Crushing

His voice was calm, carrying a faint smile, yet to everyone's ears, it seemed to bear a chill that pierced straight to the bone marrow.

Lu Guangyi's gaze churned violently. He clenched his fists and forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions surging in his heart.

He had underestimated Zhao Zhi.

Even judging from Zhao Zhi's performance in Qingfeng County, he had already thought highly enough of him. Zhao Zhi was an expert even among those at Innate Perfection, with few rivals. That was why he had sent Su Changlin and Tao Jiuyi, two Innate Perfection experts who had not acted for a long time.

Yet in the end.

They still could not suppress Zhao Zhi. Innate Warriors seemed like mere playthings before him.

Fortunately, he had made other arrangements.

Su Changlin, Tao Jiuyi, and Lei Juechen's expressions changed again and again.

The three of them had long been renowned figures in Qingfeng County. Their Innate Completion Realm cultivation was enough for them to contend against any other Innate Completion Realm martial artist, yet they had never expected that they could not even handle a blue-clad constable who had only been famous for a little over a month.

Especially just now.

With the three of them joining hands, no Innate Completion Realm martial artist should have been able to withstand them, yet Zhao Zhi had dissolved their attack with ease.

That vast and surging inner qi was far beyond anything they could compare to. It was likely not much weaker than that of a Meridian Opening Realm martial artist.

Meridian Opening Realm?!

Impossible.

Zhao Zhi did not possess the sensation unique to the Meridian Opening Realm, where inner qi ran through the entire body, trickling like flowing water and never ceasing.

Yet such majestic and boundless inner qi clearly meant he had mastered an exceedingly powerful inner qi cultivation method, one far superior to those of ordinary Innate Warriors like them.

This battle would be difficult.

Su Changlin and the other two quietly exchanged glances. Under such circumstances, killing Zhao Zhi would be far too difficult, especially when he could so easily kill Luo Yun, the Flying Cloud Stronghold's second-in-command, right before their eyes.

"Only by joining forces do we stand a chance. If you try to flee, any one of you might be killed by Zhao Zhi." Lu Guangyi seemed to see through their thoughts and immediately rebuked them. "No matter how formidable he is, he is only at Innate Perfection, not the Meridian Opening Realm. The six of us joining hands need fear nothing."

As he spoke, Lu Guangyi circulated his inner qi, and an immense aura burst forth.

Su Changlin and the others' pupils abruptly contracted.

Innate Perfection.

This plump and rotund County Magistrate Lu, who looked like a wealthy landlord, actually possessed such strength.

He had hidden himself deeply indeed.

"Attack."

Lu Guangyi shouted, his corpulent body tilting forward.

Hearing this, Su Changlin and the others did not hesitate in the slightest as they activated their martial arts. As their inner qi coursed, a resplendent aura billowed forth.

Zhao Zhi's strength surpassed that of any one of them.

But he was only one person, after all.

If they scattered and fled, the one who died might well be themselves. But if they joined forces, they might not be unable to take Zhao Zhi down.

Zhao Zhi was merely a genius martial artist from Qingfeng County, not some peerless prodigy from an aristocratic clan or martial sect of the Great Yin Dynasty.

Su Changlin clenched his fist. As his inner qi circulated, an ash-gray glow spread over it, as if his fist had turned to stone. He threw a fierce punch, its unparalleled force instantly blasting the air apart with a dull boom.

Tao Jiuyi pressed his index and middle fingers together. Chilling Sword Qi flickered from his fingertips, and a single thrust of his fingers seemed capable of effortlessly piercing even gold and iron.

Lei Juechen was the only one among them wielding a weapon. His weapon was a heavy sword, a palm-wide blade weighing over two hundred jin. Infused with inner qi, it carried the force of a thousand jin. He slightly raised the sword and slashed it toward Zhao Zhi's head.

Su Qingyou and Tao Ran also attacked together.

Facing the attacks of several Innate-level martial artists, with even the weakest among them at Greater Xiantian, Zhao Zhi remained utterly calm, like an icy lake whose depths churned with blazing lava.

As the True Martial Mountain-Suppressing Technique circulated, vast and vigorous True Essence roared through his body and spread into his limbs and bones, laying an unshakable foundation for Zhao Zhi's physical body.

He activated Diamond Force, his gaze settling upon Lei Juechen's descending sword.

With Diamond Force, his physical strength did indeed surpass that of ordinary martial artists. But it only surpassed other martial artists; it was not comparable to gold and iron.

Under Diamond Force, a faint golden radiance spread over Zhao Zhi's entire body, making him resemble a Buddhist arhat. At the same time, he held two fingers together like a sword. Netherly light and golden light swirled over his sword fingers, forcibly merging as they met Lei Juechen's heavy sword.

Clang.

The sword fingers mixed with netherly and golden light collided with the heavy sword, producing the ringing clash of metal against metal.

Terrifying power burst forth like a vast lake collapsing through its dam, crashing into the heavy sword and directly snapping that tempered iron blade in two. The broken sword flew dozens of meters away and stabbed into the ground. Lei Juechen's tiger's mouth split open, blood streaming down his hand. The force that erupted also struck his body, sending him staggering back more than ten steps. His face turned pale, and his inner qi fell into chaos.

One finger.

Just one finger had injured—and terrified—the Evergreen Gang's leader, who had cowed Qingfeng County for decades.

Zhao Zhi paid no attention to Lei Juechen's feelings. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Su Changlin charging in to kill him.

He raised his left hand and casually sent out a palm strike.

Fist and palm collided with a muffled boom like a war drum.

Immediately afterward, Su Changlin felt a crushing power, like a mountain bearing down upon him, sweeping through his fist, arm, and body like a plow clearing a courtyard.

Bang.

One of Su Changlin's arms exploded, flesh and blood spraying everywhere, mixed with countless shards of ghastly white bone. It was bloody and horrifying.

The remaining force sent him flying, smashing him heavily against the stone wall of the Mysterious Maiden Temple. Cracks instantly appeared across the wall and spread outward. Su Changlin opened his mouth and spat out a great cloud of blood mist. His face turned deathly pale, and he nearly passed out.

At the same time as he sent Su Changlin flying with one palm, Zhao Zhi brought down the finger that had broken Lei Juechen's heavy sword. The Sword Qi condensed from the Little Netherworld Sword surged forth and slashed down like a divine weapon.

Rip.

The sharp Sword Qi carved a deep, long, terrifying wound across Tao Jiuyi's chest. Blood flowed freely, pale flesh flipped open, and even his ribs could be seen.

The power contained within the Sword Qi slammed into Tao Jiuyi, sending him flying backward. He fell to the ground and immediately fainted.

As for the fist and palm attacks from Su Family head Su Qingyou and Tao Family head Tao Ran, Zhao Zhi did not take them seriously at all. He did not even make a motion to counterattack.

Bang! Bang!

Su Qingyou and Tao Ran's fist and palm both landed on Zhao Zhi.

Immediately after, a terrifying force burst out from Zhao Zhi's body and slammed viciously into the two of them, sending them flying like battered sacks and crashing onto the ground. That savage force further invaded their bodies, wreaking havoc upon their meridians.

Pfft! Pfft!

The two spat out mouthfuls of blood almost simultaneously.

Though it sounded slow, it happened in an instant.

From the moment Su Changlin and the others attacked Zhao Zhi to the moment they were all severely injured and sent flying, not even three breaths had passed.

Every one of them wore pale faces as they stared at Zhao Zhi in horror, their eyes filled with disbelief, like creatures of the dark seeing a flame they had never encountered in their lives.

Zhao Zhi, an Innate Warrior, possessed such terrifying strength that ordinary Innate Warriors were simply beyond comparison.

Zhao Zhi swept his gaze across the crowd, his expression calm and composed. Then his eyes fell upon County Magistrate Lu Guangyi, and his lips parted slightly. "County Magistrate, why do you not make a move?"