Chapter 54: The Brick Combat Technique
Thud—
Even in the throes of death, the old man remained oblivious to what had happened.
However, the four subordinates who bore witness to the scene had a crystal-clear view...
As the old man lunged toward Chu Liang, the latter swiftly crouched low and executed a graceful sidestep, appearing behind the old man like magic.
There was a golden half-brick in Chu Liang's hand. He forcefully struck the elderly dark shaman's head with the golden brick, causing the old man's brains to splatter out.
Clearly, the old man wouldn't survive.
Chu Liang gazed at the fallen old man, his expression a mix of calm and sadness.
"After all that bluster... is this all the power you possess?" Chu Liang asked.
The old man hadn't made any mistakes.
To be fair, Chu Liang's physique gave no indication that he'd gotten any martial arts training. Who could have anticipated that he could hurl a brick with the strength of ten tigers?
Moreover, Chu Liang had earlier sought advice from Yun Chaoxian regarding martial techniques.
During that discussion, Yun Chaoxian inquired about Chu Liang's preferred weapon. Although Chu Liang was most adept with swords, it was the brick that he found most comfortable to wield.
It was such a pity that there was no dedicated martial art for bricks in the martial world.
Fortunately, Yun Chaoxian was well-versed in martial arts. After some contemplation, he taught Chu Liang a set of martial techniques known as the Turbulent Stream Movement Art.
The footwork techniques in that art enabled the user to move swiftly, darting unpredictably back and forth. Along with a significant boost in strength came a remarkable improvement in the speed of body movements.
When paired with an indestructible golden brick, this combination led to a distinctive and extraordinary fighting style known as the Brick Combat Technique. Regardless of how powerful the shamanic technique was, a single brick was sufficient to bring them down.
The truth was that... the instant Chu Liang laid eyes on the elder, he had been ready to crush the jade talisman and call his teacher over.
After all, dark shamans were known for their cunning and ruthlessness, employing unpredictable methods. Chu Liang was aware that he could be caught off guard, especially when facing an opponent with a higher cultivation level.
However, he hadn't expected that the old man would activate the Forbidden Ground. When the Forbidden Ground came into effect, Chu Liang had a genuine concern that the tracking jade talisman might not function within this area that forbade all enchanted techniques.
Then he had an epiphany...
If this Forbidden Ground prohibited the use of all enchanted techniques, what should I be afraid of? The old man's frail body and muscles?
Indeed, ordinary martial artists might not stand a chance against the dark shamans, who were capable of taking down tigers and leopards. Nonetheless, the source of Chu Liang's strength was far from ordinary.
If the Tiger Essence Nourishing Pill had not only increased his strength but also transformed his physique into a muscular man like Yun Chaoxian, these shamans might have second thoughts. Regrettably for them, that was not the case, so they had assumed he was an easy target.
Following the old man's demise, the Forbidden Ground remained, suggesting that the effects of the shamanic technique did not necessarily cease with the caster's death.
Chu Liang glanced upward and spotted the other four black-cloaked individuals.
Initially, they had advanced toward Chu Liang alongside the old man. But as they closed in on him, the old man fell after being struck by a brick.
The situation had taken on an awkward atmosphere. If they chose not to attack, that meant the tension had reached its breaking point. But if they did attack, there was the risk of losing their lives. What should they do?
The black-clothed figures exchanged glances and then simultaneously cried out, "Let's attack together!"
After the shout, only the black-clad figure with the long saber charged forward. The other three black-clothed individuals turned and fled.
The black-clad figure's pupils contracted as he gripped the saber. He hadn't anticipated being the sole gullible shaman in this situation.
Nevertheless, it was too late for him to feel betrayed. Chu Liang had already appeared behind him with a brick.
Thud!
While the other three people dispersed in different directions, Chu Liang, fueled by the strength of ten tigers, possessed a running speed they couldn't hope to match.
As they leaped away, Chu Liang swiftly closed the gap with each one, delivering a blow with his brick each time. None of them managed to leave the balcony.
In the blink of an eye, Chu Liang had defeated all five of them, making for five perfect victories.
Even after the fight ended, Chu Liang couldn't help but think that these dark shamans didn't deserve such an ending. If they hadn't regarded him as some gifted cultivator and resorted to flashy tricks, he wouldn't have stood a chance against all five of them together. In that scenario, they would have met their demise at the hands of Di Nufeng.
Eh?
As Chu Liang contemplated this, he began to wonder if death by brick might actually be the more fitting conclusion.
...
After the battle, Chu Liang skipped his usual post-fight ritual of inspecting the fallen corpses. Instead, he quickly descended the stairs.
The moment he stepped out of the Forbidden Ground on the second-floor balcony, the sensation of being cut off from the rest of the world dissipated.
Chu Liang heard shouts and deafening noises coming from the courtyard. Yun Chaoxian was undoubtedly embroiled in a fierce conflict.
As Chu Liang hurried into the courtyard, he beheld a colossal tree spirit at its center. Its upper body resembled that of a human, adorned with a bronze mask, while its lower half morphed into numerous branches and foliage, stretching out in all directions. The entire courtyard teemed with its robust branches and leaves.
Yun Chaoxian, on the other hand, had accomplished a crucial step—the ripping of his garments.
Indeed, he brandished a substantial halberd while bare-chested, with his blood-red tattoos on his back faintly visible. He swung the divine weapon with immense power, cleaving through the thick branches as though slicing through fruits and vegetables, closing in on the true form of the divine envoy.
Yun Chaoxian appeared to have mastered one of the supreme techniques from the Great Astral Sect, the Profound Augmented Domineering Body Seal. Whenever his strength was at its peak, a divine seal would materialize behind him, allowing him to make instantaneous breakthroughs and grow even more formidable as the battle unfolded.
A powerful sweep of the halberd summoned fierce winds, laying waste to everything within a five-zhang radius. Regardless of the extent to which the vines and branches had spread, they couldn't evade the imminent destruction.
In a mere few strides, Yun Chaoxian closed in on the tree demon divine envoy's form. Then, he bellowed with thunderous force and brought his halberd down.
Thud—
Despite being a cleaving strike, a resounding explosion echoed with the impact.
The sensation of slicing through flesh was absent because, at the moment his halberd descended, the upper body of the divine envoy abruptly transformed into tree bark, and the strike merely bit into the trunk.
However, this trunk was not fragile like ordinary branches; it clamped down securely on Yun Chaoxian's halberd.
The upper body of the divine envoy reappeared at the tip of a branch, sporting a sinister grin. He raised his hand, and countless branches began to converge around Yun Chaoxian, evidently preparing for a coordinated attack with all the branches at once.
In that critical moment, Chu Liang sprang into action, exclaiming, "Ten Thousand Swords Seal!"
The divine envoy was taken aback. "Eh?"
He was well aware that the Tiger King had met his end due to the activation of the Ten Thousand Swords Seal. He had even cautioned the old malevolent shaman to be wary of Chu Liang.
Since Chu Liang had made an appearance here, it was evident that the old malevolent shaman had failed.
Upon hearing Chu Liang's invocation of the Ten Thousand Swords Seal, he immediately went on high alert, fearing a fate similar to that of the Tiger King.
He waved his hand, causing most of the branches and vines to surge forth and obstruct Chu Liang's direction, defending against the impending and dreaded Ten Thousand Swords Seal.
Despite the numerous wrongdoings he had committed, the divine envoy's qi was not suffused with blood, and Chu Liang, as the wielder of the Crimson Executioner, had no interest in him.
Chu Liang raised his hand, and a hundred sword lights darted forth, producing a faint clinking sound as they struck the wall of tree branches.
While the damage was minimal, it significantly diverted the divine envoy's attention. The pressure on Yun Chaoxian suddenly lessened, enabling him to easily approach the divine envoy.
By the time the divine envoy realized that Chu Liang had only employed a minor Hundred Swords Seal, it was too late.
Yun Chaoxian swung down with his World-Dominating Halberd, creating a fierce gust of wind.
Bang!
This strike was overwhelmingly powerful, instantly shattering the divine envoy into pieces.
Amidst the deafening sounds, a handsome man's faint sigh could be heard.
"Ah... What a pity..."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺