What are you doing

"Pah!"

Li Yan spat out the flesh and blood from his mouth.

He burst into wild laughter.

Seeing Wang Gou'er's hand dripping with blood,

"Master Gou!" Chen San, ever the loyal lackey, rushed over with feigned concern, raising his club to smash it down on Li Yan's broken leg. "You looking to die or what?"

But before the club could land,

Chen San, who had just charged forward, was sent flying aside by Wang Gou'er, along with his weapon.

Licking the blood dripping from his arm,

Wang Gou'er's face twisted into a grotesque mask, the scar on his cheek stretching even more hideously. "Li Yan," he snarled, "You really got a death wish, huh? I give you a way out, and you still choose to die?"

"Fine! I’ll grant your wish!"

Thud!

Thud!

One blow, then another!

Maddened like a rabid dog, Wang Gou'er lifted his foot and kicked Li Yan's head as if it were a ball!

Though Li Yan was an Eighth-Rank martial artist,

his cultivation far surpassed Wang Gou'er's.

But his vitality had long been drained by his injuries. Soon, the skin on his forehead split open, revealing a gash.

Crimson blood seeped from the wound,

trickling down Li Yan's face as he stubbornly raised his head, glaring fiercely at Wang Gou'er.

"Damn, what a tough bastard! Still got the nerve to glare at me!"

"Let’s see just how tough you really are!"

Wang Gou'er grew even more enraged. He snatched a club as thick as a fist from one of his thugs and swung it with full force at Li Yan's back, cursing wildly between strikes.

"Worthless trash! Blind fool!"

"Turned down riches just to die! Dared to bite me! Dared to glare at me! How fucking pathetic are you?!"

"Tell me, how fucking pathetic are you?!"

"What kind of lowborn scum are you?!"

With each dull thud,

Li Yan's body soon crumpled under the blows. Blood gushed from his mouth and nose as he collapsed helplessly, splattering onto the snow around him, staining it red.

Witnessing the scene,

Yang Ning's tears and snot streaked her face in a mess.

But after taking a kick from Chen San,

she barely had the strength to struggle in the thug's grip, reduced to wailing pleas. "Master Gou, I beg you!"

"Stop! Stop hitting my husband! Let him go! Please, let him go!"

"We were wrong!"

"We admit it!"

"We know we were wrong!!!"

Wang Gou'er ignored her desperate cries, continuing to swing the club relentlessly at Li Yan's back until his clothes were torn to shreds!

His flesh was pulped like rotten rags, his entire body drenched in blood!

Even his defiantly raised head gradually slumped, lifeless.

"AHHH!!!"

Yang Ning's heart-rending screams tore through the air.

Swinging the blood-soaked club, Wang Gou'er laughed in triumph, while the dozen or so thugs around him clapped and cheered, shouting excitedly, "Beat that trash to death!" "Teach this dog-slave a lesson!" and other such taunts.

It was like a carnival.

A feast of cruelty.

Until, just as Wang Gou'er raised the club again, an icy hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind.

"You."

"What are you doing?"

Just those words.

A single, emotionless sentence.

A wave of primal terror surged up Wang Gou'er's spine, his eyes widening in shock. As a Ninth-Rank martial artist who had already undergone metamorphosis and awakened his Divine Aspect,

he felt, in that instant,

an unimaginable malice radiating from behind him!

"What the hell is behind me?!" Wang Gou'er spun around in panic, but before he could even see who it was, a cold blade-light slashed toward his face!

The blade came slashing down from above!

It aimed to split him in two!

Wang Gou'er's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull, his mind screaming—Death! If this strike lands, I'm dead for sure!

In that moment of terror, he mustered every ounce of strength in his body.

Wrenching free from the massive hand pinning his shoulder, he twisted sideways to evade while raising the stick in his hand to block the incoming blade!

Thud!

The sound of steel biting into flesh echoed.

As the long stick in Wang Gou'er's hands snapped in half, the cold, moon-like edge of the dagger sliced downward, carving through his left eye, cheek, and chest!

The dagger Qin Guo'er had discarded was unnaturally sharp.

It parted flesh without the slightest resistance.

Wang Gou'er's eyeball burst!

Half his left cheek and ear were sheared off!

Blood gushed from the gaping wound on his chest, a warm crimson fountain splattering across Yang An's face.

"AHHHHH!!!"

Having barely dodged a fatal blow, Wang Gou'er staggered back, clutching his ruined left eye and howling in agony. Only now, through the haze of blood, did he recognize the figure behind him. "Yang An! How dare you—"

Seeing the first strike hadn't killed Wang Gou'er,

Yang An, consumed by bloodlust, gave him no chance to finish. He lunged forward, dagger raised for a second slash!

The icy blade chased after Wang Gou'er.

This time, he was ready.

As a ninth-rank martial artist, his speed and strength far surpassed ordinary men. He twisted aside—but the instant Yang An had witnessed the devastation at home, the [Demon Sovereign's Rampage] had already activated on its own.

With tenfold combat prowess,

even without manifesting a divine avatar or undergoing metamorphosis, Yang An now wielded power rivaling a true martial artist!

Thud!

The sound of steel rending flesh rang out again!

This time, Yang An's dagger carved a horizontal line across Wang Gou'er's chest, leaving a gaping crimson trail!

Skin and muscle peeled back,

exposing the ghastly white bone beneath.

Battered by two grievous wounds,

Wang Gou'er could barely muster a tenth of his usual strength. His legs gave way, sending him crashing onto his backside. The ferocity in his eyes—once glaring beneath his black dog-fur hat—was gone, replaced by panic as he clutched his spurting wounds. "Yang Erlang! Yang An! Calm down! Let's talk this through! Anything can be negotiated!"

Yang An remained silent.

Reversing his grip on the dagger, he lunged with lethal precision—aiming straight for Wang Gou'er's brow!

Wang Gou'er had grown up amidst bloodshed.

After gaining a patron's favor, he'd devoted himself to martial arts, once reaching the pinnacle of the ninth rank. Though age had sapped his vigor, he still retained mid-ninth-rank prowess.

Initially stunned by Yang An's overwhelming bloodthirst,

he'd faltered.

But after taking two slashes and being cornered,

desperation ignited his instincts. As Yang An charged, Wang Gou'er executed a hare's desperate kick—

Both feet slammed into Yang An's chest.

Boom!

Even with the Godslayer State enhancing his defenses tenfold beyond mortal limits,

the impact of a ninth-rank martial artist's thousand-pound force sent Yang An flying over ten feet. He crashed to the ground, bones near-shattered, vomiting a mouthful of blood.

Yet as his murderous rage surged,

he felt no pain.

Only one thought consumed him: Kill Wang Gou'er. Slaughter every last one of these beasts. Let none escape alive!

Yang An swallowed the remaining blood in his mouth.

Gripping the dagger, he kipped up from the ground—face drenched in crimson, eyes devoid of all emotion—and strode toward Wang Gou'er with relentless intent.

Wang Gou'er's blood ran cold.

Known as the Mad Dog by others, he was witnessing for the first time someone even more ruthless and deranged than himself.

Struck twice, he lost an eye.

One of the blades had nearly pierced his chest, coming dangerously close to his heart.

With injuries so severe,

he had teetered on the brink of death twice already.

Fear began to creep into Wang Gou'er's heart. He no longer dared to match Yang An's ferocity. Seeing Yang An charging at him, Wang Gou'er didn’t hesitate—he turned and bolted straight for the gate of the Li family’s estate.

But Yang An wouldn’t let him escape.

He kicked a stone weighing over ten pounds, sending it flying into the back of Wang Gou'er’s thigh. The impact sent the man sprawling face-first into the dirt, rolling twice before coming to a stop.

Yang An closed the distance in three swift strides.

The cold glint of his dagger flashed as he prepared to deliver the final blow.

Unable to rise, Wang Gou'er panicked. He raised his hands in surrender, his voice trembling with desperation. "Yang An! You can’t kill me! There’s no benefit for you! And if you do, your entire family will die! Not a single one will escape!"

But at this moment, Yang An had no room for such considerations.

All he wanted was to slaughter these beasts.

Terrified by Yang An’s brutality, Wang Gou'er’s gang of thugs had already lost their nerve, screaming as they fled in every direction.

None dared to lay another hand on Yang Ning.

Watching her brother, now a figure of pure fury, Yang Ning’s vision blurred with tears. Wang Gou'er has ties to the officials. If he’s killed, my brother is finished. He has to run—he must escape now!

Sobbing uncontrollably, Yang Ning rushed forward.

She wrapped her arms around Yang An from behind, clinging to him desperately.

Holding him tight, she wept, "Erlang, I’m fine! I’m fine! Please, stop this! If you kill him, you’ll be ruined!"

Her cries pierced through the haze of his rage.

The cold indifference in Yang An’s eyes flickered, a sliver of reason returning—but the killing intent still radiated from him. "Jie, let me go! Let me finish him!"

"And then what? Wang Gou'er has powerful connections! If you kill him, you’ll lose your head too!"

"Little brother, please! Stop now!"

"I’m unharmed, I beg you—put the knife down!!!"

She couldn’t bear to watch her brother throw himself into the fire for her sake. Yang Ning held on tighter, her sobs unrelenting, refusing to let go.

Gradually, Yang An’s mind cleared.

He swept his gaze across the surroundings. Aside from a few thugs who hadn’t managed to flee, a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the Li estate, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the scene.

But when their eyes met Yang An’s,

they recoiled as if staring into the face of a demon, shrinking back in fear.

Yang An lowered his gaze, his thoughts churning.

Jie is right.

Wang Gou'er is in league with the officials. If I slaughter these beasts in broad daylight, under the watch of so many…

Jie and Li Yan will be implicated. The entire family will be executed. My life is worthless—I’m already marked for death by that wretched woman come dawn. Trading my life for these scum means nothing.

But Jie and Li Yan…

They still have years ahead of them. I’ve already retrieved the Black Jade Lotus. They deserve a future of happiness. I can’t drag them down with me. I have one night left.

I won’t live to see tomorrow.

But Wang Gou'er won’t live past tonight either…

Suppressing the storm of violence within him,

Yang An took a deep breath, steadying the furious rise and fall of his chest. He roared at Wang Gou'er and his gang, "Scram! Get the hell out of here!!!"

The thugs, already paralyzed with terror, seized the chance like a pardon from death.

They dropped their weapons,

wailing like frightened children as they scrambled out of the gate.

The ruffian Chen San tried to run with the others, but the white cloth wrapped around his body was too tight, making it impossible to move his legs properly. In desperation, he could only hop awkwardly toward the gate, one clumsy leap at a time.

As he passed by Yang An, the man delivered a powerful kick to his waist, sending him tumbling across the ground. Chen San rolled several times, his nose smashing crookedly against the dirt, until he finally sprawled outside the Li family’s gates.

His lackeys had already fled.

Left with no one to help him, Wang Gou’er scrambled on all fours like a dog, crawling a good distance before daring to rise. Limping badly, he staggered out of the Li estate. Only after mounting his horse and putting enough distance between himself and Yang An did he regain his bravado.

The same man who had just been begging for mercy moments ago now laughed wildly, clutching his bloodied face. "Hahaha! Spineless runt! A cowardly piece of trash!" he jeered.

"You dare kill me? Go on, I’d like to see you try!"

"Not even if you had twice the guts!"

"Hahaha! Don’t worry, Yang the Second—Dog Master here will be back for you soon! I swear, not a single one of you will escape—not your sister, not your brother-in-law, and certainly not you!"

"Hyah! Hyah! Hyah!"

With his final threats spat into the wind, Wang Gou’er whipped his horse into a frenzy, the reins a blur as he vanished down the street.

...