by D cat
CHAPTER 41 - HE WAS JUST WAITING TO BE SLAUGHTERED!
"Why are you here?"
"No! If you are here, who the hell are they chasing?"
"It can't be... You're not the same person!"
"B-but, your auras are the exact same. H-how is this possible?"
Ye Liang jumped up from the sofa as if he had seen a ghost.
He was sure that the black-robed man behind him and the one Black Serpent was chasing were one and the same. Wasn't this akin to flipping a bird at common sense?
Even twins didn't have the same spiritual aura.
Spiritual aura was something that cultivators gained after walking on the path to the heavens. It was unique to every cultivator; imitating it was nearly impossible.
Ye Liang felt that his reality was being overturned. (E/N:- Who is gonna add the "mind break" tag?)
While Ye Liang was trying to make sense of what was happening, the black-robed man pulled out a longsword and slashed down ruthlessly.
At the same time, Elder Lu and Black Serpent were chasing the other clone.
Soon, even Elder Lu and Black Serpent went through the same shock that Ye Liang experienced. They, too, just stood there shell shocked when they witnessed the colossal mind-fuck that was in front of them.
It happened when they were chasing the first clone, and it disappeared at the corner. When Elder Lu and Black Serpent arrived at the corner, they saw two black-robed men.
They had the same height, size, appearance, and even aura. Nothing about them differentiated one from the other.
"T-this, this..."
"What's going on here?"
"Why are there two killers?"
Old Lu and Black Serpent looked at each other in shock. They could see the disbelief in each other's eyes.
All of a sudden, a terrifying feeling took root in their heart; their backs became drenched in a cold sweat.
While Elder Lu and Black Serpent were assessing the opponent, their opponent, Su Lang, was also doing the same.
One of the two black-robed men in front of Elder Lu and Black Serpent was Su Lang himself.
"Property Panel!"
Su Lang wanted to evaluate the threat that his opponent s could pose to him, so he immediately called out the property panel.
The old guy was called Lu Gong. He was an Intermediate Martial Mortal and had practiced two beginner cultivation techniques.
One of them was the Turtle Breath Body Forge, and the other was the Floating Willow Sword. He had mastered both till the Entry level.
Despite having mastery in two cultivation techniques, his strength was still like any other ordinary Intermediate Martial Mortal. Maybe it was because of a hidden injury, or his age, or he was just a senile old man.
His defense and movement evaluation lacked a "+" in front of them. However, the "+" in front of his endurance kinda made up for that.
All in all, Lu Gong's combat skill was about or less than that of an Intermediate Martial Mortal.
As for the guy named Black Serpent, he was even more useless. He was a mere Standart Martial Cultivator or an Initial Martial Mortal. All he had practiced was the most basic cultivation technique—Origin Bodybuilding Technique.
"You... who are you guys?"
"Why are you targeting the Ye family?"
It didn't take long for Lu Gong to lose his patience, so he took a deep breath and asked nervously.
"Old thing..."
Su Lang sneered coldly, "Are you blind? Can't you tell that I'm here for revenge?"
"Take revenge on our Ye Family?"
Black Serpent scoffed, "I'm afraid you've found the wrong person."
Black Serpent still believed the Elder Lu was a mighty Intermediate Martial Mortal. So, he was sure that they could easily defeat the masked duo.
"Haish! A mere Ye Family..."
A cold smile flashed across Su Lang's eyes.
"How dare you disrespect the Ye Family! You don't have the right!"
Lu Gong roared in anger. The blade in his hand flashed as he showed his mastery in the sword by becoming one with his weapon.
Black Serpent took form, waved his long sword, and rushed towards the other black-robed man.
Lu Gong was full of confidence as he thought his opponent was a mere Initial Martial Mortal.
He believed that as long as he could land one solid hit on the masked man, he could control the flow of the battle.
"Ye Family? Mere lambs to the slaughter!"
Su Lang flicked his thumb, and a blade light shot out of the sheath. Immediately after, streaks of purple lightning began condensing on the blade.
The clone, being the clone, did the exact same thing in synchronization.
Soon, their opponents saw two blades with crackling lightning just floating in the air.
"Lightning attribute cultivation technique!"
Before they could even be shocked by the lightning on the blade, the mere sight of the swords was enough to shock Elder Lu and Black Serpent.
Lu Gong could feel his confidence leaving his body.
However, they were at a point of no return; they had to brace themselves for the incoming attack.
"Dark Moon, Instant Cast!"
With a flick of Su Lang's wrist, the Tang Blade, which was enveloped with lightning, slashed through the air. It released an ungodly yet brilliant massacre on Black Serpent.
Facing such a powerful attack head-on wasn't what Black Serpent had planned for the day. His pupils contracted, and his body froze as if he had fallen in an ice cave.
Clang, clang, clang!
Bang!
Sounds of metal clashing with metal came in quick succession, but what followed after was the sound of broken metal falling to the ground.
A crumbly blade tore through the air and lodged itself in the wall. Almost simultaneously, a bloody fountain erupted from Black Serpent's neck.
The moment Black Serpent's battle came to a conclusion was the instant Lu Gong and the second masked men crossed.
However, Lu Gong could see the pain and despair on Black Serpent's face after fighting the masked man, so he chose to retreat.
He quickly ran towards Ye Liang's room, but he was surprised to find that the masked group was in no hurry to catch up to him. One of them even laughed.
CHAPTER 42 - ISN'T IT A SURPRISE
"Go ahead, I have a surprise for you."
Su Lang smiled and followed Lu Gong leisurely with his clone.
As Lu Gong rushed towards Ye Liang's room, he could hear the sound of metal clashing.
Moreover, he could hear Ye Liang shouting at someone.
"How do you know the Thunder Filament technique? This is one of my family's secret techniques!"
"Stop! I am the sixth young master of the Ye Family! I told you to stop!"
"How dare you, a mere Martial Mortal, go against the Ye Family? You will die a horrible death!"
"Bastard, put down your saber! And I'll consider our grudges settled!"
"Ah! My back! You dare to swing your blade at me?"
"Stop, I admit defeat, I was wrong..."
"..."
Ye Liang's tone went through a multitude of emotions in seconds. It went from arrogance to obstinacy to surrender and finally to cowardice.
"Someone is attacking the young master!"
The same frigid feeling of fear took root in Lu Gong's heart as his body began trembling.
He rushed into the room and saw Ye Liang jumping around like a monkey, all in an effort to dodge the attacks.
Ye Liang's usual arrogant attitude couldn't be seen anywhere; he looked more like a stray dog being beaten into a corner.
What was even more shocking was the one responsible for Ye Liang's current sorry state—it was another black-robed man.
"What... what is going on?"
"What kind of power does this black-robed man have?"
Lu Gong' was so shocked that his mouth was wide open; one could fit an egg in that.
"Lu Gong! C
ome and save me!"
When Ye Liang saw Lu Gong standing at the door, he was ecstatic and felt that there was still some hope left.
"Swoosh!"
A beautiful blade light with lightning dancing atop it streaked across Ye Liang's back, adding another gut-wrenching wound.
"Ah!!"
"Lu Gong!
"Quick, save me!"
Ye Liang staggered in pain and kept crying for help.
Actually, it was under Su Lang's order that the clone didn't Ye Liang. If not for that, the clone would have already chopped him into hundred different pieces, giving him no time to beg for help or mercy.
"Young master..."
Lu Gong opened his mouth a little but then resolutely shut up and ran away.
At this moment, Lu Gong was fearing for his life. He didn't know if a fourth and a fifth black-robed man would jump out from the corner or not.
Let alone a fourth one, he couldn't even handle the three that he already had.
At the moment of life and death, he chose to protect his own life without hesitation.
He would have to pay a huge price if Ye Liang died, but at least he wouldn't lose his life.
"Lu Gong! Don't go, please don't go!"
"Ah!"
When Ye Liang saw Lu Gong running away, his last hope was shattered into bits. His body was on the verge of collapse; all he could release were despairing growls.
Ye Liang didn't want to die.
He was the sixth young master of the Ye family with a not-so-bad cultivation talent. He had a bright future ahead of him; he still hadn't enjoyed life to its fullest.
At this moment, Ye Liang saw Lu Gong running out of the gate and returning. Ye Lang watched as Lu Gong ran away, but then, something surprising happened. He saw Lu Gong re-entering the room.
The only peculiar point was that he wasn't returning on his own two feet.
What happened next not only explained the peculiarity but also scared the life out of Ye Liang.
He saw two more black-robed men entering the room. They wielded swords on which arm-thick lightning danced like dragons; it was a horrifying scene.
"Three... three black-robed men!"
Ye Liang was trembling in fear.
"We finally meet, the sixth young master of the Ye Family."
"Did you ever think it would be me? Isn't it a pleasant surprise?"
Su Lang took off his mask. His cold voice carried a hint of playfulness.
"It's you!"
Ye Liang's eyes almost popped out when he saw Su Lang's face.
Of course, Ye Liang knew Su Lang as he had investigated him before ordering a hit on him.
"No! I just ordered your death yesterday!"
"You should be a corpse by now. How—no, Why are you here?"
"You were just an ordinary guy yesterday. How could you become a powerful martial artist overnight?"
"Who are you? Are you even a human? Are you a ghost?"
"Ah!! This isn't real!"
"..."
Ye Liang screamed in despair. His voice was so loud that it seemed like he would scream his lungs out.
In this utter crazy scenario, he made himself believe that this was a nightmare. Everything that was happening right now was just a dream.
He tried to move his limp body by dragging himself with his hands. He wriggled, twitched, squirmed—all to get out of this terrible nightmare.
Ye Liang wasn't the only one suffering from a ming break; Lu Gong's brain was a mess too.
He remembered Su Lang as he knew that Ye Liang had ordered a hit on him.
Yet, here stood Su Lang right in front of them. If this wasn't an unbelievable sight, then what was?
CHAPTER 43 - IF NOT IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED MERCIFUL
"Young Master Ye, is something wrong?"
"I just asked because I couldn't see your high and mighty attitude. And where is that arrogance of yours?"
Su Lang smiled and leisurely walked towards Ye Liang. It would have been way less threatening had he not been dragging his blood-stained sword towards Ye Liang, all while wearing a straight face.
"I-I..."
"I was wrong...I'll even kneel before you!"
"Please forgive me; I don't want to die!"
Ye Liang decided to throw away all his dignity and honor when faced with death.
He knelt before Su Lang and bowed till his head touched the ground, an incredibly humiliating act. But pride wasn't going to keep him alive, now was it?
"Your family, the mighty Ye family, killed my parents."
"That wasn't enough for you guys; you wanted to kill me too."
"Sixth young master, do you think I'll spare you after all that?"
Su Lang's mouth curled up, revealing a cold smile.
"I-I am willing to compensate you!"
"I have a lot of gold coins... and Spirit Stones!"
Ye Liang hurriedly took out some Spirit Stones from his personal and then opened the box beside him.
Without any delay, he took the medicinal Spirit Stones in one hand and the box with gold coins in the other. Still kneeling, he raised both his hands above his head and submissively offered them to Su Lang.
However, the corner of Su Lang's mouth curled up. He remained unmoved, appearing incomparably cold and ruthless.
"Please!"
"I will be your dog. I am your slave dog!"
"Please! Please... spare me... spare this slave dog's life!"
Dong Dong Dong!
Ye Liang had completely given up on his pride. He kept banging his head on the ground, performing one kowtow after the other. His face was filled with blood, snot, tears: he didn't look like the handsome young master anymore.
No one would say that the current Ye Liang was once an arrogant young master.
He displayed such a contrast that even Lu Gong, someone who had followed Ye Liang for a long time, was stunned.
"Are you enjoying the show?"
Su Lang shot a glance at Lu Gong and asked sarcastically.
"N-No!"
Lu Gong's body trembled in extreme fear. He immediately knelt down and prostrated on the ground without as much as making a sound.
In a situation so hopeless, he could only beg for mercy.
"Actually, you guys aren't completely worthless."
"If you can give me what I want, showing a bit of leniency wouldn't be off the table."
Su Lang looked down at the prostrating Ye Liang and Lu Gong.
His words gave them hope, one they weren't expecting.
"Master, what do you want? As long as I can give it to you, I will give it to you!"
Ye Liang raised his head and looked at Su Lang, eyes full of hope.
"Me too!"
Lu Gong, too, moved towards Su Lang's leg and kowtowed.
"In that case, first, write down all the techniques you know."
Su Lang chuckled and threw out two pens and a few blank books.
Before even entering the fight, Su Lang was already coveting their techniques.
Although he had the system function—Perfect Plunder—it couldn't steal techniques from his opponent's mind.
Su Lang got the Broken Axe Hunting Group's guard's technique because the guard had written it down and always carried the copy on his body.
Ever since then, Su Lang had kept some pens and notebooks for situations like these.
"I-I will write it now!"
Ye Liang picked up the pen and book with trembling hands and began writing on it.
Lu Gong wasn't an exception, so he, too, began writing the cultivation techniques he practiced.
As for Su Lang, he just sat there on the sofa and looked at them as they wrote their cultivation techniques down. He felt like an invigilator watching a bunch of rude kids.
About half an hour later, Ye Liang and Lu Gong were finally done with the writing.
"Are you done? Give it to me!"
Su Lang waved his hand, and they immediately stood to give him the book.
&nbs
p; In total, both of them had written six cultivation techniques. According to the property panel, they had four cultivation techniques. The extra two most likely came from their memory.
Presumably, Ye Liang and Lu Gong memorized the techniques but were unable to practice and execute them.
"Hmm. Good. Originally, I planned on making you suffer a fate worse than death."
"However, after considering your performance, I tweaked the plan a little."
Su Lang stood up and pulled out the shiny Tang Blade with a smile. "Now, I'll give you guys a swift death."
"Ah?"
"Yo-you said... let us— let me off!"
Ye Liang's body trembled. He was so scared that he couldn't even speak properly.
"Ha, I never said. I said I'll treat you leniently."
Su Lang sneered, "I have a blood feud with your family, so giving you a swift death is me being kind towards you."
"You liar! You cheating bastard! "
"Lu Gong, quick, protect me. It'll give me a chance to escape."
"If I manage to escape, I'll definitely reward your family handsomely for your service."
It didn't take long for Ye Liang to realize that staying here meant certain death, so he jumped ships.
Yet, he miscalculated something—Lu Gong had long since lost his will to fight.
"Please spare my life, my lord. Ye Liang is the one in charge of everything!"
"I have never participated in any decision-making. I was just a slave to the Ye family. I am willing to cut ties with Ye Liang and the Ye Family. Please, just spare my life!"
While Ye Liang was shouting and insulting, Lu Gong was still prostrating on the ground. His eyes were filled with fear and pleading.
"Lu Gong..."
When the already desperate Ye Liang saw the scene, he felt his breathing stop.
"Alright, stop talking nonsense!"
Su Lang raised the Tang Blade high up in the air, and a trace of delight appeared on his face. "Take it; here comes my revenge."
"No!"
CHAPTER 44 - HE ALSO OBTAINED A THUNDER ATTRIBUTE CULTIVATION METHOD
Ye Liang's last words, which happened to be a scream of denial, came to a sudden halt as the blade fell on his neck.
Ye Liang's headless body fell to the ground, and his head rolled in front of Lu Gong. He looked in the eyes and saw despair and unwillingness in them.