From Sword to Slaughter: Evolution

"The leader... you killed him!?"

The rest of the group trembled as they witnessed the scene before them. Their leader was a second-tier warrior, and yet he had been killed by Ma Honghu, whom they had always seen as a useless fool!

"What do you think?" Ma Honghu sneered, his eyes cold.

"Surrender to me, or die."

His gaze swept over the group as he spoke calmly. The transformation in Ma Honghu had begun. A man who had once been a coward, once granted power, could change in extreme ways. Now, he was ready for revenge—not just against Jin's gambling den, but also against Huang Qingxi and even the City Lord's mansion!

With this divine sword in hand, I will replace the City Lord of Tianlang City! Ma Honghu screamed internally.

"Ma Honghu, where have you been all this time, you brat?" A man entered the room with three followers.

"Oh? My dear captain," Ma Honghu said, a twisted smile spreading across his face as he eyed the man.

"What do you mean by that? How dare you sit in the leader's chair!" The man spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "You've got a death wish, don't you, you worthless—"

As he continued to curse, his eyes fell on the head lying on the ground. He froze, his arrogant expression quickly turning to one of fear.

"Are you looking for death?" Ma Honghu asked as he slowly stood up.

"You... you..."

The man began to tremble.

Swish!

Before he could say another word, Ma Honghu swung the Flowing Shadow Blood Sword, cutting him down in an instant. Blood splattered onto the faces of those nearby, causing them to tremble with fear.

Ma Honghu was making an example of him.

Thud

The men who had entered with the now-dead captain immediately fell to their knees, their legs giving out beneath them.

"From today onwards, I am the leader of the Frenzied Mercenary Group. Does anyone have any objections?" Ma Honghu asked, his voice calm.

"Hail, Leader!"

The surrounding men quickly knelt down, their voices filled with fervor.

"Good."

"Take these and divide them among yourselves," Ma Honghu said with a laugh, pulling out a large bag of gold coins and scattering them on the ground.

Clatter

A huge pile of gold coins spilled across the floor, leaving the men staring in disbelief.

So much gold!

At that moment, Ma Honghu felt as though his previous life had been a waste. This was true living!

"Huang Qingxi, you're next."

While the others scrambled to collect the gold, Ma Honghu was already consumed with thoughts of revenge.

...

At Jin's gambling den.

"They're all dead, and the gold is gone."

Late at night, in Jin's gambling den, a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious attire listened to the report from one of his subordinates, his expression dark.

Dead. Everyone in his gambling den was dead.

"Ma Honghu was the last one left there. I suspect he's the one responsible," another man said.

According to the information they had, when the gambling den was closed, Ma Honghu had been left inside. Jin Chan and the others had clearly intended to teach Ma Honghu a lesson, but instead, they had all ended up dead.

"What's Ma Honghu's strength?" Jin Qiong, the mastermind behind Jin's gambling den, asked calmly.

With the destruction of the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group, there were few strong warriors left in Tianlang City. Even first-tier warriors were becoming scarce since most of the stronger fighters had joined the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group.

"He was just a prospective warrior. But that was based on old information; he disappeared for over half a month before reappearing today," one man explained.

"The blood in the bodies was completely drained. Could it be that Ma Honghu is practicing some kind of demonic technique?" another man suggested.

They had found that all the blood in the bodies had been completely drained, not a single drop remaining, which was highly unusual.

"It's just like what happened to the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group," Jin Qiong muttered, his brow furrowing.

"Right! The members of the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group were killed the same way!" someone else exclaimed, as realization dawned on them.

"A sword. It's possible he has acquired a demonic sword," Jin Qiong speculated, quickly piecing things together. He was an intelligent man, and as he thought about it, the situation became clearer.

"When the members of the Violent Tiger Mercenary Group were all killed, most of the details were kept secret—though only from the general public. I saw the bodies myself; all of the wounds were caused by a sword. It's very likely that there's a blood-drinking demonic sword involved," Jin Qiong reasoned.

"Indeed, Jin Chan and the others were all killed by sword wounds," the others agreed, as the situation suddenly became much clearer.

"We must find Ma Honghu and strike first before he has a chance to target us," Jin Qiong ordered, his voice cold. He could clearly sense the imminent threat. If they didn't act first, Ma Honghu would undoubtedly come after him next.

"Yes, sir!"

Jin's men responded in unison.

Jin Qiong returned to his mansion, but as he approached, he noticed something was amiss. Two bodies lay sprawled at the entrance.

"What's going on!?"

Jin Qiong's eyes widened in shock.

"Master Jin! Someone has broken into the mansion!"

The group of warriors behind him cried out in alarm as they took in the scene.

"Who dares to trespass on my property!?" Jin Qiong's expression twisted with rage as he led his men inside, only to be greeted by the sight of corpses strewn everywhere and the sound of women screaming in terror. Jin Qiong trembled with fury.

"You're back?" A voice, dark as a demon's whisper, came from the entrance of the mansion.

"Ma Honghu."

Jin Qiong's face contorted with rage as he laid eyes on the man standing before him.

Ma Honghu sat leisurely, one leg crossed over the other, his gaze filled with contempt as he looked at Jin Qiong and his men.

"You dare to cause trouble in my home?" Jin Qiong's body shook with fury as he took in the scene, realizing what must have happened.

"Master Jin is known for tossing people into the western river to feed the fish at the slightest provocation. I, Ma Honghu, had no choice but to strike first, fearing your retaliation. Your women were just pointing their fingers at me, threatening to chop me up and feed me to the fish. Now, well..." Ma Honghu taunted, lounging in a grand chair he had brought over, his eyes mocking.

"Kill him!!!" Jin Qiong roared, his eyes bulging with rage.

At his command, all of his warriors charged at Ma Honghu.