Chapter 99: Chapter 98: Choice
"Arrogant! Do you really think you’re invincible? Since you actually dared to show your face, I’ll make sure you don’t leave here alive!"
Du Changjing, the second True Inheritor of Taihe Tiger Form Fist, stared at Zhao Xuanqi with a vicious expression. Having reached the Inner Cultivation realm, he was a prominent figure throughout all of Guangdong. He’d even made it to the top sixteen at the Martial Arts Association tournament back in the day. Now, with a superior realm and the advantage in numbers, he refused to believe his opponent could truly overturn the heavens.
He and his senior brother, Song Ze Feng, exchanged a look, and the two shot into motion.
PENG!!
A Qi Surge infused their bodies, and in an instant, both of their upper torsos swelled dramatically.
THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!!
The sound of their heartbeats was like war drums, their breathing like bellows, stirring the very air within the room.
Upon stepping into the Inner Cultivation realm, the Breathing Technique is used to temper the internal organs and enhance their function, allowing one’s Physical Ability to reach terrifying new levels.
Moreover, the Breathing Technique stimulated the internal organs, causing the body to enter a state of "Rong." The function of the organs achieved a harmony with the muscles, sinews, and skin, maximizing all aspects of the body’s qualities, such as explosiveness, resilience, technique, and endurance.
Therefore, even though their level of Qi and Blood only allowed their Qi Surge to cover their upper bodies, the power they could unleash—driven by their formidable internal organ function—was simply incomparable to that of a Cross-Training Martial Artist in the same Qi Surge state!
Their figures flickered, moving as fast as phantoms!
In a flash, they had already left the dinner table and arrived before the door.
Forming a one-handed Tiger Palm, they simultaneously struck out viciously at Zhao Xuanqi!
Their bodies softened, and force traveled up from the soles of their feet like a wave, segment by segment, until it reached their palms.
The Form was the ferocity of the Tiger, but the Force Release was as refined as a soft fist!
This single palm strike contained the full essence of Taihe Tiger Form Fist.
Fierce in Form, soft within. The Force was Firm yet contained softness. When it struck a human body, it was like a needle hidden in the palm—beneath the ferocious impact lay an extreme penetrating power.
Soft Tiger Palm!!
This was a powerful Technique that could only be used at the Inner Cultivation level, after one’s bodily control had been greatly enhanced!
A person’s reputation is earned for a reason.
After all, Zhao Xuanqi’s battle record spoke for itself. Song Ze Feng and Du Changjing didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless, using their true skills right from the start.
’It would be best to take this person down in a single blow!’
Facing their attack, Zhao Xuanqi’s expression was utterly serene. Standing before the door, his figure hadn’t moved even half a step.
PENG!!
In that same instant, a Qi Surge suffused his entire body.
Qi Circulation Throughout the Body!
Then, his Blood Essence circulated. The All-Body Extreme Breakthrough wasn’t fully unleashed, yet the terrifying muscles beneath the Qi Surge expanded a second time, transforming his physique into something truly monstrous.
In the blink of an eye, it was as if he had shed the human skin of an ordinary farmer, revealing the terrifying body of a demon within.
A pair of enormous palms met their incoming Tiger Palms. It was like a colossal, mountain-sized Bear Form beast from the Wilderness, thrusting out its paws with enough force to topple mountains and overturn heaven and earth!
BOOM!!
The instant their palms collided, the resulting shockwave of air blew the room’s wooden door to pieces, sending splinters flying everywhere.
Song Ze Feng and Du Changjing felt the Force they had unleashed was like a clay ox sinking into the sea—it simply vanished without a trace. The body of the man before them was like a bottomless black abyss, absorbing everything.
Instead, it was their opponent’s terrifying power, a force capable of Uprooting Mountains and Overturning Seas, that surged from his palms into their bodies.
Their bodies flew backward uncontrollably, smashing heavily onto the dinner table.
Ordinary Inner Cultivators, not even at the peak of their realm, were nothing before him now.
KACHA!!
The solid wood table shattered and flew apart, sending dishes, bowls, and food splattering through the air.
As for Zhao Xuanqi, he still stood in the doorway. The entire set of wooden doors had been obliterated in the clash, leaving the entrance wide open. But instead of easing the pressure, the unobstructed view only made the oppressive feeling he emanated even more terrifying.
His height of around 2.3 meters, a terrifying, demonic physique, ape-like arms that hung almost to his knees, a waist as thick as a giant bear’s, and those completely emotionless eyes that sent shivers down the spine—all this, combined with the immense power he had just shown by repelling the joint attack of Song Ze Feng and Du Changjing, made everyone present forget how to breathe.
Powerful! Overbearing! Unmatched!
Song Ze Feng, Du Changjing, and the other three True Inheritors of Taihe Tiger Form Fist finally, personally, understood just how strong this legendary figure—the one who had provoked such a strong reaction from the entire Giant Spirit Army—truly was.
It was a despair that left one unable to resist, even though their side had several people, and their realms were clearly higher than his!
"Every debt has its debtor. I am a fair man. You were the one who ambushed my master, so you can step forward and accept your death. Otherwise, no one in this room will leave alive. I am giving you one last chance. I will not say this a third time."
Zhao Xuanqi spoke calmly once again, but this time, no one dared to think his words were arrogant.
He had the strength to back them up.
Xu Gu Hall’s face was pale, his expression shifting constantly.
A profound sense of powerlessness and regret filled his heart. If only he hadn’t followed the committee’s arrangement, hadn’t been tempted by the benefits they promised. If only, for the sake of their past friendship, he had just hinted to Weng Xiaolin to flee in secret, perhaps everything would be different.
But regret was useless. When a man makes a choice, he must be responsible for it.
A vicious glint suddenly appeared in his eyes.
He didn’t want to die. If he died, he would have nothing—the business he’d struggled for half his life to build, the status he’d fought to attain, even the few young and beautiful concubines in his home.
If he were the kind of man who could face death with resolve, he probably wouldn’t have been capable of disregarding years of friendship to betray Weng Xiaolin and stab him in the back in the first place.
PENG!!
A Qi Surge covered his body as he activated his Inner Cultivation abilities.
"Attack him together!"
Xu Gu Hall said in a low voice to the few True Inheritors rising to their feet beside him. He appeared to be making a final, desperate stand, but in reality, his plan was to use the ensuing battle as a chance to escape.
"Unfortunately, you’ve made the wrong choice."
Zhao Xuanqi’s expression was calm and indifferent, his tone unchanging.
The sounds of collisions, air-bursts, and blood-curdling screams mingled under the night sky, composing a crimson symphony.
In less than half an incense stick’s time, the commotion in the room gradually subsided, finally falling completely silent.
Crimson stained everything in the room. The five True Inheritors of Taihe Tiger Form Fist lay strewn about like broken burlap sacks, each a mangled mess of flesh and blood, their breaths shallow and faint.
DRAG. DRAG.
Inside the room, only one person was still moving.
It was Xu Gu Hall. He was sprawled on the floor in a pool of his own blood, his spine having been shattered by a single hammer-fist from Zhao Xuanqi. Now, he could only use his hands to crawl arduously toward the door, seemingly determined to use his last ounce of strength to leave this room.
Zhao Xuanqi’s expression was cold as he walked over to him and raised his thick, powerful leg.
He stomped down violently!
BOOM!!
The entire floor shook, and dust flew into the air. A web of cracks spread out across the floorboards beneath Xu Gu Hall’s body.
His entire back was pulped by the stomp, his life long since extinguished.
Zhao Xuanqi’s expression remained serene, as if he had just done something utterly insignificant. The Qi Surge receded from his body, his physique returned to normal, and he took a step out of the room, then out of the backyard.
Tonight, his time was tight. Besides the Taihe Tiger Form Fist, he had several more debts to collect in Guangdong.
