Chapter 38: Your Rules
Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Your Rules
"Not joining?" Wang Lu was the first to jump out, her gaze so ferocious it looked like she wanted to eat him alive. "Fang Chen, let me spell it out for you! You’re joining whether you want to or not. If you refuse... we don’t mind crippling you right now!
"Since you already know about this, we’re all in the same boat. It’s not up to you to—"
SLAP!
Before she could finish, Fang Chen’s palm whipped out like lightning once again. It was so fast she couldn’t even react, and her cheek instantly swelled red.
Fang Chen shook his hand, his tone filled with undisguised disgust. "Sorry, all those tattoos covering your body are a real eyesore."
"Fang Chen! Don’t push your luck!" Cao Xu roared, completely dropping all pretenses.
Fang Chen’s eyes abruptly turned cold. "So what if I do?"
"Damn it! Everyone, get him! Cripple him!" Cao Xu barked harshly.
Immediately, most of the dozen or so people behind him revealed fierce glares as they quickly closed in. Only two or three lagged behind with hesitant expressions, exchanging glances as they felt things weren’t as simple as they had expected.
Fang Chen’s expression remained unchanged. His current Spiritual Power intensity was already comparable to a Mage’s. With a slight shift in thought, his invisible Perception spread out. Before his opponents could even launch their attacks, he had already anticipated their intentions and the focal points of their gazes.
Cao Xu was the first to make a move. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as his right hand swiftly drew a gleaming dagger from his waist! However, just as he pulled it out—before he could even make his next move—a Leg Shadow shot out like a venomous snake with a loud SWOOSH, striking him squarely in the chest with unparalleled speed!
THUD!
Cao Xu only felt an irresistible, immense force. Pain erupted in his chest as if he had been rammed by a stampeding bull. His feet left the ground, and he flew backward, violently crashing into several accomplices who were just about to pounce. Chaos instantly ensued as they all tumbled to the ground!
Meanwhile, Wang Lu, who had just been slapped, was now a mix of shame and rage, acting as if she had gone mad.
"You little bastard! How dare you hit me?!" she shrieked, drawing a sharp knife from her lower back. With a flick of her wrist, the blade carried a faint, imperceptible trace of Cold Radiance, thrusting straight at Fang Chen’s heart at a speed far beyond that of a normal person! She was clearly using a Combat Skill! The strike was ruthless and tricky!
However, the moment the tip of the knife was about to touch Fang Chen’s clothes, it seemed to hit an invisible wall. It abruptly stalled, unable to advance an inch! Fang Chen had unknowingly raised his right hand. His index and middle fingers, like iron pincers, clamped down on the knife’s edge with absolute precision!
Finger-Tapping Divine Techniques!
Fang Chen had long cultivated this Finger Technique to Perfection. His two fingers were harder than refined steel, allowing him to face ordinary blades head-on without a scratch. Moreover, his Finger Power was astonishingly great! Wang Lu felt as if her knife had been welded between his fingers. No matter how hard she pulled, it didn’t budge!
Fang Chen’s eyes were indifferent as he gave his fingers a slight twist.
CRACK!
A crisp sound of snapping metal rang out! He had forcefully snapped the knife in half barehanded!
Wang Lu’s expression changed drastically, and she cried out in shock, "What kind of Finger Technique is this?!"
"You’ll feel it for yourself right now," Fang Chen replied coldly.
Fear gripped Wang Lu’s heart, and she hastily retreated to create distance. But Fang Chen had already deployed his Gale Step Technique. His figure closed in instantly like a phantom! One hand reached out as if Piercing through an illusion, completely ignoring the defensive guard she hastily raised. He seized her slender neck backhandedly and lifted her entirely off the ground!
"Ugh... urgh..."
Wang Lu kicked her legs wildly. The suffocation turned her face entirely red, rendering her unable to speak a single word.
Fang Chen looked at her pathetic state and said coldly, "You don’t act like a girl, and you don’t act like a Martial Artist."
Before his words faded, his free left hand lashed out like a tempest!
SLAP SLAP SLAP SLAP!
A rapid succession of crisp, resounding slaps exploded in the air! Wang Lu’s head was whipped violently from side to side. Blood sprayed from her nose and mouth, and several broken teeth flew out mixed with bloody froth. In an instant, her face was battered beyond recognition!
Then, gripping her neck, Fang Chen swung her like a torn sack, slamming her brutally against the hard ground!
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Heavy impacts echoed one after another, accompanied by the teeth-grinding sound of fracturing bones!
"Woo... cough, cough..."
Wang Lu couldn’t even manage a scream. Only agonized whimpers and choking coughs squeezed past her throat as she suffered the excruciating pain of multiple broken bones all over her body.
Finally, as if discarding trash, Fang Chen casually tossed Wang Lu—now a limp puddle of mud with an unknown number of broken bones—back into the crowd opposite him. She slumped on the ground, her body twisted unnaturally. Only weak twitches proved she was still alive. She was clearly severely injured and on the verge of being crippled. Let alone standing up, it was a question whether she would even be able to take care of herself in the future.
Fang Chen flicked the blood off his hands, his gaze sweeping over the pale-faced, awestruck Celestial Kings before him.
"Alright, since your rule is the survival of the fittest, then I’ll play by your rules.
"I’m stronger than you, so crippling you is only natural!" He crooked a finger. "Come at me together!!!"
This alley was originally a secluded corner for parking bicycles and motorcycles. At the rear stood a solid wall nearly ten meters high, making it completely unclimbable. The only exit was currently blocked by Fang Chen, who stood there like a guardian deity.
The ruthlessness and formidable combat power Fang Chen had displayed in the blink of an eye sent chills through the remaining Celestial Kings, instantly dissipating most of their momentum.
Another Superpower User, the red-haired youth who had barely spoken up to this point, tightened his grip on his steel pipe. Forcing himself to remain calm, he spoke in a much softer tone.
"Brother, it seems today’s affair was a misunderstanding. We... we won’t dictate your choices. You take the high road, and we’ll take ours. Let’s just part ways here, alright?
"Otherwise, if so many of us truly put our lives on the line, even if you win, you’d likely have to pay a price," he added, trying to muster some confidence with an implicit threat. "Going to the martial arts exam injured wouldn’t be ideal, after all."
Fang Chen sneered at his words. "Heh, it looks like your rules work best. I only taught two people a lesson, and your tone of voice has completely changed."
Without wasting any more words, he bent down and picked up a rough stone the size of a duck egg from the corner of the wall. Holding it in his palm, he channeled his Palm Power.
CRACK...
He crushed the stone barehanded, causing it to shatter into dozens of sharp-edged pebbles. They cascaded down, only to be steadily caught by his other hand.
Seeing this, the crowd thought he was merely showing off. Although shocked by his Finger Power, they didn’t fully realize what they were about to face.
In the next moment, Fang Chen pinched a small pebble between his right thumb and curved middle finger. The knuckles stored power like a fully drawn bowstring, and the muscles in his arm tensed slightly.
This was precisely the applied Technique derived from cultivating the Finger-Tapping Divine Techniques to Perfection—Flying Flower and Leaf Picking, where anything could be used to injure the enemy!
SWOOSH!
An ear-piercing sound of tearing air abruptly rang out!