Seeing Evan Chu's figure moving with trailing afterimages, Dominic Chu felt a stab of heartache.
"Ah, what a pity for my son's peerless talent. Harold Liu is a ninth-level Mystic Warrior—how could you possibly be his match!" He then glanced northward at the sky and murmured, "Lan'er, I'm sorry..."
Harold Liu was delighted to see Evan Chu daring to attack him: "Today is the day I avenge my son and wash away my hatred. You little bastard, you're asking for death!"
Flames three feet long burst from Harold Liu's sword, the heat waves sizzling the air around him.
"Fire Slash!" he roared, and a fierce blade of flaming sword-qi erupted from his sword tip, surging with scorching heat as it collided with Evan Chu's Wind-Sweeping Shredding Clouds.
"Boom!" The sound wasn't loud, but the power was astonishing!
Centered on the two of them, cracks spread across the ground for five meters in every direction. Evan Chu's clothes were almost completely shredded—except for his Heavenly Silkworm Armor, which remained intact. Everything else was reduced to tatters, making him look like a beggar.
Evan Chu staggered backward more than ten steps before stopping, his chest heaving as a mouthful of reverse blood involuntarily spurted out—clearly he had suffered serious internal injuries.
"Does this old dog really have ninth-level Mystic Warrior strength? Impossible!" Evan thought, puzzled.
"He's already broken through to first-level Earth Martial. If he were still ninth-level Mystic Warrior, he'd be the one injured right now." Luna, the Sword Spirit, said calmly.
"So that's it. I never expected this old dog to hide his strength so deeply—he really is a tough opponent!"
At this moment, Harold Liu only retreated two steps, staring at Evan Chu in disbelief.
He could hardly believe that his all-out strike hadn't killed Evan Chu on the spot, and instead, his beloved sword now had cracks in it.
At the same time, waves of pain shot through his arm, and his sword hand trembled uncontrollably.
Harold Liu's sword was forged from Blacksteel—not a divine weapon, but still a high-grade Spirit-tier blade. He couldn't believe it had been damaged in just one exchange, and his heart ached.
"This brat is truly formidable. What kind of weapon does he wield to be so powerful? I have to get my hands on it." Harold Liu had already made up his mind.
Meanwhile, Merrick Chu and Rowan Chu were locked in an even battle. Both were wounded, but judging by their injuries, Merrick seemed to be worse off.
"Rowan Chu, I never thought your strength would rise again—you're at the peak of ninth-level Mystic Warrior now, aren't you? You really kept it hidden all these years. Impressive!" Merrick Chu said while fighting.
"For this day, I had no choice. Fourth Brother, why not let go of old grudges and help me out? He's your elder brother, and so am I. With your skills, we could make the Chu Family far stronger together." Rowan Chu said after swinging his sword.
"Our paths are different—I won't work with you. You're far too sinister, a true villain. Merrick Chu is not that kind of person."
"Even if you've broken through, I won't back down. Come on! Show me your full strength—let's see if you really have what it takes!" Merrick Chu slashed out several times as he spoke.
"I won't disappoint you!" Rowan Chu replied, then actually put his sword into his storage belt and began trembling where he stood.
A powerful aura spread from his body. Merrick Chu saw that Rowan's fingernails suddenly grew half a foot long, black mist swirling around him—he looked terrifying.
"You've actually cultivated such a vicious technique—Rowan Chu, you're insane! Today, you must die!" Seeing Rowan's transformation, Merrick Chu instantly recognized the martial art.
It was a forbidden art: Nine Yin Blood Claws. A lower-grade Profound-tier martial skill, its power was terrifying—anyone scratched by its claws faced deadly danger.
The Nine Yin Blood Claws was a truly sinister martial art. To master it, one had to drain the blood of eighty-one virgin boys and girls into a barrel filled with countless poisonous insects, letting the bugs drink the blood.
The practitioner then had to immerse both hands in the barrel and endure the insects' frenzied bites—the pain of cultivation was beyond what ordinary people could bear.
Though the agony was extreme, the rewards were incredibly tempting—otherwise, no one would attempt it.
Anyone who mastered the Nine Yin Blood Claws wielded terrifying power. If an opponent was scratched, they'd be poisoned—a poison so fierce that only a sixth-grade detoxification pill could cure it.
But sixth-grade pills were unimaginably rare—even great clans might possess only a few. Anyone struck by the Nine Yin Blood Claws was essentially doomed. If the wound was on a limb, only immediate amputation could save them—there was no other way.
Merrick Chu dared not be careless now. He'd never seen the Nine Yin Blood Claws in action, but the legends alone made him extra cautious.
The scene was brutal: more than half the Chu and Lin clans' people were dead or wounded, and even the famed Lu Brothers they'd hired were gravely injured—the situation looked dire.
Dominic Chu was entangled by several Liu Family experts, suffering multiple wounds but not yet in mortal danger. He knew the Chu Family was doomed today, but the only thing he couldn't let go of was Evan Chu.
Evan Chu wiped the blood from his lips. "Harold Liu, I didn't expect you'd break through to the Earth Martial Realm. I really underestimated you. But today, I'll let you taste my Dog-Slayer Slash!"
"Dog-Slayer Slash? Kid, that's a strange name for a martial art. What rank is it?" Harold Liu was wary of Evan Chu.
The men he'd sent out earlier still hadn't returned, yet Evan Chu appeared here unharmed. That could only mean one thing: Evan had already dealt with them.
If he had faced those men himself, it would have taken considerable effort—especially since one of them could instantly boost his strength. For now, Harold Liu saw Evan Chu as a truly dangerous enemy.
Evan Chu saw Harold Liu's shifting expressions and laughed. "My Dog-Slayer Slash is, of course, for slaying dogs. You're called Old Dog Liu, so my martial art suits you perfectly."
Harold Liu showed little reaction to Evan Chu's words—his self-control was impressive.
"Kid, I didn't expect you to withstand my attack. Remarkable! I admit you're a genius—a rare, peerless talent. But you've made a mistake, so you must die!"
He raised his sword, spinning out several sword flowers, each brimming with stellar force. The full power of an Earth Martial Realm expert was unleashed before Evan Chu.