Leaving aside the gap in the quality of the cultivation techniques they practiced, in terms of spell proficiency alone, they were far inferior to him.
Yang Linghu possessed exceptional talent in spell cultivation. Though only at the second level now, he had already cultivated the Brute Force Art to the third level. Not only had he mastered all its basic moves, but their power had increased greatly as well.
This was the trump card he had kept hidden up his sleeve; aside from himself, no one knew of it.
In the span of a few breaths, the three had already exchanged over ten moves, and Zhang Chen and Liao Feng were even more horrified.
The two had originally believed that their numerical advantage would let them suppress Yang Linghu from the start. Yet they had not expected him to remain utterly unruffled, dealing with them with effortless ease.
"What exactly is going on with this guy? Where did he get such extensive combat experience? He can handle all of this?"
The longer Zhang Chen fought, the more alarmed he became. Gradually, he began to sense that something was wrong. His instincts told him he could not drag this out any longer.
"Delay breeds change. I have to finish this quickly!"
With that thought, the look Zhang Chen gave Liao Feng began to change.
"Keeping this man alive will only bring trouble. I might as well get rid of him today too, lest my collusion with the bandits be exposed."
Zhang Chen was an exceedingly sinister man. Once he made up his mind, he acted at once.
His body halted, and in the blink of an eye, he condensed a scorching fireball before his chest.
"Go!"
Bang!
The fireball howled through the air, smashing into Liao Feng and Yang Linghu before exploding with a thunderous boom.
"Puh—Aah!!"
Liao Feng had been fiercely battling Yang Linghu when, completely unprepared, his back was suddenly struck by a heavy blow. He spat out blood on the spot and let out a miserable cry.
Yang Linghu had not expected Zhang Chen to be so ruthless either, actually disregarding Liao Feng and launching an indiscriminate attack.
Caught off guard, the right half of his body was struck by the fireball as well, leaving behind a broad swath of injuries.
Seeing the situation shift, Yang Linghu reacted swiftly. He directly grabbed the wounded Liao Feng and held him in front of himself as a shield.
Boom!
The second fireball shot toward them. Liao Feng's mind was reeling as he felt the scorching heat rush toward his face. He opened his eyes, and rage instantly surged within him. He immediately began swearing at the top of his lungs.
"Zhang Chen, you beast! I'll f*** your—! You motherf—..."
Bang!
The second fireball exploded, cutting off his curses and blasting the front of Liao Feng's body into a bloody, mangled mess. He fainted completely.
Yang Linghu was knocked back several steps. Feeling the considerable power of this fire spell, he guessed that Zhang Chen likely possessed some kind of treasure.
"Tch. A wild dog dares to yap so loudly?"
Zhang Chen curled his lip, not taking Liao Feng seriously in the slightest. He then raised his hands again and condensed two more balls of flame.
His face was utterly indifferent, and he looked at Yang Linghu as though he were looking at a dead man.
With the precious jade on him, even a Third Level of Qi Gathering cultivator might not be his match, much less Yang Linghu.
"Run first."
Yang Linghu did not hesitate in the slightest. He tossed the unconscious Liao Feng aside, turned, and fled.
"Where do you think you're going? Die!"
Two fireballs came howling after him, but Yang Linghu had long been prepared. He dodged them by twisting to the side.
Then he pushed his spiritual power to its limits and sprinted full speed toward White Stone Town.
Naturally, Zhang Chen would not let him go. He pursued closely behind him.
"Heh heh, run. Let me see how far your spiritual power can sustain you running like this!"
Even without talismans, Zhang Chen still had the precious jade continuously replenishing his spiritual power. As long as he waited until Yang Linghu could no longer run, it would be his death day!
Only after the two had gone far away did a trembling figure emerge from the forest behind them.
"B-Big Brother..."
Scarface had witnessed everything that had just happened. Staggering unsteadily, he walked to Liao Feng's side.
"Mmm... ngh..."
Liao Feng's consciousness had already scattered; he could only let out weak groans.
Seeing his miserable state, Scarface immediately began to howl in grief.
"Big Brother! My Big Brother!"
Unlike the effeminate man, he and Liao Feng truly shared a friendship forged through life and death.
Now that he saw Liao Feng suffering such a calamity, his heart ached unbearably.
"Big Brother, I'll save you. It's okay! I'll definitely save you!"
He carefully lifted Liao Feng onto his back, then headed in the direction opposite Zhang Chen and Yang Linghu.
Elsewhere, the pursuer and the fleeing man had already run a great distance.
"He's not as fast as before. Looks like that speed-enhancing talisman has already been used up."
As Yang Linghu ran, he analyzed the situation. "In that case, all that remains is the strange treasure on him."
At present, he still did not know exactly what Zhang Chen's treasure could do, but he could make a rough guess.
Detection and enhancing the power of spells—those two abilities had already been displayed.
"He knows my family's cultivation technique is formidable, yet he still pursues me like this. That means he's confident in his spiritual power reserves. It should also be able to restore spiritual power."
Yang Linghu thought, Then I can't keep running like this. Otherwise, by the end, I might not even have enough spiritual power left to stake my life on a fight.
As he raced onward, he also surveyed the surrounding terrain.
That being the case, he needed a suitable battlefield.
The place needed both cover and terrain that was not too open.
With that thought in mind, Yang Linghu deliberately moved away from the forest, heading toward an undulating region of hills and gullies.
As he ran, he also calculated the remaining spiritual power in his body, ensuring he retained enough for battle.
The two continued running for three straight hours.
Just as Yang Linghu began considering whether to force a fight, a stone forest finally appeared in the distance.
His eyes immediately lit up, and he changed direction, charging toward it.
Yang Linghu rushed into the stone forest first, immediately concealing his aura and hiding.
Zhang Chen chased after him but could not see him anywhere. He could only take out the precious jade and prepare to search.
Whoosh!
At that instant, Yang Linghu suddenly burst out, heading straight for the treasure in his hand.
Thud!
Yang Linghu felt as though his punch had struck a wall of copper and iron. A layer of pale green barrier protected Zhang Chen within it.
"Hmph, you think you can ambush this young master?"
Zhang Chen sneered, turned around, and began bombarding Yang Linghu with attacks.
After taking three firebolts head-on, Yang Linghu finally used the stone forest's abundance of stone pillars to shake Zhang Chen off.
"These damned pillars are truly irritating!"
With his firebolts repeatedly blocked by the stone pillars, Zhang Chen lost his patience.
He aimed in the direction Yang Linghu had vanished and formed a fire pillar half a man tall, then smashed it down.
Bang!
Following the deafening explosion, dust flew everywhere and shattered stones sprayed in all directions.
Yang Linghu took the chance to hurl several massive rocks at Zhang Chen, while he himself crouched behind one of them.
The moment Zhang Chen raised his hand and shattered the boulders, he seized that precious opportunity.
Brute Force Art, Third Level! Spiritual power to the limit!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, Yang Linghu threw three consecutive punches, smashing them viciously against the green barrier.
The shockwave alone destroyed every stone pillar within thirty feet, displaying just how terrifying their power was.
Zhang Chen was startled by the sight and instinctively wanted to retreat. But remembering the precious jade's barrier, he stopped himself.
Even Third Level of Qi Gathering cultivators cannot break through the precious jade's protection. What can this Yang Family brat possibly do? he thought.
But in the next moment, as Yang Linghu's fourth punch came down, cracks actually appeared in the barrier!
Crack!
Zhang Chen's hair instantly stood on end, and he hurriedly retreated.
But unfortunately, if he had retreated earlier, he might have been able to widen the distance.
Now, after Yang Linghu's four punches, his momentum had already taken shape. That fierce and unyielding force dragged Zhang Chen in, leaving him unable to escape. He could only force himself into close-quarters combat with Yang Linghu.
When it came to fist and foot techniques, he was far inferior to Yang Linghu. In just a few moves, he had already been forced into a corner.
Yang Linghu pressed his advantage, his offensive pouring down like rain without pause.
At last, with a fierce upward knee, he broke through the barrier's defense.
He immediately raised his hand and threw a punch at Zhang Chen's head.
Thrum—
But at that moment, Yang Linghu suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, and his body lost its balance.
Zhang Chen immediately counterattacked, blasting Yang Linghu flying with several firebolts.
Before you continue