Chapter 42: Unfortunately, You're Too Weak

"Do you feel pain?"

"I look forward to seeing you accomplish what even Zhuge Huang could not."

A cruel smile stretched across Li Ju's face, nearly reaching his ears.

"Of course, if you can't do it..."

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Li Ju appeared right in front of Yuan Hao. Seeing Yuan Hao's slightly startled eyes, he burst into wild laughter.

"Then don't blame me for tearing you to shreds!"

Boom!

Li Ju's fist crashed down, pounding a deep crater into the ground. A powerful shockwave rippled outward from his fist, spreading in all directions.

Seventy-Three: Cold Sword!

Yuan Hao's figure flashed, appearing abruptly behind Li Ju. The long sword in his hand gleamed with a ghostly light, its edge seemingly encased in frost.

Slash!

Before Li Ju could react, the sword blade lightly traced across his body, leaving a shallow wound. An arctic chill surged from the cut into his flesh, freezing even the blood at the wound into solid ice.

Bang!

Li Ju swung a fist behind him, but it struck nothing but air once more.

Only a wall standing in his path was blasted into a pile of debris.

"All brute strength, yet lacking the martial cultivation to match it—full mastery over one's own power. The path you've chosen has already strayed into darkness."

Yuan Hao appeared atop a tree, his gaze toward Li Ju still cold, with a hint of disdain.

"Now let me show you what true martial arts truly are!"

A sudden chill ran down Li Ju's back.

Splurt!

Liu Wu and Bai Jiu, supporting each other, watched as Yuan Hao's sword once again drew a crimson arc across Li Ju's body, spilling blood in its wake. Both could not suppress their smiles.

"No matter how those who escaped from the Inner Prison boast, this Poisonous Vajra is still nowhere near a match for the Deputy Master."

"Back when rumors had it that the Poisonous Vajra possessed nearly the strength of a Minor Grandmaster, we of the Seventy-Three Sect regarded him as a dire threat and carefully plotted against him. But now, it seems that sending just the Deputy Master alone is more than enough to kill him with ease."

Watching Yuan Hao dominate the battle, Liu Wu spoke with confidence.

"Hmph, those other sects' failures who escaped from the Inner Prison exaggerated the Poisonous Vajra's strength only to hide the fact that they couldn't defeat him," Bai Jiu sneered at the scene.

"In my view, while this Poisonous Vajra is stronger than ordinary internal experts, he's still far from the likes of the Deputy Master or the Four Evils of the Demon Cult—true peak internal experts. The claim that he could challenge the Four Evils is utter nonsense."

He snorted with disdain.

"Though I heard that before joining the Demon Cult, this Poisonous Vajra was once a disciple of the Flying Sword Sect, the junior of Wang Lu, Lord Hai Yuan's son-in-law. Perhaps the Deputy Master should spare his life, cripple his martial arts, and throw him in prison. That would do the Alliance Chief's faction a courtesy."

Liu Wu suddenly recalled this and mentioned it.

"If he were truly Lord Hai Yuan's junior, we of the Seventy-Three Sect might show some respect. But for a mere son-in-law? He's nothing! How dare he expect us to give face?"

"Our sect has stood for a thousand years, producing over a dozen Minor Grandmasters. Though none in this generation have reached that level, our deep foundation is still unmatched by upstarts like Hai Yuan," Bai Jiu said proudly, his arrogance plain on his face.

"Brother Bai is right. Since when do we, the Seventy-Three Sect, concern ourselves with others' feelings?" Liu Wu shook his head with a laugh.

Farther away, atop a building, Chai Sen watched Li Ju and Yuan Hao's battle. Though his face was expressionless, deep in his heart a sense of helplessness rose.

This duel seemed unconnected to the Pine Forest Sect—neither combatant had direct ties to them. Yet, since the battle unfolded within their headquarters, the Pine Forest Sect had been dragged into the conflict. No matter who won, the victor would have the power to decide the sect's fate, and the sect itself, despite being on home ground, was powerless to resist. Such is the fate of the weak in this world.

"Master, you have grown old. It is time for me to lead the Pine Forest Sect to new glory."

Elsewhere, Chai Sen's disciple watched the battle, unable to hide his growing delight.

Thud!

Li Ju crossed his arms in front of his chest. A flash of sword light, and both arms were slashed with deep, gaping wounds.

Drip... drip...

Blood trickled from the wounds. By now, Li Ju was covered in gashes, his entire body stained crimson—a man of blood.

"Impressive..."

Li Ju looked at his battered, blood-soaked body, dipped a finger into the blood on his chest, and brought it to his lips for a taste.

A foul stench burst across his tongue.

Though his body appeared outwardly human, the toxic baths he had endured had changed him within—he was no longer like other men.

"As expected of the famed 'Frost Sword' Yuan Hao. Your reputation is well-deserved."

He gazed at Yuan Hao, who was approaching with bloodied sword in hand, a smile nearly impossible to conceal at the corners of his mouth.

"Are those your last words?"

Yuan Hao lowered his eyelids slightly. Judging by Li Ju's strength, he saw no chance for a comeback.

And even if Li Ju did have some hidden trump card, what of it? When the Seventy-Three Sect first devised their plan to ambush Li Ju, they had truly believed the tales from those who escaped the Inner Prison—that he was nearly a Minor Grandmaster.

They had hoped that slaying such a figure would revive their fading reputation and shake the martial world anew. Yet when Yuan Hao discerned Li Ju's "true" strength, he was gravely disappointed.

The so-called Poisonous Vajra, said to rival a Minor Grandmaster, was in truth merely a physically powerful internal expert. While impressive in the martial world, he fell far short of the Seventy-Three Sect's expectations.

Killing a Minor Grandmaster and killing an internal expert were worlds apart. The former would instantly send shockwaves through the martial world; the latter, only a few would even notice.

"A pity. If only your strength were just a bit greater..."

Yuan Hao spoke, not without regret.