Chapter 113: Punishment

Chapter 113: Punishment

Scarface's expression shifted violently, and he immediately felt a tremendous force crash into his back. The sound of breaking bones followed, accompanied by excruciating pain inside him. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body sent sprawling forward.

But that wasn't the end. Lin Xing pushed off from the ground, his figure shadowing Scarface. He swung his sword down once more.

With a *Shick!* sound, Scarface, who had no time to react, was cleaved in two!

Seeing Scarface killed, the smarter bandits immediately began to flee, leaving only a few who still wanted to avenge him.

After quickly dealing with the bandits who charged at him, Lin Xing watched the others scattering in panic. He sneered coldly, then activated his movement technique and gave chase.

The fleeing men, seeing Lin Xing pursuing them, were terrified. In a noisy panic, they split up, running in all directions. They knew that if they all fled together, none would likely escape Lin Xing's pursuit. By scattering, even if they weren't sure of survival, their odds of survival would skyrocket.

Seeing them scatter to save themselves, Lin Xing snorted coldly. "These bandits aren't stupid. But do they really think this will save them?"

They were ultimately minor characters. Lin Xing quickly caught up, dispatching them in two or three moves. Only two remained! And these two were clever—one ran east, the other sprinted west.

Hearing the screams from behind, the two were scared out of their wits. Not daring to look back, they mustered every ounce of strength and ran for their lives.

"Escape?" Lin Xing kicked a sword on the ground with his toe. *Whizz!* The sword whistled through the air, heading straight for the back of the man fleeing west.

After kicking the sword, Lin Xing paid no more mind to that man and instead chased after the one fleeing east.

"Ah—!" A piercing scream erupted as the sword Lin Xing kicked flew straight into the back of the man running west.

The immense force drove the longsword through his back and out his chest. But it didn't stop there. The sword, imbued with tremendous power, even lifted the man off the ground before finally embedding itself firmly into a large tree. The impact shook the tree violently, leaving the sword, along with the long-dead man, hanging from it.

Hearing another death scream from behind, the man fleeing east couldn't help but glance back. That one look scared the heart out of him—Lin Xing was steadily following right behind.

Instantly, the man's face turned deathly pale, and he took off in another desperate sprint.

"You can't escape," Lin Xing said in a flat tone.

"Big brother, please spare me! I have an eighty-year-old mother at home and a newborn child. Please let me go!" The man stopped running and suddenly knelt before Lin Xing.

"Save that act," Lin Xing said indifferently. "If I didn't have sufficient strength, I'd probably be a corpse by now. Would you have thought about sparing me then? When you robbed others, why didn't you think about their families having elders and children?"

Cold sweat drenched the man at Lin Xing's words. He knew there was no hope of survival today, but he still clung to that sliver of a chance. He pleaded again, "Please, spare my worthless life! I'll change, I promise I'll never do such things again."

"You should have been prepared to die long ago. So..."

Unbeknownst to Lin Xing, seeing no intention of mercy, this bandit hardened his heart. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. Not waiting for Lin Xing to finish, he roared and threw a punch aimed straight at Lin Xing's chest. If he was going to die anyway, he might as well fight!

As his fist was about to strike Lin Xing's chest, the bandit's eyes gleamed with excitement. This punch, packed with all his strength, wasn't expected to kill Lin Xing outright, but if it could seriously injure him, he might still have a chance to escape.

This bandit was cunning. He had already begun gathering his strength the moment he knelt. Now, he finally had his opportunity. Watching his fist about to connect with Lin Xing's chest, a faint smile touched his lips as he imagined Lin Xing being knocked down.

But suddenly, the bandit's smile froze, replaced by a deathly pallor. The excitement in his eyes turned to shock, then to terror and panic.

The bandit stared, pale-faced, at his own fist. Just as it was about to strike Lin Xing's chest, he felt his hand being caught, unable to advance another inch!

His fist felt as if clamped in a tightening iron vise. The bandit tried to pull back with all his might, but it didn't budge in the slightest.

Feeling a burning, searing pain, sweat dripped profusely down the bandit's agonized face, falling to the ground.

"I knew you wouldn't be so honest," Lin Xing said coldly. "But I still didn't expect you to be this despicable!" As he spoke, Lin Xing tightened his grip on the bandit's fist.

*Crack-crack-crack!* Several crisp sounds echoed, accompanied by the bandit's piercing scream. Lin Xing completely crushed the bandit's fist!

"This is your punishment before death!" Ignoring the pleading look on the bandit's face, Lin Xing kicked him squarely in the chest. With a *thump!*, the bandit was sent flying. The kick, infused with Nine Yang Zhen Qi, shattered all his internal organs. He was undeniably dead.

After dealing with the bandits, Lin Xing continued forward. In the following days, although he still chose remote paths, he encountered several more groups. These included teams entering the Beast Forest and bandits specializing in hunting people. Without exception, any bandits who provoked Lin Xing were eliminated.

During this time, Lin Xing also encountered forces that had appeared in the Nether Beast City. Now, these forces appeared in small squads, indicating they had begun their operations.

However, these people had keen eyes. Upon seeing Lin Xing, they would all watch him with wary expressions. After all, anyone daring to venture alone into the Beast Forest must possess considerable strength, even if he only appeared to be at the Sword Master level. But who knew if he was hiding his true power?