The Terrifying Iron-Armored Man!

Lu Changsheng reacted swiftly, thrusting his short sword straight toward the opponent. *Clink.* With a light chime, Lu Changsheng's sword felt as though it had struck hardened refined iron, unable to penetrate at all. At the same time, the opponent's massive hand clamped onto Lu Changsheng's short sword and gave a slight twist. *Crack.* Lu Changsheng's blade snapped in an instant. Simultaneously, a colossal metal fist smashed toward Lu Changsheng's face. A gust of fierce wind buffeted his face; even before the blow landed, he could feel its terrifying power. Barely thinking, Lu Changsheng leaped straight backward. *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng vaulted through the air and landed in the spacious hall below, not far from the red-robed man. The smoke and dust soon settled, revealing the burly figure from earlier, and everyone could finally see his appearance clearly. It was a person clad head to toe in iron armor. Not even his eyes were exposed; he was entirely encased in iron. No wonder Lu Changsheng's short sword had failed to pierce him—it had clearly been deflected by the iron armor. "Useless trash." "You couldn't even stop two mere rats and needed this emissary to intervene." The burly iron-armored man spoke with a coarse, booming voice that echoed like rolling thunder, radiating immense authority. Philanthropist Xu hurriedly bowed and said, "Honored Emissary, both of these men appear to be top-tier Refining Organs martial artists. My men simply could not hold them off, so I had no choice but to request your intervention." Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Philanthropist Xu appeared to be a subordinate of this iron-armored man. Just then, the red-robed man said coldly, "Remnants of the Myriad Poison Cult—it really is you. If I'm not mistaken, you are Zhao Xing, Left Emissary of the Myriad Poison Cult, aren't you?" *Whoosh.* The iron-armored man immediately turned his gaze upon the red-robed man and sneered, "Someone actually recognizes this emissary? But since you know, you must die today without question!" Yet the red-robed man did not seem the least bit afraid. Instead, he grew excited and laughed aloud, "Hahaha! Heaven has eyes—I've finally found you bastards!" "Oh? It seems you've been tracking our Sacred Cult all along. State your name!" "You Myriad Poison Cult scum, do you still remember the Shen Family Manor of Taicang County?" "Back then, to refine the Myriad Poison Great Elixir, you slaughtered all three hundred and eighteen people of Shen Family Manor! I jumped into the lake and was swept away by an undercurrent, which was the only reason I survived." "I've hunted you for thirteen whole years! Today, upon seeing the Strengthening Blood Pills in Nanyang Prefecture, I knew they had to be the work of your Myriad Poison Cult. It really was you scoundrels!" The iron-armored man, Zhao Xing, seemed thoughtful, then suddenly remembered. He said with meaningful cadence, "So it's you. This emissary recalls now. Back at the Shen Family Manor, a young whelp managed to jump into the lake. We assumed you drowned, but to think you actually survived." "Still, since you were fortunate enough to survive, you should have dragged out your wretched existence and hidden for the rest of your life. Why come looking for death?" "Today, this emissary will send you to reunite with the people of Shen Family Manor!" Zhao Xing leaped forcefully. His iron armor was exceptionally heavy, yet wearing it barely hindered his agility. This demonstrated just how terrifying his physical prowess was. *Boom.* Zhao Xing landed in the hall, smashing a deep crater into the floor. Then, striding forward, Zhao Xing rapidly closed the distance to the red-robed man, Shen Ying. *Clang.* Shen Ying drew and slashed his saber. The slash flew out with immense weight and power, striking heavily against Zhao Xing's arm. Yet that was all. *Screeech.* Sparks flew from the collision between the saber and the iron armor. Amidst the flying sparks, Zhao Xing unleashed a kick. *Thud.* Shen Ying flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground. Even for a Refining Organs martial artist, receiving such a kick from Zhao Xing felt as though his internal organs had been knocked out of place, causing excruciating pain. "With only this much strength, you dare seek revenge against the Sacred Cult?" "Overestimating yourself!" Blood seeped from Shen Ying's mouth, but his glare remained fixed on Zhao Xing, his eyes burning with intense hatred. "Kid, no need to hide." "Shen Ying has a death wish, and you're dying with him!" Zhao Xing jerked his head around to look at Lu Changsheng standing nearby. Lu Changsheng had not joined forces with Shen Ying earlier to gang up on Zhao Xing because he had still been looking for Zhao Xing's openings—or rather, his weak points. Otherwise, acting rashly would likely have ended with him suffering the same fate as Shen Ying. However, after observing for a long time and scanning Zhao Xing from head to toe, Lu Changsheng had failed to find a single weakness. Clad in iron armor, Zhao Xing was completely invulnerable to blades and spears. Moreover, his physical constitution was terrifying; even in such heavy armor, he moved freely and with remarkable agility. An expert like this possessed no apparent weakness at all. To defeat him, there was only one way: launch a frontal assault and crush him with absolute strength! "In all my time practicing martial arts, I haven't run into an interesting opponent." "You barely qualify as one." Lu Changsheng casually tossed aside the broken half of his short sword. Against an iron-armored man like Zhao Xing, neither his short sword nor his dagger was of any use. The Instant Kill Technique excelled in speed. Normally, when Lu Changsheng killed martial artists below the Divine Strength Realm, the Instant Kill Technique was virtually unstoppable. Now, he had run into trouble. Against Zhao Xing, the Instant Kill Technique had no room to shine. Evidently, the Instant Kill Technique had its flaws. However, Lu Changsheng had more than just the Instant Kill Technique. He had already undergone one blood exchange, drastically boosting his physical constitution. Furthermore, he had reached the Jade Bone Realm; both his defense and his power were formidable. Lu Changsheng believed his own strength was by no means inferior to the naturally supernaturally strong "Blade-Trailing Heavenly King" Li Ji—it might even be greater! Under these circumstances, having or lacking the Instant Kill Technique made no difference to him. "Hmph, you certainly talk big!" "This emissary will twist off your head and see if your skull is as tough as your mouth!" *Boom.* Zhao Xing stomped his foot, immediately cratering the floor beneath him and sending spiderweb fractures spreading in all directions. Zhao Xing then leaped into the air, raising his massive fist and smashing it down toward Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng's eyes gleamed sharply. He was not foolish; how could flesh and blood clash directly against iron armor? *Whoosh.* Lu Changsheng deployed his movement technique, evading the strike in an instant. At the same time, he arrived before the stone table where Shen Ying had previously taken cover. Gripping the stone table with both hands, Lu Changsheng hoisted it up with a violent heave. The stone table rose into the air. *Rumble.* Lu Changsheng hurled the stone table at Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing swung a heavy fist straight into the stone table. *Crash!* The stone table shattered into fragments. Yet amid the billowing dust, Lu Changsheng suddenly darted right before Zhao Xing. "Great Vajra Palm!" Lu Changsheng struck Zhao Xing's chest with several rapid palm thrusts. The Great Vajra Palm was a third-rank martial skill. Its raw power was not overwhelming, but it possessed a "vibration" technique. It could transmit concussive force through exterior defense into a person's body, injuring them internally. Lu Changsheng was transmitting the concussive force through Zhao Xing's iron armor to injure him from within. Indeed, the strikes forced Zhao Xing back several steps. Yet Zhao Xing's physical constitution was clearly extraordinarily tough. After taking several heavy palms directly, he emerged entirely unscathed and charged right back, throwing another punch at Lu Changsheng. Relying on his movement technique, Lu Changsheng dodged by the narrowest of margins and rapidly retreated to put distance between them. *Even the Great Vajra Palm is useless.* *Relying solely on tricky concussive force to injure Zhao Xing is completely impossible.* Lu Changsheng felt a slight headache coming on. In truth, he lacked a suitable weapon. If he had a massive warhammer weighing several hundred jin, he could certainly batter the man to death. Yet right now, he had no such weapon at hand. *Wait, that pillar...* Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. To keep this underground hall from collapsing, support pillars had been erected—quite a few of them, in fact. "Kid, it's useless! What little concussive force you have barely tickles this emissary. Die!" Zhao Xing once again strode aggressively toward Lu Changsheng. *Whoosh.* With several swift bounds, Lu Changsheng darted in front of a pillar. He glanced up and down the pillar, wrapped both arms around it, and took a deep breath. *Boom.* Instantly, Lu Changsheng's qi and blood erupted with a roar, the blood within his body surging like crashing ocean waves. In that haze, it seemed as if the entire underground hall was dyed crimson by Lu Changsheng's qi and blood. Even the temperature within the underground hall rose rapidly, proving just how scorching and vast Lu Changsheng's qi and blood truly were! Simultaneously, Lu Changsheng sensed a surge of immense strength welling up from the depths of his bones. Power from his qi and blood, jade bones, muscles, and bloodstream erupted in unison, coalescing completely into his two arms. "Up!" Lu Changsheng bellowed, veins bulging across his entire body. Under his embrace, the massive pillar actually began to sway slowly, making the entire hall seem to tremble.