Brutal

Elder Thame figured John would have been intimidated by this test, but he acted as if it was beneath him.

Elder Thame frowned at John's words. They were the complete opposite of what he was expecting.

"John, I know you're strong, but overconfidence will only lead to your downfall. The cultivators of the sinister path are unlike us. They bathe in battle daily, and slaughtering is like a drug to them.

Even this boy, who is no older than you, has fought and killed more people than you can imagine. Do not underestimate him, or you will perish."

Elder Thame could tell that John was not taking this trial seriously, and wanted to warn him against such an attitude. Before the Elder could say another word, John hopped forward into the arena, scythe in hand.

Elder Thame sighed, and waved his hand. The light screen closed, trapping John and the other boy inside.

"The boy has been promised freedom if he can kill you, so he will do everything in his power to kill you. Be careful."

John landed twenty yards from the boy, and stared directly at him. The boy's hair was disheveled, and there was blood and dirt smeared all over his body. He looked like a homeless beggar, but a malevolent aura emanated from the boy, making him appear quite sinister. His mid Qi Condensation cultivation thrummed with power, revealing he was on the cusp of breaking through to the next minor realm.

The boys bloodshot eyes stared directly towards John, as if he were prey to be devoured. He could tell John was also in the mid Qi Condensation Realm, and a smile broke out on his face as he began to laugh.

"Jejeje, its been a while since I've slaughtered anyone. I can't wait to bathe in your blood, jejeje. Not only that, but I can leave this damned place if I kill you, so die for me."

The arena suddenly turned slightly grey in color, and a powerful aura washed over all of it. It was coming from the boy, and it reminded John of something he had come across before.

'This is like the Crimson Hell Domain, just less impressive.'

The boy was clearly using a domain art, which had washed over the entire arena. Just like when John fought Jason and Dylan, the domain targeted his blood and mind. However, the domain was less profound than the Crimson Hell Domain.

Even the Crimson Hell Domain, the signature domain of the Bloodfiend Sect, was unable to affect him much, so this domain affected him even less.

"Hehehe, this is my sects domain art. Tremble before me," the boy yelled out as he rapidly dashed towards John. His domain made his opponents much slower in battle, and also affected their will and soul. He expected John to be feeling the same way, and dashed forward with bloodlust in his eyes.

His sword pierced directly towards John, aiming for a killing blow.

John sighed, clearly disappointed with his opponent. He had been looking forward to a good fight, as this was the first time he had seriously fought another cultivator since the pocket realm.

"Maybe if you were in the late Qi Condensation Realm, this would have been fun," John sighed out loud.

The boy's expression changed into one of anger as he heard the words, and he sped towards John even faster. When he was right in front of John, his sword pierced directly towards his throat.

Supreme Battle Art!

John quickly exploded with the full power of the Supreme Battle Art.

Peng!

In the blink of an eye, John punched out, and his fist met the side of the sword just as it was about to pierce him. The power of the punch was tremendous, and the boy's eyes widened as he saw his sword fly out of his hand.

Gah!

Before the boy could react, John took a step forward and reached out his hand. His hand gripped the throat of the boy, and he suspended him in the air as he clenched tightly on his throat. The boy struggled to break free of John's grip, but was surprised to find the grip was more powerful than he ever imagined.

It was as if he was being held by a hand of steel, unable to be budged even slightly. He kicked and punched John's chest in an effort to break free, but his hands and feet became bloodied and sore, as if he was punching a steel wall.

"Like I was saying, this would have been a good fight if you were in the late Qi Condensation Realm. A pity," John sighed.

The battle had clearly not satiated his desire for a good battle.

John inspected the boy closely, and was surprised to find that even in his current predicament, there was hardly any fear in his eyes. Although John could still see a slight tinge of fear of death in the boy's expression, he was much calmer than anyone else John had seen before.

"Not bad. Are you not afraid of dying?" John asked calmly.

The boy looked at John with venomous eyes. Despite being at John's mercy, he still didn't plead or beg.

"I already resigned myself to death when I got caught by your damned sect. Just kill me," the boy replied hoarsely, struggling to speak through the tight grip John had on his throat.

John looked at the boy, while some ideas were brewing in his head. Although he had easily defeated the boy, he could tell that most mid Qi Condensation cultivators would die by the boys hands. It was just unlucky that he had run into John, or he might have fared better.

"You're not bad. My battle lust still hasn't been satiated, so…"

John suddenly took a step forward and threw the boy violently like a ball. The boy felt his neck nearly break from the force of the throw.

Boom!

The boy collided violently with the wall of the arena, causing a loud sound to explode out. He fell to the ground, and struggled to stand up.

Elder Thame looked at John in surprise, not expecting his actions at all. He had breathed a sigh of relief when John had easily defeated the boy, and was waiting for him to land the killing blow. However, his expression changed into one of disbelief as he heard John's next words.

"I'll be fighting without my scythe. Come at me with all your strength."

The boy's expression changed into one of confusion. He was unsure why John would give him another chance, but he seized the opportunity he had been given, and attacked John with all his might.

An incredibly powerful sword image, blood red in color, pierced directly towards John. It's power was incredibly strong for a mid Qi Condensation cultivator.

A large smile broke out on John's face as he watched the attack approach him.

"That's more like it!"

Boom!

Fist and sword image collided, and a small explosion radiated outwards.

….

For the next few hours, explosions began to echo throughout the dungeon. Elder Thame stood there in stupefied silence as he watched John fight the boy barehanded.

A small crowd of Elder's had gathered to watch the source of the loud sounds, as it had been ringing out for quite some time. They all watched in stunned silence as they saw John viciously beat up the sinister path boy for hours on end, clearly using him as a practice dummy.

John slowly walked towards the sinister path boy, who lay on the ground. He was completely bloodied and bruised, and had several broken bones. His face was hardly recognizable. He had tried to stop fighting John and give up, but he had learned that John would make the consequence of such actions be quite painful.

As such, he had continued to fight John for hours on end, barely managing to hold on.

"Thanks for the fun fights, that really hit the spot. For your reward, I'll put you out of your misery!" John said as he stood above the motionless boy. The boy struggled to say some words, but was unable to do so.

Boom!

John's fist punched down with all his might, and it shattered the boy's ribcage and pierced directly into his chest and out his back. He withdrew his fist, and watched the last vestiges of life leave the boys body.

John waved his hand, and the boy's body disappeared from sight. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and a satisfied expression washed over his face.

"That really was fun!"