Chapter 60

Chapter 60: Piercing Heart with One Strike

Lou Yun glanced at Han Tianxiao, finding him smiling without saying a word. He understood that since Boss Zhao had appeared, the mission wasn’t over. So, he, along with the other two, still needed to figure out how to deal with Boss Zhao!

Thinking this, Lou Yun stepped forward, closely observing Boss Zhao. The man was also burly in stature, though not as massive as Nie Jiu. His face, however, was full of savagery, clearly marking him as no easy opponent.

Lou Yun dismounted. With a cold smirk towards the man, he said, "Boss Zhao, I suppose? Looks like you haven’t been waiting for that man in black!"

Though Boss Zhao’s build was similar to Nie Jiu’s, his mind was significantly quicker. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have returned to the inn, sensed something amiss, and immediately rushed to this unavoidable exit path from Pingdu County to lie in wait. And now, his sweeping glance confirmed the little boy held by Xia Zhilan was the one—he’d waited for the right people.

Using his spiritual sense to probe, he found he couldn’t discern Han Tianxiao’s level of cultivation at all. The other three were merely primary magical weapons masters. So naturally, most of his attention focused on Han Tianxiao. In his mind, both the late Yu Ping and the missing Yue Qing had undoubtedly been dealt with by Han Tianxiao!

Hearing Lou Yun’s question, Boss Zhao wasn’t startled. He merely glanced at Lou Yun before shifting his gaze back to Han Tianxiao, asking deeply, "Who are you people?"

Han Tianxiao naturally wouldn’t say a thing. He continued smiling, projecting instead an aura of inscrutable depth, which deterred Boss Zhao from acting rashly for the moment.

Lou Yun used this time to quickly calculate the disparity in strength between both sides. Boss Zhao was an intermediate three-star magical weapons master. Given his current strength, even if he couldn’t defeat him, he was sure he could at least put up a fight.

If combined with Nie Jiu and Xia Zhilan, their chances of victory were quite significant!

Feeling steadied by this, Lou Yun gave Nie Jiu a look. Nie Jiu understood perfectly, his Earth-Shaking Hammer materializing in his hand. Both men stepped forward simultaneously, flanking Boss Zhao on his left and right.

Boss Zhao couldn’t understand why Han Tianxiao, the strongest among them, remained so detached. He couldn’t help but blurt out, "You won’t intervene? You let these two attack? Do you mean to watch these two throw their lives away?"

Han Tianxiao spread his hands and finally spoke, "If they are about to die, I will naturally intervene."

Boss Zhao was ruthless too. Nodding slightly at the words, he said, "Fine! Then prepare yourself to intervene!"

With a loud roar, Boss Zhao summoned a spiked club. Both ends were densely studded with sharp spikes, with a handgrip in the middle. Now, gripping the center with both hands, he began to whirl the formidable weapon.

Thick, turbulent air currents erupted fiercely from both ends of the club. These currents took form in the air, transforming into what seemed like two wild wolves covered entirely in savage spikes, snarling as they surged toward Lou Yun and Nie Jiu respectively.

Hearing the "crackling" sound—like electricity—coming from the currents tearing through the air, Lou Yun knew the power contained within this strike was absolutely formidable. He urgently shouted to Nie Jiu, "A Jiu, don’t block it head-on!"

Nie Jiu acknowledged. True to the warning, he didn’t try to block. Instead, his entire body suddenly dropped flat against the ground. Like a gourd rolling away, he slid swiftly to the side.

If it had been anyone else, they likely couldn’t have brought themselves to use such an unsightly and undignified move. But Nie Jiu didn’t care. In his view, as long as it avoided the attack effectively, it was a good move. Concepts like ‘unsightly’ didn’t apply!

Naturally, Lou Yun wouldn’t use Nie Jiu’s evasion style. With a forceful push from both feet, his entire body shot forward like an arrow released from its bowstring, effortlessly circling around the wolf lunging at him, and streaked directly towards Boss Zhao.

To everyone’s surprise, however, Lou Yun didn’t summon his magical weapon or his common weapon. He charged at Boss Zhao empty-handed! This act was practically courting death!

Han Tianxiao narrowed his eyes. Xia Zhilan nervously covered her eyes with her hands, too tense to watch!

Boss Zhao gave a scornful laugh, "Impatient to die, are we?"

Swinging his spiked club, he smashed it down toward the approaching Lou Yun.

Lou Yun’s movements were fluid. Ducking low, he smoothly evaded the deadly club. His right fist shot out violently, wreathed in a coat of violently flickering electrical lightning accompanied by a low, rumbling thunderclap, aimed precisely at Boss Zhao’s abdomen.

_Mid-tier moon-grade weapon techniques_, Earthrend Fist Stance:_ Sky Thunder Explosion_!

The instant Boss Zhao saw the fist surrounded by raw energy flying towards his gut, his pupils contracted sharply. Clearly, he had never seen a magical weapons master unleash such a potent strike using sheer physical might.

Strangely, despite knowing Lou Yun’s cultivation level was merely primary three-star, Boss Zhao felt no confidence in taking this punch head-on. He twisted violently to dodge.

But Lou Yun wasn’t letting him off that easily. Like a clinging leaf shadowing its branch, Lou Yun seamlessly followed Boss Zhao’s evasion path, surging forward in the same direction Boss Zhao moved, and drove another fist, crackling with the same fierce energy, towards him.

Simply put, in raw speed, Boss Zhao was no match for Lou Yun, whose physique was honed to the second body refinement. A magical weapons master relies on spiritual energy to enhance their speed, whereas Lou Yun relied solely on pure physical strength. The explosive power generated by his body was absolutely staggering.

Had it not been for Boss Zhao deflecting Lou Yun’s strike with his club earlier, he wouldn’t have dodged the first hit at all. Now, despite Boss Zhao straining to evade once more, Lou Yun was demonstrably faster.

The fist, blazing with lightning, struck Boss Zhao’s body square on.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted as Lou Yun’s fist impacted. The lightning wreathed around his fist detached upon impact, detonating violently upon Boss Zhao’s torso!

The sharp, acrid smell of scorched flesh filled everyone’s nostrils.

Although Lou Yun’s punch, Sky Thunder Explosion, failed to inflict any substantial harm on Boss Zhao, it caught him completely off guard, tearing a hole in his clothes and exposing a patch of his belly that was blackened from the blast.n

Everyone was stunned by this sight; even Boss Zhao himself looked bewilderedly at his smoking clothes for a moment. He had never expected that a strike from a primary three-star magical weapons master could injure him like this!n

After all, just in terms of their magical weapon realms, a whole major level separated the two of them!n

Han Tianxiao watched Lou Yun and couldn’t help shaking his head softly. It was extremely rare since ancient times for a magical weapons master to cultivate their body to this extent—just how many secrets was this kid hiding that no outsider understood?n

After landing a hit, Lou Yun did not press his success. Instead, he retreated several yards, widening the gap from Boss Zhao, while simultaneously drawing the Stone Sword with a backhand motion.n

Right then, Lou Yun treated Boss Zhao purely as a practice target, using his body to display weapon techniques first, then employing a common weapon to display weapon techniques, and only finally utilizing a magical weapon to display weapon techniques!n

Boss Zhao, having suffered a setback, did not fly into a rage but calmed down instead, inwardly curbing his arrogance towards Lou Yun. He finally began to grasp why the strongest person hadn’t intervened, letting this youngster challenge him: it appeared this kid genuinely had real skill!n

Next, Lou Yun swung the Stone Sword and charged at Boss Zhao. Relying on his speed and resilient body, along with intermittent fist attacks, he managed to battle Boss Zhao evenly in a short span. Their exchanges were tit for tat, with neither gaining the upper hand.n

Lou Yun grew more confident the longer he fought, seizing the chance to repeatedly execute the various weapon techniques he had learned on Boss Zhao, naturally becoming more adept at commanding weapon techniques himself.n

Meanwhile, Boss Zhao grew increasingly alarmed, repeatedly sensing Lou Yun’s cultivation with his spiritual awareness. He simply couldn’t credit Lou Yun’s realm being only that of a primary three-star magical weapons master.n

At that point, Lou Yun slid the Stone Sword into its sheath and switched to his magical weapon, the Dream Emperor Sword, once more familiarizing himself with all weapon techniques.n

Finally, during a collision between the Dream Emperor Sword and Boss Zhao’s spiked club, the Dream Emperor Sword abruptly burst into fragments and shattered!n

Han Tianxiao and the other two onlookers naturally knew what this meant: Lou Yun was reusing the same tactic, planning to deceive Boss Zhao with the destruction of a secondary magical weapon before launching an unexpected attack with the genuine magical weapon!n

However, although Boss Zhao remained unaware of this scheme, he wasn’t frightened. Instead, he sniggered haughtily and said, "Kid, you’re finished!"n

He raised the spiked club high and swung it straight down at Lou Yun’s head.n

Lou Yun, his expression grave, lifted his right hand, where shockingly his magical weapon materialized once more—yet this time, it wasn’t the Dream Emperor Sword but the Dream Emperor Spear!n

Instantly, everyone’s eyes widened, disbelief etching their faces: Lou Yun’s magical weapon had transformed from a sword into a spear!n

This defied all their knowledge regarding magical weapons masters, far exceeding what they could comprehend or accept. Even Boss Zhao couldn’t prevent a slight pause, his spiked club freezing midair!n

It was inescapable: witnessing this scenario that overturned all conventional understanding of magical weapons cultivation would leave anyone unable to keep cool.n

"Mid-tier moon-grade weapon techniques—Heavenly Gang Unison of the Heavenly Gang Spear!"n

As Lou Yun uttered this, the Dream Emperor Spear flew from his grasp with a "whoosh", abruptly morphing into a stream of air. Like a comet, it pierced through Boss Zhao’s body and, undimmed, shot through four trees before embedding itself in the trunk of a fifth, where its shaft trembled violently!n

A single spear thrust through the heart!n

Boss Zhao lived up to his ferocity; though distracted by his daze and pierced by Lou Yun’s magical weapon, he had simultaneously swung his spiked club down hard in the same instant!n

Heavenly Gang Unison, just like Sword Pierching Cloud Shadows, drained so much of Lou Yun’s current spiritual energy that he could manage just one execution per day. Consequently, Lou Yun lacked the strength to evade Boss Zhao’s spiked club now, watching helplessly as it drew nearer.n

At that moment, Han Tianxiao snapped out of his shock. He no longer cared about missions—if that club landed on Lou Yun directly, his head would explode like a melon. He absolutely had to save Lou Yun!n

But just as he readied himself to act, his peripheral vision caught another figure darting towards Lou Yun with greater speed!n

"Careful!"n

As Han Tianxiao shouted the warning, he hurled his magical weapon, the Book of Heaven and Earth, forward!n

Sadly, he was a hair too slow: the Book of Heaven and Earth hadn’t reached Lou Yun when a woman’s piercing shriek rang out!n

Han Tianxiao clenched his fists tight and stamped the ground savagely!n

Boss Zhao lay face upward, mortally fallen, but his spiked club had struck its target. Yet partially shielding Lou Yun was another figure who absorbed most of the blow’s force—the dying hit itself!n

Xia Zhilan!n

Xia Zhilan clasped Lou Yun tightly with both hands, shielding his body as best she could. Blood spurted from her mouth, splattering over Lou Yun’s face, and her back had stained dark red with it—obviously, the spiked club had slammed into her back!n

Lou Yun lay prone on the ground, staring at the face inches from his: pale as paper and smeared bright crimson, yet wearing a blissful smile. His mind blazed blank!