Chapter 52: Mutual Destruction

Li Yi mobilized all his strength, focused his spirit, and unleashed a punch that exploded in an instant, summoning an unstoppable momentum—as if a common man’s rage demanded that Ning Wu bleed out on this very street tonight.

Suddenly.

Ning Wu’s heavy punch collided with Li Yi’s fist.

“Crack!”

At that moment, the air seemed to burst—both radiated lethal intent, showing no mercy, desperate to kill the other in the shortest time possible.

The physical capacity of a Spirit Sensing realm cultivator, combined with a beast-like breathing technique, produced astonishing explosive power—but Li Yi’s fist technique was far more exquisite, channeling all his strength into a single twisted force capable of piercing through a human body; however, his physical condition was inferior to Ning Wu’s, one level lower.

But who was stronger—only battle would reveal.

The immense force sent both reeling backward several meters.

Li Yi’s fist dripped blood; his skin was shattered, muscles and bones torn apart, his entire arm throbbing with agony, limp and numb—as if severed from his will, barely able to lift it now.

But Ning Wu fared no better—her arm hung uselessly, her palm twisted and deformed, bearing a clear fist imprint that sank deep into her bone, rendering the limb useless.

“This bastard...” she gritted her teeth, enduring the agony, her slightly vertical pupils locked onto Li Yi.

“My punch hurt, didn’t it? Too bad I haven’t trained long enough—my physical condition isn’t as good as yours. Otherwise, that punch alone would’ve ended you.”

Li Yi stared back, feet rooted to the ground, assuming a fist stance.

Though he spoke boldly, his condition was dire.

His abdomen had been kicked earlier—now throbbing with sharp pain; one hand had struck the sniper rifle in Wang Kui’s grip, fracturing bones from the recoil, now swollen and red; and after the last clash, his other hand was injured too—likely unusable for a while.

Ning Wu adjusted her breathing again, her low growl growing louder, her skin reddening further, her killing intent undiminished: “Your muscle density, bone strength, reaction speed, and vitality—all fall short of mine. If we keep fighting, you will die. Hand over the odd artifact, and I may spare you.”

The moment she uttered “odd artifact.”

Kong Sheng, who had been collecting Wang Kui’s corpse inside the building, instantly appeared at the window.

As a cultivator, he was acutely sensitive to those two words.

“What odd artifact? I don’t even know what you’re talking about. If I had it, would I still be here? I’d have turned it in, taken the reward, and entered the Golden Academy. Are you trying to frame me?”

Li Yi would never admit to possessing the odd artifact—Ning Wu had only guessed, with no proof, and revealing it now in his current state would be suicide.

Countless eyes from nearby residential buildings were watching him.

“Who are you trying to fool? If you didn’t have the odd artifact, how did you break through to Spirit Medium realm in just one month?” Ning Wu snapped.

Li Yi seized the excuse: “I had a stroke of luck in a ghost street within the Danger Zone—I learned this fist technique there. Yang Yi Long knows this. If you trained there yourself, your progress might even outpace mine. I don’t know where you got your rumors.”

“You think you can deceive me? I don’t believe you. After I kill you, I’ll find the odd artifact myself.”

Ning Wu erupted in fury—she utterly rejected Li Yi’s story. Her strength and speed surged again, and she attacked once more.

Her agile figure moved like a ferocious beast, brimming with danger.

Ning Wu unleashed a spinning kick, leaving afterimages in midair, aimed straight at Li Yi’s head.

“Do you think I’m afraid of you?”

Li Yi roared back, gathering his essence, spirit, and vigor—his body reacted instinctively. He lifted his thigh and delivered a crushing kick in return.

With all his spiritual force mobilized, his strike was anything but ordinary.

They clashed again—the air exploded once more.

This force exceeded human limits. Li Yi heard a sharp crack inside his body—his shinbone shattered. Agonizing pain twisted his face, sweat pouring from his brow.

But Ning Wu suffered too—her calf absorbed the full force of Li Yi’s strike, caving in deeply. Though her bone didn’t break, a portion of it was pulverized, and her pain was no less than his.

Yet Ning Wu, with superior physical conditioning, adapted first. She didn’t retreat—she pressed forward, seeking an opening to kill Li Yi through mutual damage.

Li Yi didn’t retreat a single step either—his killing intent boiled over. He assumed his stance and charged forward again.

They exchanged blows and kicks, fighting to the death, refusing to yield an inch.

Ning Wu relied on her faster reactions and greater strength, unleashing bursts of power that left wounds on Li Yi with every strike—but though severe, none were fatal.

Li Yi, through days of training, could now unleash his force from any part of his body—not just fists, but elbows, knees, shoulders—all capable of delivering identical punch-force.

This fist technique made Ning Wu suffer terribly.

Yet Li Yi’s most perilous moment came when he failed to react in time—his head took a direct blow, leaving him dizzy, vision blackening, nearly fainting. But Ning Wu’s force was scattered, weakened by her injuries, and just barely missed killing him—he endured it by sheer will.

Even so, his eyes were bloodshot, glowing red, his skull ringing with a deafening buzz.

Ning Wu had gained a slight edge, but Li Yi’s punch-force was devastating. Though she appeared less wounded, each strike left her either with shattered bones or shredded muscles—resulting in the loss of mobility in parts of her body.

“Who will win in the end?” Kong Sheng, watching from the building, felt his heart pound.

Yet he now understood why Ning Wu had brought Lao Ya and his gang out at night to kill Li Yi—she suspected him of possessing an odd artifact.

But from their exchange, Kong Sheng believed Ning Wu was wrong—Li Yi likely had no odd artifact; he’d simply had a stroke of luck in the Danger Zone, and was wrongly suspected.

Odd artifacts weren’t cabbage—none had been found in all of Tianchang City. Could Li Yi really have one just by claiming it?

“If they keep fighting like this, their bodies won’t hold out much longer—soon, one will fall... Wait, a vehicle’s approaching—no, worse—Investigation Bureau agents are here.”

As Kong Sheng observed, suddenly several armored vehicles entered the old district, warning lights flashing. Experienced, powerful investigators surged toward the scene at an unbelievable speed.

Clearly, the Investigation Bureau had deployed its top operatives.

Just as the investigators rushed toward them, the duel between the two reached its peak.

At that moment, Ning Wu took a punch to her lungs.

The punch-force pierced through her body.

Instantly, her low, rhythmic breathing shattered—she could no longer maintain her technique. Her power collapsed, and weakness flooded her entire body.

“You’ve lost. Your strength is spent,” Li Yi roared.

The tide turned.

At that moment, Li Yi realized he was about to win.

“Even if I die, I’ll take you with me.”

Ning Wu clenched her teeth, summoning her last reserves of strength. With her only still-functional arm, she punched straight at Li Yi’s chest.

Li Yi was battered, drenched in blood, yet he did not fall. His eyes glowed faintly red, like a beast’s, as he roared and gathered his remaining force—driving a brutal knee strike into Ning Wu’s injured thigh.

After this exchange, Li Yi’s body could no longer hold—he flew backward, rolling several times across the ground before stopping.

“Cough! Cough!”

Blood spurted from his lips. His body ached everywhere—countless bones broken. He couldn’t even stand. Had he been an ordinary man, he’d already be arranging his funeral. Only his Spirit Medium cultivation kept him alive.

The weakness of the Spirit Medium realm had shown.

Li Yi, unable to endure Ning Wu’s assault, collapsed first.

But Ning Wu fared no better—she collapsed where she stood, screaming in agony, blood gushing, her long leg hanging limp.

In her final strike, Li Yi took away one of her legs.