Can’t Break the Defense?

"Cough... cough cough..."

A violent coughing fit echoed from the ruins outside the inn.

Lei Lie struggled to climb out of a gully on the ground. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his chest heaving.

He looked at the black-clothed youth standing at the gaping hole in the inn, whose clothes were not even creased, and his face was filled with disbelief.

His Raging Thunder Qi had been blocked by the opponent's physical body.

Moreover, the opponent's strength had completely crushed him!

How was this possible?

"What kind of monster are you?"

Lei Lie's voice was hoarse and dry.

"The one who will kill you."

Shen Che's voice was calm, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"Hah... Hahahahaha!"

Lei Lie suddenly burst into wild laughter, his laughter filled with unwillingness and madness.

"Good! Well said, the one who will kill me!"

"I've been roaming the martial arts world for so many years, and you're the first one who's pushed me this far!"

He stomped his foot fiercely, and an even more violent aura surged from his body towards the sky.

"Kid, you can be proud to die after witnessing this move of mine!"

"Secret Technique: Raging Thunder Body Tempering!"

As his voice fell, the Thunder Qi within Lei Lie's body stopped radiating outwards. Instead, it madly poured back into his muscle cells.

Crackling!

A series of popping sounds, like beans being fried, emanated from his body.

His body swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye. Muscles bulged like granite, stretching his purple robes to the point of almost bursting.

His originally black hair stood on end, every strand dyed with an eerie purple hue.

Within his pupils, it seemed as if two balls of lightning were constantly flickering in and out of existence.

In just a few breaths, his aura skyrocketed to a terrifying level, firmly reaching the limit of the Primordial Qi Realm!

This was a forbidden technique of the Thunder Blade Sect, which burned one's life force to greatly enhance speed and strength in a short period, but it would cause irreversible and immense strain on the body afterward.

Lei Lie had completely lost his mind.

He reversed his grip and grasped the hilt of the saber behind his back.

Clang!

A treasured saber, entirely wrapped in purple lightning, with a thick blade and exuding an aura of destruction, was slowly drawn out by him.

The Thunder Blade Sect's supreme treasure, the Meteor Thunder Blade!

"Come on, let me see how hard these bones of yours really are!"

Lei Lie's voice boomed like thunder.

He moved.

His entire body transformed into a purple lightning phantom, leaving a trail of afterimages in his original position.

His true form had long since vanished within these illusions, making it impossible to discern.

Ultimate Saber Technique: Raging Thunder Dance!

The next moment, a sky full of saber shadows, like a divine punishment descending from the nine heavens, howled, tearing through the air, and slashed wildly at Shen Che from all directions.

This move perfectly combined speed, power, and lethality.

The illusions confused the mind, the Raging Thunder Qi was indestructible, and the wide coverage made it impossible to evade.

It was said that no one could survive this move!

The surviving martial artists in the inn held their breath, their hearts pounding in their chests.

This was the true power of an Earth Ranking expert!

World-destroying might!

Bai Fengling and Elder Bai's hearts sank to the bottom.

Facing this storm-like, deadly strike, Shen Che's expression finally showed a hint of seriousness.

He took a deep breath, and the True Qi within his body circulated at an unprecedented speed.

Dragon's Roar Iron Shirt!

Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield!

Roar--!

Grrr--!

A high-pitched dragon's roar and a domineering tiger's roar erupted from his body almost simultaneously.

On his skin, a layer of silver Dragon Scale Battle Armor materialized out of thin air, its dragon patterns writhing like living creatures.

Outside the armor, an incredibly solid golden bell phantom appeared, firmly protecting him within.

Dual defense, stacked!

Facing the purple lightning saber energy that surged towards him like a tidal wave.

Shen Che neither dodged nor weaved. He raised his fists, treating them as if they weighed nothing, and punched out, one after another.

Each punch caused the air to emit a dull, explosive sound.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The dense sounds of metal clashing echoed throughout the arena.

Those saber energies, capable of splitting stone, were shattered one by one under Shen Che's fists, exploding into a sky full of purple light points.

A few always slipped through the net, striking Shen Che's body.

But whether it was the Dragon Scale Battle Armor or the golden bell phantom, they only rippled.

The saber energy struck them, unable to leave even a single white mark.

Lei Lie's ultimate move couldn't break his defense!

Lei Lie was completely stunned.

What kind of defense was this? Even a turtle's shell wasn't this hard.

Just as Lei Lie was frantically attacking, the True Qi within Shen Che circulated at high speed, twelve silvery-white meridians faintly visible beneath his skin.

True Meridian Realm!

Seeing those twelve True Meridians, Lei Lie's movements faltered for a moment.

A martial artist in the True Meridian Realm was actually tanking his forbidden technique's killing move, him, a peak expert of the Primordial Qi Realm?

Who would believe that if it were told?

He felt his worldview being dragged across the ground and rubbed repeatedly at that moment.

"Impossible!"

Lei Lie let out a roar of unwillingness, pouring all his strength into the Meteor Thunder Blade.

Shen Che completely ignored his futile rage.

His fists continued to pound out, one after another, with dull thuds.

The terrifying recoil force was transmitted from the blade of the Meteor Thunder Blade to Lei Lie's arm, time and time again.

Crack!

A crisp sound of bone cracking rang out.

The bones in Lei Lie's right arm, which held the saber, were shattered by the impact.

Crimson blood sprayed from the pores of his arm, forming a mist of blood.

Clatter.

The treasured saber, entwined with purple lightning, flew out of his hand and lodged diagonally into the ground far away.

"Pfft--"

The backlash of the secret technique, coupled with the severe injury to his arm, erupted simultaneously.

The violent aura on Lei Lie's body rapidly weakened, like a deflated balloon.

He collapsed to the ground, spitting up large mouthfuls of blood mixed with internal organ fragments.

Fear completely consumed his heart.

This thought became his only instinct.

Lei Lie used his last ounce of strength and turned to flee.

Shen Che stood in place, his left foot stepping back half a pace, his right fist slowly retracting to his waist, assuming a strange stance.

Vajra Zen Fist: Zen Arrow!

He threw a punch towards Lei Lie's fleeing back, striking through the air.

There was no sound, no light or shadow.

An invisible fist force tore through the air, striking faster than Lei Lie could react.

Lei Lie, who was desperately fleeing, suddenly stiffened.

He looked down at the bowl-sized, transparent hole in his chest.

Life force receded like a tide.

Plop.

The Earth Ranking's thirty-first strongest, Lei Lie of the Thunder Blade, fell headfirst to the ground, utterly lifeless.

[Time Value absorbed +3000]

A system notification chimed in Shen Che's mind.

Inside and outside the inn, there was a deathly silence.

The surviving assassins and martial artists were all struck dumb with fear, not daring to even breathe heavily.

An Earth Ranking expert, dead just like that?

Killed by a youth who looked like he was only in the True Meridian Realm, with just a few punches and kicks?

Everyone was relieved they hadn't been foolhardy enough to charge forward earlier.

Otherwise, the one lying on the ground now wouldn't be just Lei Lie's corpse, but a pile of corpses.