Chapter Forty-Three: Witnessing the Destruction of the Venom Sect

Po Sheng was truly astonished. As far as he knew, only a few months ago, Yang Ze had just been a novice at the initial stage of Qi Induction. Yet now, he had already reached the advanced stage. Po Sheng himself had arduously trained for over twenty years and was still only at the advanced stage, and now Yang Ze had caught up so quickly. This one absolutely cannot be allowed to live! That was the only thought in Po Sheng's mind now. Yang Ze’s talent was simply too terrifying; if he were allowed to stay, he would surely become a future threat. If he killed Yang Ze, at worst, he could simply seek the protection of the Feng or Fan families.

“So you’ve broken through to the advanced stage of Qi Induction. But if that’s the only card you’re holding, you’re celebrating far too early. Even among the advanced stage, there are differences in strength.”

His first strike having failed, Po Sheng launched another palm strike, this time unleashing his full power. He wanted to kill Yang Ze as quickly as possible.

“There’s a difference, indeed—you are not my equal!” Yang Ze’s blade remained sheathed; the scabbard itself swung out to block Po Sheng’s blow.

Po Sheng’s other hand shot forward with another palm, aiming straight for Yang Ze's chest. Yang Ze’s right hand moved; gripping the scabbard in his left, he gave a forceful push, while his right pressed down on the hilt. The blade flashed from its sheath—a Tiger Slayer strike was unleashed.

In that instant, Po Sheng’s pupils contracted. His palm changed direction, lashing out to meet the Tiger Slayer. Blades of light crisscrossed in the air. At the merest contact, both men sprang apart once more.

A chill gripped Po Sheng’s heart. He hadn’t expected that Yang Ze, besides matching his cultivation level, had also honed his blade skills to such a degree. In that split second, he had nearly fallen victim. By his judgment, Yang Ze must have mastered this martial art to perfection; otherwise, it would not wield such power.

With trepidation in his heart, Po Sheng tapped his toes and shot forward, closing in on Yang Ze with a sweeping kick.

Yang Ze did not meet the attack head-on, instead dodging nimbly. He abandoned the Black Tiger Blade Technique and began to employ the Swallow’s Lightning Blade.

He did this because his mastery of the Swallow’s Lightning Blade had not yet reached even the entry level, but in battle, he could improve quickly. If he used only the Black Tiger Blade Technique, he could end the fight swiftly, but would miss this rare opportunity.

Once the Swallow’s Lightning Blade was unleashed, Yang Ze did not press the attack but continued to evade, only counterattacking occasionally.

This was the nature of the Swallow’s Lightning Blade—agile, ever-changing, probing with light attacks, only unleashing its full force and deadly strike when a true opening appeared.

Initially, Po Sheng had been cautious after witnessing the terrifying Tiger Slayer move, not daring to attack recklessly. But seeing Yang Ze shift tactics, he immediately launched a fierce assault.

Palm after palm struck out, a foul stench diffusing through the air. Yet, it failed to disturb Yang Ze, and with the shifting patterns of the Swallow’s Lightning Blade, Po Sheng’s attacks were rendered useless.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more astonished Po Sheng became. He was shocked by Yang Ze’s martial talent. Throughout their exchanges, he could see that Yang Ze had not fully mastered this other blade technique at first, but after dozens of moves, every strike had become markedly smoother.

He cannot be allowed to continue! After another palm strike, Po Sheng suddenly jabbed forward with a finger—a movement so abrupt that in the blink of an eye, it was already a foot from Yang Ze’s chest.

In that instant, Yang Ze reacted, chopping down with his blade.

Po Sheng’s true qi surged into his finger, meeting the blade’s edge directly. The force within that finger exploded, knocking Yang Ze’s strike back.

Yang Ze’s expression changed; his toes tapped the ground several times as he withdrew some distance, but Po Sheng lunged after him, even faster than before.

At the critical moment, Yang Ze changed his technique mid-move, unleashing a horizontal Tiger’s Roar. A faint murderous aura shimmered along the blade’s edge.

This time, Po Sheng did not retreat. Three fingers flicked out in succession—so fast they were a blur—striking Yang Ze’s blade three times in quick succession, dissipating the Tiger’s Roar. Then, a finger thrust toward a vital acupoint on Yang Ze’s body.

Yang Ze’s right arm drew his blade back, switching between Tiger Slayer and Tiger’s Roar in quick alternation. More than ten moves passed; yet Yang Ze was forced back several steps, falling into disadvantage.

Seeing this, Po Sheng’s true qi surged to the limit. With his energy peaking, he jabbed out with another finger, aiming for Yang Ze’s vital acupoints.

But at that moment, Yang Ze’s broad blade lashed out, at last unleashing the final move of the Black Tiger Blade Technique—Tiger Descends the Mountain. The blade’s light erupted, and in that instant, it was as if a tiger’s roar echoed in the air as he slashed down.

The moment the blade fell, every hair on Po Sheng’s body stood on end and his face turned deathly pale. He sensed disaster—a taste of death itself.

He had never imagined that, after being pressed so hard, Yang Ze still had a reserve move, nor that Yang Ze had cultivated the not-so-profound Black Tiger Blade Technique to such a high level. Without even displaying blade energy, he could already withstand Po Sheng’s Nine-Spiral Finger. Now, unleashed in full, it caught Po Sheng completely off guard.

Facing Tiger Descends the Mountain, Po Sheng had no answer left. All he could do was meet it with his full force finger strike. At the first clash, blood spurted forth.

Po Sheng screamed; his right index and middle fingers were severed halfway through, blood gushing from the wounds. The agonizing pain left his face ashen.

A perfected Black Tiger Blade Technique, even without emitting blade energy, could not possibly be blocked by Po Sheng’s finger strike alone.

“Stop!” Po Sheng shouted, but as blood poured from him, his strength ebbed away.

“It’s too late to beg for mercy now!” Yang Ze stepped forward, unleashing another Tiger Descends the Mountain, hacking down with ruthless momentum.

Po Sheng, mind in chaos, had no will left to fight. He turned to flee, but with his injuries, his speed plummeted. Before he could take a single step, the blade cleaved into his chest, splitting his ribs open as blood sprayed everywhere.

With that single stroke, Po Sheng had no chance to resist; his life was cut off, his body stiffening as he collapsed, eyes wide open, unable to accept such a death.

“The top master of Xiangyun Street—nothing more than this.” In less than four months since arriving on Xiangyun Street, Yang Ze had slain Po Sheng and taken the title of its foremost expert.

From the first move to the last, Yang Ze and Po Sheng’s battle had lasted less than a quarter of an hour, and yet an advanced-stage Qi Induction practitioner had fallen to Yang Ze’s blade. This scene utterly terrified all the followers of the Poison Sect.

Po Sheng had been the pillar of the entire Poison Sect. With his death, the sect was doomed. The survivors immediately turned to flee.

Old Xie, having already defeated more than forty opponents, saw the others trying to escape and fixed his sights on the two remaining advanced Qi Induction elders of the Poison Sect.

Anyone else could flee, but these two elders could not be allowed to live.

Old Xie took several swift steps and appeared before the two elders in a flash. His palms struck them both in the chest, the force exploding inside, shattering their heart meridians. Blood spurted from their mouths as their internal organs burst open. They collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

“Second Young Master, what about the rest?” In no time, only Old Xie and Yang Ze remained. All the Poison Sect disciples had fled.

“Those who haven’t reached Qi Induction, let them go—they can’t stir up any trouble. Killing them would be a waste of time. As for those at the Qi Induction stage, kill every last one—leave none alive!

Go back now and bring some men. We’ll secure the Poison Sect’s assets before someone else comes to snatch the spoils.” Yang Ze’s voice was cold. He cared little for the number of dead; what mattered was securing his own gains.

This was wholly different from dealing with the Chamber of Commerce. From the beginning, Yang Ze had never intended to spare Po Sheng. Such a man would only bring trouble if left alive—better to eliminate him and prevent future calamity.

Old Xie departed, leaving Yang Ze alone. Not wasting any time, Yang Ze began searching Po Sheng’s corpse, hoping to find anything worthwhile…

With Po Sheng’s death, the Poison Sect was annihilated, plunging the already chaotic Xiangyun Street into even greater turmoil.

Many had been watching Yang Ze’s approach to the Poison Sect, and some bold souls had lingered nearby, receiving news at the first opportunity.

As soon as these busybodies had the news, they spread it at lightning speed. Soon, not only Xiangyun Street but the entire Sitong Market was abuzz with the latest development.

No one had expected that Yang Ze had broken through to the advanced stage of Qi Induction, nor that Old Xie had as well. The Tongyang Alliance now boasted two advanced practitioners, overwhelming the entire Xiangyun Street with their might.

Amidst this upheaval, there was one place in Xiangyun Street that remained calm—the headquarters of the Woodcutters’ Guild.

In the main hall, a group of rough, farmer-like men were seated. At the head sat Meng Yitian, his face expressionless, the picture of composure.

Though he appeared calm, the men seated below him could not match his poise. Many wore anxious expressions, sitting as though on needles.

Their nervousness was understandable. In a single day, the Chamber of Commerce had been attacked by the Black Tiger and swallowed up, the Iron Hammer Gang—equal in strength—had been destroyed, and now, the even stronger Poison Sect had been wiped out. With all these rapid changes, they feared they might be next. After all, theirs was the last remaining major guild in Xiangyun Street.

“Guild Master…” one burly man began, but Meng Yitian raised a hand to silence him.

“Enough, there’s no need to say more. The moment I chose to seize the Iron Hammer Gang’s assets, I had already prepared myself.” Meng Yitian spoke slowly, his tone utterly unflustered.

But as soon as he finished, a Woodcutter’s Guild disciple entered and reported, “Guild Master, there are two men outside who claim to be from the Feng and Fan families. They request an audience with you.”