Martial Saint with Passives

Sun Qihong’s expression darkened completely.

He glanced at the men beside him. Including the ones from the Demon Sect, there were still over a dozen left.

Three were at the Bone Forging Realm, and the rest were all skilled in Force Integration.

He gritted his teeth.

"You’re asking for it! Brothers, charge! He’s just one man. I refuse to believe we can’t take him!"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Two Demon Sect Martial Artists at Great Success in Force Integration charged forward, brandishing their sabers!

"Courting death!"

But Jiang Che, instead of retreating, advanced. His Shadowless Escape Stream activated automatically, and with a flicker, he appeared before the two men.

The Kunji Saber whistled through the air as it instantly slashed out horizontally!

PFFT!

The two men collapsed to the ground before they could even let out a scream.

The remaining men panicked instantly.

One of Sun Qihong’s guards felt his legs go weak.

"Leader Sun... He... he’s too strong!"

"What are you afraid of?! We... we have numbers!" Sun Qihong yelled sternly.

But he subconsciously took a half-step back.

Jiang Che wasted no more words.

He had no intention of letting a single one of them escape now!

The passive bonuses of his True: Infinite Battle Armor activated instantly.

His Saber Momentum rippled outward in waves.

The intimidating pressure from his Nine Li Commander ability instantly slowed everyone’s movements.

His figure weaved through the crowd, each slash of his saber precise and ruthless.

Even the Demon Sect masters at the Bone Forging Realm couldn’t last three moves against him!

As for those at Force Integration, they fell in swathes like wheat before a scythe!

Sun Qihong watched as the men around him fell one by one.

The color drained from his face!

He was kicking himself with regret.

If he had known Jiang Che was this powerful...

...he never should have listened to Xie Xingwen and targeted him!

He could have taken the small fortune he’d secretly saved over the years, run away, and gone somewhere nobody knew him.

How great would that have been?

But now he was facing certain death!

He turned to flee, but before he could take two steps, Jiang Che’s saber was at his throat.

"Steward Jiang, spare me! I was wrong! The things... I’ll give you all the things!" Sun Qihong’s voice trembled, his eyes filled with terror.

"Who is the big shot behind you?" Jiang Che asked coldly.

"I..." Sun Qihong hesitated.

"Tell me, and I might spare your life," Jiang Che said slowly.

"Really?!" A glimmer of hope appeared on Sun Qihong’s face.

"That big shot is..."

Suddenly, a small stone shot through the air and struck Sun Qihong on the forehead!

A bloody hole immediately appeared on his forehead!

His neck snapped to the side, and he stopped breathing!

It all happened so suddenly that Jiang Che, completely unprepared, was startled!

Then he saw a figure suddenly step out from behind a tree!

The newcomer wore a long blue-cloth robe and had an ordinary face.

It was Mr. Wu!

A tide of Qi Force surged from his body, pressing down on Jiang Che and making his chest feel tight!

The warning from his All-Seeing Eye triggered instantly!

Jiang Che felt as if a hand had clenched tightly around his heart.

A fatal sense of crisis crawled up his spine!

The density of this Qi Force...

...was far beyond the Bone Forging Realm!

"The Refining Organ Realm?!"

Jiang Che gripped his Kunji Saber tightly, his gaze becoming extremely wary.

Mr. Wu glanced at Jiang Che and said nonchalantly,

"It seems you do have some skill. A pity. You won’t be leaving today."

Jiang Che looked at him, suddenly recalling the "big shot" Sun Qihong and his men had mentioned.

’To send a Refining Organ Realm master just to silence someone...’

’The person behind this must have an extraordinary identity!’

He asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"

"You don’t need to know who I am." Mr. Wu took a step forward.

The Qi Force intensified.

"You only need to know that today, the ore... and your life... will both be left here."

Jiang Che frowned.

He knew this was the strongest opponent he had ever faced!

The slightest mistake would mean certain death!

He slowly raised his Kunji Saber, the Qi Force in his body beginning to circulate wildly as he prepared for a fierce battle!

Mr. Wu moved first.

There was no more needless talk.

He simply took a step forward.

The condensed Qi Force around him surged forward like a tidal wave!

Jiang Che felt his chest tighten.

The loose gravel at his feet was pressed down, sinking slightly from the force!

This was the might of the Refining Organ Realm!

It was on a completely different level from the Bone Forging Realm!

The Qi Force wasn’t just heavy.

It also carried a pressure that stung the skin!

It was like facing a sandstorm head-on!

Even Jiang Che’s breathing slowed by a fraction of a second!

"Try and take one of my moves."

Mr. Wu’s voice was calm as he raised his hand and struck out with his palm.

The palm strike wasn’t fierce.

Yet it precisely sealed off all of Jiang Che’s escape routes!

Jiang Che pushed his All-Seeing Eye to its absolute limit.

He barely managed to predict the palm’s trajectory.

At the same time, he activated his Shadowless Escape Stream at full power.

His figure darted backward and to the side like a phantom.

But he was still half a beat too slow.

The force of the palm strike grazed his shoulder.

The resulting Qi Force tore right through his martial uniform.

His shoulder instantly turned red, his skin burning with a searing pain!

However, under the powerful restorative ability of his True: Infinite Battle Armor, it quickly began to heal.

"Quick reflexes."

There was no ripple in Mr. Wu’s tone.

He didn’t stop, striking out with another palm!

Jiang Che didn’t dare to block it head-on.

He could only rely on his Body Technique to evade.

He activated all the passive bonuses of his True: Infinite Battle Armor.

His strength and speed were pushed to their limits!

He wielded his Kunji Saber in a seamless, impenetrable defense.

But every time his saber clashed with the palm,

he felt a tremendous force travel up the blade, making the web of his hand go numb and his Qi Blood churn!

Although his Yin Yang Transformation Force was working frantically, converting the Qi Force he received into his own Strength,

this meager replenishment was nowhere near enough under the constant pressure of a Refining Organ Realm expert!

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.

Jiang Che’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.

The back of his martial uniform was already soaked through.

His breathing had become ragged.

In contrast, Mr. Wu...

...still had the air of someone taking a leisurely stroll.

His clothes were barely even ruffled.

He could even find the time to speak.

"You’ve got some skill, kid. For someone at the Early Stage of Bone Forging to last this long is pretty good."

Jiang Che didn’t reply.

He just gritted his teeth and slashed at Mr. Wu’s ribs.

This was the only opening he had found using his All-Seeing Eye!

But Mr. Wu nonchalantly sidestepped the attack.

His fingertips even tapped lightly on the spine of the blade.

Jiang Che felt a sinister force shoot up the blade. His arm went numb, and he almost lost his grip on the Kunji Saber!

"Stop struggling." Mr. Wu stopped his assault and looked at the battered Jiang Che. "My master is in need of a capable subordinate. If you’re willing to submit and work under me, I’ll put in a good word for you with him. We’ll even let you keep managing the affairs of the Mining Area. There’ll be plenty of benefits for you."

Of course, Mr. Wu wasn’t actually trying to recruit talent.

Although Xie Xingwen desperately wanted Jiang Che dead,

Mr. Wu felt that Jiang Che was more useful alive than dead.

The death of a Mining District Steward would be a serious incident.

The Sect might increase its supervision over the Mining Area.

At that point, it would be difficult for them to continue smuggling ore from the mines.

If Jiang Che could be made to submit, it would be the perfect solution.

Of course, what he didn’t say was,

Jiang Che would be punished anyway for his negligence in allowing so much ore to be stolen.

When that time came, they certainly wouldn’t protect him.

And if Jiang Che dared to expose them, they had plenty of ways to make it look like he was framing them.

They could even ensure he never got the chance to speak at all!

Jiang Che gasped for breath, but his grip on the saber only tightened.

"Who is your master? Xie Xingwen?"

The only person he had offended in the Sect who could possibly have ties to the Demon Sect was Xie Xingwen.

Mr. Wu raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying. He just said,

"You don’t need to concern yourself with that. Just know that there are benefits to following me. A wise man submits to the circumstances. Why make things hard for yourself?"

"And if I refuse?"

Jiang Che said coldly.

The smile on Mr. Wu’s face faded, and his tone grew heavy.

"Refuse? Then you will die here today."

"Oh, right."

As if suddenly remembering something, he added slowly, "You still have a sister in the Sect, don’t you? Jiang Ling, is that her name? If you die, she’ll be a young girl all alone in the Sect, with no one to rely on. Life will be very difficult for her. Don’t you want to think about her?"

The words were like an icy needle, stabbing instantly into Jiang Che’s heart.

His pupils contracted.

The aura around him turned chillingly cold.

Even the knuckles of his hand gripping the saber turned white.

"You dare touch her?"

"I never said I would touch her."

Mr. Wu spread his hands, his tone playful.

"I’m just reminding you to be smart. It’s better for you, and for her. Otherwise..."

"Are you finished?"

Jiang Che cut him off, his voice as cold as ice.

"If you’re finished... then you can die!"