Chapter Fifty-Three: One Against Three!

“A defensive spiritual artifact, is it? Fine then. If I let you die so easily, that would be letting you off too lightly!” Yang Yan thought to himself.

In truth, when Xu Shaoguang had demanded that Yang Yan abolish his spiritual cultivation, a daring idea had already formed in Yang Yan’s mind: to seek life in the face of certain death!

Confronted with the ruthless and cunning Xu family, Yang Yan would never be so foolish as to trust their promises. If he lost all his cultivation, he would truly become a lamb to the slaughter, a fish on the cutting board, with not the slightest chance of survival.

Because he had cultivated the “Nine Nether Lunar Art,” Yang Yan’s spiritual power was not, like that of ordinary cultivators, stored in the spiritual hub, but rather gathered within his sea of qi. Therefore, his attack just now only detonated the water-attributed power in his hand, creating the illusion of spiritual energy dispersing and exploding.

Naturally, Xu Shaoguang was too crafty to believe Yang Yan so easily. He gathered his own spiritual power at his fingertip and probed Yang Yan’s lower abdomen, finding not the slightest ripple of spiritual energy. His suspicion all but faded, his wariness dissipating seven-tenths.

At this moment, Xu Shaoguang could have killed Yang Yan with one strike. With Zi Ling in his hands, Yang Yan would have been forced to submit, awaiting slaughter. Yet, blinded by his sense of victory and arrogance, Xu Shaoguang tossed aside the “Moonshadow Frost,” turned instead to punching and kicking Yang Yan, indulging in humiliation and torment!

Yang Yan endured in silence, biding his time. At last, when Xu Shaoguang and the two black-clad men were at their most unguarded, his mind moved in a flash—the “Moonshadow Frost” flew to his hand, and he unleashed a thunderous blow!

In his haste, however, Yang Yan had overlooked the possibility that Xu Shaoguang possessed a defensive artifact—thus, Xu Shaoguang managed to cling to life by a thread!

With a roar, Yang Yan showed no hesitation. He suddenly let out a long howl, thunderous and startling. In that instant, an invisible force swept out like a tidal wave, causing Xu Shaoguang and the two masked men to be momentarily dazed.

Seizing the critical moment, Yang Yan sprang to his feet, leapt into the air, legs spread wide, and kicked both black-clad men hard in the chest!

With a muffled bang, the men in black screamed as they were sent flying. The “Moonshadow Frost” in Yang Yan’s hand flashed coldly, slashing through the ropes binding Zi Ling in an instant.

“Go!” Yang Yan called softly to her, wasting not a second. With a gentle sweep of his left arm, he scooped her up, pressed off the ground with his toes, and sped down the mountainside!

This flurry of action—assaulting Xu Shaoguang, rescuing Zi Ling—unfolded in the blink of an eye.

“Hurry, stop him!”

At last, Xu Shaoguang returned to his senses. He drew the “Meteor Star Demon Hammer” from his storage pouch and, together with the two black-clad men, gave furious chase after Yang Yan!

Hearing the sound of pursuit growing ever closer behind him, Yang Yan’s heart tensed. He thought to himself, “This won’t do. If this continues, they’ll catch up to us for sure!”

Though the blow Yang Yan had struck himself earlier did not overly impede his control of spiritual power, it had left him lightly injured. As for Xu Shaoguang’s earlier blows, those were of little consequence. But now, fleeing with Zi Ling in his arms, his speed was greatly reduced. If this dragged on, they would inevitably be overtaken.

“Zi Ling, you go on ahead. Return to the manor, gather reinforcements, and come back for me!”

“But Brother Yang Yan!” Zi Ling’s beautiful eyes were red, her delicate face swollen and bruised, which pained Yang Yan to see.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Go!” Yang Yan smiled, gently ruffling her hair and speaking softly.

“Be careful. As soon as I get back, I’ll bring help to save you!” Worry and reluctance shone in Zi Ling’s eyes, but in the end, she gritted her teeth, nodded, and dashed away into the darkness.

Yang Yan slowly turned around. At the same time, the trace of tenderness in his eyes vanished, replaced entirely by a cold and merciless killing intent.

“Xu Fei, you chase the girl. Leave him to the two of us!” Xu Shaoguang barked at one of the black-clad men.

“Xu Fei? That name sounds familiar… Of course, he was one of the competitors at the clan martial tournament. The other must be Xu Zhiming…” Yang Yan thought to himself.

Xu Fei nodded and leapt forward, intent on bypassing Yang Yan to pursue Zi Ling. But as soon as he moved, a chill flashed toward him—he quickly retreated, barely dodging the attack.

“Since you’re so eager to die, then let me finish you first!” Xu Shaoguang snarled at Yang Yan, his face twisted in a cruel grin.

“Attack!” Xu Shaoguang clearly understood that if he wanted to pursue Zi Ling, he would have to first eliminate Yang Yan, the roadblock. Wasting no words, he wielded his hammer and charged at Yang Yan in fury.

Xu Fei and Xu Zhiming dared not be careless. Each drew a dagger and a tungsten staff from their own storage pouches at their waists, and lunged at Yang Yan, weapons flashing.

Though Xu Fei and Xu Zhiming were slightly weaker than Xu Shaoguang, Yang Yan dared not underestimate them. Facing three opponents at the peak of the second level of the Spirit Sensing Realm, even he could not be certain of victory. But the situation was urgent—if Zi Ling was to escape safely, he had to hold them back.

With a thunderous crash, the “Moonshadow Frost” first met the “Meteor Star Demon Hammer”; the force jarred Yang Yan’s arms, making them tingle. Before he could react, a cold glint slashed at him from the side. Yang Yan’s heart clenched—he quickly raised his sword to parry. With a sharp clang, the dagger struck the sword, sparking as it was deflected.

Without a moment’s respite, the tungsten staff swept at his legs with a whistling wind. Yang Yan tapped the ground with his toes, vaulting into the air and barely evading the strike.

Though his strength surpassed any one of his three opponents by a good margin—none could last twenty rounds against him alone—these three were no novices. Their coordination was seamless: the “Meteor Star Demon Hammer” and tungsten staff formed the primary assault, while the dagger launched close-range sneak attacks, leaving him hard-pressed and flustered.

At first, Yang Yan was suppressed and in danger, but as he gradually discerned their attack patterns, he was no longer so disadvantaged. His defenses grew smoother, and he even found moments to counterattack.

Moreover, in these recent days, Yang Yan’s mastery over his soul power had improved, so the sudden ambushes that once troubled him were no longer a threat.

In contrast, Xu Shaoguang found himself growing more and more apprehensive as the fight went on!