Du Li stood frozen. His Iron Cloth Shirt had long since reached the Great Accomplishment stage, and with the help of a Hua Gang Pill, he had briefly refined his Qi into Gang. He believed that even if he faced a true grandmaster, he might not be able to win, but relying on his Iron Cloth Shirt, he could easily entangle and battle one for some time.
But the result? His opponent had casually cut him down with a single saber strike?
"Second Brother!"
"Second Brother!"
Du Meng and Du Ying had originally been waiting on either side, planning to strike Tang Jie down the moment Du Li restrained him. Now they were both stunned. All they had seen was a dazzling flash of golden light that left them momentarily dazed, and Du Li had already been cleaved in two from the chest!
Du Li's eyes were wide open as he slowly lost consciousness. His heart was filled with confusion and unwillingness. He was clearly a Martial Arts Grandmaster now as well. They had once used the same method to deal with a Martial Arts Grandmaster, so why had it failed against Tang Jie?
"This... what is this?"
Du Jue and Tang Tianhao were also stunned. Facing the siege of three grandmasters, they had been filled with worry and thought this would certainly be a bitter battle. Yet Tang Jie had killed one of them in virtually an instant! It was almost as easy as chopping vegetables!
By using Golden Bell Gang Qi to drive the Boyhood Art, Tang Jie could raise his cultivation to the state of the Boyhood Golden Body. In this state, his power far surpassed that of cultivation in the Red Sun Art. This was also the first time Tang Jie had used it in battle.
Without turning back to look at Du Li's corpse, Tang Jie walked toward Du Ying.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Every time Tang Jie took a step, Du Ying's heart pounded along with it, as though Tang Jie were stomping directly on his heart.
"I'll fight you to the death! Eagle Claw Art!"
Du Ying involuntarily retreated a step, but when he saw Du Li's corpse with its eyes still open in death, his expression twisted viciously. With an angry roar, he lunged at Tang Jie.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
Du Ying leaped into the air like a great eagle spreading its wings, striking high into the sky. His two hands resembled eagle talons as they clawed toward Tang Jie's head, weaving a chain of claw shadows. With his current cultivation of Refining Qi into Gang, even the hardest bones in the human body—the skull included—could be pierced as easily as tofu!
"Pfft!"
However, Tang Jie's figure swayed slightly. Though it seemed slow, he actually flashed past, dragging a fading afterimage behind him. As he dodged Du Ying's Eagle Claw Art, the Iron Cutting Saber in his hand left its sheath, gleaming with a sliver of cold light. It drew a horizontal line through the air before returning to its sheath.
"Crash!"
Du Ying's body fell to the ground. A blood-red line appeared across his waist, and his body split apart, his organs and blood dripping and spreading all over the ground.
"So this is... Bull Devil King Tang Jie? Just as the rumors said... undefeated in battle..." Blood gushed from the corners of Du Ying's mouth, and a sense of helplessness rose in his heart. They were simply not on the same level. Even after using Hua Gang Pills to unleash all their potential, they still could not withstand a single saber strike from Tang Jie!
"Second Brother, Third Brother!"
In the blink of an eye, both his brothers had died at Tang Jie's hands. Du Meng's eyes turned red. He had never imagined that things would end like this.
"Tang Jie! Take my saber!"
Eyes bloodshot, Du Meng roared as he charged madly toward Tang Jie. He gripped a thick-backed cleaver in both hands and swept it horizontally at Tang Jie like a berserk tiger roaring through the wilderness.
"Five Tiger Soul Severing Saber!"
Du Meng's saber tore through the air with a ringing sound. This was a strike he had poured all his strength into, and it was also the most powerful strike of his life. The saber moved like wind, accompanied by the roar of a tiger, as though it intended to sever a man's soul!
"Clang!"
Amid a clear metallic ring, Du Meng's blade stopped in midair because a golden palm had seized it, making it impossible for it to advance even half an inch!
"Crack!"
Tang Jie clenched his five fingers hard. A surging tide of Gang Qi erupted, and the thick-backed cleaver rang out crisply like glass. Tang Jie's fingers crushed a chunk from its blade. The broken fragment fell to the ground, reflecting the golden radiance surrounding Tang Jie.
Du Meng let his arm fall limply. He stared blankly at the tall youth before him and said bitterly, "W... why? We once used the same method to kill a grandmaster, but now... why did we fail?"
Tang Jie looked at him, pondered briefly, and answered seriously, "Perhaps it's because I'm relatively strong among grandmasters."
The corner of Du Meng's mouth twitched. Though he had not seen many Martial Arts Grandmasters, Tang Jie's combat strength was absolutely the strongest among them—so strong that he seemed to have surpassed the limits of the grandmaster realm! Even when the three top-tier martial artists, who temporarily possessed grandmaster-level strength, joined forces, they were as fragile as infants before Tang Jie!
"Bull Devil King... I admit defeat. You won. I hope that one day you can leave a rich and glorious mark on the martial path. Also, bury me together with my two brothers." A bitter, ghastly smile appeared on Du Meng's face.
"Whoosh!"
Du Meng raised the damaged blade and cleanly slashed it across his own neck. Flesh split open at once, blood spurted forth, and Du Meng crumpled to the ground as blood spread beneath him.
The defeated had to die!
Tang Jie looked at the corpses on the ground and fell silent for a moment. This was the martial world. It was impossible to keep one's hands free of blood. These three men had wanted to take the heads of him and his father in exchange for having the warrant revoked. They had failed, so they were the ones who died!
If Tang Jie's strength had not far exceeded their imaginations, then it would have been him and his father lying there with their heads separated from their bodies!
"Father, Martial Uncle, I'll help you purge the poison."
After dealing with the invading enemies, Tang Jie walked over and spoke to the dazed Du Jue and Tang Tianhao.
"Mm... what martial art did you just use?" Tang Tianhao nodded, but could not help asking. The martial art Tang Jie had used just now resembled the Boyhood Art, but it was clearly much stronger than the Red Sun Art, the highest realm of the Boyhood Art!
Du Jue also stared at Tang Jie, filled with overwhelming curiosity. The strength Tang Jie had displayed just now had utterly surpassed his understanding of martial artists!
As Tang Jie helped Tang Tianhao and Du Jue circulate their energy to purge the poison, he explained, "Two days ago, I used the Sarira to cultivate the Golden Bell Shield to the tenth stage, Refining Qi into Gang. Then I discovered that the two martial arts could work together and erupt with even greater power."
"I... I see."
Tang Tianhao and Du Jue exchanged glances, both seeing bitter smiles in the other's eyes.
The Boyhood Art and Golden Bell Shield had both been cultivated to profound realms, yet such a mutation could actually occur. They had known nothing about it. Even now that they knew, they understood that they could never reach such a realm in their lifetimes.
"Your cultivation now far surpasses even your master's. Giving that Sarira to you truly brought out its greatest effect." Du Jue sighed. Tang Jie's cultivation now far exceeded that of their master, Master Zhiqing!
Among all the martial artists under heaven, there were probably only a few who could defeat Tang Jie. Yet Tang Jie was only around twenty years old. It was truly impossible to imagine what realm he might reach in the future!
"Let's bury their bodies." After helping Tang Tianhao and Du Jue finish purging the poison, Tang Jie spoke.
These corpses definitely had to be buried.
"Mm. Amitabha!" Du Jue nodded and sighed. Vendettas in the martial world happened every day, and no one could stop them.
Tang Jie and the other two carried the corpses together to the rear mountain and buried them.
At this time, beneath Great Green Mountain, nearly a hundred armored soldiers were making their way up the mountain.
"Lord Sun, Great Green Mountain is just ahead. According to the reports, the Du Tang Three Fiends are on the mountain!"
A soldier respectfully reported this.
A middle-aged man wearing armor and built like a bear sat astride a horse. A smile appeared on his face as he dismounted and waved his hand. "Let's go, brothers. The Du Tang Three Fiends have gotten away with their crimes for many years, but since they've dared to come to our territory, we'll make sure they don't leave alive today!"
The nearly hundred soldiers headed up the mountain with excitement on their faces. The Du Tang Three Fiends were wanted criminals, and the reward for capturing them would certainly be substantial!
A new day has begun—please vote! O(∩_∩)O~
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