Thunderous Sound Shakes Organs, Broken Spear for Survival

"Clang--!!!"

A deafening clang of metal on metal rang out, striking every heart like a heavy hammer.

Sparks exploded like fireworks.

The frozen earth beneath Ji Ye's feet instantly shattered, his legs sinking into the mud up to his ankles. He felt a strange, vibrating force surge madly through the spear shaft, ignoring his tough "Dead Flesh Armor" and directly striking his internal organs.

"Pfft!"

He couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood and spat it out.

This was the Organ Tempering realm. Internally, one refines Qi; externally, one tempers muscles, bones, and skin. Hulei's every strike contained a unique vibrating force, the "Tiger-Leopard Thunderous Sound" generated by internal organ movement, specifically designed to break hard techniques.

"Is that all the strength you have?"

Hulei sneered. Using the rebound, the hundred-jin saber in his hand swept through the air in a semicircle and cleaved down again.

"Again!"

This second strike was heavier and faster than the first, carrying a piercing shriek that tore through the air.

Ji Ye didn't have time to pull his legs free and could only raise his spear to block.

"Boom!"

Ji Ye's knees buckled, and he almost fell to the ground. The specially made iron spear in his hand was actually cleaved with a deep notch by this strike, its shaft bending into a terrifying arc.

"Third strike!"

Hulei gave Ji Ye no chance to breathe. The bones in his body cracked and popped, his chest puffed like bellows, and the saber descended like it could split mountains.

If this strike landed, Ji Ye would be cleaved in half along with his spear.

"Aaaargh!!"

Ji Ye's eyes turned bloodshot, and a roar of despair erupted from his throat.

He didn't resist head-on again. The instant the blade neared his head, he abruptly let go with one hand and rolled to the side.

"Crack!"

The iron spear, now unsupported, was instantly severed by the saber. The broken spearhead flew out and embedded itself deep into the scorched earth beside them.

Although he avoided a fatal blow, the residual force from the blade still swept across Ji Ye's back.

The "Dead Flesh Armor" he had prided himself on was torn open like rags, revealing the bright red muscle and bone-white shoulder blade beneath.

"Running?"

Hulei, holding his saber, watched Ji Ye roll on the ground like a cat playing with a mouse. "Where do you think you can run?"

He took a step, shrinking the distance, and instantly caught up to Ji Ye, unleashing a kick.

The kick was as fast as lightning, landing squarely on Ji Ye's lower abdomen.

"Bang!"

Ji Ye doubled over like a shrimp, sent flying ten feet away, and crashed heavily into a pile of still-burning charcoal.

Sparks flew.

Ji Ye struggled to get up, but the intense pain made his vision blur. His intestines felt twisted together, and every breath carried the taste of blood.

The gap was too vast.

This was the chasm between realms. Purely stacking strength seemed so clumsy in the face of absolute skill and internal energy.

"Is that all you've got?"

Hulei walked up to Ji Ye, looking down at him with disdain. "The warriors of Da Liang are all spineless, as expected."

He raised his saber, the tip aimed at Ji Ye's neck.

"It's over."

The blade descended.

At this very moment.

Ji Ye, who had seemed incapable of resisting, suddenly opened his eyes.

In those eyes, there was no fear, only a chilling calmness.

He was waiting.

Waiting for the moment the opponent thought victory was assured and let down their guard.

Ji Ye didn't dodge. Instead, he thrust his chest forward, meeting the blade!

"Squelch!"

The saber pierced his left chest, missing his heart but severing ribs and lodging deep in the muscle.

Hulei froze for a moment. He hadn't expected someone to actively seek death.

But the next second, his expression changed.

Ji Ye's dense muscle once again came into play, biting down on the blade like countless steel clamps. Simultaneously, Ji Ye's hands shot out, like iron chains, tightly gripping Hulei's wrist.

"Gotcha."

Ji Ye, his mouth full of blood, grinned like a demon.

"You..."

Hulei tried to draw his saber, only to find it wouldn't budge. He attempted to exert force to shake Ji Ye off, but Ji Ye had his Triple Brute Force at full power. Ji Ye's hands felt welded to his wrists.

"Bow your head!!"

Ji Ye roared, using Hulei's attempt to draw his saber against him. He suddenly sprang up.

Not with his fists, not with his feet.

But with his head!

His head, tempered by the Tiger Demon Bone Forging Fist and as hard as iron, charged Hulei's face with a desperate, all-out ferocity.

This was a scoundrel's tactic, a mutually destructive one.

Hulei had no way to dodge.

"CRUNCH--!!!"

A sickening thud echoed.

It sounded like two boulders colliding.

Hulei cried out in pain and stumbled backward. His nose was instantly shattered, tears and snot mixed with blood gushing out. His mind reeled with temporary dizziness.

No matter how well one practiced Organ Tempering, the face was still soft!

Ji Ye fared even worse.

A horrifying gash opened on his forehead, blood blinding him. But he didn't retreat. Instead, fueled by his madness, he released one hand and drew the bone-carving knife he hadn't used from his waist.

"Die!!"

Ji Ye lunged, like a rabid dog, and plunged the bone-carving knife fiercely towards Hulei's neck.

Hulei, after all, was a powerful fighter. At the brink of death, his instincts made him turn his head.

"Spltch!"

The knife missed its mark, failing to sever the windpipe, but it deeply embedded itself into Hulei's trapezius muscle.

"Get lost!"

The searing pain jolted Hulei back to his senses. He roared in fury and slammed a palm into Ji Ye's chest.

This palm contained ten percent of his Internal Strength.

"CRACK!"

Ji Ye's chest bones completely caved in. He flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing to the ground, utterly still.

But Hulei was in no better shape.

He clutched the wound on his neck, blood flowing uncontrollably, dyeing half his body red. His once imposing face was now a mess of blood and gore, his nose shattered, looking utterly pathetic.

"Kill him! Kill him for me!!"

Hulei bellowed, his voice now strangely distorted from the air leaking out.

The surrounding barbarian soldiers, stunned by the brutal scene, only reacted to the command before charging at the seemingly lifeless Ji Ye with their curved sabers.

Just then.

"Wooo—Wooo—"

From afar, a deep horn sound suddenly echoed.

It wasn't a barbarian horn.

That was... the assembly call of the Da Liang border army!

On the horizon, a cavalry unit flying the banner of "Zhenbei" (North Guard) appeared like a black dragon, tearing through the dawn, rolling towards them.