One Versus Two

On the cliffside, three figures collided fiercely. Huang Da was the first to strike, his fist aimed directly at Zeng Fan's face. Zeng Fan dodged to the side, and as Huang Er followed up with a double-fisted punch towards Zeng Fan's already evasive form, Zeng Fan's arm muscles bulged. He threw a punch upwards, and with a soft bang, Zeng Fan slid back while Huang Er retreated two steps.

The moment Zeng Fan retreated, Huang Da flashed past Huang Er and struck at Zeng Fan with an open palm. Zeng Fan dodged again, simultaneously driving his knee upwards and sending Huang Da flying.

"No, if I keep fighting like this, these two will wear me down to death!" Zeng Fan's pupils contracted as his mind raced. From their previous exchange, Zeng Fan knew Huang Er had sustained a significant injury. He also observed that both brothers had dark skin, suggesting their cultivation technique, like Huang San's, focused on strengthening the physical body. His attacks weren't inflicting much damage on them.

"I'll have to rely on the charge-up of the Fish Dragon Dance and find an opportunity to deal with Huang Er, then it'll be one-on-one. Damn it! If my realm were Body Tempering Bone Perfection right now, I'd be confident even facing both of them!" A jolt went through Zeng Fan's mind. The two opponents charged again. Zeng Fan subtly glanced at the location of the Body Tempering Fruit before circulating his Spiritual Energy to meet them.

"I'll deal with Huang Er first!" Zeng Fan locked his gaze on Huang Er, determined to finish him even at the cost of injury. Huang Da struck again with his palm. Zeng Fan dodged once more with the Fish Dance and lunged towards Huang Er.

Huang Er was taken aback, then understood Zeng Fan's intention to eliminate him first. "You want to finish me off first? Then try me!" A fierce look crossed his face. Instead of retreating, Huang Er advanced, knowing he needed to create an opening for Huang Da. Spiritual Energy coursed through his body, and Huang Er threw a punch directly at Zeng Fan's chest.

Zeng Fan's gaze flickered. He moved directly to meet Huang Er's punch. Fierce light flashed in Huang Er's eyes. "Trading injuries? If this guy gets hurt, Big Brother can take care of him!" With this thought, Huang Er unleashed his full power, adding more force to his punch. He, like Zeng Fan, abandoned defense and went all out.

As Huang Er's full-powered punch landed on Zeng Fan's chest, a bone-shattering pain instantly shot from Huang Er's palm to his mind. Huang Er felt as if he had struck a piece of refined steel. "There's something blocking his chest! This is bad!" Huang Er twisted his body with all his might, trying to retreat.

"You're not going anywhere! Fish Dragon Dance!" As Huang Er's full-powered punch hit his chest, Zeng Fan couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. However, most of the impact was blocked by the Heart Protection Mirror on his chest, so his injuries weren't as severe as expected. How could he miss such an opportunity? Zeng Fan unleashed his killing move, pressing a palm directly onto Huang Er's chest. Huang Er's chest caved in, and the clothes on his back were ripped apart by the immense force of Zeng Fan's palm.

Pfft. Huang Er spewed a torrent of bright red blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs. He slammed heavily onto the ground, his eyes staring at the sky. His body trembled violently. He wanted to warn Huang Da about the anomaly on Zeng Fan's chest, but it was in vain. His life force gradually dissipated. In Huang Er's black and brown pupils, the brown area shrank, and the black expanded silently, then stopped.

Huang Er was dead, killed by Zeng Fan. Zeng Fan stood beside Huang Er. Although the Heart Protection Mirror had blocked most of the attack, he was still seriously injured. Before Zeng Fan could fully recover, Huang Da's furious roar approached rapidly.

"Die, you bastard!" Zeng Fan turned, only managing to circulate Spiritual Energy to his arms and raise them to block before being kicked flying by the enraged Huang Da.

Huang Da didn't pursue. He bent down and approached the deceased Huang Er, his hand trembling slightly as he lifted him. Huang Er's eyes were vacant. As Huang Da held his corpse, his lifeless gaze fixed on the sky, his pale hands hanging limply at his sides. The indentation on his chest silently told Huang Da the location of the fatal wound.

Huang Da's eyes reddened, tears streaming down his face. He bit down hard on his lower lip, unaware that his chin was already covered in blood.

"Second brother, second brother," Huang Da whispered, calling out to his sibling. The corpse before him offered no response, no longer able to impatiently wave him away as before. "What is it, big brother? Stop shouting, you'll make my ears fall off."

A wave of immense bitterness surged into Huang Da's nostrils. His second brother was gone. His trembling hand covered Huang Er's eyes, closing his eyelids. Huang Da glanced again in Huang San's direction. Regret now was useless; these bastards had to die to somewhat appease his hatred.

As the thought flashed, Huang Da, a mixture of grief and rage, paused slightly. He had attacked with all his might to kick Zeng Fan away, but why was the guy not moving? He definitely hadn't killed him. Huang Da spun around abruptly, only to find Zeng Fan standing at the bottom of the cliff, watching him warily. Zeng Fan's face was an unnatural red, yet his aura was continuously strengthening. Huang Da's pupils contracted. He looked up towards the Body Tempering Fruit tree and found that the fruits were gone.

"This guy... is he breaking through?!"

At this moment, Zeng Fan was attempting to break through. When he killed Huang Er, he knew he didn't have the strength to deal with Huang Da. Only by breaking through could he find a sliver of hope. As Huang Da kicked him away, he adjusted his body's direction, heading towards the cliff where the Body Tempering Fruit was located. With Huang Da's force, Zeng Fan wasn't far from the cliff.

While Huang Da mourned over Huang Er's corpse, Zeng Fan had already ascended the cliff. The six Body Tempering Fruits hung quietly on the tree, emitting a fragrant aroma. Zeng Fan didn't hesitate and plucked all six fruits.

"How many of these will I need for enough Spiritual Energy to break through?" Zeng Fan frowned.

"Although the Spiritual Energy within the Body Tempering Fruit is abundant, if I eat too much, Huang Da won't have to lift a finger; I'll explode from the sheer power of the Spiritual Energy."

"Let's try first," Zeng Fan took out two Body Tempering Fruits and threw them into his mouth. The fruits dissolved upon contact, and a massive surge of Spiritual Energy erupted from his abdomen. Zeng Fan felt his meridians straining painfully.

"This is bad! Two is too many!" Zeng Fan didn't know that a single Body Tempering Fruit was usually enough for alchemy. The Spiritual Energy contained within was too volatile and required other medicinal ingredients to neutralize it for maximum effect. For an ordinary person, consuming two Body Tempering Fruits would lead to severe injury from the overwhelming Spiritual Energy before they could even digest it.

Seeing Huang Da stunned by Huang Er's corpse, Zeng Fan diverted a sliver of his attention to him, dedicating the rest of his focus to absorbing the immense Spiritual Energy. Although his bones and sinews were frantically absorbing it, the Body Tempering Fruits continued to transform into Spiritual Energy, dissipating within Zeng Fan's body. Zeng Fan couldn't absorb it fast enough, which was why Huang Da saw his entire body turn red.

"He dares to break through here?! I must kill him quickly!" Huang Da set down Huang Er's body and leaped towards Zeng Fan at top speed. Although advancements in the Body Tempering Realm could be significantly shortened with sufficient Spiritual Energy, and external influences were minimal, most cultivators still sought a quiet place to break through undisturbed. After all, even with low odds, there was a possibility of qi deviation, which would end their cultivation journey.

Huang Da hadn't expected Zeng Fan to break through under such circumstances. If Zeng Fan succeeded and escaped using his breakthrough cultivation, Huang Da wouldn't be able to accept it. He only wanted to pulverize these individuals now!

Black light emanated from Huang Da, indicating he had activated his ultimate killing move to its peak. He arrived before Zeng Fan and punched down. Zeng Fan weakly raised his arms to block. Dust flew from the ground as Huang Da's punch forced Zeng Fan into a half-kneel. Before Zeng Fan could react, he was kicked sideways by Huang Da. Mid-air, Zeng Fan couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

Even his expelled blood contained a large amount of Spiritual Energy. After spitting it out, Zeng Fan felt a slight lightness in his body. He landed and stabilized himself.

"Only by expending this Spiritual Energy can I have a chance to break through!" Zeng Fan now understood what he needed to do. Huang Da was approaching again. Spiritual Energy surged through Zeng Fan. He stopped using evasive maneuvers. A large amount of Spiritual Energy surged within his body as Zeng Fan willed it. He charged directly at Huang Da.

The two figures collided again. Zeng Fan's ferocity startled Huang Da. Abandoning defense, Zeng Fan engaged in a trade of blows, the dull thuds of fist against flesh echoing around them. No longer paying attention to Huang Da's fists, Zeng Fan only wanted to vent all the Spiritual Energy within him.

"Trading blows?" Huang Da showed no fear. He was one small realm higher than Zeng Fan, and with his defensive killing move, he was confident he could last longer than Zeng Fan. However, he might have forgotten that Zeng Fan needed time more than anything right now.

As the most brutal close-quarters combat began, Zeng Fan's injuries increased under Huang Da's attacks. But the Spiritual Energy within his body was being absorbed by his bones or circulated by Zeng Fan for combat, and his internal condition gradually stabilized. The risk of exploding was no longer present, and the aura of his breakthrough grew stronger.

Huang Da felt a surge of annoyance. Although Zeng Fan's injuries were mounting under his assault, he hadn't sustained a fatal blow. "This can't go on!" Huang Da deliberately took a heavy punch to the abdomen from Zeng Fan. Enduring the searing pain, Huang Da let out a soft cry as his fist, whistling through the air, landed on Zeng Fan's chest.

"Success!" Before Huang Da could rejoice, intense pain and numbness shot up his arm from his fist. Zeng Fan was also sent flying by the punch.

"There's something strange about this guy's chest!" Huang Da's fist trembled slightly from the pain. He clearly felt that his reinforced fist had been blocked by something, and it hadn't achieved the result he expected. Before Huang Da could figure out what it was, a voice reached his ears, sending a chill down his spine.

"Now, it's my turn."