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 beat 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 of Black Hand Butcher, he is still, after all, an Innate First Layer martial master like me."
He glanced back again and saw 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 though I have purged half the poison now, I can only bring out sixty or seventy percent of my strength at best. In this state, I cannot defeat him!"
At this, Qin An paused slightly before saying to Qin Shaofeng with firm resolve, "Young Master, do not worry. Even if I cannot defeat Wu Sancai now, I can still keep him tied down. When I hold him off later, run!"
Run?
How could that be possible?
He had been hunted down for no reason and had even wasted a full 100 points. How could Qin Shaofeng possibly let Wu Sancai off so easily?
Besides, could he really stand by and let Uncle An, who had doted on him since childhood, die at Wu Sancai's hands just like that?
Yet Qin Shaofeng did not say much to Qin An. At this moment, 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 definitely never agree to it.
So it was better to remain silent for now!
Qin Shaofeng's silence did not bother Qin An. After finally suppressing the poison in 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 for as long as I can!"
As he spoke, Qin An abruptly exerted force with both hands and hurled Qin Shaofeng away.
Borrowing that force, Qin Shaofeng leaped onto a distant tree, then vanished into the thick forest with a few flashes of his body.
Take care, Young Master!
Staring at the place where Qin Shaofeng had disappeared, Qin An silently murmured in his heart. Then a trace of determination flashed through his eyes as he turned and faced the rapidly approaching Wu Sancai head-on.
"Finally done running?"
A cold sneer rang out as Wu Sancai, clad in black robes, stopped 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 beast run ahead means he can escape? Besides, in your current condition, can you stop me?"
Unmoved, Qin An stared calmly at Wu Sancai and said flatly, "Whether I can or not, we will know once we try!"
"Arrogant!"
Qin An's indifferent attitude completely enraged Wu Sancai. With a low roar, he lunged fiercely at Qin An.
As he moved, strands of a foul, fishy stench radiated from Wu Sancai's entire body. Before the man even arrived, his poisonous attack had already reached Qin An.
"Hmph!"
As if he had anticipated Wu Sancai's little trick long ago, Qin An snorted coldly and swept out a hand. A stream of Innate Inner Qi surged forth, blowing all the foul-smelling vapors aside.
He had only just managed to suppress the poison in his body. If he inhaled more of Wu Sancai's toxic fumes, things would become troublesome.
But just as he finished doing this, a black shadow flashed before his eyes. Wu Sancai had already arrived in front of him, raising both hands to reveal the purple-black palms beneath his robes. Wrapped in layer upon layer of Black Qi, they struck together toward Qin An.
Qin An's reaction was not slow either. As the black palms came down, the Innate Inner Qi within him circulated, and a faint pale-white glow emerged from both hands. He raised them and sent palm strike after palm strike forward as well.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Though it was palm against palm, only two thunderous booms rang out.
For a moment, black poisonous gas scattered everywhere between the two combatants.
And because they were Xiantian Martial Masters, the shockwaves from their clash directly shook the surrounding trees downward.
Rustle! Rustle! 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 discovered that the strength Qin An had used to block those two palms was already far inferior to his strength at his peak.
Clearly, his secret poison was taking effect. Qin An now possessed less than half his peak strength.
"Qin An, Qin An! You truly disappoint me, Wu Sancai, now!"
Shaking his head lightly, Wu Sancai spoke with deliberate scorn.
But upon hearing those words, Qin An sneered inwardly.
He had deliberately weakened those two palm strikes just now, giving Wu Sancai the illusion that he possessed less than half his peak strength.
Although the poison in Qin An's body had not been completely neutralized, if he erupted with all his strength, he could still bring out around seventy percent of his peak power.
But Qin An understood that even seventy percent would not be enough to defeat Wu Sancai. It would be better to deliberately show weakness, numb Wu Sancai's vigilance, and buy as much time as possible for Qin Shaofeng to escape.
Naturally, Wu Sancai knew none of this. Since Qin An did not respond, he assumed Qin An had been exposed by his guess and had nothing to say.
"No words now, huh?" Wu Sancai sneered coldly. "Then go die!"
The instant he finished speaking, Wu Sancai lunged at Qin An again. His purple-black hands struck out in rapid succession, launching one powerful attack after another, each imbued with Innate Inner Qi.
Qin An did not dare be careless. While pretending to struggle, he likewise sent out palm strike after palm strike, neutralizing Wu Sancai's attacks. From time to time, he would retreat a few steps or deliberately let a trace of blood seep from the corner of his mouth.
This only made Wu Sancai attack with increasing excitement. Especially when he saw that trace of blood at Qin An's lips, he grew even more agitated.
The Qin Family had its Dark Guard, the Zhang Family its deathsworn, and the Wang Family its commerce!
These were the hallmarks of Lanjiang City's three great lineages, and among the Qin Family's Dark Guard, Qin An was the symbol of the Dark Guard.
At the thought that he could defeat the symbol of the Qin Family's Dark Guard, how could Wu Sancai not be excited?
Driven by such emotions, Wu Sancai became more and more excited, and the force of his attacks grew increasingly powerful.
Yet no matter how he attacked, Qin An either blocked every strike or dodged them with clever precision.
At worst, Qin An would 'occasionally' let a trace of blood flow from the corner of his mouth. Other than that, nothing happened.
At first, Wu Sancai noticed nothing. But gradually, he began to feel that something was not right.
Finally, after attacking for a quarter of an hour, Wu Sancai seemed to realize something. He suddenly roared at Qin An, "Qin An, you actually dare toy with me?"
Wu Sancai was no fool. After his initial excitement faded, he finally realized that Qin An had been deliberately circling around him!
"So what if I am?" Qin An sneered coldly, his face carrying a hint of disdain. "You only noticed now. I have to say, you Black Hand Butcher really are quite stupid!"
Though he spoke that way, Qin An was not having an easy time either. After all, he had been poisoned. Not only could he not fully use his strength, but he also had to expend a considerable amount of Innate Inner Qi to suppress the poison within him.
Adding Wu Sancai's repeated attacks to that, it was already somewhat incredible that he had lasted this long.
"Ah! Dammit!"
This time, Wu Sancai truly went mad with rage.
All his previous excitement had vanished into thin air.
The thought that Qin An might have been playing him like a monkey made the fury in his heart erupt beyond control.
"Qin An, go die!"
In his rage, Wu Sancai no longer held anything back. His entire body trembled as he extended his purple-black hands, wisps of black mist rising from them.
Black robes, black mist, and Wu Sancai's terrifyingly twisted expression.
The word "butcher" suited his bizarre appearance perfectly at this moment.
But facing such a Wu Sancai, Qin An's expression became exceptionally grave.
A quarter of an hour had passed. Young Master should have escaped a fair distance by now!
Thinking of this suddenly, Qin An felt much more at ease.
Then a trace of determination appeared on Qin An's face as he abruptly made a decision in his heart.
Since that was the case, there was no need for him to hold back any longer.
In an instant, Qin An withdrew the Innate Inner Qi suppressing the poison in his body. Then, gathering every last bit of Innate Inner Qi within him, he faced Wu Sancai, who was charging at him cloaked in strange Black Qi, and let out a long laugh.
"Ha ha! Wu Sancai, if you want to kill me, I will not let you have an easy time either!"
With that, Qin An moved.
Phantom 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, Phantom Fist, had been passed on to him.
With a furious roar, Qin An clenched both hands. Threads of pale-white light flashed across his fists, and carrying an air of facing death without fear, he blasted toward Wu Sancai.
Qin An was not Qin Shaofeng. The Phantom Fist he unleashed was not the flashy but useless display Qin Shaofeng had used against Zhang Lingtian, but a genuine Phantom Fist.
Moreover, because he had cast life and death aside, the power of Qin An's Phantom Fist suddenly surged.
A piercing howl rose through the air as ten fist shadows bearing white light tore through the air, each releasing a sharp sound of Space Breaking.
Even the air around those ten Phantom Fists became incomparably heavy.
Not good!
The aura radiating from Qin An's Phantom Fist made Wu Sancai's heart jolt, but even if he wanted to dodge now, it was already too late.
Wu Sancai was a ruthless man as well. Knowing he could not avoid it, he hardened his heart. Savage light flashed repeatedly in his eyes as he roared, "Five Absolute Poison Palms!"
In an instant, a faint purple-black radiance burst from Wu Sancai's hands, and poisonous Qi surged wildly as it slammed toward Qin An's Phantom Fist.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fist against palm!
Five Absolute poison Qi against Phantom Fist radiance!
At last, the two attacks collided!
Several deafening explosions rang out in midair. The powerful Innate Inner Qi erupting between fists and palms sent the surrounding trees flying while dirt and stones crisscrossed through the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The moment the explosions rang out, two figures were blasted backward.
One crashed to the ground and sank into a pit of earth.
The other was hurled into the air, smashing through several large trees in succession before finally stopping against the trunk of another.
At the center of the explosion, countless powerful currents of inner Qi suddenly spiraled out, sweeping away everything around them.
Even several towering trees were blown down. In an instant, the center of the area had become somewhat bare.
Not only that, but some of the trees around the area seemed to have been contaminated by deadly poison due to Wu Sancai's Five Absolute Poison Palms, and they had already begun to wither slowly.
Worthy of the Black Hand Butcher indeed. These Five Absolute Poison Palms were truly terrifying.
Before you continue