Counterattack

Nangong Ru glared angrily at Zhang Yunhao, but he refused to yield. After a moment, Nangong Ru sighed. "You overestimate yourself. Fine, struggle all you want. Once you can't go on, I'll kill myself right away. And if you get the chance, come over and kiss me."

"You make it sound like we've sworn to live and die together. Why does that give me the creeps?"

Zhang Yunhao was thoroughly speechless. Nangong Ru asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. You put it very well. If I can't make it, dying with a 'kiss' would be a pretty decent ending."

Zhang Yunhao said sourly. Just then, Poisonous Snake Young Master's voice rang out. "Weren't the two of you complete strangers? How did you get so close all of a sudden?"

Zhang Yunhao pulled his head back and saw Poisonous Snake Young Master standing right in front of them. He sneered. "I'm so handsome that it's only natural for a beauty to fall in love with me at first sight. Jealous?"

Poisonous Snake Young Master scoffed. "You call yourself handsome? Someone like me is the one who captivates thousands of young women. Enough talk. Drink this."

As he spoke, Poisonous Snake Young Master flicked his sleeve, sending Nangong Ru flying. Then he grabbed Zhang Yunhao's mouth with his left hand and forcefully poured the contents of the bowl down his throat.

The liquid wasn't poisonous; on the contrary, it was a potent tonic, meant to prepare him for the secret technique that would follow. Zhang Yunhao knew this and didn't resist. Instead, he used the medicine's strength to force the poison he'd ingested earlier out through his right fingertip, where it dripped onto the ground.

At the same time, Zhang Yunhao secretly concentrated all his True Qi in his right hand. Whether he lived or died depended on this one gamble. Nangong Ru saw it out of the corner of her eye and brightened. Could there really be a chance?

Once Poisonous Snake Young Master had forced Zhang Yunhao to drink everything in the bowl, he tossed it aside. Then he swiftly pressed several acupoints on his own body, preparing to unleash all the demonic energy within him.

Turning someone into a demon wasn't simple. Poisonous Snake Young Master had to use his own Innate True Qi to transform Zhang Yunhao. That was why he'd said his power would plummet after using the technique.

If turning people into demons were easy, how could the Demon Sect have been kept beyond the frontier all this time?

"Now!"

Zhang Yunhao had no intention of letting him succeed. While Poisonous Snake Young Master focused on the secret technique, Zhang Yunhao's right hand suddenly turned crimson. His fierce, powerful Blood Hand Seal landed squarely on Poisonous Snake Young Master's dantian.

Poisonous Snake Young Master was in the Divine Sea Realm. Under normal circumstances, Zhang Yunhao could never have caught him off guard. But he was using demonic arts at that moment, and his reactions were a beat slow. The blow struck solidly, and he let out a scream as he flew backward, coughing up blood. He tumbled across the ground several times before coming to a stop.

The dantian was a Martial Artist's most vital point. Even though Poisonous Snake Young Master was a realm above Zhang Yunhao, one strike had left him gravely wounded. The backlash from using demonic arts made him cough up blood again and again. The fact that he wasn't killed on the spot was a testament to the depth of his demonic power.

"Die!"

Zhang Yunhao shot forward and caught up to Poisonous Snake Young Master in an instant. Just as he was about to kick him, Poisonous Snake Young Master suddenly raised his head and stared at him with a vicious expression. Zhang Yunhao felt as if something were pressing down on him, and his mind immediately grew sluggish.

"Kid, I'm going to kill you!"

Poisonous Snake Young Master hadn't expected to suffer such a loss at the hands of a kid in the True Qi Realm. His fury surged like waves. After pinning Zhang Yunhao down with spiritual pressure, he endured the agony and reached for the fan at his waist, intending to kill the brat.

But just then, pain flashed across Zhang Yunhao's face. His entire face turned red as if it were burning, and he broke free of the spiritual pressure in an instant.

Then Zhang Yunhao planted a heavy kick in Poisonous Snake Young Master's chest. With a scream, he flew away and slammed into the mountainside before dropping to the ground. No one could tell how many ribs he'd broken!

"Blood Burning Secret Technique!"

This time, Zhang Yunhao wasn't using the simplified version of the Seven Injuries Fist. He was using the Blood Burning Secret Technique that came with the Blood Hand Seal—burning his blood to bring on intense pain and a dramatic surge in strength!

Zhang Yunhao's face twisted in pain, and his eyes began to redden. But his will was firm. With a loud shout, he charged at Poisonous Snake Young Master again, intent on killing him once and for all.

"I'll kill you! I'll definitely kill you! Heavenly Snake Secret Technique!"

Poisonous Snake Young Master wasn't helpless either. At this desperate moment, he struck his own dantian with a palm, directly activating his Innate True Qi. Then his legs sprang up from the ground in an uncanny way. Ignoring his injuries, he sent his fan sweeping toward Zhang Yunhao from strange angles, leaving trails of shadow!

Nangong Ru hurriedly warned him, "Careful! He used the Heavenly Snake Secret Technique to recover some of his strength. Just hold out until the technique wears off, and he's finished. Also, beware of the poison on him!"

"Damn, he can still fight back after all that?"

Wary of the poison, Zhang Yunhao had no choice but to switch from offense to defense, retreating again and again. He was growing anxious. Poisonous Snake Young Master had a time limit, but so did he.

"Kill me? Dream on, brat! I'll kill you and chop your head off to use as a chamber pot!"

Poisonous Snake Young Master looked vicious, his face twisted with rage. He was furious beyond measure. He had already been badly injured, and now he'd used this secret technique. Even if he survived, his power would plummet, and he might never make another breakthrough. He hated Zhang Yunhao to the bone.

So every move Poisonous Snake Young Master made was a killing blow. As he swung his fan, streams of black vapor rushed toward Zhang Yunhao. They were all deadly poison.

Though Zhang Yunhao held his breath, he still didn't dare take the poison head-on. He could only keep retreating and dodging. Before long, he had backed up to where Poisonous Snake Young Master had tossed several corpses earlier. Without watching his feet, he nearly tripped.

When he saw the corpses, Zhang Yunhao's eyes lit up. He kicked Black Eagle's body toward Poisonous Snake Young Master. The corpse rolled up to him, its head facing Poisonous Snake Young Master's face. As it spun, its mouth fell open.

Poisonous Snake Young Master looked disdainful and immediately struck the corpse in the chest with his fan, intending to sweep it aside. Just then, Black Eagle's teeth suddenly shot out of his mouth, pelting Poisonous Snake Young Master's face like little stones.

Poisonous Snake Young Master screamed as the teeth punched bloody holes across his face. One even pierced straight through his left eye.

At that moment, Zhang Yunhao lunged like a leopard. His powerful Blood Hand Seal crashed into Poisonous Snake Young Master's chest, sending him flying and smashing him hard against the mountainside.

Zhang Yunhao had already struck Poisonous Snake Young Master in the chest once before, breaking several ribs. This time, the blow directly shattered his internal organs. Poisonous Snake Young Master fell from the mountainside and collapsed weakly on the ground.

"How could I die here..."

Poisonous Snake Young Master kept coughing up blood and convulsing. Then, filled with boundless unwillingness, he finally died.