Chapter 76: Exchange of Blows

Hearing Huang Yaoshi's name, Chen Xuanfeng's heart was shaken; ordinarily he and Mei Chaofeng dared not even mention this name, always using other terms instead.

Before this, they had killed people all over the jianghu and never dared say they were Peach Blossom Island Disciples, so ordinary jianghu people had no idea of their backgrounds, not knowing where these two experts had suddenly appeared from.

Yet this masked man pretending to be a ghost could actually call out Huang Yaoshi's name in one breath, and most importantly, his words showed no fear of Huang Yaoshi at all—one of the Five Greats, the Eastern Heretic, whom in the jianghu who does not fear?

Chen Xuanfeng knew that the person he met tonight was absolutely the most terrifying opponent.

But this fellow was naturally vicious and would never be easily frightened; instead, the three words Huang Yaoshi stimulated his ferocity to erupt.

He used the Empty Palm Strike again, sending several consecutive palm strikes toward Wu Chengyu, but Wu Chengyu repeated his old trick, his hands hovering like flowing clouds and water, stirring the airflow within three feet around him, and as soon as Chen Xuanfeng's Empty Palm Strike entered his three-foot range, its direction was immediately altered by an unknown force.

Several of those palm strikes, just like before, directly reversed and struck toward Chen Xuanfeng, while the remaining few were also carried away from Wu Chengyu's side and struck elsewhere.

This time Chen Xuanfeng was prepared; he used the Empty Palm Strike again just to see what marvelous martial arts Wu Chengyu was using, but he remained completely baffled, not knowing the principle at all.

He saw the Empty Palm Strike return and dodged in time, then lunged at Wu Chengyu again, this time choosing close-quarters combat directly, not giving the opponent a chance to redirect his palm force.

His hands became claws, his fingertips pitch-black and extremely sharp; his claws swiftly tore through the air with explosive sounds while also carrying a fishy stench. To increase the power of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng had already begun using arsenic.

The Nine Yin White Bone Claw was fierce and brutal, and in Chen Xuanfeng's hands even more formidable. He raised both claws, crossing them front and back; his left claw turned toward Wu Chengyu's chest, while his right hand was raised high and suddenly fell, five fingers pointing at Wu Chengyu's Six Yang Kui Shou, vowing to pierce through the opponent's crown in one strike.

Wu Chengyu was calm and unhurried; his feet seemed to exert no force, he merely twisted his ankle slightly, and his whole body took a light step to the left, actually standing directly beside Chen Xuanfeng's left side, their heads less than a foot apart.

But this small step was astonishingly fast; in Chen Xuanfeng's eyes, the man's figure seemed to split into two in an instant—one standing beside him, while the one his right claw had originally grabbed remained motionless in place, showing no reaction, yet when he grabbed at the crown, he found it was only an illusion.

Chen Xuanfeng had fought to the death with experts from all sides in recent years and had rich combat experience; he immediately realized his eyes had deceived him. His right claw had exerted too much force to withdraw in time; he turned his body slightly and forcibly changed his left claw's direction, directly slapping horizontally at the opponent's chest.

Wu Chengyu still did not strike, merely stepping back one step; this step was a bit small, and Chen Xuanfeng's left claw could still barely grab the opponent—once he grabbed him, he could at least tear off a piece of flesh.

But as soon as his left claw touched the opponent's clothes, he felt a thin layer of force covering the opponent's body; this force was extremely resilient and slippery, completely neutralizing his left claw's fierce attack. The move missed, and he nearly strained his own arm instead.

Two consecutive moves had failed, his balance was off, and the opponent stood close beside him; Chen Xuanfeng had never been so embarrassed. The opponent's speed and marvelous force were unheard of.

Yet Chen Xuanfeng hesitated not at this moment; he gritted his teeth, his right shoulder muscles bulged, and his leg tendons and waist exerted force simultaneously. Relying on his profound external-hardening cultivation, strong and powerful, he slammed hard into the opponent.

In his expectation, even if this short masked man had strange methods, his physical strength must be far inferior; one collision would surely let him regain the initiative, at least knocking the opponent back several meters.

But Wu Chengyu seemed to smile without smiling; he extended his right hand and gripped Chen Xuanfeng's shoulder. Chen Xuanfeng exerted his whole body's strength, but the man blocked him with one hand alone, unable to advance an inch.

At this moment Wu Chengyu finally took the initiative to attack; his right hand's five fingers burst forth with force, like five awls deeply piercing into Chen Xuanfeng's shoulder.

Chen Xuanfeng's whole body was trained in external hardening, his shoulder tendons exceptionally tough, yet at this moment they were as easily sliced open as tofu by Wu Chengyu's fingers. Blood flowed out, and the entire shoulder joint was directly dislocated by Wu Chengyu.

Chen Xuanfeng let out a shrill scream; in just one move, his shoulder was crippled by the opponent.

He no longer dared to exchange blows with Wu Chengyu; enduring the intense pain, he broke free from the man's palm, used his lightness skill to quickly put distance between them, took out several poison darts with his other hand and shot them at Wu Chengyu, then without looking back fled out of the town at his fastest speed in life, vanishing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Wu Chengyu merely swayed a few times and easily dodged those poison darts; he did not pursue, merely watching with interest as Chen Xuanfeng fled for his life.

After Chen Xuanfeng had gone far, several people who had been hiding in the corner watching coldly came out; the leader was precisely Lu Zhiyi and Niu Wanrou.

Niu Wanrou came forward in a few steps and said to Wu Chengyu, "Wu Xiaoxiongdi, a few of us could rush him together and subdue him; why must you put on such a show?"

Wu Chengyu shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the direction Chen Xuanfeng had disappeared, and replied: "The Black Wind Twin Demons are always inseparable; right now only Chen Xuanfeng is here. Even if we subdue him, he will absolutely not reveal Mei Chaofeng's whereabouts."

"My original intention was merely to quietly follow him all the way until we found their hiding place."

"I never expected this fellow to not only rob the medicine shop but also want to capture that Runner back to practice martial arts. To avoid implicating innocent people, I had no choice but to reveal myself early and save this Runner."

"The news Senior Brother Lu sent earlier said they had fled to Lingshan Town and were hiding somewhere in Xiao Lingshan. With our manpower, rashly searching the mountain might well startle them into fleeing."

"We have guarded this town for three days and finally waited for Chen Xuanfeng to come down the mountain. This time we have startled the snake by beating the grass, but it doesn't matter. To be safe, Senior Brother Lu has already taken those helpers to guard the foot of the mountain. Even if I don't follow him here, Chen Xuanfeng cannot escape."

Lu Zhiyi beside him, after ordering people to send away the innocent Runner who had been involved, said: "There is no time to lose; let us hurry too. The Black Wind Twin Demons have harmed countless people, and the people of Jiangnan have suffered greatly from them. No matter what, they must die here tonight."

Several people used their lightness skill and rushed toward Xiao Lingshan, where Mei Chaofeng was currently hiding. Wu Chengyu ran all the way, but the corners of his mouth curled slightly, and he secretly rejoiced in his heart.

Before tonight, he had estimated that his cultivation time was short and his accumulation of power insufficient; facing Chen Xuanfeng, self-preservation was no problem, but defeating him would be somewhat difficult. Who would have thought that after exchanging blows, he would hold the upper hand, and even if he had not intentionally let him go, he alone would have been enough to subdue Chen Xuanfeng.

This was his first true battle since coming to this world. His opponent was one of the famously notorious Black Wind Twin Demons. Apart from the Five Absolutes, Lao Wantong, and Qiu Qianren, in the original work there were not many who could steadily defeat him one-on-one in martial arts.

At this moment Wu Chengyu felt for the first time that he had become a true master of the martial world.

(Chapter End)