Thunder Sound Subdues the Ape Intent

"A little bit of effort, at least."

On the second floor of the restaurant to the east, Zhou PeiDe breathed a sigh of relief.

He shook his head slightly and said, "He could have won easily, but he insisted on showing off. If he had used his full abilities earlier, he wouldn't have been in such a mess."

Another middle-aged man with a black beard praised, "Zhou Bai has truly grasped the Monkey Form. After this battle, he will undoubtedly reach a new level. His talent far surpasses ours."

This man was Wang Yao, one of the Eight Great Vajras. He had followed Zhou Pan to learn martial arts very early on and usually practiced medicine at the Zhou Family's Martial Hall.

He was considered the most reputable among the Eight Great Vajras.

"My junior brother Wang flatters me," Zhou PeiDe said, stroking his beard and nodding, his eyes full of relief.

Meanwhile, Yuan Qu, standing beside them, was too lazy to speak. Listening to their conversation, a hint of mockery flickered in his eyes...

On the second floor of the restaurant to the west, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

"It seems Elder Zhang is going to lose his bet."

An old martial arts master shook his head slightly, a hint of unwillingness in his voice. "He has mastered the Monkey Form and the Monkey Intent. The Zhou Family's young man's talent is truly extraordinary. The old monkey has found a successor..."

"What's the rush!"

Zhang YuanShang snorted, his face grim, taking several puffs of his water pipe.

Regardless of everyone's thoughts, the battle above intensified.

On the stage, Li Yan was hit by another claw.

Three claw marks appeared on his left shoulder, and blood flowed freely.

But he ignored them, staring intently at Zhou Bai.

Using the Great Luo Dharma Body to trade blows was useless now. This was a Life and Death Arena; even if he recovered, unless he broke through his opponent's "circle," he would still be injured.

He had to admit, this Zhou Bai was indeed fierce.

The Monkey Fist he used had truly grasped its essence, moving with natural agility.

Li Yan could even feel that he was no longer facing a person, but a ferocious ape roaming the mountains and forests.

Not a person?

Looking at the wildness in the other's eyes, Li Yan's heart suddenly stirred. As he retreated to dodge, he formed the Yang Seal with his hand and took a deep breath.

As expected, there was something strange about Zhou Bai.

A faint, fishy odor constantly lingered around him.

This odor was completely different from the cold, malevolent aura of the Cold Altar Rampaging Soldiers or the Immortals worshipped by Widow Wang. It was more like the scent of a living creature.

Well, this kid is playing tricks!

Although he didn't know why, Li Yan was certain that his opponent must have used some kind of sorcery to achieve such a perfect display of Monkey Intent.

Li Yan was annoyed but became even calmer.

According to Zhang ShiTong, this match was being witnessed by people from the yamen, and someone invited by the City God Temple was present to prevent the use of sorcery.

Now it seemed that the invited person was completely irresponsible.

It was even possible that they were turning a blind eye because of the Zhou Family.

Moreover, the aura was extremely faint. Even if he exposed it, the sorcerer could easily dissipate it, rendering it useless...

It was a shame the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Sword Tassel wasn't on him.

Whoosh!

As he was lost in thought, Zhou Bai lunged again. He ducked low, his right claw aiming for Li Yan's ribs, while hissing.

This was the Red Fist's Hidden Strength secret technique, Thread Penetrating Sound.

With each inhale and exhale, the qi was like a fine thread, passing through the intestines and circulating through the muscles and tendons.

Zhou Bai's martial arts were still shallow. Using Hidden Strength continuously had already made him somewhat strained. By now, he had to rely on Thread Penetrating Sound for assistance to execute it smoothly.

Combined with his Monkey Form, it was like a wild beast roaring.

Li Yan was in a similar situation. Facing the incoming claw, he had nowhere left to retreat and could only use Hidden Strength to parry it.

At the same time, he expanded his chest and recited the True Words of the Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound.

"Om!"

A muffled sound, his chest resonated like thunder.

The crowd below the stage was already noisy, and the common folk who heard it didn't think much of it. After all, some martial artists often made grunting or ha-ing sounds when practicing.

But Zhou Bai, who was closer, only heard a muffled thunderclap in his ears. His head buzzed, his vision went black, and his breathing immediately became disordered.

He had been tainted with the aura of a horse monkey, and it was achieved through a secret technique. It was like oil and water mixed, with clear boundaries.

The Great Cloud Thunder Sound, originally a Buddhist true word, emulated the changes of heaven and earth's thunder and yin and yang. It could naturally suppress evil spirits. Though not a magical technique, it caused the monkey's qi to stagnate.

With the qi in disarray, the Hidden Strength naturally dissipated.

Li Yan, however, exhaled and spoke, gathering his strength.

With a crack, the claw that Zhou Bai had thrown was directly batted away by Li Yan. Half of his hand was broken backward, flesh torn and bone fragments protruding.

"Ah--!"

Although Zhou Bai often sparred with others and had masters guide his movements, everyone else feared Zhou Pan and dared not strike with lethal force. Thus, he had never suffered a serious injury.

The intense pain in his wrist was unbearable. He broke out in a cold sweat and stumbled backward.

The Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound can break it!

Li Yan could smell the foul, fishy odor on the opponent becoming unstable.

Though he didn't understand why, he wouldn't miss such an opportunity. He exerted force in his calves, crossing his legs, and directly closed the distance.

Red Fist also excelled in flexibility.

As soon as Li Yan closed the distance, Zhou Bai had no time to dodge.

In a panic, he flicked his left hand, his grasp like a steel rake, and clawed directly at Li Yan's face, intending to force him back.

However, Li Yan, who had been sparring with him for a long time, was already familiar with his Monkey Fist techniques. He batted away Zhou Bai's left hand and his right hook directly struck his upper abdomen. Simultaneously, he pushed with his left hand, and his right fist came down like a hammer.

Red Fist's Quick Hands: Reveal, Smear, Thrust, Chop!

Each move was faster than the last.

At the same time, Li Yan exhaled and spoke, the "Om" true word repeating. Zhou Bai took several solid hits, feeling as if he were a monstrous being being struck by heavenly lightning.

Thunder roared in his ears, his head buzzed, and with a poof, he spat blood from his mouth.

The fear of death surged.

Zhou Bai knew that if he didn't do something, he would die here today!

As Li Yan's final punch descended, he suddenly raised both elbows.

Crack!

The sound of bone cracking echoed from both arms simultaneously.

Zhou Bai retreated to the corner of the arena. Under the immense force, he was sent flying backward, spitting blood.

With a thump, he fell heavily from the three-zhang high arena. His legs twitched a few times before he went still.

"You're asking for death!"

A furious roar erupted from a restaurant on the east side.

A figure smashed through the window and leaped directly from the building.

It was Zhou Bai's father, Zhou PeiDe.

Although he was a rigid man, extremely strict with his son and never spoke kindly, his love was deep and his discipline was harsh.

This precious son had always been his greatest pride.

Seeing his son gravely injured and his life uncertain, he lost all reason.

Crash!

From the restaurant on the west side, several figures also leaped out.

An old man rushed forward, directly blocking Zhou PeiDe.

"Scram!"

Zhou PeiDe roared and threw a Heart-Wrenching Palm.

However, the moment he attacked, the person disappeared from his sight.

The one blocking him was Luo ShiHai, a senior expert of Eight Trigrams Palm.

Eight Trigrams Palm's steps were like wading through mud, its arms like twisting ropes, and its turns like grinding stones, excelling at close-quarters maneuvering.

Luo ShiHai shifted his body, locked on, and appeared at Zhou PeiDe's side. Simultaneously, he used his double-changing palms to knock aside Zhou PeiDe's arm and sank his shoulder.

Stumble, stumble, stumble!

Zhou PeiDe immediately lost his balance and retreated repeatedly.

Luo ShiHai then gently stroked his long beard, his eyes cold, and said calmly, "Once the victor is decided in the Life and Death Arena, all grudges are settled, and no retaliation or interference is allowed."

"What, your son's life is precious, but my disciple should just endure it?!"

This question was filled with undisguised anger.

His disciple, a promising Female QingYi, had been insulted by Zhou Family disciples and hanged herself.

He had tried to retaliate, but he was no match for Zhou Pan in the arena, so he had to temporarily put the matter aside, forcibly suppressing his rage.

Now that he had an opportunity, he naturally wanted to get even.

At the same time, Zhang YuanShang and others also surrounded them, confronting the Eight Great Vajras beside Zhou PeiDe.

The atmosphere was exceptionally tense for a moment.

Just then, Wang Yao, one of the Eight Great Vajras, stepped forward a few paces, felt Zhou Bai's pulse, and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, he's not dead yet. Save him first!"

"Quick! Quick!"

Zhou PeiDe, unable to bother with anything else at this point, quickly led his men forward, lifted Zhou Bai onto a stretcher, and hurried away.

As they left, they didn't even have time to utter any threats.

Meanwhile, Yuan Qu and the others among the Eight Great Vajras swept the area with cold gazes before turning and leaving rapidly.

Many martial artists were present, and their eyes held various expressions upon witnessing this scene.

They were all seasoned veterans, intimately familiar with the situation in Xianyang City.

Everyone knew that with the end of this arena match, the two factions of the Divine Fist Society had completely broken apart, and the streets of Xianyang would no longer be peaceful!

"Yan XiaoGe, are you alright?"

Wang DaoXuan and Sha LiFei naturally had no time to pay attention to these people. They rushed to the bottom of the arena and, seeing Li Yan slumped over, repeatedly asked if he was okay.

It wasn't that they were overly anxious; Li Yan's condition was also dire.

Before his comeback victory, he had taken several direct claw strikes, his body covered in wounds and soaked in blood.

Li Yan opened his mouth, then suddenly closed his eyes and fainted, falling straight down.

Sha LiFei and Wang DaoXuan panicked and quickly supported him.

However, Li Yan grabbed their arms and a low voice echoed in their ears, "I'm fine, let's go back first!"

The two instantly understood. They found a stretcher, lifted Li Yan, and quickly departed.

"Good!"

Although both sides suffered greatly, the citizens of Xianyang City had their fill of excitement. As Sha LiFei and Wang DaoXuan carried Li Yan past, cheers erupted along the route.

And amidst the crowd, many people had grim expressions and strange glints in their eyes...

Old street near NiangNiang Temple, the puppet shop.

Crack!

As Li Yan broke the spell on Zhou Bai, a white porcelain doll with a red talisman drawn on it on the offering table suddenly shattered.

Chen FaKui, who was carving a puppet, stiffened. He then slowly stood up and retrieved a yellow talisman folded into a triangle from within the shattered porcelain doll.

As soon as the yellow talisman entered his hand, it rapidly decayed and turned to dust