We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 141 Seven Layers of Iron Shirt, Suppressing the Bloodthirsty Warrior
Fourth watch.

The entire town of Shanghe seemed to have fallen asleep, silent and still.

Inside a room in the courtyard of a refined residence.

An elderly man lay on the bed, his chest rising and falling steadily.

But for a moment, his breathing paused slightly, became disordered for less than a breath, and then returned to normal.

Then they saw the old man slowly open his eyelids, and his cloudy eyes suddenly became clear.

someone!

He lay calmly on the bed, his eyes darting around, trying to pinpoint the location of that unfamiliar presence.

call out!
Suddenly, a faint whooshing sound rang out, which the man keenly sensed. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a cold glint piercing through the air and attacking.

Ding.

With lightning speed, Hong Ke suddenly raised her hand, extended two fingers, and pinched the slender willow branch. The branch trembled slightly, as if venting its dissatisfaction.

"Target is dead, retreat!"

Looking at the willow branch, Hong Ke fell into a brief moment of contemplation. Wasn't this assassination method rather crude?
Before he could get up, a voice talking to itself came from the eaves, followed by the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.

Hong Ke was somewhat bewildered. The target was already dead?
What a joke, he's still alive and well.

Who was behind this assassination attempt? How could they be so unprofessional!
"Could it be a remnant of the Rebirth Cult?" Hong Ke slowly sat up, looking thoughtfully at the severed willow branch, but quickly shook his head. "Whether it is or not, I want to see who dares to assassinate me!"

He snorted, his doubt turning into a cold laugh. Although the other party's assassination methods were extremely crude and he didn't seem very smart, he wouldn't let him go just because of their inferior methods.

Anyone who dares to assassinate him, no matter who they are, must die!

Hearing the footsteps approaching from behind, a smile involuntarily appeared on Su Chen's face. This old thief had really fallen for it.

The previous assassination attempt was intentional, aimed at luring Hong Ke to catch up.

Hong Ke's courtyard housed not only him, but also another hall master of the Xuan Shui Gang, as well as Zhou Qing and others.

Although his strength had improved, he could not guarantee that the assassination would be foolproof. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, he lured Hong Ke out.

Now that his goal had been achieved, Su Chen deliberately slowed down. Unexpectedly, Hong Ke behind him also slowed down. However, Su Chen obviously did not intend to continue pretending with Hong Ke. He went directly to an open space outside the town and stopped.

Looking back, Su Chen couldn't see Hong Ke, but he knew that Hong Ke was right behind him. She must have been investigating the forces behind him, which was why she hadn't shown herself.

"This idiot noticed me?"

Su Chen's guess was correct; Hong Ke did indeed want to investigate the forces behind him, partly to see who was behind it, and partly to eliminate that force.

After following for a while, Hong Ke noticed that Su Chen had stopped, which puzzled him. But then he realized that he was just worrying unnecessarily. With Su Chen's assassination skills, how could he possibly discover him?

They must be waiting for someone from their backing to come and meet them.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Su Chen's figure suddenly lunged at him. Hong Ke's body trembled, and his eyes narrowed: "He actually discovered me!"

There was no panic in his eyes, but rather a hint of doubt. However, he couldn't worry about that right now and dodged Su Chen's attack with a quick leap.

"Did you deliberately lure me out?"

Seeing that Su Chen stopped after his attack failed, Hong Ke's expression changed slightly, and she blurted out a question.

Upon hearing this, Su Chen coldly replied, "I know you have many questions, but don't ask them yet. Let me kill you first."

Having said that, he swayed and, with his incredible speed, instantly vanished into the darkness, shooting forward like a ghost in the night.

Hearing Su Chen's words, Hong Ke's face darkened slightly, and she said coldly, "Hmph, you're courting death!"

With a sudden stomp of one foot, Hong Ke shot out to meet Su Chen head-on. He raised his arm, his five fingers forming a palm, and a cold light seemed to flash in his palm. With a bang, the surrounding air was pushed aside, and the air current surged up.

"He's using this trick again!"

Upon seeing Hong Ke's move, Su Chen sneered and drew his steel knife from his waist with lightning speed. A crisp buzzing sound suddenly rang out, and a blade of light, as swift as a shadow following the wind, pierced through the air.

Hong Ke thought she wouldn't clash head-on with Su Chen, but seeing Su Chen's attack, she slightly bent her palm and shot out the silver needles in her hand. In an instant, dozens of silver needles filled the void, forming a silver needle net that sealed off the space and rapidly advanced towards Su Chen.

Ding Ding Ding!
Su Chen dodged them all, and they landed on the trees behind him with a dull, penetrating sound.

Seeing Su Chen dodge so easily, Hong Ke's brows furrowed slightly, and there was no longer any contempt in his eyes. He said softly, "Let's see how long you can hide!"

Dozens more silver needles shot out.

Hong Ke's wide sleeves seemed to be filled with silver needles, and he could shoot out dozens of silver needles with every move he made, an astonishing number.

Su Chen rarely showed a solemn expression. Could this old guy be the 'Silver Needle Monster'?
The barrage of silver needles was so targeted that Su Chen had to dodge to the side. Even so, some of the needles that missed him were still nearly hit, but he managed to cut them down with his steel blade.

shhhhhh!
Hong Ke seemed unwilling to let Su Chen stop. As soon as Su Chen finished dodging, he would shoot out silver needles. However, instead of the initial barrage, he would aim and shoot one after another.

"Huh? You're playing me?"

Just as Su Chen leaped aside to dodge the silver needle that was shot at him, Hong Ke's arm suddenly turned towards Su Chen. The strange arm seemed to conceal a murderous intent. The moment Su Chen's eyes were locked on, his hair stood on end.

But when he moved away, he didn't see Hong Ke shoot out any silver needles. He glanced to the side and saw a smile on Hong Ke's lips, silently mocking him.

Su Chen's eyes were as deep as water. He strode forward and charged forward. Hong Ke's smile widened at the sight. As Su Chen drew closer, Hong Ke murmured, "Go to hell!"

Suddenly, a ring of silver needles appeared in his arm. The needles were as fast as lightning, tracing dangerous arcs and emitting a more terrifying cold light than before, as they swept towards Su Chen like a tidal wave.

Bang bang bang!
"what?"

Just as the silver needles were about to strike Su Chen, countless afterimages of sword light rose up around him, and the sky was filled with sword light that enveloped his body. As Su Chen rushed forward, the light spread out and cut off all the silver needles that were shooting towards him.

Hong Ke's eyes widened, his mouth opened and closed, a look of surprise flashed across his face, and his pupils reflected Su Chen's rapidly approaching figure.

As Su Chen's sneaky figure swung his sword at her, Hong Ke's face showed no sign of panic; instead, a mocking expression rose up.

"not good!"

Su Chen caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and cried out. A chill ran through his body as a huge sense of crisis enveloped him from ahead, growing ever stronger as Hong Ke unleashed a barrage of silver needles.

From his arms, from his body, from his feet... Hong Ke's body was like a tightly sealed machine, containing not flesh and bones, but silver needles coated with poison.

The silver needles were as dense as a waterfall, completely blocking all of Su Chen's escape routes and giving him no chance to dodge. In that short distance, the danger was extreme.

Bang bang bang!
The light and shadow created by the steel blade were clearly no match for so many silver needles. Su Chen focused on protecting his head, letting the silver needles hit his body. They pierced through his clothes but could not penetrate his skin.

The seven layers of Iron Shirt have tempered Su Chen's body to the point of invulnerability, making him even more extraordinary. With the powerful force protecting him, it would be a pipe dream for a silver needle to penetrate the two layers of defense.

Hong Ke was unaware of Su Chen's physical strength; he only felt that Su Chen's vast power could spread throughout his body, blocking his silver needle attacks, which made him take notice.

"Ha, you old scoundrel, it's my turn!"

Su Chen, who had been suppressed for a long time, finally erupted at this moment.

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure appeared in the blink of an eye, standing in front of Hong Ke. A violent force poured out, blasting apart the air on both sides, and then transforming into a streak of light that fell down.

In a flash, Hong Ke raised his arms high, his arms surging with energy, forming powerful arm guards that blocked Su Chen's fierce attack.

boom!
The steel blade crashed into the armor with a thunderous roar. A look of intense horror appeared in Hong Ke's eyes, and what was reflected in his pupils was the armor riddled with cracks.

Under the impact of Su Chen's furious force, it finally couldn't hold on and exploded. Then the steel blade slashed down fiercely, directly hitting his arm.

Fortunately, his arms were protected by armor, and his strength dissipated most of Su Chen's power, which allowed him to barely withstand Su Chen's attack.

Even so, Hong Ke was in turmoil. He could feel the armor on his arm leaking out a tremendous force, showing signs of collapsing.

"blocked!"

The arm armor wasn't completely torn apart; instead, cracks spread outwards. Fortunately, it blocked Su Chen's attack, which relieved Hong Ke.

However, he didn't see the cold smile on Su Chen's face. Hearing Hong Ke's relaxed words, Su Chen sneered inwardly: "Blocked it? Dream on!"

In the blind spot, Su Chen's arm trembled slightly, as if a ferocious beast was hidden in the cuff.

With a sharp crack, a light and shadow, enough to dazzle Hong Ke for the rest of his life, suddenly appeared out of thin air, falling into his slightly dazed eyes, as if etched into his eyes like a fleeting brilliance, etched into the end of his life. *Click*.

The long-awaited sound of decapitation rang out as usual. The swift and ruthless move gave Hong Ke no chance to resist, severing the connection between her head and body.

Having spent his entire life resorting to underhanded tricks, Hong Ke was killed by Su Chen's underhanded tactics at the very last moment of his life. Even as his head fell, a deep sense of resentment and confusion lingered in Hong Ke's eyes.

Su Chen arrived in front of Hong Ke's corpse, made a few slashes, and lifted up his clothes, quickly revealing the black clothes he was wearing.

This black garment doesn't resemble everyday clothes, nor does it look like armor.

The clothes were made of a stiff and thick material with countless small holes through which the silver needles were shot out.

Looking at the densely packed number of tiny holes, Su Chen's eyes glazed over.

No wonder Hong Ke could shoot for so long. The black clothes had countless tiny holes all over his body. If he shot a few at a time, it would probably take him half an hour.

Moreover, these silver needles are not like the silver needles used in acupuncture; they are only half the length of an index finger and are more convenient to place inside a black garment.

After searching Hong Ke's body for a while, Su Chen found nothing of value except for the highly poisonous silver needles. He then took a few of the needles and left.

The next day.

It's just dawn.

Su Chen got up feeling refreshed, washed up, and went to have breakfast with Qiao Qiliang.

Since the operation was over, the government and the Xuan Shui Gang no longer had any connection and went their separate ways.

Zhou Qing simply informed the Xuan Shui Gang members, and then set off back to the city with more than ten boxes.

An hour later, the group returned to the city. Su Chen did not go to the government office with the others, but bid farewell to Qiao Qiliang and went directly back to his villa.

the other side.

Yu Wenguang, the leader of the Xuanqing Hall of the Xuanshui Gang, waited and waited but Hong Ke did not appear. He sent people out to search but they could not find Hong Ke, which made him feel uneasy.

"Master, something terrible has happened! The deputy leader..."

A short while later, one of his men rushed in from outside, looking flustered and terrified.

Yu Wenguang, who was already uneasy, suddenly stood up after hearing this, his eyes widened, and he asked, "What happened to the deputy leader? Tell me!"

"The deputy leader is dead..."

Led by his men, Yu Wenguang found Hong Ke's body. When he saw Hong Ke's head and body separated, his eyes turned cold.

"A single, decisive blow? What a brilliant move!"

After a thorough examination, Yu Wenguang said with slight surprise, expressing astonishment at the murderer's strength.

To kill a martial artist at the Blood Transformation Realm with a single strike, how powerful must the murderer be?
A chill ran down his spine, and he immediately said, "Take the deputy gang leader's body back!"

This matter is beyond his authority; the body must be returned to the gang as soon as possible for the gang leader to decide.

Yu Wenguang could already imagine the uproar that would occur when Hong Ke's body was carried back to the Xuan Shui Gang.

"Could it have been done by that mysterious leader of the Rebirth Cult?"

On the way back to the city with his team, Yu Wenguang kept thinking about the identity of the murderer.

He had not forgotten that although many key members and even the deputy leader of the Rebirth Sect had been executed, there was still one most mysterious leader who was still at large.

They had just destroyed the Rebirth Cult when Hong Ke was killed, which made him connect the two events.

Hong Ke was slightly stronger than Ding Yi, and the leader of the Rebirth Sect was certainly stronger than Ding Yi, so it was not unreasonable for him to kill Hong Ke.

Moreover, according to rumors, the cult leader is a swordsman!
All of this calmed Yu Wenguang down a bit, so that when the gang leader asked, he wouldn't be completely clueless and would at least be able to answer the questions.

……

Shanghe Town.

Not long after the government and Xuan Shui Sect troops withdrew.

A travel-worn figure suddenly appeared outside the desolate Shanghe Town.

The newcomer was tall and elegant, looking like a scholar, but the precious sword in his hand seemed somewhat out of place with his attire.

"Shanghe Town? Ding Yi and the others should be here." The handsome man murmured to himself, looking at the words on the stone outside the town.

After pausing for a few moments, he transformed into a gust of wind and entered the town. Just thinking about meeting Ding Yi and the others soon brought a faint smile to his face.

Half an hour later, when the handsome young man had searched the entire Shanghe Town but could not find Ding Yi and the others, he was at a loss.

After learning from the townspeople what had happened the night before, the handsome young man was immediately shocked.

"If the government returns victorious after eradicating the Rebirth Sect, doesn't that mean that the members of the Rebirth Sect, which I painstakingly founded, were either killed or arrested?"

The handsome young man quickly deduced the reason for Ding Yi and the others' disappearance from the fragmented information, and for a moment, a look of grief and indignation appeared on his face.

"That bastard Ding Yi, you wrote me a letter asking me to come over, saying it was to discuss important matters, and this is what you get?"
My Rebirth Cult is now down to just me. It's all your fault, Ding Yi, for squandering all my followers!

The handsome man cursed inwardly; he had only been in seclusion for a while, and yet he had already returned to his original state.

He entrusted the Rebirth Sect to Ding Yi for development out of trust. There were two of them back then, but now only he is left.

What happened to the trust we promised? What happened to the promise to carry forward the Rebirth Sect? What happened to the promise to give him a Rebirth Sect that would overthrow the Great Qian Dynasty?
"Ding Yi, you'd better pray you're dead. If that happens, I might avenge you. But if you don't die, I'll make you pay! Humph!" The handsome man gritted his teeth and snorted coldly.

After a moment, the handsome man put away his dejection and sighed softly, "Alas, I can't keep this to myself. I should tell the envoy about this and ask him for advice."

Xuan Shui Sect.

Above the pavilion.

Hong Ke's death quickly caught the attention of the Hong family, and through layers of communication, it caused quite a stir within the Hong family.

Hong Jinfeng and his two companions reunited.

Snapped!
Hong Jinnian was furious. How long had it been? Another deputy leader of the Xuan Shui Gang had died!

The Xuan Shui Gang only had two vice leaders, and they were both killed in less than a month. How could he not be furious?
Hong Jinfeng's face was also very ugly. Not only was the deceased Hong Ke a member of the Hong family, but he was also a martial artist at the Blood Transformation Realm.

Four now!
From Hong Qi, Hong Hai, and Hong Shan to Hong Ke, the Hong family has lost three martial artists at the Blood Transformation Realm, as well as a potential disciple who will definitely reach the Blood Transformation Realm in the future.

Not to mention Hong Jinnian, even he couldn't hide his anger.

"This is probably retaliation from the Rebirth Sect against us!"

Hong Jingrui calmed down slightly, looked at the report coming from below, and said softly, "It must be that the mysterious leader of the Rebirth Sect has come for revenge."

Upon hearing this, Hong Jinnian snorted coldly: "I don't care if he's here for revenge or not, he must die. Clan leader, Jingrui, I need your cooperation to find him for me. I will personally kill him!"

“Okay!” Hong Jinfeng nodded after a moment of silence, having already made the same decision.

During this period, with the successive deaths of powerful members of the Hong Clan, the Hong Clan's reputation has suffered a huge blow. It is time to let other forces see the fangs of the Hong Clan.

"Oh, right, and that guy who killed Hong Qi, I'll take care of him too." Suddenly, Hong Jinnian said.

Upon hearing this, Hong Jingrui frowned and said, "This person is still in Dafeng City, but he is under the protection of the City Lord's Mansion..."

"Who cares about the protection of the City Lord's Mansion? If you piss me off, I'll wipe out the entire City Lord's Mansion!" Hong Jinnian said domineeringly, showing no regard for the City Lord's Mansion.

“Jin Nian, you should focus on dealing with the leader of the Rebirth Cult. I will send people to kill him even if you don’t tell me!” Hong Jinfeng interjected at this moment.

Upon hearing this, Hong Jinnian pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and then nodded, saying, "Alright, but Clan Leader, Hong Ke sent a message informing me that this kid is hiding his strength. Although he has only achieved the Minor Completion of Bone Forging, his strength is comparable to the Perfected Bone Forging."

"It's alright, three top-tier bodyguards are enough to kill him!" Hong Jinfeng waved his hand, not caring at all.

(End of this chapter)