The setting sun bled like blood, dyeing half the sky crimson, and making the blood gushing from Lin Chen's chest all the more glaring.
The dark blue poison spread wildly through his meridians, stiffening flesh and freezing true essence wherever it went. Agony, like ten thousand venomous ants gnawing at his internal organs, left his already broken body swaying on the verge of collapse.
Lin Chen propped himself up with one hand, his single arm supporting his faltering frame, knuckles digging deep into the blood‑soaked earth. His face was as pale as paper, yet his lips had turned an eerie blue‑black from the poison. Only his eyes remained as cold and deep as a frozen pool, locked unwaveringly on the girl before him.
The girl stood a few steps away, blood‑stained dagger in hand, a triumphant sneer on her lips, her eyes brimming with mockery and cruelty. She watched Lin Chen's painful struggle as if admiring a toy on the verge of shattering, her voice cold and sharp:
"Survivor of Canglan Academy… how does it feel to have poison gnaw at your heart? Despairing?"
"You thought saving me meant you did me a favor? Ridiculous! In this world, only the law of the jungle rules—what kindness or morality exists?"
"You're already a broken cripple clinging to life. Dying by my hand today is a fitting end."
She stepped forward slowly, the dagger's tip aimed at Lin Chen's forehead, her killing intent undisguised. "Die peacefully. Your life will be my stepping stone to advancement. That is your final value."
As her voice fell, murderous intent erupted in her eyes. Her wrist flicked, and the dagger shot toward Lin Chen's forehead with a piercing whistle!
This strike was lightning‑fast, certain to kill!
In her eyes, Lin Chen was already dying from poison, his true essence scattered—nothing but fish on a chopping block, completely defenseless.
Yet, just as the dagger's tip was about to touch his forehead—
Lin Chen, who had remained silent and seemingly on the brink of death, suddenly erupted with two terrifying beams of light from his eyes!
It was an explosion after utter stillness, decisive killing intent forged through life‑and‑death trials, an unquenchable fire of defiance burning in the abyss.
"Heh…"
A low, hoarse chuckle escaped his throat, chilling to the bone.
Instead of dodging, he suddenly lifted his head, meeting the fatal dagger head‑on!
At the same time, his hanging right arm shot forth without warning!
No fancy moves, no hesitation—fast and ruthless to the extreme!
Hum!
Late True Martial true essence burst forth unreservedly, surging entirely into his right arm! The dull ache in his severed shoulder was forcibly suppressed, and the poison‑clogged meridians were temporarily forced open by a violent force. All pain, all restraint, all killing intent converged into this single punch!
This punch held no dazzling light, no earth‑shaking momentum, yet it contained Lin Chen's resolve to risk death for survival, the full edge of a one‑armed warrior!
"Pfft!"
A dull thud echoed, the sound of flesh and bone shattering clear.
The sneer on the girl's face froze instantly, her pupils contracting to pinpricks, eyes filled with extreme shock and disbelief!
She barely dodged the dagger strike by tilting his head, but Lin Chen's thunderous punch slammed heavily into her chest!
Crack!
A crisp bone‑breaking sound rang out across the blood‑soaked ground.
The girl's body flew backward like tattered cloth struck by a heavy hammer, spewing a mouthful of blood mixed with internal organ fragments, tracing a tragic arc through the air.
She crashed heavily to the ground, her chest caved in, her life force fading rapidly before her eyes.
Lin Chen slowly retracted his fist, chest heaving violently. The searing pain of the poison made his whole body tremble, black blood trickling from his lips. Yet his figure remained straight as a spear, unyielding.
He walked toward the fallen girl step by step, his pace slow yet firm, carrying suffocating pressure.
In this moment, he was no longer the kind savior, but an Asura crawling from hell, radiating bone‑chilling killing intent.
The girl lay on the ground, struggling to lift her head. As she watched Lin Chen approach, fear, regret, and unwillingness filled her eyes, her voice hoarse and broken:
"You… you were clearly poisoned… how could you still…"
Lin Chen stopped, looking down at her with eyes devoid of mercy, only icy stillness.
Having survived the bloodbath of his academy's fall and the desperate battle to live with a severed arm, he had long seen through the world's sinister hearts. His earlier weakness had been nothing but deliberate pretense.
The moment she struck, he had sensed her malice, feigning vulnerability to lure her close, waiting for the chance to deliver a fatal blow.
Showing mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.
He understood this better than anyone.
"Poison?"
Lin Chen spoke calmly, his voice cold and emotionless. "Poison cannot kill me."
"You made two mistakes: underestimating my patience, and overestimating your schemes."
"Worse still—you touched my reverse scale. I can endure the world's cruelty, but I will never tolerate someone repaying kindness with hatred, using goodness as a blade."
As his voice fell, Lin Chen raised his right arm without hesitation, gathering his last true essence in his palm, slowly pressing it toward the girl's head.
"You should not have betrayed me, nor repaid kindness with malice."
"In this world, good and evil eventually meet their retribution… and I am the executioner."
The palm fell.
A dull thud. All fell silent.
Lin Chen withdrew his hand, not glancing at the corpse on the ground.
The sun set completely, and night descended.
He stood alone amid the chaos, his one‑armed figure lonely and cold in the darkness.
The poison in his chest still spread, agony piercing his bones, yet his eyes grew firmer, colder, more decisively murderous.
After this ordeal, the last flicker of faith in humanity within him was extinguished forever.
From this day forth, there would be no kind‑hearted Lin Chen—only a one‑armed Asura defying heaven, decisive in killing.
Those who block me shall die.
Those who insult me shall perish.
Those who betray me shall have their souls and spirits annihilated