Chapter 36

A few days ago, Xu Dong was nothing more than a small ant that could be crushed with a flick of the finger to Ci Dao. This was not a joke but the gap between ordinary people, even those approaching the limits of their constraints, and the Jia Shi. Because of this, Xu Dong managed to escape through various ambushes and strategies, ultimately successfully evading the pursuit, which was a humiliation to Ci Dao.

It was like an old cat being thoroughly toyed with by a little mouse! The intense sense of humiliation led Ci Dao to rush to Beijiao Village as soon as he received news of Xu Dong. He was a petty person, with only one thought in mind: you humiliated me back then, and today I will definitely get my revenge!

In fact, until Xu Dong activated his flesh armor, Ci Dao was always full of confidence. During the pursuit, he continuously inflicted bloody wounds on Xu Dong, which gave him a sense of revenge and satisfaction.

However, unexpectedly, Xu Dong managed to activate the flesh armor. Moreover, it was the rarely seen Cangmang Ancient Armor of the Central Continent! This left Ci Dao very surprised. Clearly, Xu Dong was an Awakened with agility as his specialty, but after activating the Cangmang Ancient Armor, his strength was enhanced to an unbelievable degree. This was not just a simple surprise but a stark shock.

Furthermore, once Xu Dong unleashed his speed, whether in movement, attack frequency, or neural reaction speed, he had a slight edge over Ci Dao, the seasoned Awakened. Ci Dao, though not saying it out loud, was already cursing in his heart. What kind of freak was this talentless, inexperienced youth?!

Xu Dong's frenzied attacks, though seemingly wild, always gave a sense of calm in his eyes. His body, already damaged, saw many wounds reopen during the intense movement, with blood seeping out and splattering everywhere due to the large movements. This gave a sense of ferocity and brutality.

In this ebb and flow of the battle, Ci Dao naturally became more and more nervous and fearful. Although he did not want to flee, he had already temporarily lost the courage to counterattack. It was evident that Ci Dao was on the defensive, and his trident always barely managed to block the ugly little iron knife, despite the enemy's speed always being a split second faster. Under Ci Dao's full defense, the iron knife almost never scored a hit.

However, under such a relentless assault, Ci Dao still had to grit his teeth and retreat.

The place where the two were fighting was a dense forest, and it was autumn. The ground was covered with a large amount of dry branches and leaves. As the two advanced and retreated, the sound of dry branches breaking and leaves being crushed underfoot could be heard continuously.

Suddenly, Xu Dong's attacks slightly eased. He was driven by a burst of anger, and while the momentum was fierce, it was bound to be short-lived. As the ancient Chinese saying goes, "The first drumbeat inspires, the second weakens, and the third exhausts."

The experienced Ci Dao caught this moment and was secretly overjoyed. "This kid isn't as strong as he looks. After all, his arm bones are still injured, and his body has been damaged by me. Now that he can't catch his breath, his continuous attacks are bound to falter..."

Xu Dong was also a bit anxious. His burst of energy was almost exhausted, and the opponent, apart from being initially cut, had an almost impenetrable defense. His experience in fighting Jia Shi was like a virgin on her wedding night, not just shallow but non-existent. Therefore, Xu Dong's prolonged attacks were naturally a bit disheartening.

Moreover, before the opponent revealed all his cards, how could he recklessly use his innate skills? After all, both were Awakened with agility as their specialty. One misstep, and the opponent might escape, or worse, he might be the one to suffer a setback, which would be a loss.

At this critical moment for Xu Dong, Ci Dao's foot suddenly made a cracking sound, having accidentally stepped on a dry branch. The most coincidental part was that this branch was thicker, causing Ci Dao to stumble and lean to one side as he retreated.

If Xu Dong's attack was a storm, then Ci Dao was a small boat in the midst of a tempest, at risk of breaking apart at any moment. At this moment, Ci Dao's unsteady stance exposed a significant weakness.

In the next second, Xu Dong's spirit was invigorated. He pursed his lips and let out a cold snort. The small iron knife drew an arc in the air and slashed toward the opponent's shoulder with force.

At the critical moment, a sense of immense danger suddenly surged in his heart. Xu Dong was startled, though he didn't understand where this feeling came from, he instinctively slowed down the knife and leaned backward.

In a flash, the already leaning Ci Dao suddenly struck the nearby tree trunk with a powerful blow. The force was so great that the dry bark of the tree shattered, and a shallow handprint was left on the trunk. The leaves on the tree, mostly withered and yellow, would naturally fall with a strong wind. Now, with this force, a large number of leaves detached from the branches and fell like a rain of dry leaves.

In the midst of the swirling dry leaves, a cold light suddenly flashed. Ci Dao, using the force, spun in the air like a top, making a 180-degree turn. The hand holding the trident rotated downward, and the weapon, after a brief pause, stabbed out like a bolt of lightning.

This series of actions played out slowly before Xu Dong's eyes. Strangely, even though you could see every movement and trajectory clearly, your body couldn't react in time.

In the next second, a piercing pain shot from his shoulder to his heart. Xu Dong's vision was almost covered in blood as a gush of blood spurted from the wound, splattering six meters away and dripping down the tree trunk.

In pain, Xu Dong let out a惨叫, his feet moving quickly to retreat. At this moment, his lack of experience was immediately exposed. If he had endured the pain and pursued, the off-balance Ci Dao would have been forced into a difficult battle, and he might have had a chance to severely injure him. However, in the midst of pain and panic, he chose to retreat, missing the best opportunity.

Ci Dao, standing steady, quickly showed a hint of regret. Honestly, if Xu Dong hadn't instinctively dodged at the last moment, this knife would have pierced his heart, ending the battle decisively.

"Such a pity!"

Xu Dong, retreating, clutched his shoulder. Blood flowed freely, dripping onto the ground. Due to the trident almost piercing his clavicle, Xu Dong's left hand was completely immobilized, reducing his combat effectiveness by a third.

Ci Dao, neither hurried nor slow, did not pursue the victory. He understood the principle of capturing and releasing, knowing that an injured beast was the most terrifying. Therefore, he abandoned the idea of a quick victory and decided to wear Xu Dong down slowly.

After successfully inflicting a terrifying wound with the snake strike, Ci Dao's confidence and courage quickly returned. He said with a light snort, "I see, your strength is indeed formidable, not inferior to mine. But your weakness is also very clear: lack of experience! Give up, you can't win!"

As he spoke, Ci Dao slowly approached Xu Dong, trying to apply pressure. The best outcome would be for the opponent's psychological defenses to collapse, leading to a retreat. In such a situation, the overwhelmingly dominant Ci Dao would easily finish off Xu Dong.

But who was Xu Dong? Before becoming an Awakened, he had the courage to slaughter guard dogs and solve a problem that even the North Corner Bear couldn't resolve for two years. Even after obtaining the divine power fruit, he trained himself rigorously, eventually breaking through and activating the flesh armor. Such a fierce person, who was ruthless even to himself, would not easily submit.

The flow of blood from his shoulder slowed, and his face quickly turned pale. However, a fierce flame suddenly rose in the eyes of this young man. He clenched his lips and said, as if the words were squeezed out, "Let's go again!"

Xu Dong's feet moved, and he rushed forward again. This time, he held the small iron knife and swung it wildly, the speed so fast that the knife seemed to disappear, leaving only a series of flashing silver lines in the twilight. These lines intertwined, quickly forming a large net. One side of the net was in Xu Dong's hand, the other in Ci Dao's.

His thoughts were simple and direct: since my experience is not as rich as yours, let's have a fair fight, and see who falls first!

The courage and confidence of Ci Dao, who had just recovered, were shaken by such a fierce and ruthless attack. His heart trembled violently, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, with a strong urge to turn and flee.

However, he quickly suppressed this thought, thinking, "This ignorant kid only uses brute force. If I can wear him down, he will die! No, I will defeat him honorably, destroying him in his area of expertise!"

A solemn aura emanated from Ci Dao. He stepped forward, quickly assuming a horse stance. His feet, slightly bent, suddenly rebounded, lifting him off the ground.

At this moment, Xu Dong had already rushed to Ci Dao, and the net of blades was about to envelop him.

Just then, Ci Dao's bloody and ugly leg kicked in the air, performing a taekwondo single-foot cutdown pre-movement, with his toes almost touching his forehead!

The moment this movement was completed, the air emitted a dull roar, and Xu Dong's pale face's pupils contracted to a point. The sense of horror reached its peak!

Is this... is this the ability marked with a question mark, related to the flesh armor?!

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