"Come on, surround this kid. Don't let him get away."
At the entrance to Longtan Town, the deep voice came from Qin Hong.
"Yes, sir!" Then, the four young men beside him immediately surrounded Ling Fei.
The five men surrounded Ling Fei, staring at him coldly like hungry wolves.
"Ling Fei, I hear you've been recovering well lately. So, let me see how you, Ling the sickly, plan to turn your life around?" Qin Hong said with a look of contempt.
The moment he finished speaking, his eyes flashed. His arm moved, his hand clenched into a fist, and he threw a punch at Ling Fei.
Ape Arm Fist!
A low voice rang out.
Then, his fist flashed forward, and the sound of his bones cracking could be heard.
Following the cracking sound, his arm seemed to suddenly stretch in an instant, appearing right in front of Ling Fei's forehead.
The fierce gust from the punch was already rushing toward his face.
"So fast!" Seeing this, Ling Fei's pupils suddenly shrank.
'Qin Hong's arm is too fast. It's like it grew a foot longer out of thin air.'
This was Ape Arm Fist, a Mortal Level Upper Grade Martial Arts. After cultivating it, one could alter their bone structure, allowing their arms to stretch suddenly.
However, Ling Fei didn't panic. With a twist of his waist, he leaned his body back and dodged the blow.
After evading the attack, his body spun like a top, moving to the left.
This was a Mortal Level Low Grade Martial Arts, Whirlwind Shadow Step!
"He dodged it?" Seeing this, Qin Hong was slightly stunned. "Quick reflexes, but you won't get another chance."
Ape Arm Grasping the Moon!
As his voice fell, Qin Hong immediately attacked with force.
His arm shot out, transforming into a giant claw as it aimed for Ling Fei's chest and abdomen.
Ling Fei's body flashed as he hurriedly dodged the strike.
White Ape Striking Mountain!
Qin Hong pressed his advantage, his punches coming in fierce and rapid gusts. Each move was incredibly fast, giving Ling Fei no chance to catch his breath.
'This Qin Hong really has some skill.' Facing Qin Hong's aggressive assault, Ling Fei immediately felt that his opponent's Martial Arts experience was indeed impressive.
"There's someone over there!" At that moment, two figures appeared in the distance at the town entrance.
The two were none other than Huang Xiaoman and Huang Liang.
"That's Ling Fei!" Huang Liang's eyes lit up as he spotted Ling Fei being aggressively attacked by Qin Hong.
'Huh, those are people from the Qin Mansion. How did Ling Fei get into a fight with them? From the looks of it, this is going to be a tragedy for him!' Huang Liang thought to himself.
"That person is Qin Ming's younger brother, Qin Hong." Huang Xiaoman also recognized Qin Hong.
"I heard Qin Hong reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering almost a year ago. He should be at the Late Stage of Body Tempering Ninth Layer by now. With him taking action, hehe, Ling Fei is screwed." Huang Liang wore an expression of someone watching a good show. "But how did he end up fighting this Qin Hong?" He furrowed his brow and focused on the scene ahead.
"Qin Hong reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering almost a year ago?" Hearing this, Huang Xiaoman's elegant brows furrowed, and a worried expression appeared on her face.
Thousand Ape Shadows!
At this moment, a deep voice came from Qin Hong.
He moved both arms, and a flurry of afterimages, carrying a violent force, struck toward Ling Fei.
This kind of attack, a mix of real and illusory, was hard to discern. It sealed off Ling Fei's escape routes, leaving him unable to dodge.
After all, he had been on the back foot, constantly retreating, and now he had nowhere left to run.
'Oh no!' Seeing this, Huang Xiaoman cried out inwardly.
If Ling Fei were hit, he would surely be gravely injured.
If Qin Hong continued to attack after he was severely injured, Ling Fei's foundation would most likely be damaged.
Could the already frail and sickly youth withstand the crushing force of a powerhouse at the Nine Layers of Body Tempering?
At this thought, Huang Xiaoman, who had originally come with her brother to cause trouble, immediately started to worry about Ling Fei.
She ran as if flying, desperately rushing forward in the hope that she could save Ling Fei.
But they were too far away—a full kilometer away!
There was no way she could make it there in an instant.
"Why is Sis running so fast?" Huang Liang looked puzzled.
Before him, overlapping arm shadows flickered. Qin Hong was like a vicious ape pouncing, his presence overwhelming.
'Can't dodge it. I'll have to take it head-on.' Ling Fei's gaze hardened. He planted his feet firmly, his shoulders, waist, and arms moving in perfect coordination. Then, his eyes flashed as he locked onto one of the fist shadows before him and threw a punch of his own.
Shatterstone!
A low voice rang out. Ling Fei's fist, carrying a gust of wind, broke through the layers of fist shadows and collided with a single fist.
It was Qin Hong's fist.
"He actually saw through the feints of my punch!" Qin Hong was momentarily stunned, but then a cold smile formed on his lips. He sneered, "But what good will that do you?"
'I'm at the Late Stage of Body Tempering Ninth Layer Realm. When our fists collide, who do you think will be the one to suffer?'
This single blow would decide the victor!
BANG!
A dull impact sound rang out.
Their fists collided like steel.
First came the clash of bone and power.
Qin Hong possessed a strength of three thousand pounds. His strike was overwhelming and seemingly unstoppable.
By his calculations, this punch should have been enough to send Ling Fei flying, his fist bones shattering.
But as the punch landed, the smile on Qin Hong's face froze.
'These bones are so hard!' First, he felt as if he had punched the hardest Profound Stone, and a sharp pain shot through his fist.
'This guy's power isn't small, either. It seems just a little weaker than mine?' Then, Qin Hong felt the power in his opponent's fist.
All this flashed through his mind in an instant.
'Could it be? Has he reached the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering? But... that can't be right!' This filled his heart with astonishment.
The clash of bone, the clash of fist-power.
Next, the Blood Qi from their entire bodies—that is, their True Qi—began to surge toward their fists.
This was the final confrontation.
The clash of True Qi!
One with vast reserves of True Qi could completely crush their opponent.
Because True Qi represented the sustainability of power.
If one's True Qi was insufficient, their strength would wane, and their opponent's power would inevitably press the advantage. In that case, how could they not be defeated?
WHOOSH!
Within Qin Hong's body, a vast amount of True Qi surged forward.
He cultivated the Celestial Essence Technique, a widely practiced art in the Great Tang Empire.
That immense True Qi was like a river, its power surging forth ceaselessly.
After reaching the Ninth Layer of Body Tempering and generating True Qi, it was no longer a simple comparison of physical power.
It was a contest of who had the more abundant True Qi.
Inside Ling Fei's body, there was only a single wisp of True Qi.
After his fist clashed with Qin Hong's, this wisp of True Qi also followed his Blood Qi and power, surging into his fist.
ROAR!
The True Qi rushed forth. Though it was only a wisp, it let out a roar like that of a dragon or a tiger.
The ancients had a saying: "A pulse like a dragon-elephant, powerful and vigorous."
This was the manifestation of Blood Qi like a dragon, flourishing to its absolute peak.
BOOM!
Their True Qi slammed into each other.
In terms of raw power, Ling Fei did not have much of an advantage.
However, when that wisp of Cold Chi True Qi reached his fist and erupted, an extreme Cold Intent burst forth with it.
This Cold Intent traveled from fist to fist, invading Qin Hong's own.
Instantly, Qin Hong felt a chill in his fist. His meridians and True Qi seemed to freeze solid.
An extreme Cold Intent flooded his mind.
"This…" As the Cold Intent surged through him, Qin Hong's heart skipped a beat. His face changed, and his eyes filled with horror.
At that very moment, the Cold Qi traveled up his meridians and poured into his body, continuously spreading.
Wherever the Cold Qi passed, his blood and True Qi froze.
Ice crystals began to form on Qin Hong's fist.
"Th-this is Cold Essence True Qi!" Qin Hong's eyes were wide with terror.
He stared at Ling Fei, his pupils shrinking abruptly as a complex expression flickered in his eyes.
Cold Essence True Qi…
This was not something an ordinary person could cultivate. Anyone who could master this type of True Qi was bound to be a peerless, heaven-blessed prodigy.
Could this "Ling the sickly" from Longtan Town really be one of those one-in-ten-thousand prodigies among Cultivators?
But before Qin Hong could say another word, his expression froze completely. The spreading Cold Qi had already encased his entire body in ice.
In just an instant…
Qin Hong had become an ice sculpture.