Chapter 112: Condensing Qi into Steel

"No!" Wang Zhanbiao was a Third-grade Intermediate Martial Artist. He let out a roar, executed his movement technique, and leaped over fifty meters into the air, brandishing his two Hammer weapons, each the size of a millstone, and smashed them fiercely toward the one hundred and twenty shells descending from the sky.

"Boom! Boom!" Wang Zhanbiao's two Hammer weapons struck two shells.

These two shells exploded in mid-air, and the powerful shockwave, mixed with shrapnel, spread outward, instantly enveloping Wang Zhanbiao's entire body.

Wang Zhanbiao was completely unafraid. He was a Third-grade Intermediate Martial Artist; his skin and muscles had been tempered by True Qi, becoming extremely tough, like steel and iron, with formidable defensive power.

Not only that, a Third-grade Martial Artist possessed thick True Qi and could already practice secret techniques to Condense Qi into Steel and manifest protective Qi armor.

This secret technique of Condensing Qi into Steel was different from martial arts manuals; manuals could be purchased as long as one was willing to spend the money.

However, secret techniques were extremely precious and could not be bought even with money; they were all classified secrets kept within the major sects.

The Divine Machine Battalion was an elite unit that also possessed special secret technique inheritances. Wang Zhanbiao was a Vice Thousand-Man Commander of the Divine Machine Battalion with distinguished service, qualifying him to learn the military secret technique, Divine Bell Cover.

The Divine Bell Cover secret technique was different from cultivation methods like the Golden Bell Cover. The Golden Bell Cover method practiced by martial artists could only circulate True Qi within the body to significantly increase the body's defensive power.

The Divine Bell Cover secret technique, however, was vastly different; it involved the martial artist Condensing Qi into Steel, releasing the Qi externally, and gathering it outside the body to form a divine bell.

Wang Zhanbiao was a Third-grade Intermediate Martial Artist; the Qi he condensed could already extend one foot from his body to form a protective divine bell.

As the shrapnel struck, Wang Zhanbiao let out a loud shout, his True Qi surged, and a layer of thick Qi permeated the outside of his body. The Qi shifted, forming a shimmering, golden divine bell as tall as a person.

"Clang! Clang!" The shrapnel from the Explosive Shells hit the divine bell, and surprisingly, crisp clanging sounds rang out, just as if they were striking a real bronze bell.

With the divine bell covering his body, Wang Zhanbiao swung his two Big Iron Hammers like wheels, single-handedly smashing ten Explosive Shells.

Unfortunately, he was in mid-air and unable to leverage his strength. Furthermore, although the shrapnel from the exploding shells could not break the divine bell's defense, the force of the shockwaves pushed Wang Zhanbiao back repeatedly, and in the end, he had no choice but to land on the position.

One hundred and ten shells landed on the Divine Machine Battalion's position, erupting with earth-shattering roars. The forty-five Shenwu Great General Cannons were the primary targets and were directly completely covered by the shells.

"Boom! Boom!" The forty-five Shenwu Great General Cannons were blown to pieces. What made the soldiers of the Divine Machine Battalion even more desperate was that these Shenwu Great General Cannons were loaded with ammunition, and the fuses had already been lit, ready to fire at any moment.

Meng Yifan chose this exact moment to suddenly bombard the Divine Machine Battalion's position. Many of the barrels of the Shenwu Great General Cannons were blown flying everywhere, directly crushing dozens of people nearby, and then the shells inside the barrels exploded, killing another large group of people.

Not only that, the explosions of the Explosive Shells sent flames soaring into the sky, igniting the Gunpowder Barrels carried by the Divine Machine Battalion soldiers. Across the entire position, explosions rang out one after another, and with shrapnel wreaking havoc, it was truly a living hell.

Many soldiers were blown to pieces by the Explosive Shells, while others were slashed by shrapnel; they did not die on the spot but fell into pools of blood, letting out harrowing cries.

There were also some Second-grade Martial Artists who used hard-body techniques like the Golden Bell Cover, barely managing to block the shrapnel from a few shells.

But one hundred and ten shells were simply too many; the shrapnel was as dense as raindrops. Coupled with the secondary explosions of the Gunpowder Barrels, those Second-grade Martial Artists could not hold out against such repeated explosions. Many had their Golden Bell Cover techniques shattered by the shells, their bodies pierced by shrapnel, and they died in convulsions.

Wang Zhanbiao Condensing Qi into Steel, with the divine bell Qi manifesting outside his body, continuously blocked the shrapnel from the Explosive Shells. However, the power of the Gunpowder Barrel explosions was too great; even through the Divine Bell Cover, the shock caused his internal organs to shift, making him vomit blood repeatedly.

Furthermore, the massive circular shockwaves formed by the Gunpowder Barrel explosions knocked Wang Zhanbiao back and forth against his will.

Wang Zhanbiao felt like a small boat in a raging storm, completely unable to control his own direction.

"It's over!" Wang Zhanbiao looked at the carnage on the position, his heart turning to ash. He had brought four hundred soldiers to attack Luolong County, but now, before a single shell had been fired, his entire force had been wiped out by the enemy.

Wang Zhanbiao had been a soldier for over a dozen years, and he had never fought such a humiliating battle.

The military regulations in the Divine Machine Battalion were strict. If a commanding officer like Wang Zhanbiao lost all his soldiers, even if he managed to escape back, he would be dealt with by military law and have his head hung for public display.

"The only way is to charge over and wipe out that group of rebels; only then can I atone for my crimes and fight for a glimmer of survival."

Wang Zhanbiao activated his Lightness Skill, trying his best to dodge the Gunpowder Barrel explosions. Bearing his Divine Bell Cover and enduring the bombardment of the Explosive Shells, he launched a desperate charge toward the direction of Meng Yifan and his men.

Meng Yifan had been watching the battlefield the whole time, and seeing Wang Zhanbiao's bravery, he felt a measure of admiration.

Unfortunately, the enemy's hero was his own enemy; it was better for the enemy's experts to die.

Meng Yifan shouldered the sixteen-tube Congreve Rocket Launcher and aimed at the rapidly approaching Wang Zhanbiao.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Sixteen conical Rockets, with flames spewing from their tails, streaked through the air at astonishing speed, flying toward Wang Zhanbiao.

Wang Zhanbiao was shocked to see the Rockets coming. He wanted to dodge, but a Gunpowder Barrel happened to explode right beside him, and the powerful shockwave pushed him against his will, as if he were voluntarily throwing himself into the path of the Rockets.

The most important aspect of Meng Yifan's Level 2 Shooting Technique was the prediction of the enemy's next move.

When he fired the Rockets, he had already studied Wang Zhanbiao's position and the surrounding environment, having long predicted that the moment the Rockets flew in would coincide exactly with the explosion of the Gunpowder Barrels.

Therefore, facing the Rockets fired by Meng Yifan, Wang Zhanbiao had nowhere to hide and could only take them head-on.

"Open up for me!" Wang Zhanbiao roared, swinging his dual hammers and striking two Rockets.

"Bang!" Wang Zhanbiao was stunned for a moment. The first Rocket he hit suffered a violent vibration and exploded abruptly.

"Huh!" The second Rocket Wang Zhanbiao hit did not explode, which left him stunned. Could this be a dud?

"Something's wrong, damn it! That Rocket is poisoned!" Wang Zhanbiao wanted to continue striking the Rockets, but he felt a powerful toxin emerge within his body, rapidly spreading toward his heart and brain—his two vital points.

Wang Zhanbiao was shocked and hurriedly mobilized his True Qi to suppress the toxin in his body, only to find that even his True Qi circulation was affected, moving half a beat slower than normal.

"What kind of toxin is this? How can it be so potent?" Wang Zhanbiao's face turned pale. He mobilized thirty percent of his True Qi to barely block the spread of the toxin, but because he had diverted so much True Qi, even his protective Divine Bell Cover lost the support of his internal True Qi, flickering unsteadily and suffering a massive drop in defensive power.

Watching the remaining fourteen Rockets flying toward him, Wang Zhanbiao could not help but feel his heart turn to ash. He knew that in his current state, he could not possibly block these fourteen Rockets.