Chapter 34 Continuous breakthrough, counter kill

Lu Ming walked through the forest, and suddenly, with a slight shift in expression, he whispered, "They really don't give up, but they've come at just the right time!" Whoosh! Whoosh! The sound of tearing through the air echoed around him, and in the next moment, figures appeared in front of, behind, and to the left of Lu Ming. In front of him were Wei Ziyou and Wei Ziming; behind him were four individuals from the Duanmu family clan. Apart from a young martial artist, there were three other young men. And to the left was a young man in brocade, emitting an extremely powerful aura, a certified expert in the realm of martial artists. The three groups spread out in a circle, surrounding Lu Ming in the middle. Three at the first level of the Martial Artist Realm, three at the ninth level of the Martial Knight Realm. As for Wei Ziming, he could be disregarded. "Lu Ming, where will you run to this time?" Wei Ziming said, glaring at Lu Ming with venom. Lu Ming smiled, glancing casually at Wei Ziming and retorting, "You trash, if you're capable, come and fight me yourself!" "Lu Ming, you'll be dead soon, and I don't bother over a dead man," Wei Ziming replied with viciousness. "Lu Ming, you dared to kill a disciple of our Duanmu family; you deserve to die a thousand deaths!" the young martial artist from the Duanmu family clan coldly shouted. "Deserve to die a thousand deaths? People from your Duanmu family clan wanted to kill me first. By your logic, I should just stand still and accept death while not defending myself?" Lu Ming shot back. "That's right, if our Duanmu family clan wants to kill you, you should just stand there and accept your death. How can your worthless life be compared to the life of a disciple of our Duanmu family clan?" the young Duanmu clan member retorted with arrogance and illogic. "Heh heh heh!" Lu Ming chuckled. For such people, he didn't want to waste words, and instead turned his attention to the brocade-clad young man, asking, "And you? I don't seem to know you. Are you from the Duanmu family clan as well?" "Haha, Lu Ming, since you are going to die, let me enlighten you. It was Ning Feng who sent me. You really are bold, offending Brother Ning Feng as soon as you joined. Are you tired of living?" the brocade-clad young man smirked. "Enough, stop wasting words with him. Kill him. I don't have so much time to chatter," Duanmu Fei, the young man from the Duanmu family clan, said coldly. As his words fell, he lunged at Lu Ming like a ferocious gale, his green sword energy tearing through the air with a piercing screech. Wei Ziyou and the brocade-clad young man did not make a move; in their view, killing Lu Ming was easily done by one person alone. Just as Duanmu Fei's sword energy was about to slash Lu Ming, Lu Ming stomped heavily on the ground, activating his Dragon-Snake Step to evade the attack. His form shot out like lightning. His target was one of the ninth-level Martial Knights of the Duanmu family clan. Clang! The sound of the sword chimed as a flash of sword light burst forth. With his peak eighth-level Martial Knight cultivation, this Duanmu family clan member couldn't dodge Lu Ming's sword light even if he was on full alert. Puchi! The long sword pierced directly through the young man's heart. A swift kill! "Devour!" With a thought from Lu Ming, a powerful suction force erupted from his palm, extracting nine drops of essence blood from the opponent's wound, traveling up his arm and devoured by the Soul Eater Bug bloodline. This was a method Lu Ming had devised during the past days using the Soul Eater Bug bloodline. He could apply the devouring power on his hand, silently sapping away another person's essence blood. "Ah, Lu Ming, you're courting death!" Duanmu Fei roared in rage, his figure swaying as he charged at Lu Ming again. Lu Ming's lips curled into a cold smile, avoiding a direct collision with Duanmu Fei, and using his Dragon-Snake Step again, he lunged at another ninth-level Martial Knight. Meanwhile, the Soul Eater Bug bloodline continued refining essence blood, and waves of energy surged into Lu Ming's body. The enormous energy contained in the essence blood of a ninth-level Martial Knight allowed Lu Ming's cultivation to rise swiftly. His cultivation, already at the peak of the eighth level of Martial Knight, steadily approached the ninth level. Whoosh! A flash of sword light, and despite the Duanmu family clan member's efforts to retreat, he couldn't match Lu Ming's speed and was struck dead in an instant. At the same time, his essence blood was absorbed by Lu Ming. The torrent of qi surged; the essence blood of two ninth-level experts finally allowed Lu Ming to break through his limitations and advance his cultivation in one fell swoop into the ninth level of the Martial Knight Realm. "Damn it, damn it, what are you two waiting for? Join hands and exterminate Lu Ming!" Duanmu Fei thundered. In the last few days, three ninth-level Martial Knights from the Duanmu family clan had fallen to Lu Ming. Young men of such level at under eighteen years old were considered elites within the Duanmu clan, and with three dead, Duanmu Fei didn't know how to explain it to the elders of his family. Therefore, his hatred for Lu Ming had reached a boiling point. "Kill!" "Kill!" Wei Ziyou and the brocade-clad young man yelled as they too charged at Lu Ming. Lu Ming's swift execution of two ninth-level experts exceeded their expectations, and they abandoned any concerns for their reputations by acting together. Duanmu Fei and Wei Ziyou unleashed a wave of sword energy, while the brocade-clad young man delivered a golden palm strike. The trio, united in their attack, roared towards Lu Ming with a piercing screech. "Ha ha, bring it on; let's see just how strong someone in the realm of martial artists can be." Lu Ming laughed. His breakthrough to the ninth level of the Martial Knight Realm boosted his confidence greatly. Thump! Twisting his body, Lu Ming charged at Duanmu Fei, disregarding the attacks from Wei Ziyou and the brocade-clad young man from behind. "Die!" Vicious killing intent shone in the eyes of Wei Ziyou and Duanmu Fei. "Bloodline Burst!" At that moment, Lu Ming's bloodline erupted, emanating a flash of black light. And it was then that the attack from Wei Ziyou's trio landed on Lu Ming. Contrary to the expected scene of Lu Ming being killed, his body merely shook, but his long sword continued its deadly trajectory, streaking like a cold lightning bolt towards Duanmu Fei's heart. Duanmu Fei couldn't have imagined that Lu Ming could counterattack after taking a concerted strike from all three, and it was too late to dodge. With a squelching thud, Lu Ming's sword pierced through his chest; Duanmu Fei's vision darkened as he toppled heavily to the ground. Duanmu Fei was dead! "Two more breaths!" Lu Ming's thoughts raced as his sword swept towards the brocade-clad young man. "Ah! Die!" Seeing Duanmu Fei fall, the brocade-clad young man was nearly scared out of his wits, but still lashed out with two palms. However, Lu Ming persisted despite the palm strikes hitting him, and his long sword slashed across the brocade-clad young man's throat. Blood splattered as the man's windpipe was severed; his hands clutched desperately at the wound, his eyes bulging with unwillingness, pleading, and venom. "Retreat, retreat quickly!" On the other side, Wei Ziyou screamed in terror. With Lu Ming felling two Martial Artist Realm powerhouses, his courage had fled, and he hastily bolted. "Now you think to flee? Isn't it too late?" With a cold smile on his lips, Lu Ming's form flickered as he pursued Wei Ziyou.