Chapter Ninety-Five: The Abyssal Death Cavern

But then rage welled up in Gang Leader Wu’s heart. His thirty years of external training were supposed to be unrivaled—how could he possibly be stopped by this man? What lay before his eyes had to be an illusion. His opponent must have used some sort of mental art.

At that thought, he no longer hesitated. Gathering all his strength again, and with fury added to it, he lunged at Chu Youcai.

Yet this time, he found that after blow upon blow landed on Chu Youcai’s arm, he still could not shake him in the slightest, as though Chu Youcai’s body were forged from steel.

At once, a dreadful feeling rose in his heart. Could it be that the other man had already cultivated his Dao arts to the point of projection beyond the body? Only someone with twenty years of Dao arts could achieve that.

Then, deep in his heart, an unwilling thought surged up: no, this fellow was merely the discarded son of the duke’s mansion. How could he possibly have cultivated Dao arts? It must be some secret technique. And if he could obtain it, he would surely rise another level.

Greed exploded within him.

In that instant, he unleashed his most powerful force. With a palm strike that came down like a dragon soaring through the sky, his fingers sharp as blades, he rushed forward like a starving tiger charging out of the mountains, determined to rip Chu Youcai’s arm off and trample him beneath his feet.

Seeing the other man driven into such frenzy, a trace of coldness flashed in Chu Youcai’s eyes.

In their clash, he had come to appreciate the formidable power of the demon-refining art. After cultivating it to the second stage, he could already contend with this Gang Leader Wu, who had thirty years of external training, and even gain the upper hand.

With such strength, Chu Youcai was confident that even without curse arts, he now possessed the power to protect himself.

For a fleeting moment, he felt a surging pride. The night of bloody, frenzied body tempering, and the immense suffering it had brought, had at last borne fruit.

At that moment, thinking of the Dark Butcher’s countless crimes in Yan Province, their atrocities no less heinous than Lei Yinyang’s, and seeing their present rampage, Chu Youcai’s fury was finally fully stirred.

He spun aside, avoiding the opponent’s palm. His movements were swift as lightning as he leapt behind Gang Leader Wu, reached out, and gripped the shoulder bone with all his strength.

With a sharp crack, Gang Leader Wu’s right shoulder bone was crushed at once.

Then Chu Youcai hurled the man’s entire body away.

In an instant, the overbearing Gang Leader Wu was sent flying more than nine feet, and when he hit the ground, his bones gave a series of brittle snaps. Even the bones themselves were broken.

The man still tried to rise, but when he braced himself on his right hand, the arm shattered completely. He cried out in misery, staring at his own arm and roaring in agony, his face twisted with fury.

Seeing this, everyone was completely stunned.

Gang Leader Wu, with thirty years of external training, had actually had his shoulder bone smashed head-on by Chu Youcai.

Terrified, they stared at Chu Youcai. At that moment, they truly feared he might go mad with killing and slay them all. Trembling, they did not even dare move.

Chu Youcai walked slowly to Gang Leader Wu. With a flick of his toe, he struck the man’s dantian dead on and shattered it.

Gang Leader Wu immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and cried out sharply, “You have crippled my cultivation!”

Chu Youcai said faintly, “Those who kill others will eventually be killed. If my cultivation today had been inferior to yours, I would likely already have been framed by you, with not even bones left behind. I will spare your life for now. Within three days, dissolve your Dark Butcher, and use every coin you have to donate to the disaster victims outside South City. If you fail to do so, next time it will not end with merely your right hand.”

Then murderous intent showed in Chu Youcai’s eyes as he said coldly, “Get out.”

At once, the faces of the Dark Butcher men changed with fear. They hurried to help Gang Leader Wu up and fled in panic.

Only after they had run far away, and confirmed that Chu Youcai would not pursue them, did everyone finally look at Gang Leader Wu in terror.

Gang Leader Wu gritted his teeth and said, “Send men at once to find Second Young Master Chu! I will never swallow this humiliation!”

At the mention of Second Young Master Chu, all of them could not help but shiver.

********************

Gang Leader Wu endured the agony of his broken arm and made his way to Second Young Master Chu’s door. Only after a long while was he summoned inside.

Seeing that the tendons in Wu Gang Leader’s arm had already been severed, Chu Yuwang’s expression changed. With Chu Youcai possessing such means, could that assassin also have been sent by Chu Youcai?

He carefully examined Wu Gang Leader’s hand, and realization dawned on him.

A glow like a tortoiseshell pattern flowed from his fingers, shifting and changing in brilliance. Before long, Gang Leader Wu’s arm had gradually recovered, and even the completely ruined dantian showed signs of healing.

Gang Leader Wu was overjoyed and filled with gratitude. “Second Young Master, you must avenge me.”

Chu Yuwang said with a dark, cold look, “Do not worry. When have I, Chu Yuwang, ever suffered a loss?” Then he waved a hand. “Go and recover on your own. I will handle this matter. For these next few days, restrain your subordinates and do not make any moves. I will see that justice is done for you.”

“Yes.” Gang Leader Wu obeyed meekly and withdrew. Only after reaching the doorway did he let out a long breath and murmur, “Justice? No, strength is justice. One day, I will become a stronger kind of justice myself.”

At the same time, in the study, Chu Yuwang’s gaze turned chilly. With a flick of his finger, a black-clothed man appeared from the dark corner and knelt there.

The black-clothed man said, “Master, since Chu Youcai was able to deal with Gang Leader Wu, it is clear that he is no weakling. Should I go and kill him now?”

Chu Yuwang said, “Hmph. What is Gang Leader Wu worth? Nothing but thirty years of external training. If he were to meet an expert in Dao arts, he would turn to ash with the lightest touch. The reason I used him was because of his gang. Chu Youcai may have beaten him, but that was only the rebound of technique against force. Beneath Dao arts, all men are ants. A Chu Youcai like that, I can crush as many as I please.”

“Master sees all,” said the black-clothed man.

Just then, a rustle of wind sounded, and a pigeon landed on the windowsill.

Chu Yuwang reached out, took a slip of paper from the pigeon’s leg, and, upon seeing it, broke into sudden delight. “Heaven is helping me. The True Dark Death Cavern has actually opened. Relay my command: everyone shall follow me at once!”

Instantly, seven or eight black-clothed men appeared before him and knelt together, saying respectfully, “Yes.”

At that moment, the earlier black-clothed man said, “Master, the duke will be returning in half a month. With a round trip, I fear we may not have enough time.”

Chu Yuwang gave a cold snort. “I already possess the map to the True Dark Death Cavern. I should be able to return within half a month. And if I break through there, I can advance to ten years of Dao arts. By then, even Chu Yuwei will be unable to suppress me!”

“Master is wise!” the black-clothed men said in unison.

Chu Yuwang then turned to the earlier man. “This Chu Youcai dares to challenge the Dark Butcher, so he must be relying on something. We cannot afford to be careless. Although Yan Yunfei has already left, who knows whether there are other forces behind him?” A cruel light appeared in his eyes. “Black Seven, go and spy on him in secret. If he is unfathomable, then wait for the right moment and act. If he proves to be weak, kill him and bring back the Fish-Scale Blade!”

“Yes.” Black Seven’s eyes glinted with a cold light.