bookpub Chapter 44 Ambush
Chapter 44 Ambush
The Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall reacted extremely quickly.
The moment the palm strike touched him, he suddenly turned to the side, his palm brushing past his outer garment and slicing off a piece of it.
He turned around and struck out with his palm, using the Wind-Riding Fist—a spiraling, cunning strike with hidden force like a cone, aimed straight at Lin Mu's face.
Lin Mu blocked with his left arm, their fists and palms clashing with a muffled thud.
The hidden force entered his body, and the familiar power of the Wind-Riding Fist drilled into his arm.
He immediately activated his body-strengthening technique, guiding the opponent's spiraling internal energy out from his elbow.
The Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall took a half step back to steady himself, his gaze sweeping from the eagle-head mask on Lin Mu's face to his boxing stance.
"Changfeng Fist? You're from the Changfeng Martial Arts School?"
Lin Mu did not answer. He pushed off the ground with his right foot and unleashed his sudden wind step. Taking advantage of a night wind blowing from the side, he accelerated and circled around to the left side of the Vermilion Bird Hall Master.
Like a willow swaying in the wind, the palm slices diagonally, aiming straight for the opponent's neck.
The Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall raised his arm to block, and the hidden force entered his body again.
He took a half step back, released his strength, and regained his balance.
The Vermilion Bird Hall Master's expression changed.
His hidden force entered Lin Mu's body like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, creating only a ripple before disappearing without a sound.
Lin Mu's internal force didn't seem very strong, but it was like a whip lashing out, causing severe damage to the veins over time.
What's even stranger is Lin Mu's footwork; it's very ethereal.
Every time he thought his palm strike would hit, Lin Mu's body moved like a gust of wind, his palm brushing past his clothes.
The night wind swept through the corridor, causing Lin Mu's clothes to flutter in the wind. He looked like a leaf being carried by the wind, swaying left and right, unpredictable.
The Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall no longer rushed to attack, but instead used hit-and-run tactics.
The two exchanged blows under the eaves. As their palms swept across the ground, the lanterns swayed violently, and the candlelight flickered.
The Vermilion Bird Hall Master's Wind-Riding Fist, with its spiraling, hidden force, was like countless fine needles, attempting to pierce Lin Mu's meridians from every angle.
Lin Mu's Long Wind Fist is unpredictable and ever-changing. Every time he exchanges palm strikes, he uses body-strengthening techniques to slow down, release, or return the opponent's hidden force.
With the support of hidden force, his Wind-Stepping Technique became even more agile. He moved naturally with the direction of the airflow; if the wind blew to the left, he would drift to the left; if the wind swirled to the right, he would glide to the right.
For a time, it was difficult to determine who was better.
However, the lantern light from the east had already pierced through the moon gate, casting a long beam of light on the ground.
The footsteps grew closer, thumping on the blue bricks like a death knell.
Lin Mu knew he couldn't delay any longer.
Once the White Tiger Hall Master returns, he will have no chance of winning against two opponents.
We must take a desperate gamble.
He took a deep breath, and his Windwalk suddenly slowed down, feigning exhaustion.
Its once elusive form became sluggish, like a leaf dampened by the wind, falling heavily downwards.
The Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall noticed the change, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.
He thought Lin Mu's strength had been completely exhausted and that he could no longer maintain his footwork.
He suddenly accelerated his attack, unleashing both palms simultaneously. The spiraling, hidden force of the Wind-Riding Fist surged from both sides at the same time, like two venomous snakes biting at Lin Mu's chest from the left and right.
Lin Mu raised his arms to take the two blows head-on.
Fist and palm collided, producing a dull thud like tearing cotton.
Two spiraling, hidden energies surged into Lin Mu's arm simultaneously, heading upwards and directly towards his Jianjing acupoint.
Lin Mu activated his Body Tempering Technique at full power, using his mind to guide the two spiraling internal energies, causing them to merge into a large vortex.
Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he used his Wind Step to strike the willow branch in the wind, and his fists clashed with the Vermilion Bird Hall Master's.
At the very moment flesh collided with flesh, he suddenly pushed out the two spiraling internal forces that were wrapped within his body from his palms.
The Vermilion Bird Hall Master's arm suddenly stiffened as he endured the internal force.
That overwhelming force surged from his palm, rushing upwards along the path of the Wind Control Fist, past his wrist, elbow, and shoulder, before exploding in his chest.
A flicker of disbelief crossed his eyes.
"Is it the Wind Control Fist?"
Lin Mu unleashed another powerful gust of wind, its hidden force fierce, colliding with the previous spiraling force.
Two forces exploded within his body, like two pebbles hitting the surface of water, creating ripples that overlapped and reinforced each other, eventually becoming a towering wave.
The Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body cracked from the inside out.
He knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands, trying to get up.
Lin Mu stepped forward and placed his right palm on the top of his head.
The Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall let his hand fall to his sides, lying motionless on the blue bricks.
At that moment, footsteps from the east entered the backyard.
The tall figure of the White Tiger Hall Master appeared at the door, carrying the lantern in his hand, muttering, "Vermilion Bird, what's going on here?"
His voice abruptly stopped.
Under the corridor, the Master of the Vermilion Bird Hall lay prone on the blue bricks, the blood beneath him slowly seeping out.
A man in black wearing an eagle-head mask stood beside the corpse, his right hand still suspended in mid-air.
The White Tiger Hall Master's pupils suddenly contracted, the lantern slipped from his hand, rolled twice on the ground, and the candle went out.
He lunged forward—his fist, imbued with hidden force, was fierce and domineering, like an iron hammer smashing towards Lin Mu's face.
The White Tiger Hall Master was burly and his internal strength was more profound than that of the Vermilion Bird Hall Master. His fist techniques were also different from the Wind-Riding Fist, with each punch carrying an overwhelming momentum.
Lin Mu dodged the first punch by turning to the side; the wind from the punch grazed his hair.
The second punch followed immediately, striking his chest.
Lin Mu raised his arm to block, and with a muffled thud, the hidden force entered his body, causing his arm to tremble and him to take two steps back.
Since he had not witnessed the White Tiger Hall Master's fist techniques, he could only use body-strengthening techniques to prevent the opponent's hidden force from damaging his meridians.
This battle needs to be won quickly.
The White Tiger Hall Master's third punch landed.
Lin Mu did not back down.
He slammed his right foot into the ground, unleashing the full force of his Gale Step, and instead of retreating, he advanced, slipping under the White Tiger Hall Master's arm and circling behind him.
The White Tiger Hall Master reacted extremely quickly, turning around and throwing a punch.
Lin Mu had already raised his right leg.
Whip kick.
He channeled his inner force into his right leg, which, like a whip, drew a short arc in the air, heading straight for the White Tiger Hall Master's neck.
*Smack!*
The White Tiger Hall Master raised his arm to block.
The leg lashed out at the forearm, the explosive force of the whip penetrating the body, relentlessly destroying the tendons and veins, reaching deep into the bones.
The sound of bone cracking was as crisp as breaking a withered branch.
The White Tiger Hall Master's arm hung limply at his sides.
His expression changed drastically, his mouth gaped open, but before he could utter a sound—
The second leg had already struck his temple.
His head snapped to the side, and his body fell straight to the side like a felled tree, crashing into a pillar that cracked open, causing lime to fall in a shower. He then lay motionless on the ground.
Lin Mu pulled his legs back, panting heavily.
Winning was not as easy as it seemed.
Currently, the Wind Chaser Gang still has one Xuanwu Hall Master remaining.
He needs to outsmart him.
The characteristic of hidden force is that it can only be penetrated into the opponent's body through physical contact. If a weapon is used, it can at least block several more moves.
He thought for a moment, then his gaze fell on the long spear on the weapon rack—the Wind-Riding Spear.
Lin Mu pulled a long spear from the weapon rack and weighed it in his hand.
The shaft was made of white waxwood, with good elasticity, while the spearhead was made of high-quality steel, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.