The Peak of Alchemy & Martial

C14 – Forbidden Technique

“You’re asking for it!” Watching Yun Haoyan stand his ground and brazenly meet his claw attack head-on, the elder with the red eyebrows couldn’t resist putting more force into his strike.

The youthful fist met the iron-hard claw, yet it was the claw that shattered. The sound of cracking filled the air, followed by the elder’s agonized screams.

“My claw!” he wailed, his once rock-solid claw now a mangled mess, flesh and blood indistinguishable.

“Spiritual Energy has taken form! You’re a Martial Grandmaster!” Several of the Qiu family elders stared at Yun Haoyan, unable to believe their eyes.

Were the heavens playing tricks on them?

Yun Haoyan was still so youthful, barely an adult.

For a young man who had just come of age to be a Martial Grandmaster was a humbling revelation.

In all of Silkbarrow City, the most powerful were merely Grand Martial Masters. Even the castellan only boasted a peak Grand Martial Master level. A Martial Grandmaster stood an entire realm above—a gap as vast as that between the earth and the sky.

Yun Haoyan paid no mind to the Qiu family’s astonishment. He delivered another punch, piercing the red-browed elder’s chest.

“Martial Grandmaster!” The elder, recognizing the anomaly in Yun Haoyan, coughed up blood and collapsed.

“What’s the matter? Too scared to come at me? Weren’t you eager to take me down? Bring it on!” Yun Haoyan’s challenge caused the elders to step back.

“Enough with your insolence!” A middle-aged man dressed in opulent attire stepped forward.

“Master!”

The appearance of the man seemed to rally the Qiu family’s spirits.

“You little cur, you must have stumbled upon some forbidden technique that’s temporarily boosted your realm to that of a Martial Grandmaster. Surrender the technique, and I’ll let you live,” the Qiu family patriarch declared with confidence.

It was inconceivable for someone to possess such innate talent, to reach the Martial Grandmaster Realm before adulthood. He knew Yun Haoyan’s capabilities well—he was merely a Martial Warrior. How could he have ascended to Martial Grandmaster so abruptly? He must have resorted to some forbidden technique.

The disparity between power gained through forbidden techniques and that earned through true cultivation is vast. Confident in his own abilities as a Grand Martial Master, he was certain he could withstand Yun Haoyan’s artificially enhanced Martial Grandmaster strength. His fearlessness stemmed from this belief.

Once the forbidden technique’s duration expired, Yun Haoyan would be defenseless.

“I want you dead!” Yun Haoyan bellowed, charging at the Qiu family patriarch.

This man was the murderer of Yun Haoyan’s parents in his past life, having slain them right before his eyes.

Haunted by dreams of vengeance, Yun Haoyan had longed to exact justice with his own hands. So, upon seeing the Qiu family patriarch, he didn’t hesitate to attack.

“Die!” Yun Haoyan sneered, his fist barreling toward the patriarch’s face.

The patriarch scoffed, drawing his treasured sword to intercept Yun Haoyan’s punch.

But he had gravely miscalculated. Yun Haoyan’s might wasn’t the result of a forbidden technique, but of the Pill God Body’s power, far beyond the patriarch’s wildest expectations.

Now possessing the Spiritual Energy of a Martial Grandmaster and the savvy of a Martial Emperor, Yun Haoyan could effortlessly defeat even a genuine Martial Grandmaster, much less the Qiu family patriarch, a mere Grand Martial Master.

The sword did block Yun Haoyan’s punch, but it was a futile gesture. The patriarch’s strength was laughably inadequate against Yun Haoyan, who decapitated him with ease, leaving his body standing lifelessly in place.

“The patriarch is dead! He’s a devil! Run for your lives!”

The Qiu family was in disbelief; their once invincible patriarch had fallen without landing a single blow. Panic-stricken, they scattered in all directions.

Hadn’t Yun Haoyan’s power been augmented by a forbidden technique?

How had their patriarch fallen so swiftly?

With their patriarch defeated, they stood no chance against Yun Haoyan. Their only option was to flee as quickly as possible.

Regrettably, Yun Haoyan had already established a formation, rendering it impossible for anyone to escape.