Chapter Thirty-Three: Summoning the Armored Spirit!
Crackle, crackle! Black spiritual energy surged from Hao Qiang’s body, sweeping outward, accompanied by streaks of golden lightning that crackled furiously, swirling and raging around him.
The aura he exuded was extraordinary!
Amidst the rampaging golden currents, segments of white armor began to materialize, covering every inch of his body. At last, Hao Qiang stood transformed—a formidable Armored Spirit, encased head to toe in dazzling white armor.
“Get out of my way!” he roared, his voice like a black tiger’s snarl. Killing intent erupted as his armored fist smashed down on the sword of the black-clad assailant.
With a resounding clang, the sword shattered under his fist, and the man in black was sent hurtling backwards by the force, crashing heavily into the distance.
“Your life is mine!” Hao Qiang kicked off the ground, his form a streak of white that flashed forward. In a blink, he was upon his foe, unleashing another fierce punch.
“You’re not the only one with an Armored Spirit!” the man in black bellowed. Golden lightning crackled around him as well; segments of armor materialized to encase his body.
His own fist shot forth with a roar.
Boom—
Their fists collided, hurling a shockwave in all directions.
Both men staggered back, but immediately grounded themselves and charged again like wild tigers, fearless and relentless.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Within moments, the fight was locked in a deadlock. The clash of armor and the surging shockwaves declared the ferocity of their battle.
Some of the black-clad attackers took the chance to charge at Liu Ji, but Hao Qiang blocked their way with desperate ferocity, holding off three opponents alone, growing only more valiant with each exchange.
He shouted, “My lord, go—leave this place at once!”
But Liu Ji seemed not to hear. Seizing the moment as Hao Qiang held the three enemies at bay, he poured all his spiritual energy into his vitality, strength, and speed. Blood surged within him, his strength soared, his mind sharpened to a razor’s edge.
“Look out!” Hao Qiang’s worried shout rang in his ears as Liu Ji hesitated. Snapping back to his senses, Liu Ji saw a blur of yellow appear before him—a fist exploded through the air and slammed into his chest.
Blood burst from his mouth as he was blasted away like a cannonball, crashing painfully before tumbling endlessly across the ground.
Barely managing to steady himself, he looked up to see the figure in yellow armor flash before him again. A vicious kick landed on his head, sending him flying dozens of meters.
The yellow-armored figure smiled coldly. “With my power, I already outclass you. Now that I have summoned my Armored Spirit, how could you possibly be my match?”
His Armored Spirit was no ordinary one—it was a rare, almost mythical Special-Type Armored Spirit, granting him immense strength. With his current power, a single kick could shatter stone.
Crack! He stamped the ground, shattering it beneath him as he blurred toward Liu Ji in a yellow flash.
He appeared before Liu Ji, fist snapping forward at Liu Ji’s head, the punch whistling with deadly force.
Staring at the incoming blow, Liu Ji roared in defiance. Blood and energy boiled within him, all his strength channeled into his hands. Clutching the Azure Steel Profound Jade Blade, he cleaved mightily at the attacker’s fist.
Clang!
Blade and fist collided, unleashing a shockwave. Liu Ji’s pupils shrank in shock—cracks had appeared on his treasured blade.
A heartbeat later, it exploded into fragments.
That blade, among the finest weapons in the entire Armory of the Southern Guardian’s Manor, was destroyed by a single punch?
He was aghast. He had known that Armored Spirits were tougher than ordinary weapons, but he’d never imagined such overwhelming might!
As his blade shattered, the yellow-armored man spun and lashed out with a roundhouse kick at Liu Ji’s head, the air shrieking beneath the blow.
Liu Ji paled, raising his arms to block. The next instant, the man’s leg slammed into him and sent him flying, bouncing him like a sandbag for a dozen meters before he finally skidded to a halt.
But the yellow-armored assassin had no intention of letting him catch his breath; turning into a streak of yellow, he charged again.
Meanwhile, Yu Cheng and the others had all summoned their own Armored Spirits, but their adversaries were likewise rare Armored Spirit wielders.
Despite their desperate desire to shield Liu Ji in his peril, they were hopelessly entangled, unable to break free.
“Damn it! These bastards!” Yu Cheng gritted his teeth, blasting his opponent away with a punch, only for the enemy to charge back fearlessly, denying him any chance to help Liu Ji.
He glanced around and saw that Xu Man, Du Qiang, Zhang Lin, and Hao Qiang were all locked in battle as well. Hao Qiang, fighting two opponents alone, was faltering, falling gradually into disadvantage.
“Is there really nothing we can do?” Yu Cheng was frantic, like an ant on a hot griddle. Their mission was to protect the young lord, yet now, as Liu Ji teetered on the edge of life and death, they could only watch helplessly, consumed by anxiety.
At this rate, the young lord, lacking the strength to defend himself, would surely be beaten to death by the assassin in yellow armor, perishing utterly in this place.
Crash!
A figure tumbled in a miserable arc and crashed to the ground—it was Liu Ji.
Though the golden-scale mail he wore had spared him visible wounds, pain wracked his body from within. Blood leaked ceaselessly from his mouth; his organs must have been gravely injured. His condition was dire.
The pain was less than that which he’d endured when cultivating the Sacred Heavenly Gang Art, but it still made him grit his teeth, his mind seething with frustration and rage, his fury ready to erupt like a volcano.
Yet for all his anger, he was powerless before the yellow-armored man—his impotence was a bitter torment.
“Stubborn, aren’t you? In that case, I’ll just twist your head off!” The yellow-armored man charged at Liu Ji.
Staring at the oncoming foe, Liu Ji’s eyes burned red with hatred. At this moment, only a single thought remained in his mind.
Kill him!
Kill him!
Kill him!
Crackle, crackle!
As that one thought blazed forth, golden lightning suddenly burst around Liu Ji, snaking wildly about him like living serpents, as if the Thunder God himself had descended.
Awe-inspiring!
“An Armored Spirit?” The yellow-armored man’s brow furrowed, and his speed abruptly soared. In a flash, he was before Liu Ji, fist howling down at Liu Ji’s head.
The very air screamed beneath the blow.
Yet Liu Ji, instead of dodging, bellowed in defiance. His right hand clenched into a fist, and he struck out as well.
As his punch flew, jet-black segments of Armored Spirit armor erupted from his flesh, encasing his arms and fists.
Boom!
As the fists collided, a mighty shockwave exploded outward. In that instant, the yellow-armored man cried out in disbelief, “Impossible! My strength, how is it—?”
He never finished. In the next moment, Liu Ji’s punch sent him flying, blood spraying from his mouth as he crashed into a thick tree trunk.
As Liu Ji blasted the man away, the entire battlefield seemed to fall silent. All eyes turned, aghast at the sight.
Who could have imagined that the yellow-armored man, who had held the upper hand all along, would be sent flying by Liu Ji’s single punch? The shock was palpable.
At the same time, confusion filled the air.
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