Chapter 7: The Lethal Gaze

In the river valley, the wind howled ceaselessly, and the killing intent lingered.

“Kill!”

With a ferocious expression, his legs gathering power, the Old Hound sprang forward like a leopard. Gripping his hunting knife, he slashed viciously at Jiang Chen, who had just revealed his position.

Yet, in the face of the Old Hound’s fierce attack, Jiang Chen remained utterly unshaken.

The Old Hound’s murderous intent grew as he watched Jiang Chen’s calm demeanor. This strike, which appeared simple, was in fact exceedingly savage—a hunting bear blade passed down from his ancestors, merging his body movement and blade technique into one. He channeled his agility to empower his slash, doubling its might.

“Die!”

With a rush of bloodthirsty intent, the Old Hound held nothing back, unleashing the peak of his strength. The blade’s light became a silver torrent, falling with astonishing speed, ready to rend Jiang Chen apart.

“This is the strongest strike I’ve unleashed in decades,” the Old Hound thought. Heart and blade as one, he felt the bear blade had reached a new level. He sensed that if he survived this day, he might break through the bottleneck from second-rate to first-rate by virtue of his blade technique.

But before he could savor this hope, his gaze met Jiang Chen’s eyes.

Dark and unfathomable, they resembled a boundless abyss. In that instant, as their eyes met, the Old Hound’s spirit faltered, as if he had fallen into a dream and forgotten everything.

In that moment, his once unstoppable blade lost its edge. With the soul missing, only an empty shell remained—riddled with flaws.

“Through countless brushes with death in the apocalypse, I have tempered my soul until it far surpasses the ordinary. Even though my soul’s reserves have been depleted by reincarnation, its quality remains undiminished.”

“As a martial artist, the Old Hound’s will is strong, yet he cannot resist my soul enchantment.”

A small test, but Jiang Chen further confirmed his theory.

In the midst of these thoughts, Jiang Chen finally moved. With a flick of his finger, he sent the hunting knife flying from the Old Hound’s grip, easily defusing the attack. Then, gathering his fingers, he struck out with a palm.

Death loomed before him. At that moment—perhaps jolted by survival instinct—the Old Hound snapped back to his senses.

But it was too late. Facing Jiang Chen’s descending palm, he could do nothing but watch helplessly.

A chilling hum sounded as the Heart-piercing Palm erupted—its yin energy corrosive to the bone. The Old Hound was immediately struck, sent flying, and crashed heavily to the ground.

Yet, in the next instant, though the Old Hound should have been dead or at least gravely wounded by Jiang Chen’s strike, he spat a mouthful of blood, forced a breath, and used his agility to flee into the dense forest.

“Jiang Wang—he’s certainly not just an ordinary martial artist. He must have cultivated some kind of immortal art…”

Terror flooded his heart. The Old Hound no longer harbored any thought of contending with Jiang Chen. Were it not for the ancestral protective soft armor, he would already be dead.

Watching this scene, Jiang Chen frowned slightly. At the moment his palm struck, he’d sensed something amiss, as if something had neutralized his attack. Now, it was clear.

“So, he has some protective treasure. No wonder the Old Hound dared to hunt me. But I am not who I once was.”

Light as willow catkins drifting in the wind, Jiang Chen caught up with the Old Hound within a few breaths.

Having begun to temper his body, his martial prowess now matched a first-rate fighter—already a step above the Old Hound. With the Old Hound wounded, escape was impossible.

“Stay.”

With a flicker, Jiang Chen appeared before the Old Hound, once more unleashing his soul enchantment and Heart-piercing Palm.

The Old Hound immediately shut his eyes, but it was useless. He fell into a daze, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.

A hum sounded as the Heart-piercing Palm struck again. This time, Jiang Chen sensed even more clearly that some treasure on the Old Hound absorbed part of the blow, but such a treasure could save him once, not twice.

Though the Old Hound did not die instantly, he was grievously wounded, blood streaming from his mouth and nose. As Jiang Chen approached, he struggled desperately to rise, but couldn’t—his bones and sinews had been shattered by the attack.

Jiang Chen’s expression remained indifferent as he reached out, seized the Old Hound by the throat, and lifted him up.

“Jiang Wang, haven’t you always wanted my secret falconry manual? Dream on—I’ll die before I give it to you.”

Knowing he had no chance of survival, the Old Hound’s eyes were full of mockery. He had lost to Jiang Chen, completely and utterly. This was his final act of revenge—if he had to die, he’d make sure Jiang Chen gained nothing.

Jiang Chen remained unmoved.

Indeed, his former self had once tried to trade for the falconry manual. Though not a true magical art, it was quite wondrous and would have aided his cultivation—perhaps even in seeking the white deer. But the Old Hound had refused outright.

“No, I think you’ll tell me after you’re dead.”

His gaze deep and unwavering, Jiang Chen spoke his thought aloud.

The Old Hound tried to sneer, but Jiang Chen gave him no chance.

With a twist of his five fingers, Jiang Chen snapped the Old Hound’s neck. Compared to the living, he trusted the dead more. The dead, after all, cannot lie.

At that moment, as if sensing its master’s death, the gray-feathered hawk circling above gave a mournful cry. Filled with fury, it dove like an arrow toward Jiang Chen, reckless and deadly.

“A fine bird indeed. The Old Hound’s falconry manual must be quite extraordinary,” Jiang Chen mused, seeing the hawk’s attack.

“So be it—I shall grant your wish.”

Channeling his abilities, a crimson glint flashed in Jiang Chen’s eyes. In the next instant, the gray-feathered hawk’s wings folded, and it fell lifeless to the earth—a victim of the Eye of Death.

Having been tempered by the apocalypse, Jiang Chen had developed four major abilities: Soul Reflection, Soul Enchantment, Eye of Death, and Spirit Imbuement. Each ability had its own mysteries, ranging in difficulty, but only the Eye of Death was truly lethal—a fusion of soul power and killing intent, best at assaulting the soul. Ordinary people might die of sheer terror after a single glance, their courage and spirit shattered.

Even those with steadfast wills would experience excruciating agony. To resist this power required either a treasure or secret art to protect the soul, or a soul stronger than Jiang Chen’s. The only flaw—if it could be called one—was that once a soul was slain by the Eye of Death, it became nearly impossible to use Soul Reflection to search it.