From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

"Damn it, just die already!"

Ye Fan couldn't stand this fool any longer and was about to use his own energy to attack Ma Honghu.

"I'm sorry, divine sword, I didn't mean to throw you just now."

But at that moment, Ma Honghu quickly picked up the Flowing Shadow Blood Sword.

"Wait, can this guy hear me?"

Ye Fan was stunned.

But after a closer look, he saw that Ma Honghu still had the same clueless expression, so it seemed unlikely he could actually hear him.

"You forced me... burned my house... and tried to kill me."

Ma Honghu gripped the sword, his gaze fixed on the corpses around him. His courage began to grow as he looked at the bodies.

He started searching through the bodies and found only a few dozen coins.

"Broke bastards!"

He cursed under his breath, kicking the corpses a few times out of frustration. Then, after thinking for a moment, he dragged the bodies over to a nearby river and tossed them in.

"You scum, I'll feed you to the fish."

He watched as the bodies were immediately attacked by fish, some of which were first-rank beasts, and then sneered.

"These fish will make short work of those corpses."

"Time to train. I need to get stronger!"

Ma Honghu muttered to himself as he clutched the Flowing Shadow Blood Sword. He knew that if he wanted to achieve everything he desired, he needed to become stronger. The thought of all that had happened recently filled his eyes with a fierce determination.

"Brother, you almost didn't make it."

Ye Fan said coldly. If Ma Honghu hadn't gotten his act together, Ye Fan would've killed him already. For now, though, it was more practical to keep this fool alive, since they were in a secluded area and finding a new sword master would be a hassle.

But if Ma Honghu showed any more signs of weakness or dared to discard the sword again, his fate was sealed.

"Having this divine sword speeds up my cultivation so much!"

Ma Honghu hid in a cave in the mountains, marveling at the speed of his training. The All Attribute Enhancement skill was significantly boosting his progress.

Moreover, the weaker the sword master, the greater the enhancement effect! "'Vajra Immortal Art'—sounds powerful, but how did someone so spineless end up with it?"

Ye Fan couldn't help but mock him. Ma Honghu's technique, the Vajra Immortal Art, could make the body incredibly tough and resistant to attacks.

As Ma Honghu trained, Ye Fan silently memorized the technique. Ever since discovering his extraordinary memory, Ye Fan had made a habit of learning the techniques of each sword master he encountered. It might not be useful now, but it could come in handy in the future.

Over the next half-month, Ma Honghu hid in the cave, training diligently. He survived by foraging for wild fruits, showing a determination Ye Fan hadn't expected.

Through this time, Ye Fan also learned more about Ma Honghu's past—once a wealthy young man, he had squandered his family's fortune after his parents passed away, eventually ending up in his current state.

"The Vajra Immortal Art is actually a mid-tier B-rank technique."

Ye Fan mused. Techniques and weapon qualities were categorized in the same way, from SSS at the top down to F at the bottom. A mid-tier B-rank technique was already quite impressive, especially in a place like Tianlang City. It was remarkable that Ma Honghu had such a powerful technique but had never bothered to cultivate it seriously before.

"Finally, first-rank peak level."

After half a month of training, with the help of the All Attribute Enhancement, Ma Honghu had not only broken through to the first rank but had reached its peak.

"Hahaha!"

Ma Honghu laughed triumphantly. A faint golden glow appeared on his skin, a sign that he had mastered the first layer of the Vajra Immortal Art.

"This time, I'll kill them all."

Ma Honghu's face twisted with anger. "Divine sword, help me take them down."

He gripped the Flowing Shadow Blood Sword and started descending the mountain.

…

"It's been half a month. Where the hell are Scarface and that loser Ma Honghu?"

On this day, a group of men from the gambling den returned to the outskirts where Ma Honghu's hut had been. The hut had long since burned down, but they found no bodies inside.

They did find some weapons on the ground, but strangely, there was no blood on them.

"Who knows?"

"We need to find Scarface. He knows some of the boss's secrets."

One of the men spoke in a low voice, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Look!"

One of them suddenly pointed in a direction. As they all turned to look, they saw Ma Honghu approaching.

"Finally showed up. I thought he'd run off somewhere."

One of the men sneered.

"The gambling den's thugs?"

Ma Honghu looked at them, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips. Now that he was a first-rank peak warrior and had the divine sword in hand, the thought of how they had cheated and bullied him in the past filled him with killing intent.

"You'll make good food for the sword."

Ma Honghu licked the blade of his sword. People who seem weak and cowardly often harbor deep-seated malice, just waiting for the power to act on it. Ma Honghu, once a young master from a wealthy family, had been no different, always leading his lackeys to bully others.

"Ma, get over here."

"What are you looking at? Get your ass over here!"

The men jeered as Ma Honghu approached.

"Is there something you need?"

Ma Honghu asked with a twisted smile.

For some reason, seeing him up close sent a chill down their spines.

It was the sword's aura that was affecting them, though they didn't know it.

"Where's Scarface?"

"I remember you were with him that night."

One of the men demanded, narrowing his eyes at Ma Honghu.

That feeling of fear must have been a mistake, he thought. The idea that a weakling like Ma Honghu could make him feel uneasy was laughable.

"And then?"

Ma Honghu asked, still smiling eerily.

"Where did they go?"

The men frowned. Ma Honghu was different today. They even sensed a trace of defiance in his eyes—this coward was looking down on them?

"Do you want to know?"

Ma Honghu chuckled.

"They went to meet the King of Hell."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a wave of killing intent surged from him.

He swung the sword, and blood splattered as heads rolled to the ground.