Xu Wenwu's eyebrows twitched. His throat tightened, but he pressed his lips together, face deathly pale yet composed. Steadying his footing, he brought his fists together — the eight rings split apart again. A heavy grunt escaped him as blue light flared from the rings. He stepped forward, stance solid.
Master Hong cracked his neck with a smirk and lunged. The air around him surged violently with each movement. Bulging muscles and swinging joints unleashed the Dragon Power's fury — waves crashing harder than any tide. Xu Wenwu had no retreat left. Legs rooted, arms swinging relentlessly.
The eight rings glowed blue, their metallic clangs singing as they met Hong Fei's fists. Both styles were wide-open, brutally direct. Every punch, every palm strike turned arms and elbows into lethal weapons. Afterimages blurred together. Gold and blue energy surged in waves.
Dozens — maybe hundreds — of blows exchanged in seconds. No flashy techniques, just raw collisions of flesh and power. Gradually, Xu Wenwu's face tightened. Teeth gritted in focus, he didn't notice the dark red blood trickling from his mouth.
Hong Fei's eyes gleamed brighter, though his breathing grew ragged.
Suddenly, Xu Wenwu shattered one of Hong Fei's attacks with a fist. In the same motion, he pivoted, stomped hard, and launched skyward. A mid-air flip — then his foot slammed into Hong Fei's forearm.
Thud. For the first time, Hong Fei stepped back.
Xu Wenwu landed without celebration. His hunched form shot forward like an arrow. Fists locked at his abdomen finished charging — azure-blue energy smashed into Hong Fei's stomach before he could react. Another step back. But it wasn't over.
Seeing Hong Fei retreat, Xu Wenwu halted pursuit. Instead, the rings peeled off his arms one by one. They flew forward in pairs, each crackling with power. The first duo struck Hong Fei at blinding speed — then the second, third, and fourth followed without pause.
Each new pair hit just as the previous one's energy peaked. Before the first wave faded, the second already built. One punch from Xu Wenwu, yet the effect was a five-hit combo from both sides.
If Hong Fei hadn't stolen two rings, it would've been six hits per side — twelve total. Five consecutive shockwaves boomed. Debris scattered like a tornado. Ten Rings members watching were either knocked flat or pinned against walls, immobilized. Hong Fei kept retreating.
Every step he took pulverized the already shattered bluestone underfoot, mixing it into the black-red soil. By the end, each footprint sank deep into mud — proof of Xu Wenwu's technique. The rings' power multiplied exponentially when stacked.
After the combo ended, Xu Wenwu swiftly recalled the eight rings. By the time Hong Fei steadied himself — even channeling most of the force into the ground — his abdomen still burned. And that was with triple-enhanced defenses, Dragon Power, and Qi shielding him.
If it had been anyone else, taking that full set of attacks would have likely resulted in them collapsing on the spot, or worse, having all the organs in their abdominal cavity, and even their spine, shattered instantly! However, landing that full set wasn't easy — the strong could dodge, and the weak didn't require it.
Hong Fei was the exception because he wanted to personally experience the taste of his future main weapon. Looking at the result now, it was truly impressive.
He exhaled a turbid breath and looked up slightly, the golden vertical pupil on his chest mark seemingly flickering with a sharp light.
Seeing this, Xu Wenwu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, took a deep breath, and shook his arms. The eight rings neatly separated and clamped tightly onto his arms before he charged forward fiercely.
Hong Fei clenched his fists. Instantly, the airflow rising outside his body shook violently.
The golden Qi, which had been a pale color, rapidly intensified, and in the blink of an eye, it looked like real flames enveloping his body! As their fists collided, Xu Wenwu instantly felt pain in his metacarpal bones. The Dragon Power had directly penetrated the blue energy bestowed upon him by the Ten Rings.
Strands of highly piercing golden energy pricked his flesh and bones like sharp needles, making it difficult for him to raise his arms again in the short term. Hong Fei threw another punch, and Xu Wenwu was forced to block, causing his arms to drop one after another.
Hong Fei turned his fist into a palm and pushed toward his chest, but it didn't land directly on him. Instead, it was an air-palm strike from a few inches away. At that moment, a massive divine dragon phantom appeared around him again!
ROAR! The dragon's roar reverberated. Xu Wenwu was sent flying by Hong Fei's strike, crashing into the cracked wall. When he landed, his legs went soft.
Seeing he was about to kneel, he proactively shifted his center of gravity, supporting his body with one arm that was still in excruciating pain, but his knees never actually touched the ground. The wall behind him could no longer bear the weight and collapsed with a rumbling sound.
Hong Fei looked at his resolute face and felt very satisfied.
First, Xu Wenwu was a man of great strength. Although there was still a gap compared to him, Xu Wenwu possessed a solid foundation, which was very important. But that alone was not the deciding factor.
Second, Xu Wenwu possessed a strong heart and firm will. "Indomitable" is just four words, but it is extremely difficult to achieve in practice.
Especially now, he must have realized that he could not possibly be Hong Fei's match, yet he did not choose to surrender or retreat. He still believed he could find a chance to turn the tables. That was difficult, but having such a mindset was even harder.
The only thing in his eyes that wavered was a fleeting look he couldn't hide from Hong Fei — he was worried about his children. He would inadvertently look toward the palace entrance, but he was afraid of being discovered by Hong Fei and used as a bargaining chip. Now, he was likely more worried that his children would have no one to care for them after his death, and that his wife's enemies would never be eliminated.
Furthermore, Xu Wenwu was a pure "insider" who could better coordinate with Hong Fei in every sense.
Finally, a card was already floating above his head. It was a color completely different from all the cards Hong Fei had obtained before.
Orange!
At this moment, even Hong Fei was surprised. He had thought that at most, a purple skill card would drop from Xu Wenwu. Since it was of orange grade, it was undoubtedly "Ten Rings"!
The origin of this set of items was still a mystery in Hong Fei's current understanding, and it truly lived up to its reputation.
When the card drifted toward Hong Fei, the little girl in the palace finally couldn't help but rush out, shouting "Daddy" at the top of her lungs.
Hearing this, Xu Wenwu's brows tightened, and he hurriedly scolded, "Go back!"
But with this shout, his face turned even paler, and he spat out dark red blood after a heavy cough, which looked extremely stark on the newly fallen snow. The girl he scolded initially stopped instinctively, not daring to move, but seeing him vomit blood, she couldn't care about anything else and ran toward him again.
A moment later, she hugged Xu Wenwu's arm, her face filled with anxiety, but the tears she had gathered stayed in her eyes and did not fall. At the palace entrance, the boy gripped the door frame tightly with both hands. After struggling with himself, he finally followed his sister's lead and ran over.
The two children supported Xu Wenwu on either side, and the faces of the family of three were all grim. Xu Wenwu was not only in excruciating pain in his arms, but his internal organs also felt as if they had been shifted by Hong Fei's palm strike. That dragon roar felt like it had exploded directly in his mind, causing his spirit to become dazed for a moment.
The Ten Rings glowed faintly, the blue energy constantly seeping into his body, driving out the destruction of the Dragon Power while allowing his eyes to quickly regain clarity. Before long, he broke free from his children's arms, and although his movements were slow, he stood up with firm steps.
Facing Hong Fei, he caught his breath and reached out to brush the hair that had fallen over his forehead behind his head. It had to be said that his wife, "Yingli", had a great eye. Even after seeing the endless handsome faces of the information age, this face — especially those eyes — was always unique.
If it weren't for that face, Hong Fei wouldn't have been interested in learning about his strength; otherwise, his corpse would already be cold.
After stabilizing his breath, he pushed the two children away, his eyes still as arrogant as ever as he said, "When I die, you can take everything of mine."
Hong Fei did not want to fight anymore because he had tested enough.
"I asked you before, how is your wife's body preserved?"
Hearing Hong Fei ask this question again, Xu Wenwu couldn't help but flare up with anger. Seeing that he was about to make a move again, Hong Fei had to speak up to stop him. He quickly said, "Wait, don't get excited, I have no disrespectful intentions. It's just that if your wife's body is still intact, then I have a way."
Instantly, Xu Wenwu's movements stiffened, and his pupils shook.
Hong Fei said directly, "I can help you resurrect her."
Xu Wenwu didn't move, but his pupils vibrated.
"I have no reason to lie to you, because I could kill you right now."
Hearing this, the corners of Xu Wenwu's eyes twitched, and he said, his voice trembling with every word, "Are you sure you're telling the truth?"
Hong Fei nodded, "Just like before, I am ten percent certain. But as I said, the premise is that the body is intact!"
Before Hong Fei finished speaking, Xu Wenwu had already thrown two punches at the ground, his body leaping high and flying toward the interior of the mountain. The two children left behind also seemed to have forgotten to cry, staring at Hong Fei with dull eyes.
Hong Fei didn't pay attention to the children's gazes; he was fully focused on observing the brand-new Orange Card.
Active skill card: Ten Rings (Orange) — Xu Wenwu: "You can consume a huge amount of energy, a small amount of blood, and a trace of your soul to forge a pair of Ten Rings that belong to you. The brand-new Ten Rings will have the exact same functions as the original, but the addition of your blood and soul will grant you absolute authority."
Warning: The Ten Rings' origins and functions remain unknown. Handle with extreme caution. Blood carries vital significance. Lose too much, and you'll black out — or worse. Every fragment of soul matters. Waste even a speck, and the consequences won't just wound you. They'll destroy everything.
This was the first time Hong Fei had seen so many notes in a skill card description. The ominous warnings prickled his skin like static before a storm.