Chapter 279

On the main road outside Fucheng, a person stood alone wearing a bamboo hat, as steady as if their feet had taken root.

He blocked Zhou You's path, saying nothing, radiating an aura that warned others to keep their distance.

The main road, originally bustling with pedestrians, became deserted once he planted himself in the center; no one dared to pass.

This stretch of the area was thus cleared out.

"Du Yan Lu Zhigang?"

Zhou You knew he was waiting specifically for him, so he nodded in acknowledgment and asked, "Who are you?"

"Wind-Thunder Divine Fist Wang Shuangdao! I heard you're quite arrogant, spouting wild words about monopolizing the bounty!"

He took off his bamboo hat, revealing a face full of righteous indignation, his brows furrowed with anger.

Zhou You had heard this name before; he was one of the famous Bounty Martial Artists in Fucheng, unaffiliated with any sect, a lone wolf whose Wind-Thunder Divine Fist had defeated all opponents at the Blood-Qi level, even boasting a record of killing a Martial Master to claim a bounty.

Wang Shuangdao had been away from Fucheng recently, and upon returning from his business, he heard about Zhou You and decided to come and teach him a lesson.

That nickname of his really sounded imposing!

Zhou You thought of his own nicknames, all of which were at the level of minor characters; Wind-Thunder Divine Fist was different, at least at the level of a supporting character, which would get him two or three lines of dialogue in a TV show.

"Enough talk, take my fist!"

Wang Shuangdao didn't say another word, raising his fist to strike; the momentum from dozens of paces away was overwhelming, whipping up a violent wind and thunder on the flat ground.

In an instant, sand and stones flew, the surroundings became vast and hazy, and black winds swirled; the originally fair weather turned ominous.

Just as Zhou You tore through the fierce wind rushing toward his face, a fist descended from the sky and struck his chest.

"Clap!"

The Seven Step Poison Sand palm was as fast as lightning, carving an arc to block the fist.

Wang Shuangdao shouted, completely disregarding the terror of Zhou You's Poison Palm, his fist flashing with three cold glints like an Iron Spear thrusting forward.

"Iron Finger Knuckles."

Zhou You realized with alarm that his opponent was not fighting bare-handed, but was also equipped with a Blood-Qi Divine Weapon.

As a short weapon, finger knuckles were easy to carry and their power was multiplied when used in conjunction with fist techniques.

If his Poison Palm collided with the opponent's fist, he would certainly poison Wang Shuangdao, but his own palm would also be torn to shreds by the finger knuckles.

Good fellow, he was truly worthy of being a top-tier Bounty Martial Artist at the Blood-Qi level.

Zhou You swept his front palm in an arc to avoid the sharp points of the finger knuckles, then quickly struck out with his back palm, suddenly accelerating.

*Clack*, the second palm arrived first, striking Wang Shuangdao's fist dead on.

Wang Shuangdao's eyes lit up—it was a hit—and he prepared to exert force to pierce the opponent's palm with the finger knuckles.

The feedback he received was incredibly tough, like old oxhide or a steel plate; the finger knuckles sank deep into it but could not tear open even the slightest hole.

"Gloves, a Blood-Qi Divine Weapon?"

Wang Shuangdao was greatly shocked to see the object on Zhou You's palm; the opponent actually possessed a Blood-Qi Divine Weapon as well.

Rumor had it that Du Yan Lu Zhigang dominated through slaughter with his Poison Palm and never used weapons, so how could he still be Zang-ing a trump card? Taking advantage of his surprise, the Poison Mark on Zhou You's palm surged, seeping through the finger knuckles into the opponent's hand.

"Damn it, I'm poisoned!"

Wang Shuangdao felt a wave of dizziness, knowing he had been struck invisibly, and mustered his remaining strength to swing his arms and fists.

His fists collided with the sound of wind and thunder, kicking up a large amount of sand and stone into the air, enveloping his body as he retreated further and further away.

Just as Zhou You was about to pursue him to expand his victory, a clear, resonant voice came from behind him, "Lu Zhigang, let me have a go at you."

Again? This was the rhythm of a wheel battle.

Zhou You simply abandoned Wang Shuangdao; the opponent was poisoned and would be unable to recover his combat strength for a while, posing no threat to him.

"Brother Nie, be careful! His Poison Palm is formidable, and with the aid of his gloves, it's like a tiger gaining wings." Wang Shuangdao's weak voice gradually faded; he was suffering greatly from the potent poison, and the large amount of Jiedu Danya he had swallowed had minimal effect.

The 'Brother Nie' he spoke of was also a Bounty Martial Artist at the peak of Blood-Qi, known as 'Righteous as a Mountain' Nie Shanhe.

Nie Shanhe's fame stemmed from his sworn brother—Ma Yuanyang.

Ma Yuanyang came from a martial arts school and, in order to seek a breakthrough, did not hesitate to mix in the fighting pits to engage in underground boxing and kill for bounties for the Thousand Faces Hall.

During this process, he met Nie Shanhe, and the two became sworn brothers upon their first meeting.

Ma Yuanyang had recently become a Martial Master, gaining great fame, which in turn brought renown to Nie Shanhe.

"Brother Nie, ascending to Martial Master is like climbing a mountain; I am only two or three steps ahead of you, and you will catch up in no time."

This evaluation from Ma Yuanyang was undoubtedly an affirmation of Nie Shanhe's potential, certain that he would surely achieve the Martial Master realm.

Was such a person also coming to deal with Zhou You?

"Lu Zhigang, I know your Poison Palm is powerful! I won't put on any airs; I have a Seven Lotus Pill here, a fine detoxification medicine produced by the Medicine King Sect, more than enough to restrain your Palm Poison."

The Seven Lotus Pill was specifically designed to neutralize Palm Poison at the Blood-Qi level; once ingested, the power of Zhou You's Palm Poison would be greatly diminished.

Nie Shanhe did not hide it, stating his trump card directly to show that his intentions were open and honorable.

If he had kept it hidden and pretended to be poisoned, he could have caught Zhou You off guard at a critical moment, enough to make Zhou You take a massive fall.

Zhou You nodded slightly; for the sake of those words, he would not kill anyone today! Nie Shanhe swallowed the Seven Lotus Pill and raised a three-meter wooden staff, shaking it to create a flurry of movements; he was a Weapon Master when it came to staves.

This wooden staff was also a Blood-Qi Divine Weapon, and in his hands, it truly achieved the feat of 'sweeping a whole area with one staff.'

Zhou You first struck with a palm wrapped in thick Palm Poison, moving with the wind to envelop his opponent from above.

Nie Shanhe's lower stance was extremely stable; he held the wooden staff at the one-third mark and struck with force, smashing the thick palm wind in two on the spot.

The Palm Poison in the wind tried to disperse, but with the shaking of his staff, an invisible, immense force compressed and condensed it, sending the Palm Poison deep into the yellow earth.

"Poison Evil Encirclement."

Immediately following, the Poison Evil acted like a great army laying siege, spreading to all sides of Nie Shanhe.

Nie Shanhe's wooden staff transformed into a unit of elite cavalry, tearing through the Poison Evil with the momentum of thunder and lightning, clashing left and right until it was defeated and dissipated.

This was a true Martial Dao expert; regardless of his bearing, techniques, or style, he possessed the grand, magnificent, and irresistible air of a Monarch.

Nie Shanhe successively defeated the palm wind and the Poison Evil, gauged Zhou You's depth, and slightly lifted the tip of his wooden staff.

An infinite distance condensed at the tip of the staff, like an iron awl striking Zhou You's wrist.

"I will break one of your hands; you shall go to the Thousand Faces Hall yourself and publicly revoke the declaration of exclusive bounty."

The surrounding martial artists cheered like thunder, "Brother Nie, well done!"

There was no helping it; those who played with poison were unpopular, and in terms of popularity, he suffered a crushing blow from Nie Shanhe.

"Basic Lightness Skill lv6."

Zhou You took a step, his palms following like shadows, executing exquisite moves at the critical moment.

Seven Step Poison Sand Palm, one step one palm, seven steps seven palms, encompassing all changes in a three-hundred-sixty-degree range.

Footwork provided a tiger-with-wings bonus to the Poison Palm; the higher the Lightness Skill, the greater the power.

Zhou You suddenly accelerated, dodging the heavy strike of the staff tip like a ghost, circling behind his opponent to imprint a palm onto his back.

Upon touching the opponent's broad back, the corrosive attribute of the Poison Palm took effect, eroding the flesh and skin and sending up a wisp of white smoke.

"You are no match for me, go!"

Zhou You retracted his palm like lightning and said to Nie Shanhe proudly.

It was not that he did not want to fight, but that he could not break through; Nie Shanhe still had Hard Qigong protecting his body, and the corrosion could only melt a layer of skin.

But to the onlookers, this was Zhou You stopping at the limit; did they not see the terrifying palm print left on Nie Shanhe's back like a brand? (End of chapter)