aura reached its peak.

"Eight-Slash Wild Dance! In my life, I have used this move to kill eleven enemies, all of whom were at the Marrow Cleansing Realm! You are the first to reach the Tendon Transformation Realm!"

"It's an honor for you to be torn to pieces by this move!"

Zhao Qingfeng stopped wasting words and unleashed a blood-red longsword with earth-shattering power, slashing fiercely down at Zhou Yuan below!

At that moment, Zhou Yuan, who had been standing still, finally raised his head.

He looked at the strange, blood-red longsword, his eyes showing no fear whatsoever, but instead burning with fierce fighting spirit.

The dragon-elephant power within his body had already boiled over.

The deep, resonant roar of the dragon and elephant echoed continuously throughout his body.

The first battle after entering the Yi Jin Jing —

Zhou Yuan uttered a soft whisper, and the surging force, like an ancient dragon awakening, instantly filled his entire body.