The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 48 Thunder Sound Descends on the Ape Intentions

Chapter 48: Chapter 48 Thunder Sound Descends on the Ape Intentions

"At least he has some wits."

On the eastern restaurant, Zhou Peide breathed a sigh of relief.

He shook his head slightly, saying, "He could have easily won, but he insisted on showing off. If he had used his trump card earlier, he wouldn’t be in such a sorry state."

Another middle-aged man with a black beard praised, "Zhou Bai has already grasped the monkey form. With this battle, he will surely advance further, his talent far surpassing ours."

His name was Wang Yao, one of the Eight Great Vajras. He had followed Zhou Pan to learn martial arts early on and usually practiced medicine at his family’s clinic.

Among the Eight Great Vajras, he was the most reputable.

"Brother Wang, you’re too kind."

Zhou Peide stroked his beard and nodded, his eyes full of gratification.

Meanwhile, Yuan Qu, standing to the side, was too lazy to speak. Listening to their conversation, a hint of sarcasm appeared in his eyes...

...

On the western restaurant, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

"It seems Old Zhang has bet wrong."

An elder from a martial arts school shook his head slightly, feeling a bit unwilling. "He’s got the monkey form and spirit. That boy from the Zhou Family is indeed exceptional. The old monkey has someone to succeed him..."

"What’s the rush?!"

Zhang Yuanshang snorted, his face darkened, as he took a few puffs of his water pipe.

...

Regardless of others’ thoughts, the battle above grew fiercer.

On the arena, Li Yan suffered another scratch.

Three claw marks on his left shoulder were bleeding profusely.

But he didn’t pay any attention, keeping his eyes fixed on Zhou Bai.

Using the Daluo Dharma Body to swap injuries was now useless because this was a life-and-death arena. Even if he recovered, if he couldn’t break the opponent’s "circle," he would still get injured.

He had to admit that Zhou Bai was indeed fierce.

The Monkey Fist he used had reached true intent, moving freely and elegantly.

Li Yan even felt that what he was facing was no longer a person, but a fierce ape roaming the mountains and forests.

Not a person?

Looking into those wild eyes, Li Yan suddenly had a revelation. As he retreated to evade, he performed the Yang Jue with his hand and took a deep breath.

Indeed, there was something odd about Zhou Bai.

A faint rank odor always lingered around him.

This rancid smell was completely different from that of the Cold Altar Rampant Soldier or the immortals worshiped by Widow Wang, devoid of the chilling feeling of Evil Qi, more like the breath of a living creature.

Well, this boy was playing tricks!

Although he didn’t know the reason, Li Yan was certain that the other party must have used some spells to fully express the monkey intent.

Annoyed as he was, Li Yan became even calmer.

According to Zhang Shitong, this match had people from the government witnessing it, and others from the City God Temple keeping watch, to prevent anyone from using spells.

Now it seemed that those invited were utterly irresponsible.

It was even possible that they turned a blind eye because of the Zhou Family.

Furthermore, the breath was extremely faint. Even if he exposed it, the person using the spell could disperse it at any time, rendering it useless...

Unfortunately, the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Blade Tassel was not on him.

Whoosh!

Just as he was contemplating, Zhou Bai leaped forward, ducking low, and clawed towards his rib while making a hissing sound from his mouth.

This was the Red Fist’s Hidden Energy Secret Technique, the Silk Sound.

With every breath, the air became as fine as silk, moving through the intestines and stomach, stimulating the fascia.

Zhou Bai, after all, was still inexperienced. Constantly using Hidden Energy already seemed a bit strenuous. Now, he had to rely on the Silk Sound to assist him in performing effectively.

With his monkey form, it was like the howling of a beast.

Li Yan faced the oncoming claw, with no room to retreat, and had to use Hidden Energy to deflect it.

Simultaneously, his chest surged, and he chanted the Divine Drum Great Cloud Thunder Sound True Word.

"Hum!"

A muffled sound resonated, his chest vibrating like thunder.

The arena below was already noisy, and the audience didn’t think much of it. After all, martial artists often produced similar sounds when practicing.

But Zhou Bai, close by, felt as if a muffled thunder rang by his ears, his mind buzzing, his vision darkened, and his energy immediately became chaotic.

The breath he carried, infused with macaque scent, was sustained by a secret technique, like oil and water mixed, distinct and separate.

The Great Cloud Thunder Sound, originally a Buddhist True Word, mimicked the changes of thunder and yin-yang in nature, capable of intimidating all evils. Though not a spell, it also caused the macaque breath to stagnate.

Once the breath was disrupted, the Hidden Energy naturally dissipated.

Li Yan expelled his breath and let out a shout, gathering his strength.

With a cracking sound, Zhou Bai’s claw, which had been aiming at him, was directly deflected by Li Yan, causing half of Zhou Bai’s hand to fracture and the flesh to split open, exposing the bone.

"Ah—!"

Although Zhou Bai often sparred with others and received guidance from masters, others were wary of Zhou Pan, so they dared not go all out. He had never suffered any serious injury.

The intense pain in his wrist was unbearable, causing him to break out in cold sweat and stumble backward.

The Divine Drum Great Cloud Thunder Sound could break it!

Li Yan noticed that the rancid smell on the other party’s body had become unstable.

Though he didn’t know the exact cause, he wouldn’t let such an opportunity slip. He pushed off with his calf, weaving left and right, quickly closing the distance.

The Red Fist was also known for its agility.

When Li Yan closed in, Zhou Bai had no time to dodge.

In a state of panic, he shook his left hand, claws like iron rakes, reaching for Li Yan’s face to force him back.

However, by this point, Li Yan was already familiar with the monkey fist techniques after the prolonged struggle. He deflected with his left hand while throwing a right hook to hit Zhou Bai’s upper abdomen, then pushed with his left hand and hammered down with his right like a sledgehammer.

Red Fist Quick Hands: Lift, Swipe, Stab, Slash!

Each move was faster than the last.

At the same time, Li Yan expelled his breath and continuously intoned the "Hum" True Word. Zhou Bai took a solid beating and felt like a demon enduring the wrath of heavenly thunder.

The sound of thunder roared in his ears, his mind buzzed, and with a gush, he spat out fresh blood.

The fear of death surged forth.

Zhou Bai knew that if he didn’t act, he’d lose his life today!

Just as Li Yan was about to deliver the final blow, Zhou Bai raised his elbows in a sudden defense.

Crack!

Both arms made cracking noises simultaneously as the bones fractured.

At this point, Zhou Bai had retreated to the corner of the arena. Under the immense force, he spewed blood and was thrown back, crashing heavily to the ground from a height of ten feet, his legs twitching a few times before falling still.

"Courting death!"

A fierce shout erupted from the eastern restaurant.

A figure broke through the window, leaping down directly.

It was none other than Zhou Bai’s father, Zhou Peide.

Although he was rigid by nature and extremely strict with his son, rarely speaking kindly, his love ran deep and his scolding was harsh because he cared.

This precious son had always been his greatest pride.

Seeing his son injured severely, his life in the balance, he lost his reason completely.

Crash!

On the western restaurant, several figures jumped out simultaneously.

An elderly man leaped forward to intercept Zhou Peide.

"Scram!"

Zhou Peide shouted violently, raising his hand for a heart-felt palm strike.

However, as he made his move, the opponent vanished from his sight.

The one blocking him was the Eight Trigrams Palm elder, Luo Shihai.

The Eight Trigrams Palm’s steps were like trudging through mud, arms twisted like ropes, turning with the grindstone, excelling in close-quarter maneuvering.

Luo Shihai shifted his body with a turn and locked, already moved to Zhou Peide’s side. Then, switching palms, he cleared away Zhou Peide’s arms, and with a sudden dip of his shoulder.

Clomp clomp clomp!

Zhou Peide immediately lost his balance, retreating continuously.

Luo Shihai then gently stroked his beard, his eyes cold, and said flatly, "On a life-and-death arena, once victory is decided, all grievances are settled. No revenge, no interference."

"What, your son’s life matters, but my disciple has to endure?!"

This question was posed with unabashed anger.

His disciple, a promising young woman in blue, was humiliated and hanged by a Zhou family disciple.

He attempted revenge but wasn’t a match for Zhou Pan on the arena, so he had to let the matter rest temporarily, forcibly suppressing his rage.

Now presented with an opportunity, he certainly wanted to reclaim the situation.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanshang and others also approached, confronting the Eight Great Vajras beside Zhou Peide.

For a moment, the atmosphere tightened considerably.

At this point, Wang Yao of the Eight Great Vajras stepped forward a few steps, felt Zhou Bai’s pulse, and said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, he’s still breathing. Save him first!"

"Quick! Quick!"

At that moment, Zhou Peide could think of nothing else. He hurried forward with others, carrying Zhou Bai onto a stretcher and leaving swiftly.

On his way out, he didn’t even have time to issue threats.

As for Yuan Qu and others of the Eight Great Vajras, they coldly scanned the surroundings before turning to leave swiftly.

Many pugilists were present. Observing the situation, their gazes varied.

They were seasoned veterans and knew Xianyang City’s situation like the back of their hand.

Everyone understood that with the conclusion of this arena battle, the Divine Fist Association’s two factions had completely split, and Xianyang Road would no longer be peaceful from now on!

"Brother Yan, are you alright?"

Wang Daoxuan and Sha Lifei naturally didn’t bother dealing with these people. They rushed to the bottom of the arena, looking at Li Yan, who lay motionless from above, asking repeatedly.

It’s no wonder they were worried, as Li Yan was not in great shape either.

Before his comeback, he had suffered several firm blows and was covered in injuries, soaked in blood.

Li Yan opened his mouth but suddenly closed his eyes and fainted, falling straight.

Alarmed, Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan quickly supported him.

However, their arms were grabbed briefly by Li Yan, and a low voice reached their ears, "I’m fine. Let’s go back first!"

Instantly understanding, the two found a stretcher and quickly carried Li Yan away.

"Bravo!"

Although both sides suffered greatly, the citizens of Xianyang City were thoroughly entertained. As Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan carried Li Yan away, they were showered with cheers along the way.

Yet amidst the crowd, many wore grim and peculiar expressions...

...

Old street near the Temple of the Goddess, puppet shop.

Crunch!

As Li Yan broke Zhou Bai’s spell, a white porcelain doll on the offering table, painted with red talisman, suddenly shattered.

Chen Fagui, who was carving a puppet, froze momentarily, then slowly stood up. From the shattered porcelain doll, he retrieved a triangularly folded Yellow Talisman.

As soon as the Yellow Talisman was in his hand, it rapidly decayed, turning to ashes...