Chapter Fifty-Five: Strange Strength, First Blood (Seeking Recommendations)

With the elimination of Gao Fan, who had posed a serious threat with his hidden gunfire, Wu You's situation immediately became more relaxed. After dodging for a while, he no longer felt as tense facing Zhuo Xianfei's sword techniques as he had in the beginning.

Strictly speaking, under the influence of the Demon God's extraordinary powers, Wu You was actually a bit faster than Zhuo Xianfei. The heightened dynamic vision granted him an ever-increasing ability to adapt to rapid movements. No matter how swift a swordsman’s changes of technique, every move eventually shows its pattern. At first, it was hard to discern, but after seeing them several times, Wu You began to see through the tricks.

The unique control granted by the Demon God's powers was formidable, but it required concentration, and it rapidly drained his mental energy. At least for now, given Wu You’s current mastery and physical and mental condition, he couldn’t effectively use it in such high-speed combat. But that didn’t mean Wu You was willing to let others chase him around and attack as they wished.

Earlier, the fight had gone so smoothly for Zhuo Xianfei that he almost crushed that young expert, chasing him down with every slash, and had developed a sense of overconfidence. Discovering his opponent was just a silver-plated spearhead—all show and no substance—he switched from rapid changes of technique to repeatedly using killing strikes. But every such deadly move has a weakness: when one attacks with full force, the recovery is larger and slower.

Behind him, Gao Fan’s hidden weapons had ceased. In his evasive maneuvers, Zhuo Xianfei caught sight of Gao Fan locked in a standoff with a strange, large dog. Gao Fan was actually missing part of his lower leg—the situation looked grim—and the hidden weapons he’d thrown had all been dodged by the beast. Yet, the opponent before Zhuo Xianfei, though not a true master, was slippery and difficult to pin down.

Wu You glanced into the distance. The old man surnamed Lü and Ji Haoxuan seemed on the verge of collapse, besieged by nine black-clad guards, but they should be able to hold out a while longer. And because Gao Fan was in trouble, the iron-sword wielder’s attacks had clearly grown impatient. A thought flashed through Wu You’s mind. Dodging a sword slash, he deliberately twisted his left foot, making it appear as if he’d lost his balance.

A cold gleam flashed in Zhuo Xianfei’s eyes—an opportunity! He gripped his long sword in his right hand, his body tilting as he poured his strength into the move “White Rainbow Pierces the Sun.”

Wu You had been bottling up his fury. You think I’m your clown? He instantly switched the Dragon Spring Sword, which he’d been using more like a fire poker, to his left hand. With a resounding clang, he knocked aside Zhuo Xianfei’s sword. A sudden amber light flashed in his eyes, and veins bulged on his right forearm.

Did you really think I’m a sickly cat?

With a thunderous roar, his right fist, like a cannonball, blasted toward Zhuo Xianfei’s unguarded chest.

But Zhuo Xianfei remained composed. His left palm, filled with gathered inner energy, met Wu You’s right fist head-on.

A sharp crack resounded—the sound of fist meeting palm.

With a gruesome crunch, the bones and tendons of Zhuo Xianfei’s right arm shattered, the bones of his forearm piercing through the elbow. Wu You’s punch, undeterred by the interception, landed squarely on Zhuo Xianfei’s left chest.

Time seemed to slow for Zhuo Xianfei as Wu You’s fist imprinted itself on his chest. Where it struck, flesh and bone instantly caved into a horrifying crater. He didn’t even have time to spit blood.

In a blur, Zhuo Xianfei’s entire body shot off the cliff in a straight line, a white streak against the mountain, dead before he even hit the ground.

The sudden turn of events left Gao Fan completely unprepared. He forced Xiao Hei back with several powerful palm strikes and glanced over to see Zhuo Xianfei still hurtling through the air. Before another thought could form, a sharp pain stabbed the back of his head—and he lost consciousness entirely.

In the blink of an eye, two formidable experts had fallen in succession.

Before the black-clad guards could react, Xiao Hei had already leapt into their side of the battle. Wu You, still burning with real rage, was startled by his own monstrous strength, but his first priority was to eliminate these damnable black-clad men.

He snatched up the scattered steel needles and various hidden weapons that Gao Fan had thrown earlier. As Wu You handled each one, faint sparks of electricity flickered across their surfaces.

Damn it, I may not know fancy hidden weapon techniques, but who doesn’t know how to throw a dart?

With his unnaturally precise vision, Wu You hurled hidden weapons at the nine black-clad guards at an incredible speed. His accuracy was such that only those making a concerted effort to dodge could avoid being hit, but Lü Shengyang wasn’t to be underestimated, and with Xiao Hei and the ghostly mosquito in the fray, the odds were tipped.

In less than two minutes, all nine black-clad guards lay dead on the ground. Of these, Wu You himself had shot down three.

Lü Shengyang, without a care for his dignity, slumped to the ground beside Ji Haoxuan. Both men were gasping for breath.

Wu You stared at the corpses, especially those he’d killed himself and those whose limbs Xiao Hei had torn apart. A wave of nausea rose in his stomach.

“Hero, thank you for your help…” Lü Shengyang began to offer his thanks.

Wu You raised a hand to stop him. As Lü Shengyang wondered at this, Wu You hurried a few steps away, bent over, and vomited violently.

He didn’t stop for a while. Every bit of food and fruit he’d eaten at home, anything not yet digested, came up. Only when his stomach was empty did Wu You finally recover, lifting his head to reveal a pale, wan face.

Lü Shengyang had at first thought Wu You was a top-tier expert, but after witnessing him being chased around by Gao Fan and Zhuo Xianfei, he’d revised his opinion. Wu You didn’t look like someone trained in martial arts at all—he’d been running everywhere, harried by his opponents. But then, the situation took a sharp turn: this young hero possessed an astonishingly powerful dog, and while Wu You’s fighting style was chaotic, his movements were preternaturally agile, dodging every attack without being struck once.

What was even more astonishing was his brute strength. Lü Shengyang hadn’t seen the exact moment Zhuo Xianfei was hit, but he saw the result: the man’s body shot off the cliff like a meteor, horribly mangled midair. Lü Shengyang reckoned that, even at his peak, if he’d taken such a punch, he would have died instantly. Left Qianqiu’s palm was fearsome, but more than a month later, Old Lü was still alive and kicking. What did that mean? It meant Wu You’s punching power exceeded that of the nearly grandmaster-level Left Qianqiu.

Of course, from Wu You’s performance just now, brute strength didn’t equal combat ability. If he and Left Qianqiu faced off directly, Wu You would certainly lose. But it was still impressive. If Wu You ever mastered sophisticated martial techniques, who knew what heights he might reach?

“Er… Hero, are you all right?” Lü Shengyang asked, half-concerned, half-curious.

Wu You waved a hand. “I’m fine. It’s just my first time killing someone—I feel a bit sick.”

From showing off just moments ago to now looking so pathetic, Wu You felt a little embarrassed.

“Oh, I understand. You needn’t mind,” Lü Shengyang replied with unexpected sympathy. “When I was young and killed for the first time, I fainted on the spot. You handled it far better than I did.”

“Still, this is no place to linger. The Imperial Court’s top enforcer, Left Qianqiu, should be nearby. We should leave at once.”

Wu You had already regained his composure. Hearing Lü Shengyang’s words, he realized the man was right. That firework earlier was definitely not just for show.