Chapter 131: Annihilation

“Ah! You needn’t announce me; I’ll just go in myself…”

To the pedestrians on the long street, Wu Ming merely greeted the two guards at the door before entering the courtyard without any hindrance.

“Who goes there?”

However, immediately after entering the main gate, the atmosphere changed dramatically.

Though it might be an exaggeration to say there was a guard every three steps and a sentry every five, there were indeed dozens of patrolling men. Wu Ming, who had not been announced, was immediately noticed.

Five men dressed in tight black clothes, with emerald green sashes around their waists and fierce expressions, surrounded him wielding horns of daggers.

The Black Tiger Society was ultimately a martial arts organization and naturally employed a group of professional fighters, or rather, inner hall disciples. These men focused daily on refining their martial arts skills, ate meat at every meal, and gradually became equivalent to martial artists at the second or third level of physical cultivation.

Unfortunately, against Wu Ming, they were still not much of a match.

“Perfect… time to loosen up my muscles and bones!”

Wu Ming smiled slightly, moved the tip of his right foot, and like a leopard, he swiftly lunged forward.

Chi chi!

He extended his right hand, fingers like hooks, his fingernails popping out, carrying sharp air currents, instantly slashing across one man’s throat.

“Gurgle!”

The man clutched his neck, blood spilling from his mouth, and fell down.

“Even among the same level, the combat strength can vary greatly…”

Seeing this, Wu Ming sighed inwardly. Judging purely by martial arts skill, he himself was only at the sixth level of physical cultivation, a peak-level martial artist at the threshold of innate ability.

According to his perception of auras, ordinary people, or even martial artists with several levels of physical cultivation, generally had black auras.

To him, black represented the insignificance of ants, unable to control their own destinies, merely drifting along with the tide. Once caught in a crisis, they had no resistance at all, and their only recourse was to leave their fate to chance, passively accepting their lot.

“The tragedy of the weak, huh…”

Wu Ming sighed. Only upon reaching the second level could one slightly grasp their own destiny, yet even then, it was merely a glimmer of struggle. To truly transcend fate was extremely difficult.

While these thoughts passed through his mind, his right hand swiftly grabbed the falling dagger from midair, slicing it in a flash!

Cizla!

A streak of brilliant white blade flashed, leaving a trail of blood. Two elite members of the Black Tiger Hall screamed in agony as their right wrists dropped to the ground.

Such a gruesome scene was too much for these mere martial hooligans, not disciplined soldiers. The remaining two were immediately stunned, screamed loudly, dropped their steel blades, and fled quickly into the inner hall.

Wu Ming’s face remained cold and expressionless as he advanced.

Occasionally, someone dared to charge at him, but with a mere flick of his wrist, he easily dispatched them. Since reaching the sixth level of physical cultivation and attaining innate ability, his strength and speed were incomparable to these ordinary henchmen, and blood splattered everywhere.

He didn’t know how many he had killed along the way before turning into the backyard.

The backyard featured a rock garden and beside it a green pond, surrounded by flowers in full bloom, creating a charming scene.

At this moment, a man dressed like a steward emerged from among a group of more than ten people, shouting, “Who dares to cause trouble at our Black Tiger Society?”

“From no particular road…”

Wu Ming heard this and couldn’t help but smile wryly. He noticed that the steel blades these dozen men carried were thick-backed and narrow-edged, with a bluish sheen on the cutting edges. Though not necessarily of a hundredfold tempering, they were certainly tempered at least ten or twenty times, the standard issue for military use. Possessing such weapons alone would be a capital offense for ordinary people.

“Hmph! Possessing deadly weapons with ill intent, violating the law! Today, I shall act on behalf of the authorities to eliminate you lot!”

Wu Ming shouted loudly.

The dozen or so men opposite exchanged glances, not knowing where this reckless fool had come from.

“This opponent is formidable, probably a martial artist of innate ability. Go call the master and the second master!”

The steward-like man, feeling a sinking sensation in his heart, knew that this yellow-faced swordsman was no ordinary troublemaker. He immediately gave orders to someone behind him.

“No need! With such a commotion, there’s no need for further announcement!”

Two martial artists suddenly appeared, and upon spotting Wu Ming, their faces twisted with ferocity. The first one declared, “I am Song Ye, the Great Vajra. Who exactly are you? State your name!”

“Nameless and surnameless, merely entrusted by someone to take your life!”

Wu Ming chuckled lightly, and in an instant, the bright blade descended with a wailing sound, like a ghost’s cry, encircling Song Ye in a forest of sword qi.

Although Wu Ming had not meticulously studied sword techniques, he had mastered their essence—solid and ruthless. After just a few moves, Song Ye was already sweating on his forehead, with two bloodstained wounds on his body, looking quite pitiful.

“Brother, I’ll come help you!”

At this sight, the second Vajra could no longer restrain himself and roared as he charged forward.

“A two-on-one? Excellent!”

Wu Ming’s heart leapt with joy.

Just a single Song Ye, even though he was also an innate martial artist, could not pose a real challenge. Now with the second Vajra joining, also an innate martial artist, the situation was just right.

As the sword light flickered, the surrounding disciples of the Black Tiger Society watched in shock.

The steward-like man was drenched in cold sweat: “Where exactly did this yellow-faced swordsman come from? Among the young chivalrous figures in Nanfeng County, none could possibly rival him. Could he be from outside the region? Why does he bear a grudge against our Black Tiger Society?”

“Big brother, second brother, we’ll help you!”

With a whistle, two more figures roared and dashed into the fray.

Among the Four Vajras of the Black Tiger Society, the Great Vajra, Song Ye, was famed for his indomitable physique and formidable iron-body qigong. The Second Vajra was a master of iron fists, undefeated across the city. The Third Vajra excelled in sword and saber techniques, peerless in precision, while the Fourth Vajra was an expert in concealed weapons.

Now, with all four Vajra Guardians fully engaged, blades and swords flashed, and dozens of dark projectiles zipped through the air, hissing and striking at Wu Ming’s vital points.

“Tsk tsk… four innate martial artists, indeed impressive!”

Wu Ming let out a long whistle. On his blade, a faint green glow appeared, and the sword qi surged, its power multiplied many times over.

Cizla!

Amidst the flashing sword light, the four Vajra warriors coughed up blood and were sent flying backward. The third and fourth Vajra, who had launched a sneak attack from behind, instantly fell dead on the spot. The second Vajra lost an arm and collapsed unconscious, his life hanging by a thread. Only the Great Vajra barely managed to remain standing, though a gruesome sword wound across his chest continued to bleed profusely.

“Gangqi!”

He stared wide-eyed, murmuring.

Reaching the innate level in martial cultivation was already a remarkable achievement. As for Gangqi?

Judging by Wu Ming’s age, it was practically the level of a chosen disciple from a major martial arts sect.

“What martial sect have we offended at the Black Tiger Society that you would go to such lengths?”

The steward shouted in grief and anger.

“You should ask that question to your society leader!”

Wu Ming glanced aside. “Well? Have you watched enough? Come out already!”

From behind the rock garden, a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes and exuding an air of dignity stepped forward. Beside him followed a scholar in a green robe, holding a feather fan. Upon seeing Wu Ming, the scholar sighed, “What a promising young man!”

“On the contrary! Old age still brings greater skill!”

Wu Ming smiled faintly. His spiritual perception as a cultivator told him that the other party had already arrived, yet deliberately allowed his subordinates—the Four Guardians—to be injured or killed, all to test Wu Ming’s strength and limits.

Now that they had confirmed there was no danger, they finally emerged leisurely.

Such is the way of seasoned martial artists—growing more cautious with age.

Wu Ming gazed slightly regretfully at the Pushing Stone Palm master Wei Zhuo before him.

This martial artist, who claimed to be at the ninth level of physical cultivation in the “Extreme Change” realm, was no longer the generous and heroic figure he once was in rumors.

Now, his heart had lost its former courage. Wu Ming estimated that even with his newly attained external Gangqi cultivation, he would have a fifty-fifty chance of defeating Wei Zhuo in a bloody battle.

Although it was also highly unlikely that Wei Zhuo himself would actually step into the fight.

“Archers… ready!”

At this moment, the young man beside Wei Zhuo, dressed in a Confucian robe and holding a feather fan, with a pale complexion, gave a slight command.

Immediately, from both sides of the eaves and the courtyard, more than a dozen archers emerged, drawing their bows and aiming at Wu Ming’s vital points.

For martial artists, even Grandmasters would find it difficult to escape unscathed if surrounded by these archers.

However, using such methods in the martial world was considered underhanded and dishonorable, though the Black Tiger Society had never cared much for its reputation anyway, so they did not hesitate to do so.

“Hurry up and finish him off! Make sure there are no traces left!”

Wei Zhuo shouted, a hint of pride in his heart.

His ability to maintain power and ensure his survival had never relied on the Four Vajra bodyguards, but rather on this meticulously crafted arrow formation!

With this formation, countless young heroes and heroines, driven by a sense of justice to “punish the wicked and uphold righteousness,” had not only failed in their missions but had also ended up dying under a hail of arrows.

However, within the city, these archers were still a sensitive matter. Even with his connection to the second son of the Wu family, he couldn’t afford to let them be exposed!

“If they are exposed, even the second son wouldn’t be able to save him!”

“Ah? So there’s this too?”

Wu Ming also smiled slightly: “Perfect, I was getting tired of this anyway. Otherwise, someone outside will get impatient, and that wouldn’t be good in the end!”

“Chi!”

With a wave of his hand, dozens of vines emerged from the garden, coiling like earth snakes, surrounding the archers and binding them into large bundles.

“Daoist techniques?”

Wei Zhuo’s pupils constricted, while his strategist Feng Weixing quickly retreated: “Not just Daoist techniques, but the ability to manifest techniques without relying on external objects—he’s a Daoist mage!”

He clearly understood that the leader who had incurred the wrath of a Daoist mage had no chance of survival, so he retreated without hesitation.

“You guessed right, but there’s no reward!”

Wu Ming advanced like a leisurely stroll in the garden, his sharp dagger slicing casually.

Cizla!

Seeing that he did not display any magical abilities, Wei Zhuo felt slightly relieved, still hoping to escape with his formidable martial arts skills. However, soon after, when he saw the thunder and fire surrounding the blade, striking his sword down with lightning speed and heading straight for his head, despair finally appeared on his face.

Cizla!

The long blade, crackling with thunder and fire, mercilessly split him in two. The remaining henchmen screamed in terror and scattered in chaos.

Tata!

Outside, the noise grew louder, accompanied by the sound of horse hooves. The authorities had finally arrived, albeit late.

With multiple deaths and injuries, and the involvement of military weapons, it was undoubtedly a major case.

“Of course, the most important thing is these archers! With this evidence, the Black Tiger Society is finished…”

Wu Ming smiled, no longer concerned with the aftermath, and disappeared directly behind the buildings.