Light Fortress
Chapter 194 - 181 Good Night, Da Du (3rd Update)

Chapter 194: Chapter 181 Good Night, Da Du (3rd Update)

"Hmm..."

Along with a muffled groan, the crackling sound of the V-shaped smiling mask shattering resounded.

The expression hidden beneath the mask was unknown, but from that groan, it was not difficult to feel... Song Ci’s whip kick had indeed caught him by surprise.

Unfortunately, no blood splattered out.

A fierce whip kick!

Song Ci, suspended in mid-air, furrowed his brows; this was the first time he had encountered such a bizarrely massive resistance... That mask itself seemed to contain a powerful "repulsive force," creating a "vacuum zone" between it and his shin.

Though there was no physical contact.

But the impact was still transmitted!

He heard the mask cracking and thus chose to continue the assault... twisting his waist, another knee strike with the alternate leg!

This time, the knee was caught by a palm.

Spiritual Transcendents... often have one significant shortcoming, which is close-range combat. If they encounter a surprise attack, Spiritual Transcendents usually find themselves in great danger due to insufficient reaction speed.

But Xiao was an exception.

From his file, it was clear that Xiao’s body techniques were extremely strong; just the "student" Chen Mei, taught by the Spiritual Link, was already a top-notch expert. His personal close-combat capabilities were definitely first-rate as well.

Crow spread his arms.

Hundreds of fist shadows burst forth above the tower.

The sounds of sonic booms, "bang bang bang", exploded one after another, both unleashed their fists, fists erupting, shattering the air with nearly every blow, until at last, Song Ci was hit by a hook punch in his lower jaw, sent flying backwards, while Xiao, having been kicked in his midsection, fell clumsily from the tower.

Both adjusted their postures in mid-air.

Song Ci landed beside Gu Zhi, rubbed his chin, spat out a mouthful of blood, and stared intently into the distance, his face expressionless as he reminded, "This respected senior, being distracted during a fight can be deadly... you should know this better than I."

Gu Zhi’s expression was complicated, and he finally snapped back to reality at that moment.

The young man was right.

Just now... if it hadn’t been Song Ci arriving in time, but instead Xiao who had launched the surprise attack, then he would have been the one suffering.

No matter what the truth of past matters, now was not the time to dwell and pursue them!

"Oof..."

Gu Zhi exhaled deeply, his eyes turning sharp.

The figure that had fallen from the tower in the distance was no longer clumsy upon landing, but landed lightly.

Xiao slowly stood up, that V-shaped mask cracked a fissure, he nonchalantly reached out his palm and slowly dragged it across, thus the crack was gradually stitched together, completely healed in less than three seconds.

This man, as if the mask was built into his face.

As if... this was his true face.

...

...

"Your punches really pack a punch..."

Xiao rubbed his arms, which emitted a crisp crackling sound like frying beans. He looked at Song Ci and couldn’t help but laugh and marvel, "It’s only been a few years; how did you manage it?"

During the Lion Alley massacre ten years ago, Song Ci was just a skill-less youth from the old city district.

And now... he had become the strongest fighter in the Sincere Heart Association’s Beitang, without equal.

Achieving all this was exceedingly difficult, understood by very few.

But Xiao... was one of the few who "understood", as he had invested a great deal of effort to teach a disciple like Chen Mei, a person naturally gifted and blessed with talent.

To call it one in ten thousand was no exaggeration.

Yet even so... after sacrificing his own health to attain body techniques, he had only managed to draw a tie with Song Ci on the river bank.

Why?

What fortune or opportunity did this young man possess?

Song Ci, expressionless, unwilling to give his opponent a chance to waste words, charged again.

This time, he was not battling alone.

Gu Zhi brought his hands together—

The next moment, below the tower, a massive ice hand emerged suddenly from the ground, its five fingers slamming down, enclosing Xiao within it.

Inside the grip of the ice hand, countless icy wind blades sliced.

As darkness enveloped him, the man in the black robe extended two fingers together, pinched down a strand of blood-red flame from between his eyebrows, as if turning it into a glowing protective talisman, causing thousands of ice and snow to explode!

Gu Zhi’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of sweet, metallic taste rising in his throat. He swallowed his own blood and quickly stepped back. In that brief contact with Xiao, he witnessed a terrifying scene—

That blood-red flame, burning everything, even tried to burn his own spirit through the frost and snow!

Song Ci moved quickly and retreated even faster.

The ice and snow exploded.

The two exchanged punches once more, this time Xiao stood firm while Song Ci was pushed back violently, ending the confrontation in retreat.

The next moment.

Song Ci dashed forward again.

He seemed like a machine that knew neither fatigue nor pain, his iron fists unsaddled by flashy elements; leaving long trenches in the ground with each step as he pushed off the ground once more.

Under Xiao’s mask, his expression was extremely grim.

He had been observing Song Ci for a long time. Even now, he couldn’t figure out what abilities had been awakened... Information was scarce, mostly from the battle on the river bank.

First, Song Ci had effortlessly decimated Chen San’s four foster sons.

Then, he fought Chen Mei’s "Time Slow" to a standstill.

From beginning to end... there were no visible supernatural effects; he seemed simply a natural combat genius, with fists incredibly tough and speed extremely swift, the same approach with everyone, close-range punching.

His style... was very monotone.

But also very effective.

Because strength and speed often determined the outcome of a fight.

If you can’t stop it, you lose!

"Bang!"

The two clashed fiercely once more, this time the disparity in their collision was clearer!

Xiao was faster!

He managed to punch Song Ci in the chest first, then instead of retreating, he advanced, stepping forward, his hand pressing Song Ci’s cheek, slamming him harshly into the bell tower, the ancient tower echoing a thunderous sound from years of weathering!

Half of Song Ci’s body was embedded in the stone wall.

But Xiao showed no sign of attacking further; he pressed down on Song Ci, helping him pull his head out of the rubble before leaping up, dashing dozens of meters along the stone wall to reach the top of the tower, and then, with a forceful palm strike, knocking Song Ci’s head into the old bell.

"Hum——"

A collision sound that made one’s heart tremble.

The large bell was dislodged and fell, like an overturned bowl.

Following, a palm print protruded on the surface of the ancient bell!

Xiao watched impassively as one palm print after another protruded, Song Ci inside the bell, frantic to break free, but the entire ancient bell was burning with a blood-red glow. No matter how he struck it, it only deformed the surface... the blood-red flames clung to the bell’s surface and flowed, the bell’s deep resounding tones vibrating across several deathly quiet districts.

Eventually, the sound of the large bell gradually dissipated.

The crow trapped within the bell also stopped its noisy struggle.

Xiao finally had a moment to himself; he stood at the highest point of the tower, looking far into the horizon, admiring his own handiwork.

This was an exorcism of the mundane world, a dreamlike illusion.

Every building and every passer-by within sight were engulfed in this illusory dream.

They moved like zombies, like decaying wood at death’s door, dazed and numb...

It wasn’t just the small part of the scene visible... in places out of sight, even farther away, all echoed with the second movement of the hero’s symphony, mournful sounds sweeping through like a hurricane, as if playing the music of a funeral.

The bars along the river bank’s coastline slowly fell silent.

The brightly lit buildings of South Bay gradually lost their noise.

The barking of dogs and crowing of chickens in the old district quietly subsided.

This second movement of the symphony was also called the funeral march...

A funeral signified the end of reality.

And the beginning of a dreamlike state.

If people of this world had never tasted the tranquility of a soul laid to rest.

Then today, he would gift them one... a true beautiful dream.

Xiao spoke softly with a gentle laugh.

"Goodnight, Da Du..."

...

...

Goodnight, seeking monthly passes.

Tomorrow, continuing with more updates.