Chapter 45: Pulling Up the Pillar!

"How is that possible?"

Zhao Xing was stunned. How could someone beneath the Divine Strength Realm lift such a massive pillar? He almost couldn't believe his eyes.

The pillar trembled violently, as if Lu Changsheng was about to uproot it entirely.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Xing took great strides forward, charging straight at Lu Changsheng in an attempt to stop him from pulling the pillar free.

Rumble...

Lu Changsheng drew a deep breath. In the next instant, his blood qi thinned into strands as fine as silkworm silk. The scarlet silken strands spread swiftly across the pillar's surface. They writhed like slender tendrils, crawling up the column until they covered it entirely.

From afar, this manifestation of blood qi was enough to send chills down one's spine. When Lu Changsheng had first refined his organs, his blood qi had taken on a silk form. Unexpectedly, besides tempering his organs, the silken threads of blood qi could also be used in this way. In the next moment, Lu Changsheng's tens of thousands of silken tendrils erupted at once, violently shaking the massive pillar to its core.

Lu Changsheng had often relied on Deathflash to kill in the blink of an eye, not even giving his opponent a chance to register the strike. However, speed wasn't his only strength. Through his training, he had pushed his blood qi to its utmost limit, attained the Jade Bones, and even undergone Blood Replacement.

His physique stood at the very peak among Body Tempering martial artists; few within that realm could compare to his physical prowess. His strength was truly terrifying, though he had never had a reason to fully unleash it. However, now that his Deathflash had failed to pierce through Zhao Xing's iron armor, he could no longer hold back.

Crack!

He exerted his full strength, and with the aid of the countless silken threads of blood qi, Lu Changsheng managed to uproot the entire column. As he pulled backward, the several-zhang-long pillar lay firmly in his grasp.

Given its sheer size, Lu Changsheng could only hold the pillar by wrapping both arms around it. Though this was an incredible feat, he felt no burden; rather, a surge of exhilaration rose in his chest. The silken threads acted like extensions of his arms, allowing him to wield the column with incredible ease.

Lu Changsheng had cultivated his blood qi to its utmost limit. In addition, he had undergone Blood Replacement, and the results were evident now; he could unleash his tremendous blood qi in a terrifying display of strength.

With both arms wrapped around the pillar, Lu Changsheng fixed his gaze on Zhao Xing, who was charging toward him. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he swung the pillar in a broad, sweeping arc.

Boom!

The massive pillar smashed directly into Zhao Xing, sending him flying before he crashed to the ground. His armor had managed to absorb the brunt of the hit, leaving him uninjured. However, his heart sank as he stared at Lu Changsheng from afar.

Lu Changsheng raised the pillar high once more.

VOOSH!

The next moment, the pillar came crashing down from above. While Zhao Xing could move with marked swiftness, his heavy armor did limit his mobility somewhat. Lu Changsheng showed not the slightest hesitation. His speed was blistering, and with the aid of his silken threads of blood qi, every motion felt smooth and natural, as if the pillar itself was part of him.

In the end, Zhao Xing had no way to evade the massive column.

"Fine!" Zhao Xing growled, his eyes flashing with ruthlessness. When it came to strength, he feared none. He steadied himself and bent his knees slightly, then leaped explosively, hurling his fist toward the falling pillar.

BANG!

The pillar collided violently with Zhao Xing's fist. Feeling the immense force pass through the pillar, Zhao Xing's expression changed instantly; he realized he had underestimated Lu Changsheng.

With his full power unleashed and the pillar's immense weight behind it, Lu Changsheng's strike had felt like Mount Tai itself crashing down from the sky. Almost reflexively, Zhao Xing raised his other hand and slammed it against the pillar that pressed down on him.[1]

Thud!

With that, Zhao Xing had managed to stop the pillar, though he had expended nearly all of his strength to do it. Beneath the armor, he was drenched in sweat, and his face was flushed red. He couldn't mask the fact that withstanding Lu Changsheng's ferocious attack had taken nearly everything out of him.

"Again!" Lu Changsheng lifted the pillar once more and brought it crashing down with all his might.

"

Tsk

!" Zhao Xing clenched his fists and braced them above his head, using whatever strength he had left to defend himself.

Crash!

The entire underground hall shook under the sheer force of the blows. As if driving a nail into place with a hammer, Lu Changsheng relentlessly rammed the pillar into Zhao Xing, again and again.

One strike, two, three, four...

By the fifth strike, Zhao Xing's iron armor still held, but the ground beneath him caved.

Crack!

Each of Lu Changsheng's pillar strikes carried power of thousands of jun[2]. Every blow sent tremors through Zhao Xing, his bones and muscles shaken violently.

Without his armor, Zhao Xing would have been dead already. Though he had managed to endure the relentless assault, he was now being driven into the earth like a nail, leaving only his shoulders and head exposed. Wedged tightly in the ground, he could no longer move.

At last, Zhao Xing stopped struggling, his body falling still. Lu Changsheng planted the pillar upright into the ground and came to a halt. For a moment, the entire underground hall fell silent.

Everyone's gaze turned toward Lu Changsheng. What they had just witnessed had completely shattered their understanding of martial power. Could they even call Lu Changsheng a martial artist? After all, he had just wielded a massive pillar like a weapon and smashed Zhao Xing straight into the ground with it.

At that moment, Shen Ying seized the moment to rise unsteadily to his feet. He stepped forward, reached Zhao Xing's side, and sharply tore off his helmet, revealing Zhao Xing's bloodied face. His features were barely recognizable. The force of those blows had been devastating. Even if he wasn't dead yet, he would soon be.

Shen Ying couldn't help but burst into laughter. "

Pff—Phahahaha...!

Zhao Xing, so this is what you've come to!"

Zhao Xing forced his eyes open but failed to form any words. Shen Ying gripped his great saber and swung it in a low, horizontal line.

Shing!

The clean cut sent Zhao Xing's head rolling, and blood burst forth in a spray, its scent lifting in the air. Shen Ying lifted the severed head and set it facing southeast—the direction of Taicang County. He offered Zhao Xing's head to honor the three hundred and eighteen wronged souls of Shen Manor.

At that moment, several physicians whom Lu Changsheng had freed shouted, "Official Xu has fled!"

"

Hm

?" When Lu Changsheng looked up, Great Benevolent Xu was nowhere to be seen. At some point, the man had slipped away quietly.

"That old dog Xu, aiding the wicked. He deserves to die!" Shen Ying snarled, seizing his saber. With killing intent flaring, he leaped forward and gave chase in the direction where Official Xu had vanished.

1. Mount Tai is the most sacred of the Five Great Mountains of China and historically the place where emperors performed key rituals to communicate with Heaven. It symbolizes stability, majesty, and unshakeable authority. Often, its name is used to describe overwhelming, inescapable weight or pressure. Today, Mount Tai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and climbing it is often done with a spiritual or sentimental purpose.

Click here

to see what Mount Tai looks like today. ☜

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

2. 钧 (jūn) ≈ 30 斤 (jin) ≈ about 15 kilograms (33 lbs). ☜