Transforming the false into the true, I am the only one in the world who possesses the true Dharma.

Upon hearing this, Xu Tong turned around and met Xu Yan's gaze, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

"What do you mean?!"

As soon as Xu Tong spoke, a cold glint suddenly bloomed, as dazzling as a flower.

But this flower is the deadly spider lily.

The sword energy swept outwards, winding like mountains and rivers, and thrust straight towards Xu Tong's chest.

"court death!"

Xu Tong's eyes widened, and he shouted, as layers of dense stone armor rose from his body.

The sword energy struck the stone armor, sending up a spray of stone dust.

"You little bastard, you're actually at the late stage of the Transcendent Realm?" Xu Tong's face was full of surprise, then his eyes turned cold. "But so what? Today you dared to defy me, I'll kill you first, drain your blood, and then go settle accounts with Liu Yuan!"

After saying that, Xu Tong covered his hands with sharp stone armor and slammed them hard against the sides of Xu Yan's head.

The palm strike was so fierce that even a giant rock would be instantly reduced to ashes upon being struck.

Xu Yan remained calm and unhurried, taking two steps back to parry with his sword.

"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and true energy transformed into three streams of Zen energy, covering the entire body.

Xu Tong did not retreat, but instead stepped forward, pressing one hand on the longsword and striking Xu Yan's chest with the other.

"Excellent swordsmanship, but ultimately, death is inevitable."

It's utterly laughable that someone in the late stage of the Transcendent Realm dares to compete with him at the peak of the Transcendent Realm.

He wanted to kill Xu Yan, drain Xu Yan's blood, and make Xu Yan suffer endless pain in order to vent his anger.

At this moment, he had the longsword in his grasp, and in Xu Tong's view, Xu Yan was no longer able to fight back.

The right palm was getting closer and closer to Xu Yan. With just one powerful strike, Xu Yan would be reduced to ashes.

Just then, Xu Yan freed his left hand and chopped at Xu Tong's palm with his palm.

"Bang!"

Their palms collided with a muffled thud, and both men staggered back several steps.

Xu Yan shook his hand: "That's some strength."

This was his first time fighting a real martial artist, and he felt no particular emotion, only a slight excitement.

However, Xu Tong's methods seem to be lacking; he only knows the Rock-Solid Body Protection Technique.

Xu Tong raised his hand in surprise, looking at the black energy swirling in his palm, his brows furrowing slightly: "Poison? You bastard, you actually know another skill, and a poison one at that? Aren't you afraid of the horrors of life and death?"

For ordinary people, practicing one technique is already the limit; they need to focus on dealing with the life-and-death terrors inherent in that technique.

Unless you're a genius or a reckless idiot, no one will take the risk.

If Xu Tong doesn't think Xu Yan is a genius, then he can only be an idiot.

"It seems I'll have to put in some effort to win you over today."

Xu Tong's eyes turned bloodshot, and his body swelled up like a mountain, blocking out the light shining in from outside.

His stone armor became even more solid, and a faint metallic luster even appeared on it.

"To die under my full power, you can rest in peace!"

Xu Tong stepped forward and pressed down on Xu Yan's head again.

Both its speed and strength are far greater than before.

Xu Yan, however, neither dodged nor evaded, and once again clashed with Xu Tong using the Qingfeng Sword Technique and the Corrupting Bone Palm.

After exchanging more than ten blows, Xu Yan was slightly at a disadvantage.

Seeing this, Xu Tong blasted towards Xu Yan's chest.

Xu Yan, neither hasty nor slow, thrust his fist and sword toward Xu Tong's chest.

"You little bastard, aren't you going to defend yourself?"

Xu Tong's eyes widened, then turned to a look of wild joy: "You think you've reached a dead end, so you're giving up on defense and planning to fight to the death? You're wrong! My techniques are more defensive; what do you have to fight with!"

After saying that, he placed his palm on Xu Yan's chest.

Just as he was about to exert his strength, he sensed something was wrong.

When his palm touched Xu Yan's body, it felt as if he were pressing on an iron plate.

"How could your physical body be so strong?" Xu Tong shouted, his face full of fear.

Xu Yan raised his eyes and said, "I already know two kinds of techniques, so it's normal for me to know a third."

Vajra Dry Zen Skill is a pure self-protection method that uses blocking to transform true energy into Zen energy.

The two had exchanged more than ten blows, and Zen energy had permeated Xu Yan's entire body, making him as strong as steel.

This palm strike didn't even leave a mark.

Xu Tong gritted his teeth, not expecting Xu Yan to have such a technique, but then a look of joy appeared on his face.

"So what if you have protective techniques? You can't break through my defenses. I'll wear you down sooner or later!"

Xu Yan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Tong suddenly became alert.

Before he could react, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his abdomen, and he heard Xu Yan softly utter a single word.

"burst."

"Your poison can explode?" Xu Tong took a step back, pointing at Xu Yan with a trembling voice.

Xu Yan did not answer, his gaze fixed on Xu Tong's chest.

The toxins in the Bone-Rotting Palm had been accumulating for a long time, and Xu Yan had not yet detonated it.

Now that we've accumulated enough, it's time to break through Xu Tong's defenses.

"Your defenses are only external; internally, you're no different from ordinary people."

Xu Yan raised his longsword and used the Qingfeng Sword Technique, his sword energy precisely piercing the gaps in the stone armor.

The poison had caused a crack in the stone armor, and that crack became Xu Tong's death warrant.

The sword energy was like a gentle breeze, yet it carried a chilling killing intent, flowing into Xu Tong's body through the narrow gap.

Xu Tong screamed and collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently.

Poison gnaws at the heart, sword wounds the body.

The two offensive forces combined were like a thousand cuts.

Xu Yan stood with his sword in hand, looking down at Xu Tong.

When Xu Tong stopped moving, Xu Yan raised his hand and slashed Xu Tong's neck with his sword.

The head hit the ground, the headless corpse twitched once more, and then remained still.

Before my eyes, a wisp of smoke appeared, condensing into words.

[Kill Xu Tong, a late-stage Transcendent Realm cultivator, and obtain twenty taels of silver as a reward.]

Twenty taels?

Xu Yan looked surprised.

This was his most fruitful period.

"Murderers and arsonists wear golden belts; this is truly a timeless saying."

Xu Yan sheathed his sword, calmed his excitement, and glanced at Xu Tong's corpse: "From now on, there will be no more big boss Xu Tong."

He turned his head and looked around, then at the corpses scattered everywhere, especially the little beggar lying on the ground, and shook his head slightly.

The world is like a purgatory, and life is as insignificant as grass.

This scene further reinforced Xu Yan's thoughts.

He will climb step by step to the top, until there is nothing in the world that can threaten him.

With the formidable enemy dead, Xu Yan had no intention of lingering.

As for what happens next, someone else will handle it.

The fact that he killed Xu Tong could not be kept secret, which suited him perfectly.

It's time to change the person in charge of this Blackwater Street.

Just as Xu Yan was about to turn around and leave, the headless corpse moved.

"Clang!"

Xu Yan drew his longsword and stared at the headless corpse: "Still not dead?"

A wisp of black smoke emerged from the headless corpse, condensing into a phantom image.

The phantom had no facial features, but it seemed to be staring at Xu Yan.

After staring at it for a moment, it finally disappeared completely.

Xu Yan frowned and looked around: "That phantom just now actually posed a life-or-death threat to me. What exactly was it?"

He couldn't understand it, but the situation didn't allow him to think about it too much.

"Perhaps one person knows."

Xu Yan sheathed his sword.

He first searched the house and collected all the silver notes before heading towards Willow Flower Lane.

Soon, Xu Yan disappeared at the end of the street.

……

Willow Flower Lane.

Huang Yuxian was torn between running or not when a door was pushed open.