Chapter 220: The Ultimate Punch (II)

"With that pitiful strength, you dare provoke the Pei Family? Do you think this is some barbarian land like where you came from?"

The attacker did not press his advantage. He stood a short distance away, eyes filled with contempt as he looked at Lin Zheyu. Standing over two meters tall, he was built like a bear, his muscles bulging and veins coiled like steel cords beneath his skin. In his right hand, he held a massive iron hammer that was currently resting on his shoulder, exuding an air of brute arrogance.

What tremendous power!

Lin Zheyu thought in shock, his arm tingling slightly.

He hadn't used any blood qi techniques just now. It was only an ordinary block in order to gauge the man's strength firsthand.

He's likely a Marrow Refining Realm martial artist who broke through after the fourth transformation of blood qi. His blood qi isn't much stronger than Yan Jun's, but... he's cultivated some powerful body-refining technique, giving him monstrous strength and defense,

Lin Zheyu judged silently, analyzing the man's techniques and weighing the gap between them.

He didn't strike immediately. His priority now was to stall for time and wait until Liang Yuhan and the others were far enough away. Once freed of that burden, he could escape whenever he wished.

"Boy, if you surrender now, you'll suffer less pain. Otherwise...

hehe

..." The burly man grinned, and a ferocious surge of momentum qi erupted from him.

This momentum qi was similar to Lin Zheyu's, but far more forceful. He carried extreme confidence. Though only a Marrow Refining Realm martial artist that advanced from the fourth transformation of blood qi, decades of wealth poured into body-refining techniques had forged him into a powerhouse. The man was sure that, within the same realm, few could rival him.

"Well?" Lin Zheyu looked at him impassively, his voice calm. He tightened his grip on the Golden Scale Saber, blood qi slowly circulating through his body as he gathered strength for the coming clash.

"

Hah!

"

With a low growl, the man's blood qi exploded outward.

Boom!

The burly man sprang high into the air, his massive hammer crashing down with terrifying might. The weapon's swing whipped up a violent gale that roared through the forest. Lin Zheyu tapped his toes lightly and drifted back like a feather, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow.

"

Hmph

, not bad," the man snorted coldly, his hammer whirling with ferocious speed.

His assault was savage, like that of a humanoid beast. The massive hammer seemed weightless in his hands, each swing sending a violent gust howling through the forest.

The trees around them fell one after another under the man's strikes, splintered and blasted apart by the hammer's sheer force. Each impact drove Lin Zheyu back several steps, but he weaved and darted with flawless lightness technique, gliding just beyond reach. No matter how fiercely the giant attacked, he was like an unkillable cockroach; nimble, elusive, and always slipping away with impeccable footwork and fluid motion.

"Damn it! All you do is dodge. What kind of man are you? If you've got guts, fight me head-on like a real man!" The burly man, worn out after his relentless assault, panted heavily and cursed in frustration.

Lin Zheyu, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, his breathing steady. Throughout the battle, he hadn't even activated his sixfold blood qi. He had simply relied on his exceptional lightness and movement techniques, softening the impact of each blow with his powerful physique. His opponent was indeed strong, but his movement techniques were crude. No matter how fierce his attacks, they were meaningless if they couldn't land solidly.

"So this is all you've got? The Pei Family truly breeds trash. The last one was, and so are you—both useless," Lin Zheyu said lightly, glancing at him with disdain.

"You bastard! You're courting death!" Rage flooded the burly man as he felt Lin Zheyu's contempt. A backwater martial artist dared to look down on him? He'd make the fool taste the true power of an esteemed family's warrior. He pulled a medicinal pill from his robe and tossed it into his mouth.

Lin Zheyu watched every motion carefully. The instant the man drew the pill, Lin burst forward, his Golden Scale Saber slicing out with a flash of cold light toward the man's waist. Whatever that pill was, he had no intention of letting the other swallow it.

"

Hmph.

" The man snorted, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Just as Lin Zheyu closed in, the man's blood qi exploded outward. His aura surged sharply, the veins across his bulging muscles swelling like steel cables. His entire frame expanded in an instant, growing visibly larger.

"Die!" the man roared, swinging his massive hammer down with tremendous force.

Though huge and brutish in appearance, the man was far from inexperienced. The pill he had drawn was merely a distraction. It could strengthen him, but he didn't truly need it. He had other means.

Whoosh.

The hammer screamed through the air toward Lin Zheyu's face, the gale from its swing roaring past him.

Lin Zheyu's expression remained impassive, not a hint of fear in his eyes. His sixfold blood qi erupted at once, his speed skyrocketing. His body snapped backward in defiance of momentum, retreating even faster than before. The hammer slammed into a tree beside him with a thunderous crash, shattering the trunk into splinters.

"As expected. Even I've acquired temporary enhancement techniques, so it's only natural that these esteemed family martial artists would have them too. I just wonder how much essence and spirit their techniques consume, and whether they carry serious side effects."

Even as he retreated at high speed, Lin Zheyu found the leisure to observe his opponent closely. He was deeply intrigued by the techniques of these esteemed family martial artists. If he could acquire and master them, his own strength would advance by leaps and bounds.

So fast! Is this guy really from some barbarian region? Such terrifying speed, and such mastery of movement, there are hardly any in all of Ruyang City who could match this. No... maybe none at all!

The man's heart pounded in disbelief.

He had never faced a martial artist with such astonishing movement. The sheer precision and fluidity of Lin Zheyu's body control were something he had never witnessed. Not even the Pei Family's finest prodigies had honed their movement techniques to such an extraordinary level.

I was too arrogant... I should've brought Yu Jiang along,

the man thought grimly.

His mind raced, but his body never slowed. He swung the hammer like a rampaging beast, blow after blow aimed at Lin Zheyu. As time went on, his aura continued to climb, his power becoming even more terrifying. Though his lightness technique was poor, his raw strength allowed him to barely keep pace with Lin Zheyu's movements. Yet his agility lagged far behind; even if he managed to chase Lin Zheyu down, he couldn't land a single solid hit.

So fast... If this drags on any longer, my blood qi will run dry,

Lin Zheyu thought.

Maintaining sixfold blood qi output, Lin Zheyu felt his internal energy burning rapidly. The man's secret technique had boosted his power by more than sixfold, and from the look of it, its effects would last for quite some time.

I'll have to use Origin Force anyway. I might as well unleash the Boiling Blood Secret Art, kill this man, and then restore my strength afterward,

Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

If this dragged on any longer, he wouldn't just fail to escape; he might even die here. Once he used the Boiling Blood Secret Art, it would burn his essence, qi, and spirit, leaving his body weak. But with Origin Force, he could instantly restore his essence and qi. As for the mind, it would indeed become overdrawn, but as long as the exhaustion wasn't too severe, it wouldn't be a problem.

"

Heh

, let's see how long you can keep dodging!" The burly man suddenly stopped, tossing the pill he'd failed to swallow earlier into his mouth. In an instant, his aura began to surge again.

Boom!

He shot forward like a cannonball, as fierce and savage as a rampaging beast.

I can't delay any longer, or I'll really die here,

Lin Zheyu thought, a deep sense of danger rising within him.

The man's explosive strength, combined with his domineering momentum qi and overwhelming aura, pressed toward Lin Zheyu with crushing force, making even him feel its weight.

Swish.

Just as his toes touched the ground to dodge the attack, Lin Zheyu's blood qi erupted violently, coursing through his body along the route of the Boiling Blood Secret Art. With Origin Force as reinforcement, the technique had been perfected to an exquisite degree.

Within a few breaths, the secret art was complete. Heat flooded Lin Zheyu's entire body as his aura surged wildly. He could feel his essence, qi, and spirit burning away; fuel for the power that now blazed through him.

"

Keke

, so you're going all out now? So what...?" sneered the man when he saw Lin Zheyu's face flush red and his aura soar. He immediately recognized the signs of a secret technique and scoffed inwardly. A cheap trick like that, and he dares call it a secret art? But his mockery froze in his throat a moment later.

"Holy shit!" he cursed, staggering back in shock. Lin Zheyu had thrown aside his Golden Scale Saber; his refined blood qi, amplified by the Boiling Blood Secret Art, now roared through his body like a blazing river.

"Die!" Lin Zheyu's eyes turned scarlet as an overwhelming aura of fist momentum surged from his body.

The amplification of the Boiling Blood Secret Art, combined with his blood qi burst technique and a threefold power Barbaric Ox Fist, raised his might to more than sixtyfold. Lin Zheyu felt a terrifying power flooding his right arm, stretching it painfully to its limit. Even with his powerful physique, he could barely contain it. His arm swelled, muscles bulging and veins standing out like steel wires, as though it might burst at any moment.

Rumble.

Faintly, the man thought he heard a distant rumble.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Shit—I can't dodge it!" The man frantically backed away, desperate to evade Lin Zheyu's terrifying punch, but despair soon filled his heart. He couldn't escape. His opponent's speed was simply too monstrous. No matter how he shifted, that fist locked onto his chest like death itself.

Pfft.

He tightened his grip on the hammer and raised it across his chest to block the strike, but just as the blow was about to land, Lin Zheyu's punch veered suddenly, twisting with eerie precision. The howling wind from his strike swept forward as the massive fist filled the man's vision. It was already too late to dodge.

A wet pop sounded. The instant the punch landed, the man's head burst apart like a smashed watermelon, blood and brain matter sprayed in all directions.

Thud.

His body hit the ground with a heavy thud. Even in death, it trembled faintly as blood gushed endlessly from the ruin of his neck.