Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

“Cough, cough…!”

Han Lie covered his chest, his body convulsing as he coughed violently. Fresh blood, dark and viscous, continued to gush from his lips, staining his tattered robes. Yet, with a will of iron, he forced himself to endure the screaming pain of his internal injuries and stood up once more.

His gaze was profound, devoid of triumph or joy, as he lifted his eyes to look at the distant mountainside. There, embedded deep within the rock like a crushed insect, was Ye Lang.

The scene before him flashed back to the moment not long ago inside the Black Demon Immovable Bell.

The final collision.

The Unity slash had nearly drained all the spiritual energy from his dantian. And this was under the condition of possessing a top-tier cultivation method like the Yin Yang Demonic Art. With an ordinary technique, he wouldn’t even have needed to wait until executing the Unity slash; the successive Soul Severing strikes he had performed earlier would have been enough to exhaust him completely.

A slash that gathered almost all of his spiritual energy, combined with the bloodthirsty enhancement from the Heaven-rank treasure Crimson Oath, had only barely allowed him to fight Ye Lang’s full-power attack to a draw!

No! It should be said that he held a slight upper hand. Because no matter how one looked at it, Ye Lang’s injuries were more severe than his!

Immediately after, Han Lie extended a large, trembling hand.

Whirrr.

Crimson Oath, which had fallen in the distance, vibrated and automatically flew over, landing solidly in his grasp. Using the sword as a cane, dragging his battered and severely wounded body, he slowly moved toward Ye Lang.

Seeing this scene from afar, Qin Lianyi’s face lit up with relief and joy. The heart that had been stuck in her throat finally settled back down.

In contrast, Mu Feng fell silent.

He stared intently at the broken figure of Ye Lang, his fists clenching until the knuckles turned white. Inwardly, he cursed with venomous frustration: “Get up quickly, you useless waste!”

A perfected Golden Core Stage cultivator, actually beaten into such a pathetic state by a mere mid-Golden Core rogue? Mu Feng found it unacceptable! It wasn’t that he feared losing one million Spirit Stones; he feared the humiliation of being wrong!

Little did he know that if it were him standing there today, he would likely have already become nourishment for Crimson Oath. There would have been no chance to fight Han Lie to such a mutually devastating stalemate.

However… only when Han Lie arrived just a few paces away did Ye Lang manage to extract himself from the cratered mountainside with extreme difficulty.

Han Lie approached slowly.

Scrape… scrape…

The tip of his blade dragged against the rocky ground, producing a series of sharp, rhythmic clanging sounds. To Ye Lang’s ears, it was as if Death itself was tolling his funeral bell, step by step.

Ye Lang retreated in terror, his legs shaking. Soon, his back hit the cold mountain wall behind him. There was nowhere left to go.

“You…! How could I… possibly lose to an ant like you!”

Ye Lang’s eyes were shadowed with gloom, his tone filled with disbelief and resentment!

Although Han Lie was also severely injured, judging by their current states, the victor was clear. Han Lie retained less than one-tenth of his combat power, but it was more than enough to finish off a broken man.

“The ant you speak of can defeat you. So what does that make you?”

Han Lie’s face was as still as water, yet a terrifying, cold murderous intent radiated from him.

“On the Tianyuan Continent, countless geniuses die young or fall every year. You are merely one among them, Ye Lang.”

Han Lie raised the blood-red blade.

“In your next life, remember not to underestimate any opponent. Consider this lifetime your lesson learned.”

“No… impossible!” Ye Lang roared hysterically, his mind snapping under the pressure. “How could I possibly die… die by your hand!”

An intense, primal will to survive drove Ye Lang to muster the last dregs of his strength. With a scream, he raised his large cleaver and swung it wildly toward Han Lie.

Clang!

Han Lie merely raised his hand casually and flicked the blade away. The cleaver spun through the air and embedded itself in the ground far away.

Ye Lang collapsed onto his backside, defenseless. His constricted pupils were filled with the terror of imminent death.

“No… don’t kill me!”

He scrambled backward, pleading.

“I promise… I’ll never trouble you again! I’ll disappear! Please!”

Han Lie looked down at him, his eyes cold.

“I still preferred your former unruly and defiant self.”

His expression was indifferent, showing not a trace of pity.

“Realizing you fear death only now… is a bit too late.”

Hum!

Han Lie drained the last trace of spiritual energy from his body and channeled it onto the blade’s edge. The skulls on the hilt seemed to scream in anticipation.

“Soul… Hook!”

“Ahhh——!”

Instantly, Ye Lang’s piercing scream echoed between heaven and earth!

Crimson Oath frantically absorbed his blood, glowing with a demonic light, while the Soul Hook technique seized and obliterated his three hun and seven po souls!

In just a few breaths, the once-arrogant Senior Brother of the Overlord Hall was sucked dry. He lay amidst the rubble, nothing left but a shriveled mummy, a desiccated husk of skin and bone. His blood and flesh were completely drained by the demonic sword!

Han Lie stepped forward and stabbed the dried corpse several more times, ensuring absolutely no possibility of revival or feigned death.

Simultaneously, in the sky above.

“Young Master Mu Feng, I’m truly sorry. It seems that Ye Lang has disappointed you.”

The moment Ye Lang died by Han Lie’s blade, Qin Lianyi immediately turned to Mu Feng, her voice dripping with sweet poison.

“My, one million Spirit Stones isn’t much to someone of your stature, but here I must still thank Young Master Mu Feng for your generosity.”

“Useless! Useless useless useless!”

“Truly useless trash!”

Mu Feng’s face twisted.

“A perfected Golden Core Stage can’t defeat a mid-Golden Core Stage? Such trash should have died long ago!”

Mu Feng broke down completely. He felt as if his face was burning with pain, the invisible slaps of Qin Lianyi’s words stinging his pride.

“Pah! Disgusting!”

Mu Feng’s chest heaved violently. He could no longer maintain his usual gentlemanly demeanor. With a snarl of fury, he tossed a storage ring to Qin Lianyi and then turned to fly away without looking back.

Even Qin Lianyi couldn’t help but burst into laughter at his furious departure.

However… when she turned back and saw Han Lie collapse onto the ground with a heavy thud, her expression changed instantly.

She moved swiftly, descending like a falling leaf to land beside him.

“Daoist Han?”

Qin Lianyi reached out to check his pulse and found he still had breath, albeit weak. She relaxed slightly. Likely, Han Lie had only lost consciousness temporarily due to extreme exhaustion and his severe injuries.

……..

An unknown amount of time later…

“Fe… female demon!?”

Han Lie abruptly woke from unconsciousness without warning, muttering words under his breath. Cold sweat soaked his forehead, his eyes wide with lingering fear.

“Hiss——!”

He tried to sit up, but as soon as he exerted force, an excruciating pain shot through his body, twisting his face into a grimace.

“So it was a dream…”

Realizing this, Han Lie exhaled slowly, calming his racing heart. He surveyed his surroundings.

It was a small, dry cave. Someone had made him a temporary bed using piles of soft grass and furs. Nearby, a bonfire crackled brightly, casting warm shadows on the walls.

“Daoist Han, you’re awake!”

At that moment, an elegant figure swept in from outside the cave entrance, bringing with her an invigorating fragrance of herbs and night air.

It was Qin Lianyi.

She hurried over, kneeling beside him. Qin Lianyi carefully lifted Han Lie’s head and placed it on her lap. Gently wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief, she asked softly: “Did Daoist Han have a nightmare? It’s alright. With me here, no one will harm you.”

Ever since leaving the prison in Qin Yang City, Han Lie and Qin Lianyi had communicated through eye contact and subtle signals. She had followed him, knowing the battle was inevitable.

Therefore, Han Lie wasn’t surprised by her presence.

“A nightmare? I’m not sure if it counts.”

Han Lie rubbed his temples.

Hmm… simply put, Ye Qingxuan’s face had suddenly appeared in his dream just now. She was gazing down at him from above with an extremely eerie, possessive look in her eyes.

That was why Han Lie had instantly jolted awake in a cold sweat. Compared to Ye Lang, that woman was the true terror.