Chapter 68

Just as he was saying these few words, quite a few of Yang Ze's elite soldiers caught up. There were no fewer than five Light Guard commanders, and dozens of people surrounded Lu Buqi tightly.

"For a martial artist, the most dignified way to die is not to have a full meal and be buried properly!" Lu Buqi lightly shook his somewhat stiff neck and said coldly, "But to die in battle!"

"Spoken well!" Wang Chengzhou's eyes gleamed with a sharp light. "I, Wang Chengzhou, admire men who are not afraid of death... Clear a larger space..."

As he spoke, Wang Chengzhou, wielding a huge hammer, smashed several nearby trees with a few strikes, forcing the people around to clear a spacious area of two to three hundred square meters.

"Is your name Buqi?" Wang Chengzhou held the hammer with his large hand and pointed at Lu Buqi. "You are a qualified martial artist. I, Wang Chengzhou, will give you a chance to fight one-on-one. After you die in battle, I, Wang Chengzhou, will give you a good grave, and I will write on the tombstone how many of my strikes you blocked!"

Wang Chengzhou's words, which were not disrespectful, sounded like a joke to the private soldiers. Some even chimed in, "Second Commander, I think we can start making the tombstone now, because he definitely won't be able to block even one strike, right?"

The crowd burst into laughter. A martial artist at the Blood Boil stage facing a Zhe slave who hadn't even broken through to the Bone Roar stage, such a disparity in strength was undoubtedly a foregone conclusion.

But Lu Buqi did not pay attention to the contemptuous and pitying laughter from the side. He lightly pinched his nose, tightened his grip on the Yu Chang sword with his left hand, and nodded slightly to Wang Chengzhou to show his respect. "Thank you!"

"Second strike!" Wang Chengzhou made his move, clearly counting the first strike from the pursuit as well.

This was the first time Lu Buqi had seen a martial artist at the Blood Boil stage in action. The attack was simple and unadorned, but the huge hammer, as it crashed down, produced a sonic boom, giving a sense of being impossible to resist.

Unable to resist, he could only dodge. Lu Buqi focused all his attention, channeling his strength mainly into his legs, increasing his speed to the maximum! He barely managed to dodge the edge of the huge hammer. In Lu Buqi's view, those who wielded heavy weapons, no matter how strong they were, did not have the fluidity of those who used light weapons. He didn't believe that someone wielding an 800-pound heavy hammer could perform rapid consecutive strikes.

"Third strike!" Wang Chengzhou's voice showed no fluctuation. He believed that Lu Buqi couldn't block his hammer, but he wasn't surprised that Lu Buqi could dodge it.

The hammer's momentum reversed, following him like a shadow, making Lu Buqi's heart leap in shock. Wang Chengzhou's fluid attack was almost as swift as some martial artists' long swords.

When brute force is too strong, it should be countered with gentleness. Lu Buqi, well-versed in the principles of martial arts, realized he couldn't completely dodge the vast attack range. He sheathed the Yu Chang sword, and his palms struck repeatedly, using his feet to dissipate the force.

However, no matter how much force he dissipated, it was impossible to nullify the immense power. The powerful hammer still sent Lu Buqi flying several yards away, landing in front of the private soldiers.

None of the private soldiers would use underhanded tactics against him, but the mocking and contemptuous voices were everywhere. However, when Lu Buqi sprang up with a fish-like leap, it undoubtedly surprised many.

Wang Chengzhou, who had slightly relaxed his stance, also showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Interesting! Let's see if you can take two more strikes!"

Before his words had even finished, the attack had already landed, showing how fast Wang Chengzhou's attack speed was. The large hammer swept diagonally, sealing off most of Lu Buqi's dodging space.

Behind him were the private soldiers. If Lu Buqi tried to dodge backward, he would likely be seen as trying to escape and be killed. At this moment, the basic skills of standing and moving became evident. Lu Buqi's body tilted to the side, his feet forming a 40-degree angle with the ground.

At the moment he dodged the hammer, his center of gravity shifted, transforming from a crane to a deer. His body strangely slipped to Wang Chengzhou's side, and a sharp light flashed under Wang Chengzhou's armpit.

Unless Wang Chengzhou dropped the hammer, his armpit, unprotected by armor, would inevitably be severely injured. However, what surprised Lu Buqi was that Wang Chengzhou did not drop the hammer. Instead, he lowered his body, and his exposed right arm, with a blood-like glow, met the Yu Chang sword.

The two separated upon contact. As Lu Buqi rolled away, increasing the distance between him and Wang Chengzhou, he saw Wang Chengzhou turn and look at him with disdain. "Useless... A martial artist at the Blood Boil stage not only has increased strength but also has blood energy protecting the body. Ordinary blades and swords are simply... damn, your sword..."

In the astonished gaze of the private soldiers, Wang Chengzhou looked angrily at the two-inch-long, bloody wound on his right arm. Lu Buqi, however, felt no pride, but rather a deep sense of frustration. "Now he's discovered that the Yu Chang sword is not an ordinary weapon. It will be hard to achieve any more surprising results!"

"Good guy... I didn't think much of this task, but now it seems you are indeed quite extraordinary, able to injure me!" Wang Chengzhou laughed in anger. "If you can block three more strikes, I'll let you go!"

As he spoke, Wang Chengzhou suddenly let out a beast-like roar, his body slightly sinking. The blood vessels in his injured right arm suddenly expanded, making the already thick arm, comparable to a regular person's thigh, even larger. Blood gushed from the wound as he charged forward, the huge hammer smashing toward Lu Buqi with overwhelming force.

Unable to dodge, unable to block!

Lu Buqi's face changed drastically. No wonder Wang Chengzhou was so confident that he couldn't dodge the hammer. He had overestimated Lu Buqi. The hammer, though similar to the previous one, was even more powerful and faster, leaving no room for dodging or blocking.

The scent of death was so clear and intense, as if Death itself had brought it right to Lu Buqi's nose! But Lu Buqi was not an ordinary person. Unlike most people, he would not become despondent in the face of death.

If he couldn't dodge, he would block! Even if he couldn't block, he would still try!

"Roar!" At this critical moment, facing the absolute 15,000-pound force, Lu Buqi's mind became completely focused, as if he were in his usual training state.

Bear stance, Bear King's Great Strength Technique... inhale, strike, burst of strength, stimulating the bone marrow...

"Roar!" Lu Buqi's eyes widened, and he let out a roar of defiance against fate. As the fifteen meridians in his body burst with strength, his bones shivered as if bitten by a thousand ants, and a strange tingling sensation spread throughout his body.

With a "bang," Lu Buqi's waist sank, and his left hand struck the incoming hammer. A series of crackling sounds echoed as his bones hummed like ancient machinery.

Time seemed to pause for a fraction of a second. The 6,000-pound force in his hand, as his bones began to deform, suddenly increased to 12,000 pounds... and was still rising!

"Roar!" A similar roar, but this time it was a sound of pure satisfaction. As his left hand began to feel weak, Lu Buqi's right hand struck, pushing the hammer, which seemed to have suddenly become lighter, away.

"One of the Second Commander's three killing moves, actually blocked!" The knowledgeable private soldiers howled, as if they had witnessed an incredible and rare event.

In fact, Lu Buqi's heart was also racing with excitement. In that moment, he had broken through. He felt the burst of bone energy, a sensation of stimulation from the outside to the inside and then from the inside to the outside, which was even more satisfying than a wet dream.

So this is bone roar, the proud resonance of bones for an indomitable life! Looking at Wang Chengzhou's stunned expression, Lu Buqi's expression became vivid and his heart surged. "Wang Chengzhou, two more strikes, I'll take them!"

"Buqi, you are indeed a martial arts prodigy!" Wang Chengzhou's eyes narrowed. "At this stage, you can break through, but even if you break through to the Bone Roar stage, you won't be able to block my next two strikes!"

Wang Chengzhou wasted no more words, roaring as the Pool-Breaking Hammer, wielded by his blood-red right arm, transformed into a massive, seemingly clumsy hammer shadow, descending upon Lu Buqi.

"So powerful!" Lu Buqi's pupils contracted. No wonder a martial artist at the Blood Boil stage could be so confident. Even with his greatly improved strength, Lu Buqi still felt unable to dodge.

But the overwhelming sense of power and the exhilaration of breaking through the boundary of life and death made Lu Buqi fearless. He stood tall, using the posture of holding a tower with both arms to meet the hammer head-on.

Lu Buqi's body did not let him down. Another series of mechanical bone hums echoed as he resisted the hammer head-on. However, his feet sank into the ground by about a foot.

"Die!" The hammer swung again, Wang Chengzhou's eyes wide with anger. Holding the hammer with both arms, he struck Lu Buqi with a force that seemed to shake the earth. This strike, with the momentum of the previous one, was even more powerful, clearly aiming to "nail" Lu Buqi into the ground.