Staring at the sword mark on his hand that was continuously seeping blood, Mo Tianyun’s expression turned exceedingly grim. Inside, he was a mixture of shock and fury.

The Palm Technique he had painstakingly cultivated for over a decade was actually no match for a single strike from Chu Qingyun’s sword.

’Even a Spirit Level Divine Weapon shouldn’t have this kind of power!’

However, Chu Qingyun gave him no time for shock. He swung his sword and charged forward again, unleashing a torrential onslaught upon Mo Tianyun.

From the very first day he set foot on the Martial Dao, Chu Qingyun had been training with the sword.

His Close Combat Swordsmanship was absolutely masterful.

Now, his longsword moved in an impenetrable flurry, at times elegant, at others fierce, forcing Mo Tianyun onto the back foot and putting him at a complete disadvantage.

What Mo Tianyun feared most, however, was the Sword Qi emanating from the Thundercloud Sword.

Under Chu Qingyun’s fluid, seamless attacks, he had no time to execute any Soul Techniques. He could only rely on his Mountain-Opening Palm to barely withstand the assault.

But with every block, the vicious Sword Qi would tear another bloody gash into his hands.

After the two had exchanged dozens of blows, Mo Tianyun’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat. He was completely suppressed, and his hands were covered in a dense, crisscrossing network of bloody marks. Drop by drop, blood trickled from his fingers.

"Th-the Boss is injured? Am I seeing things?"

A low-level goon from the Martial Artist Realm spoke, unable to resist rubbing his eyes. Their boss, a Martial Spirit Realm expert whom they normally revered as a god and considered an invincible powerhouse, was being completely suppressed by that Great Xia Dragon Guard—and he was even bleeding!

"He’s just a Half-Step Martial Spirit, how can he be this strong?"

"Don’t tell me the Boss is going to lose to him... It looks like he’s on the verge of defeat..."

At this moment, even the other Martial Artists—and indeed all the onlookers in the Martial Artist Realm—could see that Mo Tianyun was being consistently overwhelmed by Chu Qingyun. The situation looked dire; it seemed he was about to lose.

And that was indeed the reality of the situation.

From the moment he blocked Chu Qingyun’s first strike, Mo Tianyun’s nerves had been stretched taut. He was focusing all his energy on defending against one sword strike after another.

Under these circumstances, if he made the slightest mistake and Chu Qingyun seized the opening, then given the terrifying power of that Sword Qi, he would be severely injured at best. At worst, it was entirely possible he would be killed on the spot!

’Damn it! This kid is clearly just a Half-Step Martial Spirit, so how can he be so strong...’

’No, this can’t go on. A few more strikes from his sword and my hands will be crippled!’

Mo Tianyun’s eyes flickered as he anxiously wracked his brain for a countermeasure.

His gaze swept to the side and landed on Zhu Wenwen, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.

"Third Brother, quick! We’ll attack this little bastard together and avenge Second Brother and Fei Wen!" Mo Tianyun roared, unleashing a burst of Primordial Power from his palm to temporarily force Chu Qingyun back.

Hearing this, Zhu Wenwen didn’t think twice and immediately charged forward.

Chu Qingyun, however, revealed a cold smirk.

’A joint attack?’

’Bullshit!’

Having personally experienced the force of Chu Qingyun’s attacks, Mo Tianyun definitely knew that even if Zhu Wenwen joined the fight, it would be completely useless. He would just get himself killed by Chu Qingyun in a single strike!

’This guy... he’s trying to run!’

Sure enough, as Zhu Wenwen charged past Mo Tianyun, Mo Tianyun grabbed him by the shoulder. A tyrannical burst of Primordial Power shot from his palm into Zhu Wenwen’s meridians, temporarily sealing his body.

"Big Brother, you...?!"

Zhu Wenwen’s expression changed drastically as he stared in disbelief at this man, his Big Brother, with whom he had spent nearly every day for the past decade.

"Third Brother, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to die!"

"If our brotherhood means anything to you, then help me block him for a moment!"

As he spoke, Mo Tianyun threw Zhu Wenwen directly at Chu Qingyun, then turned and fled himself.

In mid-air, Zhu Wenwen closed his eyes in despair.

Chu Qingyun’s strength was enough to force Mo Tianyun to sell out his own sworn brother. That was a level of power he definitely couldn’t resist. Rather than struggle in vain, he might as well just accept his fate.

However, he heard a loud BOOM. When he opened his eyes, he was met with a shocking sight.

Chu Qingyun hadn’t killed him. Instead, he was behind him, and his sword had pierced through Mo Tianyun’s back, straight through the heart!

The instant Mo Tianyun made his move, Chu Qingyun had been ready. He had blasted out a Thunder Sword Momentum strike to block him for a moment, then pierced through his back with his sword.

Looking down at the tip of the Thundercloud Sword protruding from his chest, Mo Tianyun’s face filled with unwillingness. "Wh-why?"

"Why?"

"Hmph. Because I’ve seen your type before..."

As Chu Qingyun spoke, Sword Qi flared from the Thundercloud Sword, shredding Mo Tianyun’s internal organs and killing him instantly!

Pulling out the Thundercloud Sword, Chu Qingyun casually grabbed Mo Tianyun’s shoulder and quietly released his Devouring Power to absorb the Primordial Power from Mo Tianyun’s Qi Sea.

Mo Tianyun had advanced to the first-level Martial Spirit realm quite some time ago, and more than half of his Qi Sea was already filled with Primordial Power.

Streams of pure Primordial Power were drawn into his Devouring Martial Soul by the Devouring Power. After being refined by the Martial Soul, it became his own Primordial Power and flowed continuously into his Qi Sea.

The Primordial Power in his Qi Sea began to rise at a rate that was almost visible to the naked eye.

The amount of Primordial Power he could devour from killing a single first-level Martial Spirit was more than that of ten Half-Step Martial Spirits combined!

Holding Mo Tianyun’s corpse, Chu Qingyun turned his gaze to Zhu Wenwen, who had narrowly escaped death moments before.

Zhu Wenwen’s face was ashen. He was so filled with despair that he didn’t even think of trying to run. "Lord Great Xia Dragon Guard, can you... spare my life?"

In front of his numerous subordinates, Zhu Wenwen shamelessly begged for mercy.

After all, this was no time to worry about saving face. Begging for his life and simply surviving was all that mattered.

"Spare your life?" Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but sneer. "Do you think that’s possible? Think of all the people you’ve killed during your years as a bandit."

On his way here, Chu Qingyun had seen how Cloud-Mo Village had turned a vast swath of the surrounding region into a desolate wasteland. It was easy to imagine how many wicked deeds they had committed over the years.

Naturally, Chu Qingyun had no intention of sparing a bandit chief like him. Doing so would only allow Cloud-Mo Village to rise from the ashes.

"Tell me where Cloud-Mo Village keeps its accumulated wealth, and I’ll give you a quick death," Chu Qingyun said to Zhu Wenwen, his face cold.

"All of our wealth was exchanged for Primordial Spirit Liquid. It’s all on Mo Tianyun’s body," Zhu Wenwen said dejectedly, his heart dead as ashes.

Knowing his death was certain, he no longer saw any point in hiding anything.

Chu Qingyun searched Mo Tianyun’s body and, sure enough, found about three hundred drops of Primordial Spirit Liquid.

After slaying Zhu Wenwen with a single strike, Chu Qingyun also devoured his Primordial Power and looted the Primordial Spirit Liquid from his body.