Fierce Battle

Fierce Battle

Lu Zhaojin crossed past Li Yue and the others' battlefield to pick the Blood Ginseng Grass, intending to pull up the blood ginseng with its soil and roots intact.

But how could the nearby Zhou Ran let him have his way? He clenched his fist and charged to kill him.

With three against one becoming two against one, the man in black was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Lu Zhaojin swung his sword, but his strike hit empty air.

Zhou Ran's sense of danger was sharp, and his reactions were exceedingly fast. He withdrew his fist ahead of time, then seized the opening as Lu Zhaojin swung his sword and threw another punch at his chest.

The fist landed solidly on Lu Zhaojin's body, Internal Energy bursting forth. Yet the injured party was Zhou Ran himself. That punch had felt as though it had struck steel and bronze; the rebounding Internal Energy nearly shattered every bone in his right hand, leaving it dangling by little more than flesh and skin. He could no longer make a fist.

Zhou Ran screamed in shock. He had never expected his opponent to possess not only formidable swordsmanship, but such attainments in a Hardening Technique as well. Retreat sprang to his mind. This man could not be defeated.

How could Lu Zhaojin let experience points run away? Besides, after hitting someone, did he think he could simply flee without taking responsibility? What kind of logic was that?

This time, Lu Zhaojin closed in himself. Zhou Ran could not see the trajectory of his sword at all. In the blink of an eye, several Sword Lights slashed across his body. He did not even feel pain, only the world spinning around him. The last sight he saw was a headless corpse still standing upright.

Against Zhou Ran, though both were at the Early Eighth Rank, Lu Zhaojin felt almost no pressure.

Back when Mu Kui had been at the Ninth Rank Late Stage, he had been able to kill an opponent at the Mid Eighth Rank. Though that had been because the opponent had failed to cultivate Internal Energy and suffered a great drop in strength, with Zhao Nuanyu assisting at the side, he had ultimately won only after a difficult battle.

Now, Lu Zhaojin had broken through to the Eighth Rank, and his Golden Body Technique had entered the beginner stage.

Lu Zhaojin felt that within the Eighth Rank, no one could stand against him.

Seeing Zhou Ran die at Lu Zhaojin's hands as well, Li Yue's eyes split wide with rage. He actually ignored the man in black and raised his sword to kill Lu Zhaojin.

"Twelve Vertical and Horizontal Sword Arts."

The instant he drew his sword, it was a killing move.

Li Yue unleashed the twelve sword forms in an unbroken stream—chopping, thrusting, slashing, lifting. Each move flowed seamlessly into the next without the slightest flaw. He had already brought them to great mastery.

Lu Zhaojin raised his sword to block. All that could be heard was the ceaseless clash of metal, sharp and ear-piercing, yet it failed to harm him in the slightest.

And from time to time, he countered with a few strikes, leaving bloody marks on Li Yue's body.

The more Li Yue fought, the more alarmed he became. This youth put him under even heavier pressure than the man in black, especially with that swift sword. Even when he could barely discern part of its path, he was always a step too slow to dodge. Fortunately, the wounds were not deep, merely cutting through his skin.

On the man in black's side, Mu Zi alone remained to resist him.

Mu Zi was merely at the Early Eighth Rank. How could she be a match for the man in black? Within only a few moves, her long whip was taken away. She was then whipped until she cried out repeatedly, her purple dress becoming tattered and torn, exposing wounds where flesh had split open.

Li Yue had never expected today to end this way.

He had set out brimming with confidence, believing that so long as he invoked the name of the Dingshan Sect, there would be almost no one in the Mount Qi region who would dare disobey.

Yet lately, everything had gone wrong for the Dingshan Sect. Not only had Elder Hengshan's beloved disciple been brutally murdered, but now even he, Li Yue, might be about to meet his end on Mount Qi.

He was an inner disciple of the Dingshan Sect, a student of Elder Qiushui, with a bright future ahead of him. How could he die here?!

Lu Zhaojin sensed that the other man's aura had become disordered, and his sword moves were no longer as practiced and fluid as before. It was probably because he had been affected by that woman.

Naturally, he would not let such a perfect opportunity slip away. Yet from the corner of his eye, he saw that after injuring Mu Zi, the man in black had actually gone to seize the Blood Ginseng Grass.

Lu Zhaojin wanted the blood ginseng too. He would not allow it to fall into the man in black's hands.

With one palm strike, he knocked Li Yue and his sword back together, then swung his sword at the man in black.

"I'll help you!"

At that moment!

Niu Hang let out a thunderous roar, his Xuanhua Great Axe cleaving toward the man in black with the force of splitting Mount Hua.

The man in black had no choice but to withdraw his outstretched hand again and lean his head back. The axe chopped down right before his eyes and smashed heavily into the ground.

But he could not evade that streak of Sword Light in time. The hood over his head was cut open, and a red line appeared across his neck.

Lu Zhaojin had not expected that strike to fail to behead him. It seemed this man truly had some ability. But when he saw his face clearly, a memory from the previous owner of his body surfaced. "Zhao Jinzhi."

Zhao Jinzhi, son of Zhao Yuanshan of the Zhao Family in Shiqiao Town.

The reason the previous owner's memories recognized him was that Zhao Jinzhi possessed a High-grade Bone Structure. He was praised as the Zhao Family's Kirin Son and Shiqiao Town's foremost prodigy.

However, ever since Zhao Jinzhi had tested as possessing a High-grade Bone Structure, his realm had remained stuck at the Ninth Rank, unable to advance even a single step. As time passed, he gained the title of a fallen genius in Shiqiao Town.

Knowing Zhao Jinzhi's history from the previous owner's memories, Lu Zhaojin looked at him with surprise. Could this man be the Child of Destiny of this world?

After all, this sort of experience was strikingly similar to the storybooks he had once read.

The only difference was probably the lack of a broken-engagement plotline.

To his surprise, Li Yue recognized him as well. As though they shared some deep and bitter feud, he raised his voice. "It's you!"

And when he heard Lu Zhaojin call the man in black Zhao Jinzhi, he immediately recalled Zhang Jiao's suspicions. "So it really was your doing, Zhao Jinzhi!"

Li Yue glared viciously at Zhao Jinzhi. "Whether it is today's matter or the vengeance for my senior brother's death, my Dingshan Sect will never let this slide."

With the blood ginseng right before him, Zhao Jinzhi no longer cared if Li Yue saw through his identity. "You mean Mo Yu? If he had not been blinded by profit and coveted the treasure in my possession, only to be slain by me instead, then he would have had no one to blame but himself for lacking the skill."

Li Yue was furious beyond measure, pointing at Zhao Jinzhi. "You...!"

At that moment, Niu Hang pulled out his Xuanhua Great Axe and prepared to chop again.

Zhao Jinzhi casually kicked him away.

Niu Hang slammed into a large tree, spat blood, and collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

Only then did Zhao Jinzhi look toward Lu Zhaojin, his eyes filled with astonishment. "You've changed greatly. I almost failed to recognize you."

Lu Zhaojin said, "So have you."

Zhao Jinzhi had heard of the Sihai Escort Agency incident in Qishan County. He had not expected the Zhao Family to be involved as well. Now, he and Lu Zhaojin were enemies, not friends.

From the strength Lu Zhaojin had displayed just now, though he was only at the Early Eighth Rank, he killed martial artists of the same rank as effortlessly as blowing away dust. Naturally, Zhao Jinzhi could not judge Lu Zhaojin by ordinary standards.

Besides.

Li Yue was watching him like a tiger eyeing its prey.

If those two joined forces, they would certainly be even more troublesome than the three of Li Yue had been just now.

Zhao Jinzhi had wanted to appeal to Lu Zhaojin's feelings and reason, to see if he could persuade him. Yet unexpectedly, Lu Zhaojin's sword was already slashing toward him without the slightest warning.

Facing the son of his enemy, Lu Zhaojin had no patience for so much nonsense.

Besides.

Zhao Jinzhi stood right beside the blood ginseng. He could not let him secretly pluck it.

Li Yue did not join the battle.

From their earlier exchange, he knew full well that he was no match for either of them.

But that did not stop him from calling for help.

Li Yue turned and prepared to leave.

Zhao Jinzhi wanted to muddy the waters, so after evading Lu Zhaojin's thrust, he sent a palm strike toward Li Yue.

Li Yue immediately felt his fury surge. He raised his sword to block, but when the tip of his sword collided with the palm, it actually failed to pierce it.

Looking closely, Zhao Jinzhi's palm shone with a jade-like luster.

Clearly, Zhao Jinzhi cultivated a palm technique of no low grade.

Li Yue was struck by Immense Strength and staggered back repeatedly, taking five full steps before he stopped.

That only made him feel more humiliated.

"Jade Palm."

Zhao Jinzhi wanted to force Lu Zhaojin back with another palm strike, then seize the blood ginseng.

However, this time, he failed to get his wish.

Their palms collided, their Internal Energy crashing together with an explosive bang.

Zhao Jinzhi's expression changed slightly.

Lu Zhaojin smiled.