Chapter 86: Life and Death

His heart had been pierced through by the longsword . His breastbone and internal organs were also instantly crushed . The moment his body was sent flying by the man in black with a kick, Yan Liqiang could feel his body turning weightless . Before he knew it, he was suddenly floating in midair . The most intense pain he felt just now vanished without a trace . . .

What's going on? Just what is going on? Why am I floating in midair…?

At this moment, everything was jumbled up in Yan Liqiang's head .

In the midst of this confusion, he 'saw' a familiar figure flying across a distance of more than ten meters before it landed heavily on the ground . After rolling two times, the figure laid there motionlessly .

The unmoving body that landed hard on the ground was no one but Yan Liqiang himself .

"M-MY HAND… MY HAND… ARGHH!!"

The man in black cradled his right hand which was bleeding profusely and he screamed in agony beside Yan Liqiang . . .

In his recklessness, Yan Liqiang had bitten off the entire thumb of the man in black's right hand . When Yan Liqiang was sent flying into the air from his kick, the flesh and bone of his thumb that had been bitten off fell to the ground . It was so mangled that it didn't remotely resemble anything like a thumb anymore . Perhaps not even God could restore it back now . The terrifying strength Yan Liqiang gained over the countless days of practicing Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing could similarly be observed in the strength of his jaws . With just that, Yan Liqiang managed to inflict a serious injury on the man in black .

Losing a thumb meant that the hand was half-crippled . This was especially true for a sword user . Therefore, it was nearly impossible for the man in black to wield his sword with his right hand again from now on .

The man in black picked up his horribly mangled thumb from the floor and yelled like mad . He picked up the longsword with his left hand from the floor and ran towards Yan Liqiang's body . He stabbed Yan Liqiang's chest and neck with his sword as if he had lost his mind, then he chopped off his limbs . "HOW DARE YOU BITE ME? HOW DARE YOU!?"

Flesh and blood splattered everywhere throughout the entire process . In the blink of an eye, Yan Liqiang's body was mutilated beyond recognition . Blood flowed from his body, staining the snow crimson which covered the ground beneath him .

Yan Liqiang was floating in the air during the entire process as he watched the man in black vent out his anger on his body like a spectator .

Watching your own body be wrecked by someone else with your own eyes was an extremely bizarre feeling .

Yan Liqiang lowered his head to look at his own hands . . .

The outlines of his hands were still very distinct, even though they had lost their physical form and appeared to be nothing but a layer of translucent white light . He extended out his hand . The snowflake that fluttered down from the sky passed right through his palm and continued falling . . .

Am I dead . . . ? Is this… what happens when someone dies? Those people in the surroundings… can't or sense me… Is this what they call a spirit or ghost in folklore…?

Countless thoughts ran through Yan Liqiang's head . He lowered his head and spotted Yan Dechang's corpse not too far away . His heart was suddenly overwhelmed by grief .

Countless soldiers and law enforcers came up from both sides and started to clean up the scene . He could no longer see Yan Dechang's figure anywhere on the main street .

"FATHER, WHERE ARE YOU…? FATHER, WHERE ARE YOU…?" Yan Liqiang yelled loudly . Everyone in the surroundings didn't seem to notice him as they carried on with their own tasks .

Yan Liqiang realized that he was as fast as lightning . He floated gently in the sky, his feet not touching the ground . It felt as if there was a powerful buoyancy on the ground which lifted him up . Just a single thought alone could propel him over a distance of hundred meters .

He shouted everywhere . In just a flash, he had already flown around a huge area and saw nothing but emptiness around him . Apart from the snowflakes that filled the skies and the intensely burning torches burning, there was no sight of Yan Dechang anywhere anymore .

Didn't everyone have a soul after dying? Wouldn't they become ghosts, just like him in his current state…? Why was he all alone here…? Why . . . ? Father, where are you…?

"Where are you…? Where are you…?"

Heart-wrenching sobs wracked his body . Soft, glowing white tears fell from his eyes and disappeared into the void .

"I'LL KILL YOU…!" When Yan Liqiang saw the man in black still mutilating his corpse with a longsword nearby, he pounced on him with bitterness .

Yan Liqiang's fists and body passed through the man in black . His opponent didn't seem to sense him either . He tried another few attempts in a row and realized that nothing had changed . His current body was like a transparent shadow, unable to interact with any object .

"There are so many people watching . That's enough!" The Prefectural Governor came over and whispered softly, "As the saying goes, a lion should also hunt a rabbit at full strength . You are a Martial Master who might advance to become a Martial Grandmaster in just a few years time . Yet you got one of your hands crippled during a battle with a youth who wasn't even a Martial Warrior . To put it simply, you underestimated your opponent and you have no one to blame for that . You could have ended the battle with your second slash, yet you gave the youth an opening…"

The man in black instantly stopped and panted heavily .

. . .

The Prefectural Governor then came before Ye Xiao who had been finished off by Yan Liqiang . He looked at Ye Xiao's pale face which was contorted in terror and his eyes which remained open even in his death, staring up at the heavens . He crouched down and placed his hand over them . He tried to shut Ye Xiao's eyes with a gentle brush downwards, but Ye Xiao's eyes still remained open when the Prefectural Governor lifted his hand . He tried two more times and realized that he couldn't shut Ye Xiao's eyes no matter what so he gave up in the end and stood up . He glanced at those guards who trembled with fear in the surroundings and let out a small sigh . "I'll leave the Young Master to you…"

"Understood!"

. . .

Yan Liqiang drifted along the main street as if he had lost his soul . By the time he snapped back to reality, he didn't know how long he had been standing there . The main street which was bustling with activity earlier was now left with only a few people . All the corpses had been carried away . The blood trails on the ground had been covered by stove ashes and then cleaned . Snow was still falling from the sky, concealing every single remaining trace, as if nothing had ever happened .

The fire at the boutique in the distance had been extinguished . The flames were gone, only a pile of ruins remained along with the remains of brick walls and the broken roof tiles were still emitting smoke . The soldiers that came out just now had all withdrawn from the place, leaving only a few law enforcers guarding the ruins, preventing anyone from coming any closer .

Only the entrance of the lavish manor before him was still wide open . The honor guards of the Prefectural Governor were still standing next to the entrance outside . Officials who seemed to be in a hurry and nervous-looking law enforcers were passing through the entrance…

Yan Liqiang lifted his hands which were glowing white and observed them . Right at this moment, he wasn't sure if he was dead or still alive . Was he a human or a ghost?

Everything before his eyes was no different than what he had seen and heard back when he was still alive . Except for the fact that he had become a strange being which couldn't be sensed by others, he was just like a transparent shadow .

Yet the hatred and agony ingrained deep in his bones were still surging in his heart .

Yan Dechang's dying words which he struggled to say still lingered in Yan Liqiang's ears .

He shut his eyes in agony . . .

When a person was still alive, all they could see was darkness when they shut their eyes . However, Yan Liqiang saw an odd-looking huge rock instead when he shut his eyes .

The huge rock assumed the form of a mountain in one minute, and turned into a meteor the next minute, as well as various flying birds, fishes, or bugs . There were also various silhouettes of mythological beasts which Yan Liqiang had never seen before . The myriads of changes were an enigma to behold…

The huge rock drifted in the sea of consciousness within his mind as it kept changing its shape endlessly . A soft, milky white ray of light emitted from the huge rock then gently and warmly enveloped Yan Liqiang's entire consciousness . At the same time, it also formed this incorporeal body which was visible only to Yan Liqiang himself .

. . .