Chapter Eighty-Nine: Slaying the Greedy Wolf

When Lin Fan finally appeared, he did not allow his strength as a practitioner of the Meridian-Passing Realm to make him careless in the slightest. Though his moods were unpredictable and his hands stained with blood, he was no fool.

Thus, when Lin Fan truly stepped onto the scene, he faced the situation with utmost seriousness, even employing hidden weapons—a tactic he reserved only for confronting peers or those more powerful than himself.

Yet, to his astonishment, Lin Fan evaded his attack with ease. From that single, rapid movement, it became clear that Lin Fan’s ability to annihilate practitioners of the Qi Vessel Realm was not solely due to the power of his crossbow bolts.

The man himself was formidable—so much so that he surely stood among the ranks of Meridian-Passing cultivators.

“No, no, I am not yet a true Meridian-Passing practitioner,” Lin Fan replied with a smile, shaking his head. “But I am stronger than most who have reached that realm.”

He gazed at Liu Hong, his words measured and solemn. “At the very least, killing you is well within my grasp.”

With that, Lin Fan pressed his foot to the earth and shot forward like a phantom, closing the distance to Liu Hong. His fist coiled and crashed toward Liu Hong’s face.

Liu Hong’s eyes flashed coldly, his smile vanished, and a chill radiated from him. He did not attempt to dodge; he raised his own fist, meeting Lin Fan’s attack head-on.

Bang!

Both men staggered two steps back. But Lin Fan, having barely retreated, immediately lunged again, his right fist arcing upward to smash into Liu Hong’s jaw.

Caught off guard, Liu Hong reeled from the blow; the ferocious strength prevented him from regaining his balance.

Pain blossomed in his body as Lin Fan’s foot stamped hard into his abdomen.

Thud!

Liu Hong was sent flying several dozen yards, his feet gouging deep furrows into the earth, before slamming into a Dragon Pine behind him, shaking the tree violently.

“I told you, didn’t I? Though I’m not a Meridian-Passing practitioner, I am stronger than those who are, and killing you is effortless.”

Lin Fan smiled, withdrawing his offensive, eyes resting on Liu Hong, whose lips now bled.

“Physical strength at the Meridian-Passing level, but your energy is lacking. Are you a body cultivator?”

Liu Hong wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke, his gums still stained red, though his wounds were not severe.

Lin Fan’s attacks were immense, and his combat reflexes outpaced Liu Hong’s—after their exchange, Lin Fan adjusted faster, launching his follow-up attack before Liu Hong could recover.

But Liu Hong was no weakling. Though not as swift as Lin Fan, he was quick enough; his energy surged to protect himself in that brief instant.

The blood at his lips was merely due to the ferocity of Lin Fan’s strike; though he blocked most of the force, a fragment slipped through, rupturing his gums.

What intrigued him more was whether Lin Fan was indeed a body cultivator. In the Snow Kingdom, such practitioners were exceedingly rare.

Body cultivation consumed precious resources at a pace far faster than ordinary practitioners. Few families could afford it, and the training itself was fraught with peril—one misstep meant death.

Moreover, all energy was devoted to strengthening the body, so energy cultivation lagged behind.

A typical body cultivator’s physical prowess was a realm above their energy mastery; truly powerful ones could exceed by several realms.

“I’m afraid not,” Lin Fan replied, shaking his head. His expression remained calm, as though he had not noticed the cunning in Liu Hong’s gaze.

Bang!

A sudden blast erupted without warning; the Wolf of Greed had seized the moment while Lin Fan conversed with Liu Hong to launch a stealthy attack from behind.

His massive sword swung for Lin Fan’s head, yet Lin Fan’s hand, holding the blade Thousandfold Snow, swept behind him and blocked the blow with a thunderous clang.

The blade had not yet left its sheath; in an instant, the scabbard shattered, revealing the snow-white weapon within.

“Did you know? I’ve been waiting for you. If both of you struck at once, perhaps one might escape and I’d have to chase you down. But now—killing you is effortless.”

Lin Fan’s words rang coldly in the ears of the Wolf of Greed, whose face was twisted with shock at his failed ambush.

Before he could retreat, a snow-white arc of steel flashed, dazzling his senses.

Clang!

Thousandfold Snow slid along the Wolf’s enormous blade, its gleaming edge pouring forth like a river of stars.

Thud!

The headless corpse collapsed with a dull thud, a thin line of blood appearing at the neck and spraying forth.

To his dying breath, the Wolf of Greed never understood how his full-force ambush, with Liu Hong distracting Lin Fan, could fail.

He could not fathom how Lin Fan, seemingly distracted, never turned yet blocked his fatal strike.

“Negative emotion value from the Wolf of Greed: +2000!”

Lin Fan did not look back at the fallen Wolf, but instead gazed at Liu Hong, whose face was now frozen in horror. “Surprised, are you?”

“You drew my focus, made me attend to you fully, then used your words to further distract me. You thought that would let the Wolf’s assassination succeed?”

Lin Fan’s tone was calm, but to Liu Hong it was pure mockery.

“You intended to kill the Wolf all along!”

Liu Hong drew a deep breath; for the first time, true wariness flickered in his eyes as he spoke in a low voice.

“Negative emotion from Liu Hong: +666!”

Lin Fan gave no answer. Indeed, from the very start, he had planned to slay the Wolf. When Liu Hong threw hidden weapons, Lin Fan realized that killing him outright would not be easy—he was far too cautious.

Against such a foe, only relentless aggression could prevail.

Yet Lin Fan’s energy was considerably weaker, a different level entirely; if he tried to overpower Liu Hong, the Wolf would join the fray, complicating matters.

Confident though Lin Fan was, he knew that fighting both would require effort and exact a cost he preferred not to pay.

It was nothing like his battle with the Armybreaker, where that man’s carelessness allowed Lin Fan to strike him down in a single blow.

So when Liu Hong set his trap, Lin Fan played along, pretending to be distracted. He knew Liu Hong’s goal was to let the Wolf of Greed ambush him from behind.

In a life-or-death struggle, there is no such thing as a fair fight—the victor is king.

Liu Hong, recognizing Lin Fan’s strength, nevertheless treated him as a naïve novice, hoping to kill him with little trouble.

But Lin Fan needed just such an opportunity.

Ordinarily, facing someone who had survived being surrounded by three Meridian-Passing experts—Shadow, Armybreaker, and Seven Kill—neither Liu Hong nor the Wolf would dare relax.

So Lin Fan feigned distraction, creating an opening for the Wolf’s assassination. He understood that in any endeavor, the moment of anticipated success is when vigilance lapses.

As the Wolf’s massive blade was about to strike Lin Fan’s head, he was certain of victory—his guard unconsciously dropped.

Lin Fan’s sudden counter, blocking the supposedly inevitable blow, stunned the Wolf completely.

But it was already too late.

As the sword shattered Thousandfold Snow’s scabbard, Lin Fan guided the blade along the Wolf’s weapon, unleashing a burst of steel that severed the assassin’s throat.

With hardly any effort, Lin Fan killed the Wolf with ease.

The battle was not particularly fierce; the struggle not especially brutal.

Yet someone died.

In truth, duels in the martial world are not as drawn-out as tales would have it—three thousand rounds, overwhelming force, dozens of chapters to kill a single foe. Real combat may last only an instant; one moment you are speaking, the next, your life is gone.

Simple, yet ruthless.

Wherever people gather, there is a martial world—not only in his previous life, but in this one as well. The world of martial artists is not always exhilarating; oftentimes, it is treacherous.

Business has its own martial world, commerce its own, employees their own. Not all are soaked in blood, but all can bury countless bones.

If you wish to continue reading, you may bookmark this chapter (Chapter 89: Killing the Wolf of Greed) for future reference. If you enjoy “Era of the Gods,” please recommend it to your friends. Thank you for your support!