Chapter Twenty: Slaying the Human Fiend

In the next instant, Yi Tian and the others were overwhelmed by a wave of murderous intent so intense it felt as if it would smother them. The disheveled figure’s eyes glinted with a cold, ruthless cruelty, devoid of any emotion, as he strode toward them step by step.

“Who would have thought my luck would be this wretched,” the man muttered to himself as he approached, “to find a true expert among that merchant caravan. I was nearly killed—if not for my own life-saving means, I’d have perished right there.”

Now they could see his face clearly: he looked to be thirty-six or thirty-seven, with a sallow, gaunt face and sharp, piercing eyes. His slight figure belied an undercurrent of deadly threat that Yi Tian, Yi Feng, and the others could not ignore.

“So you’re the Human Fiend of the infamous Heaven-Earth-Human Three Fiends?” Yi Tian said gravely.

“Heaven-Earth-Human Three Fiends!” At those words, Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and Yi Li felt a chill run down their spines.

If this man truly was the Human Fiend, one of those notorious killers who terrorized the lands around Black Dragon City, then their fate was likely sealed.

In this region, aside from the predatory bands, there were powerful martial artists who specialized in preying upon others—ambushing merchants, robbing other cultivators, and leaving carnage in their wake. These marauders were hunted by the city’s authorities and the surrounding factions alike.

Among them, the Heaven-Earth-Human Three Fiends were infamous as one of the most feared gangs. Their strength was overwhelming; small and medium groups that crossed their path rarely survived. None who encountered them returned alive—their brutality was legendary.

Within the Three Fiends, the Heaven Fiend was the strongest, wielding the power of a ninth-tier cultivator. The Earth Fiend was an eighth-tier martial artist, and the Human Fiend, though only of the seventh tier, was no less ferocious. The three had forged a dreadful reputation around Black Dragon City; they were a scourge, a calamity, not to be provoked by any means.

“That’s right,” the Human Fiend finally glanced at them and said, “Now that you know who I am, you should also know your fate. No one who crosses my path lives to tell the tale. I nearly died today, and you will be the ones to pay for it.”

He regarded Yi Tian and his friends as nothing more than birds trapped in a cage, young and inexperienced, mere first- or second-tier martial artists whom he could wipe out with a single move. He wanted to toy with them, let them taste fear and despair—only then could he vent the frustration burning within him.

Yi Tian and his companions set down their game, swiftly unstrapped their bows, and nocked their arrows.

“You must be youths from the Yi Tribe. Your tribe has some skill with the bow, but you’re nowhere near good enough.” The Human Fiend recognized their origins at a glance, yet dismissed them as no threat.

“Die!” At that moment, Yi Feng loosed the first arrow.

It flew like a bolt of lightning, appearing before the Human Fiend in the blink of an eye, about to pierce his chest.

Clang! Like a flash, the Human Fiend’s short sword deflected the arrow, leaving him unscathed.

“Your arrows are far too slow!”

He eyed them with mocking amusement, as if pondering how best to dispatch his prey.

The next moment, arrows from Yi Shan and Yi Li shot forth as well.

Clang! Clang! Two refined iron arrows were sliced in half by the Human Fiend’s sword, the cuts clean and sharp—proof of its keen edge.

Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and Yi Li kept shooting, arrow after arrow, but the Human Fiend’s sword became a shimmering barrier, deflecting and shattering every shaft.

Yi Tian aimed his own arrow at the Human Fiend, who was effortlessly parrying the others’ attacks. The armor-piercing arrow was already nocked.

Within him, his fiery true energy surged to a boil. He summoned his full strength, activating the ninth level of the Wave-Stacking Secret Art—layer upon layer, his power soared to unprecedented heights.

In an instant, the Blood-mark Bow bent into a perfect crescent.

“Go!” he cried.

In a flash, Yi Tian unleashed his mightiest arrow, a streak of lightning splitting the heavens. With a thunderous boom, it appeared before the Human Fiend, its murderous aura sending a shudder through even this hardened killer.

This arrow was too fast.

But the Human Fiend, at the peak of the seventh tier, was no ordinary foe. His short sword flashed up at the last instant to intercept it.

Yet the hurried defense could not muster even a third of his true strength.

Bang!

The armor-piercing arrow, carrying the force of ten thousand pounds, struck the short sword. The impact nearly tore the weapon from his grip, and though the arrow was deflected slightly, it still punched through his right chest at terrifying speed, trailing a spray of blood.

A hot mouthful of blood burst from his lips.

The Human Fiend was in disbelief—he, a seasoned killer, had been gravely wounded by a mere youth of low rank.

“Kill him!” Now was the time to strike—when the enemy was down, finish him off.

Yi Feng and Yi Shan loosed volley after volley, arrows blanketing the Human Fiend.

Wounded, he swung his sword desperately, fending them off. But with every parry, his wounds reopened, blood gushing anew.

Their cultivation was only at the first tier, but with the fourth level of the Wave-Stacking Secret Art, their attacks rivaled those of third-tier martial artists. Ordinarily, the Human Fiend would have laughed at such opponents.

But now, grievously injured, every defense only worsened his state.

Yi Tian was not faring well, either. After unleashing the ninth level of the secret art, his dantian was utterly depleted, weakness washing over him in waves.

At that moment, a thought occurred to him. With a single intent, the stone ring on his wrist—his Star Mud Clone—began to flood his body with pure primordial energy. His cultivation method raced into motion, and his dantian rapidly refilled with true energy.

It worked.

He’d only tried it on a whim, but it succeeded. From now on, he could replenish his true energy at any time, never again risking depletion.

As Yi Tian sensed his strength surging anew, he kept a close eye on the battle. The Human Fiend’s wounds were fatal—without a rare Regeneration Pill or Life Elixir, survival was impossible.

Knowing death was certain, the Human Fiend’s malice toward them now reached its zenith. If he was to die, he would drag them down with him.

Suddenly, veins bulged across his body, his skin flushed crimson, and in an instant, his wounds seemed to vanish—his strength returned to its peak. He had reversed his true energy, igniting his very life force for one final burst.

“Not good!” Yi Tian, who’d been watching closely, realized the Human Fiend was about to stake everything on a last, desperate attack.

He immediately drove the Star Mud Clone to funnel even more energy into his dantian, swelling it to bursting. Instantly, he unleashed the ninth level of the Wave-Stacking Secret Art once more.

Boom!

A thunderous roar—this arrow was even more terrifying than before.

As the Human Fiend charged, the arrow, fired at point-blank range, pierced his skull before he could react.

Thud!

He crashed to the ground, eyes wide with shock and disbelief—a man of such fearsome renown, felled by a nameless youth.

After releasing this arrow, Yi Tian’s exhaustion deepened. The surge of primordial energy had damaged his body in several places.

Yi Feng and the others, too, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

Their true energy was nearly spent, leaving them unable to fight further.

This battle had been perilous beyond anything they had known—life and death balanced on a knife’s edge, with the slightest slip spelling doom for them all.

Yi Tian and his friends rested on the spot, recovering as best they could.

Fortunately, they were on the outskirts of the Crouching Dragon Mountains, a remote, desolate place, with neither people nor beasts to threaten them for now.

When they had mostly recovered, they decided to return immediately, lest night overtake them.

Before leaving, Yi Tian searched the Human Fiend’s body, quickly finding a pouch of gold coins, a cultivation manual, and a map.

Without wasting time, he also took up the short sword the Human Fiend had used. The four of them made their way back to the tribe, returning just before nightfall.