?[System Notification: Host has successfully eliminated a Level 8 Body Refining expert!] [Rewards: 300 Experience Points, 3,000 Silver Coins, and a Yellow-Level Middle-Grade 'Erotic Arousal Pill'.]

  ?Su Han felt the cold, jagged steel biting deep into his back, but he didn't flinch. He didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat before finishing the man in front of him. Inside, his body was a wreck, screaming in a language of pure agony.

  ?The pain was so sharp, so raw, that tears threatened to blur his vision. He ground his teeth together, the sound of bone against bone echoing in his own skull. He wasn't going to let this chance slip away, no matter how much his soul burned.

  ?Clench!

  ?Ignoring the fire in his nerves, he twisted the blade and ended the thug's life right there. But when his eyes flickered to the system reward, specifically that 'special' pill, his brain nearly short-circuited.

  "What the f*** is this?!" he roared in his mind.

  ?But there was no time to process the absurdity of the system. The second thug, standing right behind him, had eyes that looked like they were about to bleed from sheer rage. He saw his partner drop and decided to bury his blade even deeper into Su Han’s spine.

  ?Su Han knew he was dancing on the edge of a grave. If he spent even a fraction of a second trying to turn around or pull the blade out, he was a dead man. The killer behind him wasn't an amateur; he wouldn't give Su Han a window to breathe.

  ?Grind!

  ?Su Han’s eyes flashed with a predatory, suicidal light. He didn't pull away. Instead, he leaned back into the pain, slamming his elbow backward with everything he had left.

  ?Squelch!

  ?The blade slid even deeper into his own flesh, and Su Han’s face turned a ghostly shade of white. A strangled cry escaped his lips as hot blood sprayed the forest floor, but he used that momentum to swing his other hand. The Wolf-Tooth Dagger moved in a blur.

  ?"Nine-Time Slash!" he hissed through blood-stained teeth.

  ?Whoosh!

  ?Liu Ba’s remaining henchman never expected this kind of insanity. He didn't think anyone would be crazy enough to push themselves further onto a blade just to land a counter-attack. He tried to dodge, but the dagger carved a path right through his chest.

  ?Arghhh!

  ?A gut-wrenching scream tore through the damp air. The thug clutched his chest, blood geysering between his fingers. It wasn't a killing blow to the heart or throat, but it was enough to make him drop his weapon in shock.

  ?Su Han didn't even bother pulling the blade out of his own back yet. He slowly turned around, a terrifying, blood-drenched smile spreading across his face. He looked less like a boy and more like a starving beast.

  ?Drip... drip...

  ?Captain Zhao Lucy watched the scene from the corner of her eye, her heart sinking into her stomach. Seeing Su Han standing there with a blade sticking out of his back, blood pouring out of him, she felt a wave of genuine terror. She was sure he was going to die right here.

  ?Her men were in no better shape; they were battered, broken, and had long since lost the strength to intervene. Lucy herself was flagging, her stamina drained to the dregs as she struggled against Liu Ba.

  ?"Su Han... don't you dare die..." she whispered to herself, her grip on her sword trembling.

  ?Liu Ba, however, didn't give a damn about his men dying. He was a narcissist to the core, fueled by nothing but his own ego. Seeing Lucy’s focus waver, he saw his opening and lunged with a cruel smirk.

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  ?Rip!

  ?His weapon caught the leather armor on Lucy’s shoulder, tearing through it like wet paper. The fabric shredded, revealing a flash of pale, ivory skin. Liu Ba’s eyes lit up with a disgusting, hungry glow.

  ?Tear!

  ?He struck again at the same spot, the sound of ripping cloth echoing in the clearing. Lucy’s delicate collarbone and shoulder were now exposed to the cold forest air. Before she could recover, Liu Ba planted a heavy boot squarely into her stomach.

  ?Thud!

  ?Lucy was sent flying, hitting the dirt hard. She doubled over, coughing up a mouthful of crimson blood. Liu Ba walked toward her, his steps slow and predatory, licking his lips as he looked down at her.

  ?"Lucy, I’ve always had a thing for you. But you’re going to have to wait a little longer."

  ?Bam!

  ?He kicked her again, showing zero mercy despite her being a woman. The blow was so violent that Lucy retched, more blood staining the grass. Once he was sure she was too weak to fight back, he turned his arrogant gaze toward Su Han.

  ?"Wait for me, Lucy," he laughed, a dark, twisted sound. "Tonight, we’re going to have a very special celebration."

  ?Lucy tried to push herself up, her eyes red with hatred and pain, but her body simply wouldn't obey anymore.

  ?The Iron-Fist mercenaries couldn't take it anymore. Seeing their Captain—the woman they respected above all—bleeding and humiliated on the ground, something inside them snapped. Despite being battered and broken, they lunged toward Liu Ba with a collective roar of desperation.

  ?"Get back! All of you, stay back!" Captain Lucy’s voice was a ragged scream, filled with a raw, agonizing pain.

  ?But it was too late. Liu Ba’s mocking laughter echoed through the trees, followed quickly by the sickening sound of snapping bones and guttural screams. A rain of fresh blood splattered onto the damp leaves.

  ?Liu Ba didn't kill them, though. He wasn't stupid. The Iron-Fist Group was a powerhouse on this continent, and even with his status, wiping them out entirely would bring a mountain of trouble he wasn't ready to climb. Especially since Lucy’s background was... special.

  ?He didn't mind breaking their limbs or leaving them half-dead, but as long as he didn't touch Lucy’s life, he could play it off as a 'clash in the wilderness.'

  ?Chen Jian looked at Liu Ba with eyes filled with a murderous, blood-red mist. Then, his gaze shifted to Su Han—the only one still standing.

  ?In the corner, the two merchant clients were shivering like wet leaves. They were useless, their cultivation levels so low they might as well have been ghosts.

  ?Su Han was in a nightmare. The blade was still hanging from his back, blood dripping steadily onto the dirt. He was locked in a brutal exchange with the last Level 8 thug, both of them gasping for air, both of them covered in wounds.

  ?"Brother Han! Watch out! Liu Ba is coming for you!" Chen Jian’s voice tore through the chaos.

  ?Su Han’s heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. He was already at his limit. If Liu Ba—who was levels above the thug he was currently fighting—joined the fray, it wouldn't be a fight anymore. It would be an execution.

  ?Whoosh!

  ?Su Han threw a desperate strike, using his 'Shadow Steps' to narrowly dodge a counter, and glanced sideways.

  ?There he was. The "Black Crow."

  ?Liu Ba was walking toward him with a slow, leisurely pace, his dark face twisted into a cold, predatory smirk. His eyes were like two pits of red ice, locked onto Su Han’s throat.

  ?"This is bad..." Su Han hissed under his breath.

  ?The Iron-Fist survivors and even the trembling clients felt a cold sweat break out. In their minds, Su Han was already a dead man walking.

  ?"Liu Ba! Don't you dare touch him!" Lucy screamed, her voice cracking with fury. "If anything happens to Su Han, you and I are finished! I will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"

  ?Liu Ba didn't even stop. He just let out a sharp, amused bark of laughter.

  ?"Look at yourself, Lucy. Look at your pathetic group. You're all face-down in the dirt while I’m the only one standing. You should be thanking me that I haven't slaughtered your men yet."

  ?"Don't push it, Liu Ba!" Lucy ground out, her teeth bared. "You’ve done enough. Stop here before it’s too late."

  ?"Stop?" Liu Ba’s voice turned icy. "What about the three men this little brat killed? My men. My brothers."

  ?Lucy choked on her words. It was true. Su Han had single-handedly taken down three members of the Shadow-Blade Sect. Even she knew that Liu Ba—and the Sect behind him—would never let such a 'slap in the face' go unpunished.

  ?"I'm warning you..." she tried one last time, her voice trembling.

  ?Liu Ba turned his head, his gaze chilling her to the bone.

  ?"Don't waste your breath, Lucy. You know as well as I do that there's only one way this ends. This little shit is going to die."

  ?Then, his eyes traveled down, lingering on her torn collarbone and the exposed skin of her chest. He licked his lips slowly.

  ?"Wait for me. I'll be back for my 'celebration' in a moment."

  ?The last Level 8 thug felt a surge of adrenaline. Knowing his leader was right there to back him up, he ramped up his aggression. Su Han’s world was shrinking. Every movement felt like a hot iron was being pressed into his spine.

  ?Clang!

  ?The thug swung his blade in a wide, lethal arc. Su Han barely parried it, but then he felt a presence behind him.

  ?Three meters away, Liu Ba had drawn his weapon. The dark steel gleamed under the dim canopy. Su Han was now caught in a pincer move—a Level 8 killer in front, and a Level 9 monster behind.

  ?With a blade still sticking out of his back and blood soaking his clothes, the silence of the forest seemed to weigh a thousand tons.

  ?What happens now?