Uprooting the Pillar!

"How is this possible?" Shock registered on Zhao Xing's face as he watched. Who other than someone in the Divine Strength Realm could uproot such an enormous pillar? Yet it was happening right before his eyes. The pillar trembled violently, threatening to be torn out by Lu Changsheng at any moment. Without a shred of hesitation, Zhao Xing strode forward, charging straight toward Lu Changsheng to stop him from pulling it free. *Rumble!* The pillar continued to shudder intensely, yet Lu Changsheng had still not managed to snap it. Lu Changsheng took a deep breath. The next moment, his qi and blood began thinning into silken threads—this was turning qi and blood into silken threads! Once his qi and blood became silken strands, they rapidly spread over the pillar. Each thread of qi and blood crawled across the stone like tiny, blood-red tentacles. From a distance, it was a sight that sent chills down one's spine. This was a marvelous application of qi-and-blood silk. Lu Changsheng had originally turned his qi and blood into silken threads to temper his organs during Refining Organs. He had never expected that besides tempering the internal organs, the silken threads could be put to such use. The next instant, all of Lu Changsheng's qi-and-blood threads surged with power. As if tens of thousands of tentacles exerted force in unison, the massive pillar shuddered even more violently. Lu Changsheng had always relied on his Instant Kill Technique, striking down foes like a flash of lightning and taking lives without a trace. However, speed was not all Lu Changsheng possessed. On the contrary, he had reached the limit of qi and blood, attained the Jade Bone Realm, and undergone a blood exchange. Among martial artists at the Body Tempering level, his physical conditioning was already at the very pinnacle. Few Body Tempering martial artists could ever match his physical foundation. Therefore, his raw power was actually terrifying; he simply had never needed to unleash his full strength. Now that his Instant Kill Technique was ineffective against Zhao Xing's iron armor, he had to go all out. *Crack!* At last, aided by countless threads of qi and blood, the massive pillar fractured. Lu Changsheng wrenched with all his might, snapping the pillar entirely. Pulling backward, he now held a pillar several zhang long in his grasp. The pillar was so massive, however, that he had to wrap both arms around it to hold it. Yet he felt no awkwardness at all; instead, an exhilarating ease washed over him. The countless threads of qi and blood acted like extensions of his own limbs, obeying his every whim. Furthermore, having reached the limit of qi and blood and undergone a blood exchange, his qi and blood had grown immensely. Only someone with such a terrifying reserve of qi and blood could afford to squander it so freely. With both arms wrapped around the pillar, Lu Changsheng watched Zhao Xing charging toward him, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. He abruptly swung the pillar in a wide horizontal sweep. *Bang!* The enormous pillar swept across and collided head-on with Zhao Xing. Zhao Xing was sent flying through the air, crashing heavily to the ground. Though protected by the iron armor and spared serious injury, his heart sank when he looked up at Lu Changsheng in the distance. Lu Changsheng raised the pillar high once more. *Boom!* In the next breath, the pillar came crashing down toward Zhao Xing's head. Zhao Xing might have been agile despite the iron armor, but it still encumbered him to some degree. Moreover, Lu Changsheng did not hesitate for even an instant, his movements blazingly fast. With the aid of the qi-and-blood threads, wielding the massive pillar felt as natural to Lu Changsheng as moving his own limbs. As the colossal pillar plunged downward, Zhao Xing had no room to dodge. *If I can't dodge, I won't!* Zhao Xing gritted his teeth, ferocity surging in his chest. When it came to raw strength, Zhao Xing feared no one. Pushing himself back to his feet, he bent his knees slightly, then pushed off with explosive force, throwing a fist straight up at the descending pillar. *Boom!* The pillar smashed down and violently collided with Zhao Xing's fist. However, a terrifying wave of force surged through the stone, instantly draining the color from Zhao Xing's face. He had underestimated Lu Changsheng's strength. Between Lu Changsheng's full explosive power and the dead weight of the pillar itself, the crushing blow came down with the might of Mount Tai toppling over, exerting a suffocating pressure upon him. Without a second thought, Zhao Xing thrust his other arm upward, slamming it into the pillar as well. *Bang!* The pillar finally came to a halt, but Zhao Xing had expended every ounce of his strength. Beneath the iron armor, sweat drenched his body and his face was flushed crimson. Merely withstanding that single strike had pushed him to his limit. "Again!" Lu Changsheng hoisted the pillar once more and brought it smashing down with brutal force. *Boom!* Zhao Xing crossed his iron-fisted arms, grimly shielding his head. Lu Changsheng lifted the pillar and brought it down again. *Boom!* The entire underground hall seemed to tremble. Lu Changsheng hoisted the pillar and pounded it onto Zhao Xing over and over again. Like a heavy hammer driving a nail into the floor, blow followed blow. Once, twice, three times, four times, five times... By the fifth strike, Zhao Xing's iron armor was still holding together, but the stone floor beneath him could take no more. *Crack!* The floor cracked and shattered. Lu Changsheng slammed the pillar down again and again with force far exceeding thousands of jin. With every blow that fell upon him, a violent shudder ripped through Zhao Xing, his bones and muscles jolted savagely by the colossal impact. Without the iron armor, he would have died long ago. Yet even with the armor intact, the ground gave way, collapsing into a massive crater under the barrage. Driven like a nail, his entire body was pounded straight into the earth until only his shoulders and head remained above ground, wedged so tightly he could not move at all. Eventually, Zhao Xing stopped struggling, his movements fading into stillness. Lu Changsheng planted the pillar on the ground and stopped. For a moment, the underground hall fell dead silent. Everyone turned their gaze toward Lu Changsheng. What they had just witnessed completely shattered their understanding of martial arts. Was this still a martial artist by any normal measure? Lu Changsheng had treated a colossal pillar like a weapon, literally hammering Zhao Xing into the ground until he was trapped fast. At that moment, Shen Ying in his red robes seized the chance to struggle to his feet. He staggered over to Zhao Xing and wrenched off his helmet. Underneath, Zhao Xing's face was bathed in blood, making his features barely recognizable. Under the repeated battering of Lu Changsheng's pillar, the concussive shocks alone had been devastating. Even if he wasn't dead, he was already drawing his last breaths. Shen Ying laughed, a roar of pure catharsis. "Hahaha! Zhao Xing, you finally got what was coming to you!" Zhao Xing barely managed to open his eyes, but he could no longer speak. Gripping his broadsaber, Shen Ying brought it slashing down directly across Zhao Xing's neck. *Slash!* Zhao Xing's head was severed in a clean sweep. Blood gushed out like a fountain, filling the air with a thick metallic stench. Zhao Xing was dead. Shen Ying lifted Zhao Xing's severed head and placed it facing southeast. That was the direction of Taicang County. Shen Ying offered Zhao Xing's head as a sacrifice to the three hundred and eighteen aggrieved souls of Shen Family Manor in Taicang County! "Squire Xu has run away!" Some of the physicians Lu Changsheng had freed shouted out. "Hmm?" Lu Changsheng looked up. Sure enough, "Philanthropist Xu" was nowhere to be seen. Without anyone noticing, the man had quietly slipped away. "That old dog Xu helped a villain do evil—he deserves to die!" Murderous intent radiating from him, Shen Ying snatched up his saber and bounded forward, giving swift chase in the direction Squire Xu had fled.