A Duel Between Xiantian Martial Artists

Qin Shaofeng's heart stirred slightly, and he hurriedly asked Qin An, "Uncle An, how much of your strength can you use right now? Can you defeat Wu Sancai?"

Qin An hesitated for a moment, then gently shook his head. "No! Although Wu Sancai is known only for those Black Poison Hands of his and earned the title Black Hand Butcher, he is still, like me, a Xiantian First Layer Martial Master."

He glanced back again. Seeing Wu Sancai still hanging close behind them, Qin An continued, "If I were at my peak, he would certainly be no match for me. But even after neutralizing half the poison, I can only bring out sixty to seventy percent of my strength at most. In this condition, I cannot defeat him!"

After saying that, Qin An paused briefly, then said firmly to Qin Shaofeng, "Young Master, rest assured. Even if I cannot defeat Wu Sancai now, I can still hold him off. When I tie him down later, you must run!"

Run?

How could that be possible?

He had been hunted down for no reason at all and had even wasted a full 100 Points. How could Qin Shaofeng simply let Wu Sancai go?

Besides, could he truly stand by and let Uncle An, who had cherished and cared for him since childhood, die at Wu Sancai's hands?

However, Qin Shaofeng did not say much to Qin An. He already had a plan of his own.

But he also knew that if Uncle An learned of the plan in his heart, he would certainly never agree to it.

So it was better to remain silent for now!

Qin An paid no attention to Qin Shaofeng's silence. After finally suppressing the poison within his body, Qin An spoke.

"Young Master, get ready. Once I hold Wu Sancai back, run at once. Do not stop midway. Go straight back to Lanjiang City! I will delay Wu Sancai as long as I can!"

As he spoke, Qin An suddenly exerted force with both hands and hurled Qin Shaofeng away.

Borrowing that force, Qin Shaofeng leaped onto a distant tree, then vanished into the lush forest after several flickers.

Take care, Young Master!

Watching the spot where Qin Shaofeng had disappeared, Qin An silently said those words in his heart. Then a trace of resolve flashed through his eyes as he turned and faced the rapidly pursuing Wu Sancai head-on.

"Finally stopped running?"

A cold sneer rang out as Wu Sancai, dressed in black robes, came to a halt opposite Qin An.

Glancing toward where Qin Shaofeng had vanished, Wu Sancai said disdainfully, "Qin An, your poison has been acting up for quite some time. Though your Innate Inner Qi has kept you alive until now, you are not far from death. Do you really think that letting that little bastard run ahead means he can escape? Besides, in your current state, can you even stop me?"

Qin An remained unmoved. He looked at Wu Sancai calmly and replied indifferently, "Whether I can or not, we will know once we try!"

"Arrogant!"

Qin An's calm attitude thoroughly enraged Wu Sancai. With a low roar, he suddenly lunged at Qin An.

As he moved, threads of a foul stench emanated from Wu Sancai's body. Before the man himself arrived, his poison attack was already upon him.

"Hmph!"

As though he had anticipated Wu Sancai's little trick, Qin An snorted coldly and swept out one hand. A surge of Innate Inner Qi swept forth, scattering all of the foul odor.

He had only barely suppressed the poison within his body. If he inhaled any more of Wu Sancai's poisonous fumes, things would become troublesome.

Yet just as he finished doing this, a black shadow flashed before his eyes. Wu Sancai had already arrived in front of him. He raised both hands sharply, exposing his purple-black hands beneath the black robe, and struck at Qin An with layers of black qi swirling around them.

But Qin An's reaction was not slow either. As the black palms came at him, the Innate Inner Qi within his body circulated, and a trace of Pale White Innate Inner Qi spread from his hands. Raising them, he struck out repeatedly as well.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Though it was palm against palm, only two thunderous impacts rang out.

For a moment, black poisonous qi drifted everywhere as the two exchanged blows.

And because they were Xiantian Martial Masters, the shockwaves from their clash spread outward, violently shaking the surrounding trees downward.

Rustle!

Countless leaves were shaken from the trees, then whipped madly through the air by the lingering shockwaves.

"Ha ha ha!"

Although Qin An had blocked his two palm strikes, Wu Sancai suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Because he had discovered that the strength Qin An had used to block those two palms was far inferior to his strength at his peak.

Clearly, his secret poison was taking effect. Qin An now possessed less than half the strength he had in his prime.

"Qin An! Qin An! You truly disappoint me, Wu Sancai, now!"

Wu Sancai shook his head lightly and spoke with deliberate disdain.

But upon hearing those words, Qin An sneered inwardly.

He had deliberately weakened those two palm strikes just now, creating the illusion that he had less than half his peak strength.

Although the poison inside Qin An had not been completely neutralized, if he erupted with all his strength, he could still use roughly seventy percent of his peak power.

But Qin An understood that even with seventy percent of his strength, he still could not defeat Wu Sancai. It was better to deliberately show weakness, numb Wu Sancai's vigilance, and buy Qin Shaofeng as much time to escape as possible.

Naturally, Wu Sancai knew none of this. When Qin An did not reply, he assumed the man had been struck speechless because he had guessed correctly.

"Nothing to say, huh?" Wu Sancai sneered coldly. "Then go die!"

As soon as the words fell, Wu Sancai lunged at Qin An again. His purple-black hands instantly struck out in rapid succession, unleashing one powerful attack after another, each carrying Innate Inner Qi.

Qin An did not dare be careless either. While pretending to struggle, he likewise sent out palm strike after palm strike to meet and cancel Wu Sancai's attacks. From time to time, he even retreated several steps or deliberately let a trace of blood appear at the corner of his mouth.

Under such circumstances, Wu Sancai grew more and more excited as he attacked. Especially when he saw that trace of blood at Qin An's lips, he became even more exhilarated.

Qin Family Dark Guards, Zhang Family deathsworn, Wang Family merchants!

These were the hallmarks of Lanjiang City's three great families, and among the Qin Family Dark Guards, Qin An was the very symbol of the Dark Guards.

Just thinking that he could defeat the symbol of the Qin Family Dark Guards was enough to make Wu Sancai excited beyond measure.

Driven by such emotions, Wu Sancai became increasingly fired up, and the force of his attacks grew stronger and stronger.

Yet no matter how he attacked, Qin An took every blow or dodged it skillfully.

At worst, Qin An would only let a trace of blood "occasionally" flow from the corner of his mouth. Other than that, nothing changed.

At first, Wu Sancai noticed nothing. But gradually, he began to sense that something was wrong.

Finally, after attacking for a quarter of an hour, Wu Sancai seemed to realize something and suddenly roared at Qin An, "Qin An, you actually dared toy with me?"

Wu Sancai was not stupid. After his initial excitement faded, he finally realized that Qin An had been deliberately stringing him along!

"So what if I did?" Qin An sneered coldly, his face carrying a hint of contempt. "You only noticed now. I have to say, you Black Hand Butcher are truly foolish!"

Though he said that, Qin An was not having an easy time either. After all, he had been poisoned. Not only could he not fully unleash his strength, he also had to expend a considerable amount of Innate Inner Qi to suppress the poison within him.

Combined with Wu Sancai's repeated attacks, the fact that he had held on until now was already somewhat unbelievable.

"Ah! Damn it!"

This time, Wu Sancai was truly about to go mad.

All of his previous excitement had long since vanished into thin air.

The thought that Qin An might have been playing with him like a monkey made the fury in his heart erupt beyond control.

"Qin An, go die!"

In his rage, Wu Sancai held nothing back. His body shuddered as he extended his purple-black hands, threads of black mist rising from them.

Black robes, black mist, and Wu Sancai's terrifyingly twisted face at that moment.

The word "butcher" suited his bizarre appearance perfectly.

Yet Qin An's expression became exceptionally grave as he faced Wu Sancai in such a state.

A quarter of an hour had passed. The Young Master should have run quite far by now!

As this thought suddenly arose, Qin An felt greatly relieved.

Then a trace of resolve flashed across Qin An's face as he abruptly made a decision.

Since that was the case, there was no need for him to hold back any longer.

Suddenly, Qin An withdrew the Innate Inner Qi suppressing the poison in his body. He then circulated every bit of Innate Inner Qi within him. Facing Wu Sancai, who was charging at him wreathed in eerie black qi, Qin An let out a long laugh.

"Ha ha, Wu Sancai, if you want to kill me, I will not let you have it easy either!"

With that, Qin An moved.

Afterimage Fist!

As Old Master Qin's most capable assistant, Qin An had earned Old Master Qin's deep trust. Even the Qin Family's ultimate art, the Afterimage Fist, had been taught to him.

With a thunderous shout, Qin An clenched both fists. Strands of Pale White light flashed over them as, carrying an air of facing death without fear, he blasted toward Wu Sancai.

Qin An was not Qin Shaofeng. The Afterimage Fist he unleashed was not the showy imitation Qin Shaofeng had used against Zhang Lingtian, but the genuine Afterimage Fist.

Moreover, because he had cast life and death aside, the power of Qin An's Afterimage Fist abruptly surged.

A piercing howl rose through the air as ten white-glowing fist rays tore through the air, producing sharp whistles.

Even the surrounding air turned extremely heavy beneath those ten Afterimage Fists.

Not good!

The aura released by Qin An's Afterimage Fist made Wu Sancai's heart jolt. But even if he wanted to dodge now, he could no longer escape.

Wu Sancai was also a ruthless man. Knowing he could not evade it, he hardened his heart instead. Savage light flashed repeatedly in his eyes as he roared, "Five Absolute Poison Palm!"

In an instant, a faint purple-black glow flared from Wu Sancai's hands as poisonous qi surged wildly toward Qin An's Afterimage Fist.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fist against palm!

Five Absolute poisonous qi against Afterimage Fist rays!

In the end, their attacks collided!

Several deafening explosions erupted in midair. The powerful Innate Inner Qi between their fists and palms exploded outward, sending nearby trees flying and scattering dirt and rocks in all directions.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The instant the explosions sounded, two figures flew backward.

One smashed into the ground, sinking into a dirt pit.

The other was hurled through the air, crashing through several large trees before finally stopping against the trunk of another.

At the center of the explosion, countless powerful currents of Inner Qi suddenly swept out, stripping away everything around them.

Even several towering trees were blown down. For a time, the center of the area had become somewhat bare.

Not only that, some of the surrounding trees seemed to have been contaminated with severe poison because Wu Sancai had used the Five Absolute Poison Palm, and they had already begun to slowly wither.

Worthy of the Black Hand Butcher, this Five Absolute Poison Palm was truly terrifying.