How Are You Still Not Dead?!

"Whoa, you're not running away? You're actually attacking me?"

Watching Chen Jing charge at him, Zhao Zonglin sneered. The corner of his mouth curled sharply as he mocked, "Looks like you've got quite a bit of confidence in your skills, kid!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the qi and blood inside Zhao Zonglin's body thundered, and his skin bulged faintly.

He immediately raised his saber and brought it down head-on. Its gleam carved a cold white arc through the darkness, its force enough to split a mountain!

In Zhao Zonglin's imagination, Chen Jing would be cut down by his saber the next instant, his eyes flying wide as a dying whimper escaped his throat.

But just as the two of them were about to collide—

The hand Chen Jing had swung into a fist suddenly opened.

Fwoosh!

A handful of snowy-white powder flew straight at Zhao Zonglin's face.

The night was dark, the distance was close, and Chen Jing had chosen his moment with vicious precision.

Zhao Zonglin had no time to react. The lime hit him square in the face!

"Argh...!!!"

Zhao Zonglin felt as if his eyes were burning. They swelled and spasmed with pain, tears pouring uncontrollably from them as he let out a shriek.

Even so, instinct as a First Blood Martial Artist kept him fighting. Rather than retreat, he pressed forward, his saber strikes growing even more savage.

"You bastard, you're asking to die!!!"

Squinting, Zhao Zonglin relied on instinct to sense his surroundings as he swept and hacked with his saber. Every strike brimmed with murderous intent. He had none of the ease with which he'd toyed with his prey before.

If Zhao Zonglin had been playing with his prey just moments ago...

Now all he could think about was how to chop Chen Jing into mincemeat!

Facing the savage barrage, Chen Jing didn't hesitate. He drew a deep breath and abruptly drove the qi and blood in his dantian into motion, unleashing the Five Harms Technique at full force!

In the next moment, blood and qi surged through Chen Jing's body. The blood beneath his skin seemed to burn, and a faint red mist rose around him, as if a veil woven from blood had been draped over him.

The instant the Five Harms Technique erupted, Chen Jing's speed and strength skyrocketed. He was like a ferocious beast sprung from its cage.

Seizing the opening as Zhao Zonglin swung his saber, Chen Jing shifted his feet, dodged the blow, and countered with a punch to his chest.

"This... is... the Five Harms Technique?!"

Looking at Chen Jing before him, Zhao Zonglin felt his heart seize.

As the head constable of Red Rock County, he knew all too well how cruel and savage the Five Harms Technique was, as well as the price it demanded.

Seeing the blood-red mist shrouding Chen Jing, Zhao Zonglin immediately understood that he wasn't a novice.

He was a madman who had trained the Five Harms Technique to its very limit and amassed an enormous reserve of qi and blood!

"He went all-out right from the start?!"

Zhao Zonglin's heart tightened. He stumbled back two steps and cried out, "Madman... you're a complete and utter madman!"

Zhao Zonglin bitterly regretted his decision. He hurriedly retreated another two steps.

He'd never imagined that he'd merely picked someone who looked like an easy target to use as leverage against Hu Duanzhuo.

He hadn't expected to run into a lunatic like Chen Jing, who practiced the Five Harms Technique and unleashed all his qi and blood the moment the fight began!

If he could do it all over again, Zhao Zonglin would never have targeted Chen Jing.

Now his eyes were blinded by lime, his qi and blood had been declining for years, and Chen Jing had opened with a killing move.

With their fortunes so dramatically reversed, Zhao Zonglin knew that in his current condition, he was no match for Chen Jing.

So Zhao Zonglin waved his saber as he steadily retreated, trying to put some distance between himself and Chen Jing.

But Chen Jing gave him no chance to catch his breath.

Fueled by the Five Harms Technique's frenzied surge of qi and blood, every one of Chen Jing's punches landed like a hammer blow.

What was more, Chen Jing had iron spikes strapped to his fists. Each time one of his punches landed, it left a bloody hole in Zhao Zonglin's body!

"Gah...!!!"

"Are those iron spikes?"

The bone-deep pain made Zhao Zonglin suck in a sharp breath. His mind suddenly cleared, and he realized something horrifying. He blurted, "You're the one who killed Xie Chong!"

Zhao Zonglin had never expected that, by a twist of fate, he'd actually found the murderer who killed Xie Chong.

But judging by the situation, he'd probably never get the chance to share that information.

Then, suddenly, inspiration struck Zhao Zonglin!

The Five Harms Technique... came at a price!

Every time it was activated, it damaged the five organs.

Chen Jing had unleashed all his qi and blood. Before long, his qi and blood would surely run dry, and his organs would be damaged beyond repair. He'd drop dead!

All Zhao Zonglin had to do was hold on!

The longer he lasted, the more likely he was to survive!

At the thought, a vicious, almost ecstatic glint flashed in Zhao Zonglin's eyes. He turned and bolted, trying to put more distance between himself and Chen Jing.

Clinging to the thought that "if I can just drag this out a little longer, the Five Harms Technique will kill Chen Jing," Zhao Zonglin sprinted like a madman.

But the farther he ran, the more panic gripped him.

The footsteps behind him sounded like the Grim Reaper steadily treading on the back of his neck—heavy, even, and showing no sign of slowing.

Thud!

Chen Jing slammed another punch into Zhao Zonglin's back. The iron spikes tore through his flesh, leaving it mangled and bloody.

All the while, blood streamed from the wounds on Zhao Zonglin's back, soaking his clothes and splattering everywhere with each stride. His face turned deathly pale from blood loss.

The two of them ran from the wasteland to the edge of the cemetery.

Under the dim moonlight, Zhao Zonglin looked like a dog cornered with nowhere to run. His ragged breaths sounded like air wheezing through a broken bellows.

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Zhao Zonglin gasped frantically. His legs could barely carry him anymore, as if they were filled with lead.

"Why'd you stop running?"

Chen Jing's voice drifted lazily from behind him, like a cold blade piercing Zhao Zonglin's heart.

The next second—

Bang!!!

Chen Jing's fist struck Zhao Zonglin squarely in the shoulder. The iron spikes drove deep, then tore free, leaving a gaping hole that burst with blood.

The blow sent Zhao Zonglin flying. He tumbled several times before crashing heavily to the ground at the edge of the Mass Grave, his mouth full of bloody mud.

"Why... why can you keep the Five Harms Technique going for so long?"

"Your organs should've... already rotted into a mess by now... How... how are you still alive?!"

Lying on the ground, Zhao Zonglin stared at Chen Jing, who looked perfectly healthy, and shouted hoarsely.

Hearing Zhao Zonglin's question, Chen Jing laughed instead of getting angry. "So that's why you kept running—you wanted to drag things out until the Five Harms Technique killed me?"

"Too bad I forgot to tell you. I've already improved the Five Harms Technique I practice."

"No matter how much I use it, it won't destroy my organs."

Boom!

Those words struck Zhao Zonglin's mind like a bolt of thunder.

"You... you..."

Zhao Zonglin's eyes bulged. He was gasping for air, as if he might suffocate from rage at any moment.

The next instant, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

His body went limp as he collapsed onto the ground.

Seeing Zhao Zonglin's condition, Chen Jing pulled the iron spikes off his fist and gripped one tightly. He gathered his strength, concentrated all his qi and blood into a single, supreme burst, then hurled it with all his might!

The piercing whistle of the spike tore through the air, shrill enough to seem to rip it apart. It shot forward with a howling, murderous force.

Thwack!

A dull thud rang out. The spike pierced Zhao Zonglin's head without the slightest resistance, and scalding blood mixed with brain matter sprayed everywhere.

Zhao Zonglin's body stiffened where it lay. His eyes were wide open, his pupils still holding the utmost shock and disbelief, but not a trace of life remained. His breath was gone for good.