Seizing the Blade and Killing a Man

"Come on!"

Gu Sheng straddled the Black Wind Leopard, a cold glint flashing from his pair of Sky Eagle Claws. The Black Wind Leopard was moving incredibly fast, and the distance between the two sides continued to close.

"Haah~"

The first to clash with Gu Sheng was the second brother, Wang Tiefeng. Just as Gu Sheng drew within thirty feet of them, a scarlet meteor rapidly enlarged in his field of vision.

"Clang~"

Gu Sheng punched out, directly knocking away the incoming meteor hammer. His body did not pause in the slightest, nor was his movement or speed affected. He still faced the attacking Wang Brothers in an offensive stance.

"Boom~"

After the massive red-bronze meteor hammer was knocked away by Gu Sheng, it crashed into the chaotic crowd. A powerful shockwave swept out from the point of impact. Every living thing within thirty feet died, while those within a hundred feet were injured.

"Bang~"

An ear-piercing sonic boom followed the flying red-bronze hammer. Gu Sheng had only just knocked away Wang Tiefeng’s meteor hammer when Wang Tiehai’s spear spun up a wave of pressure, striking toward Gu Sheng’s heart like a venomous snake.

"Thump~"

A sharp light flashed in Gu Sheng’s eyes. His right hand suddenly shot downward like a hunting eagle pouncing on its prey, accurately seizing the rotating spearhead in Wang Tiehai’s hands.

"Smack~"

Gu Sheng abruptly shook his right hand, sending a tremor through it. Wang Tiehai violently twisted the shaft, releasing his own spiraling force. The two different forces used the spear as their battlefield. After a momentary clash, the shaft three inches below the Red Tassel Spear’s head suddenly exploded. The specially made shaft shattered into pieces, and the rebounding spiral force surged toward Wang Tiehai’s hands.

"Ah~"

The reversed spiral force traveled through the shaft into Wang Tiehai’s hands. With a cry of pain, Wang Tiehai released the shaft, sending it flying horizontally. He himself was also carried off his horse by the force, spinning several times through the air like the shaft before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Third brother~"

"Third brother~"

Wang Tieshan and Wang Tiefeng shouted at the same time when they saw this. After turning their heads for a glance, they abruptly turned back and struck again.

"Haah~"

Wang Tieshan made his move. He slapped the horse’s back and vaulted into the air, then kicked hard off the horse. His entire body flew into the air above and to the side of Gu Sheng. In midair, he gathered the strength of his whole body and, borrowing the momentum of his descent, unleashed the strongest slash of his life.

"Yaaah~"

Wang Tiefeng also worked with perfect coordination. He leaped up and spun through the air several times. After completing several rotations, he raised the other red-bronze hammer and smashed it toward Gu Sheng’s chest.

"Clang~Clang~"

Gu Sheng held up his left hand in front of him and raised his right hand to block. Two clashes of metal rang out almost simultaneously. Wang Tieshan’s Cleaving Mountain Blade and Wang Tiefeng’s heavy hammer were both stopped.

"Crack~"

The Black Wind Leopard beneath Gu Sheng tensed all four legs against the ground. This was the first time since the battle began that Gu Sheng had been unable to completely dispel the force and needed the Black Wind Leopard’s help. The Wang Brothers’ combined strike was rather interesting.

"Take this spear!"

With a furious shout carrying a hint of tragedy, Wang Tiehai charged over with a spear that seemed to have come from nowhere, both his trembling hands continuously dripping blood.

His condition was actually terrible. Gu Sheng had just unleashed that tremor with all his strength. More than fifty thousand kilograms of force had acted on Wang Tiehai’s hands, not only grievously injuring him in an instant but also damaging the meridians in his hands. His hands were practically crippled, and they trembled uncontrollably even when he held the spear.

However, when his two elder brothers needed help, he still charged over without hesitation, using the last bit of his strength to create an opportunity for them.

With a roar, he pushed off with both feet and shot into the air. He aimed a level thrust at Gu Sheng’s head.

"Bang~"

The terrifying sonic boom rang like thunder beside his ears. Gu Sheng had no doubt that this move possessed extraordinary power.

"Hmph~"

A trace of anger at being offended flashed through Gu Sheng’s eyes. There was no need to keep playing with them. His right hand, gripping the Cleaving Mountain Blade, suddenly darted and flashed. In an instant, he stabbed Wang Tieshan hard in the chest. Taking advantage of the moment when the sudden blow weakened his opponent’s arms, Gu Sheng reversed his grip and seized the Cleaving Mountain Blade, then followed through with a downward slash.

"Clang~"

The Cleaving Mountain Blade struck the tip of Wang Tiehai’s spear with perfect accuracy, directly splitting the trembling spear in his hands in two.

By then, Wang Tiehai could not slow his charge. His entire body was carried forward by the momentum and slammed headfirst onto the Cleaving Mountain Blade Gu Sheng had raised. The gleaming blade entered through his chest, with half its bloodied tip protruding from his back.

"Pfft~"

Wang Tiehai stared at his chest in disbelief. He could not imagine that the weapon which ultimately killed him would be his elder brother’s. His head twitched, then drooped weakly. After several breaths, he stopped breathing.

"Third brother!"

"Third brother!"

Wang Tieshan staggered to the ground, while Wang Tiefeng was still locked in a clash with Gu Sheng. Seeing Wang Tiehai impaled through, their eyes turned completely blood-red, and their expressions became even more resolute.

"Boom~"

Gu Sheng would not lose focus on this battlefield full of danger. He suddenly pulled out the Cleaving Mountain Blade, sending Wang Tiehai’s corpse flying, then gathered his strength and spun around with a horizontal sweep.

"Crack~"

A flash of blade light passed. Wang Tiefeng, who had stood there for some time, trembled. The red-bronze hammer and his large bald head were split into upper and lower halves together, and his tall corpse instantly toppled to the ground.

"Second brother! Pfft~"

Wang Tieshan was still grieving over his third brother’s death. When he saw this, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He gave Gu Sheng a deep look, as if trying to carve his face into his memory, then darted without looking back toward the chaotic formation of cavalry behind him.

The cavalry the three brothers had brought were now in complete disarray. More than a thousand riders milled about in a vast, jumbled mass, panicking and running about blindly. If he was careful, he might be able to use the chaos to escape alive.

"Trying to leave~"

Gu Sheng would not let his enemy escape. He narrowed his eyes and took aim at Wang Tieshan, then sent the Cleaving Mountain Blade in his hand flying toward its former owner like Little Gu’s throwing knife.

"Ah~"

Wang Tieshan was desperately fleeing when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right leg. Before he could think, an irresistible force dragged him forward and brought him crashing to the ground. A piercing pain shot through his right leg.

Wang Tieshan lowered his head and saw that the Cleaving Mountain Blade had pierced through his right leg and pinned it to the ground.

"Everyone, be quiet! Kneel, and you won’t be killed!"

Gu Sheng drew a long breath, sank his energy to his dantian, and shouted. His loud, powerful voice echoed across the entire battlefield. The many bandits who had not yet managed to escape fell deathly silent. Moments later, wave after wave of them dropped to their knees.

"Gang Leader Wang, it seems your Iron Mountain Gang isn’t all that impressive after all!"

Gu Sheng rode the Black Wind Leopard over to Wang Tieshan’s side and pulled out the blade, which had almost entirely sunk into the ground. He used the Cleaving Mountain Blade to roll Wang Tieshan over, then mocked him mercilessly. Gu Sheng had no charitable, saintly compassion for bandit leaders whose hands were stained with blood.

Although the bandits of the Iron Mountain Gang did not seem to have earned much infamy in the Yicheng region yet, that did not mean they were innocent. In Gu Sheng’s eyes, every bandit gang in the Nine Cauldrons World could be slaughtered to the last without any mistake.