The Loser

Li Changgeng knew full well that he was on the back foot.

He had thought himself a master of hard-style martial arts, with bones and sinews as solid as steel. His opponent was an assassin from the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower. Meeting him head-on was simply playing to his own strengths and the other man's weaknesses.

But after only a few exchanges, the kid had displayed signs of having reached the pinnacle of bodily refinement, and was hardly inferior to him. His Jade Bone had been damaged, and now he was the one losing in a contest of strength.

He had no idea how the kid had trained. To reach the Concentrated Spirit Realm at such a young age was already a gift beyond the ordinary. Now he had even displayed power from the Mystic Realm, and his bones and sinews were no weaker than Li Changgeng's.

Even if he'd been training in his mother's womb, he couldn't have done much better.

Having provoked such a baleful god, Li Changgeng couldn't help feeling a twinge of regret.

If only he hadn't killed Jin Shiyi back then.

The thought crossed his mind, and Li Changgeng immediately snapped to his senses. In the midst of a life-and-death struggle, his thoughts had grown scattered and errant.

Something was wrong!

Boom—

Another earth-shaking clash!

A dull ache rose from within Li Changgeng's Jade Bone.

Not good!

The foreign true qi that hadn't been completely purged from his Jade Bone seemed to come alive, suddenly erupting.

Li Changgeng had no choice but to divert his true force to suppress it. Chen Wu met him with another head-on strike, and Li Changgeng lost his footing, retreating several steps for the first time.

There was an opening!

Chen Wu pressed his advantage, sword swinging as he bore down on him.

Caught off guard, Li Changgeng could only swing his hammer to meet him and take another blow head-on.

But no crushing force came through his hands. Chen Wu's sword strike had been a feint. With a twist of his wrist, he guided the blade around Li Changgeng's Golden Melon Hammer and thrust it at an angle toward his neck.

Shocked and furious, Li Changgeng performed a donkey roll, barely dodging the attack.

All dignity befitting a Mystic Realm master had gone out the window!

But Li Changgeng had no time to worry about dignity. He only felt that he had performed abysmally today. Even though his injuries hadn't healed, he shouldn't have been so helpless. Something had to be wrong.

Scrambling away, he put some distance between himself and Chen Wu. As he focused his spirit, he finally discovered the problem.

The foreign true qi in his Jade Bone still carried a trace of Concentrated Spirit will. It was extremely faint, yet difficult to dispel, and had been silently eroding his spirit.

In the midst of a life-and-death struggle, his spirit had been damaged, his will scattered, and his qi unstable. No wonder he couldn't respond properly.

Jin Shiyi, you sly bastard!

You didn't just break through my Astral Energy—you even damaged my spirit.

Even in death, you had to take a bite out of me!

Gritting his teeth, he knew it would be best to stop meeting Chen Wu's attacks head-on and focus on evasion.

In an instant, he pushed his lightness skill to its limits, dodging Chen Wu's blade and refusing to engage again.

Up ahead, the patrol officers heard the people behind them shouting and, just as expected, all came to a halt.

Wu Chengyi's achievement was a great one, but if something happened to Li Changgeng, they wouldn't get off lightly either.

The patrol leader called to everyone, "Turn back—"

The patrol officers turned and ran back toward Daya Hall.

Seeing this, Wu Chengyi knew Chen Wu had already engaged Li Changgeng. He couldn't let the patrol officers return, so he turned and chased after them, trying to hold them back.

The patrol officers saw what he was doing and left some men behind to block Wu Chengyi. Everyone else hurried back to Daya Hall.

Chen Wu was growing anxious. Li Changgeng was intent on dodging and dragging things out, and it was exactly the tactic that struck at Chen Wu's weak point.

Although Li Changgeng was badly injured and couldn't fight for long, Chen Wu couldn't hold out much longer either. What's more, the patrol officers could return at any moment.

Without delay, he pushed his power to its limit and pulled out a revolver.

When Chen Wu had left River-Viewing Tower, he'd retrieved the revolver from the eaves and loaded it on his way over.

But he'd seen Guo Xuchu take on opponents using only a revolver. He knew the gun wasn't powerful enough to threaten a Mystic Realm master, so he hadn't chosen it as his primary weapon. He'd brought it only as a backup.

Given the situation, all he could do was make a desperate gamble.

Old Jin, watch over me!

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

Chen Wu fired six shots in quick succession.

Li Changgeng was dodging through the air, focused on his opponent, when he suddenly saw him pull out a gun. His heart sank!

At full strength, a gun like that would have been nothing. But in his present condition, it would make things difficult.

He twisted and darted, barely dodging five shots. Just as he was about to evade the sixth, the foreign true qi suppressed within his Jade Bone erupted again. Li Changgeng's body paused for an instant, and the final bullet struck him squarely.

The bullet hit Li Changgeng in the lower back. In Chen Wu's eyes, his movements immediately slowed!

Chen Wu was overjoyed!

He sprang after the slowing Li Changgeng and brought his sword down toward the back of his head.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

"A gun! Someone's firing a gun—"

The patrol officers, who had returned to the area around Daya Hall, suddenly heard the gunshots and shouted in alarm.

Knowing Li Changgeng was in danger, they sped up even more.

The more skilled fighters vaulted over the wall, while the less skilled charged straight for Daya Hall's main gate.

As Chen Wu's sword came down, Li Changgeng gathered all his strength and swung his hammer back, blocking the strike.

Clang—

The immense force sent Li Changgeng flying involuntarily. He crashed into the courtyard wall and only came to a stop there.

That strike had not only knocked Li Changgeng flying. Chen Wu's spirit had surged as well, letting him sense a familiar power hidden beneath the Astral Energy that covered Li Changgeng's entire body.

It was Old Jin's true qi!

Good, good—

Old Jin, you really are watching over me from above!

Chen Wu had come here determined to assassinate Li Changgeng, but he hadn't been certain he could kill him. He had only planned to wear down the man's true force. Even if he couldn't wear him out completely, he would at least shorten his life.

But now, Chen Wu was sure Li Changgeng was as good as dead!

The Nine Evolutions Dragon-Expelling Art surged to its limit. A spiral of qi force wound up the length of his sword, making it shudder until the blade rang out again and again, though he hadn't even swung it.

Guided by Chen Wu's spirit, the sword's ringing surged straight toward Li Changgeng, twisting his mind. This was the Sound Transmission Soul-Searching Technique.

Chen Wu's sword followed his heart, pointing straight at Li Changgeng!

As if answering the call of these two peerless techniques, the true qi Old Jin had left in Li Changgeng's Jade Bone erupted completely.

Attacked from within and without, Li Changgeng's Jade Bone felt as though it were being scorched—an effect a hundred times more powerful than the fiercest medicinal bath for hardening the body.

In an instant, Li Changgeng couldn't move at all. He could only watch as Chen Wu's long sword plunged straight into his heart.

Chen Wu's strike found its mark. The blade pierced Li Changgeng's heart and pinned him squarely to the courtyard wall.

"General Li—"

A patrol officer who had just vaulted over the wall reached the rear courtyard and saw Chen Wu's sword piercing Li Changgeng. He cried out in terror.

Hearing the shout, Chen Wu knew the assassination was nearly over. His true qi surged at once, and he twisted the sword as he pulled it free, crushing Li Changgeng's heart to make sure the King of Hell could claim this Superman.

Then he vaulted over the wall and shouted at the growing crowd of patrol officers.

"The killer is Chen Wu of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower—"

With that, he ignored the patrol officers, who stood gaping in shock, and sprang away.

Only then did Li Changgeng, his heart crushed, slowly slide down the courtyard wall and collapse to the ground.