Fierce Battle

Jiang Yuan forced his opponent back with a hook, his eyes catching Gu Chang'an cleaving Zheng Zhen's head off. He couldn't help but sneer.

His twin hooks closed, and with a flick of his wrist, he spun back, creating distance from his enemy.

He whispered, "Good kid, well done."

Though the praise was soft, it came from the heart.

Jiang Yuan had always believed he was the most experienced and decisive fighter in this team, never having truly respected Gu Chang'an.

But at this moment, he completely discarded that slight.

Gu Chang'an not only possessed formidable strength and unparalleled, ferocious swordsmanship, but was also remarkably calm and meticulous.

He had long sensed Zheng Zhen's treachery and had kept it hidden, decisively counter-attacking at the most critical juncture of the battle. This had not only shocked everyone but also severed a potential threat.

A sense of lingering fear washed over Jiang Yuan.

If Zheng Zhen had been allowed to continue his subterfuge, their team would have eventually been dragged into an abyss of despair.

Their enemies would have known their exact movements, troop strength, and even launched surprise attacks from behind at crucial moments.

In such a scenario, victory would be out of the question; survival itself would be difficult.

What truly won Jiang Yuan over, however, was the killing intent beneath Gu Chang'an's composure—

Not everyone could so decisively evade a backstab and counter-kill on the spot.

If it were him, he would likely have already fallen beneath the blade.

Jiang Yuan gazed at Gu Chang'an's retreating back, his expression complex, eventually settling into solemnity. He now regarded the other man as the true pillar of their group.

Meanwhile—

"Aaaargh!!!"

Liang Hu roared earth-shatteringly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Gu Chang'an, fire practically spewing from them.

Zheng Zhen was a mole, an insider, a pawn that he and Daoist Chai had painstakingly planted.

If utilized properly, he could have disrupted the entire suppression operation's rhythm and bought time for the main force.

But now, this pawn had been casually slain by Gu Chang'an.

"You!!" Liang Hu gritted his teeth, swallowed a Blood Burst Pill, and slammed his wolf-tooth club onto the ground. "You little bastard, I'll mince you into meat paste!!"

He stomped his foot, shaking the earth violently, and instantly lunged at Gu Chang'an. His wolf-tooth club, imbued with berserk true energy, smashed down with a thunderous roar, his fury boundless!

Gu Chang'an met his gaze with cold eyes, his Shattering Mountain Blade soaring into the air. His aura was like mountains and seas as he met the attack with a single blade!

"Come on!" he yelled. "Let's see who's mincing whom!"

Gu Chang'an swung his blade, blocking Liang Hu's heavy blow. The ground beneath him cracked, and he was forced back three steps.

His gaze was cold, his Shattering Mountain Blade trembling slightly. The force of that strike was like a thousand thunderous hammers, making his tiger's mouth ache.

After consuming the Blood Burst Pill, Liang Hu's Constitution had surged to 325.

It was higher than his own, but not by much.

"Heh! You little mongrel, aren't you so capable? If you can survive my next three moves, you're one lucky bastard!"

Liang Hu roared with laughter, swinging his wolf-tooth club again, stirring up winds like thunder as he swept it across. The ground was plowed like a field, and dust billowed into the sky.

Gu Chang'an neither dodged nor weaved. He held his blade across his chest, his stance as steady as a mountain.

"Good!" he roared, his Shattering Mountain Blade unleashing a fierce blade aura, like a mountain collapsing, slashing straight down!

BOOM—!

Blade met club, and a deafening roar erupted. The surge of energy shattered nearby trees, and a shockwave rippled across the ground, pushing back friend and foe alike.

The two instantly resumed their battle. The blade was like thunder, the club like a storm. One swift, one fierce, they clashed violently on the mountain path.

Gu Chang'an, relying on the agility of his Flowing Wind Steps, weaved through the onslaught, his Shattering Mountain Blade meeting the ferocious attacks head-on. In an instant, he sliced through several of Liang Hu's sleeves, drawing blood.

Liang Hu, however, relied on his hardened physique for defense. Despite numerous blade marks, his bones remained unharmed. Instead, he grew wilder with each passing moment, cackling incessantly.

"Is that all the strength you have? You still want to kill me?!" Liang Hu bellowed, his blood energy surging, his body glowing crimson like bronze as he swung his club like a dragon.

Gu Chang'an's eyes grew increasingly calm.

He knew that while Liang Hu was fierce, his internal energy was scattered, and his blood energy was volatile. This was a temporary surge after taking the pill, and once his momentum faded, his weaknesses would be exposed.

He said gravely, "You're just putting on a show. When your strength fails, that will be the day you die!"

On the other side—

Li Hongye, wielding an iron whip, moved with nimble grace, darting through the forest like a swift swallow.

Her opponent was Pei Xuan, the "Startling Snake Sword."

Pei Xuan's slender sword was like a nimble snake, his movements unpredictable and endlessly varied. A single thrust produced multiple afterimages, accompanied by a chilling coldness, like a viper's flicking tongue, poised to pierce the heart without warning.

Li Hongye, however, was not flustered. Her gaze was focused and stern as her long whip coiled into the air, rolling like an iron dragon. With a swish, it lashed down, directly intercepting Pei Xuan's offensive.

"No matter how venomous the snake, it'll break its bones against an iron whip!"

She sneered, her whip following like a shadow, each strike faster than the last. The iron whip whistled through the air, thwarting Pei Xuan's every attempt to change tactics.

Pei Xuan's expression shifted slightly. He had always relied on speed and unpredictability, but Li Hongye's relentless pressure, each strike carrying immense internal energy, forced him into a defensive struggle, pushing him back step by step.

"Hmph, woman, you're so annoying!"

Pei Xuan gritted his teeth, his sword style changing abruptly. He unleashed a "Snake Crawls Nine Nether" with a strange thrust, his body shifting from ethereal to solid, his swordplay incredibly tricky.

Li Hongye spun her body, her long whip striking the ground and rebounding. Using the force, she aimed for his throat. The iron whip transformed into a crescent moon, sweeping across like a thousand troops, forcing Pei Xuan to retreat rapidly once more.

Not far away, Jiang Yuan and Duan Lie were also locked in a fierce battle.

Duan Lie's upper body was bare, his muscles bulging like a forged steel body.

His great axe danced like a mountain collapsing and the sea roaring, powerful and heavy, the ground cracking inch by inch beneath his feet.

"Come on! Jiang Yuan! Aren't you supposed to be good at fighting? Watch me split you in half with one axe strike!"

Jiang Yuan didn't reply. His twin hooks flashed like lightning, cold light erupting. Each hook strike was like lightning tearing through the sky, skillfully dodging the edge of the great axe and precisely targeting weak points.

"You can't break my defense!" Duan Lie laughed heartily, his tough training making him nearly impervious to blades and spears.

But Jiang Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile:

"Can't break it? Then let's try!"

Suddenly, he feinted to lure the enemy, his left hook flying off, spinning towards Duan Lie's shoulder.

Duan Lie instinctively raised his axe to block. The next instant, Jiang Yuan's right hook advanced with the momentum, piercing the opening under his armpit!

And this opening under the armpit was precisely the weak point of Duan Lie's tough training.

"Ugh!" Duan Lie roared in anger, staggering back. Blood poured from the wound.

Jiang Yuan snorted coldly, "Let's see if you're still so arrogant. I can break you like rotten wood."

If you can't find the book by its title, you could try searching for the author. Perhaps the name was just changed!