The Reversal

With just two moves, the situation had completely turned around.

The Raging Fire Mad Saber, whom everyone had thought would win, was now utterly trapped beneath Zhang Yunhao's frenzied attacks, teetering on the edge of a cliff and liable to be smashed to pieces at any moment!

Unlike his composed dodging before, Lei Jue now had to put everything he had into every evasion. The slightest misstep would get him killed, and his true qi, driven at such high intensity for so long, was nearly at its limit.

"Damn it!"

Lei Jue was furious and alarmed. He was the mighty Raging Fire Mad Saber, yet someone had forced him into this state? But anger wouldn't help him. Divine Fist Blood Hand was clearly playing for keeps. If he could trade an injury for Lei Jue's life, that would be a bargain for him.

"There's still a chance."

Of course, Lei Jue wasn't a pushover, and he wasn't going to sit around waiting to die. He dodged with all his might while searching for an opportunity to kill Zhang Yunhao with a single strike. He refused to believe that, with both their lives on the line, his opponent would still dare to risk everything!

Lei Jue was sure that if he could just get a chance to recover, he could kill Zhang Yunhao. He had been careless earlier, waiting for his opponent to make the first move. Otherwise, he would never have been in such a sorry state!

"Want to land a killing blow? Sorry, but you're out of time!"

Zhang Yunhao saw what Lei Jue was thinking and sneered inwardly. After several fierce, explosive strikes with the Great Strength Dragon Elephant Fist, Lei Jue had been forced to dodge so relentlessly that he'd lost all awareness of his surroundings.

"Dragon Elephant Stomps the Earth!"

With Lei Jue in this state, Zhang Yunhao unleashed his finishing move. His right foot slammed down like a boulder crashing to earth. With a boom, the stone-built arena caved in, spiderweb cracks spreading all around his foot.

At the same time, a wave of tremors burst through the ground. Having lost his awareness of his surroundings, Lei Jue failed to notice in time. He immediately lost his balance, lurching from side to side.

For a master like Lei Jue, losing his balance would last only an instant, and he could recover quickly. But in a battle between experts, an instant was all it took.

"Dragon Elephant Impact!"

In that instant, Zhang Yunhao threw another punch, charging forward like an unstoppable giant elephant. This time, Lei Jue had no way to dodge. He could only watch the fist draw nearer and grow larger.

"My time has come!"

Despair filled Lei Jue's heart. He had never imagined that after twenty years in seclusion, his first time out—and before he'd even brought back the silver—would end with him dying here.

Just as Lei Jue thought he was certain to die, Zhang Yunhao's fist suddenly stopped less than ten centimeters from his face.

The fist had stopped, but its force still erupted. The air boomed, and a fierce gust blew into Lei Jue's face, tossing his white hair and forcing his eyes shut. The muscles in his face were pressed inward.

But in the end, the fist really had stopped. Lei Jue was Lei Jue, and he quickly realized that his opponent had held back.

That only made him more astonished. He opened his eyes and stared in disbelief. "You can pull your power back after unleashing it? You haven't even used your full strength?"

With Zhang Yunhao's control, if he had truly used all his strength, he couldn't have stopped in time. The fact that he had meant he hadn't gone all out.

"Close enough to all-out."

Zhang Yunhao withdrew his fist and smiled inscrutably, then asked bluntly, "Old sir, do you concede?"

Lei Jue's expression shifted several times, but he soon made up his mind. He sheathed his saber and said, "This old man can take a loss. I concede!"

The crowd erupted. Zhang Yunhao's fierce counterattack had been so intense that everyone had watched in stunned silence. Only now, with Lei Jue's concession and the fight over, did they come to their senses and cry out in astonishment.

"The Raging Fire Mad Saber actually lost? Divine Fist Blood Hand won?"

Everyone found it hard to believe. The Raging Fire Mad Saber was no fraud, yet in the end he had been turned back by the young Divine Fist Blood Hand. From this day on, Divine Fist Blood Hand would surely be famous throughout the world, no longer confined to Nanyang Prefecture!

"So Senior Brother really is that strong? But none of those moves were techniques Master taught him?"

Huang Lei had thought, like everyone else, that Tian Ming was done for. She hadn't expected him to turn the tables. Yet she wasn't especially happy; instead, there was a hint of concern in her eyes. The husband and wife known as the Righteousness Twin Swords, on the other hand, were beaming. This would make their plan much more likely to succeed.

"Long live the Gang Leader! The Gang Leader is invincible!"

Scholar Lu excitedly led the chant. Everyone in the Good Men Gang joined in, shouting with excitement and fervor. Their Gang Leader truly was worthy of the title—invincible under heaven!

As for the bandit chiefs, their faces had turned ashen. They had no intention of submitting to Tian Ming. The Bearded Strong Man shouted up at Lei Jue, "Master Lei, you haven't lost yet! Kill Tian Ming and I'll double your payment. Kill him!"

Lei Jue shook his head and refused. "This old man isn't that shameless. I'll return your silver."

The Bearded Strong Man was about to say more, but Zhang Yunhao impatiently waved his hand. "Attack!"

The Eighteen Heroes, who had long been itching to act, immediately went after the bandit chiefs. Caught off guard, several of the chiefs were wounded. They quickly fought back, but the situation was far from favorable.

Seeing this, the bandits who had come with the chiefs naturally tried to rush over and help, but the Good Men Gang surrounded them at once.

At the same time, Zhang Yunhao shouted from the arena, "The winner has been decided. By our agreement, you're all mine now. Put down your weapons and you'll live. Otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

The bandits looked at one another, hesitating. Zhang Yunhao continued, "I, Tian Ming, will become the overlord of Nanyang. Follow me, and you'll have anything you want. I'll also teach you martial arts and turn you into experts!"

"I surrender! I surrender!"

These bandits had known for a long time that Zhang Yunhao would teach them martial arts, and many had been envious for quite some time. Given the situation, it was only natural that some soon put down their weapons and surrendered.

People tended to follow the crowd. Seeing the others surrender, many more bandits laid down their weapons. Of course, a few stubborn ones remained, but the Good Men Gang was no pushover. With most of the bandits already surrendering, they quickly dealt with the holdouts. It was only a minor disturbance.

"I surrender! I surrender too!"

Seeing that all was lost, the Bearded Strong Man from earlier hurriedly shouted. Zhang Yunhao didn't even bother to acknowledge him. These men all had to die. If they lived, how could he take control of the bandits? And if they lived, where would he get his merit?

Zhang Yunhao could no longer control his rapidly growing strength. He might as well make himself even stronger, just as he had this time—crushing his opponents through sheer power!

It was worth noting that although the Great Strength Dragon Elephant Skill increased one's strength, someone else wouldn't gain the overwhelming power Zhang Yunhao had. He was this strong because of the Immortal Martial Body. His strength was twice that of other people!

Seeing that Zhang Yunhao remained unmoved, the bandit chiefs despaired. A few of them called for Lei Jue to help, but he ignored them. Once Zhang Yunhao had settled the situation, Lei Jue asked, "What was my fatal weakness?"