Chapter 630: Strong Enemy at the Gates, A Single Call Startles the World

The time reached high noon, and the sunlight was blindingly harsh.

Zhou You and Zhu Qinghua, travel-worn and weary, wove through a desolate, barren wilderness; the world was vast and empty, without a third living creature in sight.

The area was covered in massive craters and towering piles of ruins, the remnants of a great battle between martial artists.

The land beneath their feet was so ravaged that it was impossible to tell if it had once been farmland or buildings.

"Master Zhou, your pace is fast, you should go on ahead!"

Zhu Qinghua spoke suddenly.

Zhou You looked at her in surprise, "What has happened?"

Zhu Qinghua raised her snow-white wrist, and a red gemstone on her bracelet flashed with light, "I just received news that the reinforcements sent by my family have been intercepted; the opponents are the minions of Guangyinzi of the Golden Immortal Dao."

"The enemy is many and we are few, and it was an ambush; the reinforcements are locked in a bitter struggle and can no longer come to our aid."

Zhu Qinghua took a deep breath and said miserably, "One move affects the whole situation; now that I am alone out here, I can only face the Hungry Tiger gang of Strong Martial Artists by myself, and I cannot implicate you."

Although the Hungry Tiger gang members are rogue Strong Martial Artists, they are all in league with one another; usually, one might not notice, but now that war is breaking out everywhere in Beixuan and manpower is stretched thin, they have become a force that cannot be underestimated.

Zhu Qinghua thought that although Zhou You is formidable, he is limited to the level of a Martial Master; once he encounters a Strong Martial Artist, it would be nothing but a futile death.

After all, the miracle of Cao Wudang killing a Strong Martial Artist while at a lower level is impossible to replicate or reproduce.

Therefore, she must persuade Zhou You to leave! As a noble daughter of a great family, she enjoys a superior living environment beyond the reach of ordinary people, but she must also bear the honor and reputation of her family.

Just like the Cao family daughter, Cao Xuan'er, who after being abducted by the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop, had only one fate: to 'die at the hands of the enemy.'

She is already doomed, and there is no need to drag an innocent civilian Martial Master down with her.

"It is too late."

Zhou You pointed to the sky not far away, where faint sonic booms were traveling through the clouds; that was a Strong Martial Artist approaching at supersonic speeds.

A white trail stretched across the azure firmament, coming from the distance to directly above their heads.

They are here, the Strong Martial Artist has caught up! "Impossible, I clearly used a secret treasure to mask my tracks and aura, why was I discovered so quickly?"

Zhu Qinghua's face turned pale; as a daughter of the Beixuan Zhu family, the equipment she carries is far more abundant than that of the likes of Liu Fengji.

At the time, the Hungry Tiger gang of Strong Martial Artists launched a sudden sneak attack, and she escaped alone under the cover of her attendants, even erasing her tracks and fleeing all the way to the relatively safe Zhou Family Village.

She had thought she could delay them for three or five days until she reached the territory of Fucheng, but the enemy arrived too quickly.

"The Golden Immortal Dao has many methods; since they are the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes, they must have made targeted preparations."

Since the Golden Immortal Dao chose the Hungry Tiger gang to be their vanguard, they must have given them the trump cards to take action, so breaking the concealment of a secret treasure is no problem.

A ball of green light fell from the high sky, coming with such ferocity that it seemed as if it wanted to pierce through the Earth's crust.

Suddenly, the green light split open, and a figure descended slowly, supported by a gentle breeze.

"Running so fast, you gave this young master quite a chase."

The greasy-faced youth looked toward where he had come from, "No time to lose; once the other companions arrive, some things will be difficult to handle."

He flicked his sleeve and shattered a Storage Pocket, and from mid-air, a... bed fell out.

In broad daylight, is he planning to take a nap?

Zhou You suddenly realized, and Zhu Qinghua beside him was trembling with rage, "You are a Strong Martial Artist, yet you are so base!"

Indulging in debauchery in broad daylight, engaging in illicit acts in the wilderness—holding such thoughts, is 'base' even enough to describe it? "Haha, you must keep this arrogant expression; this is exactly the spirit I want."

The greasy-faced youth seemed not to see Zhou You, speaking softly to Zhu Qinghua, his eyes full of greed.

He flicked his palm, and Zhu Qinghua flew forward involuntarily, landing on the soft bed.

"As for you? You have killed many of my disciples, so I cannot let you off lightly." He did not even look at Zhou You as he decided how to dispose of this unknown, nameless junior, "I will break your four limbs and stuff you into a chamber pot to watch and provide entertainment for me."

He certainly knows how to play! The youth treated the two as fish on a chopping block, to be humiliated at will, without even needing to ask for their opinions.

He raised his palm again, his five fingers slightly spread, and as he shook his hand, he aimed directly at Zhou You's limbs, intending to snap them cleanly and efficiently.

One must know that the physical body of a high-level Martial Master is both hard and flexible, capable of bending and stretching at will; snapping it in one go is by no means an easy task.

Yet he had the confidence to do so; after crossing the Strong Martial Heavenly Moat, the physical body is reborn, strengthened countless times over.

To a Strong Martial Artist, snapping the body of a high-level Martial Master is no different from snapping the tender sprout of a green plant.

Unexpectedly, Zhou You's counterattack was far more intense than anticipated.

"Hungry Tiger Swallows the Sun, devouring without end."

Zhou You bent his waist into the posture of a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, opened his mouth, and spat out a black hole; in the blink of an eye, the black hole swelled to the size of a water vat.

It struck the youth's palm perfectly, causing the Strong Martial Artist's Essence Energy to become chaotic and scatter, briefly dropping to the level of mere blood Qi.

The opportunity had arrived.

In a version where every detail is perfect!

Zhou You pounced with both fists in the shape of tiger claws, infusing Tiger Malice into his fingertips; for a moment, they were as crystalline as jade, pushing his fist technique to the peak of a Martial Master, the lethality of the Jade Tiger Malice reaching its absolute limit.

The youth's casual move had actually been blocked.

He was slightly surprised, became more attentive, and struck back with a backhand, his palm power increasing tenfold; this time, he intended to kill Zhou You completely.

Awoo!

Amidst the roar of a fierce tiger, the sound of glass shattering erupted from Zhou You's Jade Tiger Malice; this was the sign that, faced with an insurmountable gap, his physical body was on the verge of collapsing and perishing from the inside out.

"Master Zhou!"

Zhu Qinghua's gaze passed through the bed curtains, seeing Zhou You's body covered in cracks.

However, the next moment, amidst the fading tiger roar, a crane's cry suddenly rose, high-pitched and resonant, the sound rising like bamboo joints, becoming increasingly piercing, until finally, it transformed into... a phoenix cry.

Talent: A Single Call Startles the World! The youth had originally held the mindset of playing with his prey, his eyes fixed on Zhou You beneath his palm, wanting to see his body crushed by the immense force, his eyeballs popping out of his head, and his internal organs spraying from his mouth.

The sudden phoenix cry caught him off guard.

His head felt as if it had been pierced by a small chisel, his ears roared, and his vision went blank for a brief moment.

"Not good, trying to run?"

He struck out with a palm based on the direction he remembered, but only heard the bed collapse into a pile of powder, yet he could not hear a sound from Zhu Qinghua.

He hurriedly circulated Essence Energy to the meridians and membranes of his eyes, and in less than three breaths, his vision was restored.

"So they flew into the sky!"

The young man's ears twitched, capturing the traces of air currents, his eyes fixed on a corner of the sky.

At this moment, Zhou You was pulling Zhu Qinghua with one hand, two wings extended from his back as he soared through the sky at a speed of approximately 1.5 times the speed of sound.

"You, you are actually a Strong Martial?"

Zhu Qinghua whispered, "Master Zhou, why have you been hiding your true strength?"

"Merely a Pseudo-Strong Martial, it cannot be sustained, so please keep it a secret for me."

Zhou You was currently executing the Infant Phoenix Swallows Dragon Art, reaching the solid level of Qiangwu Yichongtian, shuttling at full power at about 1.1 times the speed of sound.

He further activated the Iron Feather battle robe for assistance, and his speed increased slightly, stepping into the level of 1.5 times the speed of sound.

The young man behind was in pursuit, but the distance was too great; he was left far behind, his shouting and yelling broken up by the wind.

(End of this chapter)