Yu Zhutou did not stop. On the contrary, upon hearing those words, his movement technique became several degrees faster.
A chill, vicious aura rushed straight at them, and the surrounding martial artists watched Yu Zhutou strike with horrified expressions.
After being injured, Shi Qingyue had long since raised his guard. He had already recognized that sinister palm imprint as the Tendon-Sundering Bone-Misplacing Hand.
"Yunche, dodge! That's the Tendon-Sundering Bone-Misplacing Hand!"
Yet this time, Liu Yunche could not evade it, simply because Yu Zhutou was too fast.
The aura on that palm imprint made him intensely uncomfortable. He knew that if it struck him, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Suddenly, a jet-black blade light appeared soundlessly before Yu Zhutou's palm.
Blade light and palm imprint collided, scattering showers of sparks. The flesh of Yu Zhutou's palm tightened while his fascia stretched, combining hardness and resilience.
Even a Low-grade Martial Treasure failed to injure Yu Zhutou in the slightest. In the end, it was not that the Martial Treasure was insufficiently sharp, but that the gap in strength between the two was simply too great.
With the aid of Concealed Edge, Liu Yunche had not been struck directly, but the hidden force transmitted through the blade still sent a chill through him.
Borrowing that force, he drifted backward.
The expressions of Liu Tianlin and the other two, who had been silently observing the scene, varied greatly.
Liu Tianlin's gaze was sharp, and a trace of wariness showed in the way he looked at Liu Yunche. Liu Yunche's movement technique was extraordinarily nimble; Liu Tianlin was far inferior.
Tao Xiaoyun's beautiful eyes shone. If she could recruit such a genius into the Tao Clan, it would be a great merit, and she would have even more standing within the clan.
He Chaoyang rubbed his aching chest, his gaze falling upon Liu Yunche as excitement and fighting spirit flashed through his eyes.
Facing that palm, Shi Qingyue frantically mobilized the inner breath within his body. A faint radiance bloomed over the muscles of his fist as, carrying the force of a colossal mountain rolling down, he viciously blasted at Yu Zhutou.
The Rolling Stone Fist erupted without reservation, all for a sliver of survival.
Yet the instant they made contact, Shi Qingyue was like a deflated balloon, sent flying away.
The arm that had collided with Yu Zhutou's was even worse. Flesh and skin churned beneath the immense force, swelling upward in wave-like surges.
"Qing Yue!" Seeing Shi Qingyue sent flying, Liu Yunche flashed forward and abruptly appeared beside him.
He grabbed Shi Qingyue's arm and saw that its flesh, tendons, bones, and joints were twisting unnaturally, as though insects were crawling wildly inside.
Yu Zhutou wanted to pursue, but three figures had already raced down from the gorge walls. Judging by their presence, all were Tendon Forging Realm martial artists.
Yu Zhutou shouted, "Retreat!"
A group of mountain bandits led their Mountain-Tracking Hounds as they rapidly withdrew toward the exit of Gourd Gorge.
The three arriving Tendon Forging martial artists shouted, "Stop them! The Martial Academy offers rewards!"
At the first half of those words, no one moved. But once the latter half was spoken, Li Youchen of the Flying Bear Martial Arts Hall immediately acted, charging fiercely at the nearest mountain bandit.
The Flying Bear Fist was unleashed without restraint, its fist force like an enraged bear's roar as it smashed toward the bandit.
The mountain bandit flew into a rage, twisting aside to evade the fierce punch before engaging him in battle.
The others were unwilling to fall behind as well. Flesh Tempering martial artists entangled one opponent each, while three to five Skin Tempering martial artists could also hold down one person.
For a time, fighting broke out everywhere in Gourd Gorge, and the sounds of slaughter echoed throughout the entire valley.
Among the three Tendon Forging martial artists who had arrived, one wore a green robe and carried an air of scholarship. He was very young, and he was none other than Jiang Xu.
Another carefully sized up Yu Zhutou and frowned. "Yu Zhutou of Blackwind Stronghold?"
"Since you know my name, you still dare block my path?" Yu Zhutou said coolly.
"Arrogant!"
"No need for further words. Just take him down."
Jiang Xu said nothing more. He thrust out a punch, his fist force grand and upright as it drove directly at Yu Zhutou's heart.
The other two attacked at the same time, one forming a hand seal and the other clenching a fist.
Tendon Forging martial artists possessed extraordinarily sturdy physiques. Some ordinary weapons were not even as hard as their bodies, which was why most martial artists cultivated fist and foot techniques.
In an instant, the rhythm of the four men's clash became increasingly violent.
The veins on Yu Zhutou's exposed arms bulged like coiling flood dragons. Every time he exerted force, his tendons quivered like bowstrings.
Clearly, even though he had already reached Perfected Tendon Forging, facing the siege of three Tendon Forging martial artists forced him to go all out.
Their figures flickered like ghosts, their fists and kicks so fast that only afterimages remained.
Yu Zhutou fought as he retreated. The chill within his palm imprints did not disperse, and fierce palm winds filled the sky, every strike directed at Jiang Xu.
He had already seen through it: this green-robed brat had only just stepped into the Tendon Forging level, making him the best opening through which to escape.
As for his other subordinates, he could no longer spare them any thought. They were merely Flesh Tempering martial artists; if they were gone, he could simply recruit more.
For a time, sounds like trembling bowstrings spread without end, accompanied by all manner of thunderous crashes and furious shouts!
Faced with Yu Zhutou's fierce offensive, Jiang Xu remained calm in the face of danger.
He had risen to fame in his youth, and with his innate instinct for danger, he could always evade Yu Zhutou's attacks ahead of time at critical moments.
This rendered Yu Zhutou's plan useless. To him, the situation was gradually worsening.
In a short time, not only had Yu Zhutou failed to harm him in the slightest, he had instead taken a punch from each of the other two. Blood seeped from the corner of his lips, and his breathing began to quicken.
After only a few exchanges, Yu Zhutou was struck in succession on the shoulder and waist. His previously taut fascia went numb, more and more blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his blood and qi churned erratically within his chest and abdomen.
He secretly knew things were bad. If this continued, he feared he would fall here today.
He no longer insisted on forcefully attacking Jiang Xu. Both palms abruptly changed moves.
The next moment, palm shadows filled the sky. A piercing chill spread in all directions with the palm wind, and the three men felt the surrounding temperature plummet.
This was Cold Mountain Force, Yu Zhutou's trump card kept at the bottom of the chest. He would not use it unless driven to the end of his rope.
"Careful! Do not make direct contact!" an older man shouted in warning.
The three each employed their movement techniques, attempting to evade Yu Zhutou's move.
Yet the cold crept upon them silently. The three stiffened as streams of frigid energy invaded their bodies, inflicting hidden injuries of varying severity in an instant and slowing their movements.
It was precisely because of this sudden change that they had no choice but to hastily use moves to defend themselves.
Yu Zhutou exchanged a palm with each of Jiang Xu's group, then paid no heed to the results and immediately turned to flee.
He knew that if he were entangled again, there would be no possibility of escape.
His gaze swept over the people in the gorge before finally settling on Liu Yunche and Shi Qingyue, who were regulating their breathing not far away. His eyes surged with bone-deep venom.
"You two little brats, just wait for me. Mountains and rivers may part, but we will meet again!"
As the roar fell, Yu Zhutou violently gathered his strength. The tendons throughout his body swelled, all his force concentrating in his legs.
Ignoring the attacks coming from behind, he forcibly took Jiang Xu's punch. Then, borrowing that force, his body suddenly accelerated like an arrow loosed from the bow as he plunged headlong into the forest.
He left Jiang Xu only a resentful, icy look. Within the forest, Yu Zhutou did not dare stop, racing wildly toward the depths of Azure Radiance Mountain.
His eyes were filled with venom and stifled fury. He had finally found the people who had toyed with him, yet by a strange twist of fate, he had failed to take revenge.
He sped onward for a long time, until his strength finally failed him. Only then did Yu Zhutou stop, panting heavily.
He braced one hand against a large tree and dug in his fingertips, venting his force wildly into the trunk, as though only this could lessen the deep resentment in his heart.
After he left, the tree trunk cracked apart inch by inch and crashed straight to the ground, stirring dead leaves and dust into the air.
The other two caught up to Jiang Xu's side. Looking at the shadowy forest, they knew the terrain within was complicated and that their opponent was a mountain bandit familiar with the wilds. Fearing an ambush if they pursued further, they could only stop.
Seeing Yu Zhutou flee in such a sorry state, the mountain bandits under him struggled desperately. Yet under the hands of the three Tendon Forging martial artists, they were subdued within only a few moves.
Liu Yunche remained at Shi Qingyue's side, allowing him to suppress the hidden force within his body without worry.
Shi Qingyue's eyes were tightly shut, his teeth clenched hard as he forced himself not to let out even a groan of pain.
Yet the occasional twitching of his face and the cold sweat dripping from his forehead exposed the agony he was enduring.
Once everything in Gourd Gorge had settled, Jiang Xu quickly came before the two. With only one glance at Shi Qingyue, his expression changed drastically.
"He was struck by the Tendon-Sundering Bone-Misplacing Hand?"
He seized Shi Qingyue's arm, mobilized the inner breath in his body, and struck several acupoints along the arm. His inner breath entered Shi Qingyue's body and battled, tangled with Yu Zhutou's hidden force.
After a long while, Shi Qingyue finally opened his eyes, which were filled with exhaustion.
He let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, forced out a smile, and said to Liu Yunche and Jiang Xu:
"That really packed a punch!"
Liu Yunche knew what he meant. He merely silently helped Shi Qingyue to his feet.
"Many thanks to Senior Brother Jiang this time." After getting up, Shi Qingyue clasped his fists in salute.
"You're too polite. We're all brothers here." Jiang Xu shook his head, then asked, "How did you provoke those mountain bandits?"
Liu Yunche coughed lightly.
"Senior Brother Jiang, I accidentally discovered the mountain bandits' movements and plans."
"To keep their secret, the mountain bandits chased after us to silence us."
"Since that is the case, I shall first escort you out of Azure Radiance Mountain. Qing Yue can recover from his injuries as well," Jiang Xu said after pondering for a moment.
"Then many thanks to Senior Brother Jiang."
Liu Yunche composed himself and smiled at Jiang Xu. "However, Brother He and the other two have yet to be found. Has Senior Brother Jiang seen them?"
Jiang Xu smiled. "The three of them already left."
"Did they encounter a powerful demonic beast?" Shi Qingyue asked with concern.
"No. The three of them had good fortune and found three demonic tiger cubs. Afraid they could not protect them, they left early."
Jiang Xu shook his head as he explained.
"They made such a gain and did not even leave us a message, making Yunche and me search all over for them."
Shi Qingyue complained.
Liu Yunche said nothing. He quietly reflected upon the gains and losses of the past few days.
This had truly been the greatest crisis Liu Yunche had encountered since awakening his past-life wisdom.
"These are only Tendon Forging martial artists, yet their punches are like snapping bowstrings and their movement techniques like ghosts roaming the night."
"It seems I must be even more cautious in the future."
Liu Yunche seriously reflected that he must think thrice before acting in the future and prepare more contingencies, only then could he avoid danger.
Jiang Xu led the two toward the exit. As they neared the mouth of the gorge, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Senior Brother Jiang, why not take us out of Azure Radiance Mountain as well?"
Liu Yunche and the other two turned around. It was Tao Xiaoyun, Liu Tianlin, and He Chaoyang.
The three walked toward them, with disciples from their respective clans following close behind.
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