Yin-Yang Hundred-Step Stumble

A thunderous explosion erupted from the fist, and Gao Huaiyi's expression changed drastically.

He felt the fierce whistling of the fist wind and immediately realized that this was not something he could resist!

He hastily raised the saber in his hand, intending to block Lu Li's fierce punch.

Lu Li's fist smashed onto Gao Huaiyi's saber with a roar, and an invisible shockwave spread out layer by layer.

The saber instantly bent, and the remaining immense impact sent Gao Huaiyi flying uncontrollably, crashing heavily onto the stone slab.

With a "wow," he spat out a large pool of blood.

Lu Li gave him no chance to breathe, employing the Flying Swallow Step to quickly advance.

Gathering all his strength in his legs, his leg muscles bulged, and he stomped down heavily.

Gao Huaiyi's hair stood on end. Enduring the intense pain throughout his body, he quickly rolled over to dodge Lu Li's kick.

He suddenly turned his head, looking at the bluestone slab that had been shattered by Lu Li's kick.

The corner of his eye twitched, and his heart pounded wildly.

If he had taken that kick, his head would have been directly crushed!

Without hesitation, he turned and fled in panic.

But Lu Li's lightness skill was superb, and he was only a few yards away in an instant.

"Brother, we have no enmity, why are you relentlessly pursuing me?" Gao Huaiyi's voice trembled, with a hint of pleading.

Lu Li's face was expressionless, his pupils filled with endless killing intent.

This struck fear into Gao Huaiyi, causing his movements to falter slightly.

It was precisely because of this slight hesitation that Lu Li paused his steps, closed the distance, and effortlessly appeared behind Gao Huaiyi.

His hands, like iron clamps, firmly gripped Gao Huaiyi's shoulders.

Gao Huaiyi gritted his teeth in pain, feeling as if the bones in his shoulders were shattering.

Lu Li lifted him by the shoulders and slammed him fiercely to the ground.

With a "crack," the bluestone slab shattered.

Gao Huaiyi lay on the ground, dazed and seeing stars.

The Lu Li before him seemed to waver and multiply into seven or eight figures.

He watched Lu Li approach him bit by bit, grunted, and struggled to get up.

But the gap in strength was too great, his injuries were too severe, his bones were broken, and the pain throughout his body was tearing him apart.

At this moment, he didn't even have the strength to move his fingers, only waiting for death.

He watched Lu Li approach him, his body radiating killing intent, his blood-stained face terrifying.

Like a demon god descending, despair filled his heart.

"To let my brothers die with understanding, who exactly are you?"

Lu Li came before Gao Huaiyi and said coldly, "Wind and Rain Pavilion, Blood Ghost!"

With that, Lu Li stomped and blew up Gao Huaiyi's head.

Blood splattered onto the blood-colored ghost mask, making its appearance even more ferocious.

Lu Li straightened up and surveyed his surroundings.

His imposing aura was like dark clouds pressing down.

The nearby citizens felt a heavy weight in their hearts, their faces turned ashen, and they scattered in all directions.

Uncle Zhao's family supported each other, trembling as they looked at Lu Li.

Lu Li ignored them and quickly searched the bodies of the two.

He remembered that the man named Zhang Tianlong carried poison, which was difficult to guard against.

This was why Lu Li chose to deal with him first.

If he hadn't dealt with him, he might have been poisoned when Zhang Tianlong released it.

In fact, Lu Li had arrived much earlier and had been observing in secret, looking for an opportunity to instantly kill Zhang Tianlong!

He had to obtain the poison; it could serve as a means of self-preservation.

The simple lime powder was no longer of much use by now.

Soon, he found a porcelain bottle and a thread-bound secret manual on Zhang Tianlong.

Then, Lu Li picked up his long saber, cut off the ears of the two, employed the Flying Swallow Step, and vanished into the air.

The entire process took no more than three breaths, his movements so skilled they were astonishing.

Soon, Lu Li returned home.

After bolting the door, he wrapped his ears with a handkerchief, planning to head to the Wind and Rain Pavilion another day to complete the handover.

Now, he prepared to take stock of his current gains.

Lu Li did not understand poisons, so he set the porcelain bottle aside for the time being to avoid any accidental exposure.

He first picked up the thread-bound manual and examined it. On the cover were four large characters: Hundred Solutions to Poisons, which recorded a vast array of methods for concocting toxins.

Lu Li found the poison from the porcelain bottle within its pages, named Yin-Yang Hundred-Step Stumble.

This poison was a colorless, odorless powder.

Yet, it was incredibly lethal. After some time had passed for it to take effect, the victim would feel their entire body go weak, their steps would stagger, and finally, they would suffer convulsions before gasping their last breath.

Even an Organ-Refining martial artist would surely die without the antidote!

After reading through it, Lu Li felt quite satisfied.

To be able to poison an Organ-Refining martial artist to death—this toxin was truly extraordinary.

Thinking of what he would look like if he were poisoned, Lu Li felt a chill run down his spine.

It's a good thing I identified my target, launched a sneak attack, and killed them in one blow.

Otherwise, if I had been forced into a prolonged entanglement, the one who died would likely have been me, Lu Li mused to himself.

He continued flipping through the rest of Hundred Solutions to Poisons. Closing the book, Lu Li felt a surge of pleasant surprise.

"Some of the poisons in the back can even take down Inner-Qi Realm martial artists; they are truly powerful."

"It's a pity that the cost to produce a single dose capable of felling an Inner-Qi Realm martial artist is at least a thousand taels—far too expensive."

"I won't consider the later parts for now. Changfeng County only has Blood-Exchange Realm martial artists; I only need to worry about what can take them down."

"The ingredients for the Yin-Yang Hundred-Step Stumble seem easy to obtain, though. It seems Hu Niu's herb garden might even have them."

Lu Li stroked his chin, pondering for a moment: "When I head into the mountains, I'll have to tell Hu Niu to keep an eye out and gather more of those herbs."

Lu Li went through the motions of finding Uncle Zhao to properly reassure him for a while, then turned back to his room to get to work.

The night passed in a flash. After Lu Li practiced the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist, he spent some time studying the Yin-Yang Hundred-Step Stumble again.

Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist (Tendon-Refining Realm 420/900) Practiced once a day, can be mastered in seventy years

Afterward, Lu Li went to the Huang Mansion to report for duty.

Along the way, Lu Li listened to the idle chatter of the pedestrians; everywhere he went, people were discussing his actions and the killing of the two Incense Fragrance Sect members.

Passing by a teahouse, the storyteller inside slapped his gavel, then began to recount the tale, swaying his head.

"Let us speak of those two: one had a scarred face, built like a giant with bulging muscles. As soon as they arrived, they drew their blades and killed anyone they saw."

"..."

"Who knows what kind of person they offended to be targeted by the Wind and Rain Pavilion."

"There is always someone stronger; that Wind and Rain Pavilion martial artist was even more fierce and brave, sweeping away all opposition with a single encounter."

"Clack!" He slapped the gavel again, drawing everyone's attention.

"Both men died in an instant, their appearances wretched, blood splattered across the killer's face—just like a Yama descending to reap souls."

"He is well-deserving of the name Blood Ghost!"

With that, the crowd below erupted into a heated discussion.

Most of them were commoners, and hearing that Gao Huaiyi and his companion were dead, they cheered in approval.

But some raised doubts.

"You're exaggerating, aren't you? I heard those two were so formidable that even the two masters, Huang He and Wang Ju, had to give them a wide berth yesterday."

"Yes, yes, they were no ordinary martial artists."

"No exaggeration! I saw it with my own eyes yesterday. That black-robed figure suddenly struck one down, and then it was a total crushing victory. His strikes were ruthless, leaving no room for mercy!"

The crowd argued incessantly.

But regardless, with the comparison to the two masters Huang He and Wang Ju, the name of the Wind and Rain Pavilion's Blood Ghost would surely spread throughout the entire city of Changfeng!

Lu Li paused, listened briefly, and raised an eyebrow, his lips curling upward as he felt quite pleased.

It seems I'm about to become famous.

Humming a little tune, Lu Li felt in high spirits as he strolled toward the Huang Mansion.