In the narrow mine tunnel, sword qi crisscrossed.
Li Qingyi's twin swords moved at blinding speed, weaving an airtight web of blades in the air that enclosed Lu Chen completely.
Every thrust came with a sharp whistle as it ripped through the air.
Yet Lu Chen stood like a boulder that had stood here for a thousand years, unmoved by wind or rain.
He pushed Iron Cloth Shirt to its limit, every muscle taut as iron, his skin taking on a dark, bluish hue.
When he couldn't dodge a sword strike, he simply took it on his arms or back.
The clang of repeated impacts rang without end.
New wounds kept appearing across his body, blood staining his clothes red, but Lu Chen's gaze remained terrifyingly calm.
He was watching.
Watching Li Qingyi's swordplay, watching her breathing, watching for openings.
The longer they fought, the more alarmed Li Qingyi became.
Her Red Fish Sword Dance consumed a great deal of inner energy. It was meant to build momentum in one burst and end the fight quickly.
But this monster before her was only at the Flesh Refining Realm, yet his flesh was absurdly hard. His stamina was astonishing, as if he never tired.
Even when sword qi cut into him, his movements didn't slow in the slightest. If anything, he grew more ferocious.
"Damn it! Are even this brat's internal organs made of iron?"
Li Qingyi grew agitated, and for one brief instant, her breathing faltered.
That instant was all it took.
Lu Chen seized the opening.
"Now!"
Lu Chen's gaze turned cold. His arms, which had been held protectively before his chest, suddenly spread wide.
Ignoring the sword Li Qingyi thrust toward his heart, he took a sudden step forward and slammed straight into her embrace.
It was a move that risked taking both their lives!
Li Qingyi paled with shock. By the time she tried to pull back her sword and defend herself, it was too late.
The sword pierced Lu Chen's left chest, sinking three inches into his flesh before his resilient muscles and ribs clamped down on it.
Pain surged through him, but Lu Chen didn't so much as groan.
The instant his muscles trapped the blade, his right hand shot out like lightning, blackened and charged with terrifying Vibrating Force.
He clamped it around Li Qingyi's sword-wielding right wrist.
Crack!
Stone Crushing Palm's Vibrating Force erupted.
Li Qingyi let out a scream as the bones in her wrist shattered. Her sword clattered to the ground.
"You lose!"
Lu Chen barked the words and swept his left hand up, clamping it around Li Qingyi's slender neck.
His tremendous strength bore down on her. Li Qingyi could barely breathe; it felt as if all the strength had been drained from her body. Her face flushed red, and her legs kicked wildly, but she couldn't break free of Lu Chen's iron grip.
Her other sword slipped helplessly from her hand.
The fight was over.
The Red Fish Gang's haughty leader, who had just been so untouchable, now dangled from Lu Chen's hand like a helpless chick awaiting slaughter.
Lu Chen pulled the sword from his chest, and blood sprayed out.
He casually pressed a few acupoints on his body to stop the bleeding, then looked coldly at Li Qingyi.
"Don't... don't kill me..."
Li Qingyi struggled to force out the words, her eyes full of fear and pleading.
She was a revered gang leader, a beauty everyone adored. She didn't want to die in this dark, damp mine tunnel.
"If you want to live, make the people outside get out of my way."
Lu Chen's voice was hoarse. Holding Li Qingyi in front of him as a shield, he backed toward the mine tunnel's exit one step at a time.
Seeing this, Wang Xiaoliu and the others in the corner erupted in thunderous cheers.
"We won! Leader Lu won!"
"He captured the Red Fish Gang's leader alive! That's incredible!"
The men supported one another and followed close behind Lu Chen.
Outside the mine tunnel.
The Red Fish Gang members were gathered around the entrance, anxiously awaiting the outcome inside.
"The leader's been in there so long. Why haven't we heard anything?"
"Don't worry. The leader's a Meridian Connecting Realm expert. Taking care of a few wounded stragglers will be a piece of cake."
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded from inside the tunnel.
Everyone perked up and turned toward the entrance.
But when the figure emerged from the darkness, they were all stunned.
Lu Chen was drenched in blood, like a demon from hell. He gripped Li Qingyi by the throat with one hand, holding her before him like a shield.
The invincible leader they had looked up to was now disheveled, her face contorted in pain and her arms hanging limply at her sides. It was obvious that her martial arts had been crippled.
"Leader!"
"Let the leader go!"
The Red Fish Gang fell into chaos. Some tried to rush forward, but they were wary of hitting their own leader.
"Not a move!"
Lu Chen roared, tightening his grip slightly.
Li Qingyi immediately let out a pained groan, her eyes rolling back.
"Anyone who takes one more step, I'll crush her throat!"
Lu Chen swept his cold gaze across them. His murderous aura was so fierce that hundreds of Red Fish Gang members froze in place.
"Fall back! All of you, fall back!"
Dragging Li Qingyi along, Lu Chen led Wang Xiaoliu and the others slowly away.
Just as the two sides stood at an impasse—
A thunderous chorus of battle cries suddenly rang out in the distance.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The muffled beat of war drums sounded. A black banner bearing the character "Chen" snapped in the morning breeze.
"It's the Black Water Gang! Their main force is here!"
Someone shouted in terror.
A dark mass of people surged down the hillside like a rising tide.
At their head was a man in a brocade robe, his bearing imposing. It was Chen Wanli, leader of the Black Water Gang.
Beside him, War Hall Master Zhao Tieshan gripped a Ghost Head Saber, his face brimming with killing intent.
"Lu Chen! Well done!"
Zhao Tieshan spotted Lu Chen holding Li Qingyi hostage and was overjoyed. His voice boomed across the battlefield.
"Brothers! Lu Chen has captured the Red Fish Gang's leader alive! Attack! Leave no one standing!"
"Kill!"
The Black Water Gang surged forward, their morale soaring, as they charged at the Red Fish Gang, now thrown into complete disarray.
At that moment, the victor was clear.
With their leader captured and no one to command them, the Red Fish Gang's morale crumbled in an instant.
Faced with the Black Water Gang's full assault, they couldn't mount any meaningful resistance. They dropped their weapons and armor and fled in every direction.
What had been an evenly matched battle turned into a one-sided slaughter.
Lu Chen let out a sigh of relief and tossed Li Qingyi, limp as a rag doll, to Zhao Tieshan as he came over.
"I've done what I promised."
After saying that, Lu Chen swayed, nearly falling over.
The battle had drained most of his strength, and his wounds were severe.
"Good lad! You really pulled it off!"
Zhao Tieshan caught Lu Chen and looked at his terrifying wounds, his eyes full of admiration and concern. "Go rest. We'll handle the rest!"
Lu Chen nodded, stepped aside, and sat on a rock.
He watched the battlefield before him.
Blood stained the earth, and screams rose from every direction.
The once-untouchable Red Fish Gang of Nujiang County had become history that very day.
And the turning point had been Lu Chen capturing Li Qingyi alive.
A rush of exhilaration welled up in his heart—the thrill of having the situation settled and life and death in his hands.
This was the power and authority that strength brought.
As long as you were strong enough, you could turn the tide of battle and decide whether countless people lived or died.
An hour later.
The battle was finally over.
Red Fish Dock had been reduced to ruins, and Red Fish Gang members lay dead everywhere.
The Black Water Gang had won a complete victory.
Inside the Central Army Tent, hastily erected for the occasion.
Chen Wanli sat in the seat of honor, unable to hide his delight.
At last, his longtime rival had been wiped out. From now on, the Black Water Gang would dominate Nujiang County.
"Lu Chen, step forward and receive your reward!"
Chen Wanli looked at Lu Chen standing below him, his satisfaction growing with every glance.
This young man had not only astonishing martial talent, but also courage and ruthlessness beyond what most people could muster.
He had great potential.
"This subordinate is here."
Suppressing the pain of his wounds, Lu Chen stepped forward and dropped to one knee.
"You rendered the greatest service in this battle!"
Chen Wanli declared. "If you hadn't ventured into the tiger's den and captured Li Qingyi alive, breaking the enemy's morale, taking Red Fish Dock would have cost us a great deal more."
"One thousand taels of silver! And a first-class merit!"
"Also..."
Chen Wanli pointed at Li Qingyi, bound hand and foot and kneeling off to the side. A suggestive smile crossed his face.
"Though this woman lost, she's still a Meridian Connecting Realm expert, and quite the beauty, to boot. Since time immemorial, beauties have belonged with heroes. Lu Chen, I'll give Li Qingyi to you!"
"Whether you kill her or spare her, keep her as a servant or a bed warmer—it's all up to you!"
At those words, the other leaders in the tent looked on with envy and jealousy.
Li Qingyi!
She was a famous beauty in Nujiang County, as well as the exalted leader of the Red Fish Gang.
Now she belonged to Lu Chen, free for him to do with as he pleased.
What man could resist the thrill of such a conquest?
Li Qingyi trembled violently at the words. She raised her head and glared at Lu Chen, humiliation and despair filling her eyes.
She wanted to bite through her tongue and kill herself, but her mouth had already been stuffed with a wad of cloth. She couldn't even die.
Lu Chen turned to look at the woman who had once been so arrogant.
Her clothes were disheveled and her hair in disarray. She was a sorry sight, yet somehow all the more tragically beautiful for it.
Especially those eyes brimming with hatred—they could only stoke a man's desire to conquer her.
But Lu Chen's gaze remained clear.
He was thinking.
What use was a woman whose martial arts had been crippled?
A bed warmer? Someone to vent his desires on?
Those were things only the weak got lost in.
He wanted to grow stronger, to live forever, to take his fate into his own hands.
There had to be something about this woman more valuable than her body.
Lu Chen touched the scar on his chest, left by Li Qingyi.
A Meridian Connecting Realm expert's possessions...
His gaze fell on the exquisite brocade pouch at Li Qingyi's waist, then on her fingers, which she had kept tightly curled even after being captured.
It seemed she was hiding a secret.
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