Starting from the steel of the heart, slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 10 Using Supernatural Powers Again

The moment the blades made contact.

Zhang Ping felt a sudden jolt in his arm, and an unexpectedly powerful force swept along the blade, making his hand go numb and his arm ache unbearably. He involuntarily took two steps back before regaining his balance.

In just one exchange, he clearly felt the terrifying power of Li Changyun; the opponent's strength was far greater than he had imagined!

However, once the arrow is released, there is no turning back. After he stood still, he began to circulate his qi.

Gritting his teeth, he charged forward again. For a time, the blade flashed and afterimages intertwined. The heavy guillotine clashed repeatedly with his broadsword, the sounds of metal striking metal rising and falling, sparks flying everywhere in the dim courtyard.

Li Changyun's swordsmanship was expansive and powerful, each strike carrying the force of destruction and aimed directly at vital points.

"As expected of someone who cultivates through the outer sect."

Zhang Ping inwardly groaned.

He had only taken five blows when the blows were already so strong that his hand was split open, and blood was flowing down the hilt of the knife.

He then retreated repeatedly, but Li Changyun gave him no chance, taking advantage of the situation to press forward and strike with one slash after another.

Zhang Ping's arm became increasingly numb from the continuous, immense force, and his strength gradually waned.

Li Changyun seized the opportunity, slashing horizontally with his sword to force Zhang Ping's broadsword aside, and then kicked out with incredible speed, striking Zhang Ping heavily in the chest.

"puff!"

Zhang Ping felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if he had been hit by a boulder. His body flew backward instantly, crashing heavily against the wall in the courtyard before sliding down.

He instinctively clutched his chest, a metallic taste rising in his throat. He forced himself not to vomit blood, and a notification popped into his mind that his health was dropping. More than two hundred points of health were lost in an instant, which caused a look of shock to appear in his eyes, and his gaze toward Li Changyun changed slightly.

"You've actually broken through to the ninth level of Body Tempering?"

Li Changyun looked at him, slowly raised his hand, and gently stroked the blade of the severing dagger in his hand. "It's all thanks to the miraculous medicine bestowed by my grandmother. It not only cured all my chronic ailments, but also allowed my cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds. I'm only one step away from the Blood Boiling Realm that I've always dreamed of!"

At this point, his eyes instantly filled with rage as he looked at Zhang Ping, and his tone became fierce, filled with a deep resentment.

"I was originally serving my grandmother well, and I was sure to reach the Boiling Blood Realm, prolong my life, and achieve great cultivation! But it was because of you that I killed Black Fiend."

"Do you know that Black Demon is Grandma's favorite grandson? If Grandma finds out about this, she will be furious, and I will certainly not escape punishment!"

Do you know what this means?

Li Changyun was somewhat delirious. He said to himself, "It means that all the hard work I've done for Grandma over the years, the trust I've built up with her, will all be lost because of you, and I might even never be able to enter the Boiling Blood Realm in my entire life."

"So the only way to prove my loyalty to Grandma is to cut off your head and bring it back to her, so that she knows that this has nothing to do with me, and so that I can keep my position with Grandma."

"For this, you must die."

Zhang Ping got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He frowned slightly as he looked at the somewhat deranged Li Changyun, and said with a hint of pity in his voice, "Chief镖李 (Li, the镖头 is a respected figure in Fenggu City), yet you are willing to abandon your dignity and become a dog for demons, letting them do as they please. Do you really enjoy it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Changyun not only did not get angry, but instead showed an almost pious expression.

He looked at Zhang Ping with a condescending pity in his eyes, as if he were looking at an ignorant and pathetic frog in a well.

"Grandma is incredibly powerful, beyond your comprehension."

"You're just a lowly constable in Fenggu City, stuck in this tiny place your whole life. What kind of world have you seen?"

"You have no idea how powerful Grandma is, no idea what methods she possesses. If you hadn't killed Heisha, just the fact that you were able to find my way here shows you have some skill. You might even have had a chance to become Grandma's disciple and receive some guidance from her. Only then would you know what true cultivation is."

"But now..."

Li Changyun shook his head, slowly raising the guillotine, its tip pointing directly at Zhang Ping's brow. "It's all too late. Just die."

Before he finished speaking, he lunged forward and vanished from the spot.

Zhang Ping was slightly taken aback, then his gaze kept shifting.

He knew that Li Changyun hadn't truly disappeared, but rather that he was moving at an extreme speed, so fast that he couldn't see it clearly with his current strength.

However, he still had self-awareness and the instincts of a martial artist.

The guillotine swept across with a whooshing sound, its power so great that the air itself was torn apart wherever the blade passed, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

Zhang Ping had no time to think and raised his knife to parry.

"clang…………"

This strike was more powerful than any of the previous ones; Zhang Ping's broadsword was almost pressed against his shoulder, and the gash between his thumb and forefinger was torn even wider.

Before he could catch his breath, the second knife was already inflicted.

This strike forced him back several steps, while Li Changyun's blade energy surged wildly, causing more and more wounds to appear on his body.

This is the peak of the ninth level, barely touching the strength of the Boiling Blood Realm.

If Li Changyun had actually entered the Boiling Blood Realm, let alone a single slash, the sheer force of the slash would be enough to tear off a chunk of flesh from his body.

Zhang Ping was covered in bloodstains, none of them fatal, but all of them were oozing blood, which had stained his clothes dark red.

Moreover, setting aside the difference in skill level, Li Changyun's swordsmanship alone is far more formidable than Zhang Ping's.

And there's nothing we can do about it.

Li Changyun has been a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) for decades, and has seen and experienced all kinds of people. He has even fought against monsters head-on. His swordsmanship has been honed through real life-and-death battles. Every strike carries an indomitable momentum, without any fancy moves, pure, direct, and deadly.

Although Zhang Ping's swordsmanship was not bad, it was still inferior to Li Changyun's.

This can't go on.

Zhang Ping knew very well that if the fight continued like this, he would be cut down by Li Changyun in less than twenty moves.

Although he has a lot of health, even the most health can't withstand being whittled down like this. Moreover, Li Changyun is ruthless and always targets vital points. Once he finds an opening, he can send him to meet the King of Hell with a single blow.

Therefore, the only solution is to immediately use supernatural powers.

Although it would drain all my health points, if I waited any longer, I would really die.

"Kid, how could someone as useless as you possibly be a match for Black Fiend?"

Even as Li Changyun drew his sword, he was still belittling Zhang Ping.

After all, even he couldn't possibly be a match for Hei Sha, so how could Zhang Ping, who had been completely suppressed by him from the beginning, possibly be a match for him?

"Since Chief Escort Li wants to see Zhang's skills, then I won't hold back anymore."

Upon seeing this, Zhang Ping immediately unleashed his supernatural powers.

As a result, the blood volume drops at a visible rate, like a flood bursting its banks.

The emerging red light became even more solid, adhering to the blade, making it look as if it had just been pulled from a pool of blood.

He had 5050 health points, and after Li Changyun depleted 1050 of them, a total of 4999 health points were poured into the sword.

What kind of power will this strike have?

Zhang Ping himself didn't know.

But he knew that this strike was definitely not light, after all, the fierce steel on Li Changyun's body had not yet been triggered.