Chapter 46: Internal Power Grows Deeper!
Fang Han gave a faint nod.
Cheng Lingsu looked at the little girl with surprise but responded with a smile of her own.
Only now was not the time for words—so the three of them said nothing more to each other.
All their gazes turned to the members of Wuliang Sword Sect.
At this moment, the field was in chaos. Several people had already been bitten by the venomous snakes, and the scene had turned into an uproar.
However, there were only about a dozen snakes. Soon enough, the disciples of the Wuliang Sword Sect had managed to kill each one.
Still, five or six disciples had been bitten.
The little girl puffed her cheeks in frustration. “Aiya! Why did you kill my snakes?! Do you know how hard they were to catch?! You’re awful! Hmph!”
This made the disciples of Wuliang Sword Sect inwardly curse: You’re the one who threw the snakes at us—how dare you complain when we kill them?!
Of course, the little girl wasn’t ignorant—she was just doing it to irritate them on purpose.
In truth, she held no grudge against these people.
But earlier, that “big brother” had saved her. Now that she saw the members of Wuliang Sword Sect preparing to attack him, she naturally had to help.
Who needs logic?
Gong Guangjie had been startled by the snake, though he’d been lucky not to be bitten. Even so, he now glared at the three of them with teeth clenched.
In his eyes, the three of them were clearly working together.
His face twisted with fury. Then, seeing his master’s corpse lying with eyes still open, he shouted with hatred, “Fellow brothers! Let’s go! Take down these three!”
With that, he drew his sword and charged forward!
Indeed, the little girl’s antics had startled and confused everyone. But paradoxically, it had unified them even more.
Seeing someone take the lead, many others followed.
Fang Han and Cheng Lingsu exchanged brief words.
Then they activated Lingbo Weibu and dashed forward, Fang Han’s sword flicking out.
Gong Guangjie’s martial arts weren’t even close to his master Zuo Zimu’s—how could he possibly block?
In an instant, his sword was flicked out of his hand, and he stumbled from the force of the incoming blade.
Fang Han reached out and pressed a palm on his shoulder—Beiming Divine Art activated—and immediately began draining his inner power.
One trait of Beiming Divine Art was that the stronger the practitioner, the easier it became to absorb energy from those weaker than oneself.
Gong Guangjie’s internal energy had always been inferior to Zuo Zimu’s.
And now, after absorbing Zuo Zimu’s entire lifetime of energy, Fang Han’s strength had grown exponentially.
So draining Gong Guangjie was effortless.
Weng~
Gong Guangjie felt his internal energy unravel in a flash, completely out of control, rushing from his shoulder into the other man’s hand.
There was no time for fear. Within a single breath, all the internal energy in his body had been completely drained by Fang Han.
Qiang!
A backward slash—and blood sprayed out in an instant.
The entire process lasted no more than a couple of breaths. No one could stop it in time.
Fang Han ignored Gong Guangjie, who had fallen silent. His foot pressed forward.
He didn’t hold back against the disciples charging in from the Wuliang Sword Sect.
He moved like a phantom, killing swiftly—and drained internal energy from more than a dozen of them.
Finally, he stopped in front of a tall man and grabbed him by the throat without a word.
Hrk!
His body’s now-surging internal power created a violent suction force that tore the man’s not-insignificant inner energy right out of him.
Inner energy, refined from jing, qi, and shen (essence, breath, spirit), was deeply tied to a person’s vitality. Being drained not only harmed their strength, but their spirit as well.
Coupled with suffocation—how could they not be terrified?
Crack
Fang Han’s expression didn’t change. He flicked the man aside like trash.
He landed lifelessly, face twisted in agony.
This man’s name was Yu Guangbiao.
In Fang Han’s first simulated life, he had survived a close call thanks to quick thinking. But Zuo Zimu still distrusted him.
Yu Guangbiao had been the Wuliang disciple assigned to watch him.
Because of that man, Fang Han—though spared death—had often been forced to do exhausting chores under duress. If he resisted, the man would draw his sword in threat.
Fang Han had endured because Yu’s sword was sharp. But deep inside, resentment burned.
Before he left, he managed to engineer the man’s death.
As for Gong Guangjie and Zuo Zimu—one had captured him without cause, the other tried to casually kill him.
Alongside Yu Guangbiao, the three of them were the ones Fang Han had hated most.
Unfortunately, in that first life, he’d only had a chance to deal with Yu Guangbiao.
Taking revenge on the other two would have required years of hiding on Wuliang Mountain—and that didn’t align with his goals.
So in the end, he’d swallowed his anger and left.
Now, he had personally executed all three.
Satisfying?
Yes, somewhat.
But more than anything—it felt like he was finally taking control of his own destiny.
The first time, he’d fled Wuliang Mountain with unfulfilled resentment.
The second time, he had calmly, powerfully slaughtered those who wronged him.
In this world, strip away the glamour and virtue—and in the end, only strength lets you live as you please.
This thought passed through Fang Han’s mind—and then vanished. His expression returned to cold indifference.
Everyone watched him cut down over a dozen attackers like it was nothing. They were terrified.
Maybe, just maybe, if all two hundred of them charged together, they could overwhelm him.
But given this man’s abilities…
He’d take at least dozens of lives with him before falling.
No one wanted to be one of those.
Their faces went pale, and no one dared step forward.
Not even the West Branch leader, Xin Shuangqing. She stared at Fang Han in shock.
She had known he was formidable—but not to this degree!
He had become even more terrifying than before.
Could it be… he was holding back earlier?
What she didn’t realize was that unlike normal fighters, who grew tired over battle—Fang Han was the opposite.
Beiming Divine Art continuously absorbed energy, leaving him not only unaffected—but increasingly powerful.
The more energy he gained, the stronger each move became.
And Lingbo Weibu, with each completed cycle, added more inner strength.
Together, these techniques meant Fang Han’s current power far exceeded even the moment when he had first drained Zuo Zimu.
The secret arts of the Xiaoyao Sect truly were tyrannical and overwhelming.
Fang Han glanced around. Everyone avoided his gaze.
Then he spoke calmly, voice clear: “Zuo Zimu, Gong Guangjie, and Yu Guangbiao bore grudges against me. I came today to settle those debts.
Now that they’re dead, the grudge is resolved. I should be done here—but I understand that many of you in Wuliang Sword Sect may still harbor resentment.”
“So I propose we settle it all in one go.”
“If anyone wants revenge—come forward. Whether one, two, or all of you together—I’ll take you on.”
“There are only two terms: First, this is a fight to the death. Second, once it ends—no more grudges, no more mentions. It ends here.”
“What do you say?”
His clear, steady voice echoed across the Sword Lake Palace.
The arena fell silent.
The gathered martial artists all let out a quiet breath of relief, slowly lowering their weapons.
Just earlier, they had all watched him kill decisively—dozens of people in moments. They had stood at the ready in fear of being caught in the storm.
But now, hearing him lay down clear terms, they relaxed a bit.
There was a common sentiment in the air:
Great! Has nothing to do with me!
That subtle, almost comical sense of relief.
Then they glanced at the corpses on the ground—especially Zuo Zimu, his eyes still wide open.
You see? Why did you go and provoke that man for no reason?
Now look what happened. You brought a massacre upon yourself.
🍃🍃🍃
🔖Footnotes
- 未经他人苦，莫劝人为善 (wèi jīng tārén kǔ, mò quàn rén wéi shàn)
- Literal:“If you haven’t suffered what others have, don’t urge them to be kind.”
- Meaning:Don’t moralize or advise forgiveness if you haven’t experienced their pain. Often used to shut down naïve or judgmental advice.
- 一拳难敌四手 (yì quán nán dí sì shǒu)
- Literal:“One fist cannot match four hands.”
- Meaning:No matter how strong someone is, they can’t win alone against many attackers. A proverb of humility and practical reality.
- 北冥神功 (Běi Míng Shén Gōng)
- Literal:“Beiming Divine Art”
- Meaning:A legendary internal skill from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, capable of absorbing others’ inner strength to enhance one’s own. Extremely powerful but controversial.
- 凌波微步 (Líng Bō Wēi Bù)
- Literal:“Wave-Rippling Step”
- Meaning:A lightness technique based on the I Ching’s hexagrams, allowing elegant and unpredictable movement.