Chapter 043: Egg-Shattering Dragon Claw (Fourth Update)

Xin Lang didn’t bother to check if his arrow had struck Ouyang Bu Zhong. He feinted and turned, fleeing into the trees.

“Trying to escape? It won't be so easy! Now that you’ve found me, I’m done playing hide-and-seek with you!” Ouyang Bu Zhong had planned to investigate Xin Lang’s connection to the master alchemist who crafted the Sevenfold Rejuvenation Pill. But now that Xin Lang had discovered him, he had no choice but to capture Xin Lang and bring him back to Sun City.

Ouyang Bu Zhong leapt atop a massive boulder, then sprang high into the air, swooping down towards Xin Lang from above.

Xin Lang wasn’t truly fleeing. He was creating an illusion for Ouyang Bu Zhong. As Ouyang Bu Zhong vaulted into the air, Xin Lang suddenly spun around for a surprise attack. “Dual Martial Arts—Dragon Subduing Ten Thousand and Eight Palms! Gale Leaf Finger!”

With his left hand forming a finger and his right a palm, Xin Lang, relying on his flawless mastery of martial skills, forcibly combined two high-tier mortal techniques, launching them simultaneously at the airborne Ouyang Bu Zhong.

Seeing the layered palm shadows and the sweeping finger strikes, Ouyang Bu Zhong sneered, “Fancy tricks—watch my Mountain-Shaking Hidden Force Fist! One force overpowers ten arts!”

Ouyang Bu Zhong struck down with a palm in midair, shattering and dispersing Xin Lang’s palm and finger shadows.

Though Xin Lang was hit by Ouyang Bu Zhong’s hidden force, he still wore a confident smile at the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, his hands shifted from palm and finger into claws. “High-tier mortal technique—Heart-Shattering Dragon Claw!”

Despite launching the Heart-Shattering Dragon Claw, Xin Lang’s target wasn’t Ouyang Bu Zhong’s heart. Instead, he aimed for Ouyang Bu Zhong’s nether region! Strictly speaking, the move should now be called Egg-Shattering Dragon Claw.

Since Ouyang Bu Zhong was diving from above, Xin Lang’s claw could only reach his groin. One of Ouyang Bu Zhong’s ‘eggs’ was utterly crushed beneath Xin Lang’s claw!

“Ah—!”

A heart-rending scream echoed through the forest, startling birds into flight.

At the same time, Ouyang Bu Zhong’s Mountain-Shaking Palm, imbued with hidden force, struck solidly against Xin Lang’s chest.

Boom! Xin Lang was sent flying several meters, finally stopping when he crashed into a tree trunk.

But Ouyang Bu Zhong fared no better. He fell from mid-air, landing hard on his knees, clutching his groin with his left hand, and furiously pointing at Xin Lang with his right. He cursed, “You… you… little bastard! I’ll kill you yet!”

As a martial artist, Ouyang Bu Zhong knew that Xin Lang’s claw had destroyed half of his manhood. His hatred was palpable. He struggled to rise but could not straighten.

Xin Lang had suffered a heavy blow. After spitting out a mouthful of clotted blood, he managed to prop himself up.

Seeing the murderous light in Ouyang Bu Zhong’s eyes, Xin Lang realized his foe now intended to kill him. He considered finishing Ouyang Bu Zhong off, but after taking a few steps, he hesitated. If he acted now and Ouyang Bu Zhong suddenly erupted, it would be dangerous.

Moreover, Xin Lang still had use for Ouyang Bu Zhong and wanted to keep him around for a few more days.

After some thought, Xin Lang turned and slipped into the woods.

“You little bastard… you can’t escape… I’ll kill you!” Ouyang Bu Zhong’s curses echoed as Xin Lang vanished from sight.

This time, Xin Lang was wounded far more severely than before. All his organs had been struck by the hidden force. Fortunately, Ouyang Bu Zhong’s mastery of hidden force was shallow; otherwise, even a Saint of Medicine couldn’t have saved Xin Lang.

Xin Lang quickly swallowed two bottles of healing elixir and ran several miles. Not seeing Ouyang Bu Zhong in pursuit, he finally relaxed.

He found a small cave to shelter in, tending his wounds while carefully savoring the hidden force Ouyang Bu Zhong had driven into him.

Xin Lang knew that if he tried to comprehend hidden force on his own, even with his exceptional talent, he could not master it within a year or so. If he wanted to achieve hidden force in a short time, he had to experience it personally. So he adopted an extremely dangerous method—using Ouyang Bu Zhong to temper himself and gain insight into hidden force.

Earlier, he could have dodged Ouyang Bu Zhong’s hidden force attack, but for the sake of understanding it, he took the blow head-on.

In that small cave, Xin Lang healed while cultivating hidden force.

A night passed. Though he hadn’t fully comprehended hidden force, his wounds were almost healed, thanks to his skill as a ninth-level master alchemist and the effects of his ‘treasure’ grade pills.

The next morning, after practice, Xin Lang took out steaming buns and fresh cured meat from his backpack and feasted.

As he ate, he marveled at the powerful features of the upgrade device. The buns and meat stored in his ‘backpack’ remained as fresh and hot as if just cooked.

He bit into a bun, grinning, “Who would have thought I’d be eating piping hot buns deep in the mountains?”

After breakfast, Xin Lang surveyed the terrain and realized he was lost.

He had intended to go to the place where, in his previous life, he and Red Sleeve had pledged themselves together, and then casually gather some Blue Silver Grass. But yesterday, fleeing in haste after being wounded, he’d lost his way.

This forest wasn’t vast, but neither was it small. If you lost your bearings, it would be difficult to find your way out.

Xin Lang thought, “I mustn’t panic about being lost, but that old fellow whose ‘egg’ I crushed better not get lost. I still need him to help me cultivate hidden force!”

After experiencing hidden force firsthand twice, Xin Lang felt he was much closer to becoming a martial artist. A few more direct encounters with its power, and he’d be confident in mastering it.

He had no other choice but to pursue this reckless method because he had to cultivate hidden force within three months to complete the ten-star main quest of the upgrade device. Over half a month had already passed, so he had to take this risk.

Fortunately, Xin Lang was a ninth-level master alchemist in his previous life and could concoct unlimited ‘treasure’ grade pills for healing. Anyone else attempting his method would have died twice already.

He lingered outside the cave for half a day but saw no sign of Ouyang Bu Zhong. “No, I need to make sure he finds me!”

PS: Brothers, your votes are powerful—Cabbage will keep the chapters coming!