Chapter 300 - The End of the Peak

Crack, crack, crack...

A continuous series of cracking sounds rang out like firecrackers exploding in an instant. Garoro could no longer suppress the rampant energy of the Death's Fang technique.

His imposing aura completely dissipated, and with it, the last remnants of his life force and breath. The light in his pupils gradually dimmed, like a radiant gem losing its luster.

"Now, you truly live up to the name 'Blade Demon.'"

Feng Liusi looked on coldly, murmuring to himself.

For some reason, at this moment, he didn't feel the joy of avenging a great grudge, but rather a faint sense of regret. Perhaps it was because a top-tier combat artist, who was so dedicated to martial arts, had fallen right before his eyes, stirring a subtle resonance in his heart.

"Heh, how sentimental of me, feeling regret for my enemy."

Feng Liusi mocked himself with a slight smile, his mind flooded with thoughts. After all, he still had the luxury of feeling regret. Sentimentality was for the victor. He had won, so he could afford to feign sincerity.

If he had lost, he would have simply closed his eyes. There would have been no room for such pretense.

Victory and struggle; these two words could never be avoided by those who pursued Covert Martial Arts.

In literature, no one is first; in martial arts, no one is second. If you can't win, you simply can't win. If you can win, you win. Anything could happen on the path to pursuing the ultimate peak in martial arts, and every difficulty had to be overcome. For those seeking the way, there was only one goal: victory.

Win all the way to the top of the highest peak. The road ahead was perilous and the path of martial arts dry and monotonous, but he savored it as though it were sweet.

Boom!

Not far behind him, a building that had been teetering on the edge of collapse from the shockwaves of their fierce battle finally fell. The four-story structure crumbled, steel and concrete smashing into the ground, sending up waves of rubble and dust that rolled like a gray ocean.

The dust storm swept through the crater, but Feng Liusi's red-glowing figure stood firm, like a pillar in the center of a storm. He maintained a circular domain several meters in diameter, as though an invisible hand was holding back all the falling debris, black rain, and dust.

Even head-sized rocks that flew toward him were instantly bounced away. The surrounding air was murky, carrying a dim, desolate aura. It was like a thick fog, with visibility very low.

Tap... tap, tap...

Faint footsteps echoed from within the gray mist. Another red-glowing circular domain steadily approached and soon appeared within Feng Liusi's sight.

"All done?" Feng Liusi lifted his head slightly.

"All done."

Cassius walked toward him. He had returned to his normal form of a golden-haired boy about 1.75 meters tall. His physique had evolved to near perfection; his features were so delicate they seemed almost inhuman. His lips were red and his teeth were white. He carried himself with an air of elegance.

There was no trace of the muscle-bound monster he had transformed into earlier. It was as though the brutal battle between war machines just moments ago had nothing to do with him. The two personas were completely unrecognizable as the same person.

"And you?" Cassius asked in return.

"Yeah, it's done."

"The Blade Demon is now truly the Blade Demon," Feng Liusi replied.

"What about your injuries?" Cassius frowned.

"Oh, this? It's the result of wanting to experience the Rainbow World of the Triple-Blade Style firsthand. It's not too serious; my heart is still beating."

Feng Liusi's expression showed no sign of pain, as though the massive wound across his chest that was nearly splitting his body in half didn't exist.

"Injuries like this would take over a year to heal naturally, and there's a chance of serious aftereffects. You'll need life vibration energy to recover. But we’ve killed all the Blood Spirit Society members, and the small fry guarding the Blood Nest probably won't be enough." Cassius pondered for a moment. "But it doesn't matter. The Black Ops Agency promised us the dark creatures imprisoned in eight cities. As long as you're not dead, even if you're hanging by a thread, I can keep you alive until I inject life-battle energy into you."

This was the promise Cassius had made to Feng Liusi and Saint Feinan before the battle. It had been their trump card, a shot of confidence. A fighter unafraid of severe injuries and near death could unleash unimaginable power, since their psychological resilience was significantly boosted.

In critical moments, they could even adopt the strategy of trading injuries for injuries.

"I understand. I've already forced my muscles to close the wound. As long as I avoid intense combat, I can hold out for a week or two without any problem," Feng Liusi replied.

"It won't take that long. We'll have those dark creatures from the Black Ops Agency within a day or two."

Cassius walked up to Feng Liusi and glanced at his wound.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He turned his head slightly. Despite the dust, he could still sense the direction of the Tulip Antique Exhibition. "Rest for a while. I'll go. What about the two core members of the Gate Organization?"

"Capture them alive," Feng Liusi suggested.

"Alright, I'll do my best."

Cassius's figure blurred as he disappeared. From afar, it looked like a transparent vacuum tunnel was swiftly extending toward the square through the dust and mist.

Though his explosive power had been depleted, it didn't matter. Even in his normal state, Cassius was a top-tier combat artist capable of influencing the battlefield. Not to mention that the two core members of the Gate Organization were already battling four other experts. His entry into the fight would be catastrophic for them.

Indeed, the situation was just as expected.

The circular plaza in front of the Tulip Antique Exhibition had been completely destroyed. Saint Feinan and Amos were locked in combat with Black Peacock, while the Cloud Dog sect master and his team fought against the Purple General. The battle had reached a stalemate, but it was clear that the Gate Organization was at a disadvantage.

Black Peacock had overused his intangibility technique during his last encounter with Cassius and the others, and he was still suffering from its aftereffects. Meanwhile, Purple General had been beaten by Cassius and Amos earlier and was still severely injured.

Neither of them was in good condition. Now, both were barely holding on as they were besieged.

The reason they were still battling was because they believed in Garoro, the Blade Demon, as a core member of the Gate Organization! They also had faith in the Blood Spirit Society's president, believing that he would explode with terrifying momentum by devouring all the Dead Blood! They believed that either of the two battles would resolve in their favor. Once one of them killed their opponent and came to support, the entire battlefield would tip in their favor.

"Earth Ring, Tyrannosaurus Steps!"

A heavy foot stomped down, shattering a thick slab of ground. A powerful purple figure surged forward, whipping his leg forward like a heavy steel pillar. He viciously kicked Cloud Dog Fist’s sect master, Tom, forcing him back. Their leg and fist collided with a deep, resounding thud.

Both fighters stumbled back two or three steps. Tom gazed at his opponent with a solemn expression. Purple General's clothes were already in tatters, hanging like strips of cloth. His pants were shredded at the lower legs and now resembled beach shorts.

But the exposed muscles only emphasized his formidable physique, gleaming faintly in the sunlight as though coated in honey. On his chest, two purple rings occupied the space between his pectoral muscles, with patterns extending from them, connecting to every muscle on his body.

It was an almost perfect physique, though it was covered with bruises and violent impact marks. It was dripping with fresh blood. It was evident that he had sustained significant injuries. A small portion of these injuries had been inflicted by Tom and Oro's combined efforts, but the majority came from Cassius's previous ferocious assault.

Though Purple General was now being attacked from both sides, his situation was far less dire than when he faced Cassius alone. He wasn't exactly at ease, but he could manage to maneuver and occasionally counterattack.

His Covert Martial Arts technique, the Earth Ring Rotation, was operating smoothly across his entire body. Any weakness from a moment ago would be eliminated the next second, and even turned into an advantage. Although it didn't provide the kind of invincibility the Hexagonal Warrior possessed, it had its own unique strengths.

At the very least, Tom and Oro were not strong enough to disrupt the Earth Ring's stability. If one wanted to break through this Covert Martial Arts, one needed to either have sharp insight and extensive experience, like a grandmaster of fist techniques, able to capture the brief moments of vulnerability during transitions, or possess destructive power like the Blade Demon Garoro, who could slice through any transition with a single strike. Alternatively, one could rely on sheer physical dominance, like Cassius, whose overwhelming physique rendered the Earth Ring ineffective.

Unfortunately for Tom and Oro, they had none of these qualities, so they could only slowly wear down Purple General. If it had been the previous sect master of Cloud Dog Fist, who was now the Great Elder, he might have been able to exploit the first method to defeat Purple General.

"Earth Ring, Serpent Waist!"

Purple General's body twisted eerily, his muscles and bones contorting in ways no normal human could achieve. He deftly dodged Tom and Oro’s ferocious attacks. But instead of retreating, he suddenly advanced, charging straight towards them.

"Earth Ring, Armored Body!" The ring on his chest flickered, and his upper body muscles swelled to exaggerated proportions. The sharply defined lines of his muscles resembled an inward-facing suit of armor. Purple General unleashed the power surging within him once again. "Earth Ring, Thousand-Pound Arms!"

He lifted both arms, which now resembled dark purple steel pillars, and swung them fiercely. The force between his arms roared like a flood.

"Cloud Dog Fist, Dog Bite Seal!"

This time, Tom didn't dodge the incoming attack. Instead, he chose to confront it head-on. His body whipped across the ground like a rubber slingshot, launching him forward. His right fist swung above his head, and his five knuckles twisted into a claw, resembling the fangs of a vicious dog ready to tear into flesh.

The Dog Bite Seal exploded through the air toward its target with a sharp swoosh. At the same time, Oro supported his sect master’s attack. His fists targeted the vital points of Purple General's body, one after the other.

Bang, bang, bang!

The continuous sound of impacts filled the air, as shockwaves rolled outward, entwining in a clash of purple and white. The three figures moved so swiftly and intricately that it was impossible to tell who was where.

Then, suddenly, the sound of bones cracking broke through the chaos.

Tom's left collarbone had been shattered by a fist. Blood was dripping from the wound, but despite the pain, he gritted his teeth and swung his claw at Purple General's chest. The fierce counterattack sent his opponent flying backward.

However, Purple General had already activated the Armored Body effect of the Earth Ring, reducing the force of the strike by at least seventy percent. As he flew backward through the air, only a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, while his chest remained unharmed.

Purple General sneered, "Heh, just wait. The Blade Demon and the president of the Blood Spirit Society will be back soon. The injuries I've suffered will be paid back in full..."

Regaining his balance mid-air, he prepared to land with both feet on the ground. Suddenly, his back collided with something hard and solid.

It was like hitting a towering iron wall, forged from alloy.

"What..." The Purple General barely had time to turn his head before he felt a terrifying force descend upon him. It was as if a giant magnetic field had wrapped around him, controlling gravity itself to bind his entire body in place.

At the same time, a pair of iron hands emerged from behind him and encircled his body, compressing the air as they closed in.

Purple General's eyes widened in shock. He instantly activated the Serpent Waist form, attempting to escape with his Tyrannosaurus Steps, but it was too late.

The iron arms closed in like the massive gates of a steel fortress and slammed shut with the weight of a hydraulic press.

Crack... crack...

"AAAAAAH!!!"

The sound of bones shattering echoed alongside agonized screams. The powerful Serpent Waist of the Purple General was crushed inward by a tremendous force, its diameter shrinking by half in an instant.

Another squeeze, and it was reduced to just one-third of its original size. It was now thinner than the corseted waists of the most frail noblewomen. Underneath his skin, his steel-like muscles and resilient organs were all mercilessly crushed.

Purple General spat out a mouthful of blood, his body collapsing as he was rendered powerless. The once-bright ring on his chest had dimmed to its lowest point.

Behind him, Cassius slowly dropped his hands to his sides. He recalled Feng Liusi's suggestion to capture him alive, so he had held back at the last moment. Otherwise, Purple General would have been torn in half.

His arms would have easily sliced the man into two pieces.

Cassius glanced into the distance, where Tom, his collarbone still bleeding, nodded back at him. The entire sequence of attacks, even the injuries sustained, had been carefully planned and coordinated with Cassius's arrival.

Any combat artist with a little battle sense would have known what to do the moment they saw Cassius's victorious return.

Everything had gone as expected. Tom had only suffered a broken collarbone, while Purple General's waist had been completely crushed, leaving him incapacitated.

Now, all he could do was lie on the ground, awaiting his fate.

At this point, the only one left standing on the battlefield was Black Peacock. Even the elite members of the Gate Organization who had come with him were either dead or severely injured, scattered across the ground. Some lay lifeless, while others groaned in agony.

Almost simultaneously, Cassius, Tom, Oro, and Feng Liusi—who had just emerged from the mist—turned their eyes toward the last remaining opponent: Black Peacock.

"!!!!!!"

Black Peacock, still dodging and weaving in the distance, felt his heart skip four beats in a row. His heart pounded furiously as sweat poured from his body. He instinctively looked up and saw several pairs of eyes staring directly at him.

"One, two, three, four... six!!!"

In that moment, a familiar feeling surged through Black Peacock's mind. He had encountered a similar situation not long ago, where he had been hunted and cornered. But this time, it seemed even more dangerous—three people had turned into six!

How was he supposed to fight this?

Even if his intangibility secret technique had no side effects, he couldn't possibly survive!

When they saw the sudden change in Black Peacock's expression, Saint Feinan and Amos exchanged glances. Their eyes sharpened as they blocked all his escape routes, unleashing their full force to prevent any sudden breakthrough.

Just as the tension peaked and the atmosphere thickened...

Thud.

The figure in front of them dropped to one knee. Black Peacock raised his hands, his stance firm and resolute.

"I surrender!"