A Timely Rescue

Thunder Hand was a technological artifact created by combining the Federation's technological civilization with the artifact-forging techniques of Centaurus Great Wasteland Star's martial civilization. It had only been introduced into the Federation in recent decades. Not only could it deflect fifty percent of the external force directed at the wearer's hands, but it also greatly amplified the explosive power of one's punches. A martial artist with a combat power of two thousand could raise it to around 2,500 simply by wearing it.

In other words, Wang Jing's combat power was now only about five hundred points below Xu the Third's. He had a chance of fighting him!

"I didn't want to take this treasure out, but you forced me!" Wang Jing licked his slightly chapped lips, a cruel smile spreading across his face. With a gene count of 150 against Xu the Third's 300, their combat power differed by a full factor of two. The very thought of it was thrilling.

"Hmph! I knew that Sixth Brother was unreliable. Big Brother's judgment truly is sharp!" Scorpion's expression did not change in the slightest at the sight, as though everything had gone exactly as expected.

Xie Bai and Wang Jing's faces both darkened at Scorpion's words. Had the other side deliberately taken the bait? But it was too late to think about that now. They could only settle things with their fists!

Boom!

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Jing's pair of white fists slammed toward Xu the Third. No one had expected him to strike first, but Xu the Third was unafraid. He was merely a junior; could he truly defeat him just by relying on external aid? Decades of martial experience had long forged his invincible fighting spirit!

There were no flashy techniques between them. Their clash was a pure head-on collision.

Clang! Their fists collided with an explosive crash, producing a sound like metal striking metal. Wang Jing staggered back five steps, while Xu the Third only retreated three. The disparity in gene count and origin force was indeed not something external assistance could entirely make up for. Still, this was enough. He only needed to hold Xu the Third off until Xie Bai defeated Scorpion, and the battle would be decided.

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

It sounded as if something were burrowing through the sand. Upon hearing it, Xie Bai and Wang Jing's expressions changed drastically.

"Golden-Armored Venom Scorpions!!"

"Hehe, when Big Brother told me to bring these things out, I thought he was making too much of it. Who would have thought they would really come in handy?"

As Scorpion spoke, more than a hundred palm-sized golden scorpions suddenly emerged from the surrounding ground. Every one of them had at least two tail stingers, while some dark-golden Golden-Armored Venom Scorpions even had three. At the sight, Xie Bai and Wang Jing immediately gave up attacking and pressed their backs together. Both wore extremely grim expressions.

"A single bite from a Golden-Armored Venom Scorpion can make an origin force martial artist lose their combat ability. To unleash so many at once, Old Scorpion, you truly didn't underestimate this master and servant pair!"

"Hehe, my purpose in coming to Earth this time was to eliminate you, the fish that slipped through the net, and make a little extra off Wang Jing along the way. I never expected the two of you to give me so many surprises. Even if every one of these Golden-Armored Venom Scorpions is destroyed, it will still be worth it!"

Keh! Keh! Keh! Strange sounds came from Scorpion's mouth. As though they had received an order, the Golden-Armored Venom Scorpions on the ground surged madly toward Wang Jing and Xie Bai. Though both were origin force martial artists, they still had no choice but to fight with all their strength.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two dark-golden Golden-Armored Venom Scorpions suddenly sprang from the ground and shot toward Wang Jing. Wang Jing sent them flying with two bangs of his fists, but the dark-golden scorpions were not harmed in the slightest. After landing, they rushed at him again. Anyone could see that Wang Jing and Xie Bai would inevitably lose if this continued. Scorpion and Xu the Third would not even need to act; the two would exhaust themselves to death.

Seeing this, Tang Yu knew he had to step in. He could not stand by and watch Wang Jing and Xie Bai be killed here by a group of interstellar bandits. Yet he was no match for Xu the Third, much less Scorpion. At the critical moment, Meng Xuanxuan came through for him.

Don't forget, she was a half-baked pharmacist. She had the best methods for dealing with venomous snakes, insects, and pests.

"Take this!" Meng Xuanxuan pulled a small box from her clothes. It contained a white medicinal powder.

"What is this?"

"Pollen from the Eerie Exotic Flower. All venomous snakes, insects, and pests under heaven will keep their distance from it!"

"Good stuff!" It was exactly what they needed right now!

"Who's there?"

Scorpion, Xu the Third, and Zhou Jiao, who was tending to Shadow Star Pirates' Fourth Brother nearby, all heard the movement in the bushes and immediately became alert. But they were too late.

Tang Yu leaped out, scattering a handful of Eerie Exotic Flower pollen. The Golden-Armored Venom Scorpions on the ground promptly scattered.

"Brother Tang Wei?!"

Wang Jing was initially stunned upon seeing Tang Yu, but his shock was swiftly replaced by delight. Just when all hope seemed lost, a new path had opened before him. He had not expected to encounter a savior at such a critical moment!

"Give me a hand!" There was no time for idle words. Seeing the Golden-Armored Venom Scorpions retreat, Wang Jing called out to Tang Yu and immediately charged Xu the Third again.

Tang Yu said nothing either. He directly struck at Xu the Third's back with the Bone-Twisting Layered Palm. It was an underhanded move, but Tang Yu knew he was no match for Xu the Third head-on. A sneak attack was naturally the wiser choice.

Attacked from both front and back, Xu the Third's expression did not change. In an instant, he made his decision. Sensing that Tang Yu was not very strong, he intended to withstand Tang Yu's palm strike and take down Wang Jing first.

Tendon-Severing Bone-Dislocating Hand! With a thunderous shout, Xu the Third's back suddenly bulged as he drove his blood and qi to the limit, concentrating it all in his back to resist Tang Yu's Bone-Twisting Layered Palm. At the same time, his hands shifted apart, their shape fierce and brutal as they grabbed for Wang Jing's wrists. Wang Jing's hands were protected by Thunder Hand, so there was no point in targeting them. Crushing his wrists was the proper course!

By the time Wang Jing saw this, it was already too late to withdraw!

Bang!

Crack!

The two sounds rang out almost simultaneously. Tang Yu's Bone-Twisting Layered Palm struck Xu the Third squarely in the back, while Xu the Third's hands twisted Wang Jing's wrists into grotesque angles.

"Pfft!" Xu the Third spat out a mouthful of blood. He had never imagined that this newcomer, so young in years, would possess such high combat power. That single palm strike shattered his defenses, and the violent origin force tore through his body, ravaging it wildly. In an instant, it cut his combat power by a full fifty percent! Scorpion was tied down by Xie Bai and could only watch anxiously as his brother was injured, unable to do anything.

"Watch out!" Wang Jing suddenly cried a warning, but it was too late.

Whoosh! A streak of sword light abruptly shot forth, stabbing toward Tang Yu's back. While the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole waited behind. Zhou Jiao, who had been watching from the sidelines, somehow produced a slender silver sword and thrust it straight at Tang Yu's heart. If this strike landed, Tang Yu would surely die.

Bang!

At the crucial moment, Meng Xuanxuan made her move. Her combat power was not equal to Zhou Jiao's, but it was more than enough to block this attack against Tang Yu.

"Thank you!" Tang Yu broke out in a cold sweat when he came to his senses. Turning to Meng Xuanxuan, he thanked her before his figure flashed and he charged at Zhou Jiao again.

Prodigal Son Turns Back!

Borrowing the force of his turn, Tang Yu unleashed the second move of the Primordial Martial Way: Prodigal Son Turns Back. He had used this move against Yuan Chengwu before, but his strength had been lower then, and he had not been fully proficient with it. This time was different.

He lowered his body and bent at the waist, sweeping one leg as a feint while reaching out with a clawing hand as the true attack. If Zhou Jiao guarded high, the high attack would be false and the low attack real. If he guarded low, the low attack would be false and the high attack real. Truth and falsehood shifted unpredictably, making it impossible to guard against!

Rip!

The sound of fabric tearing rang out as Zhou Jiao's clothing was ripped open across his chest by Tang Yu's claw. He had dodged quickly; otherwise, Tang Yu's Prodigal Son Turns Back would have been enough to tear straight through his heart!

"Damn it! Great Demon-Relieving Pill!" Seeing this, Scorpion knew that if he did not risk everything now, he and all his brothers would die here. He pulled an utterly black pill from his pocket and swallowed it in one gulp. Instantly, his entire body seemed to become engorged with blood. His face flushed crimson, and his body swelled by an entire size, as though inflated.

"This is bad! Fall back!"

Seeing this, Xie Bai immediately realized something was wrong and retreated at top speed. Hearing him, Tang Yu and Meng Xuanxuan grabbed Wang Jing and retreated again and again, while Scorpion seemed to have gone completely berserk.

Hiss! Hiss!

His hands clawed down, making even the air shriek. The power behind the attack was obvious. Though Xie Bai reacted instantly and sensed something wrong, he was still a fraction too slow. A large chunk of flesh was torn from his rear shoulder blade by Scorpion's claws, though he at least managed to preserve his life!

"Let's go!" Ignoring his own injuries, Xie Bai hurriedly called for Tang Yu and Meng Xuanxuan to flee with Wang Jing.

They ran wildly until they had passed the hills and saw the safety nets on either side. Only then did the four stop. Meng Xuanxuan quickly took the chance to call Big Fei, Old Black's disciple.

"Young Master, how are you?" Though blood was still flowing from his own shoulder, Xie Bai did not even furrow his brow. Instead, he immediately asked about Wang Jing's condition. Their bond as master and servant was truly deep.

"Cough, cough, I'm fine. Xu the Third only broke my wrists. They can be set once we get back. What about you, Old Xie?"

"I'm fine. It's only a flesh wound!" Xie Bai said hoarsely, then pursed his lips and fell silent.

"Let me treat that for you!" Meng Xuanxuan took another small glass bottle from the backpack she carried with her. It contained a thick, emerald-green liquid. She diluted a drop of it with Spirit Crystal Water, then sprinkled it over Xie Bai's shoulder.

"Thank you, Miss Meng!" After saying that, Xie Bai sat cross-legged on the ground and began circulating his blood and qi to fully absorb the medicine's effects.

He naturally recognized the thick emerald-green liquid. It was harvested from the main trunk of the Tree of Life on Emerald Green Star. It had near miraculous effects, capable of reviving the dead and regrowing flesh from bone. Each drop was worth hundreds of thousands and was the finest medicine for treating external injuries. With it, he would recover within three days.