Vajra

Hearing this, Zhang Dailu was surprised, but he didn't panic. Instead, he raised the gold medal and shouted loudly:

"How dare you! This is the Hundred Forests Kingdom, where the King is above and the Prefect is in the center. We, the envoys, uphold the dignity of the nation. How dare you be so insolent!?"

"Acting commander, is this the 'righteous man' you speak of? To kill an officer in the army, to disregard the law, to be so arrogant and outrageous in your actions and words! Now, obey the order, form ranks, and quickly capture this scoundrel!"

As they spoke, a golden plaque flashed. That plaque was actually a Law Artifact! Its quality reached the eighth rank, enough to suppress all ordinary mountain and water deities!

Everyone present, those below the eighth rank, felt an overwhelming pressure and almost had to kneel down.

This is the gold medal of the Minister of State, carrying the authority of the laws and regulations of the Hundred Forests Kingdom. It is Human Path Law Treasure, and as long as the Hundred Forests Kingdom exists and the authority of its laws remains, it will always be effective and powerful.

The Deputy General of the White Rhinoceros Army knelt on the spot, cold sweat pouring down his face. He was stuck in place for a moment, not knowing what to do.

Soldiers should obey military orders, but how could they turn against Mr. Li and Mr. Zhang?

Before the White Rhinoceros Army's Deputy General could even think, Zhang Dailu shouted again, "What are you all standing there for?! Suppressing violence and punishing corruption, upholding national discipline, isn't that your duty? This scoundrel has openly committed a crime and must be punished. Everyone should join forces to exterminate him. Why don't you quickly assemble your troops and capture him?!"

But Li Qi put a hand on the Deputy General's shoulder and whispered, "General, let me tell you something. You will know why the White Rhinoceros Army Commander never returned. It's because he was also imprisoned for disobeying orders, and his fate is now unknown."

Then, without saying a word, Li Qi immediately took action!

Two golden energies drew out two golden lines, silently piercing through.

This time, it wasn't just two paths, but two paths merged into one, becoming one.

The golden thread pierced through at an incredible speed, far beyond the reaction time of ordinary ninth-grade cultivators.

Li Qi's sneak attacks had never failed before; he always dealt with ninth-rank enemies with a single strike, never needing a second.

Although these two Innate Divine Weapons were not forged by skilled craftsmen, they are inherently divided into Yin and Yang, yet they are combined into one, making them top-grade among the eighth grade!

Li Qi usually uses it in parts, because even when disassembled, it is still an eighth-grade weapon, which is enough to crush some ninth-grade cultivators who have no means of restraint.

But now, we're not facing those lousy, insignificant people like those rural mountain gods.

Zhang Dailu, the burly old man, smirked as he realized what was happening! His muscles tensed, a layer of Martial Dao Inner Qi enveloped his fist, and then he threw a punch!

This marks the first direct confrontation between the two sides.

He met the blade with both fists, unleashing tremendous power.

Zhang Dailu is a genuine powerful figure from the government, with Li Qi cultivation and better Law Treasure than Li Qi.

Li Qi knew very well that even if the gold medal in the opponent's hand was made of gold, its power would only be roughly equal and could not completely overwhelm the opponent.

The heavy and irresistible force of the fist instantly shattered the Sword Qi and, carrying immense pressure, hurtled straight towards Li Qi's face.

Li Qi's eyes widened in disbelief.

The golden energy was actually knocked away by a fist!

But at the same time, Li Qi made a gesture with both hands to defend himself, and the golden energy that had been knocked away flew back in an instant.

An eighth-grade metal aura allows one to travel five li in a single breath.

Being knocked back dozens of meters is no different from being right in front of someone.

The golden energy burst forth with all its power, reaching extreme speed and momentum. It struck Zhang Dailu's shoulder with the speed of Mars generated by friction in the air, like a shooting star piercing the sun. Without any change, it struck directly at Zhang Dailu's shoulder with an absolutely unavoidable speed.

In fact, Li Qi was aiming for the head.

But Zhang Dailu was no pushover. At the last second, he tilted his head, and although he didn't dodge, he managed to get his head out of the way and take the blow with his shoulder.

Zhang Dailu took the blow head-on, and his fist was now in front of Li Qi.

But by then, Zhang Lan had already arrived.

Zhang Lan also practices martial arts, and he is at the eighth rank of martial arts!

He placed one hand on Zhang Dailu's fist, and then suddenly yanked it away.

Zhang Dailu flew straight out, his figure cutting through the clouds! With the force of a mountain being shattered, he smashed apart a cloud in the sky, and flew off to an unknown location.

Without saying much, Zhang Lan performed a standing long jump, soaring into the air and chasing after the other man.

Although the fist didn't make contact, the force of the punch still hit Li Qi, directly slamming into his face. The impact made Li Qi see stars, feel dizzy, and bleed from his nose, breaking his nose. He was also sent flying out of the tent, skidding several meters away.

There was no other way; when Shaman faced a martial artist at close range, this was likely the outcome.

Regardless of one's Dao Path, once a martial artist of the same rank gets close, the outcome is entirely predictable.

Shen Shuibi outside seemed to have realized what was happening. Her previously droopy ears suddenly perked up, and she looked curiously at Li Qi had fallen to the ground.

However, Li Qi immediately covered his nosebleed and waved his hand, saying, "Don't make a sound, don't come out, I can handle it."

So the rabbit lay down again.

She didn't seem worried at all, as if it didn't matter if Li Qi died here.

But Li Qi ignored all of that. He stood up and looked at the White Rhinoceros Army Deputy General, whose face was full of confusion.

"General, there is no need for you to make things difficult. You are not required to participate in this battle, but I guarantee with my life that what I say is absolutely true. How to proceed is up to you. The safety of the White Rhinoceros Army Commander is probably in your hands as well."

After Li Qi finished speaking, before his Deputy General could react, he whistled, saw the Old Ma approaching, mounted it, and rode off towards the battlefield.

Only then did the soldiers and civilians outside realize what was happening.

The figure that shot into the sky just now attracted a lot of attention.

The Deputy General also made a decision. He immediately picked up the military tiger tally and activated the Technique Method within it.

As soon as the tiger tally was activated, a large drum made of white phantom material appeared, with a white rhinoceros depicted on its surface. The rhinoceros had a gentle demeanor, yet it was strong and brave.

The Deputy General grabbed the drumsticks and slammed them down.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The war drums sounded, and the entire army felt the call.

Almost all the soldiers of the White Rhinoceros Army, regardless of what they were doing—eating, chatting, resting, or even using the restroom—quickly finished what they were doing and converged on this side.

The drums sound to assemble the army; they will surely come when summoned!

The people were still confused, and some hadn't even realized what had happened, so many of them gathered around to watch the spectacle.

But the White Rhinoceros Army couldn't care less about that now. The Deputy General waited until everyone was assembled, then immediately shouted to the officers around him, "Divide into ten teams! Gather the people together and don't let them wander off! Then gather the brothers and go ask the envoy about the whereabouts of our commander!"

"Understood!" the officers shouted in unison, then quickly split into ten teams, each going off to carry out their respective missions.

Meanwhile, the battlefield where Zhang Lan and the envoy fought is now a scene of devastation.

Battles between martial artists do not involve the various wondrous Technique Method used by Shaman.

All that exists is a brutal exchange of blows and terrifying head-on hand-to-hand combat.

Both sides pulled out their Law Treasure.

Martial artists can also use Law Treasure, but none of them possess any mysterious or extraordinary abilities.

Generally speaking, a martial artist's magic Law Treasure only has two characteristics.

One is that it's tough enough, and the other is that it's highly lethal.

They wouldn't be able to use any of the other fancy features anyway.

Although Zhang Lan's Zhou Tian Sword was only one out of 360, even that one out of 360 was already Eighth-Rank Magic Treasure. At this moment, he had already drawn his sword, the long sword was unsheathed, the sword sang a long howl, and thousands of Sword Qi transformed into rainbows, descending from the sky with overwhelming force, and in an instant the earth cracked! All things were destroyed!

The Zhou Tian Sword is a prime example of this kind of Law Treasure. Apart from automatically returning to its original position after the holder's death, all other performance characteristics are enhanced in this aspect.

It's tough enough to withstand high-intensity combat.

It's sharp enough to break through most eighth-grade defenses.

That's enough!

Zhang Dailu then inspired that gold medal.

A mysterious aura emanated from the gold medal, clinging to his body and making him appear like a golden statue, incredibly hard. It jingled as he walked, and even when he wielded a sword with his bare body, it produced not a muffled thud, but a crisp metallic clang.

It's like having a body of steel.

The two martial artists exchanged blows. Zhang Lan was a swordsman who actually followed the path of skill and sharpness. However, for some reason, his sword could not break through the body of the steel!

That indestructible body seemed to be blessed by some powerful being. Even with Zhang Lan wielding a sharp blade and using his eighth-grade internal energy, it remained completely unharmed, like a tortoise shell.

The battlefield was filled with the constant clanging and banging of bells.

However, Zhang Dailu had no way to deal with Zhang Lan.

Zhang Lan's swordplay was light and agile, leaving no trace and being impossible to grasp. Whether it was his fists or his legs, he could not touch his opponent in the slightest. Sometimes, even if he launched a series of attacks, his opponent would dodge with a strange and nimble Movement Method that was difficult to see with the naked eye... as if he could teleport.

It gives the impression that he's hitting thin air.

That's right, it's like hitting thin air, you can't even touch it.

Zhang Lan completely suppressed Zhang Dailu, Zhang Dailu had no chance to fight back. He could only rely on his indestructible body to be beaten up like an iron turtle.

But his shell was unusually hard, and apart from the fact that the surrounding environment was completely destroyed, his body was not damaged at all.

When Li Qi arrived, he was surprised to find that Zhang Dailu was temporarily evenly matched with Zhang Lan.

Zhang Dailu was only a ninth-rank official!

What makes him capable of being on par with Zhang Lan?

Just then, Zhang Dailu suddenly spoke up, "The Sword Master of the Righteous Sword Palace? Although your Righteous Sword Palace Cultivation Method are swift, you are not good at dealing with my style. You should stop. Even if you are an eighth-rank, you can't do anything to me."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan also stopped. It could be seen that the edge of his sword was trembling, and the hand holding the sword was bruised and purple from the recoil.

Zhang Lan stared at the other party. "What exactly is on your body? Even if you have reached the limit of the ninth rank and are only half a step away from the eighth rank, you do not have Martial Way Divine Intent, which is worlds apart from me. Logically speaking, you should not be able to stop me."

This matter was beyond Zhang Lan's comprehension.

Zhang Lan never imagined that someone of the ninth rank could withstand his fierce attack head-on.

The eighth-rank giant ape was cut down by his sword and couldn't stand up, and that was before he even attacked with his full strength.

But now, even though he has clearly gone all out, he still cannot break through that indestructible body.

This is truly bizarre.

But at that moment, Li Qi finally arrived.

Seeing this, Zhang Lan threw out his longsword.

The flying sword sent Zhang Dailu flying, crashing heavily into a distant mountain. The sword bounced back, and he caught it again.

Then, he turned to Li Qi and said, "Brother Li, don't go up there. This man isn't very strong, but he's as tough as a tortoise. I'll keep him trapped here. You take the White Rhinoceros Army and leave. With me here, he won't be able to leave."

However, Li Qi replied, "Brother Zhang, please take me closer to see."

"Huh?" Zhang Lan was taken aback.

"Let me see what his tortoise shell is; maybe I'll find a way to break through it," Li Qi said.

"Alright, then come with me, I'll beat him up again!" Zhang Lan replied.

Then, the swordsman lunged forward again!

Zhang Dailu had just crawled out of the ground when he was struck on the head with a sword.

The force of the attack swept through the clouds, causing waves to surge and mountains to crumble and seas to split! An unstoppable force erupted, and although it was a sword, in Zhang Lan's hands it was like a spiked club. He struck Zhang Dailu on the head with the club, like smashing a stake into the ground, and then slammed the man into the ground. The surrounding ground trembled, forming a crater-like terrain.

Li Qi's eye twitched as he looked at it.

Is this what an eighth-rank martial artist is like?

If I were that stake, I'd be smashed into mincemeat, and then I could make meat patties with some onions and peppers.

However, Zhang Dailu remained unharmed.

It was just inserted again and temporarily trapped.

"Brother Zhang! Be quiet! You're making too much noise, I can't see the details!" Li Qi shouted from outside.

"Troublesome..." Zhang Lan muttered, then lifted Zhang Dailu out of the field again.

Zhang Dailu was pulled up again, and he swung a punch to retaliate, but Zhang Lan caught it, pressed his head down, and slammed it to the ground.

It was smashed several times.

As Zhang Lan smashed the iron tortoise, he asked, "You piece of trash, you think you're invincible just because you think this iron tortoise is a match for me? I can't hurt you, but with me here, you can't go anywhere else! You think I can't do anything to you? Is that a solution?"

Leaving aside the interaction between the martial artists, Li Qi was observing from a distance.

The golden body, its skin shrouded in auspicious light, with a seven-foot halo rising from its top amidst crimson clouds, remained as stable as Mount Tai, unbroken in the slightest, despite being battered and covered in dust.

Li Qi felt like he had seen this somewhere before, and he tried hard to remember while flipping through the book.

On the other side, Zhang Dailu laughed loudly, "You, a dignified eighth-rank official, can't do anything to me, how shameful!"

Zhang Lan flew into a rage, grabbed the golden statue's hand, and slammed it to the ground like a ball of rice, demanding, "You were forced to scrub the floor by me, and you say I'm a disgrace?!"

Zhang Dailu retorted, "You're panting heavily, while I'm completely unharmed, not even feeling any pain. Who do you think is more shameful? Besides, why do you think I'm not worried at all? I'm waiting for you to die. What are you waiting for?"

Zhang Lan laughed in fury, grabbed the other man by the hair, and lifted him up. "Wait for me to die? You think you can do that?"