Chapter 103: The Might of Gang Qi! Slashing Blood Exchange Again!

Lu Zhangsheng and a few others had just arrived in a dense forest when they stopped.

Xiao Chao, Yue Shulan, and the others looked at Lu Zhangsheng with grateful faces.

If it weren't for a strong expert leading the way, they wouldn't have been able to break out so easily.

"Lord Lu, what should we do next?"

Xiao Chao and the others silently watched Lu Zhangsheng, waiting for him to make a decision.

"Return to the county city immediately, inform the DemonSubduingOffice, and have several hall masters send strong experts to reinforce……"

Lu Zhangsheng's tone was low and solemn.

The town still had many civilians, but now only a few city guards remained to hold the line, and they couldn't hold out much longer.

Zhao Yicheng and Mo Wanyun probably couldn't last long under the cult's pursuit.

"Lord Lu, aren't you coming back with us?"

Yue Shulan looked puzzled.

Xiao Chao and Lu Xue also looked at Lu Zhangsheng with hopeful expectation.

Returning to the county city this time probably won't be smooth sailing, but if Lu Zhangsheng, this strong expert, were present, things would go much more smoothly.

They all thought it would be good to travel together with Lu Zhangsheng.

"I have another mission, so I won't go back. You should leave as soon as possible."

Lu Zhangsheng's expression was calm as water.

He then turned and rushed forward, each step propelling him several meters, and soon vanished into the dense forest.

Seeing this, Yue Shulan and the others didn't ask further and immediately charged forward.

…………

After the others left, Lu Zhangsheng came to a small hill and stopped.

He immediately activated the Bone Shrinking Skill.

"Crack crack crack……"

His whole body began to shift rapidly, quickly transforming into a young man with a firm visage.

Next he took out a green robe and put it on.

Even the Pig Slaughter Knife transformed into an ordinary long blade.

After this change, the mysterious martial artist Ye Chen is back online.

Then Lu Zhangsheng activated Treading Snow Without Trace, shooting forward like lightning.

With a flash of his step, he covered over ten meters, and the surrounding trees lightly brushed his robe, producing a soft rustling sound.

He roamed freely across the open field.

Not long after.

He soon noticed a disturbance ahead.

He saw a black-clad middle-aged man holding a blood‑stained head, his face full of killing intent as he rushed forward, seemingly searching for something.

Lu Zhangsheng's expression turned cold upon seeing this.

The man was indeed a Bone-forging Warrior of the cult who had killed a government martial artist.

He hesitated no longer and immediately charged out.

"Whoosh……"

In an instant he arrived before the opponent.

"Oh no, a powerful expert has descended!"

Sensing such speed, the black‑clad man's face filled with terror.

He was only at the early stage of Bone-forging, and such speed was almost unheard of in his lifetime.

He must have reached at least the Blood Exchange realm.

He didn't have time to think further and immediately turned and fled.

"Hah……"

In an instant, Lu Zhangsheng flashed his step and appeared before the man.

He then threw a punch.

"Boom boom……"

Even the air rang with sonic booms, his momentum astonishing.

"Ah……"

The iron fist hammer struck the man's chest, eliciting a anguished cry as he passed out, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Lu Zhangsheng restrained his force and did not kill the opponent outright.

He immediately approached the man, delivering a few hard slaps to the ears, after which the man slowly came to, his face full of fear.

"My lord… spare my life……"

The middle‑aged man repeatedly begged for mercy.

The opponent's strength far surpassed his own; he couldn't withstand even a single move.

At this point, surrender was his only option.

Lu Zhangsheng paid no heed and immediately activated the Soul‑Confusing Grand Method.

A phantom light flickered in his eyes as a powerful mental shock struck straight into the opponent's mind.

Soon the middle‑aged man could no longer hold on, his face blank.

"Name?"

"Zhang Ji."

"What is the purpose of your attack on this place?"

"Slay the government martial artists, collect their essence blood……"

"Who is the Sovereign Lord?"

"I don't know."

"……"

Moments later, Lu Zhangsheng directly struck, twisting this person's neck, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

This person's strength is ordinary, and he knows few secrets.

He also only managed to learn of one of the enemy's hidden strongholds.

As for other places, the enemy had no way of knowing.

Soon after, Lu Zhangsheng rose and immediately rushed forward.

He kept running forward, assaulting all the way.

Not long after, he made another discovery.

He saw a man in green robes running across the open field, killing aura rolling around him.

This person was precisely Zhu Quan, the Blood-Exchange expert of the Black Mountain Bandits.

He likewise held a bloody severed head in his hand.

Lu Zhangsheng stared intently.

It was the head of Zhao Yicheng, a strong expert of the DemonSubduingOffice.

Unexpectedly, he still couldn't escape the encirclement of several people.

I suppose Commander Mo Wanyun of the City Defense Army is also likely to meet misfortune.

"Whoosh……"

Lu Zhangsheng's body flickered, and he immediately shot out, intercepting the opponent.

"Courting death."

Zhu Quan, seeing this, had killing intent burst forth in his eyes.

Unexpectedly, a clueless martial artist dares to block me.

"Kill."

Lu Zhangsheng wasted no words, slashing forward with a blade.

At the same time, the secret art Three Fold Wave was fully unleashed, his qi and blood surging like beacon smoke.

With his perfected breakthrough Blood-Exchange strength, plus the overlay of the secret art, he had already entered the late stage of Blood-Exchange.

"What powerful qi and blood—who exactly are you!"

Zhu Quan's face filled with shock, he felt as if a natural enemy had locked onto him, a sense of death welling up in his heart.

He had no time to think further, and likewise slashed forward with a blade.

The fierce blade light darted through the void, its momentum ferocious.

He dared not hold back the slightest on this strike, likewise activating the secret art.

"Boom—boom—boom……"

The two longswords violently collided, a fierce shockwave sweeping in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust.

Even the ground began to crack, the surroundings left in disarray.

After that blow.

Zhu Quan felt as if a tremendous force of thousands of jin transmitted through his longsword, his whole body involuntarily retreating over ten meters.

In contrast, Lu Zhangsheng stood firm on the flat ground, his expression calm.

In their all-out clash, Lu Zhangsheng held the absolute advantage.

Seeing this, Zhu Quan's eyes showed a hint of fear.

This strike was already his full-force effort, yet he felt unable to resist it.

This caused a towering wave to surge in his heart.

Next, he turned and fled without hesitation, a single push propelling him several meters away.

He soon vanished at the edge of the nearby woods.

Zhu Quan prepared to immediately return to summon experts to encircle and kill his opponent.

Just as he felt smug, thinking he had escaped disaster, a figure suddenly flashed ahead, appearing on the open ground, looking at him with a teasing expression.

"What incredible speed—you must be that mysterious government expert!"

Zhu Quan's face was full of despair.

At this moment he also guessed the newcomer's identity.

Such speed is rare even throughout Changping County.

"You guessed right, but you still have to die."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled lightly, hands behind his back, strolling forward as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard.

"Kill."

Zhu Quan gritted his teeth, drew his blade, and slashed forward fiercely once more.

The fierce blade light howled in the void, sweeping up layers of fallen leaves all around.

Being far slower than his opponent, he could only fight desperately.

"Die."

Lu Zhangsheng raised his blade with a casual expression and cut down.

Not even the air stirred, as if an ordinary old man were waving a blade.

This slash already bears a hint of returning to the original.

Bang bang bang…

One slash, two slashes, three slashes.

Without any flashiness, Lu Zhangsheng directly chooses to meet the opponent head‑on.

A fierce gale of yang wind whirls around the two, yet not a single hem of Lu Zhangsheng's robe stirs. A transparent yang‑energy shield materializes around him, radiating bursts of light, exceedingly uncanny.

After three slashes, Lu Zhangsheng swings Zhu Quan's weapon, cutting toward him as fast as lightning.

"Not good."

Zhu Quan's face is full of despair, his whole body like falling into an ice cavern.

But before he can react, a piercing cold ray instantly slices across his throat.

"You…"

Zhu Quan covers his neck, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes.

He then collapses heavily to the ground, his head rolling onto the side grass, blood staining a small patch of the surrounding ground crimson.

Four slashes slay a mid‑stage blood‑transformation strongman; this is Lu Zhangsheng's power after this breakthrough.

Only under the boost of several supreme cultivation techniques does such a massive power increase occur.

Then, after clearing the scene, Lu Zhangsheng immediately dashes toward the town.

……

Wu Qiong Town.

At this moment the whole town sinks into despair and panic.

A remaining group of city guards fights desperately, their eyes filled with resolve to die.

Just a day ago they were full of confidence; they never expected the day the city fell to arrive so suddenly.

As Armored Soldiers fall in the streets one by one, the ground is already stained red with blood, and many civilians flee in all directions.

Some are cut down on the spot by a mob of cultists, including women and children.

"Mother, will those officials still come to save us?"

A seven‑ or eight‑year‑old girl trembles in fear.

"They will."

A middle‑aged woman clutches her child tightly to her chest, quietly awaiting death.

Such tragedies occur everywhere; the town in an instant seems to become a living hell.

City wall top.

Duan Changhe stands with his hands behind his back, his face full of murderous aura.

Several strongmen's heads are still displayed on the ground.

They belong to Mo Wanyun, the city guard commander, and several DemonSubduingOffice strongmen.

A man in black kneels respectfully.

"Report, Captain, four Patrol Envoys have escaped, leaving only two."

"No problem, kill all these Armored Soldiers at once, then cleanse the entire town…"

Duan Changhe waves his hand indifferently.

To him, a few stray fish escaping makes little difference.

"At your command, sir."

The man steps back slowly.

At that moment, sounds of movement arise from beyond the city.

Duan Changhe and a group of cult strongmen look up.

They see a young man with a resolute face dash toward the city interior like a sudden thunderbolt.

After a few flickers, he reaches the city wall.

The newcomer is Lu Zhangsheng.

After covering several teammates' escape, he arrives here again.

The town still holds many civilians; without anyone to block these cultists, their fate would likely be forged into evil pills.

Lu Zhangsheng prepares to strike down Duan Changhe, first repelling the cultists for the time being.

"Strong allies are arriving to aid us; hold on, everyone."

By the wall, many city guards, seeing this, turn flushed with excitement, never expecting that in such desperate moments, officials' strongmen would come to assist.

A group fights while watching the newcomer's movements.

"Another blood‑transformation strongman? Coming to sacrifice himself, strike immediately and shoot this person dead."

Duan Changhe's face is cold.

He directly issues the order.

Numerous archers around hear the command and immediately draw their bows to full tension.

"Whoosh…"

Countless sharp arrows turn into a rain, hurling toward Lu Zhangsheng at high speed, as if they could cover the sky, exuding intense pressure.

A nearby group of cultists stare at the newcomer as if watching the dead.

With such a torrent of arrows, even a reborn strongman would have to flee in panic.

The remaining city guards also watch the newcomer with worried faces.

"Tzz…"

Lu Zhangsheng's expression is as calm as water.

He planted his feet wide, as if rooting into the ground, fully activating the protective true gang, his internal Qi and blood raging wildly.

A transparent gang‑qi shield appeared around him, with a luminous glow swirling on its surface, truly marvelous.

Boom— Boom— Boom—…

High‑altitude arrow rain struck Lu Zhangsheng's protective gang qi from all directions.

The fierce impact sounds rang through the heavens, raising a swirl of dust around.

The protective true gang stood as steady as Mount Tai, not even a ripple was stirred.

Attacks of this magnitude could not in the slightest shake his defensive technique.

"What a formidable protective divine skill."

A group of cultists wore faces of astonishment.

To survive such an arrow rain, one must have cultivated the protective technique to an extremely high level.

So many arrows, yet not a single one moved this person.

This made the crowd feel as if a towering wave surged in their hearts.

"Lord, how mighty."

A group of city guards, seeing this, were filled with vigor.

Their confidence surged instantly, gaining hope to live; they swung their weapons fiercely, firmly holding the cultists at bay.

"Bring a strong bow; I will personally shoot this man down."

Duan Changhe's eyes flashed with killing intent.

A man in black promptly handed over his strong bow.

Such a strong bow is usually forged from the tendons of a certain exotic beast, making it quite precious.

Only a warrior can draw it; some require a force of over a thousand jin.

"Ha…"

Duan Changhe pulled the bowstring to full, and the arrow shot out in an instant.

A swift arrow, as fast as lightning, shot toward Lu Zhangsheng.

Lu Zhangsheng, while repelling the arrow rain, suddenly sensed an anomaly.

He gave a cold smile.

With his current protective gang qi, even a strong bow could not pierce his defense.

Boom— Boom— Boom—…

At this moment, the arrow slammed into the transparent gang‑qi shield, accompanied by a fierce booming sound, yet the protective gang qi remained completely unruffled.

"How terrifying."

A group of cultists' gazes hardened.

Such a strong practitioner of protective cultivation is the most troublesome for everyone.

Before the opponent's Qi and blood are exhausted, the army cannot slay him.

Now only Duan Changhe can act.

"Very well, let me personally put you down; it will be your honor as well."

Duan Changhe gave a cruel smile.

He instantly recognized the newcomer's body technique as that of the mysterious strongman long rumored by the authorities.

The opponent also holds a fair number of contribution points.

Today turned out to be an unexpected joy.

He leapt, jumping straight down the city wall to a spot not far in front of Lu Zhangsheng.

"Kill."

Lu Zhangsheng, without hesitation, drew his sword and slashed.

The fierce blade light flashed in the void, bearing a surge of lethal aura, cutting toward Duan Changhe's head.

With this slash, he activated the secret technique Three Fold Wave, his attack power already reaching its limit.

"Die."

Duan Changhe roared, likewise activating the secret technique, his Qi and blood surged wildly, climbing step by step.

At this moment he struck with all his might, intending to finish the opponent within a few moves.

By the city wall, a crowd stared intently at the two combatants.

The remaining city guards wore hopeful faces, hoping the mysterious strongman would win, allowing themselves and the town's many civilians to survive.

The cultists, however, wore confident expressions.

With the post‑blood‑stage helmsman personally intervening, the opponent already has a sure way to death.

Boom— Boom— Boom—…

The two collided violently, fierce momentum sweeping all directions; the ground's bricks and stones cracked open in places, the battlefield becoming a wreck.

With a single strike.

Lu Zhangsheng landed steadily on the ground, as immovable as a mountain range.

In contrast, Duan Changhe stepped back several paces, each footfall leaving a huge pit.

Clearly, he discharged his force into the earth.

Both delivered a full‑power strike, the superiority instantly evident.

Lu Zhangsheng held a slight advantage.

Duan Changhe's complexion was heavy with seriousness, his right hand still trembling slightly while holding the sword.

At the moment of collision, he seemed to feel as if he had struck a mountain.

The strength of that force was so great that it made them a little startled.

The other side could actually suppress me; you should know that although I have only recently broken through the later stage of the blood‑transformation, my strength is not weak.

The surrounding cultists, seeing this, also wore faces of shock.

Their commander was, to their surprise, somewhat no match for this person.

"Wan Sheng."

A remaining group of city guards, faces full of excitement, swung their long swords with even greater force, firmly holding back the numerous cultists at the street corner.

(End of chapter)