Chapter 23: War of Attrition

What a miserable sight Chen Dahu was at this moment!

His head was covered in bumps, his nose and face bruised and swollen, making his entire head look like a peeled pomegranate.

Even worse, forced to keep running under Cang Luo's repeated sneak attacks, he was occasionally lured by Cang Luo into using the Tiger-Suppressing Fist, thus exhausting a great deal of his stamina and Yuan power.

Chen Dahu was not stupid; he knew Cang Luo's plan was to fight a war of attrition, and if this trend of him weakening while the other strengthened continued, he would inevitably be defeated.

But he just couldn't stand it; at the slightest sound, he would launch a full-force attack.

Damn! How many pebbles does this waste have left? Why is there no end to it? I should have stipulated that weapons were not allowed.

Rage roared in Chen Dahu's chest as he ran in circles dodging Cang Luo's pebble sneak attacks, all the while thinking of a countermeasure.

"Heh! Chen Dahu, Grandpa is right here." Cang Luo continued to provoke, his hands not slowing as he kept throwing pebbles.

Cang Luo found he was getting more accurate the more he threw; even as Chen Dahu moved quickly, he could still hit him.

After throwing the pebble in his hand, Cang Luo gave a sinister smile and rushed rapidly toward Chen Dahu.

Feeling a gust of wind whistling past his ear, Chen Dahu immediately let out a string of bitter cries, knowing he was about to take another pebble hit, and he prepared to endure it head-on.

However, the sound of wind approaching Chen Dahu was not caused by a pebble flying rapidly and rubbing against the air...

"Bang!"

Cang Luo simultaneously channeled the Roaring Thunder Palm with both hands, slamming it fiercely into Chen Dahu's side of the face, sending him flying through the air for several meters to crash into the crowd of spectators.

The watching disciples, shocked that Cang Luo dared to take the initiative, hurriedly dodged Chen Dahu; no one dared to catch him, so Chen Dahu crashed heavily onto the cold ground.

"Well done, Senior Brother Cang! Strike while the iron is hot."

"Junior Brother Cang, you must not; caution is paramount. A camel that has lost its flesh is still bigger than a horse..."

Li Zhanxing and Liu Xuande, among others, cheered for Cang Luo's strike and offered various strategies and advice.

Cang Luo waved back to them but did not listen to Li Zhanxing's words; he dared not take such a risk.

Cang Feng had said that Chen Dahu cultivated an Earth-attribute mental technique, possessing astonishing defense and strength.

Plus, his cultivation was two stages higher than Cang Luo's; a single Roaring Thunder Palm would not be enough to defeat him, even if it struck the head.

Sure enough, Cang Luo saw Chen Dahu get up slowly from the ground as if nothing had happened, shaking his bald head.

Chen Dahu noticed the cloth strip covering his eyes had loosened slightly, exposing his left eye, so he untied the strip and re-tied it.

Holding the cloth strip in his hand, Chen Dahu twisted his neck, making a cracking sound, his heart filled with rage.

"Bastard! I will skin you alive!"

Chen Dahu roared, then added, "Kid, your cultivation isn't just Warrior Stage 1, is it? The power of that last palm strike was at least Warrior Stage 3."

Cang Luo was stunned, not expecting to be seen through, then calmly said, "I never said my cultivation was Warrior Stage 1; you just assumed it yourself."

Chen Dahu was first angry, then shook his head and smiled, "Don't worry, I don't blame you. I don't care if you are Warrior Stage 1, Stage 2, or Stage 3.

To me, there is no difference; if I must say, you are just a slightly stronger wild dog.

I just want to tell you that your Roaring Thunder Palm lacks a bit of power; it doesn't hurt, it just feels a bit itchy."

Chen Dahu's comparison of Cang Luo to a wild dog immediately drew laughter from the crowd of watching disciples; although harsh, it fit the power gap between the two perfectly.

Chen Dahu, at Warrior Stage 5, could easily knock down a Warrior Stage 1 opponent with a single punch; as for Warrior Stage 3?

If one punch isn't enough, add another!

Speaking thus, Chen Dahu curled his lips and said disdainfully, "Alright, enough nonsense, let's continue. You surprised me; consider the last part a warm-up."

Having finished speaking, Chen Dahu re-covered his eyes, assumed a fighting stance, and was about to attack when he suddenly turned to the watching disciples and said, "Don't you think the arena is a bit large? Can you see clearly?"

The moment Chen Dahu spoke these words, Cang Luo immediately panicked and stepped back two paces.

The watching disciples also realized what was happening; those who had bet on Chen Dahu to win solemnly said, "Indeed, both Senior Brothers possess profound and unfathomable cultivation.

Especially Senior Brother Cang's skill with throwing pebbles as hidden weapons is simply godlike; we hear the sound but cannot see the stone's shadow. Shall we move closer to watch?"

"Yes, yes, let's move closer to watch the battle, and also cheer for both Senior Brothers so they know our enthusiasm."

"Good, that's a great proposal. Everyone move closer; Senior Brothers and Sisters in the front row can squat down to let those behind them through..."

Seeing the circle of people gradually shrinking, Xiang Xiang Yunjiao was extremely anxious; a smaller arena was extremely disadvantageous for Cang Luo's attrition guerrilla tactics, so she looked helplessly at Cang Feng and Liu Xuande.

Cang Feng remained silent, while Liu Xuande said helplessly, "It is hard to go against the crowd's will; this does not violate the rules. It would have been better if we had gone to the formal arena duel from the start."

Li Zhanxing gritted his teeth and said, "Damn, I didn't expect the 'contact-fraud tiger,' who looks like he has strong limbs but an empty head, to have such a meticulous side. Now Senior Brother Cang is in danger."

"Hmm, you should learn this from Chen Dahu; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to scam money." Liu Xuande suddenly teased.

"What did you say? Old Liu, are you saying I also have strong limbs and an empty head?"

Li Zhanxing immediately expressed his displeasure; was he really being compared to the infamous 'contact-fraud tiger'?

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Liu Xuande waved his hands and said seriously, "Chen Dahu is bald; you are not.

Junior Brother Cang said your hairstyle is very fashionable in his hometown, Earth Village; it is a currently very popular style called a crew cut, and it is very popular with girls."

"Is that so?" Li Zhanxing touched his prickly hair and looked at Xiang Xiang Yunjiao, asking, "Senior Sister Yun, is this hairstyle of mine very popular with girls?"

Xiang Xiang Yunjiao had been watching Cang Luo with worry and could not smile, so she perfunctorily said, "Mm, mm, very handsome."

While they spoke, the watching disciples quickly moved toward the center of the arena, shrinking the circle of people, which originally had a diameter of ten meters, down to five meters.

Facing this situation, Cang Luo cried out that things were bad; his original full confidence turned into anxiety.

While thinking about how to deal with the coming situation, Cang Luo tiptoed, constantly changing his position, daring not to make the slightest sound.

Chen Dahu listened with his ear cocked for a while, heard no movement from Cang Luo, and smiled, "Why aren't you cursing anymore? Wasn't cursing so much fun just now? Why aren't you throwing pebbles either?"

Cang Luo now dared not even curse out loud, let alone throw pebbles.

Chen Dahu was standing in the center of the shrunken arena, a distance of only a little over two meters from himself; at such a close range, as soon as a pebble was thrown, it would be immediately detected by him, and then he would counterattack.

Moreover, with this little space, if Chen Dahu went berserk without caring about his life, charging wildly, Cang Luo would be caught by him before long...

Seeing that Cang Luo made no sound, Chen Dahu smiled and said, "Alright, since you are not attacking, I will not be polite."

Cang Luo's worry came true; Chen Dahu prepared to charge wildly. Dust flew up around his feet, the effect of fully channeling his movement technique.

He cultivated the Yellow-Grade Mid-Tier movement martial art, Leopard Shadow Leg, which is a movement martial art combining speed and power, and is also a leg technique.

"Die!"

Chen Dahu roared, stepped forward, and swept out a leg, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The attack was fierce, but it missed Cang Luo, so Chen Dahu immediately retracted his leg.

After retracting his leg, Chen Dahu turned, took two small running steps, and swept out another leg horizontally.

Still missing, he retracted his leg, continued moving quickly to change positions, sweeping with his legs, forcing Cang Luo to the edge of the arena.

"So fast!"

Through the satellite, Cang Luo noticed Chen Dahu's speed had increased slightly compared to before; he had almost been kicked several times.

Cang Luo panted heavily, cold sweat streaming down, knowing that if this continued, he would eventually be kicked by Chen Dahu...

Chen Dahu relentlessly pursued Cang Luo, alternating between the Leopard Shadow Leg and the Crouching Tiger Fist, beating Cang Luo into a wretched state.

Yet, the more he attacked, the more terrifying he found Cang Luo's technique of identifying position by sound.

This trash seemed to see with his own eyes, dodging his attacks by the narrowest of margins every single time.

However, Chen Dahu was not worried at all; he believed that under his continuous assault, hitting Cang Luo was only a matter of time.

The disciples watching from the sidelines thought the same, shouting encouragement for Chen Dahu: "Senior Brother Chen is mighty! Just a little more, that kid is almost done for."

"Senior Brother Chen's Leopard Shadow Leg is truly unstoppable; every time he sweeps out a leg, the air seems to explode with a deafening roar."

"Of course, the Leopard Shadow Leg is a Yellow-Grade Mid-Tier Wu Shi technique, requiring one to reach the Warrior Stage to receive it for free."

"I see, but isn't Senior Brother Chen only at Warrior Stage 5? Did he buy it?"

"He didn't buy it; it was bestowed by our Guild Leader, Senior Brother Ouyang Lie. Any disciple who contributes to the guild can receive rewards like cultivation methods and pills."

"Heavens! Such great benefits! I've decided to leave my current guild and pledge allegiance to Senior Brother Ouyang Lie..."

Seeing Chen Dahu gaining the upper hand and victory within reach, the watching disciples began to cheer him on again.

Cang Luo no longer had the energy to pay attention to the idle chatter of the watching disciples; Chen Dahu's assault was ferocious, and one slight mistake would result in a fatal strike.

Cang Luo's dodging was extremely strained, not only due to physical exhaustion but also because the Yuan Consciousness controlling the satellite had been heavily depleted.

He estimated his remaining Yuan Consciousness could sustain satellite monitoring for at most two or three minutes; without the satellite's help, defeat was certain!

At that point, what awaited him would be Chen Dahu's merciless strikes; being crippled would be the least of his worries. Seeing the huge bumps all over his head from being smashed by Chen Dahu, the other would surely kill him.

However, Cang Luo estimated Chen Dahu probably couldn't kill him, because Cang Feng and others were nearby; they would never stand by and watch him die.

But even if he survived this time with Cang Feng's help, what about next time?

Thinking that he might be killed just two days after transmigrating, Cang Luo felt immense fear, terrified he would never see his family again.

Besides, having rarely transmigrated to another world, he hadn't yet lived the life of having three wives and four concubines, nor had he returned to Earth to show off; how could he die?

Thinking of the wonderful life ahead, Cang Luo decided to go all out.

While he still had some strength left, Cang Luo decided to bet everything and clash head-on with Chen Dahu; who would live or die was uncertain.

He was indeed at a disadvantage, but Chen Dahu wasn't in much better shape.

Cang Luo remembered that Chen Dahu had already thrown the Crouching Tiger Fist seven times, and after the recent exchange, the opponent's Yuan Power must be nearly depleted, while he still had plenty of Yuan Power.

Strangely enough, since the duel began, he had been continuously circulating the Gale Step, yet his Yuan Power hadn't decreased much; it seemed that for every bit consumed, it was immediately replenished.

Cang Luo couldn't figure it out, but now was not the time to think about that, because Chen Dahu was attacking again.

"Die, you trash!"

Chen Dahu roared, unleashed the Leopard Shadow Leg with fierce wind sweeping over Cang Luo's head, shearing off a few strands of hair, then he heard the sound of Cang Luo rolling on the ground.

Hearing the sound, Chen Dahu pursued, flipping through the air and sweeping his leg down to smash hard into the ground, creating a large crater.

Cang Luo rolled several times on the ground, narrowly avoiding Chen Dahu's fatal attack, and was shocked by the power of his martial technique.

Secretly wiping away cold sweat, Cang Luo stood up and cautiously circled around to Chen Dahu's rear.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Cang Luo took out two pebbles and threw them at the back of Chen Dahu's head, but Chen Dahu remained unmoved, taking the hit head-on.

Chen Dahu turned and roared at Cang Luo: "For every pebble you hit me with, I'll crush a bone of yours. Hurry up, how many pebbles do you have left? Throw them all!"

Having spoken, Chen Dahu once again activated the movement technique Leopard Shadow Leg and charged at Cang Luo, not wanting to give him any chance to react or escape.

However, just then, Chen Dahu suddenly felt a sense of alarm because this time he heard no sound of Cang Luo moving.

Could it be that he was too scared to move?

Or perhaps he was no longer in his original position?

That made sense; this cowardly trash would never stay in place waiting for me to attack.

Regardless, since this kick was already launched, he couldn't recklessly withdraw the force; doing so might injure his meridians, though he could reduce the power slightly to save Yuan Power.

Chen Dahu's mind raced; while slowing the rotation of his Yuan Wheel to reduce the Yuan Power output to the Leopard Shadow Leg, he pondered which direction to attack next.

However, what Chen Dahu didn't expect was that this weakened Leopard Shadow Leg actually connected with the opponent.

Chen Dahu immediately rejoiced wildly: "Good you, you son of a bitch! After nearly half an hour, I finally caught you!"

Wait, why wasn't he kicked flying by me?!

Chen Dahu realized that although he had kicked Cang Luo, Cang Luo had not been sent flying as he had expected.

What was going on? Chen Dahu was stunned...

Cang Luo certainly wasn't kicked flying; it wasn't because he had become stronger, but because Chen Dahu had become weaker.

After a battle of attrition, Chen Dahu's physical strength and Yuan Power were almost completely exhausted.

Meanwhile, Cang Luo remained in nearly peak condition; although his physical strength had drained severely, for some reason, his Yuan Power hadn't decreased at all.

Plus, with this last strike, Chen Dahu had retracted some force to save Yuan Power, causing the Leopard Shadow Leg's power to drop by fifty percent.

Due to this shift in momentum, Cang Luo wasn't kicked flying, but he was far from unscathed.

At this moment, Cang Luo's two arms blocking Chen Dahu's sweeping leg attack throbbed with intense pain; without the protection of Yuan Power, they would surely have been broken.

Cang Luo gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain in his arms, freed his right hand, circulated the Thunder-Rushing Palm, turned his palm into a fist, and fiercely punched toward Chen Dahu's lower body.

One punch!

Two punches!

Three punches!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Cang Luo threw three consecutive punches within zero point one seconds.

The reason the Galloping Thunder Palm is called a palm and not a fist is that the last few acupoints its circulation passes through are located on the palm.

Those acupoints are precisely the eruption points of primordial force, with all the power concentrated in the palm—hence the name Galloping Thunder Palm, not Galloping Thunder Fist.

Only this time, because of Cang Luo's stance, fists happened to be the more suitable choice, so he adapted on the fly, turning palm into fist.

Though the power dropped considerably, the target was the weakest spot on a man's body, so the strike's effect was no less for it.

After throwing the three punches, Cang Luo stood in place without moving, and Chen Dahu likewise held his pose—standing on his left foot, right leg raised in a sweep that had struck Cang Luo's left arm—without budging.

Only after several seconds did a heartrending scream suddenly burst from Chen Dahu's mouth.

The shriek made listeners' hearts jolt; onlookers clamped their thighs together, as if they themselves had been struck.

A few seconds later, Chen Dahu flopped to the ground with a thud, both hands clutching his crotch, body curled up as he groaned in agony...