Chapter Thirty-Two: Only One Sword Is Needed

"Zhan Peng, Zhang Yan, may you die a miserable death... aaahhh..."
Seeing the two toying with him, Qi Niu grew even more frenzied, launching himself at Zhan Peng with utter disregard for his own life.

Lin Cheng and his companions arrived just in time to witness this scene, their anger erupting uncontrollably. Without a second thought for the sect's rules, Lin Cheng leapt onto the Life-and-Death Platform and unleashed a series of whip kicks at Zhan Peng.

Lin Cheng's sudden assault startled Zhan Peng out of his wits; in a panic, he tried to defend himself. But upon contact, Lin Cheng sent him flying with a single kick, crashing him heavily onto the platform.

The audience below let out a collective gasp of astonishment.

"Who is that? Weren't we told no one can interfere in a duel on the Life-and-Death Platform?"

"I think that's Lin Cheng, a core disciple from Hidden Sword Peak..."

"He's so bold! Just ignoring the sect rules like that...?"

"This is going to be interesting. Lin Cheng and those guys already had bad blood between them..."

The murmurs of the crowd had no effect on Lin Cheng. He took out a bottle of Vital Yang Pills, walked over to Qi Niu, and handed it to him.

"Brother, you did well. I admire your fearless spirit. Let me settle accounts with him from here."

Qi Niu, taking the pills, asked hesitantly, "You have a grudge against him too? I... I can still fight..."

It was clear Qi Niu was unwilling to leave Lin Cheng to face the enemy alone. Having tasted Zhan Peng's strength firsthand, he knew how formidable he was. Though Lin Cheng, dressed in black, had just knocked Zhan Peng down with a single kick, Qi Niu suspected it was due more to Zhan Peng's carelessness than Lin Cheng's strength. After all, he'd met most of the core disciples from the various peaks, and Lin Cheng seemed far too young—a new recruit, perhaps.

Lin Cheng smiled. "Don't worry. None of them are getting away today."

He turned to face Zhan Peng, whose expression was filled with disbelief. Never could he have imagined Lin Cheng would send him flying in such a short time. He tried to comfort himself that it was only because he had let his guard down.

"Lin Cheng... you dare show your face? Last time you got lucky and escaped. Now I'll send you to join that fat dead fool."

Clearly, Zhan Peng and his companions hadn't heard that Lin Hu had already recovered.

Hearing these words, Lin Cheng grinned, rolling his neck and baring his teeth. "Please, be as ruthless as you can..."

Zhan Peng instantly charged at Lin Cheng in response.

As Zhan Peng rushed forward, Lin Cheng advanced as well, not even bothering to draw his sword against such an opponent.

Bang!

Their fists and palms collided. Zhan Peng was sent flying once more, but this time his hand was shattered, his forearm dangling and trembling uncontrollably.

The agony of a shattered hand nearly caused Zhan Peng to faint; sweat dripped from his face to the floor, mixing with the crimson blood from his arm.

The crowd below stared wide-eyed, a mixture of shock, awe, and fear flooding their hearts.

One punch!

---

Brutal!

Zhang Yan, witnessing this from below, drew a deep breath, finally regarding Lin Cheng with earnest attention.

"Zhang Yan, prepare to die..."

Fatty Lin and the others, seeing Lin Cheng's astonishing might on the platform, noticed Zhang Yan was present too. They rushed forward, and if not for Niu Shisan and the others holding him back, Fatty Lin would have joined the fray himself.

Though Lin Hu's strength now was vastly improved, facing a veteran inner disciple like Zhang Yan would still likely end in defeat.

Noticing the commotion below, Lin Cheng glanced over. When he saw Zhang Yan and his cohort, a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"Perfect. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down one by one."

"Come at me together!"

With a crook of his finger, Lin Cheng beckoned Zhang Yan.

Arrogant! Overbearing! Unyielding!

The spectators could not help but cheer in their hearts when they saw this scene.

Infuriated by Lin Cheng's disdain, Zhang Yan was the first to leap onto the Life-and-Death Platform. Zhang Bao and the others hesitated, unsure what to do: their strength wasn't enough to challenge him, but staying back would make them look cowardly.

"Dealing with you, Zhan Peng and I are more than enough..."

Even Zhang Yan dared not boast now; he was no fool, and it was clear Lin Cheng was nothing like the man they once knew. He glanced at Zhan Peng.

During their exchange, Zhan Peng had already swallowed several pills, some color returning to his cheeks. With a nod to Zhang Yan, Zhan Peng summoned a massive hammer into his left hand. Facing Lin Cheng, he finally sensed the threat of death and dared not underestimate him again.

As the two readied themselves, Lin Cheng stretched lazily and said offhandedly, "Make your move. One sword is all I need to deal with you both."

"Arrogant!"

With a furious shout, the two charged at Lin Cheng, wielding their life-bound spirit weapons.

The spectators watched unblinkingly, afraid to miss a single instant of this epic duel.

"To me, sword!"

With a soft command, Lin Cheng summoned the Skyward Sword into his hand.

"Hear the Wind."

In an instant, Lin Cheng became a fleeting shadow, striking before they could react.

All the crowd saw was a black blur passing through Zhang Yan and Zhan Peng, coalescing once more into Lin Cheng's form.

The sword was sheathed.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. The two stood motionless on the platform, until after three breaths, they slowly lowered their heads to look at their chests.

---

Blood gushed from their chests, staining the Life-and-Death Platform scarlet.

As they collapsed, the crowd below was left dumbstruck, unable to recover from the shock for a long time.

Dead!

Lin Cheng had killed them!

Chaos would soon follow!

A thousand voices echoed in everyone's minds, all testifying to a reality too much to accept.

Even Fatty Lin and his companions were stunned. They never expected Lin Cheng to kill them outright. They'd assumed he would simply teach them a harsh lesson, but the truth lay before their eyes and left them reeling.

Bang!

In a corner of the platform, Qi Niu, who had been tending his wounds, came to his senses after seeing Lin Cheng kill them. He stumbled forward and knelt before Lin Cheng.

"Thank you... thank you for avenging my brother!"

Choking with emotion, Qi Niu could not hold back his tears at the thought of his brother's tragic death.

A man of eight feet, who had never flinched before blades or axes, now wept openly as his brother's vengeance was fulfilled. He could no longer restrain his feelings.

Lin Cheng, caught off guard by Qi Niu's kneeling, quickly helped him up.

"No need for this. Killing them wasn't just for you. People like them... the longer they live, the more people will suffer at their hands. Their deaths were well deserved."

Without another glance at the lifeless bodies of Zhang Yan and Zhan Peng, Lin Cheng leapt off the platform and walked toward Fatty Lin and the others.

Everyone parted to make way for Lin Cheng as he passed.

Since the moment he saw his cousin Zhang Yan die at Lin Cheng's hands, Zhang Bao's legs had been trembling uncontrollably. Now, as Lin Cheng approached, he collapsed to his knees in terror.

"Lin Cheng... please don't kill me... I... I had nothing to do with Lin Hu's ordeal, I swear I didn't... Please, spare me... I swear I'll never stand against you again..."

Seeing Zhang Bao cowering like a beaten dog, Lin Cheng simply shook his head and ignored him.

Though this man had often been at odds with them, he had never done anything truly unforgivable, so Lin Cheng and his friends had no desire to bother with him. Now, with his biggest backer Zhang Yan gone, he would never cause a stir in Azure Sun Sect again.