Zhao Mu didn't wait for another word. He tightened his grip on the sword's hilt, swinging it in a slow arc before striking the ground with a heavy clang.
"I heard you've got some skills," he said, grinning coldly. "Show me before I crush you to death."
Li Xuan's teeth clenched. These arrogant brats of the Zhao family truly wouldn't let him go. Killing him out here, in this lonely patch of land, would stain no one's reputation. He looked around, hoping someone might pass by… but the path was silent, the forest empty.
The second man noticed the flicker of fear in Li Xuan's eyes and laughed harshly.
"See how you tremble? What did you think? That you could humiliate our family and walk away like nothing happened?"
Li Xuan scoffed, his tone calm but sharp.
"The Zhao family is nothing but junk. You don't even deserve respect or to be feared."
Zhao Mu's lips curled into a devilish smile. His eyes lit with faint embers as spiritual energy burst from his body, igniting his blade with a strange, grayish flame.
"You've got a big mouth," he said in a low, chilling voice. "Don't worry. Tonight, you'll learn what happens when someone mocks the Zhao family."
Li Xuan stepped forward, bracing himself. He could sense Zhao Mu's cultivation clearly—stronger than Feng Lei's, his aura flaring like a storm. Peak ninth turn of the foundation level. Li Xuan himself was barely at the third. The difference was absurd, this freak was even stronger then Feng lei who made his blood boil,indeed the Zhao family valued him so badly that they mapped his movements.
Zhao Mu stomped the ground, and his sword slashed downward. A wave of spiritual energy shot forward like a rolling blade of wind.
Li Xuan clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked, channeling every ounce of strength he had. He met the wave head-on, his fist colliding with it in a flash of blinding light. The impact was devastating—the ground split, and Li Xuan was hurled backward like a broken arrow, crashing hard into the dirt ten meters away.
He hit the ground and rolled, body skidding through dust and grass before coming to a stop. His vision blurred. Pain tore through every muscle, and his breath came ragged. That strike… it wasn't the power ,a peak foundation level would display,this Zhao Mu was stronger than he thought
Groaning, he tried to push himself up, but a sharp tremor ran through his arm. He collapsed face-first, the taste of blood filling his mouth. His right hand dangled uselessly, bones clearly fractured from the collision
"Well, well," the other man laughed, clapping slowly. "Finally, the brat learns where he belongs. This is the fate of anyone who dares to mock my Zhao family,hope you will remember that once you are in the grave ."
Li Xuan forced himself to his knees, using his good hand for support. Blood dripped from his palm to the dirt. His arm was mangled, bone glinting faintly beneath torn skin. He coughed hard, spitting blood that stained his lips and teeth crimson.
"Do you regret it now?" Zhao Mu asked, walking closer, the faint light from his sword reflecting in his cold eyes.
Li Xuan wiped his mouth and laughed hoarsely. "Like I said, you fools of the Zhao family don't deserve respect. I neither regret nor fear bastards like you."
Zhao Mu's expression darkened. "Then I hope your soul lives long enough to see your aunt's funeral."
Li Xuan's head snapped up, his fury flaring like wildfire. His jaw tightened, his veins bulged.
"Say that again," he hissed, pointing a trembling finger at Zhao Mu. "Say her name again—and I'll bury you alive."
Zhao Mu grinned. "That's the spirit I want to see. Let's hope you don't disappoint me in this next strike."
He lunged forward, sword blazing, spinning in a rapid arc that gathered the surrounding air into a swirling tornado. The whirlwind roared toward Li Xuan, tearing through the clearing like a beast unleashed.
"Palm strike!"
Li Xuan thrust his hand forward, summoning what little energy he could muster. A massive, glowing palm burst forth, colliding with the tornado. The explosion shook the trees; dust and leaves blasted into the air, scattering like feathers.
Far away, by a flickering fire pit, a woman sitting quietly on a wooden stool stood up abruptly. The sound had reached even there.
Even though the tornado hadn't struck him directly, the shockwave sent Li Xuan stumbling back. His feet dragged through dirt until he dropped to one knee.
Zhao Mu laughed, his grin wild. "You've got some skill. But sorry—playtime's over."
He raised his sword high. Spiritual energy surged once more, flooding the blade until a gray flame erupted from its core, roaring with destructive power.
"Young man," Zhao Mu said, his voice carrying through the night, "let's see if you can withstand this. Soul-Shattering Slash!"
He swung. The air split open as the flaming crescent flew forward, ripping through the air like paper.
Li Xuan's body was at its limit—his spiritual energy was clearly exhausted from unleashing that palm strike which he had recently just mastered,his limbs were trembling as if an earthquake just ran through him . He could only watch the incoming strike. The wave struck him but instead of exploding, it passed through his body like light through glass, leaving him standing, untouched and frozen.
The Zhao family was a weird family to say ,their skills were considered strangely weird . They basically used soul attack type techniques which were rare . Li Xuan body was struck by such a destructive force but he was left standing as if the target wasn't the body but something much deeper .
He swung again, this time horizontally, the blazing crescent slicing toward Li Xuan's chest.
Li Xuan's vision blurred. He felt the world dimming, his senses fading one by one. The only sound was the faint hum of death closing in.
Then—a flash.
A small, blazing orb shot past his ear and struck the incoming attack. The two forces collided midair and erupted in a violent explosion of flame and wind.
And from the echo of that blast, a furious voice rang out—sharp, cold, and trembling with power.
"How dare you hurt him."