Amid the unbearably tense standoff, a strange, feverish smile appeared on Xiao Yi's face. As he threw punches like a madman, he began inexplicably counting the seconds in a singsong, almost operatic voice.
"One second has passed..."
His voice was quiet, but it reached the fully focused Xiao Yan's ears with perfect clarity. Xiao Yan froze for a moment. What was this guy up to now?
"Two seconds have passed..."
Xiao Yi's gaze grew increasingly feverish, and the force behind his fists abruptly intensified.
Alarm bells rang in Xiao Yan's heart. Though he had no idea what medicine Xiao Yi was hiding in his gourd, his instincts told him that mortal danger would strike in the next instant!
He wanted to pull back, but Xiao Yi's aura had already locked firmly onto him. With the stone roller on the verge of falling apart between them, there was nowhere he could escape!
Just then, Xiao Yi let out a cry that pierced the clouds, his voice brimming with outrageously theatrical bravado and delight.
"Eight seconds have passed! I'll crush you to death! Useless, useless, useless!"
The instant his words fell, the storm of punches came to an abrupt halt. In its place, his right hand suddenly opened.
Xiao Yi arched backward like a bow drawn into a full moon. All the strength in his body traveled along his spine into his arm, finally gathering in his palm! It formed a small, rapidly spinning vortex of air, and he aimed straight at Xiao Yan's face through the stone roller, unleashing a ferocious palm strike!
BOOM-!
The heavy stone roller exploded under that single strike! Countless fragments of stone, large and small, were swept up by the blast from his palm, turning into a deadly barrage that whistled toward Xiao Yan's face!
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