Cultivation System: Stronger with Age Chapter 13 - 12: Breaking Evil with Secrecy, Flying Locust Stone

Lin Xuankong saw the man’s tiger claws were sharp and his attacks ferocious; his own brows furrowed slightly. His body shifted. He evaded his opponent’s tiger claws with his right hand while his left, seizing an opening in the man’s guard, shot out with even greater speed.

The essence of the Spiritual Crane Finger was to counter ferocity with precision, pursuing extreme speed. Moreover, he was already at the mid-grade of the first level of Transcendence, his strength surpassing that of the Black-clothed Strongman.

With these advantages combined, Lin Xuankong’s left hand, having seized the opening, struck like a crane’s beak pecking at grain. Within half a breath, he had jabbed the Black-clothed Strongman’s chest twelve times!

PFFT PFFT PFFT PFFT PFFT!

The sounds of sharp points piercing flesh were incredibly dense and rapid.

When Lin Xuankong stepped back, taking a shallow breath, the Black-clothed Strongman remained standing, his face a mask of terror and extreme agony. He looked down at his chest. Twelve holes, piercing clean through him, were neatly lined up. His internal organs were already shattered. A large amount of blood, mixed with visceral fragments, gushed continuously from the twelve wounds.

THUD!

The Black-clothed Strongman fell backward, dead on the spot.

The other Black-clothed Strongman, seeing this, abruptly halted his charge. His facial muscles twitched, and he cried out in grief, "Damn it! Big Brother!"

Witnessing this, Ma Xiong felt his heart pound like a drum. He swallowed hard.

Ma Xiong could hardly believe what he was seeing.

The remaining Black-clothed Strongman let out a few more mournful cries before slowly backing away, his face contorted with hatred. His voice was hoarse as he said, "His attacks are so swift! He must be at least mid-stage, if not late-stage, of the first level of Transcendence! Otherwise, no matter how careless my big brother was, he couldn’t have failed to block even a single move!"

Already on edge, Ma Xiong’s eyes flickered upon hearing this. The next moment, he spun and frantically shouted towards the area behind Lin Xuankong, "Brothers, this one’s tough! Shoot him with arrows!"

Just as Lin Xuankong’s eyes moved, intending to turn, Ma Xiong used every ounce of speed he possessed, whirled, and ran. The Black-clothed Strongman also turned and fled!

Seeing this, Lin Xuankong circulated his Qi and Blood to their peak and pursued without hesitation.

When a person is being chased, outrunning their companion means safety. At least, that’s what the Black-clothed Strongman, Hu Lin, thought. Unfortunately for him, he was wrong.

He and Ma Xiong had started running for their lives simultaneously. After one breath, Hu Lin had already opened a five-zhang gap between himself and Ma Xiong. Then, he heard the thud of Ma Xiong being struck down by the old man, and a wave of relief washed over him. But when he risked a glance back, his heart leaped into his throat. The seemingly frail old man hadn’t paused in the slightest while taking Ma Xiong down. As he ran, the old man’s sparse silver hair streamed out, a few strands even whipping off behind him...

After two breaths, Hu Lin was forced to stop.

A cruel glint in his eyes, Hu Lin suddenly spun sideways, and several dark streaks shot from his hands.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The shadows flew faster than arrows loosed from a bow, streaking toward Lin Xuankong’s face, heart, and knees.

Facing the flying projectiles, Lin Xuankong didn’t slow down in the slightest. He spread his arms and leaped into the air, dodging all three projectiles. He simultaneously closed the distance between them, landing right in Hu Lin’s path!

As Lin Xuankong landed—at the moment he was most vulnerable and least able to change direction—Hu Lin’s eyes brightened. He unleashed a rapid-fire volley of hidden weapons.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The sound of objects slicing through the air became a continuous whine.

However, to Hu Lin’s utter despair, all twenty of the Flying Locust Stones, dense as a rain shower, were shattered by Lin Xuankong’s lightning-fast finger strikes just before they reached him!

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The Flying Locust Stones exploded, scattering like twenty miniature fireworks. Stone fragments filled the air.

Landing amidst the swirling debris, Lin Xuankong strode swiftly towards Hu Lin. Hu Lin, in turn, continuously hurled Flying Locust Stones, his technique astonishingly skilled. Lin Xuankong’s sword-finger stabbed out repeatedly. Explosive cracks echoed continuously as stone fragments filled the air between them.

Three breaths later, having thrown his last Flying Locust Stone, Hu Lin spread his hands. He executed the Black Tiger Shattering Golden Claw. A sharp tearing sound ripped through the air as his claws aimed for Lin Xuankong’s chest and abdomen.

Six breaths later, Hu Lin’s body suddenly stiffened and then crumpled to the ground. A deep, bloody hole had appeared in his forehead.

Lin Xuankong stood beside him, exhaling heavily. Frowning, he vigorously shook his hands, now slick with the thick scent of blood, and barely managed to suppress the wave of nausea that came with killing for the first time.

After composing himself, Lin Xuankong walked towards Ma Xiong, who lay fallen not far away. Ma Xiong wasn’t dead yet; Lin Xuankong still had questions for him.

Ma Xiong, whose leg bone was gruesomely shattered and exposed, stared at the approaching Lin Xuankong, his expression dark and uncertain. "If you’re a man of honor, give me a quick death!"

Lin Xuankong crouched beside him, frowning. "First of all, I’m an old man, not a ’man of honor.’

"Even an ant clings to life; do you really not want to live?

"Besides, even if you want to die, I won’t let you until I’ve gotten the answers I want from you!"

Ma Xiong clutched his splintered, exposed leg bone, his gaze darting about.

After a moment of silence, watching Lin Xuankong’s hand slowly reach for his broken leg, Ma Xiong spoke dejectedly, "What do you want to know?"

Having said this, Ma Xiong glanced at the birdcage lying on the ground nearby. He knew he would never again have the chance to take his bird out for an airing.