Chapter 60: The Flaw

Qiu Zhu shrank into the corner, trembling violently.

Within his field of vision, there was only that headless corpse.

Yang Jingye, Elder Yang, a prominent figure whom Qiu Zhu had held in such deep awe only a short while ago.

At this very moment, he was simply lying quietly on the ground, left to be battered by the rain leaking through the hole in the roof.

Despite his expensive furs and jewels, despite his exceptional ability to make money, despite his profound background...

None of these things could save his life at this moment.

"Avenge our master!"

Three shrill cries snapped Qiu Zhu out of his trance.

The remaining three maidservants, their pretty faces consumed with fury, charged simultaneously toward the masked figure in the skull mask.

Terrified, Qiu Zhu closed his eyes, not daring to look any further.

Meanwhile, Bao Chao stood aside with a cold expression, in no rush to make a move.

He wanted to test the waters and observe the masked man's techniques first.

At that moment.

The skull-masked figure moved.

He swept his giant sword fiercely, and the formidable momentum forced the three charging maidservants to retreat in a hurry.

However.

Before the three maidservants could even plant their heels, the heavy, steel-made *shuidizi* in the masked man's hand was hurled out violently.

"Whoosh!"

Weighing at least two hundred pounds, the *shuidizi* flew through the air with a terrifying whistle, striking one of the maidservants squarely.

The maidservant's body was as light as a willow leaf, and she was sent crashing directly into the wall by the impact of the *shuidizi*.

"Boom!!!"

The entire wall shattered upon impact.

Her bones snapped completely from the force, and she was blown right through the wall, falling limply into the pouring rain outside, motionless.

The remaining two maidservants watched in sheer terror.

Yet the skull-masked figure did not stop, nor did he possess any inclination to show mercy to the fair.

With a sweep of his sword, he slashed toward the second maidservant.

Just as the maidservant managed to dodge the blade, the sound of clanking chains reached her ears.

"Clatter, clatter!"

The chains reeled in rapidly!

Astonishingly, one of the skull-masked man's arms was a mechanical prosthesis, from which steel gears seemed to extend.

As the steel gears spun rapidly, the chains were completely retracted into his arm.

The *shuidizi* was yanked back along with them.

Before the maidservant could dodge, the *shuidizi* whistled past her ear and returned to the skull-masked man's wrist.

The maidservant was just beginning to celebrate her narrow escape.

Suddenly!

She felt the clothes across her chest soaked by a patch of warm liquid.

When she lowered her head, she saw that her body was already stained with blood.

And that blood came from... her neck!

As it turned out, when the *shuidizi* flew past her, the sharp, crescent-moon-like outer blades along its rim had effortlessly sliced through her throat!

Seeing her companions utterly dead, the last remaining maidservant finally lost all will to fight.

She turned and ran toward Bao Chao, crying out in panic as she fled:

"Mr. Bao, save me!"

Bao Chao did not move.

His eyes were locked intently on the tall skull-masked figure rising behind the maidservant.

He watched with his own eyes as that figure cleaved the maidservant clean in half at the waist with a single stroke of his sword!

Even when the upper half of the maidservant's body collapsed near Bao Chao's feet, her viscera spilling out into the rainwater, Bao Chao did not even blink.

"Rank Six!"

"I truly never expected there to be such a formidable expert among Rank Six martial artists."

"You are the very first Rank Six to ever make me feel a sense of apprehension."

Bao Chao finally confirmed his opponent's strength.

In his lifetime, he had seen, encountered, and fought numerous Rank Six experts, yet not a single one possessed the overwhelming might of the skull-masked figure before him.

The masked man's presence carried an oppressive weight, and his attacks were ruthless and cold.

It could be said that this skull-masked figure had pushed the capabilities of a Rank Six to their absolute limit.

If Bao Chao himself possessed only Rank Six strength at this moment, he would undoubtedly turn and run without a moment's hesitation.

Among Rank Six martial artists, this skull-masked figure was invincible!

"But unfortunately..."

"Rank Six is still Rank Six."

"If you had advanced to Rank Five, today would be my doom."

"Since you are merely Rank Six, the one who dies today will be you."

There was only a single realm separating Rank Six from Rank Five, but the gap in strength between them was as wide as a chasm.

Especially since Bao Chao had made his name many years ago and had weathered countless battles.

Not only was his realm high, but he had also mastered his martial arts to an exceptionally profound degree.

Even among those in the Rank Five realm, Bao Chao was an outstanding and elite standout.

This was the source of his absolute confidence:

"You can go die now!"

With a flash of movement, Bao Chao charged toward the skull-masked figure.

He had already discerned that the skull-masked man wielded a sword in one hand and the *shuidizi* in the other.

It looked as though the *shuidizi* served as a shield and the giant sword dealt the kills.

In reality, however, the *shuidizi* was his primary offensive tool, while the giant sword was reserved for close-range defense.

Since the *shuidizi* possessed devastating mid-to-long-range offensive power, Bao Chao chose to engage in close combat!

And with Bao Chao's exquisite and ferocious kicking techniques, close quarters was his absolute domain!

Utilizing the lightweight agility of the Soaring Crane Footwork, Bao Chao moved like a soaring crane diving for fish, instantly closing the distance to the skull-masked man.

"Black Fiend Blade!"

Using his bare hands as blades, he prepared to strike.

Instead, the skull-masked figure leaped backward, vaulting two丈 (around six meters) away to evade Bao Chao's assault.

Bao Chao sneered:

"Do you think you can escape?"

With his cultivation realm coupled with the Soaring Crane Footwork, he had zero fear of opponents attempting to flee.

Just as Bao Chao prepared to press the attack.

The *shuidizi* on the skull-masked man's mechanical arm whistled through the air once more, hurtling straight toward Bao Chao.

Using retreat as an advance, he executed a turning counter-attack!

Bao Chao hurriedly halted his momentum mid-stride and leaped back a step.

"Bang!!!"

The *shuidizi* missed its target, slamming heavily into the earth right in front of Bao Chao and kicking up a massive spray of rain.

Seizing the opportunity, Bao Chao prepared to launch another aggressive offensive.

Who would have thought?

The skull-masked man's arm mechanism reeled the chain in once again.

This time, rather than pulling the *shuidizi* back, the skull-masked man used the pulling force of the retracting chain to yank his entire body forward, hurling himself at Bao Chao like a moth drawn to a flame.

"Whoosh!"

The giant sword swept horizontally across the air.

Bao Chao was forced to shift his stance once more as the giant sword sheared through empty space, passing right by the tip of his nose.

This narrow escape broke Bao Chao out in a cold sweat.

Had it not been for his exceptional lightweight kung fu combined with profound internal energy, allowing him to continuously shift his form and evade, the consequences would have been unpredictable.

"He swung his sword and missed—this is my chance!"

As expected of a renowned martial artist, Bao Chao did not retreat after narrowly dodging the blow; instead, he seized the initiative to counterattack.

Overflowing with battle intent and aggressive spirit, he immediately closed in for hand-to-hand combat.

The very next second.

Though the skull-masked man's longsword had missed, the *shuidizi* in his other hand slammed forward viciously like a heavy shield.

Bao Chao wore a look of utter disdain:

"A mere Rank Six wants to clash head-on with me?"

Without a moment's hesitation, he lashed out with a kick aimed directly at the *shuidizi*.

"Hum!"

Accompanied by a dull roar, the crescent-shaped outer blades along the rim of the *shuidizi* began to spin at high speed like an electric saw.

The rotational velocity was so intense that falling raindrops were instantly sheared away.

Bao Chao had already calculated the opening to kick the *shuidizi* away, but this sudden shift in the weapon's attack pattern caught him completely off guard.

In his astonishment, Bao Chao hastily concentrated his internal energy into his leg and unleashed it.

"Clang!!!"

His internal energy burst outward through the air, colliding directly with the spinning *shuidizi*.

This allowed Bao Chao to leverage the impact and retreat to safety.

"This scoundrel's attacks are bizarre and unpredictable, and his weapon is unlike anything I've ever heard of. He truly is troublesome to deal with!"

Bao Chao wasn't afraid of the skull-masked man's raw power, but he harbored deep wariness toward the bizarre attack patterns of the *shuidizi*.

Such an unorthodox weapon was completely inscrutable and incredibly difficult to counter—something Bao Chao had never encountered throughout his life wandering the jianghu.

Having grown careless just now, he had nearly been killed by it.

Bao Chao had never imagined that his life would one day be threatened by a Rank Six martial artist.

The realization sent a chill down his spine.

"I must finish this quickly; otherwise, if this drags on and he finds an opening, it will spell disaster for me."

Gone was the relaxed demeanor Bao Chao had displayed earlier; his expression was now grave and solemn.

In his mind, he no longer viewed the skull-masked man as a mere Rank Six martial artist, but as a peerless master of the same realm.

"Whoosh!"

Accompanied by the sound of tearing air, the *shuidizi* was launched once again by the skull-masked man, whistling through the air toward the retreating Bao Chao.

This time, however, Bao Chao did not dodge.

Instead, he charged directly toward the oncoming *shuidizi*.

"Ascending Dragon Kick!"

Dropping his body low, Bao Chao slid across the ground on his knees, ducking beneath the hurtling *shuidizi*.

As the *shuidizi* flew past him, Bao Chao leveraged his waist and back against the ground, unleashing the internal energy stored in both legs in a fierce explosion.

"Bang!!!"

A ferocious wave of internal energy erupted from below, slamming squarely into the underside of the *shuidizi*.

The impact sent the *shuidizi* flying vertically several zhang high into the air.

So immense and forceful was that kick that it forced the inner blades of the *shuidizi* to spring wide open, causing Yang Jingye's head to tumble out from within.

Bao Chao finally seized his opportunity:

"Now is the time!"

The skull-masked man's fatal flaw had finally been exposed!