Force Armor, Crushed to Mud!

The shout of warning, however, was drowned out by the overwhelming clamor of battle. The masked figure ignored it, and in that brief moment, unleashed another punch, sending a Black Mountain Army soldier flying.

"Die!"

Beneath the black armor, the burly man's face contorted with manic glee. He was a Bone Forging realm martial artist, blessed with immense natural strength. Even Qian Wu, also a Bone Forging realm cultivator, struggled to withstand his assault, his long saber snapping in two.

And this opponent before him, unprotected by any armor and unarmed, would surely perish on the spot if this hammer strike landed, even if he were a martial artist whose realm surpassed Bone Forging.

"This is bad."

Qian Wu's expression shifted drastically.

The club descended, distorting the air as it smashed down towards the masked figure's head. Then, under the astonished gazes of countless onlookers, the figure was pulverized into pieces. The club slammed heavily into the ground, shaking the earth and sending shards of rock flying like arrows from a bow.

Several Black Mountain Army and Qingyun Army soldiers nearby cried out in pain as their flesh was torn open by the debris, blood gushing forth.

But in that very instant, the manic glee on the burly man's face froze, replaced by disbelief.

"It's empty?"

He had seen it clearly just moments before. The shadowy figure had seemingly shed its skin like a cicada, its body abruptly shifting half a zhang to the side. What he had smashed was merely an afterimage, beyond the limits of visual perception.

Though the strike had missed, the burly man's momentum did not falter. Blessed with natural strength and inexhaustible stamina, he forcibly pulled the fine iron club back into a full swing after the failed blow.

Dark clouds gathered overhead.

Under the infusion of brute force and potent energy, the fine iron club visibly bent. The tip of the club whipped towards Su Mu like an iron whip, its power capable of shattering mountains.

"Pear Blossom Storm Spear!"

The burly man transferred his momentum mid-air, switching from a single-handed to a two-handed grip on the club. Coordinating with his footwork, his bones tightened, and his waist and abdomen drove his arms, which wielded the long club. The club spun and thrust forward repeatedly.

It was only then that Qian Wu suddenly awakened.

"So this scoundrel isn't using a club technique, but a spear technique... When he fought me, he was just relying on his brute strength, not using his full power!"

In his youth, Hong Shan had studied under a wandering swordsman. After becoming a bandit, he felt ashamed of his master and thus abandoned the spear, switching to a club.

Now, consumed by rage, the burly man used his club as a spear, unleashing this tempestuous spear technique.

Swish, swish, swish!

In the burly man's hands, the heavy fine iron club moved like a fierce storm, its shadow merging into a single blur.

The burly man's club was fast, but beneath that storm, a figure moved even faster.

Su Mu took a deep breath. Every inch of his flesh and blood stirred as he instantly entered the "Limit Break State," then superimposed the twin birds.

The Five Animal Bird Play superimposed with the Startled Sparrow Steps.

Su Mu's body flickered and dodged within a few zhang, like a startled sparrow in a downpour, narrowly evading the ferocious club strikes amidst the dense barrage of blows.

The wind howled, but was repelled by the film of potent energy flowing around Su Mu's body.

To outsiders, Su Mu's form seemed to exist between reality and illusion, impervious to the raging storm.

"What exquisite movement technique... How can this man's movement technique be so profound?!" Qian Wu was awestruck, his heart finally at ease.

With such a masterful movement technique, this masked figure was practically invincible.

The perfected Five Animal Frolics granted Su Mu near-perfect control over his physical body. Now, with the Startled Sparrow Steps approaching mastery, and superimposed with the Bird Play in the Limit Break State, he had reached a terrifying level.

This was the first time Su Mu had been pushed to the twin bird state in combat. This burly man was strong, undoubtedly the most formidable opponent he had ever faced.

Therefore, Su Mu had no intention of directly engaging in their fight from the start. Instead, he planned to relieve the siege by attacking the other Black Mountain Army soldiers first. With his Excellent Talent, Raw Jade comprehension, he continuously analyzed the burly man's martial arts.

Now that the spear technique had been revealed, Su Mu had a grasp of the burly man's martial arts.

"What a coward hiding behind a mask! Are you only going to dodge? If you're a true man, take my blow!"

The burly man was both surprised and enraged. He roared, greatly wary of Su Mu's movement technique. He possessed natural strength and his spear techniques were devastating, but what was the point if they couldn't hit the enemy?

"Then, as you wish!"

Seeing Su Mu no longer dodging, the burly man was overjoyed. He immediately stepped to the side with his left foot, twisting his waist and swinging the club in a sweeping attack.

"Oh no, this chivalrous warrior is too upright! He's fallen for this scoundrel's provocation."

Qian Wu's expression was filled with anxiety. Not only was the burly man clad in heavy fine iron armor, but when he swung his fine iron club, it carried the force of thousands of pounds. Even a fierce tiger in the forest would have its bones shattered by such a blow, let alone this unarmed and unarmored masked figure.

However, as the long club swept towards him, Su Mu's figure once again transformed into a startled sparrow in the mountains. An afterimage was shattered by the club, while Su Mu's body instantly closed in.

"Bastard, how dare you trick me!"

Facing the furious curse, a cold glint flashed in Su Mu's eyes. Deception is a legitimate tactic in warfare. Showing mercy to an enemy is cruelty to oneself, especially when facing the villain who had murdered Master Zhou, and whose strength surpassed his own.

To deal with such a person, one must use any means necessary, be even more ruthless than him!

Seeing Su Mu closing in, then slowly throwing a punch with his left fist, the burly man's fear subsided, replaced by a mocking smile.

His fine iron armor could withstand not only a punch from flesh and blood, but even Qian Wu, a fellow Bone Forging realm martial artist, had been unable to inflict even a scratch on him with his long saber. How could this seemingly light palm strike possibly harm him?

To injure him, Hong Shan, with such a punch was a fool's dream!

And in that fleeting moment of relaxation, Su Mu's right fist suddenly transformed into a tiger's claw.

In the Limit Break State, the Five Animal Tiger Play superimposed with the Tiger Subduing Fist.

Vajra Tiger Subduing.

Roar!

Suddenly, an unusually loud tiger's roar echoed through the area.

The sound dissipated the surrounding mist and caused the black-armored strongman to stagger in a daze.

Clang!

This punch, arriving later but striking first, landed on the black-armored strongman's chest. This top-tier Ninth Rank fist technique from Vajra Temple, now wielded by Su Mu, was nearing perfection. The moment the fist landed, a terrifying force erupted.

The black-armored man snapped back to attention, stumbling back several steps. The heavy armor on his body had actually caved inward from this blow, forming the imprint of a tiger's claw.

At this moment, the black-armored man's expression completely changed. He stared intently at Su Mu's fist, which was completely unharmed. If he himself had thrown such a punch with his bare flesh, let alone denting the armor, his own hand bones would have surely snapped first.

He suddenly remembered something. His master, a wandering swordsman in his youth, had once mentioned the three realms of Qi Refining.

"Force follows the heart, covers the whole body, Force becomes armor... You, you're using Transforming Force?!"

Transforming Force, using a fraction of the power to deflect a thousand pounds, Force becomes armor!

Transforming Force didn't directly enhance the power of martial arts but was used for deflecting force. It could be used to deflect the opponent's attacks with one's own force, or to protect one's body from damage during an attack, and even to rebound attacks onto the attacker.

Transforming Force, Force becomes armor?!

Su Mu's eyes lit up. To be honest, Su Mu currently had no idea how to break through to Transforming Force. This was the key reason he hadn't directly attempted it after mastering Hidden Force.

He had seen the Hidden Force used by the Black Market bandits he fought, which gave him an idea, and then he achieved it through the deduction of his powerful comprehension.

However, Su Mu had never encountered an enemy capable of using Transforming Force. Even the two Eighth Rank Bone Forging Realm experts present had not mastered it.

"Could this thin film of force be the prototype of Force Armor?"

Su Mu was overjoyed. This thin film of force was something he had come up with on a whim while suffering through the rainy weather on his journey. He hadn't expected that by chance, he would stumble upon the correct path to Transforming Force.

"Force follows the heart, covers the whole body, Force becomes armor... Is this the realm of Transforming Force?"

Su Mu's mind raced, but his offensive actions did not stop. To express his gratitude to the black-armored strongman for showing him the path to Transforming Force, he had to thank him properly.

"To express my gratitude... I will use my full strength to blast you to death!"

Su Mu channeled his force into his feet and took a step forward, instantly catching up to the retreating black-armored strongman. The seemingly slow punch from before landed precisely once again on the dented area.

Mastered Rock Shattering Fist, Armor Collapse!

Thump.

The punch landed on the black-armored man's chest with a dull thud. The black-armored man paused, then let out a wild laugh.

"So what if you've achieved Transforming Force? With this iron armor on, how can you hurt me with your bare fists?!"

His wild laughter suddenly froze.

At this moment, a terrifying force traveled along the dented area, penetrating the armor, and then erupted violently on the flesh and blood.

Boom!

A more resounding explosion echoed. The black-armored strongman felt a sharp pain in his chest, and his blood and qi churned violently, but he swallowed it back with a muffled groan.

"This, this is impossible... I have iron armor protecting me, impervious to blades and spears, why can you hurt me?"

Fear was evident on the black-armored strongman's face for the first time. His greatest reliance in this battle was not some innate brute strength, but his incredibly sturdy iron armor. With this armor, even if Qian Wu, who was also in the Bone Forging Realm, were to draw his blade, he wouldn't be able to break through his defense.

But now, his greatest reliance was gone before him!

Drip.

Blood flowed from within the iron armor, dripping onto the ground.

Seeing the black-armored man, whose defenses he couldn't breach before, bleeding, Qian Wu's confidence surged. He let out a low shout, "Bring me my saber!"

Immediately, a Qingyun Army soldier with several sabers at his waist handed him a long saber.

"Esteemed warrior, let us join forces and kill this villain, eradicating a menace to the people!"

With that, Qian Wu laughed wildly and charged at the black-armored strongman, creating an opportunity for Su Mu to kill him.

Su Mu's eyes, filled with killing intent, stared intently at the black-armored strongman. The Limit Break State was the limit for his body. Continuing to stack Twin Tigers or Twin Birds beyond that state was unsustainable.

Furthermore, he hadn't truly mastered Transforming Force. Even with the protective film of force, his right arm, which had clashed against the iron armor, was stinging intensely, making it difficult to exert even half of his strength.

This was why Su Mu had chosen to use his left arm, which was in the initial stage of Bone Forging, as his true killing blow to unleash the Rock Shattering Fist. This strike had indeed injured the black-armored strongman, but it was not enough to kill him.

Having a Qingyun Army officer in the Bone Forging Realm to assist him was ideal.

Whoosh!

Su Mu's figure flashed, instantly closing in from the side. Even though he had seen Su Mu's movement technique before, Qian Wu was still amazed at seeing it up close. He immediately understood and shifted his body aside.

Thump!

Su Mu's Rock Shattering Fist landed again, this time on the strongman's right wrist.

Ah--------

A scream erupted from the strongman. The force contained within that damned fist penetrated the iron armor and exploded directly at his wrist. His right wrist throbbed with pain, flesh and blood splattered within the armor, and his bones were broken.

"Bastards, what kind of heroes gang up two against one? If you have the guts, let's fight one on one!"

Su Mu sneered.

"Fairness? What right does a corpse have to talk about fairness?"

Su Mu's tone was incredibly cold, making Qian Wu's heart tremble. However, his combat experience was rich, and he immediately pressed his advantage, wanting to finish off this scoundrel with Su Mu.

Blade light flashed, continuously slashing at the black-armored strongman.

After the black-armored strongman lost the use of his right arm, his decline was evident. He roared continuously, swinging the fine iron club in his left hand. While it appeared incredibly ferocious, it had already lost its form.

Seeing Qian Wu move aside, a black shadow magnified infinitely in the strongman's pupils. Hong Shan's eyes were filled with blood, and an indescribable pain and terror.

"No, you, don't come here..."

Bang, bang, bang!

Su Mu lunged like a fierce tiger, his left arm throwing punches continuously. He didn't stop until his left arm was almost numb, then slowly withdrew his hand. Beneath his mask, Su Mu gritted his teeth, showing no sign of abnormality.

Drip, drip!

Pools of blood mixed with bone fragments and flesh seeped from the gaps in the iron armor, then fell to the ground, blooming into strange, alluring blood flowers.

The black-armored strongman's tiger-like eyes glazed over at this moment. Everything from his past flashed by rapidly. The last figure that appeared solidified before his eyes, a figure whose face showed deep disappointment.

Clang!

The fine iron club hit the ground.

Amidst several metallic clangs, the black-armored strongman's body, as imposing as a small mountain, crashed to his knees. He uttered a self-muttering whisper.

"Master, I was wrong..."

There was no response. The strongman's head drooped. Su Mu's dozen or so punches had completely pulverized the flesh and blood within his iron armor into a pulp, rendering him unable to maintain human form. He collapsed with a thud.

"When a person is about to die, their words are kind."

Su Mu heard the strongman's dying whisper, but his killing intent had not yet subsided. Even if he killed the black-armored strongman a thousand times, Master Zhou and the others would not come back to life.

"Good people don't live long in this world!"

Su Mu's eyes flickered. He kicked a weapon on the ground, grabbed it with his right hand, and reached out with his left to seize the strongman's head, then decapitated him.

Scalding blood splattered his face. Su Mu held the bloody head in his hand, intending to use it to mourn the deceased Zhou Shan and his masters.

"Commander Hong... is dead just like that?!"

The Black Mountain Army, seeing their Centurion's head severed and held aloft, was utterly horrified. The death of their seemingly invincible leader dealt a massive blow to them, and their morale plummeted, leading to a complete rout.

"The enemy leader has been executed! Evil cannot triumph over good! Kill! Brothers, kill all these beasts who are worse than animals!"