Explosive Power

Qiu Heixiong, leader of Black Wind Stronghold, lay in ambush behind the Snow Wolf pack.

The wind and snow hid his figure, but they could not hide his savage aura.

He stood nine feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, with a black bearskin cloak over his shoulders. A bristling beard covered his face, every hair jutting out like a steel needle.

He leaned against a tree, half his body exposed, like a black bear lurking in the woods and staring coldly at its prey.

Behind him, a dozen Black Wind Stronghold bandits crouched behind a snowy slope, blades and axes in hand, ready to spring.

They all wore gray-white fur coats that blended into the snowy forest from a distance. No one in the herb garden would spot them unless they came close.

Qiu Heixiong narrowed his eyes. His gaze pierced the swirling snow and settled on the herb garden's east gate.

There, Lu Chen guarded the fence opening alone.

One Snow Wolf after another lunged at him, and one after another was knocked down.

The wind from his fists swept up snow.

Wolf blood sprayed through the air.

Lu Chen's lone figure carried the force of one man holding a pass against ten thousand.

Qiu Heixiong's eyes flickered.

"Half a year ago, Wang Firm recruited a martial artist at Blood-Moving Minor Achievement from another county. Is that him?"

A tall, thin man beside him licked his lips.

He was Sun Liancheng, the fourth of Black Wind Stronghold's leaders.

He held two curved blades, slender as crescent moons, their edges gleaming coldly.

Sun Liancheng watched Lu Chen for a moment, then said quietly, "Probably."

"I heard his fist technique is formidable. He's reached major mastery and made something of a name for himself in the other county."

"That old turtle Wang Shouyi thought he could keep it from us. Hah. What a joke."

Qiu Heixiong narrowed his eyes at Lu Chen, who had just killed a Snow Wolf with one punch, and said gravely:

"His fist power is highly refined. He won't be easy to handle."

Sun Liancheng smiled, a vicious glint flashing through his eyes.

"Boss, as long as he's human, he has an opening."

He lightly turned the curved blades in his hands. "Let me tie him down first. Then you can ambush him with Heart-Severing Palm."

"The snow is thick, the wolves are everywhere, and the people in the herb garden have their hands full. That old dog Wang Zhong must be guarding the north slope. With Second Brother and Third Brother keeping him occupied, he'll never make it here in time."

"Once we break through on this side, we'll catch them between us and Second Brother's group. Job done!"

Qiu Heixiong nodded. "Kill him. Take the herb garden!"

Black Wind Stronghold had coveted the Scarlet Cloud Mountain Herb Garden for a long time.

Robbing travelers in the mountains meant licking blood from a blade's edge, and the rewards were far from steady.

A lucky raid on a merchant caravan might feed them for three months; run into a hard nut, and they might lose a whole band of brothers.

But Wang Firm's herb garden produced medicinal herbs without pause, season after season.

With those herbs, they could trade for weapons and pills, and train more martial artists. Qiu Heixiong himself could even use the garden's resources to push toward major achievement in the Blood-Moving Realm.

They had prepared for this day for a long time. Luring in the Snow Wolves to create chaos had given them the perfect chance to seize the garden in one stroke.

As soon as Qiu Heixiong finished speaking, Sun Liancheng ducked low and pressed close to a Snow Wolf's flank. Hidden by its massive body, he sped toward Lu Chen.

The wind and snow were too thick.

Snow Wolves howled, crossbow bolts hissed through the air, and torches crackled. Chaos filled the scene.

Like a venomous snake concealed in the snow, Sun Liancheng raced forward with both blades held in reverse grips, their edges tucked against his forearms.

Ahead of him, the Snow Wolf sprang up and snapped at Lu Chen's neck and shoulder.

At almost the same instant, Sun Liancheng shot out from beneath its belly, skimming the ground.

One blade rose, the other fell.

The upper blade slashed for the throat.

The lower blade went for the tendons.

Their angles were viciously precise.

"Guard Lu, watch out!"

An archer spotted a human figure darting out beneath the wolf's snowy shadow and shouted in alarm.

By then, Sun Liancheng's blades were less than three feet from Lu Chen.

Sun Liancheng could already see the firelight on the skin at the side of Lu Chen's neck.

Once his blade fell,

even if Lu Chen survived, he would be gravely wounded.

But just as the edge was about to reach him, Lu Chen's eyes suddenly turned cold.

Coiling Dragon Body let him sense danger by a hair's breadth.

The moment Sun Liancheng drew close, the skin and flesh across Lu Chen's body caught his killing intent and the wind off his blades.

It was an uncanny feeling.

His eyes had not seen it.

His body had known danger was coming first.

Lu Chen did not panic.

He dipped his left shoulder and took the Snow Wolf's charge head-on.

Bang!

The wolf's massive body slammed into Lu Chen's left arm. An ordinary martial artist at the early Blood-Moving Realm would have had bones and tendons shattered by that single blow.

But as soon as the impact entered Lu Chen's body, Coiling Dragon Body twisted and redirected it layer by layer, dispersing most of its force.

The snow on the ground shook with a thunderous jolt.

At the same time, he stamped down with his right foot, his waist and hips coiling like a dragon.

He used the force of the wolf's collision to turn even faster.

His left hand clamped onto the fur at the wolf's neck. His blood and qi erupted, and he yanked it toward Sun Liancheng's descending blades.

Slash!

Both of Sun Liancheng's blades sank deep into the Snow Wolf's back.

Hot wolf blood splashed across his face.

What a fast reaction!

Sun Liancheng's pupils contracted sharply.

For an instant, a chill even rose in his heart.

Lu Chen had reacted too quickly, and his response had been nearly perfect.

He had used the wolf's impact to turn, slipped behind its body, then pulled it into place with his left hand to take the blades for him.

The whole sequence flowed in one breath, without the slightest hesitation.

Sun Liancheng asked himself honestly: even if he had faced such a deadly trap, he might not have handled it so cleanly in the blink of an eye.

Then Lu Chen drove a fist into the Snow Wolf's belly.

Azure Dragon Force erupted.

The tremendous force of the punch surged through the wolf like a gale sweeping away dead leaves, shattering its bones, flesh, and organs in an instant. Before it could even howl, its massive body was hurled forward by the blow.

Sun Liancheng's blades were still embedded in the wolf's back. Caught off guard, he was driven backward step after step.

Snow exploded beneath his feet.

He hurriedly wrenched his blades free, dragging out great sprays of wolf blood.

Before he could steady himself, a fist broke through the curtain of snow and appeared before his eyes.

Sun Liancheng hastily crossed his blades in front of himself, but the fist came too fast.

Like the Azure Dragon Emerges from the Abyss.

Bang!

Before his blades could shield his chest, Lu Chen's fist struck.

Bone cracked sharply.

The tremendous impact caved in Sun Liancheng's chest. He flew backward, both feet leaving the ground, as though a dragon had struck him head-on.

Still in midair, he spat out a great mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his organs.

His eyes bulged, filled with disbelief.

He was a martial artist at Blood-Moving Minor Achievement.

He was the fourth leader of Black Wind Stronghold.

Yet before Lu Chen, he had failed to withstand even a single move.

He tried to speak, but only a wheezing sound escaped his lips.

The next moment, Sun Liancheng crashed into the snow. His body twitched twice, then lay still.

Blood instantly dyed the snow red.

"Fourth Brother!"

Qiu Heixiong had only taken half a step. Before he could launch his ambush, he saw that Sun Liancheng had already fallen and was not getting up.

It had all happened too fast.

From Sun Liancheng's first slash to Lu Chen's turn and punch, then to Sun Liancheng flying away with his chest crushed, barely a breath had passed.

Qiu Heixiong had been waiting for Sun Liancheng to engage Lu Chen so he could catch Lu Chen off guard with a sneak attack.

He had had no time to save Sun Liancheng.

Alongside Qiu Heixiong's fury came shock.

Sun Liancheng might not have been the strongest of the four brothers, but he was a genuine martial artist at Blood-Moving Minor Achievement.

Even Qiu Heixiong himself would have needed some effort to kill him.

Yet in a single exchange, Lu Chen had sent him flying three or four yards, his fate uncertain.

That made Qiu Heixiong even more cautious.