Forge a path to success.

Chapter 166 The Fearless

"Can you two calm down! The prosthetic arm isn't even here yet..."

Vande rushed out of the sand house, cursing his companions' patience in his heart. Even waiting another half a minute would have made things much better; instead, those two idiots had dashed out faster than rabbits, and they'd probably already been confronted by the messenger…

It stopped behind the monsters, just as dumbfounded as everyone else. The narrow entrance to the valley had been cleaved into a plain by Ji Huaisu's sword, and Fan De witnessed Chu Hengkong punch Luo Hun, sending him flying into the sky!
"Would it kill you to just endure it for half a minute?" Vande groaned.

Luo Hun spun in mid-air, then landed silently with his arms outstretched. Despite the heavy blow he had suffered, there was no visible injury on his face, and his tone remained calm.

“That demon is right, you really should have waited longer... Without the protection of the Holy Pillar, rushing onto the battlefield, no matter how courageous you are, will only lead to your death.”

"Such a big mouth, huh? You're just a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong!" Chu Hengkong said.

He made no attempt to hide his anger and contempt, like a chivalrous knight-errant in a tale of chivalry. There was no reason or grand cause; he simply couldn't stand injustice and couldn't tolerate evil deeds, so he flew into a rage, his blood boiling.

For the first time, emotion appeared in Luo Hun's eyes, a shadow cast by the offense. He tied the small book to his waist and slowly tightened his grip on the knuckle duster.

“Excuse me, Mr. Nightwalker. Please hand this person over to me…” Luo Hun said slowly, “It is my duty to educate newcomers who have just arrived.”

Ye Xing nodded slightly, without speaking. The two leaped simultaneously, floating into the air as lightly as paper. Almost at the same moment, gleaming, blazing swords slashed horizontally across the space they had once occupied. Ji Huaisu stood still, drawing her sword. Her blade was extremely long and wide; the fiery sword pierced the sand and gravel, like a fan of light sweeping across the valley. Then, the sand and gravel-covered mountainside collapsed, a massive amount of white sand crashing down on the two leaping figures.

With just one sword strike, she leveled nearly half of the valley.

The figures of the two envoys were obscured by the dust and sand. Without needing to communicate, Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu separated. A smooth, jade-like ball of light formed in Ji Huaisu's palm, which she tossed overhead. At that moment, the howling sandstorm abruptly ceased, and a mere line of blank space tore through the sand. A hooded man silently appeared behind Ji Huaisu, his long sword flashing out in a backhand strike aimed straight for the knight's head.

The black blade slashed into the ice shield, and Ji Huaisu held the shield behind her back with her right hand, blocking the deadly strike that was silently approaching!

The slash penetrated deep into the ice shield, shattering Ji Huaisu's shield in a single blow. His gaze, hidden beneath the hood, fell upon the ice crystals, then upon the yellow steel armor and the sphere of light in the air. "Impressive," Nightwalker said. He drew his sword and vanished into the dust, the sphere of light expanding and exploding above their heads, transforming into a dense rain of light.

Light, fire, dust. Precepts and divine judgment, light, gravel, and flowing fire.

Ji Huaisu raised his hand and remotely controlled the flowing fire. Two-thirds of the flames chased after the night, while the rest fell uncontrollably onto the other side of the battlefield. Two figures darted through the flowing fire, unharmed despite being surrounded by flames. Chu Hengkong dodged the attacks with his agility, while Luo Hun, though large, was no less fast.

He threw a punch amidst the rain of fire, a massive swing aimed at Chu Hengkong's temple. Chu Hengkong blocked the attack with a high kick, then spun around and unleashed a downward spinning kick. Luo Hun dodged the kick by pulling his calves back, his massive upper body leaning forward dramatically, his arms crossed in a grappling move.

But Chu Hengkong dodged the grab by leaping up with one hand on the ground. In mid-air, he flipped his body and kicked out, his toes striking Luo Hun's left shoulder. Luo Hun's left shoulder sank strangely, and his upper arm stiffened instantly. This was a Qi-intercepting strike executed with an inverted hook kick, a technique that relied on the explosive release of Qi to kill heavily armored enemies. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chu Hengkong leaped up again, the Qi-intercepting strike's effect blocking his dodge, and his heel slammed straight towards Luo Hun's face.

But the heel strike only pierced the air; the gigantic, terrifying messenger vanished into thin air. A roaring gust of wind swept in from the left, and Chu Hengkong immediately raised his deformed left arm to defend. Luo Hun's heavy punch struck his arm; the knuckle duster on his fist vibrated upon impact, and a strange burst of power slammed him into the ground.

"Residual Light Fist - Decay".

Chu Hengkong sprang up, his right hand bracing against the ground, using a series of backflips to dodge the heavy punches. The blows landed on the sand, turning the white sand into gray dust. He clutched his left arm as he rose, temporarily refraining from attacking. His struck left arm had turned from black to a decaying gray; his flesh was aging at an alarming rate, his muscles becoming fragile fibers, festering and spreading like a spiderweb, only to regenerate again due to the powerful life force of the Fallen.

Two opposing forces were locked in a fierce battle, using his left hand as the battlefield. Had he been struck elsewhere, he would be in mortal danger. However, his left hand was useless in the fight, as it stubbornly continued its stabbing towards Chu Hengkong's chest. He had to use his right hand to firmly restrain his left arm, thus blocking his upper body attacks and rendering him unable to use both arms in the battle.

“You demanded too much from the old man. If you knew when to stop, you wouldn’t have had to tie your own hands…” Luo Hun cracked his knuckles, “and you wouldn’t be facing me, a former Bone-Praying cultivator, in such a terrible situation.”

"The path of death..."

Chu Hengkong cracked his neck: "Still a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong, one hand is enough!"

"It seems you have no attachment to your own life whatsoever."

Luo Hun changed his fist into a palm, his large hands crashing down like two walls. Chu Heng leaped into the air and kicked out, his instep striking straight at Luo Hun's head. Luo Hun did not dodge, maintaining his forward momentum, gray mist rising around him—the historical fog that marked the arrival of death.

"Sink".

The kick disappeared into the mist, as if trapped in an infinite space, seemingly so close yet unable to advance an inch. Taking advantage of the situation, Luo Hun grabbed Chu Hengkong's ankle. The decaying power invaded his flesh, instantly withering and turning his limbs beneath his trousers into a shriveled, withered branch. Luo Hun thus gained the advantage in strength; he crushed Chu Hengkong's ankle with terrifying brute force, then slammed the incapacitated Chu Hengkong into the ground like a club! The immense force caused the ground to tremble, and the sound of shattering bones made the monsters cover their ears in pain. Luo Hun's movements didn't stop; he raised his left foot and slammed it down with all his might, relentlessly pursuing his attack. But Luo Hun's foot bounced back into the air, his hastily generated protective aura intercepting his attack.

Chu Hengkong rolled out of the sandpit, barely recovering from his injuries with his Undying Technique. He then used a sweeping leg kick to trip Luo Hun's right foot, which was supporting his body. This strike accurately disrupted the center of gravity, and the massive man was tripped and fell backward. Chu Hengkong seized the opportunity to rush forward with his arms crossed, his elbow aimed straight at Luo Hun's vitals.

At this moment, Luo Hun had nowhere to draw strength. Even if he used the mist to block the attack again, Chu Hengkong still had time to change his move. But the elbow strike to the heart missed again, just like the previous inexplicably failed heel strike. Was it similar to the Shadow Giant's teleportation? Or an extremely fast speed beyond reaction time? Absolutely not! Chu Hengkong clearly saw the whole process. Luo Hun's massive body blurred and faded in the mist. He disappeared into the historical mist a moment before being struck!

"Disperse."

A voice called from the mists of history, and the Fallen Soul materialized, appearing behind him. He struck Chu Hengkong in the side with a vicious elbow strike, then shoved the assassin forward, crashing him into a boulder! The hard elbow slammed straight into Chu Hengkong's heart!
Chu Heng coughed up a mouthful of blood, and with a forced effort, he tilted his head back to smash it into Luo Hun's head. However, the headbutt landed in the mist, and the unreachable barrier once again blocked the attack. Luo Hun spread his arms wide like wings, and swirling mist swirled around his fists.

"Residual Light Fist - Lingering".

The mist seeped into the brass knuckles, deforming Luo Hun's weapon into sharp, bone-like claws. He stepped back, creating more space for his attack, and then delivered a cold and precise punch, like a butcher chopping at a hanging livestock.

"scapular."

The beast's claws struck Chu Hengkong's right shoulder. The decaying power of time breached his mental defenses, the sharp claws shredding the assassin's shoulder blade! As he retracted his fist, the curved claws ripped out large chunks of flesh! Luo Hun's profile resembled a butcher sculpted from rock. He used mist to block Chu Hengkong's kick and threw another punch. "Right arm." The right arm bone shattered! "Right wrist." The right wrist shattered! "Throat." The beast's claws pierced his throat! "Leg bone." Both fists shattered his legs!
"Wrist bone." "Rib bone." "Front bone." "Ankle." "Liver." "Lungs." "Kidneys." Luo Hun maintained a steady rhythm as he threw punches, using the mist of history to defend against Chu Hengkong's counterattacks. He suppressed Chu Hengkong in the boulder pit with relentless attacks, then continued to beat him! Continued to beat him! He used his cold, ruthless attacks to completely dismantle the enemy who dared to resist!

"Please stop!" the monsters cried out, covering their ears. Even driven to the brink of despair by fear, a remnant of humanity still managed to make them speak. "Your Excellency! Please! Have mercy!"

"I have a duty to make new life realize..." the Fallen Soul said coldly, "what the consequences will be for resisting the Nightmare King!"

"Afterglow Fist - Cluster!"

He unleashed a powerful punch, his concentrated strength exploding from his fists, sending Chu Hengkong flying off the battlefield and into the depths of the misty sand houses. Luo Hun wiped the blood and flesh from his fists and walked step by step into the mist, pondering what he would say to the audacious rebel… pondering the regretful howls he would hear…

But none of what he could imagine appeared. Luo Hun only saw the figure of the warrior. Beyond the mist was a fearless human figure, dragging his broken body to his feet! His eyes were exactly the same as when the battle began, so fierce that even Luo Hun felt a chill run down his spine.

Behind the man, a group of people dragged out with arms as hard as steel, and the leader, the Eye Demon, roared, "Brothers! Use this!"

"Don't think about it."

Instinct compelled Luo Hun to act; he rushed into the crowd, attempting to seize the prosthetic arm. However, a cyan ring appeared, and a blazing pillar of fire shot into the sky from the spot where he had landed.

"Braised in soy sauce".

The power of a high-ranking demon?
Luo Hun hastily constructed a fog barrier, sealing off the surroundings to block the demon's flames. The sound of gears meshing echoed from the opposite side of the flames, and he vaguely saw the assassin raise his arm. Luo Hun decisively vanished into the fog, gathering his strength in the absolute safety of the mist. Then, Luo Hun appeared behind Chu Hengkong, his fists, trailing fragments of light and shadow, unleashing a simultaneous punch.

"Residual Light Fist - Reverse Light Wheel!"

It missed. No feel for it. The teleported punch only struck the rapidly moving afterimage. Luo Hun saw the shadow of a man thrown from behind; Chu Hengkong was coldly watching him from behind. He shielded his back with mist, preparing to pounce, but didn't attack. The assassin remained standing.

After dodging the attack, Chu Hengkong remained motionless, his body still bearing horrific wounds. The only difference from before was the addition of a silver left arm. Luo Hun realized the truth: Chu Hengkong had not recovered from the previous blows at all; he was merely enduring through sheer willpower.

"Disperse." The Fallen Soul vanished into the mist once more, this time flying towards the assassin's left side, intending to pierce the assassin's head with a single blow—

Then, Luo Hun's vision was covered by darkness.

Chu Hengkong swung his arm and threw a punch. His silver left fist pierced through the mist, the clearly defined knuckles of his fist striking Luo Hun squarely in the face. Luo Hun's features twisted like a vortex, his massive body rising like a chick. Then, a deafening explosion erupted, a gale dispersing the mist, and the entire underwater valley began to tremble. The assassin, fueled by rage, slammed the messenger of terror into the ground!
Luo Hun sank deep into the earth, his eyes rolling back from the immense impact. The sound of bones shattering echoed within his body; all the damage he had inflicted on Chu Hengkong with his previous flurry of blows erupted simultaneously within him with this single punch!

Chu Hengkong raised his left hand and said coldly, "Your boxing skills are utterly terrible!"

(End of this chapter)