The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 257 - 177 The Night of Murder on Shangyuan Festival Part 2

Chapter 257: Chapter 177 The Night of Murder on Shangyuan Festival Part 2

Only true practitioners, each with a face of solemn gravity,

knew that the moment of contact would determine life and death, and Li Yan was most likely to be the one to die.

Beside them, Gu Chenzi’s eyes shifted undecidedly, raising and lowering his hand, unsure of what to do.

Not to mention that Luo Mingzi had asked him to look after Li Yan before he left, he also had a liking for this young man who once fought alongside him, how could he bear to see his blood spilled on the streets?

But unfortunately, the situation was stuck at this point.

It wasn’t just that Xiong Baodong was protected by a six-ding six-jia talisman; whether his spells could break it and disrupt the completion of the ritual was also a serious crime.

Should anything go wrong, with the Drought Demon breaking free, the masters and brothers stationed in the City God Temple for suppression would also face crisis.

With this thought, Gu Chenzi let out a sigh of sorrow and slowly put down his hand, inwardly complaining about Li Yan’s recklessness.

In the distant crowd, Yuan Ba also cursed and whispered, "Master, this kid looks pretty astute, why does he always do such foolish things..."

His master glanced over indifferently, "Perhaps he has something to rely on. Remember, when you roam the pugilistic world, this is the most taboo."

People talked and discussed amongst themselves, but the situation in the field changed abruptly.

Xiong Baodong, seeing Li Yan dodging non-stop, grew impatient and cursed, "Scared now, are you? Where can you hide!"

With that, he crouched slightly on his knees, loosened his pelvis and waist, elbows matching his knees as if scrubbing the ground, and without lifting his feet, he slid forward, cornering Li Yan in an instant.

To the onlooking crowd, it seemed as though a fierce beast had suddenly leaped out, the terrifying momentum making them fearfully step back unconsciously.

But there were people behind, pushing and shoving, and some were even scared into falling over in a heap.

With so many looking disheveled, yet no one laughed, for the situation on the field had tensed to the extreme.

As Xiong Baodong lunged, a glint flashed in Li Yan’s eyes. No longer evading, he suddenly stepped forward, his palm like a muffled thunder striking toward his opponent’s chest and abdomen.

At the same time, he slightly raised his left hand.

Clang clang!

The sound of a chain echoed by the ear.

The Soul Hook had already flown out from the palm of his left hand.

Of course, the movement was swift, and the Soul Hook was invisible and shadowless; even magicians in the field who had opened their "ear channel" or "eye channel" could hardly notice it in the instant martial artists clashed.

"Well done!"

Xiong Baodong let out a bellow, stepping forward with thrusting hips and bending waist, like drawing a bow, launching his massive fist out with a thunderous boom.

From the previous fighting, he could tell that despite his young age, Li Yan had reached the peak of Hidden Energy, showing exceptional talent.

But even in the face of renowned Force Transformation experts, he showed no restraint, let alone this young boy with underdeveloped whiskers.

He intended to press with force, to brutally beat him to death and establish his might.

However, halfway through his punch, Xiong Baodong’s face changed.

He felt something suddenly penetrate his body; while the six-ding six-jia talisman blocked it momentarily, his mind became muddled, as if falling into an ice cellar, the sounds around him fading and darkness enveloping his sight.

Success!

Li Yan silently rejoiced in his heart.

The six-ding six-jia talisman indeed had protective power, but the Soul Hook’s grade was clearly higher. It was only momentarily blocked before penetrating Xiong Baodong’s body.

With the Divine Soul locked by the hook, the opponent had become rigid.

Li Yan didn’t miss the opportunity, easily dodging Xiong Baodong’s fist as Hidden Energy surged; three hard punches landed heavily on Xiong Baodong’s chest and abdomen.

These three punches, from high to low, each burst with Hidden Energy, each punch faster than the last, targeting Dan Zhong, Jiuwei, and Divine Que, the three deadly acupoints.

Dan Zhong sits in the center between the nipples, where Qi converges. When struck, the internal energy disperses, causing panic and confusion, and clouding consciousness...

Jiuwei is seven inches above the navel; upon being struck, the liver, gallbladder, and the five organs tremble, affecting the heart, resulting in stagnant blood and energy...

Divine Que is six inches above the navel, with the same impact on the liver and gallbladder when struck.

These are the deadly acupoints along the central line of the human body. No matter what type of strike, these areas must be protected, for once exposed, they leave one wide open.

With his Divine Soul restrained by the Soul Hook, although the talisman prevented Li Yan from extracting his soul, it did cause a disconnection between his soul and body.

Even a Force Transformation practitioner is still flesh and blood, let alone in such a vital area. Upon being struck by Hidden Energy, Xiong Baodong immediately sustained heavy injuries.

The bystanders only heard three dull thuds, and Xiong Baodong bent over, spitting out fresh blood.

But this also allowed Xiong Baodong’s Divine Soul to snap back into place; his eyes filled with terror, he let out a roar and raised his arms, intending to grab Li Yan and strangle him to death.

However, Li Yan’s Soul Hook sprung out again, seizing his moment of rigidity, raising his arms and, with a backhand palm, striking right in the middle of his navel.

This was the Divine Que deadly point, which upon being hit sends a shock through the intercostal nerves, causing the enemy’s body to temporarily malfunction.

Being struck hard, Xiong Baodong’s balance was lost immediately, his massive body wobbling, about to fall over.

Li Yan’s Fist Force changed, transitioning into Red Fist grappling, and with a sidestep and a bend, he directly wrapped around Xiong Baodong’s right knee pit, his hands crossed, and forcefully exerted strength.

Red Fist’s Sword-Leg Takedown!

With a resounding crash, Xiong Baodong’s hefty body slammed down to the ground, continuously spitting out blood.

"Stop!"

Qiao Sanhu was shocked and hastily cried out in alarm.

Li Yan’s killing intent had been aroused, and he would not stay his hand. He moved forward directly, and his right foot, with a sudden burst of force, gathered all his Hidden Energy into one spot and viciously kicked Xiong Baodong’s temple.

Crack!

Xiong Baodong’s head twisted instantly, his flesh a bloody blur, severed halfway, as blood sprayed out, marking his utter demise.

"Ha ha ha!"

Li Yan, his face sprayed with blood, felt an exhilarating satisfaction. He stepped forward, grabbed the severed head, lifted it high, and shouted:

"On the Lantern Festival, Li Yan of Guanzhong eliminates this scourge for Chang’an!"

Beneath the blazing fire, his blood-stained face resembled a Demon God.

Many people around them were completely stupefied.

What had just happened?

Xiong Baodong... was he really dead?

"Ha ha ha!"

At this moment, a mad laugh sounded, and from the crowd emerged a beggar, dressed in rags, with disheveled hair and dirty face, his legs disabled and a stench all over his body.

He limped to the front of Xiong Baodong’s corpse, howling, "Villain, your day of reckoning has come!"

Then, he laid down on the ground and bit ferociously.

"Where did this madman come from?"

"His, I think I’ve seen him, he’s the son of the former Vice Premier Lu Kang. I heard that the Fire Bear Gang plotted against him, took his family fortune, and left him beaten half to death on the streets..."

"Deserved!"

"This scourge is finally dead!"

Many of the onlookers had been oppressed by the Fire Bear Gang. Now with Xiong Baodong dead, they were not only unafraid, but they also cheered loudly.

"Gang leader!"

"Kill him!"

The Fire Bear Gang was plunged into chaos, and many of the gang members, having been promoted by Xiong Baodong, were now seeing red. Without regard to Li Yan’s formidable skills, they drew their knives and prepared to fight.

Seeing that things were going south, Sha Lifei immediately shouted, "Xiong Baodong is dead, and the Fire Bear Gang’s warehouse is full of silver, go loot it!"

The chaotic crowd paused for a moment.

The Fire Bear Gang had relied solely on Xiong Baodong, and now with him dead, wouldn’t everything fall into chaos?

Immediately, many people from the pugilistic world had sinister looks in their eyes and started to leave, and even members of the Fire Bear Gang fled in droves.

"Steady, lift the Divine Tower!"

Qiao Sanhu shouted out, ordering his men to continue lifting the tower.

He and Xiong Baodong had only been using each other, and with the current situation, it was better to take the remaining Magic Flags and continue with the Hua Mountain cave opening.

Without Xiong Baodong, the benefits for one person were even greater.

He had considerable influence within the Fire Bear Gang, and now, leaderless, his orders surprisingly stabilized the situation.

Just then, Li Yan sniffed and frowned.

The smell of gunpowder!

As he turned, he saw a figure in black, cloaked with a cape, drawing something from his waist.

It was the distinctive Bone Flower fire device of the Fire Demon.

Boom!

A loud noise rang out.

Qiao Sanhu, who was in the midst of calling out, stiffened, his head bursting open like a watermelon, as he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Murder!"

"Firearm, someone used a firearm!"

The crowd instantly descended into greater chaos.

On the Fire Bear Gang’s side, it turned into complete turmoil, and the Divine Tower collapsed to the ground. Seeing this, Gu Chenzi let out an angry shout, "Clear out!"

He leaped forward, directly pulling out the remaining Magic Flags, and stuffed them into the hands of the dazed Manager Wan, "You win, hurry, continue with the ritual!"

In the distance, the Captain Bureau, upon hearing the sound of the firearm, pushed through the crowd to arrive.

In the midst of the chaos, the black-robed person who had killed with the firearm turned and blended into the throng.

Li Yan was momentarily startled but then smiled.

He recognized the familiar scent.

It was Lv San from Manchuan Pass!