Clearwind Stronghold Appears!

"Li Yang! Don't hold back when you fight!"

Huo Zheng was furious.

Even a clay figurine had a temper, let alone when Yan Yangtian had provoked him again and again in front of everyone.

"Yes, Master!"

Li Yang took a deep breath, his Late Skin-Refining Realm Qi and blood surging through his body.

He had joined the Tiger Martial Arts Academy early on and practiced the Tiger Stake Skill for years. His stance was solid, his foundation firm, and his Tiger Fist had long since reached the height of perfection.

Across from him, Yan Yangtian stood in place with the faintest hint of a smile on his lips, his hands hanging at his sides. He looked as though he didn't take Li Yang seriously at all.

"Begin!"

Li Yang sank his waist and settled his hips, gathering power for an explosive strike. At the referee's command, his right foot kicked fiercely off the arena floor, his Qi and blood surging through him with a roar as he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

"Ha!"

Li Yang's flesh tightened and his sinews and bones exerted their strength. Like a fierce tiger charging from the forest, he thrust out both fists, the wind from his blows howling as they headed straight for Yan Yangtian's face.

The first move of Tiger Fist, Tiger Descends the Mountain!

Li Yang's blow carried tremendous force, every bit of his Late Skin-Refining Realm Qi and blood poured into it. The spectators below felt a gale howling at them, so fierce they could barely keep their eyes open. It was as though a tiger were charging straight at their faces, frightening them into breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Good!"

The people from the Tiger Martial Arts Academy couldn't help cheering for him.

"Senior Brother Li Yang's Tiger Descends the Mountain is incredible! It feels like a real tiger is charging at us!"

Even the hard-to-please Huo Zheng couldn't help nodding, quite satisfied with his disciple.

By contrast, the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy's side was utterly quiet. Everyone wore tense expressions, sweating on Yan Yangtian's behalf.

It took time to describe, but happened in an instant. Just as the force of the fists reached him, Yan Yangtian suddenly raised his head, his lips curling into a cold smile.

His feet shifted slightly, his hips tracing an arc as he assumed an Eight Trigrams stance. He sank his shoulders, lowered his elbows, drew in his chest, and stretched his back, then struck out with both palms. In the blink of an eye, they landed on Li Yang's fists.

Bang!

Fist and palm met with only a faint sound of impact. The fierce force of Tiger Fist sank into the circular force of Eight Trigrams Palm in an instant, and more than half its power was immediately dissipated.

Li Yang was both shocked and furious. His all-out strike had been neutralized so easily!

"Again!"

His first attack having failed, Li Yang immediately gathered his strength and struck again, driving the power within him as he unleashed an unbroken stream of attacks.

Tiger Goes into Action, Fierce Tiger Sweeping Leg, Hungry Tiger Pounces on Prey!

Li Yang fought with broad, sweeping movements, throwing everything he had into the attack!

Yan Yangtian, meanwhile, moved in every direction as though strolling through a courtyard. Whenever Li Yang's fierce fists came close, his Eight Trigrams Palm redirected their force.

Li Yang was like a man trapped in a quagmire. No matter how he struggled, it was futile; he was being led around the entire time.

The difference between them was clear at once!

"Not good!"

Huo Zheng's expression changed. He could already see that Li Yang was at a disadvantage; his defeat was only a matter of time.

Tiger Fist was fierce, but someone who grasped the essence of Eight Trigrams Palm could use softness to overcome hardness, restricting Tiger Fist at every turn.

What was more, Tiger Fist projected brute force outward and consumed enormous amounts of Qi and blood. Li Yang's attacks seemed endless, but they were a tremendous drain on both his stamina and his Qi and blood. Yan Yangtian, on the other hand, used softness to overcome hardness and turned his opponent's strength against him. He always had strength to spare and expended very little Qi and blood.

After several dozen exchanges, Li Yang was already gasping for breath, his punches growing sluggish. Every punch felt as though it had struck cotton, leaving him so miserable he wanted to cough up blood.

His eyes were bloodshot. Knowing he was certain to lose if this continued, he forced himself to draw another breath as his Qi and blood churned, gathering every bit of their power into his right fist.

"Let's see how you dodge this!"

"Black Tiger Digs Out the Heart!"

Black Tiger Digs Out the Heart was the killing move Li Yang had mastered, concentrating all the Qi and blood in his body into a single punch.

If he did not succeed, he would die trying!

Swish—

The wind from his fist howled, and a piercing tearing sound rang through the air!

This was an all-out strike from a Late Skin-Refining Realm fighter making a desperate counterattack!

A cold glint suddenly flashed through Yan Yangtian's eyes.

"It's time to end this."

Before the words had faded, a violent presence burst from his body, his skin, flesh, sinews, and fascia trembling in unison!

Yan Yangtian wasn't in the Late Skin-Refining Realm at all, but—

The Perfected Skin-Refining Realm!

Boom!

Yan Yangtian struck out with one palm, unleashing all the perfected power of Qi and blood stored within him. His palm was no longer graceful and flowing. This strike was not meant to redirect force, but carried a terrifying, immense power!

"Stop!!!"

Huo Zheng roared.

Pei Heng also called out, trying to stop him.

But it was already too late.

The force of Li Yang's fist was torn apart with ease. His all-out strike couldn't offer the slightest resistance against that palm, and he could only watch helplessly as it landed on his chest.

The force of Eight Trigrams Palm erupted in an instant. With a crack, Li Yang's ribs all broke, and blood gushed from his mouth. He staggered backward again and again before falling stiffly onto the arena floor.

"Yan Yangtian, do you know what you're doing?!"

Pei Heng was furious. Yan Yangtian had struck so viciously that he was practically trying to take Li Yang's life, forging a death feud with the Tiger Martial Arts Academy that would not end until one side was dead!

"Master, what do you mean? I'm bringing glory to the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy."

Yan Yangtian spread his hands, a helpless look on his face.

"Li Yang!"

Huo Zheng hurriedly helped Li Yang up.

Blood was pouring from Li Yang's mouth and nose. He was breathing out more than he breathed in, with only his final breath left.

"Get a doctor, quickly!"

Huo Zheng roared. He laid Li Yang down, fury blazing in his eyes as he longed to tear Yan Yangtian limb from limb.

"Yan Yangtian!!!"

"What, Academy Master Huo, are you thinking of attacking a junior like me?!"

Yan Yangtian picked at his ear with his little finger, a smug smile curling his lips.

"Father, let me kill him and avenge Chen Yang!"

Huo Lan was so angry that she tried to rush forward, but Huo Zheng grabbed her.

"He's in the Perfected Skin-Refining Realm. You'd just be throwing your life away!"

Huo Zheng forced down his anger.

"Father, let me go."

A young man stepped forward.

Huo Lin.

Huo Zheng's eldest son, a cultivator at Skin-Refining Realm Perfection and the only one in the entire Tiger Martial Arts Academy, was also Qingshan Town's acknowledged number one among the younger generation!

"Big Brother!"

Huo Lan opened her mouth, then stopped herself.

In the current situation, Huo Lin was the only person in the entire Tiger Martial Arts Academy strong enough to fight Yan Yangtian.

"Don't worry."

Huo Lin vaulted onto the arena.

"Huo Lin, you've finally come!"

Yan Yangtian lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, a cold glint flashing through them.

"I've waited a long time for this day."

Yan Yangtian was the number two of Qingshan Town's younger generation.

To rid himself of the title of eternal runner-up, Yan Yangtian had trained desperately, all so that one day he could take Huo Lin's place!

"I didn't expect you to have broken through to the Perfected Skin-Refining Realm. That really is a bit of a surprise."

Huo Lin spoke indifferently. "But your strength doesn't look like the result of your own breakthrough. You must have taken some kind of secret medicine. And you think you're worthy of fighting me?"

"Try me and find out!"

Enraged, Yan Yangtian chose to attack first.

The two men each used their academy's ultimate techniques, exchanging dozens of blows in a short time.

"Eight Trigrams Palm at Minor Mastery! Tiger Fist at Minor Mastery! They've both actually reached Minor Mastery!"

The spectators below were all astonished.

Their talent went without saying. Both were at Skin-Refining Realm Perfection, which showed that they spent most of their time practicing stance skills, yet their accomplishments in martial techniques were also this great. It was truly hard to believe.

"Huo Lin, what do you have to say now?"

Force burst from Yan Yangtian's palms as Qi and blood circulated through his limbs and bones. Wisps of white smoke even rose from his back as he steadily dissipated the force of Huo Lin's Tiger Fist.

"Power obtained through crooked means won't last. And you dare compare yourself to me?!"

Huo Lin changed his fist technique, bending at the waist and arching his back, his eyes gleaming like a tiger crouched in the mountain forest, poised to strike.

When Yan Yangtian came close, Huo Lin used Tiger Leaps Across the Mountain Stream, feinting with his left hand before smashing a Tiger Cannon Fist into Yan Yangtian's abdomen with his right.

The fierce punch landed as though striking a cowhide drum, producing a muffled thud. Layer upon layer of ripples visible to the naked eye spread through the air.

Bang!

A large, man-shaped pit was smashed into the arena in an instant. Yan Yangtian's entire body was wedged beneath the floor, his robes stained red with blood as tearing pain surged from every part of him.

If he hadn't reached Skin-Refining Realm Perfection, that blow would have smashed him to death.

"You forced me to do this!"

A vicious look appeared in Yan Yangtian's eyes as he raised both hands and rapidly formed seals.

The next moment, the blood on his body and scattered around him began to dissipate in a bizarre manner.

Yan Yangtian's face grew paler and paler, and his body visibly wasted away. Yet the Qi and blood within him and the presence around him surged wildly at an unimaginable speed!

That presence was so powerful that even Huo Lin's expression changed, and he stepped back instinctively.

The next moment, Yan Yangtian leaped from the pit, a blood-red radiance soaring from his entire body, and grievously injured Huo Lin with a single palm strike!

He pressed the attack, striking down at Huo Lin's head with his palm, intent on finishing him off.

"You're courting death!"

Huo Zheng flew into a complete rage and swiftly leaped onto the arena. His Mid-Stage Flesh-Refining Realm power erupted like a volcano as he moved to kill Yan Yangtian.

"Huo Zheng!"

Pei Heng could hardly stand by and watch Yan Yangtian be killed, so he immediately entered the fray.

Pei Heng and Huo Zheng exchanged a palm strike and a punch in midair, both flying backward off the arena.

"Pfft!"

Pei Heng spat out a mouthful of blood.

Huo Zheng's Mid-Stage Flesh-Refining Realm strength surpassed his by a considerable margin. Combined with the fierce and domineering Tiger Fist, that punch had already left Pei Heng with serious internal injuries.

Huo Zheng's face turned pale; he hadn't come away unscathed either.

Although Pei Heng's realm was lower than his, he had cultivated Eight Trigrams Palm to a profound level. That seemingly weightless palm strike had actually passed through his skin and struck his internal organs.

A mouthful of blood surged up Huo Zheng's throat, but he forcibly swallowed it back down.

On the surface, Huo Zheng had the upper hand, but in truth the two were evenly matched.

"Father, are you all right?!"

Huo Lan hurried over.

"I'm fine. See how your brother is!"

Huo Lin struggled to his feet, his face white as paper. "I'm fine, Father. What Yan Yangtian just used was Clearwind Stronghold's Bloodthirsty Forbidden Art!"

"What?!"

One stone stirred up a thousand waves.

Clearwind Stronghold!

Weren't they the infamous mountain bandits?

The Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy's eldest senior brother was actually in league with Clearwind Stronghold?

"Lin, are you certain?"

Huo Zheng was greatly alarmed and hurriedly pressed him for confirmation.

"I learned a little about it when I was in Qingyang County. I couldn't have mistaken it!"

Huo Lin nodded.

Squish!

Pei Heng, who had just been about to ask a question, looked down at the short blade stabbed into his body. He slowly raised his head and looked at his most beloved eldest disciple in disbelief.

"Yangtian, you..."

The sudden turn of events stunned everyone.

Even Huo Zheng had never imagined that Yan Yangtian could commit the monstrous crime of murdering his master, an act that would outrage both gods and men!

Yan Yangtian quickly retreated, a smile of triumph on his face. "Old fool, do you know why I didn't kill you with that stab? Because they want you alive!"

Pei Heng gripped the hilt and pulled the blade out, enduring the pain.

The blade was short and entirely black, with three clear characters engraved on the end of the hilt: "Clearwind Stronghold."

"Clearwind Stronghold's Armor-Piercing Saber! You really are in league with Clearwind Stronghold!"

Pei Heng stared blankly, despair in his eyes, unable to believe any of it.

This kind of Armor-Piercing Saber was made specifically to pierce the bodies of Skin Refining Realm fighters. Even the skin of a Perfected Skin-Refining Realm martial artist couldn't withstand one strike, and it was unique to Clearwind Stronghold!

"Hahaha, Pei Heng, we meet again!"

A burst of laughter drew closer from the distance.

The next moment, countless footsteps thundered out. Immediately afterward, a black mass of mountain bandits surged wildly in from every direction, surrounding everyone in the blink of an eye.

A mysterious cloaked man raced across the heads of the bandits as though walking on level ground. As he neared the arena, he pushed off with one foot and leaped into the air, turning several somersaults before landing steadily on the arena.

After him, four more people arrived, each from a different direction.

The four had formidable presences, and the Qi and blood within them churned ceaselessly. All of them were in the Early Flesh-Refining Realm!

The cloaked man, meanwhile, was in the Mid-Stage Flesh-Refining Realm.

Huo Zheng's expression changed, and he thought to himself that this was bad.

Including him and Pei Heng, there were only two people in the Flesh Refining Realm present, and both were injured. Pei Heng in particular had been struck by Huo Zheng's punch and then slashed with a blade, leaving him with less than thirty percent of his strength. How could they possibly hold off these bandits?

"Greetings, my lord!"

Seeing the cloaked man appear, Yan Yangtian hurried forward and bowed with cupped fists.

"Kid, you did well this time. Rest assured, Clearwind Stronghold will never mistreat anyone who has rendered us a great service!"

The cloaked man laughed loudly.

"So you planned this long ago!" Pei Heng stared at the cloaked man, his voice cold. "Yuan Lie, why not show your true face? I'd recognize you even if you were reduced to ashes!"

"Yuan Lie!"

Huo Zheng's hand trembled involuntarily.

"Father, who is Yuan Lie?"

Huo Lan asked in a low voice.

"A madman!"

At the thought of Yuan Lie's past, a chill ran through Huo Zheng's heart.

A large part of the reason Clearwind Stronghold's fearsome reputation had spread so far was Yuan Lie.

He was capricious, often slaughtering entire villages and towns. Wherever he went, not even chickens or dogs were left alive, and corpses littered the ground. All the common people feared him.

"Hmph!"

Yuan Lie removed his cloak. Surprisingly, he had soft, fair skin and looked nothing like a bandit chief. Instead, he looked like a young master from a wealthy family.

"Pei Heng, you should know I came for you!"

Yuan Lie's gaze turned cold. "Your junior brother captured my elder brother. Everyone says you and your junior brother are as close as blood brothers. I don't believe he can stand by and watch you die at my hands!"

He slowly raised his hand and spoke coldly:

"Kill them all! Everyone, especially the people from the Eight Trigrams Martial Arts Academy—not one is to be spared!

"Every inheritor of the Eight Trigrams Stake Skill must die!"