Chapter Fourteen: Failing to Uproot Evil Completely

"Whether or not you're a suitable trial opponent isn't up to words—only a clash will tell!" The youth in white sneered, his blood-colored longsword trembling fiercely in his grip. In the sunlight, its razor-sharp blade flashed with a chilling light.

"In that case, let's fight!" Ke Bei slowly closed his eyes, exhaling deeply before he snapped them open. His right hand reached behind him, drawing the plain-backed saber from where it hung across his back. Gripping its wooden hilt, feeling the heft of its blade, Ke Bei lifted his gaze to meet the clear brows and elegant features of the youth in white standing opposite.

With a thunderous stomp, Ke Bei's foot struck the ground, his calf muscles tensing in an instant as his body shot forward like a spring. He knew no footwork techniques, relying solely on brute strength.

The youth in white regarded Ke Bei's headlong charge with unruffled calm. Speed was his forte; his movements were light and nimble, and as Ke Bei drew within three meters, the youth finally moved. His toes tapped lightly on the earth, and his body, like a drifting autumn leaf, floated gracefully to intercept.

The blood-colored sword traced a beautiful arc, blooming at its tip like a crimson plum blossom.

Ke Bei stomped abruptly, halting his momentum, and brought his saber up in a horizontal slash. Steel rang against steel, sparks flying. The youth in white twisted his sword, the momentum undiminished as he thrust viciously for Ke Bei's arm.

"Damn!" Ke Bei's expression shifted; he retreated swiftly, a grave light flickering in his eyes.

Ke Bei only knew a single move—"Intercepting Blade." Against red-haired zombies, whose speed was sluggish and attacks predictable, it was enough. But facing the youth in white, he found himself outmatched and hard-pressed.

"Is that all you've got?" The youth in white, seeing Ke Bei's hasty retreat, shook his head with disdain. "Show me your true strength, or next time you won't be so lucky!" He stood with his sword at the ready, looking at Ke Bei with a slight tilt of his head.

Ke Bei narrowed his eyes, giving a cold snort as he slowly sheathed his saber. He realized his blade skills were no match for the youth, whose mastery of both sword and movement was clear.

He wasn't foolish enough to pit his weakness against another's strength.

"Try taking this one!" Ke Bei raised his arm, and in his hand appeared a flying dagger, three inches long, as if conjured from nowhere.

The "Little Li Flying Dagger"—it was Ke Bei's only martial technique. Even as an ordinary man, he'd been able to kill red-haired zombies with ease using this skill. Now, with his strength increased manyfold—even if not quite at the level of a second-rank enhancer, he wielded the power of seven or eight men. Otherwise, he couldn't have shattered a first-rank enhancer's arm with a single punch.

"A flying dagger?" The youth in white, seeing Ke Bei stow his saber and reveal a dagger in his palm, showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"Go!" With a low growl, Ke Bei whipped up his hand, wrist flicking, and the dagger shot out like lightning—so fast that in an instant, it was before the youth.

The speed of Ke Bei's throw was terrifying. The dagger pierced the air with a hum, appearing at the youth's left cheek before he could react.

A cold sting flashed across the youth's face as the dagger grazed his skin, leaving a three-inch gash that spilled warm blood down his fair cheek.

"Impossible…" The youth stood in a daze, shock undisguised in his eyes as he touched the bleeding wound, fingertips stained crimson.

Ke Bei's flying dagger had been too fast, surpassing anything the youth could have anticipated. He couldn't fathom how another young man, seemingly his age, had honed such a fearsome skill.

But it wasn't just the youth in white who was stunned—even Ke Bei himself was shocked by the sheer speed of his full-powered throw!

"Want to try again?" Ke Bei asked, another dagger appearing in his palm.

"No need. Within three meters, I could easily take your life; beyond that, I have no chance at all…" The youth in white shrugged, forcing a smile. "Go ahead." He turned away, but as he did, the smile vanished, replaced by a shadow of malice and ruthlessness.

"This one cannot be allowed to live. At his age, with such strength—if he grows any stronger, he'll be a threat!"

Ke Bei had not expected things to resolve so simply. Avoiding trouble was always preferable, and his mind was set on cultivating the Energy Nurturing Art—he longed to return home to practice, thinking nothing more of the encounter.

"Do it!" As Ke Bei was about to step past the encirclement, the youth in white suddenly barked an order.

Blades whistled through the air as nine broadswords hacked down at Ke Bei. The burly men had been poised to strike, and at the youth's command, the nine nearest guards swung their weapons in unison.

"Courting death!" The abrupt attack caught Ke Bei off guard. With a cry, he dodged aside, evading three blades aimed at his neck. Drawing his saber, he swept it across his chest, intercepting four more.

Steel clashed and sparks flew as Ke Bei's massive strength sent the four broadswords flying. But the remaining two could not be avoided; one struck his right leg, the other his back.

Skin split and flesh tore, white bone gleaming through the wounds. Agony flooded Ke Bei's body, igniting fury in his eyes. The last two daggers appeared instantly in his hands.

"You dare ambush me? Die, all of you!" At that moment, Ke Bei cared nothing for the youth's background. If they wanted his life, why should he hold back? There was no room for hesitation—kill now, question later!

Two cold gleams sliced through the air.

Ke Bei's flying daggers were unimaginably swift. The youth in white had miscalculated, thinking himself safe at a distance of over ten meters. He had underestimated Ke Bei's strength and the speed of his daggers—and paid the ultimate price.

Before he could even scream, two daggers pierced his throat. Blood soaked his white robes as the beautiful youth's wide eyes stared in shock, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Young master!" The sixteen guards saw the youth fall and screamed in despair.

A chill gripped their hearts; with the young master dead, none of them would live. Their families, too, would be slaughtered.

"Kill him! Avenge the young master!"

"Kill him!"

The sixteen blood-eyed guards charged at Ke Bei in a frenzy.

"You shouldn't have provoked me!" Ke Bei faced the charging guards with an icy expression. He drew the saber across his palm, letting his hot blood stain the hilt. A subtle silver light flashed, and the blade became impossibly sharp.

"Die!"

"Since the killing has begun, none of you will leave alive!"

Ke Bei surged forward like a maddened beast, saber raised high. The blade tore through the air in a wild arc.

In just two breaths, Ke Bei slew thirteen of the burly guards. Their armor, against his blood-soaked "Sky-Cleaver," might as well have been paper.

"Not good, run!"

"Run! Split up!"

The last three guards, horrified by Ke Bei's ferocity, turned and fled in panic.

"Hmph, running now? Too late!"

Since he had already killed the youth in white, Ke Bei knew he could not allow any of the guards to escape—leaving roots behind would only breed future disaster.

His hand darted to his waist, drawing another flying dagger.

A whistling flight, and the fleeing guard's skull was pierced—the man fell without a sound.

Another dagger flashed; a second guard fell.

But suddenly, Ke Bei's face changed. As he reached for another dagger to kill the final fleeing guard, he realized he was out of daggers. By then, the last guard had already escaped more than a hundred meters—too far to pursue.