Chapter 485 - 413: Offense and Defense 2
Chapter 485: Chapter 413: Offense and Defense 2
"You. Are. Courting. Death!"
Chen Li’s words were the fuse that lit the powder keg. The final phrase, "an old maid of seventy or eighty," completely detonated the fury and killing intent she had long suppressed.
Her seething killing intent burst the dams of her reason.
"SHING...!"
The longsword left its sheath. An incomparably sharp Sword Intent, filled with a destructive aura, shot toward the sky and locked firmly onto Chen Li.
"I’ll give you one last chance!"
Her voice was bone-chillingly cold, each word deliberate. "Hand over the True Intent Map and kneel in apology. Otherwise, you will die today!"
In the small alley, the air froze as killing intent boiled.
"Then I’ll give you a chance, too."
The smile on Chen Li’s face slowly faded. "Submit... or die!"
The plump woman in the white dress was so furious she laughed.
Her answer to Chen Li was a terrifyingly murderous Sword Intent.
In the next instant, her figure abruptly vanished into the alley’s darkness.
"SHK!"
A sharp whistle of tearing air rang out.
Above Chen Li’s head, a cold star suddenly bloomed, instantly transforming into a dazzling sword glint. It carried a sharp momentum capable of piercing metal and stone as it stabbed down from the air.
The sword glint pulsing from the tip of the blade was only three feet long, yet it was as condensed as a solid object. The destructive Sword Intent made the surrounding air keen with a mournful cry.
Chen Li didn’t dodge.
He shifted his body slightly, raised his right fist, and threw a silent punch forward.
The punch created no wind, no waves.
Yet, where the fist was aimed, a vast and cyclical intent, endlessly generating and regenerating, began to flow.
The cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter; the growth and decay of all things—it was all contained within this one punch.
Five Directions Twenty-Four Solar Terms Wuxiang Fist.
"BOOM...!!!"
The fist and sword collided thunderously.
A circular shockwave, visible to the naked eye, exploded outward from the two of them.
"CRACK! CRUMBLE...!!!"
Wherever the shockwave passed, the tall brick walls on both sides of the alley cracked inch by inch as if made of paper, then collapsed with a roar.
Bricks, stones, and splintered wood shot backward like a torrential downpour.
Within a radius of hundreds of feet, dust and smoke plumed into the sky. Debris filled the air as if a small earthquake had struck.
Fortunately, this place was flanked by the unoccupied villas of wealthy families, so no one was living there.
Otherwise, the aftershocks of the exchange alone would have been enough to rupture the internal organs of the common people in the nearby residences, killing them instantly.
Even the tall woman, with her Spirit Realm Seventh Level: Inner Mansion Pass Cultivation, had sensed something was wrong the moment the shockwave erupted and had retreated with all her might.
Even so, the violent impact still made her qi and blood churn. Her organs felt as if they had been displaced, and a sweet taste rose in her throat, almost making her vomit blood.
Her bamboo hat had long since been blown off, revealing a stunningly beautiful face, now pale as paper and filled with horror.
She stared intently at the dust-filled center of the clash, her eyes brimming with disbelief.
’Her Martial Senior’s killing blow, struck in anger, was actually... blocked so easily by him?’
The dust thinned slightly.
Chen Li stood his ground, his figure as steady as a boulder. Only the bluestone pavement beneath his feet had shattered into a spiderweb of cracks.
The plump woman in the white dress was momentarily stunned that Chen Li had blocked her attack with his bare hands, but her killing intent only intensified.
She flicked her longsword, and the blade’s light instantly multiplied, coming at Chen Li’s vital points like a torrential storm.
The light of the sword was like snow, and Sword Qi crisscrossed, shredding the remaining space in the alley.
Chen Li’s expression remained unchanged as his figure flickered unpredictably within the narrow confines of the alley.
Spring’s birth, summer’s growth, autumn’s harvest, winter’s storage... the four seasons turned.
His fists, sometimes hard, sometimes soft, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, perfectly demonstrated the various essences of the Five Directions Twenty-Four Solar Terms Wuxiang Fist.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
"RUMBLE!"
The two exchanged dozens of blows in the alley in an instant. Every collision of fist power and Sword Qi produced a thunderous, muffled explosion.
Terrifying blasts of qi spread out in rings like tangible shockwaves, completely demolishing the crumbling, ruined walls on both sides of the alley.
The earth-shattering sounds of the fight carried far in the silent night.
In the not-so-large Jiangkou County Town, the vast majority of residents, whether asleep or just retiring for the night, were jolted awake by the sudden, deafening noise.
"An... an earthquake?!"
"Run...!"
The confused and panicked townspeople fled their homes, running for their lives in the opposite direction of the explosions, their clothes in disarray.
For a moment, cries, screams, and the barking of dogs mingled together, plunging the entire county town into chaos.
But unlike the terror of the common folk, the various Jianghu members scattered throughout Jiangkou County had eyes glinting with excitement and curiosity after their initial shock.
’This commotion... are top-tier experts fighting?’
"It’s in the west of town!"
Many daring Jianghu Travelers leaped onto the roofs of tall buildings, straining their eyes to see.
The night was dark and the distance great, so they could only vaguely make out two blurry figures flashing and weaving at high speed amidst the alley’s ruins.
One person’s sword light was like a dragon, incomparably sharp.
The other’s fist momentum was like a mountain, heavy and majestic.
The blazing light and constantly exploding shockwaves almost completely submerged their figures.
"Good heavens... which deities are fighting here?"
"The one with the sword... their Sword Intent is terrifying! Even from this far away, my skin is crawling!"
"The one using their fists is no slouch either!"
"Damn, just the aftershocks are this scary. They must be at least Grandmasters!"
"Grandmaster? Bullshit! This is definitely a Grandmaster fighting! An ordinary Grandmaster would never have this kind of power!"
The onlookers chattered among themselves, both excited and awed.
Many even began to speculate on the identities of the two combatants.
But the night was deep and the distance far, and they didn’t dare to approach recklessly, so no one could see the two figures clearly.
Back in the alley, Chen Li decided it was about time. When his opponent swept at him with an incomparably sharp Sword Gang, he no longer met it head-on. Instead, he used the Sword Momentum to drift backward like a willow catkin.
With a few leaps and bounds across the continuous rooftops, he sped toward the city outskirts and vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.
"Trying to run?"
The plump woman in the white dress was not about to let him go.
If she didn’t kill this man, her mind would not be at peace.
She let out a sharp cry, gathered her qi, and leaped into the air, her figure streaking across the night sky in hot pursuit.
Seeing this, the tall woman quickly suppressed the churning qi and blood in her body and gritted her teeth to follow.
The Jianghu Travelers watching from the distant rooftops saw the two figures suddenly shoot into the sky, one after the other. They streaked toward the outskirts of the city as fast as shooting stars, disappearing beyond the city walls in an instant.
"They’re gone? Why did they suddenly leave?"
"They must be wary of the crowd and prying eyes in the city, so they’ve moved outside to settle things for good!"
"A pity! Such a pity! We couldn’t see the ending!"
"Let’s go! Follow them and see! Maybe we can watch from a distance outside the city!"
"Are you crazy? It’s a deathmatch between Grandmasters! The aftershocks alone could kill you! You wouldn’t even know what hit you!"
Seeing the sudden, heaven-shaking battle come to an abrupt halt, with the two Grandmasters—one fleeing, one pursuing—disappearing in an instant, the crowd wrung their hands and sighed, utterly disappointed.
Nevertheless, the clash between two Grandmasters had still caused a huge uproar.
For a time, discussions raged as everyone tried to guess the identities of the two dueling Grandmasters.
...
Chen Li pushed his Body Technique to its absolute limit, streaking through the night sky like a bolt of lightning.
In just a few dozen breaths, he had crossed the city walls and left the county town.
Outside the city, the moonlight was cold and clear, and the surrounding wilderness was deserted.
Chen Li didn’t stop. He continued to sprint at full speed, his pace astonishingly fast.
In just a few moments, he had already covered more than six miles.
Arriving at a relatively flat grassy field, Chen Li came to a sudden halt, landing lightly in the center. He turned to face the way he had come.
With a grasp of his right hand into the void, the Qiankun Ruyi Staff appeared in his palm.
He tapped the tip of the staff lightly on the ground and waited quietly for his pursuer to arrive.
A moment later, the sound of tearing air approached from the distance.
A white figure landed a hundred feet in front of Chen Li—the plump woman in the white dress, standing with her sword at the ready.
She stared daggers at Chen Li, the killing intent and fury in her eyes burning even more intensely. "Trying to escape? It’s useless. This place will be your grave."
"Escape?"
Chen Li gave a cool smile and shook his head.
Back in the county town, he had suppressed the vast majority of his cultivation, using only his Guiyuan-level strength to deal with her, focusing more on defense than offense.
Firstly, he was concerned for the common people in the city and didn’t want to involve the innocent.
Secondly, he was deliberately showing weakness to give her the illusion that she could win, luring her away from the densely populated area.
But now, out here in the wilderness, he had no more reservations.
The next moment, he moved.
With no build-up and no warning, the Qiankun Ruyi Staff had already transformed into a streak of black light that tore through the night, smashing down on the head of the plump woman in the white dress.