Chapter Seventy: The Execution of Huangfu Man

"Huangu Show's golden core is about to shatter, beyond saving; the family has already abandoned him. Becoming friends with someone like you, it's not unjust that he's doomed—hahaha..." Huangu Man laughed gleefully, reveling in misfortune.

Zhou Qi felt his heart sink. A shattered golden core, no hope of recovery, forsaken by his family—how could it be so? Seeing Huangu Man still laughing wildly before him, Zhou Qi's anger flared.

"You repeatedly insult my sister and slander my friend. If I let you off, how will I face myself in the future?" Zhou Qi said calmly, pulling Jiu'er behind him.

"Such arrogance! Get him!" Huangu Man shouted, pointing at Zhou Qi. Twelve women, armed with weapons, surged forward.

These twelve women seemed almost real, their attacks forming a vague battle formation, both offensive and defensive. Zhou Qi dared not be careless; he focused only on their faces, not daring to look at their bodies, for their postures were elegant and alluring, and they were unclothed—lest he be distracted.

Twelve weapons slashed toward Zhou Qi. Huangu Man seemed to see Zhou Qi's body torn apart by them, his face twisted in cruel delight.

In a flash, Zhou Qi shouted, unleashing the Ten Thousand Swords Return. The Immortal-Slaying Sword split into twelve, barely blocking the weapons as they struck, keeping the twelve women at bay.

Huangu Man was startled—he had underestimated Zhou Qi and was about to change tactics.

But Zhou Qi was faster. Using the Mysterious Thunder Escape, he appeared before Huangu Man and punched him in the face. Zhou Qi, tempered by the second transformation of the Heavenly Profound Body, possessed immense strength, though he seldom used it. Now, enraged, he struck with full force. Huangu Man flew across the room, smashing countless tables and chairs, while the onlookers scattered.

Without Huangu Man's control, the twelve women returned to the fan, transforming again into mere portraits. Huangu Man's delicate face was now sunken, his eyes, nose, and ears all pushed together, with only a few teeth remaining. Yet he survived the punch—his defensive artifact must have absorbed most of the impact.

The Immortal-Slaying Sword reverted to a single blade. Zhou Qi, sword in hand, stepped toward Huangu Man.

"You can't kill me. I'm a member of the Huangu family—if you offend us, you'll pay dearly," Huangu Man threatened, barely intelligible through his injuries.

"Even now, you refuse to surrender your pride, still daring to threaten me."

"So what if you're from the Huangu family? Does your family have the right to bully others?"

"If I don't kill you, even the heavens would be outraged," Zhou Qi declared. Having already struck, he knew mercy would not earn gratitude, so it was best to eradicate evil completely.

Sensing Zhou Qi's murderous intent, Huangu Man struggled to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly, begging for mercy, pleading that he was blind to Zhou Qi's greatness and imploring forgiveness.

The shopkeeper also urged restraint, saying the Huangu family had strict rules in Suiye City—anyone who killed would be challenging their authority, especially if the victim was one of their own. Killing Huangu Man would bring endless trouble.

Zhou Qi hesitated. If he killed Huangu Man, he'd have to flee again. But he wanted to clarify Huangu Show's situation; if he left now, he'd be forced to watch Huangu Show become a cripple. He needed to investigate—perhaps there was a way.

"It's not impossible to spare your life. Apologize to Huangu Show and to my sister. Huangu Show is not here, so I'll accept your apology on his behalf. If my sister forgives you, I will let you go," Zhou Qi said, his killing intent still strong.

"Please, young lady, forgive me. I spoke out of turn and offended you," Huangu Man quickly kowtowed to Jiu'er.

Jiu'er looked timidly at Zhou Qi, unsure what to do.

"Follow your heart. I will abide by your wishes," Zhou Qi encouraged.

Jiu'er nodded. "Let him go, brother. He's just a clown; I don't care."

Hearing this, Zhou Qi sheathed the Immortal-Slaying Sword and was about to speak further when Huangu Man, still kneeling, suddenly shot a plum-blossom dart from his hand. It sped toward Zhou Qi's chest in the blink of an eye.

"Hehe, you think you can leave after offending me? You made me kneel to you—how foolish," Huangu Man sneered, but his twisted face made him cry out in pain as he laughed.

Jiu'er cried out in alarm, "Brother!" and rushed to support Zhou Qi, who stood motionless.

"I'm fine," Zhou Qi said calmly. The dart fell to the ground, and though his clothes were torn, no blood flowed—the dart had not penetrated his body. Zhou Qi's physique was already as tough as a low-grade spiritual artifact, and Huangu Man, severely wounded, had little strength left. The attack merely ripped Zhou Qi's clothing, leaving him unharmed.

Seeing his vengeful strike fail, Huangu Man was terrified, his face contorting even further. He knew now that begging was useless, so he resorted to hoarse curses.

Zhou Qi said nothing. The Immortal-Slaying Sword flashed, and Huangu Man was instantly decapitated.

Seeing Zhou Qi had really killed him, the shopkeeper urged, "Sir, please leave quickly. The Huangu family's patrolling cultivators will surely arrive soon. Escape the city before they come!"

"It matters not," Zhou Qi replied, picking up Huangu Man's fan and taking his storage ring. He took out one thousand low-grade spiritual stones and handed them to the shopkeeper for the damages and previous expenses.

"Jiu'er, let's go," Zhou Qi said, taking her hand and activating the Ground-breaking Talisman. Yet nothing happened. Zhou Qi grew anxious. He had expected to use the talisman and depart in style, leaving everyone with a dashing impression, but it had failed—now he was in trouble.

"Sir, you may not know—the city of Suiye has restrictions. Ground-breaking Talismans cannot be used. You'd best leave quickly," the shopkeeper explained.

Zhou Qi thanked him and, taking Jiu'er by the hand, flew toward the city gates.

Zhou Qi's anxiety mounted. If the Huangu family's cultivators arrived and he couldn't use the talisman, escape would not be easy. He flew on his sword, using the Divine Steps technique. Fortunately, the Huangu family hadn't come so quickly.

Escape the city first; he'd find another way to investigate Huangu Show's situation. Once outside, he had only gone a short distance when four or five groups of cultivators appeared out of nowhere, their excitement greater than if they'd seen a loved one.

Zhou Qi was puzzled—when had he offended so many? Seeing among them the old woman and old man from the auction house, he understood—they were the ones planning to rob him. He wondered how their information was so accurate and timely.

As Zhou Qi found himself surrounded, the old woman snarled, "You finally came out! Do you know how we've spent these three years? Three years—three years!"

So many cultivators to rob a single man—Zhou Qi had no intention of fighting them or even learning about their three years. Grabbing Jiu'er, he used Divine Steps repeatedly, escaping their encirclement and instantly activating the Ground-breaking Talisman, vanishing from sight.

The remaining cultivators looked at each other, only hearing half the old woman's sentence before Zhou Qi and the girl disappeared after two teleportations.

"Chase!" someone shouted, and the five groups scattered in five directions, hoping luck would favor their pursuit.