Chapter 41

"Xiao Liu! Third Uncle!"

Wang Zhize's heart‑rending wail, like a red‑hot iron chisel, fiercely stabbed into Wang Shan's chest!

Seeing the two clansmen fallen in a pool of blood, their bodies still twitching slightly—one a junior he had watched grow up since childhood, the other a loyal clansman—Wang Shan felt an indescribable fury, like a volcanic eruption, instantly sweeping away the slight calm that had come from his recent breakthrough!

Despair? Powerlessness?

Damn despair and powerlessness!

I'm not dead yet!

Breaking through to Body Refining Eighth Layer was not just a surge of spiritual power; it was also the release of the pent‑up frustration that had suffocated him for years, finally finding an outlet! He felt as if he had shed a thousand‑jin burden and broken free of invisible shackles!

Kill! Kill all these beasts!

"Wan Hong! You old dog!!"

Wang Shan jerked his head up, his crimson eyes locking onto the feral grinning figure in mid‑air, his voice hoarse yet filled with a madness that would burn everything!

"Today, I will slaughter you, you vicious hound! Make the sons of the Wang family pay with their lives!!"

Before his words even faded, the ground beneath Wang Shan's feet sank with a sudden "thud," sending shards of stone flying! He was no longer passively waiting for the black claw to fall; instead, like an arrow released from a bow, he surged forward, carrying the mighty momentum of early‑stage Body Refining Eighth Layer!

Fast! Too fast!

Compared to when he was at the peak of Body Refining Seventh Layer, his speed and explosive power were worlds apart! Even in place he left a faint afterimage!

"Courting death!"

Wan Hong saw Wang Shan not only unafraid but charging forward, a flicker of cruel delight in his eyes. Perfect! Saves me the effort! He clenched his five fingers, the black qi of the already‑pressed‑down Black Fiend Claw roiling, speed increasing a notch, vowing to crush this clueless old fool outright!

Yet, facing this heaven‑shattering claw, Wang Shan neither dodged nor evaded!

He likewise raised his right hand, the newly surging thick spiritual power within his body rushing wildly into his palm!

"Give it to me—open!!"

【Pishan Palm】!

Still the Wang family's most widely disseminated basic palm technique, but now, infused with the spiritual power of Body Refining Eighth Layer, this palm has been utterly transformed!

Hum—

The air emitted a trembling moan unable to bear the strain!

Only see a massive earth‑yellow palm print, almost solidified, appearing out of thin air before Wang Shan! The print was thick and condensed, its palm lines clearly visible, exuding a mighty aura as if it could split mountains and cut rivers, arrogantly surging toward the ferocious black giant claw!

One side was a sinister, eerie black claw brimming with dense demonic qi!

The other side was a thick, fierce earth‑yellow giant palm, like the earth incarnate!

Everyone's breath seemed to stop at that moment!

Wang Zhize forgot to wail, the two Wan family experts rushing at him also instinctively paused, and even Chen Tianfeng watching from afar narrowed his eyes slightly!

The next instant!

Boom——!!!

A deafening roar, several times more violent than the sound when the array shattered earlier!

The earth‑yellow palm print and the black giant claw slammed together in mid‑air! There was no easy destruction as imagined, nor was either side instantly crushed!

Violent energy surges rampaged like a hurricane, sweeping up stones, debris, and even broken weapons from the ground into the air, then hurling them outward in all directions!

Pfft—

Crack—

Some Wan family descendants nearby, caught off guard, were swept by the shockwave, instantly toppled and screaming in pain!

At the center of the energy collision, the light was blinding!

Stalemate!

It actually held the stalemate for that brief moment!

Although it was only a short instant, it was enough to leave everyone stunned!

Immediately after, a muffled "thud" sounded!

The earth‑yellow palm print and the black giant claw almost simultaneously burst apart, turning into scattered specks of light that vanished!

Thud—

Wang Shan's figure swayed violently in mid‑air, drifting back half a step before stabilizing. He only felt his arm slightly numb, his qi and blood surging, but compared to the previous hard block of that claw that had left him gravely injured and coughing blood, this felt simply superb!

Meanwhile, Wan Hong opposite him, though his stance did not retreat, had his Black Fiend Claw completely neutralized, wiping that confident grin from his face entirely!

"What… what?!" Wan Hong's eyes bulged, his voice changing tone, "Block… blocked?! You actually blocked it?!"

He could hardly believe his own eyes!

That was his Black Fiend Claw unleashed again at the peak of Body Refining Ninth Layer, fueled by rage! Though not at its strongest, it was certainly not something a mere beginner at Body Refining Eighth Layer could block!

Yet the opponent blocked it! And it seemed he was only slightly at a disadvantage?!

This old fellow… what kind of technique is this? How could his foundation be so solid?! This is unreasonable! A beginner at Body Refining Eighth Layer taking on a peak of Ninth Layer? What a joke! Even geniuses from great sects might not manage that!

"So what if you blocked it?" Wang Shan wiped his mouth—whether sweat or lingering blood—grinned, revealing teeth streaked with blood, his eyes shining terrifyingly, "Wan Hong, you old dog, your strength is nothing more than this!"

Indeed! The foundation laid by the Duant Body Art far exceeds expectations! Plus the system‑issued technique, even the basic Pishan Palm, wields extraordinary power! Challenging a higher level is not impossible!

"You're courting death!"

Wan Hong was utterly enraged by Wang Shan's contemptuous tone and gaze! Utter humiliation! This is utter humiliation! A dignified peak of Body Refining Ninth Layer, actually blocked by a mere beginner old fool, and then mocked to his face?!

"I will tear you to ten thousand pieces!!" Wan Hong roared, black qi surging around him, readying to condense an even stronger killing move!

However, just as his mind churned, readying to unleash his full force!

A flash of sharp light appeared in Wang Shan's eyes! An opportunity!

He flipped his wrist, and a talisman he had long pinched in his sleeve was instantly activated!

Whoosh!

A blinding golden ray, like a venomous snake hidden in the dark, shot forth silently yet with incredible speed from Wang Shan's fingertip!

【Keen Metal Talisman】!

Sharp! Extremely sharp!

That golden qi was astonishingly fast, its target pointing straight at Wan Hong's chest, which was slightly distracted from shock and anger!

「Not good! 」

Wan Hong is indeed a peak expert of the Ninth Layer, his combat experience extraordinarily rich! At the moment that golden light flared, he felt a bone-piercing chill!

Almost an instinctive reaction, he violently twisted his waist!

Siss!

The golden light grazed his chest, though it missed his vital heart, it still left a deep gash down to the bone on his left arm!

Blood instantly dyed his sleeve red!

"Ugh!" Wan Hong groaned in pain, his body involuntarily staggering.

Injured?!

He actually got injured?!

Since he took the position of Helmsman of the Wan Family Branch Hall and came to dominate Luo Bay County, how long has it been since he last tasted the flavor of injury?! Especially being wounded by an ant he despised!

"Damn it! Damn thing!!" Wan Hong, both shocked and furious, stared at the bleeding wound on his arm, his killing intent nearly boiling over!

And Wang Shan, having landed a hit, would not give Wan Hong a chance to catch his breath!

"Hahaha! Wan Hong old dog, how does it taste?!"

Wang Shan's aura surged, like a mad tiger descending the mountain, victorious and relentless!

"Pishan!"

"Again!"

He unleashed a flurry of palms, the Spiritual Power of Body Refining Eighth Layer pouring out like mad! One after another, solid earth-yellow palm imprints, accompanied by howling winds, continuously bombarded Wan Hong!

Moreover!

Under the cover of the palm imprints, Wang Shan occasionally flicked his wrist, another golden light shooting forth!

Swish! Swish!

【Keen Metal Talisman】! He had previously drawn many low-grade talismans to deal with the Wan Family; although each individually posed little threat to a Ninth Layer Peak expert, their strength lay in suddenness and numbers!

For a moment, palm imprints flew through the air, golden lights flashing!

Wan Hong was caught off guard by this sudden storm-like assault! He had to defend against the formidable 【Pishan Palm】 while also guarding against the tricky and strange 【Keen Metal Talisman】, and with his injured arm hindering his movement, he was actually forced to retreat repeatedly by Wang Shan, looking miserable!

"Helmsman?!"

"How…… how is this possible?!"

Below, whether it was the Wan Family's Offerings, clansmen, or those two Body Refining Seventh and Eighth Layer experts preparing to slaughter the Wang Family clansmen, all stared dumbfounded!

Their Helmsman, that godlike figure in their hearts, the Ninth Layer Peak Wan Hong Helmsman, was actually…… actually being pressed and beaten by Wang Shan, that old fellow who had just broken through?!

The script is wrong! What the hell is going on?!

"Grandfather is mighty!" Wang Zhize saw this, excited to the point of almost jumping up, temporarily forgetting his grief, waving his fists and shouting!

The remaining Wang Family clansmen also burst into earth-shaking cheers!

"Family Head is mighty!"

"Kill all the Wan Family dogs!"

The previously pervasive despair and deathly silence seemed to be completely ignited by this sudden reversal, turning into blazing fighting spirit and hope!

In the distance, Chen Tianfeng's brows also furrowed, watching the field as Wang Shan, now like a different person, ferociously beyond compare, muttered: "This old guy…… hid deep enough…… this strength, probably not just simple early Eighth Layer……"

The situation seemed to truly be wildly reversing toward a direction no one could predict!