The Profound Bone Realm Gang Force in Pang Xuan’s hand was astonishingly powerful. It easily shattered the potent, blood-colored blade aura, and even the sturdy long saber let out a CRACK and snapped in two.
Luo Gui was terrified. ’How can a Profound Bone Realm master be this powerful?’ He knew he was no match, but he never imagined that even with his full strength, he couldn’t block a single one of Pang Xuan’s moves.
THUD!
Pang Xuan’s expression was cold, his momentum unabated.
After shattering the long saber with his palm, his hand, brimming with terrifying Gang Force, landed squarely on Luo Gui’s chest.
Accompanied by the horrifying CRACK of his chest bones shattering on a massive scale, Luo Gui let out a bloodcurdling scream. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing heavily into a distant mud puddle. Filthy water splashed everywhere, and he remained down, unable to get back up.
Nearby, a bone-deep chill instantly gripped Hong Lei’s heart as he witnessed the scene.
’This Pang Xuan is no ordinary Profound Bone Realm expert! The might of his attack, the density of his Gang Force... it’s all so powerful it’s despairing!’
’Run! I have to run!’
Terrified beyond belief, Hong Lei spun around and fled.
"Hmph. Colluding with the Black Lotus Sect... you deserve death!"
Pang Xuan snorted coldly. Without any visible movement from his feet, his body left a slowly fading afterimage on the spot.
In the blink of an eye, he had crossed several tens of yards, appearing directly behind Hong Lei as if he had used Shrinking Earth into Inches.
"Spare me, Mansion Master Pang! I was forced into this..."
Sensing the lethal danger approaching from behind, Hong Lei screamed, his soul nearly leaving his body in terror. His power was considerably weaker than Luo Gui’s. ’Even Luo Gui was gravely wounded and left on the brink of death by a single blow. How could I possibly withstand an attack from Pang Xuan?’
However, Pang Xuan paid no attention to his pleas for mercy.
’Luo Gui is a Senior Incense Master of the Black Lotus Sect, so of course I need to capture him alive for interrogation. But this insignificant Outer City gang leader? He’s nothing but a disposable pawn with no other value. It doesn’t matter if he dies.’
Pang Xuan struck out with his palm again.
This strike seemed ordinary, but the downpour all around them suddenly froze in place.
Pulled by the Gang Force, the raindrops condensed in mid-air, faintly outlining a giant palm over ten feet wide. It descended upon Hong Lei’s head like a mountain with five peaks.
Hong Lei felt the shadow of death instantly envelop him, a horrifying sensation that made his blood run cold. ’If that thing hits me, I’ll be pulverized into a meat paste!’
He didn’t dare turn back to defend himself. Wishing he had four legs, he pushed himself to the limit, wringing out every last shred of Qi and Blood in his body to scramble forward, praying he could escape the giant palm’s range.
Just as the deadly palm was about to descend,
a figure in a straw raincoat suddenly emerged from the curtain of rain ahead. The instant they appeared, they unleashed a breathtaking flash of sword light.
The sword light, like a bolt of white silk, effortlessly tore through the dense sheets of rain. An equally powerful Gang Force, one belonging to the Profound Bone Realm, erupted and slammed into Pang Xuan’s giant palm of energy.
BOOM—!!!
The two terrifying streams of Gang Force collided violently in mid-air, creating a deafening explosion.
Within a radius of several yards, the raindrops were instantly vaporized by the violent blast of Gang Force, carving out a bizarre, dry vacuum in the middle of the downpour.
Though Hong Lei had been quick to flee, he was still caught in the terrifying aftershock. His back felt as if it had been struck by a massive sledgehammer. A sweet taste filled his throat as he violently coughed up a mouthful of blood and stumbled to the ground.
Fortunately, the sword strike had successfully blocked Pang Xuan’s fatal attack. Though Hong Lei was internally injured, he had ultimately escaped certain death.
’A Hall Master from the Black Lotus Sect is here!’
Lying in the mud, Hong Lei was both shocked and overjoyed. ’It looks like Luo Gui wasn’t lying. The Black Lotus Sect really did have a top-tier Profound Bone Realm expert waiting in ambush!’
’But that also means the "Divine Statue" in Luo Gui’s storage ring is incredibly important to the Black Lotus Sect. They’re even willing to expose a Profound Bone Realm Hall Master just to secure it!’
’I have to risk it!’
Gritting his teeth, Hong Lei swallowed a precious pill. He didn’t continue fleeing alone. Instead, enduring the pain, he flashed to Luo Gui’s side, hoisted the gravely wounded man to his feet, and they both continued their escape toward the city gate.
Pang Xuan retracted his palm, his gaze grave as he stared at the approaching swordsman in the straw raincoat.
’A Profound Bone Realm Hall Master from the Black Lotus Sect... I really did hook a big one! It seems Luo Gui must be carrying something incredibly important.’
Pang Xuan sneered, undisguised killing intent glinting in his eyes. "A bunch of gutless rats who only dare to hide in the sewers. Since you’ve dared to show your faces today, you can all die here!"
Without hesitation, Pang Xuan charged, launching himself at the cloaked man like a raging tyrannosaur.
The two clashed instantly. As the Profound Bone Realm masters fought, Gang Force radiated wildly from them. The very air around them seemed to be sucked dry, creating a terrifying zone of flying sand and churning stone that no raindrop could penetrate. The scale of their battle was staggering.
...
Just as Hong Lei and Luo Gui reached the city gate, several figures arrived. Leading them were none other than Li Jingxuan, Ye Xiaohong, Su Yu, and several hundred Black Armor Guards.
"Hahahaha! Hong Lei! You treacherous dog, you actually dared to collude with the Black Lotus Sect! We’ve laid an inescapable trap for you today. Let’s see you try to run now!"
Li Jingxuan’s face lit up with glee.
’Such an incredible opportunity for glory is right in front of me. I must seize it!’
Despair filled Hong Lei’s eyes as he looked at the two Commanders and hundreds of Black Armor Guards blocking his path.
"Attack!"
Li Jingxuan and Ye Xiaohong exchanged a glance. Giving their target no chance to catch his breath or plead for mercy, they flanked Hong Lei from the left and right, instantly closing in for the kill.
’Luo Gui is gravely wounded and dying, completely useless. Hong Lei has also suffered serious internal injuries. We have to take him down swiftly and decisively!’
"You lapdogs of the Public Security Bureau! Do you really think our Holy Sect is defenseless?"
Just as the two Commanders were about to succeed,
from within the curtain of rain outside the city gate, six or seven more phantom-like black figures suddenly emerged!
The newcomers were incredibly fast, and the fluctuations of their Qi and Blood were immense. Every single one of them was a top expert who had reached the Muscle Forging Realm!
The leader of the group was less than five feet tall and had a dwarfish build, but the aura he emanated was astounding. As the pouring rain neared him, it was completely deflected by an invisible, protective layer of Gang Force that extended three feet from his body.
’Another Profound Bone Realm powerhouse!’
"Excellent! Just excellent!" Pang Xuan’s voice boomed from a distance where he had just repelled the cloaked swordsman. He had noticed the commotion, and a killing intent born of shock and fury flashed in his eyes. "Your Black Lotus Sect is outrageously arrogant! Daring to send out one Profound Bone Realm Hall Master after another!"
The Black Lotus Sect had appeared openly in Black Stone City time and time again. It was a blatant challenge, grinding the Public Security Bureau’s authority into the dust!
"Black Armor Guard, heed my order! Form the Black Tortoise Breaker Formation! Kill them all!" Pang Xuan roared.
"Yes, sir!"
The hundreds of Black Armor Guards instantly shifted formation. The front rank formed a forest of heavy shields while the rear rank drew back the strings on their heavy crossbows.
With a great THWUM, a volley of armor-piercing bolts shot into the sky, blotting out the light like a dark cloud before raining down upon the reinforcing Black Lotus Sect experts!
However, these heavy crossbow bolts, which were typically unstoppable on the battlefield, proved woefully inadequate against a Profound Bone Realm master.
The short Profound Bone Realm Hall Master just sneered and casually waved his withered hand.
WHOOSH—!
A violent gale of Gang Force erupted from the ground, forming an invisible, impenetrable wall. It intercepted the entire volley of bolts—each one capable of piercing iron armor—and swatted them to the ground as easily as if they were flies.
"Slaughter every last one of these hounds from the Court!"
The dwarfish Hall Master bellowed. His figure blurred as he led the charge, hurtling toward the Black Armor Guard formation to begin the slaughter.
Li Jingxuan and the others were deeply shaken as they watched the unrivaled Profound Bone Realm expert about to tear into their formation and begin a massacre.