Chapter 231: Strike, Kill, Leave!

The unforeseen events were unfolding with extreme swiftness.

Han Wufei , who saw his impending doom, was not at all panicked. With a block of his left hand, his right hand unsheathed his sword. As he was about to counter with the blade, he felt a strong force surging towards where he was blocking with his left hand; unable to stop himself, he was moving backward from the mountain-like pressure against his chest, his breath growing short.

Seven consecutive steps back, he realized that the sword in his hand had not been used in any attack.

"Eighth peak expert?"

Han Wufei was startled and asked loudly, "Who are you?"

Being proficient in the cultivation field himself, Han Wufei could already tell that the other party was an eighth peak cultivator from just a single exchange of blows; the attacker's ability was formidable, and more importantly, above his own.

In spite of it, Han Wufei stayed calm. As he moved back, a jerk of his left hand sent a firecracker shooting up into the sky and erupting hundreds of feet in the air. He was sending a distress signal; help would be on their way to him as long as he could buy himself some time.

When the black silhouette saw Han Wufei, an odd surprise flashed in his eyes but the attacks grew fiercer without a care for his own safety.

Upon succeeding in his first strike, the attacker did not slack, turning into a whirlwind and charged forward speedily again. His palm landed strike after strike like a hacking axe; the silhouette did not speak, merely lashing out with a flurry of blows.

After two exchanges of attacks, Han Wufei fell into a disadvantaged position. Frightened and alarmed, he shouted, "Who are you? Who are you? F*cking give a name or alias if you intend to kill me!"

The man in black remained silent, making a circle with his right hand that sparked a light before another harsh punch came flying.

Han Wufei avoided it swiftly but when a cold gleam appeared out of the blue in the attacker's hand and lashed out like lightning, Han Wufei could no longer dodge the attack. Along with a pained cry, his stomach was adorned with a long gash as blood splattered; bone could be seen from the deep wound.

Another icy glint flew but it was simply the long sword in Han Wufei's hand being struck away.

Han Wufei was truly composed, remaining unperturbed despite the grave situation; he slid back continuously, his dodging of attacks speedy and swift. Even though he was calm, he no longer wanted to be part of the battle. His will to fight and confidence were all gone now under the constant domination of the man in black.

The mentioned silhouette in black tailed him closely like his shadow, incessantly throwing punches and kicks while the cold gleam that was the attacker's sword swooshed stealthily, impossible to guard against or ward off. It was like lightning strikes that tore through the night sky, dazzling the eye with irregular patterns as they added wounds to Han Wufei's body.

Blood dripped as much as they splattered from Han Wufei; although he dodged to the best of his ability, the accumulated injuries had already sucked up most of his strength.

After another loud cry, Han Wufei who was forced to an impasse opted to confront his opponent's palm strike with his own, head-to-head.

Han Wufei sucked in a deep breath, his palms retracted as a strong suctioning force appeared.

He was fierce and reckless - absorbing and sustaining both parties' force of the battle unto himself when he was the weaker one bearing injuries and a lesser cultivation base; he then forcefully changed the force he absorbed into an effort to retreat! Such actions caused his meridians and internal organs to suffer heavy damage instantaneously.

As he spat blood, he flew up into the air shakily, grasping the opportunity to do so.

Han Wufei had expended his all, paying the price of bearing severe internal injuries for this opportunity to flee by inflicting harm on himself - how could he let it slide?

His foot stomped on a tree powerfully, his body about to catapult away - as long as he drifted away, he would be free from the critical situation; at least, there would be a chance for a breather.

The man in black below him would not be able to give chase in time then, having to deal with the aftereffects of their duel.

Just as he sprung up through the air, a white shadow flashed unexpectedly and appeared before Han Wufei's hovering form. The man howled, petrified, for a gigantic bloody mouth had suddenly appeared right in front of him!

As he flew, he was sending his head right into this agape mouth!

The white silhouette was actually a large, snow-white panther that made its appearance like a ghoul, opening its mouth with a howl.

Han Wufei cried in despair, feeling his world going pitch black. His head was engulfed in the strange panther's mouth before he was disconnected from the world.

The Eclipse Panther had actually bitten Han Wufei's head off with a snap, leaving his headless body in the air obeying his last wish - flying forward swiftly.

The scene was extremely macabre!

After some time, Han Wufei's headless body finally lost its momentum, landing somewhere unknown and causing ceaseless shrill cries from faraway, highlighting the event. The Eclipse Panther's tail wagged as it landed on a tree, dropping Han Wufei's head once its mouth opened.

In the blink of an eye, the large Eclipse Panther was gone; what was left in its place was a palm-sized kitten that was trying to get down from the tree with an extended paw, looking absolutely adorable.

As for the black masked man, he had not even raised his head from the moment Han Wufei catapulted outwards. He could not be bothered with him, going straight into Han Wufei's room and began searching thoroughly. It was obvious that the masked man in black was sure that Han Wufei must have died and needed no further verification.

The main objective right now was to search for valuable items! With a bang that opened the secret chamber, the man in black slotted himself into the room. After a while, the man in black shot out, carrying a big bag.

As two more bangs echoed, the man in black killed the remaining guards in the Residence of Han. It was then that he left, carrying the large parcel and vanished within the nightfall.

His arrival and departure were swift as lightning.

After he left, flames arose in the Residence of Han; smoke soared as the fire burned brightly. Another moment later, two silhouettes rushed to the residence's direction speedily.

"Han Wufei has sent the signal. This bastard, how dare he emit our tower's assembly signal at important places like Tiantang City? Is he seeking death?!"

"Let's go over and check first. Han Wufei has always been a sharp person, maybe his life was indeed threatened?"

"Let's go!"

"Sh*t! There's a fire right there, the direction seems to be coming from the Residence of Han. Han Wufei is really in danger..."

"We might already be too late. There aren't any sounds of colliding weapon or physical attacks... It looks like there's been a commotion there..."

"It's a headless body... Eh, why does it look so familiar?"

"Go get a better look. There might be a clue."

When the men checked the headless body, they were speechless.

There was no doubt that the headless body was wearing Han Wufei's clothes but what were those wounds littering his body? The peppered gashes were obviously from a sword but the wound on his neck... It was impossible that his head was cut down by a sharp blade; it looked more like it was bitten off by a beast.

This was odd!

What beast could have done this in Tiantang City?

No matter how weak Han Wufei could be, he was still a seventh peak expert. What level did a mystical beast need to be to chomp his head off and throw his body this far? There was certainly a distance between the Residence of Han and here!

When they could not find anything, they came to Han Wufei's home and were surprised to find Han Wufei's head on the ground. Fortunately, it was not consumed by the fire, the face looking towards the sky with fear leaking through his frozen gaze.

"It was bitten off indeed..." One of the men frowned. "This is so bizarre..."

"Looks like his residence has been robbed..."

"His guards have all died. This is looking like someone exterminating his residence now..."

"There aren't any clues left, how are we supposed to find out who ordered the kill?"

"Look, over there. There should be a secret chamber in Han Wufei's home..."

"It's right there, already broken into. How could there still be things left?"

"Check it. Then let's head back quickly, it's more urgent over there!"

"Of course!"

"Careful! The murderer might still be around!"

Both men glanced at the scene, perturbed and surprised. They went through the place meticulously, not letting any abnormalities anywhere stray from their eyes. Their attention was rapt, a formidable aura faintly exuded.

It was right then that - "meow".

A weak trembling mewl could be heard.

Both of them turned to look at the source subconsciously, seeing a kitten curling into itself on a big tree as it trembled. Its tiny paw was trying to stretch downwards but it looked timid from how tall the tree was... It was an endearing sight.

"Could this kitten be from Han Wufei's home?" One of them asked uncertainly.

Another person waved his hand, a strong wind billowed as it frightened the kitten. The feline sprang down without a care then, crying aloud.

The men avoided it subconsciously as the white kitten landed in between them, seemingly docile. Its head was raised to stare at both the men, its eyes innocent and doe-like.

"This kitten is quite cute... Too bad it's a normal pet that can only be a plaything, pretty useless..."

One of them commented, his hand raised to chase the kitten away but his actions were exceptionally gentle, obviously enamored by the lovable kitten.

The kitten seemed to have been frightened even more then, the white fur on its body straightened as it meowed loudly. Both its paws pounced, scratching both the men's legs.

"F*ck! Damn it!"

Both the men were taken aback.

The sudden attack had torn their robes and their flesh! Flustered and angered, the affection they had was long tossed away; oh how they wanted to catch this kitten and turn it into soup!

However, the kitten meowed lowly and scurried into a shadowed spot, losing the sight laid upon it in a blink of eyes.

The speed was unexpectedly fast - outrageously so!

As for the men, their legs were still bleeding profusely. How could a mere kitten deal such damage?