Jiang Che had appeared at Protector Ren's side at some point, one hand like an iron pincer clamped around his throat. With a light squeeze, Protector Ren crumpled slowly to the ground like a heap of mud.
At that moment.
At the mouth of the cave, a familiar figure slowly emerged and sized Jiang Che up.
"You were quite alert. Pity. In the end, you were still a little too late."
The man was none other than Song Ji of Crouching Tiger Mountain, who had once intercepted and slaughtered the Zhu family's entourage.
As he appeared, dozens of figures gradually emerged from within the cave and the surrounding woods. Each held a weapon, completely encircling Jiang Che.
His route of retreat had been sealed off.
This was a killing trap laid specifically for Jiang Che.
Yet their appearance would shift this killing trap onto the Cao Gang.
"Not late, not late. You came at just the right time!"
Jiang Che chuckled at Song Ji, the corners of his lips curling upward. Just as he had expected, the other side had made its move. He then took a firework signal from his robes and gave it a light pull.
Whoosh!
Boom!
A brilliant firework exploded overhead.
Jiang Che's sudden action startled everyone present, Song Ji included. His pupils contracted slightly, and a flicker of suspicion flashed through his eyes.
"You guessed there would be an ambush?"
"Congratulations, you got it right. Unfortunately, there's no prize!"
Jiang Che smiled, drew the standard-issue long blade from his waist, and pointed its edge straight at Song Ji.
"Very good. Pity that with your little bit of strength, you're still going to die today." Song Ji snorted. Even knowing Jiang Che had prepared in advance, he had no intention of backing down.
He had fought Jiang Che before. One punch had been enough to send him reeling, proving the vast gap between their strength. Song Ji was confident he could kill Jiang Che before his ambushers revealed themselves.
Having said that, Song Ji wasted no time. He grabbed a nine-ringed broadsword, took a fierce step forward, and brought it crashing down at Jiang Che with the force of splitting Mount Hua.
But Jiang Che was no longer as strong as he had been during their previous interception. After two sacrifices, he had not only broken through to the Inner Breath Realm, but had also mastered the Cool Wind Blade Momentum to the minor success stage.
He was already a far cry from his former self.
Faced with Song Ji's sudden attack, he showed no panic whatsoever. With only a light step back, he evaded the opponent's powerful strike.
When Song Ji's first attack missed, he swiftly changed moves, sweeping his blade sideways.
The blade momentum carried a gust of wind that scattered a lock of hair from Jiang Che's forehead. The next moment, Jiang Che moved. His blade cut across at a treacherous angle. If that strike landed—
Song Ji would surely be cleaved in two.
But Song Ji was no nobody. Having roamed Yanggu County for many years, he possessed quite a reputation himself. Few martial artists of the same realm could match his iron fists. Though surprised by Jiang Che's change of move, he did not panic.
He bent backward at the waist, narrowly avoiding Jiang Che's blade edge.
Clang, clang, clang—
Swish, swish, swish—
Jiang Che and Song Ji exchanged blows at tremendous speed. Their twin blades clashed, their footwork shifted and darted, and they borrowed force to dodge from time to time. In just a few breaths, they had traded more than ten moves.
"So you hid your strength that day."
As they fought, Song Ji fixed his gaze on Jiang Che.
In his heart, he refused to believe Jiang Che could have improved to such an extent in barely half a month. Instinctively, he assumed Jiang Che had concealed his true strength.
Jiang Che did not respond at all.
In the midst of combat, he had no mind to speak, nor any need to explain himself to a man who was already dead.
And during the brief time the two fought, Jiang Che's signal finally received a response. In the surrounding forest, flocks of roosting birds and startled beasts scattered in panic.
It was clear that another group was closing in from all around.
Song Ji's expression changed, and he immediately shouted.
"Retreat!"
At this point, he too sensed that something was wrong. A cold gleam appeared in his eyes as all the inner breath throughout his body gathered at one point. His entire right palm began to take on a pale green hue, exuding a sinister air.
Azure Fiend Body Refining Scripture!
The Body Refining Method he cultivated would turn his body a ghostly green as inner breath circulated through it once he had entered the method. Back then, it was precisely by using Azure Fiend Skill that he had knocked Jiang Che down with two punches.
Had reinforcements not rushed over at the time, Jiang Che would have long since died by his hand.
Now, in order to end the fight quickly, he had truly used all his strength. Strands of inner breath surged continuously toward his right arm like floodwaters bursting through a riverbank dike, while the green color rapidly deepened.
Hah!
The nine-ringed broadsword hung suspended in the air as he fiercely hammered a fist forward.
Facing Song Ji's killing move, Jiang Che did not dare be careless in the slightest. Even though he was now vastly different from before, the moment his opponent began gathering strength—
He immediately mobilized every shred of inner breath within his body.
The perfected Savage Bull Strength stance technique anchored him firmly to the earth. Strength rose from the ground, and his entire body stood like a blue stone unmoved amid raging currents. Though his palm did not change color—
The veins on his arm bulged rapidly. He too stomped upon the ground and thrust his fist forward.
Boom!
With a muffled grunt, their fists collided.
The ground itself seemed to sink slightly at that instant, while countless specks of dust were whipped into the air by the force of their punches.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!!
After that brief collision, the powerful recoil force instantly threw them apart. Jiang Che retreated two steps, but Song Ji staggered back four or five steps in succession, leaving the ground covered in deep footprints.
"That's impossible!"
Song Ji stared at the sight before him, his face filled with shock. Deep down, he found it impossible to accept.
How could this be?!
Not long ago, Jiang Che had been knocked down by a single punch from him and suffered no light injuries. Yet now, he was actually evenly matched with him!
No, they were not evenly matched. Jiang Che even held a slight advantage.
He could not believe it, yet the throbbing pain in his arm forced him to believe. Gritting his teeth, he shot Jiang Che a resentful glance, turned, and prepared to leave.
Jiang Che was actually somewhat surprised by this outcome as well.
After all, he was only in the Inner Breath Realm, while Song Ji's green-tinged arm clearly marked him as a genuine Bone Forging Realm martial artist. After exchanging full-force blows, the other man had actually retreated farther than he had.
But he quickly realized why.
His Savage Bull Strength had reached perfection, and not ordinary perfection at that. It had been deduced to the utmost limit by the Sacrifice Heavenly Stele. His stance technique had reached the pinnacle.
It could offset a great deal of recoil.
Seeing Song Ji trying to leave, Jiang Che naturally could not let him go.
This was evidence that could bring down the Cao Gang!
Ignoring the enormous exhaustion within him, Jiang Che seized the long blade embedded in the ground with a backhand grip and immediately charged forward, sealing off Song Ji's retreat. His blade came like the wind, wave after wave without end.
He unleashed the Cool Wind Blade Momentum to its fullest.
Song Ji, however, already harbored thoughts of retreat and had also developed a trace of uncertainty after their previous clash. He could only bring out eighty percent of his full strength, and in an instant, Jiang Che forced him into the disadvantage.
At this moment, amid the gaps in their battle, the bandits of Crouching Tiger Mountain and the elites of Wind Camp had fully engaged. It was almost entirely one-sided suppression, and the sounds of slaughter made hearts tremble.
Whoosh!
In an instant, a piercing sound tore through the air. An arrow gleaming with cold light grazed Jiang Che's earlobe and shot straight at Song Ji. The sudden change caught him too late to react.
The arrow pierced through his left shoulder and nailed him to a nearby tree trunk.
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