The opponent had a much denser and abundant Qi as well as a protective martial technique. If it were not for Yun Fei's intrepid physique and his inhuman Qi recovery rate, he would have already collapsed after barely making a dent in the man's Qi reserves.
While truly fighting against an equal, his method of preserving his body with his protective technique would be utter foolishness.
To preserve his unexceptional body by sacrificing such large quantities of Qi; out of simple fear, would simply be; biting yourself in the ass.
But the man's confidence in his cultivation and his weak mentality that avoided pain out of trepidation would be his downfall.
In the current situation, Yun Fei was in a very sorry state indeed. He was bleeding from his thigh and abs and his bare upper body was covered with bruises. Even his arms that he used to block blows looked awful. His efforts to survive however weren't in vain.
His opponent was only lightly injured but he had suffered a lot of exhaustion in the trade off. This exhaustion would pave his way to success.
The dense canopy of the forest provided a rather unexpected and marvellous effect as the defined horizon caused the surrounding to suddenly plunge into darkness.
This was the moment Yun Fei was waiting for. With a faint smile, his figure flickered as it melded into the darkness. Utilizing the time expertly as the bewildered eyes of the opponent struggled to adjust to the new illumination.
Even the best of the best can falter due to a simple miscalculation, and this man had been thinking about things the wrong way ever since he had met Yun Fei.
He knew that he would win… a boy in the 3rd layer of Qi condensation, a boy who didn't even know the simplest techniques, a simple brute, there was no way he could lose.
He would win.
Assured of his victory and wary of Yun Fei escaping, he rushed ahead incognizant of any ambush.
Yun Fei had built up his skillset in the wilderness; he may be unrefined, lacking in martial techniques and the minutiae of Qi manipulation but stalking the prey was something that none could teach him.
No trace was visible to the pursuer until a loud twang rang out, followed by a sharp pain in his side. An arrow jutted out from his ribs as he felt something other than the pain from the wound.
‘This.. it's laced with poison. Judging from it potency it's some sort of paralysing agent,’ reasoned the man.
His accuracy was surprising, a product of countless experiences.
‘To think that he had a bow… does this bastard think that this will change the outcome in any way? It's only a minor discomfort.’
During the previous melee, he had had no opportunity to showcase any movement technique, but that did not mean that he had none. His shadow traversal was more of an illusory art rather than one focusing on speed.
As a low ranking member of an illegal organization, a fast promotion into the foundation establishment rank was near impossible.
Quick improvement could only be accomplished through mastering martial arts that would boost his fighting ability. Due to this reason, he had learned a variety of low-level techniques.
These thoughts were instantaneous, his body moved from instinct. Circulating his movement technique gave a great burst in speed. Rushing towards the direction of the arrow, his anger fuelled his determination as he readied his ultimate offensive technique.
This time he didn't plan to hold anything back, he knew that it might just become a greater headache if he let Yun Fei roam in the dark. If he let a mere 3rd layer escape, he would have no face to show to anyone.
He was also running dangerously low on Qi, this final move contained his everything. He wanted to finish the fight with this no matter what.
Meanwhile, Yun Fei was shocked at the man’s speed,
‘So fast!, who would have thought that he has even more tricks up his sleeve. It seems that it's finally the moment of truth.’
Even as Yun Fei stepped back, he knew that he could not release another arrow. Making a split second decision, he abandoned his bow. Throwing it aside.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Seeking to confuse the opponent, he executed a twist bringing the arrow that he grasped in his right hand and stabbing at the left shoulder of the charging man.
The arrow stabbed deep into the man’s shoulder but it had already been anticipated, the stabbed arm twisted like a worm as the palm jerked like a claw, clamping down on his right bicep in a vice like grip.
“DIE!!!!!!”
He shouted, bringing his right arm aimed at Yun Fei's head.
The small dense tornado of Qi encasing his punch was easily visible; the strong power had caused a few thin surface capillaries on the skin to burst, spilling their contents into the rotating Qi, lending it a blood red hue.
Yun Fei was a mouse in a trap, there was no escape and he couldn't counter fast enough. The strength of this blow was unprecedented. A direct hit to his vitals would spell death, even with his abnormal regeneration.
Throughout the fight he had the assurance of safety, a trump card that would save him even in the face of overwhelming odds, a second life.
The teleportation talisman was exactly such a second life; at these cultivation levels it was no less than invincible.
But right at this moment, it was useless. No matter how impressive its function it was made for only a single user.
If one was in contact with any other person, it would not have the necessary power to take effect. Devanshu had told him as much while explaining the talisman to him.
Yun Fei could perceive that this was the end of the fight and he could feel the pressure from the swirling wind waxing even as it neared him. He also made up his resolve and prepared to go all in.
Death stared him in the face and Yun Fei stared right back, the beat of his pulse rushed but his eyes were calm, their depths holding something mysterious, unbreakable, undeniable: WILL.
'If I can't dodge it, I'll face it head on.'
Yun Fei grit his teeth as he angled his face to meet the incoming screw with his chin.
A deafening crack echoed out as blood mist sprayed out. The punch had drilled through the lower half of Yun Fei's face.
His lower jaw hung from strips of flesh dangling on the left side of his face. His teeth were blown off as one sunk itself into the soft palate.
The rending force of the full powered Rending fist was huge. This damage was also the result of Yun Fei preparing to use his own move and pulling the Qi from his body. It wouldn't nearly be as bad as this if he had kept up with his previous defences.
Yun Fei was in shock... he had counted on it. The pain would have incapacitated him for his move if it were not for his body running from the pain.
It had taken an enormous amount of Qi to execute the rending fist and for the first time the man was completely open to an attack.
He had never thought that someone missing half a face would be capable of striking back.
When Yun Fei had created and successfully used his explosive movement technique, it obviously raised the question: if it works for the foot, why wouldn't it work for the hand?
Qi pumped into his left arm, visibly expanding it. His meredians filled up again.
Yun Fei had a moment of clarity. His aim was the chest. As his palm drew closer to his opponent, his eyes momentarily shone with a purple radiance and Li Gan became incable of any movement for the fraction of a second.
This technique was not a safe play and there was no time to put up any checks, it all burst out with pure abandon. A tsunami followed the drought and when the riverbed could not hold it in any longer, it gave in.
BOOM
When his palm struck the sternum of the gaping man, Yun Fei felt no resistance; he was already beyond all feeling.
The palm plowed through, crushing bone and splitting flesh. The man flew off, his orifices spraying blood, his crushed chest struggling to heave.
Pain finally assaulted Yun Fei, it left him kneeling, tears streaming down his face, snot dripping down his obliterated jaw.
Everything hurt, his disfigured face, his charred hand which had been unable to bear the tyrannical force of the explosion.
Yun Fei, literally, saw red. All he wished was to kill that bastard but as he crawled to his feet to prepare a finishing blow. He heard a beep and felt something show up on the searching talisman.
He could see a fast moving clump of tokens making a beeline right for the place where he was . The tokens were probably held by a single man who would be sufficiently strong since he had an even greater amount than Yun Fei.
He was not blinded by anger, all debts would be paid later but only if there was a later. He was in no shape to stick around and gamble on the alliegiances of the newcomer.
Cursing in his mind and cradling his unhinged jaw, he ran off into the night.
----------------------------------------
In the darkness of the night, a figure moved swiftly but unhurried with deft and light steps. Unaccompanied and lonely, it seemingly floated forward until it took out a talisman and stopped.
Su Libai looked at his talisman, turned towards a direction and continued with his unhurried pace.
He came upon a bulky man sleeping near the remnants of a burnt out fire. The still smoldering coal, shed light onto the face of the man who layed sprawled out with his mouth open.
His face and posture made Su Libai feel that he was the most straightforward man he had ever seen.
Sleeping in such an open position, with no fear of anything and no worries. Su Libai didn't think that he could manage to do something like this, atleast not yet.
He stood there for some time as he observed the bulky man on the ground who had an orange shade of light falling on one side of his body as his chest rose and fell rhythmically.
He felt a little envious when he saw someone like this. How nice would it have been if he had no worries like this, if he could just live straightforwardly.
Ceasing his thoughts with a sigh, he took out a silver flute from his space pouch and muttered under his breath.
"Well, Since you dare to be so brazen. You will have to accept a loss."
A melody which was hard to grasp and harder to hear encroached upon the surroundings.
The heart warming scene of the straight forward man by the fire stood undisturbed.
Su Libai once again moved forward with unhurried but swift steps, as his fingers fiddled with the new token.