Chapter 166: Chapter 148 - The Power of Triple Bone Strength_1
At this moment, several dozen human martial artists surrounded the valley entrance to hunt the Demon Evils, creating a violent melee combat.
Lu Yan pushed his Cloud Walk to the extreme, navigating the crowd like a ghost. He could kill a Martial Marquis Level Four or below using only a single strike, and it took him only two or three strikes to defeat those at Martial Marquis Level Four.
Those at Martial Marquis Level Five were slightly more troublesome, but it only required a few more movements.
The surrounding human Martial Marquises were intimidated and extremely wary of Lu Yan.
They deduced that Lu Yan was definitely a powerful figure on the Martial Marquis List.
However, the fact that such a person wasn’t venturing into the valley and instead stayed outside stealing kills from them was somewhat beneath a renowned martial artist’s dignity.
Of course, this was just mere murmuring in their hearts. Nobody dared to voice it aloud, choosing instead to keep their distance from Lu Yan.
There were several hundred Demon Evils rushing out from the valley, most of which were Limit Breaking. But there were also forty or so of Martial Marquis Level creatures.
Lu Yan alone had killed ten Martial Marquis Level creatures.
These creatures included a Level Five Demon Evil.
This situation gave the humans the upper hand. In the end, only a minority of the Demon Evils escaped whilst the majority were slain.
When Ouyang Zeng and Gao Wanping leading a few others finally emerged from the valley after most of the demon evils had been killed, the sight of the scattered demonic bodies made their faces darken.
Earlier, they had entered the valley and started hunting the Martial Marquis Level Demon Evils. To their surprise, the Demon Evils scattered like a flock of startled birds and bolted from the valley in a frenzy.
After they cleared off the powerful Demon Evils in the valley, they came out but it was too late. Most of the Demon Evils had already been exterminated.
With a deep, penetrating glare, Gao Wanping, Ouyang Zeng, and a few others scanned the crowd, then leaped toward the depths of the mountains.
Many sighed in relief and did not dare to move until Gao Wanping and the others had left. They then proceeded into the depths of the mountains.
"The haul was acceptable."
Touching the Demon Evils Crystal held within his chest, Lu Yan wore a smile.
Next, he too leaped into the deeper parts of the mountains, but chose a different path from that chosen by Gao Wanping and others. He took an alternative route with a slight deviation.
With several martial arts experts leading the way and exterminating the Demon Evils incredibly quickly, there would be almost nothing left for him if he had followed them. Hence, the path chosen by him would yield more.
In fact, many had the same idea as Lu Yan and chose a different path from the one taken by Gao Wanping and others.
After a while,
"The scent of blood."
Lu Yan’s nose twitched as he jumped over two large trees, and found a corpse on the ground.
The corpse had a bullet hole in its forehead, going straight through to the back.
At first glance, Lu Yan realized that the person had been killed by an arrow. Demon Evils certainly can’t wield bows and arrows.
"Killed by a human Martial Marquis, was this a matter of revenge? Or was it for the Demon Evils Crystal?"
Lu Yan pondered.
He believed that the latter was more likely.
Human martial artists can join forces to face a common enemy in times of crisis.
But once the crisis passes, conflict and resource competition is inevitable.
Demon Evils Crystal symbolizes military accomplishments, and military accomplishments represent accolades. The top three could further receive an opportunity to enter Kunwu Mountain.
This quota can drive people insane.
Even those top experts of Master Level Rank from the Feudal Lords who might already possess an entry quota, but nobody dislikes more quotas. Even if they can’t use it, they can sell it for a sky-high price.
Lu Yan heightened his alertness, left the place and continued his journey.
But before he could cover any distance, he spotted another corpse, which also had a bullet hole in his forehead. The man’s brains were spilled all over the place.
"It’s him."
Lu Yan recognized this person. Earlier, he had asked him about the situation in the valley. The man was amiable and answered patiently.
He did not expect him to die here.
The man had a quiver on his back with around a dozen metal arrows left inside.
Lu Yan crouched down to collect the arrows into his own quiver, and searched the corpse, not finding any Demon Evils Crystals.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a rapid swishing sound came from behind Lu Yan.
The speed was astonishing and it approached rapidly.
In that crucial moment, Lu Yan rolled sideways.
With a thud!, an arrow shot the ground where Lu Yan just was, sinking an entire yard into the earth.
Whoosh!
Another arrow whizzed past, aimed straight at Lu Yan’s forehead.
At that time, Lu Yan was ready with his iron bow and also shot an arrow.
Thump!
The two arrows collided in mid-air, shattering into fragments.
"I see you."
Lu Yan’s eyes were sharp and alert.
At that moment, the sky was just starting to dawn, and Lu Yan, who had developed the Sky Eagle Eye, could see a figure hiding atop a large tree several hundred meters away.
Lu Yan quickly drew his bow and fired an arrow.
The figure in the tree knew that its cover was blown and jumped down. As it did, it also fired an arrow.
Thump!
The two arrows collided in mid-air again and under the force of Bone strength, shattered into dust.
Whoosh! Whoosh!...
The two moved simultaneously, drawing their bows and shooting metallic arrows as they moved. The arrows tore through space, emitting a piercing whistle due to the friction with air.
Then they collided in mid-air repeatedly, exploding into iron dust.
Sometimes, an arrow missed the collision, but they were successful in evading these while moving at high speed.
In a blink of an eye, both sides had exchanged a dozen arrows or more.
Lu Yan reached into his quiver, only to find it empty.
Unbeknownst to him, the arrows had all been fired.
With a quick sidestep, he dodged an incoming arrow, then the opponent also stopped, refraining from launching another strike.
The other party’s arrows had all been used up as well.
"Gao Wanping."
Lu Yan said under his breath.
The one who attacked was none other than Gao Wanping, the top expert of the Gao family from NanYi City, ranked sixteenth on the Martial Marquis List.
"Your archery skills are not bad, but I wonder about your strength, how many of my attacks can you withstand."
Gao Wanping discarded his bow and arrows, took the big hammer from his back, and charged towards Lu Yan like a cheetah in the wind.
The distance of hundreds of meters was covered in just a few leaps for him.
Bang!
With the last leap, Gao Wanping jumped to a height of dozens of meters, raised his hammer with both hands, and smashed it down towards Lu Yan.
Lu Yan also discarded his bow and arrows, brandished the blade in his hand, took a step back, and retreated dozens of meters to avoid the incoming strike.
Boom!
Gao Wanping’s hammer struck heavily on the ground, producing a thunderous roar, and debris scattered everywhere. The solid ground was smashed into a pit several meters in diameter.
Any man hit by it would surely turn into a pile of mashed flesh.
Lu Yan retreated and then advanced, his Red Blood Blade slashing towards Gao Wanping’s head.
With this strike, Lu Yan erupted with nine bone strengths, not holding back at all.
Using all one’s strength, even when the foe was a rabbit.
Zhao Yi, who sat at thirty-third on the Martial Marquis List, was already incredibly powerful. Gao Wanping, at the sixteenth, should never be underestimated by Lu Yan.
"You’re brave, even daring to counterattack."
Gao Wanping grinned, his eyes sending chills, as he wielded his hammer against the Red Blood Blade.
However, Lu Yan suddenly changed his attack pattern. The blade curved in mid-air, aiming for Gao Wanping’s neck horizontally.
Gao Wanping’s face slightly changed, not expecting Lu Yan to change his attacks so quickly. He had no choice but to dodge Lu Yan’s blade and then swung his hammer in a sweeping arc.
The hammer roared and swept the air, bustling with an awe-inspiring power.
While Lu Yan retreated, Gao Wanping moved forward, swinging his hammer. The barrage of attacks cascaded towards Lu Yan relentlessly, enveloping him within it.
Clang!
After thirteen strikes, Lu Yan finally clashed with his opponent’s hammer.
The loud sound was deafening. Lu Yan felt an incredibly formidable force coming at him. The Red Blood Blade tremored, and Lu Yan retreated more than twenty meters.
"What a powerful force, at the peak of the Martial Marquis level, bursting with three bone strengths, his strength is entirely above my own."
Lu Yan was momentarily frightened.
Just in terms of bone strength, he couldn’t even best Zhao Yi.
However, adding his own physical strength and the enhancement from the Vajra Indestructible Skill, his strength was above Zhao Yi’s.
But with Gao Wanping’s three robust bone strengths bursting out together, his power was significantly above Lu Yan’s.
"Hmm? You managed to block my attack."
Gao Wanping was slightly taken aback, clearly surprised.
In the six districts of Lingdong, there were barely fifteen martial artists at the Martial Marquis level who could withstand one of his attacks head-on.
All of them either had an Innate Martial Body or were top-notch martial artists who had developed more than three bone strengths.
But this man wasn’t one of them.
However, Gao Wanping only paused for a moment before persisting with his attack, relentlessly pounding towards Lu Yan.
Lu Yan employed Cloud Walk, rapidly retreated, then sidestepped to the right, avoiding the continuous onslaught.
Gao Wanping roared, turning back to face Lu Yan again, but Lu Yan continued to dodge deftly, waiting for his opponent’s vulnerabilities to show.
Since trying Gao Wanping’s strength didn’t amount to a victory for him, there was no need to confront him head-on. With the advantage of speed, Lu Yan decided to engage in a protracted battle.
Although Gao Wanping’s bone strengths were remarkably robust, his speed was average at best. Intent on dodging, Lu Yan was able to stay ahead, thus keeping himself out of reach of Gao Wanping’s attacks.
Failure to keep up resulted in failure to land a hit.
Gradually, Gao Wanping was becoming impatient.
Whoosh!
Lu Yan seized the opportunity to get close to Gao Wanping quickly, his blade aimed at his opponent’s neck.
The hammer was indeed powerful, but it wasn’t very agile. Gao Wanping couldn’t parry it in time. Instead, he thrust out his left hand, intending to use his wrist to block Lu Yan’s blade.
With a clanging sound, the Red Blood Blade clashed against his wrist, as if it was hitting metal. At the same time, a formidable bone strength erupted, propelling the Red Blood Blade away.
Lu Yan swiftly retreated to put distance between him and his opponent.
"Metal bracers."
Lu Yan glanced at Gao Wanping’s wrists.
On the wrists of Gao Wanping’s hands, there were a pair of dark metallic bracers. He had used one to block Lu Yan’s blade just now.
It was apparent that Gao Wanping was aware of his weaknesses: lack of flexibility and predictability. He knew that opponents with superior speed and swift attacks could easily find his vulnerabilities and strike at close range.
The bracers on his wrists could serve to fend off close-range attacks.
Unlike before, Gao Wanping didn’t continue his attack. Instead, he held his hammer, focusing intently on Lu Yan, his lethal intent flickering in his eyes.
Lu Yan knew that if word got out about him killing others to snatch the Demon Evils Crystal, it would negatively impact him. Naturally, he wanted to kill Lu Yan to silence him.
But now, he wasn’t confident.
He was mulling over his strategies.
At that moment, rustling sounds came from not far away. Four figures emerged, also spotting Lu Yan and Gao Wanping, and the corpses lying nearby.
"It’s Gao Wanping."
The faces of the four people changed. They gathered together, cautiously watching Gao Wanping.
"Gentlemen, this man killed others to snatch the Demon Evils Crystal. Why don’t we team up and kill him?"
Gao Wanping pointed at Lu Yan.
