Chapter 101: 101. Fist Art Collision

101. Chapter 101: Fist Art Collision

Dangerous. Extremely dangerous.

“Scatter and run.”

Wang Jian’s eyelids twitched violently; seeing Yang Ye charging at him, he hesitated not at all, immediately sprinting in one direction, trying to break through the encirclement and seize a sliver of hope.

If he could escape successfully, he might draw some of them away, giving Li Yi and Chen Hao a chance.

But would he succeed?

Yang Ye was a Spirit Awakening cultivator—entirely one realm above him.

He didn’t know.

Wang Jian dared not even ponder the question now; all he could do was expend every ounce of his strength to face this certain death.

“Wang Jian, don’t even think of running—this time, you’re dead.”

Two Spirit Medium–awakened vagrants immediately rushed forward to intercept him; they didn’t aim to kill him, only to delay him.

“Get out of my way!” Wang Jian’s eyes bulged as he roared in fury, trying to repel them in the shortest time possible.

“Eye Strike!”

The two vagrants were cunning—they avoided direct confrontation, fearing the desperate lunge of a cornered beast. Using Eye Strike from a distance was the safest option.

Wang Jian, focused only on fleeing, was caught off guard and struck instantly by both Eye Strikes.

Hummm!

His head spun violently; his vision went black.

The intense discomfort made him stagger, nearly falling to the ground—but he recovered quickly, shook his head, and steadied himself.

Though the Eye Strikes caused no injury, they disrupted his escape.

The next instant.

A towering figure lunged forward.

Wang Jian’s face turned pale; he instinctively turned his head.

“Crack!”

A thunderous crash.

Wang Jian felt a powerful force slam into his chest, then spewed blood as his body flew backward like a severed kite, crashing heavily to the ground.

Pain. Weakness. Helplessness.

Wang Jian gritted his teeth, mouth full of blood, struggling to rise.

But Yang Ye strode over, sneering, and planted his foot on Wang Jian’s head, pinning him down: “Investigator bones aren’t as tough as you think—just one punch and you’re done? Don’t worry, I’ll send Li Yi to join you soon—your whole team will leave together, neat and tidy.”

“Wang Jian.”

Li Yi saw this scene and his rage boiled over—he wanted to fly over and rescue Wang Jian immediately.

“You still have time to care about others? Take care of yourself first.” A sinister voice spoke; the vagrant nicknamed Knife had already attacked, kicking with a lethal move aimed straight at Li Yi’s head.

A Spirit Awakening cultivator’s strength was terrifying; the kick whipped through the air—if it landed, Li Yi’s skull would explode, no chance of survival.

Li Yi had not chosen to scatter and flee like Wang Jian—he knew escape was impossible. Everyone here wanted his life. If so, he might as well stand and fight. A martial artist facing an enemy never flinches—lose your spirit, and defeat comes faster.

“Kill!”

At that moment, Li Yi’s blood surged; he roared like a caged beast unleashed.

His evolved, powerful body erupted with unimaginable force, channeling it into a single punch—and instinctively striking a traditional martial technique.

Half-Step Crashing Fist!

Crash!

The fist energy exploded like thunder, making chests feel heavy.

Fist met leg.

In an instant, the two forces collided, releasing shockwaves that kicked up dust all around.

At that moment.

Knife’s face changed instantly—the searing pain in his thigh told him something was wrong.

He quickly pulled back, retreating seven or eight meters before stopping.

Knife looked at his thigh.

A clear fist-shaped depression had sunk into his flesh, shattering muscle and bone. Had his physical condition not been slightly superior to Li Yi’s, his leg would have been completely ruined.

“Good, good, good—what a fist art! No wonder Yang Ye feared you so much he’d risk angering the Investigator Bureau just to hire me to kill you. Lucky for me you’re only Spirit Medium–awakened—if you’d reached Spirit Awakening, my dozen men would all be dead.” Knife laughed bitterly through the pain.

Li Yi’s fist was bloody, his gaze icy, his killing intent unchanged—but his arm throbbed with numbness.

His fist power was fierce, but his physical condition was inferior; the collision inevitably took a toll.

Yet unlike last time when he clashed with Chen Xixi, the Spirit Awakening cultivator, this effect was within tolerable limits. Clearly, his body had undergone a noticeable transformation since his evolution—too bad he hadn’t yet awakened Spirit Awakening, or he wouldn’t be so passive.

“Even without awakening Spirit Awakening, I can still kill you here.” Li Yi growled.

His feet erupted with qi.

He lunged forward instantly.

A martial artist who trains fists never lets up once he strikes.

“This guy…” Knife’s heart lurched as he saw Li Yi charging at him—a nameless dread rose from nowhere.

This aura—like a common man’s rage, daring to spill imperial blood.

“I can’t fight him head-on. He’s not like ordinary Spirit Medium cultivators—if he clings to me, I might actually lose. I’m just here to earn money killing people—I don’t need to risk my life. Better let Yang Ye handle him.”

Under this aura, Knife grew uneasy—even though he was one realm above Li Yi, he chose to retreat.

“Crack!”

Fist energy exploded.

Knife gritted his teeth, parried once, then quickly retreated, shouting: “Yang Ye, how’s it going with Wang Jian? Is a Spirit Medium investigator worth your time? Come help me—this Li Yi knows fist art, he’s tough to handle!”

“What a useless coward.”

Hearing the shout, Yang Ye glanced over and cursed inwardly.

No wonder he’s just a failed vagrant—possesses Spirit Awakening power but is all bluster and no guts. Only dares bully the weak, flees when it comes to real fighting.

“Cough! Stop!”

Wang Jian was drenched in blood, gripping Yang Ye’s ankle with all his strength, trying to stop him from attacking Li Yi.

“I didn’t want to kill you—but now I have no choice. Don’t blame me—blame your bad luck for taking this mission.”

Yang Ye’s gaze was cold. He knew the consequences of killing an investigator—but he had no room to retreat now. Delaying any longer might cause chaos.

He clenched his fist and slammed down hard.

Crash!

A punch energy echoed—though not as sharp, it was undeniable: Yang Ye also knew some fist art.

Wang Jian took the blow squarely, his head slumped, eyes filled with blood, motionless.

Yang Ye slowly withdrew his bloody fist, sneered, unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a muscular chest, then strode toward Li Yi on the other side.

Tall and massive, he charged like a bear hunting—his presence overwhelming.

On the other side, Li Yi knew his situation clearly: if he didn’t kill Knife first, he’d soon face two Spirit Awakening cultivators surrounding him—far more dangerous.

Knife also saw Li Yi’s intent.

He’d suffered a setback and didn’t want another direct clash—he feared being dragged down by Li Yi, so he chose to circle, harass, and merely prevent escape. If he failed, this mission would become a joke.

“He’s stronger than me, yet dares not fight me head-on—choosing to harass me?” Li Yi sensed something was off.

This vagrant named Knife was even more cunning than expected—he gave Li Yi no chance to turn the tide, waiting for others to eliminate Wang Jian and Chen Hao before concentrating all force on him.

“Ahh!”

Suddenly—

A scream echoed nearby.

Chen Hao was surrounded and killed by a group of Spirit Medium vagrants. Though he fought desperately and repelled several, he was ultimately overwhelmed—struck down, motionless, drenched in blood, whether dead or unconscious, no one could tell.

But regardless, Chen Hao’s condition was dire—he wouldn’t rise again.

Li Yi, drawn by Chen Hao’s scream, glanced over and saw him lying bloody on the ground—his rage surged again.

Were these three men truly to be slaughtered by these cowards in the ruined district today?

“Still distracted? Looking for death.”

A low voice rang out—Yang Ye’s towering form charged forward, seizing Li Yi’s momentary distraction, delivering a punch.

The punch shattered the air with a sound.

Fist energy?

Li Yi’s eyelid twitched—his mind seemed to sense danger from behind; he raised his fist instinctively to meet it.

Fist met fist.

The force sent Li Yi staggering backward several steps; his fist was a bloody mess, bones cracking with agony.

Yang Ye’s towering frame also stepped back one pace—his face dark, his fist dripping blood—he, too, was injured.

“This kid—still able to counter accurately even when distracted? His senses are that sharp? He’s close to awakening Spirit Awakening. This mission was worth it—he’s a future threat. Must eliminate him now. Lucky I acted early—if I’d waited a month, or even half a month, he might have awakened Spirit Awakening—then I’d have become his whetstone.”

Yang Ye felt a chill of dread. Li Yi’s potential was enormous—Yi Long had missed it entirely.

“You learned my fist art?” Li Yi’s gaze turned icy as he recognized the familiar punch energy.

“My fist art? This is the Yang family’s fist art.” Yang Ye sneered, brazenly claiming it as his own.

“Yang Yilong taught you, didn’t he? Too bad he never mastered it himself—teaching you so hastily, he might just kill himself.” Li Yi felt immense relief—he’d held back a trick during his fist art practice.

Had Yang Yilong learned it fully, Li Yi would be dead today.

Yang Ye cracked his neck, producing a series of pops, and loosened his muscles as he said calmly, “You don’t need to worry about that—I’m just curious, dying by your own fist technique, how does that feel?”

“How does it feel? You’ll find out soon, Yang Ye. Dare you punch me again?” Li Yi growled.

“Afraid of you?” Yang Ye sneered, baring his teeth.

He knew his own realm, he knew Li Yi’s realm—even if his fist technique wasn’t as refined as Li Yi’s, killing this brat was still effortless.

“Kill!”

Li Yi roared and charged forward with a punch; his only chance to win was to force Yang Ye’s hidden injuries to erupt mid-punch, then strike back.

Yang Ye didn’t know Li Yi’s plan—he merely let out a deep, cold snort and strode forward.