"Haoran!"
"Junior Brother Su, watch out!"
Elder Hui Jue, Wujing, and the others went pale with fright, their hearts leaping into their throats!
To them, Su Haoran's move was no different from suicide! Such a dense rain of arrows would instantly shoot through even a martial monk at the Second Skin Tempering stage!
Yet the next scene made everyone present—including the vicious bandits of Crimson Hair Stronghold—stare wide-eyed, as though they had witnessed gods and Buddhas descending into the world!
Su Haoran neither dodged nor evaded. Facing that deadly rain of arrows, he merely drew in a deep breath, his chest swelling slightly.
Buzzz!
A deep black-iron sheen instantly covered his entire body!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Bang! Bang!
A dense series of sounds rang out, like rain striking banana leaves!
Those poisoned arrows capable of piercing iron armor struck Su Haoran's body as though they had hit the hardest refined steel!
The arrows were flung away and snapped by the tremendous recoil. Sparks burst from their arrowheads, yet they could not even leave a white mark on his skin!
Amid a forest of spears and a rain of arrows, he remained unscathed!
"H-How is this possible?!" Scarface's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets, the savage grin frozen on his face.
The lackeys were so terrified that their souls nearly fled their bodies, and even the hands gripping their bows and crossbows trembled.
Elder Hui Jue and the others, meanwhile, had been completely petrified.
"External Kung Fu... Perfection?!" Elder Hui Jue forced out the words, his voice filled with disbelief.
He himself stood at the peak of Third Skin Tempering, so he naturally recognized Su Haoran's current state!
It was the realm of Perfection, where one had cultivated external Kung Fu to its utmost limit, Qi and Blood flowing freely throughout the entire body, leaving no vulnerable point behind!
But... how could this be possible?! Just days ago, this brat had merely been a junior who had only just become a martial monk!
In the instant everyone stood stunned, Su Haoran had already charged into the enemy ranks like a fierce tiger entering a flock of sheep!
"Die!"
Only one word left his mouth as he drove out a punch!
This punch contained no flashy technique, only the purest, fiercest power!
The air exploded in an instant, releasing a dull sonic boom!
Scarface was horrified beyond measure and hastily raised his blade to block.
Crack!
The steel saber in his hand was as fragile as rotten wood before Su Haoran's fist, snapping at once! The force of the punch did not stop, slamming heavily into his chest!
Pfft!
Scarface's chest caved inward in a deeply visible arc. His entire body flew backward like a kite with its string cut. While still in the air, he vomited blood wildly and lost all signs of life!
One punch!
With just one punch, he had blasted a battle-hardened bandit leader to death!
"Kill him! Kill him for me!"
The remaining lackeys finally recovered from their shock. Roaring, they brandished their blades and swords and hacked madly at Su Haoran.
Su Haoran's gaze was icy. His body stood immovable as a mountain, allowing those blades and swords to fall upon him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The blades striking his body instead produced the ringing of metal against metal! Sparks flew everywhere! The lackeys felt their tiger's mouths jolt violently, their weapons nearly flying from their hands, while Su Haoran remained completely unharmed!
"Now, it's my turn."
Su Haoran snorted coldly. Both fists shot out as his figure darted and weaved through the crowd.
Bang! One lackey's head exploded like a watermelon!
Bang! Another lackey's body was smashed into two at the waist!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With every punch he threw, a vicious bandit inevitably died! His fists were more terrifying than any divine weapon in the world! His body was harder to shake than the strongest city wall!
This was no longer a battle, but a one-sided slaughter!
In less than ten breaths, the dozen or so ferocious pursuers had all become cold corpses, sprawled haphazardly across the ground.
The entire mountain hollow fell deathly silent.
A thick stench of blood spread through the air. Su Haoran stood amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood, his monk robe mottled with stains, like a Wrathful Vajra descended into the world!
"Gulp."
Wujing swallowed with difficulty. Looking at that back resembling a demon god, a towering tempest rose in his heart.
Was this truly the junior brother from the Labor Courtyard who had sparred with him a few days ago?
Could it be... that this was his true strength?
Elder Hui Jue also looked at Su Haoran with a complicated expression. Shock, relief, confusion... all kinds of emotions intertwined within him.
Su Haoran slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, walked over to Elder Hui Jue, and said, "Elder, this is not a place where we can remain for long. We must relocate as soon as possible."
Only then did Elder Hui Jue come back to his senses. Smiling bitterly, he said, "You are right. It is only... all of us are injured, and moving will be difficult. I fear..."
Su Haoran's gaze swept over the crowd, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes.
With a group of wounded men, they could not get far at all. Crimson Hair Stronghold had suffered such a great loss and would never let the matter rest. The next wave of pursuers would likely be led personally by the three bosses.
Rather than passively endure their attacks, it would be better to... take the initiative!
When cutting grass, one had to pull out the roots!
"Elder, find a more secluded place and hide yourselves." Su Haoran's voice was not loud, yet it carried an air of confidence. "I'll cut off the source of the pursuers."
"What?!" Elder Hui Jue was greatly alarmed. "You mean... you want to go to Crimson Hair Stronghold?!"
"Nonsense! Absolutely not!" Wujing panicked as well. "Junior Brother Su, although your strength has greatly improved, Crimson Hair Stronghold is a dragon's pool and tiger's den! First Boss Xiong Ba is an expert of the Bone Forging Realm. Going there would be sending yourself to your death!"
"I know what I am doing." Su Haoran's tone allowed no doubt. "Only by going myself can I solve this problem completely."
Having said that, he did not wait for them to offer further persuasion. His figure flashed, turning once more into a wisp of green smoke as he swept toward the deeper reaches of the Qingyun Mountain Range, leaving only one sentence echoing in place.
"Wait for my news!"
Meanwhile, in the Crimson Hair Stronghold's Hall of Brotherhood.
First Boss Xiong Ba, Second Boss Liao Fan, and Third Boss Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat were wolfing down meat and drinking great bowls of wine, the atmosphere lively and heated.
"Hahaha! Splendid! That old bald donkey Hui Jue took one of my Tablet Splitting Hands. Even if he doesn't die, he'll lose half his life! Prajna Temple's supporting pillar has been broken by us!"
Xiong Ba drained a great bowl of strong liquor, his face flushed red with pride.
"Big Brother's divine art is unmatched!" Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat hurriedly flattered him, though venomous light flickered in his eyes. "What a pity we couldn't slaughter that old bald donkey on the spot! Even more regrettable that we never ran into that little bastard Su Haoran!"
"Third Brother, there is no need to be impatient." Second Boss Liao Fan gave a sinister smile. "They are a group of wounded soldiers. They cannot run far. I have already sent men after them. Before long, Hui Jue's head will be delivered before us. As for that Su Haoran... once we level Prajna Temple, are you afraid we will not find him? When that time comes, he will be yours to deal with!"
"Good!" Ghost Shadow Leopard Cat grinned viciously and raised his wine bowl. "Once we catch that brat, I will slice him into a thousand pieces!"
The three continued laughing and talking, unaware that the prey they spoke of had already quietly arrived outside their lair.
Crimson Hair Stronghold was built against the mountain. The mountain road was rugged, and only one main path led up the mountain. Open sentries and hidden posts lined the route, alongside defensive works such as rolling boulders and log traps. It was a place easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Su Haoran hid in the shadows and observed for a moment before abandoning the idea of infiltrating from the front.
He activated the Perfection-level Soaring Dragon Startling Swan Art, moving like a ghost as he circled the stronghold's perimeter to scout it out.
Before long, he discovered an almost vertical cliff at the rear of the stronghold.
The cliff stood a hundred zhang high, smooth as a mirror, impossible even for apes to climb. To the people of Crimson Hair Stronghold, it was a natural barrier from which absolutely no one could ascend. Thus, its defenses were practically nonexistent.
But in Su Haoran's eyes, this so-called natural danger was as flat and open as a broad road!
He took a deep breath, channeling Qi and Blood into his fingers and palms until all ten fingers became harder than refined steel.
With a leap, he drove both hands into the hard rock face like iron claws. Then, using both hands and feet, he climbed silently toward the top of the cliff like an agile gecko.
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