Forging Immortality: The Undying Blacksmith

Chapter 32: The Yellow Talisman

Feng Xianglin, the tenant farmer who had come to collect his tools, was paralyzed with fear. From every direction, men from the Righteousness Gang swarmed into the Yan estate, each more savage than the last, their weapons hungry for blood.

He was just an honest farmer. He had never witnessed such a slaughter. His legs gave out, and he collapsed against a wall, not daring to look at the carnage unfolding around him.

Fortunately, the gang’s killers paid no mind to a lowly tenant. Their focus was entirely on the Yan family guards who rushed out to meet them.

The sharp clang of steel on steel echoed throughout the estate. Though outnumbered, the Righteousness Gang had the element of surprise. They had planned this ambush for months, and they crashed against the unprepared guards with overwhelming momentum.

Chaos reigned.

The Yan family, a pillar of Obsidian City for generations, was facing a disaster of unprecedented scale.

Within the main courtyard, the family’s two martial retainers had emerged, squaring off against Tianlong and Li Qing. The patriarch of the family, Old Master Yan, hurried over to assess the situation.

When he saw his youngest son, Yan Gui’an, with a dagger pressed to his throat by Zhao Kou, his face contorted with rage.

“You have a death wish, coming to my Yan family’s home to cause trouble! Tianlong, are you tired of living?!” Yan Qitian roared. His hair was white with age, but his presence was as commanding and ferocious as a lion’s.

Tianlong, who was facing one of the retainers, flashed a grin. He slammed the pommel of his Golden Thread Ringed Broadsword into the stone ground. “Old Master Yan, perfect timing. If you want your son to live, have Mo Nan and Yan Xu each cut off an arm.”

Before the old patriarch could even respond, his two retainers sneered.

“Hmph. Tianlong, you’re dreaming,” said the first, a man named Yan Xu. “You want us to cripple ourselves? Why don’t you die first?”

Yan Xu appeared to be in his early thirties, with a long, gaunt face. But his most striking feature was his arms—they were so unnaturally long they could touch his knees when hanging loose at his sides.

The other retainer, Mo Nan, was an old man, but his spirit was sharp and his temperament as steady as a mountain. Even amidst the bloody chaos, his expression was like still water.

“Master Yan, leave this to us,” the old man said in a low, steady voice. “We will rescue the Second Young Master.”

At that, Zhao Kou let out a cold laugh. He pressed the blade deeper into Yan Gui’an’s throat, drawing a thin, red line of blood.

Feeling the cold steel bite into his flesh, Yan Gui’an began to tremble violently. “Father, save me!” he wailed, his pride forgotten.

At this range, not even an Outer Force master could save him, let alone an Inner Force expert.

Yan Qitian struck the ground with his cane, a bitter, furious laugh escaping him. “Fine, fine! Tianlong, what is it you truly want? Name your price. Grain? Land? The Yan family concedes today.”

His family’s power in Obsidian City was built on grain and land. To offer them up showed the depth of his desperation.

But Tianlong was no fool. Things had gone too far. This conflict with the Yan family could only end in blood; there was no turning back.

“Hahaha, my offer stands,” he boomed. “Your two retainers each sever an arm, and I’ll let your son go.”

“Master Yan, we cannot agree,” Yan Xu interjected. “If we cripple ourselves, we’ll be lambs for the slaughter at his mercy!”

Yan Qitian already knew this. He didn’t need to be told.

He stood silent for a long moment, his eyes closed. Finally, he made his decision.

“Kill them!”

Hearing the order, Li Qing’s muscles tensed. Even a cornered tiger won’t eat its own young. To give such an order… this old man is truly ruthless.

Boom!

The moment the command was given, the two retainers exploded into action, lunging for Tianlong and Li Qing.

Both were Outer Force experts. Years of brutal training had honed their strength to a terrifying degree, and their Killing Intent was a palpable force.

Clang!

With a grim expression, Li Qing met the charge. This was his first true battle against an opponent of the same caliber, and the pressure was immense.

His adversary was Yan Xu. The man’s long arms were his greatest weapon, and the martial arts he practiced were designed around them, making him a nightmare to fight.

His palms, far larger than a normal man’s, slammed against Li Qing’s Peerless Hammer, sending bone-jarring shockwaves back through the hammer’s haft with every blow.

Facing such a formidable foe, Li Qing adopted a steady, defensive strategy, refusing to be baited into a reckless advance. He focused entirely on parrying each attack.

The Peerless Hammer rang like a bell under the relentless assault. Yan Xu sneered. “To have cultivated Outer Force at your age is impressive, I’ll grant you that. But today, you die by my hand.”

He was trying to provoke him, but Li Qing’s face remained a mask of cold concentration. He blocked every palm strike, patiently waiting for an opening to counter. Li Qing’s footing was rock-solid; his stance training and mastery of the Qingluo Leg Technique made his foundation nearly impossible to break.

“You damned iron turtle! I’ll smash your shell to pieces today!” Yan Xu roared.

The force within his body surged, and he struck out with both hands simultaneously.

Li Qing’s expression didn’t change. He tightened his grip on the hammer and swung its heavy body to meet the attack.

Bang!

The impact sent Li Qing stumbling back several steps, a sheen of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

This man is dangerous, he thought. If I hadn’t taken out that first retainer with a trick, we’d be in serious trouble today.

On the other side of the courtyard, Tianlong was under even greater pressure.

His opponent was the old man, Mo Nan.

But age had not weakened him. The old master’s fists and feet were flawless, each strike sharp and vicious. He drove Tianlong back, step by relentless step, giving him no quarter.

Any man who could suppress Tianlong so completely was no ordinary elder.

Mo Nan was a practitioner of internal martial arts. His power had not faded with the ravages of time; on the contrary, the Inner Force in his body had only grown deeper and more potent with each passing year. He was terrifyingly strong.

“Hey, kids!” Tianlong shouted, staggering back from a powerful punch, a cruel grin spreading across his face. “What are you waiting for? Showtime!”

As the words left his lips, more than a dozen wraith-like figures erupted from the shadows of the estate.

Three of them shot like arrows toward the patriarch, Yan Qitian. The rest surged forward to support Tianlong and Li Qing.

“Not good! Master Yan, look out!” Yan Xu screamed in alarm.

But it was too late.

The three assassins charging Yan Qitian had bloodshot eyes, their bodies moving with a desperate, suicidal speed.

“Yan! Qi! Tian! Pay for the lives of my family!”

“Kill! I’ll tear you apart with my bare hands, you old devil!”

In the blink of an eye, they were upon him, their hands like claws, ready to rip the old man to shreds.

Yet, Yan Qitian’s expression remained unnervingly calm. His hand darted inside his robes and emerged holding a tattered, ancient-looking Yellow Talisman, which he slapped against his chest.

VMMMM!

An unnatural hum filled the air. A shimmering, golden light erupted from the talisman, instantly coalescing into a translucent dome that sealed Yan Qitian within.

The three assassins from the Seven Kills Squad slammed into the golden barrier as if hitting a wall of solid steel. The Golden Light Shield didn’t even flicker, their momentum utterly and impossibly negated.