The Bandit King swung his massive axe high above his head and instinctively blocked Long Huang's attack. Bang! The sharp sound of Long Huang's foot striking metal echoed through the air. The ground beneath the Bandit King's feet began to crack.
Whizz! Bam!!
In the split second after blocking Long Huang's attack, the Bandit King grabbed Long Huang's leg and threw him to the ground.
He struck out with his axe, the razor-sharp blade slicing menacingly through the air toward Long Huang's head.
The axe seemingly split Long Huang's head before it hit the ground, shattering the earth and raising a cloud of dust.
The bandits watching thought the fight was over. Some caravan members began to panic, unaware that Long Huang had rolled away at the last second.
Faces paled as hope turned to despair. Some clung together, trembling, while others clenched their fists in terror.
One bandit dropped his sword, his hands shaking so violently he couldn't retrieve it.
Their breaths felt loud; hearts pounded as they tried to comprehend the scene.
Zhao Gun saw his chance. If he stepped in now and defeated the weakened Bandit King, wouldn't Father praise him? Thinking this, he approached to seize the glory. Just then—
"You're one lucky boy," shouted the Bandit King, as his eyes darted around looking for Long Huang.
Swish! Thud!
Long Huang was like a specter, slipping behind the Bandit King like a shadow wreathed in darkness, and sent a kick aimed straight at his knee.
"WHAT!" shouted Zhao Gun. Some of the bystanders gasped, stunned to see Long Huang appear again, unharmed.
The Bandit King had already seen the attack coming and countered.
Long Huang instantly withdrew his sword from his storage ring to block the attack.
Swoosh! bang!
Long Huang managed to block the blow. The Bandit King's strength still hurled him through the air and into a nearby hut.
"Hey, boy," the Bandit King growled, his voice like grinding stones as he walked towards Long Huang, who was struggling to get up.
"Tell me, boy—is your mother prettier than you? Maybe I'll find out for myself," sneered the Bandit King, lips curled in a twisted grin.
A rush of anger surged through Long Huang, his jaw tightening and his fists clenching at his sides.
In that moment, fury burned in his chest as he dashed forward using the Wind Deer steps and attacked head-on.
Clang!
"Feisty, aren't you? Upset, I left your father out? Relax, he can watch while I teach your mother what a real man is. Hahaha!" he jeered, blocking another of Long Huang's attacks with his axe's handle.
"Shut.... huff... huff... UP!"
Long Huang said, his mouth hanging low as he gasped for air, his voice colder than steel as his tattoos of the blades of slaughter glowed bright red beneath his robe.
The Bandit King watched Long Huang closely, eager to rattle him, hoping he might make a mistake. Little did he know that he was the one who made a fatal mistake.
Long Huang's killing intent rose to a terrifying degree. Chaos Devil Dragon energy surged through him as he locked eyes with the Bandit King. His cultivation realm began to soar, as if a hidden power within him awakened, devouring the spiritual energy around him wildly. His cultivation rose from the 6th stage of the Muscle Tempering Realm to the peak of Meridian Tempering.
His meridians bulged as Chaos Devil Dragon energy filled every part of his body. Long Huang could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage, the sound echoing in his mind, mingling with the rustle of leaves and distant shouts from other bandits.
His mind raced with only the thought of killing the man in front of him—quickly, and as painfully as possible. With a deep breath, Long Huang tried to calm his nerves. His heart told him not to stop. He didn't want to either. He wanted to rip that bastard's tongue out at this very moment.
His killing intent and aura were so terrifying that those with weak wills close by passed out.
The Bandit King, who was the closest and the target of the killing intent, instinctively jumped back, sweat pouring as he stared at Long Huang with fear.
"What kind of monster are you, kid?"
Woosh!
The Bandit King dashed out and swung his axe, aiming to cut off Long Huang's head to finish the fight quickly and get rid of this shameful fear he felt. He was fast, but Long Huang had already predicted this.
As the axe neared, Long Huang dropped low and dodged the axe, feeling the wind rush by as the axe passed awfully close to his head.
Bang! Thud!!!!
In that instant, Long Huang delivered a sweeping kick, sending the Bandit King crashing unceremoniously onto the dirt, followed by another kick to his chest, sending him skidding across the ground into a hut.
"You little bastard!" bellowed the Bandit King as he got to his feet, unfazed by Long Huang's attack, but frustration and disbelief threaded through his voice.
Swoosh!
Within the blink of an eye, the Bandit King appeared before Long Huang, launching a powerful stomp at his chest.
Long Huang used his arms as a shield and braced himself as the blow landed, pain surging through his numbed arms and making him stagger back, dropping his sword.
"It's high time I gut you, little bastard, and send you back to your parents as a gift from me," said the Bandit King, his voice filled with renewed confidence.
"Boss, finish him already! Kill the little bastard, and we'll all enjoy his whore mother later!" yelled a bandit from afar.
Long Huang, hearing this, almost lost his composure but held himself back because he felt something was off.
Now that he thought about it, the Bandit King had never been injured during the entire fight.
He was sure each one of his attacks landed squarely, yet the Bandit King still shrugged them off like insect bites. It was as if there was something invisible protecting him—something that deflected his strikes.
His eyes assessed the man before him. He stared as if wanting to see through him. Then he saw it—a faint, thin layer of protective qi hardened over the exact spots his fists and feet had landed.
He'd spent so long fighting beasts, he'd forgotten human cultivators at the Blood Tempering Realm could actively use qi for a brief time, but at a cost.
'Seems as if he used most of his strength fighting whoever the caravan hired to deal with him.'
Finally understanding the situation, Long Huang smiled.
"A turtle's shell is hard, but not impossible to break. Let's see who breaks first, my fists or your shell."
Huff...
With a sharp exhale, Long Huang vanished using the Wind Deer steps. The Bandit King watched cautiously, ready for an ambush from the side or back. However, Long Huang approached directly and sent out a kick in one fluid motion.
But the Bandit King was already on guard for this kick. Long Huang, knowing this, shifted from a kick to a powerful palm strike, smashing the Bandit King's temple and sending waves of pain through the Bandit King's body.
Bam!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!"
The Bandit King roared in torment, his voice echoing like a wounded beast. In a last-ditch effort, he swung his massive axe, aiming to cut Long Huang in half.
Long Huang dodged, then shifted his stance at the last moment and unleashed a barrage of attacks.
Ocean Wave Fist Art.
First Move: Crashing Tide, Second Move: Rolling Current, Third Move: Tidal Surge
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Long Huang's fists struck repeatedly in a seamless, wavelike rhythm. The first punch landed on the Bandit King's chest, followed immediately by a second in the same spot. The third punch crashed into the Bandit King's jaw with almost double his normal strength, cracking the protective qi and making the impact echo like thunder.
CRACK!! Cack!!!
As the qi layer cracked, the punch sent the Bandit King crashing to the ground, and even the crack of bone reverberated through the stillness. Long Huang stood over him, chest heaving, his knuckles raw and bleeding.
"Come on..., where's your spirit, Bandit King!"
Blood dripped from the Bandit King's nose and mouth as he staggered back using his axe to support himself, uncertainty creeping into his once-mighty gaze.
"No... no, th...is ca...n't be," said the Bandit King as some of his teeth fell from his mouth.
For the first time, fear flickered on his face.
Whoosh!!
Long Huang surged forward like a wolf locked on its prey, not permitting the Bandit King any moment to recover. He feinted left, luring his opponent's focus, then drove his knee into the Bandit King's ribs with thunderous force.
Boom! Crack!
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The Bandit King, howling with pain and rage, swung his axe in a desperate attempt to defend himself. Long Huang seized his wrist with an iron grip and twisted without mercy.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The Bandit King screamed in pain as his axe clattered to the ground.
"Im.....pos...sible!" the Bandit King wheezed, eyes filled with disbelief.
"Y..ou're ju...st a ki...d."
"That's enough out of you."
Long Huang silenced him with a brutal punch that shattered the Bandit King's throat. The Bandit King crumpled to the ground, the ground seemingly rising to meet him in his humiliation.
Long Huang looked down at the defeated tyrant and planted a foot firmly on his chest, leaning low, the fire in his eyes blazing as brightly as the sun, his killing intent burning as he watched the bandit King struggle to lift his foot.
"Earlier, you asked me if I was afraid."
"So let me tell you this, I fear no man."
Long Huang's words echoed in the Bandit King's mind like thunder. In that moment, the Bandit King regretted every wrong thing he had ever done. Long Huang then picked up the Bandit King's axe and swung down like a lumberjack cutting the last piece of firewood for the day.
Swish!!
The Bandit King's head came clean off his neck.
"Word of advice in your next life, be careful with your words. And hope you never cross me again," said Long Huang, his voice cold and emotionless. The silence that followed was so profound that the heartbeats of the caravan members and the bandits nearby could be heard; each was too scared to move.
Zhao Gun, who was watching this, stood frozen in disbelief. This was the same Long Huang that he thought was going to be crushed and die at the hands of the Bandit King.
"This... this is impossible!"