Chapter 143: One Sword to Defeat the Enemy

Faced with Wu Sansi’s taunts, Wang Zexi was filled with anguish and indignation. The Wu family had clearly gathered formidable experts today, their hostile intent unmistakable. Even Instructor Lin, whom he deeply respected, had become their target.

As the saying goes, two fists cannot defeat four hands, especially when the opponents numbered four masters at the apex of their cultivation. Wang Zexi refused to let Lin Feng suffer due to his own involvement.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward decisively.

The dark-faced man’s expression brightened with delight. After all, a prodigy with exceptional talent who harbored enmity toward the Wu family should be eliminated early. Moreover, the Wu family had meticulously planned this to support Wu Sansi’s covert control over the Tenglong Group.

Now that Wang Zexi stood as an obstacle to Wu Sansi’s dominance, the Wu family naturally would not stand idly by. Assisting Wu Sansi to suppress the other members of the Tenglong Group and solidify his position was their primary objective.

“Unexpectedly, this so-called obscure instructor of yours has some skill—his agility is quite impressive. Very well. I’m a man who cherishes talent. If you hand over Wang Zexi obediently today, I shall graciously offer you a chance to become a devotee of the Wu family,” the dark-faced man declared.

“Understand this: in Jiujiang, countless masters at the apex seek to become devotees of the Wu family but fail. This is a rare opportunity—do not squander it!”

This man, Wu Sizhe, was the youngest of the three Wu brothers. Although his cultivation—at the peak of the apex realm—ranked lowest among his siblings, it still testified to the Wu family’s formidable strength. And he spoke true.

In the region around Jiujiang, apart from the mage Wu Wangda, few could rival the Wu family’s martial prowess. They were second to none.

Therefore, many warriors aspired to join the Wu family as devotees, fighting tooth and nail annually for the rare coveted positions.

Wu Sizhe, confident that his bait was irresistible, adopted a proprietor’s attitude, treating Lin Feng as if he were already a family devotee, a mere subordinate.

Even Gu Feng inhaled sharply at this, realizing how heavily the Wu family was investing to recruit devotees—positions granting access to the core secret martial arts of the clan, sought after by many in the martial world.

Who was Lin Feng, having traversed the vast primordial cosmos for a hundred thousand years? Who could ever subdue him?

He snorted coldly, his expression freezing, his voice crisp and aloof: “Haha, anyone wishing to become my master has long since been slain by me. What, does the Wu family intend to drink the Mengpo soup together?”

“You brat, it seems you won’t shed tears until you see your coffin! Fine, today I’ll break your legs so you’ll understand the Wu family’s true power and heritage!”

Wu Sizhe threw back his head and laughed heartily. In Jiujiang, he was a martial overlord used to wielding absolute authority. He regarded Lin Feng as nothing but a shallow frog in a well, bluffing beyond his depth.

His plan was simple: to use the steel rod in his hand to deliver a harsh lesson.

With a swift kick, the butt of the steel rod struck the ground, sending the weapon soaring into the air.

At the same time, he lightly tapped his toes, his body becoming weightless as he soared with the steel rod—a perfected technique named “Dragon Flips the Sea.”

“Five Dragon Plum Blossom!” Wu Sizhe roared, unleashing the Wu family’s secret art—a venomous technique from the Five Dragon Bagua Staff. This technique was known for its lightning-fast strikes, as if tapping plum blossoms in midair.

In truth, it targeted the opponent’s vital acupuncture points—the “injury” and “death” gates—delivering powerful staff force and energy that would instantly shatter meridians, annihilate cultivation, and reduce the victim to a cripple.

Lin Feng immediately recognized the poison in Wu Sizhe’s move, furrowing his brow as his right hand slowly rose to rest on the hilt of his Kunwu Sword.

“Good job, brother-in-law! That’s the move—use it to cripple this damn instructor!” someone encouraged.

“Instructor Lin!” Wang Zexi and Xu Peng shouted anxiously, their faces etched with worry.

“Lin Feng!” Sun Xiang, among the group, set aside past prejudices, his concern for Lin Feng evident.

“You brat, go to your death!” Wu Sizhe’s steel rod writhed like a silver dragon, energy erupting from its tip like dragon’s breath. The staff shadow danced wildly, resembling hundreds of dragons snapping their blood-stained maws at Lin Feng.

Though the weakest among the Wu brothers, Wu Sizhe’s mastery of the Five Dragon Bagua Staff was renowned throughout Jiujiang, hailed as the foremost below grandmasters.

His strength ranked within the top fifty in all of China.

Seeing Lin Feng motionless, Wu Sizhe assumed his adversary was cowed by his overwhelming aura, devoid of any will to resist. He increased the force in his grip.

“Hmph! Dare to obstruct the Wu family’s grand scheme? Then die!”

Originally intending only to cripple Lin Feng, his resolve hardened to kill.

“This is your staff technique? Too slow!” Lin Feng sighed softly, just as his right foot lightly tapped the ground, and his figure vanished from sight, leaving behind a faint afterimage.

A sharp sound rang out—the draw of a long sword. A silver gleam flashed like the moonlight cascading from a full moon, dazzling the eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the sword light vanished, leaving only the lingering sound of the blade being sheathed.

The entire sequence unfolded in a flash. Gu Feng could not react in time, nor discern when Lin Feng shifted his position.

He only knew that in that instant, Lin Feng had moved from three meters in front of Wu Sizhe to three meters behind him.

Though it seemed the sword never left its sheath, the two distinct sounds of drawing and sheathing told Gu Feng otherwise.

“All martial arts under heaven are invincible except for speed. Those who win by momentum perish when it falters; those who rely on strength expire when it is exhausted.”

“You are too slow!” Lin Feng murmured, his right hand still on the sword’s hilt.

Wu Sizhe landed, his head lowering slowly to look down at his chest, his scalp tingling as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Before Lin Feng’s words could fade, Wu Sizhe trembled; a terrifying sword wound gaped across his chest, over twenty centimeters long, blood spurting forth in torrents.

“Pfft—”

Crimson blood erupted into a spray of froth, transforming into a cloud of mist midair.

Wu Sizhe’s body stiffened before collapsing rigidly, a pool of blood rapidly spreading from his chest.

“Heavens, what just happened?”

“Yeah, in the blink of an eye, Wu Sizhe was defeated just like that?”

“Incredible! Could the new instructor really be stronger than an apex master?”

“…”

All onlookers were stunned, unable to fathom how Wu Sizhe, who held the advantage in presence and momentum, had lost.

Not only the Wu family agents but even the veteran members of the Tenglong Group watching were amazed. They could not comprehend how this new instructor, who had once been submissive to Wu Sansi, now displayed such formidable power, even severely wounding Wu Sizhe in a single move.

“Brother-in-law!”

“Are you all fools? Hurry and save brother-in-law!”

Wu Sansi’s face turned pale with alarm. He shouted fiercely, hastily summoning the Wu family devotees who had accompanied him to intervene and rescue Wu Sizhe.