Almost simultaneously, a sound came from behind Deng Qing and the other two.
Two more masked men emerged from the bamboo forest, one on the left and one on the right, blocking the three men's escape route.
Li Cheng's expression changed, and he shouted in a deep voice, "Have you lost your minds? Coming to the Front Line to rob! Don't you even know where you are?! If I shout, do you believe someone will come and get you?"
The masked man in front sneered, "Try shouting one!"
Li Cheng frowned; the other party's confident and fearless demeanor made him feel uneasy.
Zhang Quan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "If the three of you are seeking wealth, that's easy to discuss. When traveling, it's always best to make good connections. Please name your price."
The masked man shook his head. "I don't want money, I want your life."
As he spoke, he pointed his knife at Zhang Quan and Li Cheng. "You two, you can get lost."
As he spoke, the knife tip turned and landed on Deng Qing. "You... you have to stay."
Li Cheng said sternly, "This is my brother. I am the young master of the Li Family of Yanshan Prefecture. My great-grandfather—"
"I know your name is Li Cheng, there's no need to memorize the entire family tree."
The masked man sneered, "I also know that the man next to you is Zhang Iron Abacus Zhang Quan. The Li Family of Yanshan Prefecture is naturally renowned..."
Heh heh.
Therefore, I will not kill you and will let you go. If you are ungrateful, then you will all stay behind.
Li Cheng's face turned ashen. Before he could say anything more, Zhang Quan suddenly raised his hand and struck him on the back of the neck.
Li Cheng's body went limp, and he fainted.
Zhang Quan quickly helped him up, then turned to Deng Qing and said, "Brother Deng Qing, please take care of yourself. This young master is of noble birth; I cannot fail to protect him. I'm sorry."
After saying that, he put his arm around Li Cheng and turned to leave.
He secretly rejoiced. He genuinely dared not provoke Deng Qing again, but he was happy to see others eliminate Deng Qing.
Just then, Deng Qing made a move.
He pushed off with his feet, lunged forward, and reached out to grab Zhang Quan.
Zhang Quan frowned. Did this guy think I set him up?
Fortunately, he had anticipated Deng Qing's violent actions, so he snorted coldly, swayed his body, and dodged to the side.
Unexpectedly, Deng Qing's arrival was much faster than he had anticipated.
Zhang Quan stepped aside, Deng Qing had already pressed close, one hand gripping his wrist, the other slipping under his arm...
Lift and grab his elbow.
This is truly a case of Phoenix Swaps the Nest!
Zhang Quan's arms were instantly twisted together, and Deng Qing twisted his waist and back, unleashing a sudden burst of strength.
With two sharp cracking sounds, Zhang Quan's two arms snapped instantly.
"Ah!"
A painful roar suddenly pierced the night sky.
In an instant, Li Cheng slid off Zhang Quan. Deng Qing caught him and gently pushed him away, and Li Cheng fell to the side of the road.
Zhang Quan roared in pain, his arms hanging limply at his sides. His eyes were filled with horror as he looked at Deng Qing. Bone-Forging Realm! Deng Qing had reached the Bone-Forging Realm! How could this be!
He had thought that Deng Qing would eventually enter the Bone Tempering, but he never expected that day to come so soon.
What terrified him even more was the sheer ruthlessness of Deng Qing's methods.
His " Copper Wall Mountain " technique, which he had practiced diligently for many years, was always exceptional in defense, and he couldn't even withstand a single move from Deng Qing.
The moment they met, both of his arms were ruined!
A wave of excruciating pain washed over Zhang Quan, and in a flash, he understood why Deng Qing had attacked him.
This guy must think that tonight's dinner party was a trap he set, and that these three people in front of him were brought here by him.
My God, what an unparalleled injustice!
"Brother Deng Qing, you've misunderstood!"
Despite the excruciating pain, Zhang Quan, firmly held by Deng Qing, shouted, "It really wasn't me—"
Before his shout had even finished, Deng Qing swept his foot out, striking Zhang Quan's left knee squarely. With a crack, Zhang Quan's leg broke in two.
He opened his mouth wide, but before he could even scream, Deng Qing's palm struck his Adam's apple hard.
"What misunderstanding is there!"
A muffled thud was heard, Zhang Quan's scream, which he hadn't even had a chance to let out, was muffled inside his chest.
His body stiffened, his eyes widened, his lips moved twice, and then he fell silent.
He believed until his death that he had died because of a bizarre misunderstanding.
He thought his scheme to frame Deng Qing had backfired, so he apologized honestly and got Li Cheng to vouch for him, and the matter would be forgotten.
At worst, he would stay by Li Cheng's side, and even if Deng Qing harbored resentment, he probably wouldn't dare to do anything to him.
Little did he know that Deng Qing had already been added to Deng Qing's kill list when he wanted to use Deng Qing as a scapegoat for Li Cheng.
Deng Qing has never forgotten this debt.
The opportunity is perfect now; whether there's a misunderstanding or not, it won't stop Deng Qing from killing him to vent his anger.
Deng Qing didn't even bother with the masked trio; he wanted to kill Zhang Quan first.
The story of Deng Qing killing Zhang Quan is complicated, but in reality, it ended in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, Zhang Quan's body suddenly fell to the ground, leaving the three masked men dumbfounded.
Before they even started killing anyone, those surrounded had already formed an internal alliance.
Even more unexpectedly, Zhang Quan, who was known as the Iron Abacus, couldn't even last one move before being beaten to death by Deng Qing.
All of this was beyond the three people's expectations, and for a moment, they were all stunned.
Deng Qing spoke first, "The three of you are Lu Yan, Meng Kuo, Du Wencheng. Did I call you the right people?"
Deng Qing had not investigated the backgrounds of the three men, but he had a mortal enemy here: the Seven Heroes of Shaoshang.
Now, four of the Seven Heroes of Shaoshang are dead, and three remain standing before us.
Who else could it be but Lu Yan and her group?
Seeing that Deng Qing had exposed their identities, Du Wencheng abruptly ripped off his mask, revealing a gloomy face, and stared at Deng Qing, saying, "So, you admit that you killed our four brothers?"
Deng Qing shook his head, "To say they killed them is an exaggeration. They brought it on themselves; they tried to rob me, and I killed them instead."
As he spoke, his icy gaze swept over the three of them. "That situation is very similar to what you are going through right now. You tried to surround and kill me, but instead, I killed you."
Lu Yan also ripped off her mask, threw her head back and laughed loudly, "A toad yawning, what a boastful tone!"
You think we haven't investigated you? You were only at the Skin Tempering Fourth Layer before, and even though you recently entered the Bone Tempering, you've only just broken through.
To dare to spout such nonsense after merely executing a servant named Zhang Quan is utterly suicidal!
"Why waste words with this brat! Kill him!"
Meng Kuo shouted, "Let's stop stalling! Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Let's attack together and kill this bastard quickly!"
Before Meng Kuo finished speaking, he charged straight at Deng Qing Deng Qing in turn charged back.
Meng Kuo raised his long sword, aiming straight for Deng Qing's chest.
The knife came swiftly and fiercely, but Deng Qing met it head-on with the force of a raging storm, neither dodging nor avoiding it.
Meng Kuo was first startled, then overjoyed, "You're asking for death!"
He mustered all his strength and thrust the knife straight into Deng Qing's heart.
With a crisp clang, a flash of red light appeared on Deng Qing's chest, and Meng Kuo's knife tip was blocked, unable to penetrate even an inch.
Meng Kuo was shocked. Before he could withdraw his sword, Deng Qing had already closed in and used the move "Phoenix Swaps the Nest" again!
Deng Qing twisted and blocked with both arms, instantly flipping Meng Kuo's arms, which were holding the knife, over.
Meng Kuo was shocked and hurriedly tried to control his arms by circulating his Qi-Blood.
However, the force transmitted from his arms was overwhelming and irresistible. As soon as his Qi-Blood surged, the sound of bones cracking came from both arms at the same time.
With a snap, the long knife in his hand slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground.
The next instant, Deng Qing turned sharply, lifted him up with both arms, and lifted him up like a fledgling in a nest.
Immediately following, Deng Qing lowered his waist and exerted force, slamming Meng Kuo heavily onto the rocky ground.
With a deafening roar, Meng Kuo was smashed into a pile of minced meat before he could even scream, and blood mist instantly filled the air.
It sounds complicated, but in reality, from the moment Meng Kuo his knife to his death, it was only a blink of an eye.
Meng Kuo rushed forward too fast. By the time Lu Yan and Du Wencheng caught up, Meng Kuo had already been torn to pieces by Deng Qing, and the two of them didn't even have a chance to help him.
Meng Kuo's tragic death left Lu Yan and Du Wencheng both with eyes wide with rage.
The two men pounced on Deng Qing like mad tigers.
Du Wencheng gathered all the power in his sword and aimed it straight at Deng Qing's back. A flash of red light appeared on Deng Qing's back as he took the blow.
In the next instant, Deng Qing turned around and lunged at Du Wencheng's longsword.
Carrying the Elephant Across the River!
Deng Qing slipped his arm through, his shoulder Sinking Shoulder the body, and Du Wencheng, sword and all, was firmly held under his arm.
Du Wencheng felt as if he were surrounded by forces, as if he were in a narrow cage that was constantly shrinking. He desperately tried to circulate his qi and Qi-Blood, but he couldn't break free at all.
In an instant, Du Wencheng's bones cracked one after another.
"Ah!"
Before a piercing scream could escape his throat, Du Wencheng was already crushed into a ball of flesh.
"Go!"
Deng Qing twisted his waist sharply and threw the lump of flesh towards Lu Yan with a move called "Throwing Elephant Hurls, Mountain Crumbles".
With a whoosh, the mass of flesh shot through the air like a cannonball, with tremendous force.
Lu Yan was filled with shock and anger. She tried to change direction, but the fleshy mass was already in front of her, and there was no way to avoid it!
Lu Yan shouted and swung his sword fiercely. The sword light flashed, and Du Wencheng, who was already dead, was cleaved in two by his sword.
Amidst the splattering of blood, Lu Yan felt as if struck by lightning, and was sent flying, unable to even control the sword in her hand.
While the others were still flying in mid-air, Deng Qing Deng Qing had already pounced on them, and with a quick movement, he grabbed Lu Yan.
Immediately afterward, Deng Qing exerted all his strength, clamping Lu Yan down. Lu Yan's eyes bulged out instantly, her body exploded with loud noises, and blood gushed from her mouth.
Deng Qing suddenly loosened his tightly clenched arms, then twisted his waist, raised his leg, and kicked out furiously.
Bang!
Before Lu Yan's body even hit the ground, she was struck by this kick and instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist.
As the blood mist dissipated, the once secluded forest had been transformed into a slaughterhouse. The mountain wind blew, and the stench of blood and goat blood startled the roosting birds into taking flight.
Covered in blood, Deng Qing didn't forget to clean up the battlefield. Aside from discarding any marked weapons or similar items, he found quite a lot.
Gold and Silver, silver, Silver Note, and several bottles of healing potions.
He stuffed what he could use into his Waist Pouch, discarding anything that was clearly marked.
Then, he picked up Li Cheng, avoided the main road, and strode briskly along the mountain path.
After traveling through forests and across streams for half an hour, the sound of rushing water finally came from ahead.
A waterfall cascades down a rock face, crashing into a pool below and splashing up large sprays of water.
Deng Qing placed Li Cheng on the grassy bank, untied his Waist Pouch, and then went into the water, using the powerful current to wash away the bloodstains on his body and clothes.
A moment later, he wrung out his soaked clothes, walked ashore, and wisps of steam rose from his body as his Qi-Blood surged.
Before long, the wet clothes were half dry.
Suddenly, Li Cheng coughed, sat up, and stared blankly at his surroundings before looking at Deng Qing. His gaze shifted from bewilderment to shock, and then to clarity.
He jumped up and walked towards Deng Qing, urgently asking, "Where's Zhang Bo?"
"Dead."
Deng Qing tied the Waist Pouch back around his waist and said without looking up.
Li Cheng took a deep breath, his voice trembling, "Killed by those three people?"
"I killed him."
Deng Qing remained as calm as a breeze, "They're already letting you go, so why would they kill him?"
Li Cheng's face gradually paled. He stared blankly at Deng Qing for a long time before asking again, "What about the other three?"
"I killed him too."
The sound of the water was deafening, like thunder echoing through the sky.
A surge of rage rose within Li Cheng. He bowed respectfully and said coldly, "Congratulations, Senior Brother Deng, on breaking through to the Bone-Forging Realm and achieving mastery of Grand Mastery divine skill."
The congratulations, however, contained not a trace of joy.
Deng Qing looked directly at Li Cheng: "You seem to be blaming me."
Li Cheng felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of fear rising within him, and he couldn't help but take a step back.
He stared intently at Deng Qing, making sure there was no murderous intent in his eyes, then took a deep breath and said, " Zhang Bo watched me grow up. Over the years, he has spent the most time with me and has been incredibly kind to me—"
Deng Qing interrupted, "What does this have to do with me? I can't empathize with that."
Li Cheng was taken aback.
Deng Qing continued, "Just as I was placed in danger by Zhang Quan and threatened by this fiend, Junior Brother Li could not possibly empathize with my situation."
Li Cheng opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
Deng Qing calmly said, "Junior Brother Li, if someone were to use you as a scapegoat, and then launch a night raid on your home from a hundred miles away to force you to hand over your treasures, or else they would kill you and imprison you, I wonder what Junior Brother Li would think?"
Li Cheng's throat bobbed, but he still couldn't speak.
He always thought of Zhang Bo as his kind elder and Deng Qing as his close friend.
What I need to do is try my best to mend the rift between the two of them and maintain their relationship.
He had never truly put himself in Deng Qing's shoes until Deng Qing asked him these questions one after another, leaving him speechless.
Suddenly, Deng Qing picked up a stone and skipped it across the water, creating a series of skips. "To be honest, it's true that Junior Brother Li considers me a friend."
But in Junior Brother Li's eyes, I am of lowly status. He can appease me with some gentle persuasion, offer me some benefits, and have Zhang Quan apologize a few times, which will appease my resentment."
Li Cheng remained silent, because Deng Qing had completely guessed what he was thinking.
"Unfortunately, you're mistaken. You have no idea who I am. Do you think I'm some destitute child from Everjoy County?"
Deng Qing stood tall, the night wind ruffling his clothes. "I am truly a descendant of the Huaxia, a son of the Yan and Huang Emperors. Even if I am a commoner and barefoot, I am still of noble birth."
Who does Zhang Quan think he is? I've put up with him for so long, Junior Brother Li!
Having said that, Deng Qing said no more, turned around and strode away.
The moonlight, like water, spilled across the mountains and forests, and also fell on the clothes that were not yet completely dry.
Li Cheng stood quietly, watching the figure gradually disappear into the distance, speechless for a moment. Under the pale moonlight, Deng Qing's slender figure resembled a giant, continuous mountain.
Li Cheng murmured, "Descendants of the Huaxia, the Yan and Huang Emperors, which dynasty is this? A member of the imperial family, could it be that Senior Brother Deng is a member of the previous dynasty's royal family?"
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: he remembered the first time he, Deng Qing, Zhou Tie, and Wang Wei were on a mission to guard North Warehouse.
Deng Qing was bribed with a Ginseng Pill to go and scout out the enemy's situation.
At that time, Deng Qing had just left when he told Zhou Tie and Wang Wei that Deng Qing looked at the three of them without the respect that subordinates showed to superiors.
Now that I think about it, the root of the problem was right here!