Purple Crystal stared dumbfoundedly at Shen Lin, who had returned with Cheng Yi from inside the prison in the blink of an eye. She felt only an absurdity in her heart.
She had already prepared herself to charge into the prison and fight a great battle, then bring Cheng Yi out with difficulty.
But reality?
She had been feeling somewhat ashamed after triggering the alarm bell. Yet after only a brief moment of distraction, just as she was preparing to rush into the prison, she discovered that Shen Lin had already finished everything.
"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!"
Shen Lin frowned and spoke in a lowered voice.
Why did this fellow seem so dazed and foolish?
Shen Lin shook his head speechlessly and leaped straight toward another rooftop.
But while his body was still in midair, before he had landed, a brazen laugh came from the side.
"Hahaha! I knew lying in wait here like a hare waiting for a stump would pay off. You bandit, prepare to die!!!"
Cheng Shanhe charged over from the side, carrying a huge Wolf-tooth Club. His imposing momentum was astonishing, like a cannonball.
Yet faced with this sudden attack, Shen Lin was not surprised in the slightest.
I was wondering where this fellow had gone after not finding him in the prison. So he had been waiting outside for me to deliver myself to him.
At that moment, Shen Lin was in midair, with no room whatsoever to dodge or maneuver.
And tonight, to avoid suspicion, he had brought no weapons. He could only use his fleshly body to take the attack head-on.
Except...
The Wolf-tooth Club in Cheng Shanhe's hands was clearly forged from refined steel. Its sharp spikes were each larger than ordinary iron nails.
A thing like this would be impossible for even a monster to withstand if it struck flesh.
After all, a Meridian Opening Realm martial artist was still made of mortal flesh and blood.
The situation was hopeless!
A smug, triumphant smile spread across Cheng Shanhe's face as he secretly congratulated himself on choosing the perfect moment to strike.
But in the next instant, Shen Lin, still in midair, actually twisted at the waist and threw a punch.
He can still move?
Cheng Shanhe was startled at first. But when he immediately realized that his opponent had merely thrown a punch with his bare body, he nearly laughed.
How hard do you think your fist is? How dare you...
Boom!
In the next moment, a formidable might erupted violently.
All the Blood Qi Power within Shen Lin's body surged into his right fist. The dense Blood Qi Power seemed almost substantial, condensing into a phantom fist before his knuckles.
At that instant, Cheng Shanhe's vision blurred. He felt that a mountain peak had appeared before him at some unknown point, pressing down heavily upon him.
The Wolf-tooth Club flew from his hand, and the phantom fist struck Cheng Shanhe's body.
The clothes covering his body burst apart instantly. Every patch of skin was squeezed until blood seeped out, and in the blink of an eye he became a man drenched in blood.
That was not all. A succession of crisp cracking sounds showed that the bones within his body were being crushed.
"Qi Manifestation..."
Cheng Shanhe murmured blankly before his body fell helplessly from the rooftop.
"Go!"
Shen Lin shouted at Purple Crystal, who was still dazed behind him, then charged into the distance with Cheng Yi.
Behind them, Hu Dongxing and Wang Yuantong had just leaped onto the rooftop to follow, but now they jumped down again and found Cheng Shanhe, grievously wounded.
As soon as Cheng Shanhe was helped up, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His fingers trembled as he raised them, and he murmured, "Fist Qi... manifesting outside the body. He's at the Innate Realm!!!"
Those words immediately stirred stormy waves in Hu Dongxing's heart.
The reason the Innate Realm differed from the Meridian Opening Realm, and why those at the former did not fear blades or weapons striking their bodies, was that they could rely on powerful Protective Qi to withstand external attacks.
And among those in the Innate Realm, some with extraordinary talents and abundant spiritual energy within their bodies could perform the technique of Qi Manifestation.
The formidable Qi Manifestation was astonishingly powerful. Ordinary iron weapons could not withstand its might head-on.
That man just now had actually been at the Innate Realm...
For some reason, upon hearing such a terrifying piece of news, Hu Dongxing felt somewhat relieved.
This time, the county magistrate should have no way to make trouble for him.
After all, that had been an Innate Realm expert...
"When did you reach the Innate Realm???"
Purple Crystal followed Shen Lin for a while. Seeing that no one was chasing them, she immediately opened her mouth and asked.
Shen Lin turned his head, somewhat speechless. He had just been about to remind them that they were not safe yet when he suddenly widened his eyes and looked toward the sky.
A tiny black dot was steadily growing larger in Shen Lin's eyes.
Whoosh!
In less than a breath, the black dot dove down from high in the sky.
It was a bird monster covered in black feathers. A pair of wings grew from its back, it had a bird's head and a human body, and a pair of sharp, hooked claws extended from its lower legs.
At that moment, borrowing the momentum of its dive, it viciously clawed toward them.
Shen Lin had no time to think. He directly threw Cheng Yi aside, spread his legs, and planted himself firmly on the ground before throwing another Mountain-Toppling Fist.
Boom!
The phantom fist collided with the other party.
Yet the Mountain-Toppling Fist that had just grievously wounded Cheng Shanhe in a single blow failed to continue its triumph this time.
A streak of black light flashed across the bird monster's body, and a thin black screen of light instantly covered it.
The phantom fist dissipated, while the other party remained completely unharmed.
After carefully sensing it, the bird monster frowned and murmured softly:
"He isn't at the Innate Realm, but this is clearly a technique of True Qi Manifestation..."
Shen Lin felt his scalp prickle. This is truly troublesome.
This is an Innate Realm bird monster!
The layer of light covering its body just now was clearly the Protective True Qi of an Innate Realm expert.
With that layer of protection, none of the methods of a Meridian Opening Realm martial artist could break through its defenses.
Even his strongest attack at present, the Mountain-Toppling Fist, was no exception.
After all, Blood Qi Power and the spiritual energy of the Innate Realm differed in nature.
"Boy! What was that punch of yours called?"
The bird monster pondered for a while but could not figure out the reason. It simply opened its mouth and asked directly.
"Mountain-Opening Fist!"
Shen Lin replied in a deep voice. He did not say that he had created it himself, instead giving the name of the original technique.
"Mountain-Opening Fist... Never heard of it."
The bird monster shook its head. It was just about to continue asking something when it suddenly seemed to sense something. Looking into the distance with narrowed eyes, it sighed and said, "Forget it. Taking you back and questioning you slowly will work just as well."
Shen Lin's heart sank upon hearing this.
Even though he had opened ten meridians, he still had no power to fight back before an Innate Realm expert.
There's no other way.
Shen Lin took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and glared viciously at the bird monster.
He was preparing to use the system's deductions to break through directly to the Innate Realm.
In the current situation, he could not afford to open all his meridians before making the breakthrough.
But just as the system panel gradually unfolded in his consciousness, he suddenly froze and abandoned the idea.
A black-clothed young man suddenly appeared before him.
"You won't be able to capture him today!"
He held a sword in his right hand, folded his arms before his chest, and looked calmly at the bird monster.
The instant the black-clothed young man appeared, the bird monster's body involuntarily rose thirty feet higher.
It seemed to recognize the black-clothed young man's origins and was deeply wary of him.
That reaction caused the black-clothed young man's expression to change for the first time.
He mused, "It seems... you know me?"
The bird monster gave no response. It merely suddenly flapped its wings and flew straight into the sky.
Seeing this, the black-clothed young man scratched his chin in puzzlement. Without paying Shen Lin any attention, he vanished directly from the spot.
"Who was that person just now?"
Seeing that the crisis had been resolved, Purple Crystal could not help letting out a long breath. She looked at Shen Lin in confusion.
How did this fellow know an Innate Realm martial artist?
Shen Lin did not respond. He merely said softly, "Let's go quickly. The people from the County Yamen won't give up just like this."
Before you continue