The sound of a stone slicing through the air rang out. Liu Xin narrowed his eyes slightly and saw Yang Heng hurling another stone at his head. His eyes turned bloodshot with rage, as if his canthus would split open, and he cursed loudly.
"You bastard, you... you have no martial virtue, always resorting to such underhanded tricks."
"If you have the guts, fight me head-on."
He immediately burned his qi and blood. His stamina instantly recovered, and he shifted aside to dodge.
When Yang Heng had thrown a stone at his head earlier, Liu Xin had assumed that after running for so long, Yang Heng had little strength left. He thought the stone would not carry much force and that he could endure it without issue.
As a martial artist, he was strong and sturdy, and even his head was tougher than an ordinary person's. Even if it hit him, it should not have been a big problem.
Who would have thought that only when the stone struck his head did he realize things were not as simple as he had imagined?
He had been careless.
He felt as though a meteorite had smashed into him. His head throbbed as if it were splitting apart, a huge gash had opened in his scalp, his skull had fractured, and blood gushed from the wound.
Had he not trained in martial arts for several years and used his qi and blood to protect his vital organs, he would already have breathed his last.
Liu Xin thought that since things had come to this, he might as well play along. He would pretend to be dead and lure Yang Heng over to inspect him.
Once Yang Heng came close, he would burn his qi and blood and kill him in a single move.
Thus, relying on his extraordinary willpower, he endured the pain without making a sound and lay utterly still, as though he had been dead for quite some time.
But he had not expected Yang Heng to be so sly and cowardly. Not only did Yang Heng not come forward to inspect him, he even retreated several steps and continued throwing stones to test him.
This time, Liu Xin could no longer endure it. His rage instantly reached its peak, and without hesitation, he burned his qi and blood, determined to fight Yang Heng to the death.
He knew full well that if he did not dodge this time and was struck by another stone, he would truly die. Not even an immortal could save him.
After burning his qi and blood, he immediately felt his entire body brim with power, power far greater than at his peak.
His whole body burned hot, as though a ferocious beast were hidden inside him, filling him with an intense urge to vent his fury.
He rolled his neck, a cold smile on his face, then suddenly kicked off hard with his right foot. Dirt and stones flew everywhere as his body shot forward like an arrow leaving the string, streaking toward Yang Heng with a whoosh.
Liu Xin's hair hung loose and disheveled, soaked with blood and clumped together. Savage light flickered in his pupils, making him look like a vicious ghost from hell—terrifying beyond measure.
Yang Heng's expression immediately turned solemn.
Just as expected, they truly had a hidden trump card.
After seeing Liu Xin erupt, Zhang Meng also burned his qi and blood without hesitation and charged toward Yang Heng to kill him.
The two came one after the other, incredibly fast and ghostlike. In the blink of an eye, they were less than ten meters from Yang Heng.
Yang Heng knew their current state could never last long. They would only use it at a critical moment, and it came with severe aftereffects. Otherwise, they would not have waited until they were at the end of the road to use it.
As long as he could drag things out through this period, the final victory would surely be his.
With that thought, Yang Heng used the same trick again, turned around, and ran.
Seeing that Yang Heng still wanted to flee, Liu Xin let out an eerie laugh.
"How laughable. Do you think you can still escape my grasp this time? What a fool's dream!"
Just as Liu Xin had said, the distance between them grew smaller and smaller, until they were less than five meters apart.
No matter how Yang Heng ran, he could not widen the distance between them. Liu Xin was like a plaster stuck to dog skin, clinging to Yang Heng so tightly that he could not be shaken off.
And the gap between them was still shrinking.
After burning his qi and blood, Liu Xin's abilities had risen greatly, and his speed was markedly faster than before. If not for the gushing wound on his head, he would have caught Yang Heng long ago by going all out.
Liu Xin also understood that even if he could kill Yang Heng, he himself would not survive.
The injury to his head was far too severe. Once his qi and blood were exhausted afterward, he would be unable to suppress the wound and would certainly die.
Yang Heng had caused all of this. Liu Xin hated Yang Heng and was determined to torture him to death.
He looked like a madman. The venomous resentment in his eyes seemed ready to spill out and take tangible form as he stared fixedly at Yang Heng's back, so close at hand.
Closer. Closer still.
He could smell the sour sweat rolling off Yang Heng's body and hear his heavy, rasping breaths.
In one more breath, he would catch Yang Heng. When that happened, Yang Heng would surely die. Of this, he had no doubt.
Yet in that fleeting instant, Yang Heng suddenly stopped, spun around, and scattered a packet of white powder behind him.
Lime powder!
Liu Xin had never anticipated this. By the time he reacted, it was already too late.
He "voluntarily" lunged straight into the oncoming lime powder.
More than half of the lime powder entered his eyes.
Liu Xin immediately felt his eyes burn fiercely. His vision went dark, and he could see nothing.
"Ah..."
He clutched his eyes with both hands and screamed in agony.
Seeing Liu Xin fall for it, Yang Heng pressed his advantage without mercy. He clenched his right fist, the muscles in his hand bulging, and unleashed a Killing Move from Military Boxing—Bow-Step Straight Punch—driving it heavily into Liu Xin's neck.
The neck was one of the human body's weak points. A strike there, even if it did not kill, would rob its victim of the ability to fight.
Blinded and thrown into panic, Liu Xin failed to notice Yang Heng's attack and naturally did not think to dodge.
Zhang Meng, rushing over, saw everything clearly, but he was already too late to stop it.
Crack.
Yang Heng's heavy fist struck Liu Xin squarely in the neck. A tremendous force erupted in an instant, and the crisp sounds of bones shattering rang out without end.
But to Liu Xin, that sound was like the life-taking call of the Black and White Impermanence. He wanted to say something, but all the bones in his throat had shattered, blocking his airway. He could only make gurgling sounds.
When Zhang Meng arrived and saw Liu Xin vomiting blood in great mouthfuls, his head crooked to one side as he quickly fell silent, grief rose in his heart.
He had never imagined that in dealing with a pharmacy apprentice who did not know martial arts, Liu Xin would end up dying so miserably in the wilderness.
"You are vicious!"
Zhang Meng pointed at Yang Heng's nose and said coldly.
Yang Heng sneered.
"Me, vicious?"
"I bear no grudge against either of you, yet you chased me down with all your might to kill me. Now that I killed you in return, you call me vicious? What kind of logic is that?"
Seeing that he could not outargue Yang Heng, Zhang Meng said no more.
Kill him and avenge Liu Xin.
He had that confidence.
Liu Xin had been killed entirely because he had been careless.
But Zhang Meng would not make the same mistake again.
He did not believe that after burning his qi and blood, he still could not handle an ordinary person face-to-face.
Though this ordinary person was somewhat unusual, with excellent stamina and great speed, Zhang Meng did not believe Yang Heng's strength could also be formidable.
With one hand, he could lift a four-hundred-jin weight. Even in the Blood Brave Realm, he was considered quite capable.
Dealing with an ordinary person would be more than easy enough.
What was more, he knew martial arts and had learned several styles of boxing. Though he had not yet entered the hall, he was still using a cannon to kill a mosquito when facing someone who had never practiced martial arts—a gross waste of talent.
After swiftly assessing both sides' strength, Zhang Meng was brimming with confidence. The advantage was his.
He hesitated no longer and attacked at once.
The martial arts school he attended was called the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School, and the boxing style he learned was Fierce Tiger Fist.
Fierce Tiger Fist was a style that imitated a tiger's movements. It was extraordinarily powerful, and its punches were also extremely swift, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. Before an enemy could react, the fist had already arrived before them.
Zhang Meng had trained diligently in Fierce Tiger Fist for three years. He had already entered the gate and was close to Minor Accomplishment. His fist wind was tyrannical, brimming with the might of a tiger.
He immediately assumed the stance of Fierce Tiger Fist, and his bearing changed in an instant. It was as though a real tiger had appeared before Yang Heng, vivid and lifelike.
Yang Heng did not dare be careless and focused fully as he faced him.
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