Chapter 1861: Frontal Clash (Part I)

Hu Xiaotian turned and struck with a palm, like a dragon swinging its tail. This palm strike hit from a distance, altering the airflow's direction and forming an invisible vortex. The iron bowl was drawn by this invisible force, reversing its direction in midair and flying back toward the monk. Hu Xiaotian's inner strength was clearly superior; the bowl's returning speed increased more than double, the wailing sound turned shrill and piercing, and its momentum grew ever more terrifying.

The completely black-robed Tibetan monk flicked his long sleeve, revealing a black whip as dark as his skin, though the whip was covered in scales of unknown material. A shake of the whip produced a crackling sound like firecrackers, ripping heaven and earth, shaking people's hearts. The whip twisted and swung in the air, and with a crisp 'crack!' it accurately struck the iron bowl. The whip's force was remarkably skillful; the bowl changed direction again, shooting straight toward the back of Hu Xiaotian's head.

After receiving aid from the black-skinned monk, Gang Baduo adjusted from the desperate state of being pressed step by step by Hu Xiaotian. He let out a shout from his throat, his hands turned blood-red and swelled more than double, his joints cracked with popping sounds, his face flushed crimson, and his body swelled at a visible speed.

Hu Xiaotian drew the Lone Moon Slash from his waist and threw it out with a swish, aiming straight at the black monk's iron bowl. Faced with attacks from front and rear, he showed no trace of fear; instead his fighting spirit rose. Naturally, the greater the pressure, the stronger his resolve. He roared loudly and launched the Heaven‑Earth‑Destroying move of the God‑Demon Annihilation Fist toward Gang Baduo again. Although he did not know what heretical technique Gang Baduo used, he knew that once Gang Baduo completed his cultivation, his strength would greatly increase, so he had to defeat him before the practice finished.

The Lone Moon Slash and the iron bowl collided in midair; for a moment the slash blazed with brilliant light, yet this violent impact produced not a single spark. The powerful collision simultaneously altered both of their trajectories.

The black monk lashed the whip against the iron bowl again, correcting its attack direction. A scarlet whip‑shot flew from the side and struck the spinning, flying Lone Moon Slash.

The whip's wielder was actually Xiang Shancong, who had also been hiding in the tomb earlier. While the black monk attacked Hu Xiaotian, his target was Ji Feihua, and even while besieging her he could spare a hand to support the black monk—showing that the three of them now held a certain advantage.

In a short time Ji Feihua had already exchanged three palms with Bu Bu Ma. As expected, Bu Bu Ma lived up to his reputation as the Black Hu's top expert; exchanging three hard blows with Ji Feihua showed no weakness whatsoever. It was precisely because she alone withstood Ji Feihua's three palms that the other two could attend to other matters. Xiang Shancong finished his support of the black monk, and the brown‑clothed Tibetan monk who had burst from the ground, after failing in a sneak attack on Ji Feihua, rushed out to catch Xima and gently set her down on the grass.

Xiang Shancong and the brown‑clothed Tibetan monk had not forgotten their greatest foe; they instantly returned to their original positions, forming a triangle with Bu Bu Ma that surrounded Ji Feihua at the center.

Ji Feihua's silver mask flashed with a cold light, and killing intent gathered in her eyes. Despite being surrounded by strong enemies, she still did not forget the situation on Hu Xiaotian's side.

Boom! With a tremendous crash, Hu Xiaotian and Gang Baduo clashed fist to fist again. At this moment Gang Baduo's whole body was crimson red, like a boiled crab, his eyes blood‑red—a terrifying sight. The blow sent him staggering back a step, but Hu Xiaotian clearly felt that the man's inner strength had greatly increased in a short time; it seemed his heretical martial art could instantly unleash his latent potential.

Behind him, the iron bowl and the Lone Moon Slash flew in together. Hu Xiaotian waved his left hand, guiding the slash to strike the bowl once more. The impact changed both of their directions, veering from their original targets. The slash let out a wailing note and, swift as wind and lightning, cut toward the black monk, while the bowl, after this collision, suddenly sank. Hu Xiaotian lifted his foot and kicked the bowl, redirecting it to smash with increased speed into Gang Baduo's face.

As Gang Baduo's body swelled, his reactions slowed considerably. Faced with the iron bowl flying at high speed, he did not dodge or evade, letting it smash into his face. Hu Xiaotian rejoiced inwardly; the bowl, after his full‑force kick, was like a shell leaving the barrel—even if it could not explode, its impact was enough to shatter the swollen brain of Gang Baduo.

But in fact, when the iron bowl struck Gang Baduo's head it was like hitting rubber— the greater the force, the greater the rebound, and Gang Baduo seemed to feel no pain at all.

The black monk twisted his wrist, sending the whip coiling forward to entrap the inbound, backward‑flying Lone Moon Slash. The whip caught the slash, which trembled violently like a living thing, struggling like a fish suddenly caught, trying to break free. Hu Xiaotian and the slash seemed to share a certain spirituality; his body flew backward, turning and rising mid‑way, and he drew from his back the Black Iron Sword he had obtained from the Peach Blossom Pool Water Cave—formerly the personal sword of the Sword Palace's founder, Lin Bai Tao, traceable further back to the Sword Demon Dongfang Wuwo.

Gang Baduo, the black‑skinned monk, and the brown‑clothed monk all came from the Black Hu Fan Yin Si. Gang Baduo's appointment as National Preceptor Timoduo also originated from that temple. Years ago, Lin Bai Tao assassinated the Black Hu Khan Wanyan Tie Liang; after Wanyan Tie Liang suffered grave wounds for three months he finally died. Timoduo personally led the Black Hu's eight elite masters into Da Yong to take revenge, slaughtering hundreds of Sword Palace disciples, and eventually encountered Lin Bai Tao. All those involved vanished that year, the case became a cold case, and the Black Hu side never gave up searching for the whereabouts of Timoduo and his companions.

Hu Xiaotian's drawn Black Iron Sword was deeply etched in everyone's memory at Fan Yin Si. The black‑skinned monk was named Watuqi, a direct disciple of Timoduo, who had always held a grudge over his master's disappearance. Seeing the Black Iron Sword, he let out a wailing cry as if he had seen Lin Bai Tao himself—but his shout did not last long, for Hu Xiaotian's Heaven‑Splitting Sword was overwhelmingly powerful; its sword qi had already split the void in two, and a chilling killing intent rushed straight toward Watuqi's head.

Watuqi had intended to entangle the Lone Moon Slash and then use it to kill Hu Xiaotian, but seeing the opponent's move he realized he could not block this deadly strike. In haste he shook his black long whip, creating myriad whip‑shadows before him to try to stop Hu Xiaotian's fatal sword. The Black Iron Sword is utterly rigid, while the black whip is utterly yielding; normally softness overcomes hardness, but when hardness reaches its extreme, any obstruction can be cut through.

The black whip snapped inch by inch, yet the Black Iron Sword's momentum did not weaken in the slightest. Watuqi felt an unprecedentedly powerful sword approach him at unimaginable speed; he had no choice but to retreat backward, attempting to dodge Hu Xiaotian's deadly strike.

Noticing Watuqi's perilous situation, Gang Baduo took a big step forward, pushed off the ground with both feet, and launched himself like an inflated ball toward Hu Xiaotian's back. He unleashed his full repertoire—the Great Sorrow Fist and the Fierce Fire Dragon Elephant Skill—needing no weapon, for his body itself was the weapon.

Watuqi's blackened face began to twist; he had emerged from Xu Fengyi's tomb and now wished to retreat back into it—a route he had arrived at after careful consideration. Only by returning to the tomb would Hu Xiaotian be forced to hold back his attack for fear of harming the tomb, and he would surely not destroy his mother's grave.

Yet Watuqi's speed ultimately fell short; he felt the chill of the sword qi, and he strained to lean back, hoping that even an extra inch of escape might let him evade the fatal blow.

Gang Baduo arrived just in time, his body swollen to twice its size slamming heavily into Hu Xiaotian's back. His intention was to break the encirclement; given Hu Xiaotian's skill he would naturally sense the powerful assault, and under normal circumstances Hu Xiaotian would dodge—if he did, Watuqi would naturally escape this calamity.

However, Hu Xiaotian's action greatly exceeded his expectation: he did not dodge, but allowed Gang Baduo to strike him head‑on, fully absorbing the tremendous impact. Gang Baduo's powerful blow did not alter Hu Xiaotian's motion; instead Hu Xiaotian used that force to his advantage, pushing the Heaven‑Splitting Sword's power to a new level.

Just moments ago Watuqi still had a chance to escape beneath the sword, but Gang Baduo's shove drove Hu Xiaotian even closer to him, advancing the sword's trajectory by one inch—the very inch that decided Watuqi's fate. The Black Iron Sword pierced his chest without obstruction, the blade sinking into his heart, and the inner strength Hu Xiaotian had gathered burst outward at that instant, reaching its utmost.

Although Watuqi's body was tough, it could not withstand the expansion of the inner strength that had penetrated his heart; he burst apart like an explosion, limbs flying in different directions, his blood not black but bright red, staining the scene like a rain of fresh blood.

Gang Baduo let out a mournful howl; anyone of their caliber could see what had happened, feeling both grief and regret. Had he not slammed into Hu Xiaotian from behind, enabling Hu Xiaotian to borrow his strength, perhaps Watuqi would not have fallen to a single sword strike from Hu Xiaotian. Yet Gang Baduo did not pause; he lunged forward, his two crimson arms locking tightly around Hu Xiaotian's body, opening his wide mouth to bite Hu Xiaotian's neck.

Hu Xiaotian suddenly lifted his head and smashed his rear skull into Gang Baduo's face; the impact felt as if the opponent's face had no bone, being extremely elastic and offering no resistance. Although Gang Baduo's bite was fierce, it did not catch Hu Xiaotian's flesh, for Hu Xiaotian wore wing armor that also protected his neck; the blow struck the armor, causing his teeth to ache severely.

Under normal circumstances Hu Xiaotian's stature exceeds Gang Baduo's, but Gang Baduo had enlarged his body nearly to double size using the Fierce Fire Dragon Elephant Skill; now he clung tightly to Hu Xiaotian, looking from afar like an adult holding a child. (To be continued~^~)