Chapter 185: Spiritual Breath of Life

The burly man inside the vehicle was pinned down squarely inside the carriage, completely unable to crawl his way out.

Upon witnessing this scene, Old Second Wu and his accomplices could not help but gasp, barely believing their own eyes.

The opponent had sliced through the vehicle's wheels as if they were fragile cabbages with a single sword strike, and even overturned the entire transport vehicle in the process—this was simply too exaggerated!

Ji Xiaorui had originally intended to park the car aside to watch the spectacle, but she caught Lin Le casting a subtle glance at her, signaling for her to leave first.

How clever Ji Xiaorui was; she understood immediately that her master was about to mete out justice on behalf of heaven, which made it inconvenient for an outsider like Qu Xinyao to witness.

Consequently, Ji Xiaorui started the engine and drove directly away from the scene.

Seeing Ji Xiaorui's vehicle depart, those men no longer dared to pursue rashly.

"Brat, do you think you can play the hero saving the damsel just because you have some mediocre tricks? Better step aside for us right now. If you dare to delay our business again, we won't be polite with you!" Old Second Wu cursed viciously.

"And what if I refuse to step aside?" Lin Le asked with a faint smile, looking thoroughly amused.

"You won't move? Then today we'll make sure you die right here!" Old Second Wu roared in fury.

"Damn it, why waste words with him? The little beauty will be long gone soon. Grab your weapons!" A burly ruffian lost his patience and cursed outright.

With that, the burly ruffian pulled a long saber from the vehicle, leapt into the air, and lunged directly at Lin Le with a lethal intent.

"I've been waiting for those exact words!" Lin Le sneered coldly.

Seeing the burly ruffian descending upon him through the air, a sharp chill flashed across Lin Le's eyes. At the same time, the Wudao Magic Sword in his hand thrust forward in a single motion.

Old Second Wu and his cohorts were nothing more than underworld thugs who made their living by pillaging and plundering. Their martial arts cultivation barely reached the threshold of internal force at best, equivalent only to ordinary mercenaries. Compared to Lin Le, they were vastly inferior.

Lin Le's sword thrust was so blindingly fast that it surpassed the imagination of these men. Before the burly ruffian's body could even touch the ground, his entire chest had already been pierced straight through by the Wudao Magic Sword.

With a dull thud, the burly ruffian crashed heavily onto the earth.

"You..." The burly ruffian stared at Lin Le in utter disbelief. He had never expected that someone who looked like a mere high school student would strike with such ruthless lethality.

Old Second Wu and the others were similarly seized by shock. Although they had already resolved to deal a fatal blow to Lin Le, they had not anticipated that his methods would be far more vicious and merciless than their own, taking a life without a second thought!

In truth, the moment Lin Le sent Ji Xiaorui and the others away, a killing intent had already taken root in his heart.

Scoundrels like Old Second Wu were guilty of countless atrocities; otherwise, they would never have dared to assault Qu Xinyao in broad daylight. Fortunately, Lin Le had intervened in time to save her. Had he not stepped in, what kind of fate would have awaited Qu Xinyao? The consequences were simply too horrific to contemplate.

Judging by the habitual depravity of Old Second Wu's gang, today's attempted crime was certainly not their first, nor would it be their last. To allow such human scum to continue drawing breath in this world would be nothing short of a sin!

At this moment, having successfully struck with a single blow, the burly ruffian lay lifeless at Lin Le's feet.

Just then, Lin Le suddenly sensed a dormant, restless power stirring faintly within the Wudao Magic Sword in his grasp.

The moment he felt this energy, Lin Le could not help but pause in astonishment. The power was extraordinarily potent, carrying a bizarre and sinister aura unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

Fortunately, this malevolent aura had not yet turned completely unruly and was still keeping within bounds for the time being.

Lin Le had a very tangible sensation at that moment: gripping the hilt of the Wudao Magic Sword felt precisely like holding the reins of a ferocious beast. That beast was baring its fangs and straining at the leash, waiting only for his command before daring to charge forward. Without his order, it could only obediently remain tamed in his palm, suppressing its boundless savagery.

Even so, Lin Le found himself intensely curious about the dark energy hidden within the Wudao Magic Sword, eager to discover what other mysteries were concealed inside his weapon.

With that thought, Lin Le hesitated no longer.

"Damn brat, you'd better kill me. Otherwise, no matter where you run, I swear I'll take your life!" Clutching his chest, the burly ruffian glared viciously at Lin Le, seemingly convinced that Lin Le would not dare to commit murder.

"Very well." A cold smile touched the corner of Lin Le's lips as he calmly replied, "I shall grant you that wish..."

With that, Lin Le focused his mind and instantly unlocked a fraction of the seals binding the Wudao Magic Sword.

The very instant the restraint was lifted, Lin Le felt a violent, surging torrent of energy erupt from the previously tranquil blade, akin to a volcanic eruption.

In an instant, the Wudao Magic Sword trembled so violently in his hand that even Lin Le found it difficult to control, and the weapon nearly wrenched itself free from his grip.

A deafening roar echoed through the surroundings, generated by the intense vibration.

"What the hell is this damn thing..." Old Second Wu and his companions stared in bewilderment at the violently shuddering sword, frozen in place.

The next second, a deeply shocking spectacle unfolded.

A black vortex abruptly formed over the bloody wound where the Wudao Magic Sword had pierced the burly ruffian's chest, instantly twisting and warping his entire physical body.

The skin, flesh, tendons, and bones across the burly ruffian's chest became horribly distorted, converging into a churning black whirlpool.

"Aah!" The burly ruffian could no longer maintain his bravado, letting out a piercing, miserable scream.

Yet that scream was cut short almost as abruptly as it began.

At the same time, a brilliant stream of golden light was forcibly extracted from the ruffian's body. Transforming into a golden vortex, it surged directly into the Wudao Magic Sword.

Lin Le could not help but be stunned, clearly sensing that the energy flowing into the sword was none other than vital life qi! Moreover, it possessed far more vitality and activity than ordinary ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth!

An astonishing realization instantly flashed through Lin Le's mind.

Could it be that the Wudao Magic Sword possessed the capability to absorb the life qi residing within living human bodies?!

The spiritual energies of this world came in many forms; there was the ambient spiritual energy of nature, and then there was the life qi inherent in living organisms. While these energies bore certain distinctions, they ultimately belonged within the broader category of spiritual energy.

For the Wudao Magic Sword to possess the capacity to forcibly harvest the life qi of other beings through its own power was utterly tyrannical!

To be frank, even Lin Le could not help feeling a sense of shock.

It appeared that this Wudao Magic Sword was far more formidable than he had originally imagined!

Though surprised by this miraculous ability of the Wudao Magic Sword to plunder life qi, Lin Le felt a deep sense of gratification as well.

These scumbags deserved to die a thousand times over; since their lives could now be used to replenish the depleted spiritual energy within the Wudao Magic Sword, it could be considered a fitting end for them!

With that thought, the killing intent in Lin Le's heart flared fiercely.

With a sharp hum, Lin Le yanked the Wudao Magic Sword free. Having been entirely drained of its life qi, the burly ruffian's body had long since withered away completely. As the magic sword was withdrawn, his entire physical form instantly crumbled into dust, scattering into the air and vanishing without a trace.

"What?!" Witnessing this sight, Old Second Wu and his men were struck with utter terror.

Having wandered the underworld for so many years, there was scarcely any spectacle they hadn't witnessed, but turning a man into fine powder with a single sword strike was something they had never even heard of.

At this moment, every one of their faces turned ashen, and they looked at Lin Le as though gazing upon a terrifying monster.

"Your turn now!" Lin Le said calmly, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Damn it, let's fight him to the death!" Old Second Wu roared.

The thugs who had behaved like ravenous wolves in front of Qu Xinyao were now reduced to helpless lambs before Lin Le, desperate for a final, hopeless struggle.