Indoor Close Combat

Chapter 48: Indoor Combat

Old Crow and his three accomplices, who had been lurking outside the window, immediately chose to break in after hearing the commotion.

The moment they entered, he saw Li Yi standing at the doorway.

This made him inwardly rejoice.

As long as Li Yi's location was pinpointed and he was seen in person, the mission for today would be considered half successful. He didn't believe that a greenhorn who had only cultivated for a month could survive the current situation.

Although killing someone in the Old Town District came with a heavy price.

The value of a Mysterious Artifact was enough to make people take the risk and disregard that price.

In the dim living room.

Several pairs of eyes were bright and striking, now fixed on Li Yi with killing intent.

Few cultivators who dared to take on such assassination jobs were decent people.

"Old Crow? Good, you came. Last time, you and that woman almost got me killed in the Ruined City, and you didn't even pay the promised money. Today is a good time to settle all those debts. If the unrelated people aren't afraid of death, feel free to come. Killing one is killing, killing two is also killing."

Li Yi's gaze was cold, his fists stained with blood. The ferocity within him was ignited, and at the same time, a certain restraint holding him back invisibly loosened.

A cornered beast would fight, let alone a martial artist like him who practiced boxing.

"Li Yi, you know why I'm here. If you hand over the item, I might spare you." Old Crow's voice was low, and he also sensed a hint of danger.

"You've kicked down my door, and you're still spewing this nonsense? Besides, you have no credibility with me anymore. Go talk to the ghosts."

Li Yi grinned. His body swayed slightly, then tensed up, and his force erupted instantly.

The ground beneath his feet cracked, and then he lunged forward like a Fierce Beast, his speed so extreme that he closed the distance to one of the cultivators in the blink of an eye, making it impossible to lock onto him, not even giving him a chance to use Witness.

"This explosive power. What a joke." The man was instantly astonished, his pupils contracting sharply as he saw only the afterimage of a fist appear in his vision.

"Damn it, it's too late to block."

"Bang!"

Punch Force erupted, and the punch landed on the cultivator's chest.

His ribs shattered, and then the man let out a yelp as blood gushed out. He looked on in horror as Li Yi's fist burrowed into his chest cavity.

He wanted to resist but found his body had already lost all sensation.

Not only were his ribs broken, but his spine was also fractured.

The power of this single punch was terrifying.

"Attack together, don't hold back." Old Crow, seeing this, realized the seriousness of the situation and roared.

As soon as he spoke, he immediately charged towards Li Yi, his eyes flashing as he activated Witness.

The dim living room suddenly brightened.

"Old Crow, are you the only one who knows Witness?" Li Yi's eyes also narrowed, his pupils glowing.

Witness against Witness.

They canceled each other out.

"Li Yi, you're alone. No matter what, you're going to die here today." Old Crow, using the cover of Witness, had closed in. He roared and threw a heavy punch towards Li Yi's head.

With a cultivator's strength, a full-power punch, even without any special technique, was enough to knock someone unconscious.

In such a situation, unconsciousness meant death.

Li Yi didn't hold back either. He raised his other arm and responded with an elbow strike.

Force erupted again, the impact echoing.

Old Crow felt his arm jolt, followed by intense pain, making him cry out.

His arm was directly fractured by the impact, his fist twisted and deformed, all five fingers shattered, and one arm was completely crippled on the spot. This instantaneous collision immediately revealed the gap between them. Even though he had entered the Spirit Medium Realm long before Li Yi, he was now no match for him.

"This isn't a normal punch, it's a Technique, a Fist Technique." Cold sweat beaded on Old Crow's forehead. The immense power sent him flying backward, and his mind instantly grasped what was happening.

Ordinary punches couldn't be this powerful; only a Technique could unleash a cultivator's full strength.

But when did this Li Yi learn a Fist Technique? There had been no news of it before.

Suddenly, the other two cultivators seized the opportunity and closed in on Li Yi.

One of them, holding a dagger, lunged straight for Li Yi's heart.

Li Yi's skin tensed, his spine flexed, and with a flick of his arm, he flung the heavily injured cultivator he had punched through earlier, blocking the sharp dagger. Although his Punch Force was fierce, his body wasn't yet strong enough to withstand cold weapons.

But the other Spirit Medium Realm cultivator didn't hold back, launching a powerful kick that applied ordinary combat techniques to their extreme.

Li Yi, caught off guard by the enemy, took a kick and stumbled back repeatedly, finally crashing into the wall behind him with a bang, which stopped his retreat.

However, the force of this kick was scattered and didn't inflict much damage on him.

At the same time.

The front door was pushed open, and the two cultivators from the hallway earlier rushed in. They were stunned for a moment upon seeing the scene inside, then seized the opportunity to try and use Witness on Li Yi. They didn't expect to kill Li Yi, only to disrupt and suppress him.

After all, they had seen firsthand how ferocious Li Yi was outside, so they didn't dare to get too close, fearing they would be killed with a single punch.

"Your reaction time is too slow."

However, Li Yi seized upon this opening. He exploded into action, channeling his force. The plaster on the wall behind him directly shook loose and fell. He was propelled forward as if by a powerful spring, landing directly in front of the two cultivators at the doorway.

As his feet touched the ground, the force surged from the earth.

"Quick, dodge his punch!" Old Crow roared anxiously.

Dodge?

Too late. Now you die.

Li Yi raised his arms, adopting a perfect stance. His fists shot out, and two explosive cracks sounded almost simultaneously, making the ears of everyone in the living room ring. Their hearts skipped a beat.

These two punches were even more powerful.

In the blink of an eye.

These two cultivators didn't even have time to react. They were instantly sent flying. One crashed through the door and landed in the hallway outside. The other was blasted into the kitchen, falling to the ground. Deep, distinct fist prints were branded onto both of them, piercing through their bodies and shattering their internal organs.

However, Spirit Medium Realm cultivators possessed incredibly tenacious vitality. Even with such severe injuries, they didn't die immediately. They could only lie there, wailing helplessly, their cries filled with despair and terror.

Because they understood that unless they were rushed to a hospital immediately, they wouldn't survive much longer.

After sending those two flying.

Suddenly, another figure instantly appeared right in front of Li Yi.

The cultivator wielding the dagger had a ferocious expression. Under a surge of strength, the sharp dagger thrust forward.

No escape.

Li Yi instinctively raised his hand to block.

The dagger pierced his palm and was about to tear his body apart.

"Li Yi, is it? I don't believe you'll be so fierce if I rip open your stomach," the cultivator roared, intending to finish off this human-shaped fierce beast before him.

He understood.

If they didn't kill Li Yi tonight, all of them would be beaten to death here.

Li Yi felt the intense pain from his palm. His face contorted, but he endured the pain. As he retreated, he used his injured hand to grip the other end of the dagger.

The sharp tip stopped just as it pierced his abdomen, failing to advance further.

At this moment, the cultivator's heart pounded, and a strong sense of crisis washed over him.

Not good.

Li Yi's other fist had already risen and instantly landed on the cultivator's forehead.

The control over the punch force wasn't very good this time.

Because the counter-attack was too fast and his body hadn't developed the instinct, he didn't have time to channel the force. The crisp explosive sound didn't occur, causing the force to disperse.

Even so, at that moment, the cultivator heard the sound of his own skull cracking. Darkness instantly enveloped his vision, and he was instantly blinded. Blood gushed from his ears, mouth, and nostrils. He lost his balance and fell heavily.

But before he hit the ground, Li Yi followed up with a knee strike.

Bang!

The explosive sound rang out. The cultivator was kicked away without a sound. He was likely already dead before he even hit the ground.

Such a brutal fight filled the last cultivator with terror. He hesitated, no longer daring to approach Li Yi, fearing he would be punched to death as well.

Old Crow, with one arm broken and sweating profusely from the intense pain, was no longer able to fight.

"Why did you stop fighting? Old Crow, look at me."

Under the dim light, Li Yi was covered in blood. His eyes glowed. Clenching his fists, he stared intently at Old Crow and the remaining cultivator. His steps didn't falter as he advanced towards them, step by step.

"You little brat..." Old Crow's eyelids twitched. He felt a chill in his heart.

He felt as if he were hunting a terrifying beast from a dangerous zone. The Li Yi before him was simply not someone a Spirit Medium Realm cultivator could contend with.

Seven people.

A total of seven people, all formidable figures within the Spirit Medium Realm. Yet, in less than a minute after entering this house, Li Yi had brutally beaten three of them to death with his fists, left two severely wounded and on the verge of death, and even crippled one of his arms. Only one person remained completely unharmed.

But the remaining one was probably scared out of his wits.

"Run!"

As expected, the remaining cultivator had lost the courage to fight. Facing the encroaching Li Yi, he finally broke down and, without hesitation, turned and fled.

Bang!

At almost the same moment, Li Yi's figure had already closed in.

The cultivator had only just reached the window when a punch landed on his back. His body then went limp, and he fell out of the window.

Accompanied by a dull thud from the ground outside, there was no further sound.

Old Crow didn't move. He merely glanced over, understanding that no one in this room today would be leaving, including himself.

"Heh, I thought seven people would be enough to take you down. I didn't expect to underestimate you," he chuckled self-mockingly. "Is the Mysterious Artifact truly that terrifying? To allow an ordinary person like you to undergo such a transformation."

"If you want to blame someone, blame your greed. If you had been willing to accept money back then and not tried to silence me, I wouldn't have taken that pile of junk. Besides, do you think I beat you all today because of a Mysterious Artifact?" Li Yi's tone was cold, filled with killing intent.

"That makes sense. Mysterious Artifacts can only help you cultivate faster; they can't reach this level," Old Crow said, finally noticing the room's peculiarity.

He saw that the ceiling, walls, and floor of the house were all covered in fist prints and footprints.

These were all traces left behind by Li Yi after diligently practicing his fist techniques.

"I lost today, I admit it. But don't celebrate too soon," Old Crow snorted coldly.

"You talk too much. It's time for you to go."

But before he could finish speaking, Li Yi was already standing before him. His tall body cast a shadow, engulfing Old Crow, and a powerful punch descended.

Old Crow's pupils constricted. He tried to resist, but it was futile.

Bang!

The punch force reverberated, and the walls shook.

Then, silence returned to the room.

Li Yi's fists were stained with blood, and he panted slightly. He stared at Old Crow's corpse for a moment before glancing back at the others.

The two cultivators who had been wailing earlier were now motionless, it was unclear if they were unconscious or dead.

It seemed no other cultivators had joined the fray from outside the door.

Was this crisis over?

No.

Something was wrong.

Li Yi's ears twitched suddenly as he heard someone coming upstairs.