BANG!
It was the sound of a Magical Artifact piercing through the wooden door, tearing through the air at incredible speed.
From the doorway of his storeroom, Zhao Zuo saw the intruder facing his bedroom door. A large hole had already been punched through it. Clearly, the Tribulation Cultivator had attacked the bed through the door.
This meant... the attacker was very familiar with the layout of Zhao Zuo's home.
Or they had cased the joint beforehand.
The assailant peered into the room through the hole, not noticing Zhao Zuo behind him.
This was the perfect opportunity to strike. Zhao Zuo abruptly activated the Sharp Arrow Talisman in his hand. The Mana stored within it transformed into an invisible arrow of air, flying toward the target's back at extreme speed.
The talisman paper burst into flames, lighting up the dark night and illuminating the surroundings.
WHOOSH!
The intruder spun around as a brilliant Golden Light erupted from his body. It formed a golden barrier a foot in front of him, which collided with the Sharp Arrow Talisman. The impact created countless golden ripples, but the Vajra Talisman's barrier held firm. The Sharp Arrow Talisman was just a One Tier, Lower Grade Talisman; its power was ultimately no match for the Vajra Talisman.
Zhao Zuo circulated his Mana, ready to retreat at a moment's notice. With a surge of Mana, the Willow Leaf Dart was released from a hidden clasp at his waist, instantly becoming a streak of black light that shot toward the attacker.
The enemy immediately sensed the black light flying at him. He slammed his back against the wooden door, shattering the already damaged wood completely, and threw himself backward to dodge Zhao Zuo's attack.
In the heat of battle, Zhao Zuo felt his blood run hot. All thoughts of dodging vanished as he pushed off with his legs and charged the enemy. As his Mana surged, his body began to emit a faint Golden Light.
A second later, the enemy pushed off with his legs, kipping up in a flash. At the same time, he channeled his Mana to link with his Magical Artifact, preparing to counterattack at any moment.
He also stacked a Second-Layer Vajra Talisman on himself, the Golden Light spreading out and solidifying into a barrier.
Zhao Zuo's first battle was completely without form. He charged like a crazed rhinoceros, savagely rushing his opponent while continuously gathering Mana in his right fist.
Faced with life and death, Zhao Zuo had finally found the courage to fight.
SWOOSH.
The enemy swung his arm. His Magical Artifact, now fully charged, shot toward Zhao Zuo to kill him. At the critical moment, Golden Light flared as the Vajra Talisman collided with the shuttle-shaped Magical Artifact. While the two were locked in a stalemate, Zhao Zuo sidestepped the attack. However, the collision had left the barrier formed by the Vajra Talisman extremely fragile.
The distance between them was less than three meters. Zhao Zuo finally played his trump card. The Sky-Breaking Saber was released from a hidden clasp at his waist. Like a cannonball fired from a barrel, it approached the speed of sound in the blink of an eye. After two upgrades, the Sky-Breaking Saber's power was now incredibly close to that of a Middle Grade Magical Artifact.
The enemy never expected Zhao Zuo to have a second Magical Artifact. By the time he realized it, the Sky-Breaking Saber had slammed into the golden barrier. The collision was like two Evil Beasts wrestling for dominance.
A flicker of triumph flashed in the enemy's eyes. 'Two stacked Vajra Talismans would naturally have no fear of a mere Lower Grade Magical Artifact. Plus, I still have unactivated Talismans in my robes. The advantage... is mine!'
The next second, the body of the Sky-Breaking Saber trembled and emitted a silver glint. It pierced straight through the golden barrier and, in an instant, shot through the enemy's chest, leaving a fist-sized hole so clean you could almost see through it.
Fragments of blood and bone flew backward, blasting against the wall like buckshot and leaving a gory pattern reminiscent of some primitive sacrificial totem.
The triumph in the enemy's eyes vanished, replaced entirely by astonishment.
He still had Talismans, still had trump cards. 'But how could a Lower Grade Magical Artifact pierce a Vajra Talisman?'
'And with such devastating power.'
Even with his chest pierced through, his eyes remained open. He was not yet completely dead.
THUD.
Zhao Zuo reached his enemy, grabbed his head with both hands, and gave it a vicious twist.
CRACK.
A sharp snap of bone echoed in the night. The enemy's body, which had been faintly trembling, went completely limp. Zhao Zuo had broken his neck.
Zhao Zuo's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the fallen corpse, breathing heavily. 'Breaking the man's neck just now felt so easy, almost as if there was no resistance at all.'
During the fight, Zhao Zuo had poured all his focus into it, his mind filled with nothing but tension and excitement. Although he'd lost some of his composure, he had still executed the plan he'd laid out beforehand: use the Willow Leaf Dart to make the enemy lower his guard, then finish him with the Sky-Breaking Saber.
The Sky-Breaking Saber's power hadn't disappointed him either, successfully piercing the Vajra Talisman.
Still, he had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment and charged in for close-quarters combat. Thinking back on it now, it was a bit impulsive, but the overall result was good.
He had been running on pure adrenaline, utterly thrilled during the fight. Now that he had calmed down and was looking at the incredibly gory scene in the room, he felt a cold sweat break out all over his body. His hands and feet felt weak, as if he might collapse at any moment.
'I've killed someone.' A chill ran through Zhao Zuo's heart, and he couldn't stop trembling.
He had always known this day would come, but now that it was here, he realized all his mental preparation had been meaningless. Some things... you could only truly understand after experiencing them.
This was an inevitable step. Zhao Zuo knew he had to go through it. All he could do now was adapt.
If you can't change the world, you can only adapt to it and be assimilated by it.
'Right, the loot.' Zhao Zuo didn't dwell on his melancholy for long. He reached into the enemy's robes and pulled out several Talismans. Two of them had been pierced by the Sky-Breaking Saber, the Spiritual Power lines on them scrambled, rendering them useless.
Zhao Zuo stuffed the Talismans into his own robes, then turned and took a few steps to retrieve the shuttle-shaped Magical Artifact from the wall. The weapon was about twenty centimeters long, sharp at both ends, but smooth in the middle. It was flat overall, no more than two centimeters thick at its widest point.
The Magical Artifact felt strangely familiar to Zhao Zuo. Just as he was about to examine it more closely, a figure clad in red landed in the doorway. Shen Yunjiao walked in, gripping a Red Longsword.
"Ah, I'm too late," Shen Yunjiao sighed, sounding a little dejected.
"Were you planning to pick up the scraps?" The thought immediately occurred to Zhao Zuo upon hearing her words.
"If you hadn't dealt with the enemy, I would have helped you, and his Spirit Stones would be mine. If he had dealt with you, I would have avenged you, and both your Spirit Stones and his would be mine. Obviously, the worst-case scenario has occurred," Shen Yunjiao said, pained. It was as if she could see countless Spirit Stones rapidly flying away from her.
Zhao Zuo was rather speechless. After all, the woman before him had already anticipated his death and was now explaining it to him, the man in question, without the slightest hesitation.
"Then I'm afraid you've made a wasted trip, Taoist Friend Shen," Zhao Zuo said politely, while also subtly emphasizing the fact that Shen Yunjiao had gained nothing.
"Not necessarily. Need help disposing of the body? One Spirit Stone," Shen Yunjiao said with a grin, shaking her head and putting away her Red Longsword.
"I can handle it myself. I'll just dig a pit in the backyard and bury him," Zhao Zuo said, unwilling to waste the money.
"A Cultivator who dies a violent death might form an Evil Spirit from resentment and yin energy. With your strength, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle such an incorporeal being. If you let me handle it, you can be sure there will be no future troubles," Shen Yunjiao said, her smile never fading.
"Deal!" Zhao Zuo said through gritted teeth.
...
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