Chapter 15. The Four Deities Activated (5)

Bang!

The sound of a drum exploding, and the needles scattered in all directions.

Despite using a powerful martial technique, there were no openings. His posture had become as refined as the quality of his energy had improved.

"Ho?!"

Surprise flickered across the face of Ma Fang, the leader of the Thunderfire Gang.

Behind Zhuge Jun, Zhuge Yan had lowered her stance, and a pure white aura was emanating from her body.

It was a gentle, clean, yet powerful energy. Though not a divine technique of Daoism, it was incredibly deep and pure, and even seemed to carry a pleasant scent of sandalwood.

It was the Xuan Yuan Zhan Tan Divine Technique, one of the secret skills of the Zhuge family that could not be learned without the permission of the family head and elders.

"Amazing! Even a girl is better than my brother?"

"Shut up!"

Bang!

Zhuge Yan lunged at Ma Fang.

With the hidden technique unleashed, her movements became faster and more agile. Surprised, Ma Fang swung the dagger in his left hand roughly.

Ping! Piiing!

Zhuge Yan's upper body moved flexibly, evading the dagger's trajectory completely.

Ma Fang's dagger was coated with poison. If even one strike were allowed, his combat ability would be drastically reduced. This sense of danger made Zhuge Yan's senses extremely sensitive.

Zhuge Yan's hand struck Ma Fang's abdomen.

Bang!

'It went in!'

Ma Fang staggered back.

It was the Small Heaven Growth Technique linked with the Zhan Tan Divine Technique. It was clearly a level above Zhuge Jun's Small Heaven Growth Technique, and the power of the true energy was much stronger.

'I need to follow up with a consecutive attack...!'

At that moment, a flash of light appeared.

Zhuge Yan, who was about to launch an attack, hastily ducked her head in surprise. Suddenly changing her body position put a tremendous strain on her lower body.

"Keh! You bitch?!"

Ma Fang coughed and glared at Zhuge Yan.

Zhuge Yan was flustered.

'How did he counterattack?'

She had hit him with the 'Zhen' character technique of the Small Heaven Growth Technique, which was imbued with Zhan Tan True Energy. If he hadn't defended with his inner energy, his internal organs would have burst, and even if he had defended, the internal organs would have been shaken, making it difficult to move.

"Kyaa, phew! Bitch! You're so arrogant when I treat you nicely!"

Pah pah pah!

Nine daggers were shot at Zhuge Yan's vital points.

Piriing!

Once again, Zhuge Yan evaded the daggers. Despite having no experience in actual combat with an equal opponent, her reactions were quite agile.

But that was as far as it went.

Bang!

"Ugh!"

A strong impact hit her side. Ma Fang, who had approached unnoticed, attacked with his footwork.

If she hadn't instinctively blocked it, her ribs would have broken. Retreating, Zhuge Yan punched Ma Fang's chest.

Puk!

"Ugh!"

Ma Fang staggered back. However, the impact didn't knock him down or sap his strength.

'How is this possible?'

What kind of body is this?

"Huff. Huff."

"Indeed, that's how it is."

Swoosh.

Ma Fang drew another dagger.

"That technique is still beyond your reach."

Drip.

Sweat formed on Zhuge Yan's forehead.

Ma Fang was right. The Xuan Yuan Zhan Tan Divine Technique could be a decisive move, but it was difficult to sustain. Her level and inner energy were not yet sufficient to support the power of the divine technique.

Ma Fang looked around and shouted.

"What are you afraid of? He's weakened, so just attack all at once!"

The Thunderfire Gang members, who had been hesitating, roared and charged.

Despair filled Zhuge Yan's face.

'Is this the end?'

The moment her breathing became disordered, the energy of the Zhan Tan Divine Technique was cut off.

Qi always moves by will. With her breathing unstable and worry outweighing determination, her inner energy naturally faltered.

She felt the strength drain from her limbs. As she faced the approaching enemies, a foreign emotion arose deep within her.

It was fear.

"Attack!"

"Ugh!"

Pah pah pah! Bang!

A one-against-many battle unfolded.

* * *

"Hey, Brother!"

"..."

There was no response from Yan Hozheng.

Yan Zhiping gritted his teeth.

"If Brother doesn't go... I'll go!"

Pah!

In one leap, Yan Zhiping jumped over the railing and landed on the railing of the third floor, then descended to the first floor.

Yan Hozheng, who had been focusing on Zhuge Yan, lowered his head. Yan Zhiping, now on the first floor, rushed towards the main gate.

Yan Hozheng sighed.

Whoosh!

The flames outside the main gate were visible from the first floor. Given the height of the wall, the size was unbelievable.

'Gah!'

Yan Zhiping involuntarily flinched.

Being trapped in such a place would likely leave one mentally scarred even if the body remained unharmed. Yan Zhiping had to try hard to steady his mind and body.

'It's nothing. I need to save the Zhuge family members and put out the fire!'

Just as Yan Zhiping took a deep breath and was about to open the main gate,

Boom! Bang!

The sound of air being burned, and the main gate's lock broke.

The broken pieces of the gate increased the size of the flames. At the same time, a fierce wind pushed the burning flames forward.

Yan Zhiping's eyes widened.

In his clear and pure eyes, a blue light could be seen rushing out, enveloped in flames.

"Brother!!"

* * *

Bang!

"Keh!"

Struck in the side by an iron club, Zhuge Yan finally spat out blood.

'My internal organs are damaged.'

Though her mind was clear, her body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. The skills of the Thunderfire Gang members were far below Ma Fang's, but they knew how to imbue their attacks with true energy.

The accumulated hits had shaken her internally, and this blow caused internal bleeding.

Thud!

Her knees buckled involuntarily. For Zhuge Yan, who had never experienced such extreme combat, this was her limit.

"She's down!"

"Heh heh! She was thrashing around like a wild mare!"

"Lord Fang! Why don't you taste her right here?"

Low, lewd remarks tickled her ears.

Fear and anger surged, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't muster the strength in her body.

Zhuge Yan lifted her head.

Far away, Ma Fang's face, twisted with a sinister smile, was visible. It seemed he was about to rape her right there.

'I need to commit suicide...!'

At that moment,

Bang!

Something shattered, and a bright red liquid dyed Zhuge Yan's vision red.

Thud! Thud!

"Ah!"

"What, what is this?!"

The Thunderfire Gang members were startled and looked at the fallen corpse.

The fallen corpse was truly horrific. It looked as if it had been crushed by a giant's hand, with the upper part of the neck roughly torn off. The head, which had flown off, was shattered into pieces scattered everywhere.

Even though the head had flown off, the fingers were still twitching, which only heightened the fear of those who saw it.

Next to the corpse, a long iron rod was stuck in the ground.

Ma Fang's eyes changed.

"What is this?"

The Thunderfire Gang members looked at the main gate of the Chaocheng Tower.

"Huff."

A young man was walking towards them, exhaling lightly.

Was he in his early twenties? He was quite tall but had a slender build like a scholar. His overall appearance was sharp, but he gave off a sense of being a solid, dependable young man.

Ma Fang's expression turned as cold as ice.

"Who are you?"

"Shut up, you crazy arsonist."

"..."

"Why are you setting fire to a perfectly good tower, you bastard? I'll shove a bladder down your throat."

It was a crude and vulgar insult.

Ma Fang was taken aback. Having lived in the back alleys for over twenty years, he had never heard such a brutal insult.

At that moment, one of the gang members approached with a club, his face flushed with the thrill of violence.

"You little brat, who do you think you are...?"

Puk! Thud!

The approaching gang member fell to the ground.

Ma Fang's eyes widened.

'What?'

The fallen gang member did not get up again.

He wasn't unconscious; he was dead.

'How did he kill him?'

Holding the dead gang member's club, Yan Hozheng moved his foot.

Ma Fang felt a chill run down his spine.

"Stop him!"

Bang!

Before his words were even finished, another gang member fell.

His head was shattered, and blood flowed out. The skin was torn, and the club left a deep indentation. It was an instant kill.

Yan Hozheng rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm not sure if my shoulder can handle it."

Bang!

While he was distracted, another gang member fell.

This time, it was the head again. Not only did he use the iron rod to blow off the head, but he also used the club to crush it.

He was a ruthless killer. His style was completely different from Zhuge Yan's formal martial techniques. He struck with a fatal blow as soon as he saw an opening.

Now, the gang members realized that their opponent was not ordinary and raised their weapons.

"Th-this guy?!"

"Kill him!"

Ma Fang shouted.

"You idiots! You should take a hostage and threaten...!"

Bang!

He couldn't finish his sentence.

Yan Hozheng, who had quickly moved into the midst of the gang members, swung the club like a possessed man. The way he swung the club was strange.

It wasn't fast or strong. It looked like something one could easily avoid even with their eyes closed.

Yet, the gang members couldn't block the simple attacks and fell. Each strike was a fatal blow. Some died from head injuries, while others died from hits to the chest or lumbar region.

'Deadly points (死穴)!!'

That's right.

Yan Hozheng was using the iron rod to strike only the deadly points of his enemies. When he aimed for the head, he used more force to shatter it, but for other parts, he struck the nearest deadly point to kill.

Ma Fang couldn't believe it.

It wasn't something just anyone could do. Striking deadly points with a club, not a sword, required the inner strength of a peak expert.

'But?'

No matter how he looked, Yan Hozheng wasn't a peak expert. His movements and the flow of his inner energy indicated that he was at best on par with or slightly below Ma Fang.

How could he kill so easily?

"What, you guys? Even the gang in our neighborhood is more organized than you."

Yan Hozheng, who had already taken down twenty gang members, threw the blood-soaked club and picked up his iron rod from the ground.

Ma Fang couldn't smile as he had before.

"What's your name?"

Yan Hozheng didn't answer and looked down at Zhuge Yan.

Zhuge Yan's eyes trembled faintly.

"T-thank you..."

Thud!

"Ugh!"

Yan Hozheng grabbed Zhuge Yan's wrist.

After focusing on her pulse, he clicked his tongue and let go of her wrist.

"I don't think so."

"Y-yes?"

"Take care of your brother and retreat."

"..."

"Get out of my way, quickly!"

Startled, Zhuge Yan stood up.

Yan Hozheng's voice carried a strong force and authority. Just hearing it made her legs feel strong.

Yan Hozheng turned his gaze to Ma Fang.

Ma Fang's face was slightly distorted.

"A young punk with blood not even dry on his head...?"

"You're not of the Yinhanbai type, but the Yinhuahong type?"

"!!"

Ma Fang's face turned pale.

Yan Hozheng smirked.

"There was a reason you were setting fires."

"You, how do you know about Yinhuo...?!"

Whoosh!

The heavy iron rod began to spin.

"Fire (火)? Perfect. It's just what I need to cultivate Water (水)."

"?!?"

"What are you waiting for? Come on in."