25. Powerful Gluteus Maximus

When he heard the startled cry, Xie Wuji’s heart trembled, and anxiety surged within him. Yet the man before him was not someone easy to deal with; his strikes were fierce, far beyond what any ordinary underling could muster.

Clang!

Fist and axe clashed, sending both men flying apart. They glared at each other, the tension between them palpable.

“Who exactly are you?” Xie Wuji demanded.

The burly man let out a hearty laugh, thumping his chest. “I never change my name, nor my surname. I am the master of Ma Clan Stronghold, known as Master Ma—Ma Rulong!”

“So, you’re Ma Rulong, elder brother of Ma Shuanglong,” Xie Wuji sneered. “You’re indeed much stronger than that wretch Ma Shuanglong, but still no match for me!”

“To force me to this point, I must commend you—you’ve done well. But do you really think this is the full extent of my power?” With that, Ma Rulong gave a violent shake. In an instant, thick bristles sprouted across his face, his muscles rapidly swelling. In no time, he transformed into a giant towering over two meters tall.

“Afraid now, are you? I’ve absorbed the demon spirit of a wild plains bull, and I can wield its strength to fortify my body. Now, even if I faced an opponent at the fifth level of Condensed Core, I’d have nothing to fear!” With a roar, Ma Rulong launched himself at Xie Wuji once more.

Originally, Ma Rulong was only at the first level of Condensed Core. Had Xie Wuji drawn out the fight, he surely would have prevailed. But now, Ma Rulong had suddenly empowered himself, drastically increasing all his abilities. His combat strength soared, forcing Xie Wuji into a bitter struggle.

Crash! Bang! The two brawled from the doorway into the house, from the kitchen to the main hall, shattering furniture and splitting the floorboards. The building itself shook, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Ma Rulong spat on the ground, glaring at Xie Wuji. He saw that his axe was now chipped and battered—this was a spiritual weapon, yet it had been reduced to such a sorry state. “That armguard of yours seems to be of fine quality. Once I kill you, it shall be mine!”

Xie Wuji’s arms remained unscathed, but his head and body were covered in wounds, his white garment stained crimson by his blood. Yet his indomitable will and furious heart kept him standing.

Fueled by liquor, Xie Wuji feared neither heaven nor earth. Even if the King of Heaven himself descended, he would challenge him without flinching.

The strong wine dulled his wits for the moment, leaving only the singular purpose of battle in his mind.

“Haha! I’d like to see just how you plan to kill me!”

With a glare and clenched fists, Xie Wuji charged at Ma Rulong again, launching a renewed and ferocious assault.

Seeing Xie Wuji’s reckless onslaught, Ma Rulong could handle it, but inwardly he was cursing. Was this young man deranged? His white clothes were soaked with blood, yet he fought on with such desperation!

Fear crept into his heart. There was no need to risk his life further against such a madman. He called out, “Brother, wait! If we are to battle to the death, at least tell me—how has my Ma Clan Stronghold offended you?”

“Offended? You slaughtered so many from my Savage Village—that’s not an offense, that’s a blood feud that cannot be shared under the same sky!” Xie Wuji snarled and moved to attack again.

“So that’s all it is? Just a bunch of insignificant villagers. Killing them was meaningless—if anything, we did them a favor, helping them reincarnate sooner. With your abilities, why avenge those mountain peasants? Why not join us? In fact, we’re looking for a third master at Ma Clan Stronghold. With your skills, that position is yours!” Ma Rulong pleaded, trying his best to persuade Xie Wuji with what he thought were gentle words.

But his words only fueled Xie Wuji’s hatred, acting as a catalyst. With a furious roar, Xie Wuji cried, “You scum, who trample human life as if it were nothing!”

With that, Xie Wuji’s fists rained down on Ma Rulong like a tempest.

Startled, Ma Rulong tried to defend himself, but at that moment, his spiritual axes—already battered and cracked—finally reached their limit. With a sharp snap, both shattered!

Now Xie Wuji’s fists pummeled Ma Rulong’s body in a relentless barrage.

A mighty fist caved in his face! Another broke his chest! Blows to his limbs snapped them all!

The sound of cracking bones echoed like popcorn, but Ma Rulong did not die—thanks to the wild bull’s demon spirit, his body, muscles, and organs were all reinforced.

After a symphony of shattering bones, Ma Rulong collapsed, unable to speak, lying motionless like a pile of mud.

Panting, Xie Wuji spat on him and strode toward the second floor.

The commotion below drew attention upstairs. Ma Shuanglong was descending just then and ran into Xie Wuji. Seeing his elder brother lying on the ground, he tumbled down the steps in fright. Glancing at the blood-soaked Xie Wuji, terror filled his heart. “You—you—what are you doing here? Brother Xie, what have you done to my brother?!”

“Back at the Savage Village, I spared your miserable life, yet you repaid kindness with slaughter. Neither of you will leave this place alive today!” Xie Wuji snarled, rage blazing in his heart.

Ma Shuanglong’s face turned deathly pale. At that moment, a beautiful woman in tattered clothes rushed down from above. “Save me, good sir!”

Xie Wuji thought it might be Song Xiaoyu, but realized it was another woman—her appearance not striking, but innocent and pure, her face streaked with tears, clutching her torn collar, blood at the corner of her mouth, evidence of desperate resistance.

“You…” Xie Wuji looked at Ma Shuanglong.

Seeing his brother on the ground, Ma Shuanglong’s heart sank. If even his brother was defeated, wouldn’t fighting now be suicide?

He immediately kowtowed and cried, “The massacre wasn’t our idea—it was Golden Dragon’s! He forced us to do it. If we refused, Qingyun Sect would have wiped out our Ma Clan Stronghold. We have hundreds of lives at stake—surely you understand, Brother Xie? Please, spare me! I never laid a hand on your beloved. We knew there were skilled fighters in the village, so we poisoned them. The Song family escaped—all three of them!”

“They escaped?” Xie Wuji breathed a sigh of relief, but worry soon crept in. If Song Xiaoyu and her family escaped, where could they have gone? With no trace left behind, how could he ever find them in this vast world?

“But rest assured, Brother Xie, I never touched any of the Song family’s belongings. I kept them all safe in our storeroom, just waiting for you to come and collect them!” Ma Shuanglong grinned obsequiously.

Xie Wuji looked at him with disgust. “You may not have been the masterminds, but you carried out the slaughter. As accomplices, both of you are guilty beyond excuse.”

“I know, it’s all my fault, all my fault!” Ma Shuanglong kowtowed, begging for mercy.

At that moment, Ma Rulong glanced at Ma Shuanglong. Lying on the ground, crippled and immobile, he nevertheless managed to exchange a look with his brother.

Having lived together so long, the brothers understood each other perfectly. With just that look, Ma Shuanglong grasped his brother’s intent. While kowtowing, he slipped a hand into his robe, fingers closing around a hidden dagger. Still pleading, he inched closer to Xie Wuji. “Brother Xie, we’re truly innocent… Brother Xie!”

In a flash, he lunged, stabbing the dagger at Xie Wuji’s thigh. “Die!”

Xie Wuji hadn’t expected such a sneak attack, and it was too late to dodge. The dagger thrust straight toward his leg—

But then Ma Shuanglong froze. Xie Wuji had trapped the dagger between his gluteal muscles. The room fell dead silent; even the woman was stunned.

Ma Shuanglong tugged with all his strength, but Xie Wuji’s muscles held the blade as if forged from steel, immovable as though welded into place.

Slowly, Xie Wuji turned around, his face shadowed and cold, and Ma Shuanglong’s heart filled with dread.