Chapter 21: Ultimate Iron Sand Palm, Drawing the Blade to Kill

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Ultimate Iron Sand Palm, Drawing the Blade to Kill

BANG, BANG, BANG!

Intense sounds of collision echoed through the alley as two silhouettes darted back and forth. The woman in yellow moved with vigorous agility. Having cultivated her Sword Technique to an exceptionally high level, every movement she made exuded a razor-sharp aura. Yet, despite her prowess, she still could not take down Zhao Kuo.

Zhao Kuo’s Body Technique was inferior to hers, but he seemed to be wearing armor on his arms. Relying on the sturdy defense of his armor, he easily blocked the woman in yellow’s flurry of attacks.

The two clashed rapidly within the cramped, narrow alley. After a violent collision, both of them retreated. The woman in yellow stared at Zhao Kuo with a grim expression, her hand trembling slightly around the hilt of her sword.

Noticing this, Zhao Kuo let out a muffled grunt. His hands gave a sudden shake, dispersing the residual force in his arms. He then looked at his opponent and sneered. "There are plenty of people who want to kill me. You think you’re up to the task?"

"I am more than enough!"

Upon hearing this, the woman in yellow took a deep breath. Her body darted forward like a phantom, charging at Zhao Kuo once more. After their previous exchange, Zhao Kuo’s face remained calm. Facing her attack, instead of retreating, he advanced.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!

The sharp sword and the armor collided again, sending ear-piercing screeches echoing through the alley. The woman in yellow thrust her sword with the fluid grace of a swimming fish, darting from all directions and relying on her nimble Body Technique to stab at Zhao Kuo.

"Huh?"

When her attack was blocked, the woman in yellow’s expression froze, but she quickly reacted and withdrew her sword. Before Zhao Kuo could respond, she launched a thrust straight at his chest. She had assumed that even if this strike could not kill Zhao Kuo, it would definitely injure him. However, the unexpected resistance that followed made her expression stiffen. She realized that this guy was actually wearing soft armor!

"HAHAHA!"

Seeing the woman in yellow momentarily stunned, Zhao Kuo burst into wild laughter, though the movements of his hands did not slow down in the slightest.

"Break!" he bellowed in a low voice.

His arms suddenly erupted with a tyrannical physical force. Right in front of the woman in yellow, he forcibly snapped her sword in half. With a loud CRACK, the broken blade clattered to the ground.

Seeing this, the woman in yellow’s expression changed drastically, and she frantically retreated. Zhao Kuo, however, had no intention of letting her go. He pressed forward step by step, a teasing glint in his eyes. Swinging his arms with violent power, he smashed toward the woman in yellow as he advanced.

Without her sword in hand, the woman in yellow’s combat strength dropped sharply. She could only rely on her agile Body Technique to dodge. But a prolonged defense inevitably leads to mistakes. Zhao Kuo soon seized an opening and slammed a palm strike squarely into her chest.

"You’re a man?" Zhao Kuo frowned, asking coldly as he felt the texture beneath his palm.

As a seasoned warrior, how could he not tell the difference? A mere touch was enough for him to notice something was wrong.

The woman in yellow staggered back several steps from the blow. Her face flushed red as she let out a muffled groan, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Hearing his words, she did not answer. She merely glared at Zhao Kuo and turned to flee.

But how could Zhao Kuo let her leave? He roared, "Trying to run? It won’t be that easy!"

Before his voice even faded, Zhao Kuo lunged forward, reaching out to grab the woman in yellow. But she seemed to sense his approach. Just as Zhao Kuo was about to catch her, she spun around and hurled the remains of her broken sword at him. In this critical moment, Zhao Kuo was forced to dodge out of the way, which gave the woman in yellow the perfect opportunity to escape.

Seeing his opponent get away, Zhao Kuo’s expression turned slightly sour, but he did not give chase. With his speed, he probably wouldn’t be able to catch up anyway. He looked down at the broken sword left behind by his opponent. Picking it up to inspect it, he didn’t notice anything special about it.

"A Martial Artist who uses a sword? Could it be him?" Zhao Kuo muttered to himself, falling into deep thought.

"Who’s there?"

Suddenly, feeling a terrifying gust of wind approaching from behind, his expression changed drastically. He whipped around, only to be greeted by a pitch-black Iron Palm tearing through the air straight toward his face. In a moment of desperation, Zhao Kuo raised his hand and threw a punch.

The instant the fist and palm collided, terrifying shockwaves rippled outward in concentric circles, whipping both of their hair and clothes into a frenzy. Su Chen’s sleeves fluttered wildly in the gale.

Seeing this, Zhao Kuo’s pupils contracted slightly, but he had no time to focus on that now. The terrifying physical force transmitted from the Iron Palm sent a numbing shock up his arm. With a loud BOOM, Zhao Kuo was forced back several steps. The muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably, and his breathing grew ragged.

"And who the hell are you?" Zhao Kuo demanded with a dark expression, glaring at Su Chen.

He cursed inwardly, wondering why he was so unlucky today to run into two people trying to kill him back-to-back.

Seeing that Zhao Kuo was uninjured, a trace of surprise flashed through Su Chen’s eyes. He had used Krypton Gold to train his Iron Sand Palm to its absolute limit three days ago. A single palm strike of his could shatter a palm-sized rock into gravel. He never expected that taking his full-strength strike would only leave Zhao Kuo with a flushed face and rapid breathing.

Hearing Zhao Kuo’s words, Su Chen did not reply. His eyes grew serious as he launched another attack. He figured that Zhao Kuo’s strength must have been steeped in the Power Training Realm for a long time, making him several degrees more formidable than an ordinary martial artist at Perfect Power Cultivation. If Liu Tong were to fight him, he likely wouldn’t even last ten moves.

Su Chen couldn’t help but grow vigilant, yet a surging will to fight blossomed in his eyes. Zhao Kuo was the strongest opponent he had encountered so far, making him the perfect touchstone to test his own strength. With a burst of motion, Su Chen charged forward once again.

"You’re courting death!" Zhao Kuo gritted his teeth and roared furiously, rushing out to meet him.

The two clashed.

"What a terrifying Iron Palm!"

"What incredible defense!"

After a brief exchange, both Su Chen and Zhao Kuo had witnessed each other’s prowess. Facing Su Chen’s Iron Palm, Zhao Kuo didn’t dare to take the hits head-on; the impact was excruciatingly painful. Meanwhile, when Su Chen’s Iron Palm struck Zhao Kuo’s body, it felt like hitting iron plating, and the rebounding force left his palm slightly numb.

"I don’t care who you are, you’re not leaving here today!"

Stepping back several paces, Zhao Kuo clenched his fists. His entire body suddenly swelled up. With a loud RIP, his clothes were instantly torn apart, revealing pitch-black skin underneath.

Su Chen fixed his eyes on it and his heart immediately skipped a beat. This wasn’t skin, but a thin layer of black armor that looked as if it had grown directly out of his body.

"What kind of martial art is this?" Su Chen thought, deeply alarmed.

Right at that moment, Zhao Kuo’s figure flickered. In the blink of an eye, he dashed over, taking the initiative to attack. Su Chen threw out a palm strike that landed squarely on the black armor, producing the ringing sound of metal clashing. The black armor showed not the slightest bit of damage, whereas Su Chen’s palm throbbed with a dull pain.

"HAHAHA!"

Seeing this, Zhao Kuo let out a disdainful laugh. He then reached out, attempting to snap Su Chen’s neck. With quick reflexes, Su Chen dodged out of the way, retreating as he stared solemnly at Zhao Kuo.

"No," Su Chen thought, "this black armor is incredibly hard. I can’t break it with my Iron Sand Palm in a short time. However, this armor only covers his torso and limbs—his head is exposed!"

As he analyzed the situation, he quickly made his decision. He charged forward again, throwing a punch straight at Zhao Kuo.

"Bring it on!"

A look of delight crossed Zhao Kuo’s face. He stepped forward, completely abandoning his defense to take Su Chen’s punch head-on. With a muffled grunt, Zhao Kuo bent his arm and forcefully clamped down on Su Chen’s arm.

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Su Chen. "Your time is up!"

With that, he balled his hand into a fist and swung it at Su Chen.

But right at that moment, the sound of tearing fabric rang out, causing Zhao Kuo’s expression to freeze. He stared at an arm that had abruptly emerged from Su Chen’s sleeve, his mind completely baffled.

Before he could even process what was happening, a SWISH pierced the air, and a sudden flash of cold light came whistling toward him.