Chapter 490: Hard to Overcome, Realm Breakthrough

Zhou You leaped three zhang, the force beneath his feet coiling toward him like maggots on bone.

It turned out he had underestimated Kunpengzi's methods; the old man's martial arts foundation was extremely solid, and this strike, launched from afar, showed no signs of weakening, its power vigorous and seasoned.

Upon contact, various effects such as entanglement, bombardment, and internal explosions appeared in succession.

Zhou You turned and thrust his Iron Spear to parry, triggering a series of air explosions, the recoil force shaking him until he was teetering.

He hurriedly executed the Feather-Stepping Heaven-Ascending Step to adjust his center of gravity, flipping a somersault in mid-air before landing on the ground.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—the faint sound of the ground being plowed and Earth-Breaking rang out.

Kunpengzi scurried rapidly along the ground, his speed as fast as earth-burrowing, waves of soil splashing up on both sides of him; he rushed to Zhou You in one breath and, catching him off balance, struck toward his heart.

He pressed his thumb against his other four fingers, pinching them into a 'drill' that pecked at Zhou You's vital heart point like a bird's head.

This strike was tricky and vicious, moving as fast as lightning, and it hit Zhou You's heart instantly.

Thud! Zhou You felt a piercing, bone-chilling pain and jumped violently backward, leaping high into the air more than ten meters away.

Fortunately, he was cautious and had worn Xiao Jingfeng's soft armor inside his Iron Feather battle robe; the two layers of defense blocked Kunpengzi's lethal move.

Even so, his chest was in intense pain, and it was surely bruised purple from the impact.

Kunpengzi was even more surprised than he was; if an ordinary high-level Martial Master had been hit by this move, they would have vomited blood and been severely injured on the spot.

Yet Zhou You, while appearing to grimace in pain, was actually jumping around, having suffered no real injury.

"Good lad, you possess an exotic treasure; I underestimated you."

Kunpengzi raised his hands to his chest, his face turning vicious and twisted, his entire body radiating an ominous aura.

The hairs on his head stood on end, his eyes widened, and his nostrils flared as he stared at Zhou You like an irreconcilable enemy.

A sharp, frantic roar escaped his lips.

"Duhu Zhang."

Kunpengzi's palm expanded instantly by five or six times, slapping toward Zhou You; without needing to aim specifically, it easily covered his upper body.

The rising flames carried resentment and malice, thick as indelible ink.

Zhou You trod the Feather-Stepping Heaven-Ascending Step, rising and falling in a spiral, only to find he could never escape the range of the flames.

Kunpengzi had actually mastered an elemental fist technique, and a fire-attributed one at that; executed by his hands, it was vicious and powerful, instantly forcing Zhou You into a dead end.

Kunpengzi concluded that he was wearing defensive divine equipment, so he switched to Duhu Zhang specifically to break his defense.

In this world, there were very few things that fire could not destroy; even if the armor could withstand the high temperature, Zhou You's flesh and blood would be burned to ashes.

Kunpengzi even harbored the thought of burning Zhou You's body to death while leaving behind the defensive treasure.

After all, armor that could block his killer blow was no ordinary item.

The air expanded rapidly from the heat, becoming thin and scorching, rippling in circles around the fire palm.

Before Kunpengzi had even struck Zhou You, the furnace-like, scorching atmosphere had already forced him into a predicament.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"

Zhou You was caught off guard and his palm was burned as it brushed against the spear tip; the dagger had already been burned red-hot like a branding iron.

The wooden staff, however, remained neither hot nor cold, retaining a hint of coolness in his grip.

Kunpengzi's palm descended like a meteorite from the heavens, wrapped in thick smoke and raging flames; the fire was fierce and unstoppable.

"A fire-attributed fist technique? A pity you met me."

Zhou You vibrated his arms, crossing them as if sitting in a meditation posture, instantly executing the defensive stance of the Primordial Iron Garment.

Primordial Iron Garment: Fire-Bathing Heroic Hair! This passive skill had mutated after he suffered the resentment-fire burning of the Great Hidden Charm, and he had never had the chance to use it.

After all, elemental fist techniques were extremely rare, and practicing them was fraught with danger, with frequent cases of people setting themselves on fire.

It was only here, with Kunpengzi, that Zhou You encountered a true master of fire-attributed fist techniques. Fire-Bathing Heroic Hair: when suffering fire-attributed damage, it reflects 50% of the damage and increases strength by 30%, provided the enemy does not exceed his realm.

If the enemy were a Strong Martial Artist, this passive skill would not take effect.

Kunpengzi had once been a Strong Martial Artist, but having fallen in realm to a high-level Martial Master, he perfectly met the trigger conditions.

"Thud!"

Kunpengzi's palm struck Zhou You's upper body squarely; he had expected to crush him like dry wood and kill him easily.

Unexpectedly, the moment they made contact, the palm force suddenly weakened, like a balloon pricked by a needle, his strength pouring out as if draining water.

He was shocked, and a powerful force suddenly rebounded along the palm, shaking him until he retreated again and again.

"Haha, die, you old man."

Zhou You was covered in firelight, but not a single flame touched his body, all of them isolated three inches from his skin.

The ground beneath his feet was melting and bubbling, glug-glug, melting into liquid slurry everywhere; the power of Duhu Zhang was evident.

Some rocks even cracked and exploded automatically, unable to withstand the high temperature.

He thrust his Iron Spear out, not even looking, aiming directly at the center of Kunpengzi's palm.

Facing the sudden rebounding force, Kunpengzi did not panic, curling a finger to flick the spear tip.

Zhou You twisted his wrist, shaking out a brilliant spear flower, taking advantage of the moment to dodge the fingertip and thrust toward the web of his hand, aiming for one of Kunpengzi's eyeballs.

The moment the spear tip hit the eyeball, Kunpengzi closed his eyes quickly, his eyelids joining to block the spear tip for a brief moment.

At the same time, Kunpengzi flew a kick, striking Zhou You in the lower abdomen, the pain feeling like a knife twist.

Zhou You flipped a somersault and retreated a few steps, using the Iron Spear to stake into the ground to barely keep from kneeling.

Looking at Kunpengzi again, he was rubbing his bleeding hand web, but his eyeball remained intact, not damaged.

"Junior, you can be proud to have forced Kunpengzi to this point."

Zhou You listened to his bluster, calmly reaching toward his waist and pulling out a jade tablet to conduct a trade.

Seal Script 'Trade' of Forced Buying and Selling.

Kunpengzi's expression changed abruptly; he waved his withered fingers and plucked off a jade hook.

A bright light flashed, the jade hook fell into Zhou You's hand, while the jade tablet was forcibly dropped into Kunpengzi's hand.

"Tao Zhugong's tricks—having seen them once, how could I fall for them again? You must have forgotten that I know him."

Kunpengzi mocked, "After showing your face, did you think it would still be effective against me?"

He took a deep breath and gently stroked his chest, "You are proficient in Seal Script and fist techniques; your comprehensive strength should be at the level of a high-level Martial Master."

"The armor on your body reflects attacks and counters my Duhu Zhang; ordinary methods cannot take you down."

"Therefore, if I want to move against you, I must perform a Realm Leap; only with the body of a Strong Martial Artist can I succeed."

"Junior, if this matter gets out, you will die with glory."

This action by Kunpengzi was his second Realm Leap in a short period, causing great damage to his body.

But there was no other way; he had just exhausted all his methods yet failed to shake Zhou You, and he felt somewhat uncertain inside.

Because Zhou You, standing before him, had sharp weapons, thick armor, and was incredibly fast; he had absolutely no weaknesses, and the only way to win was to completely crush him through realm suppression.

"Realm Leap?"

Zhou You recalled that when Wang Jianxiong fled Gongliang City, it was because he had used a Realm Leap, which resulted in his vitality being severely damaged, and he completely disappeared without a trace.

For Kunpengzi to pay such a price for him, he must value him highly indeed!

(End of this chapter)