chsdbacks Chapter 30 The Enemy Approaches the Mountain Stronghold
Chapter 30 The Enemy Approaches the Mountain Stronghold
Lin Yan squatted behind an old pine tree on the left side of the pass, watching the movements in the narrow passage.
Xiong Kuo and two other bandits were lying on the right cliff face.
"They split their forces."
One of the bandits lowered his voice and pointed to the ridges on both sides, "One team will go around from the left, and the other team will go around from the right."
"You take the team on the left, six men with you," Lin Yan said to Xiong Kuo without turning his head. "I'll have Qian Laosi take the men on the right."
Xiong Kuo nodded, crouched down and retreated, leading six people to the left ridge.
Lin Yan's gaze returned to the narrow passage.
Zhao Yuanlang and the remaining twenty-odd people were slowly walking inside.
Once the last person had entered the narrow passage, he raised his right hand and gestured to the four bandits who remained behind.
Four machetes simultaneously slashed at the vines.
Six boulders cascaded down simultaneously, hundreds of large and small stones rolling down the cliff face, the thunderous sound shaking the entire mountain.
The people in the narrow passage didn't even have time to scream before they were swallowed by the stones.
The pebbles flew up to a height of more than a person.
Dust mixed with rainwater, forming a gray fog.
When the gray fog dissipated, Lin Yan saw that more than half of the people in the narrow passage had collapsed.
Some were pinned down by rocks with only one hand sticking out, while others lay sprawled in the rubble, groaning and unable to get up.
But Zhao Yuanlang was still standing perfectly fine.
He stood in the middle of the narrow path, with not a single stone within three zhang (approximately 10 meters) of his feet.
The rolling stones were all shattered into dust by Zhao Yuanlang's true energy, and scattered around.
Zhao Yuanlang raised his head, his gaze piercing through the rain and fixed on Lin Yan on the cliff face.
"Lin Yan." There was a hint of anger in his voice.
Lin Yan stood up from behind the old pine tree: "Manager Zhao, how have you been?"
"You do have some skill." Zhao Yuanlang took a step forward, his true energy exploding beneath his feet, crushing the pebbles on the ground into dust. "But it's only 'not bad'."
Lin Yan pulled out the broken blade and jumped off the cliff.
Upon landing, the [Micro-Dust Step] was activated silently, dissipating most of the impact force, and not a single drop of mud or water was splashed on the wet ground.
The two men faced each other in the narrow passage, ten paces apart.
"Where are the things?"
"What?"
"The incomplete text of the breathing exercise and that token!"
Zhao Yuanlang's voice suddenly rose, "That thing is not for you to touch! Hand it over, and I'll let you die a quick death."
Why don't you ask Zhou Kaiquan?
Lin Yan said.
Zhao Yuanlang's face twitched: "What did you do to him?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Yuanlang struck him with his palm.
The true energy enveloped the palm, and wherever it passed, all the rainwater was evaporated into white vapor.
Lin Yan used all his strength to use the bodyguard's footwork to dodge to the side. The wind from his palm grazed his chest, tearing his clothes with a ripping sound, and his chest skin burned with pain.
A palm strike from ten steps away can have this kind of power.
Is this the power of the True Qi Realm?
Lin Yan advanced instead of retreating, his broken blade sweeping upwards from bottom to top, using the fourth move of the military sword technique, the sweeping blade move.
Zhao Yuanlang used his left index and middle fingers to firmly grip the blade.
"Military swordsmanship?"
He scoffed, "Did Xiong Kuo, that deserter, teach you that?"
Lin Yan flicked his wrist, and the broken blade slipped from between his fingers, slicing across Zhao Yuanlang's tiger's mouth.
But the blade made a squeaking sound as it cut into the skin.
Like the sound of cutting into a steel plate, it left only a white mark.
True Qi protects the body.
After mastering body tempering, one punch can shatter bluestone, and a blow to the body protected by true qi won't even break the skin.
Zhao Yuanlang slapped Lin Yan in the chest with his backhand.
He parried with his sword, the force of his palm causing the blade to bend sharply, and he slid back seven or eight steps before regaining his footing.
The broken blade hummed, and the old wound on my hand reopened, blood dripping down the hilt.
[Simple Imitation] It has been capturing Zhao Yuanlang's movements.
The movements were clearly visible; the footwork, palm techniques, and even the shoulder movements before each palm strike were captured.
While he could imitate the movements, Lin Yan couldn't see through the flow of true energy within Zhao Yuanlang's body at all.
With each palm strike, Zhao Yuanlang's true energy flowed clearly from his dantian to his shoulder and then to his palm.
However, one cannot see how true qi circulates within the body.
It's like being able to see water gushing out of a pipe, but not being able to see what's inside the pipe.
"Are you learning my palm technique?"
Zhao Yuanlang saw the expression on his face and said with amusement, "Don't bother. This is a technique bestowed upon us by the higher-ups. If you could learn it after just one glance, wouldn't it become commonplace?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Yuanlang's palm technique suddenly changed.
That was a direct, head-on attack, releasing my true energy.
Now each palm strike has become soft and weak, appearing slow and leisurely, but the palm shadows are layered upon each other, making it impossible to distinguish which palm strike is real and which is feint.
Lin Yan blocked five blows in a row.
Each palm strike felt like hitting cotton, or like sinking into a quagmire; he couldn't muster any strength and was being led around by his opponent.
When another palm struck, he did not block it.
The broken blade slid along the edge of his palm, aiming straight for Zhao Yuanlang's armpit, where true qi was most difficult to protect.
A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Yuanlang's eyes. His true energy exploded under his armpit, forcibly pushing him back two steps, but the tip of the knife pierced a small hole in his clothes under his armpit.
"Good eye." He looked down at the breach. "No wonder Zhou Kaiquan was defeated by you."
Zhao Yuanlang no longer held back, striking out with his right palm, a faint layer of light blue true energy emanating from his palm.
Lin Yan used all his strength to parry with his sword.
The palm strike slammed into the blade, and the broken blade flew out of his hand and embedded itself in the rubble three zhang away.
The residual force of that palm strike traveled through his arm and struck his chest. He felt a sweet taste in his throat, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
He staggered back several steps before barely managing to regain his balance.
At this point, the right arm had completely lost sensation.
A body that has been tempered to its fullest extent can withstand the impact of true qi, but the internal organs cannot withstand the excessive shock of true qi.
"You learn things really quickly."
Zhao Yuanlang approached Lin Yan step by step, looking down at him. "It's a pity that martial arts training isn't just about learning. The secret to releasing blood and qi into true qi is something you can't grasp even if you work yourself to death without a master."
He raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers to cover Lin Yan's face.
True energy gathers in the palm.
"Hand over the fragments of the breathing exercises manual, the token, and the other items, and I'll spare your family's lives."
Lin Yan opened his mouth: "Are you sure I got the token?"
Zhao Yuanlang was taken aback.
Lin Yan grabbed a handful of gravel and sand from the ground with his right hand and threw it hard at Zhao Yuanlang's face.
Taking advantage of the moment when the other person instinctively closed their eyes, she suddenly lunged into his arms, her forehead slamming hard against his nose.
Even with true qi protecting the body.
The nasal bridge is also one of the most vulnerable parts.
Zhao Yuanlang felt the pain and his internal energy rebounded, sending Lin Yan flying.
Lin Yan crashed heavily to the ground and slid a long way before hitting the back of his head on a rock.
But he had already seen what he wanted before he landed.
The broken blade stuck not far away.
He grabbed the knife and swung it down with a single blow.
The blade suddenly changed direction the moment it was about to fall.
The sixth move, the Returning Wind Style.
Zhao Yuanlang reached out to block, but the blade curved around his arm, the tip precisely piercing the spot under his armpit where his clothes had been torn earlier.
The wound wasn't deep; it only went in less than an inch before being ejected by the true energy.
But this time, blood was drawn.
This truly broke through Zhao Yuanlang's defenses.
Zhao Yuanlang looked down at the blood seeping from his armpit, his face turning completely gloomy.
He looked at Lin Yan and said sternly, "Why won't you die?"
His inner energy suddenly erupted, blowing away all the stones and withered branches within a radius of ten feet.
Lin Yan was curled up on the ground, unable to lift his right arm. It seemed like he had broken another rib. His face was covered in blood and mud, but his eyes were still fixed on Zhao Yuanlang.
【Simple Sketch (Rough Understanding) 589/800】
not enough.
He couldn't get up.
As Zhao Yuanlang approached step by step, with each step he took, the pebbles on the ground seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand and smashed violently in all directions.