Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 168: Chapter 130: Refining Force! Dividing the Spoils

BAM!

The ground cracked under Old Ke’s stomp, sending shattered bricks flying.

Using the rebound force, he instantly abandoned Zhai Jia. He transformed into a black whirlwind, tearing through the air as he lunged murderously toward Wan Ze.

His speed climbed to its absolute peak.

The might of a Refining Viscera Realm Late Stage expert erupted in that instant. A violent shockwave swept out, overturning the surrounding crumbling walls under its oppressive force.

Seeing this, Wan Ze shoved Copper Mountain aside and instantly activated his Mysterious Shadow Step.

Instant Flash!

Followed by a Reverse Illusion!

Under the flickering lights, Wan Ze’s figure blurred into an afterimage, his illusory double darting off in the opposite direction.

Old Ke’s hand was already before him, about to seize Wan Ze’s neck.

A savage grin was already spreading across his lips.

’First, I’ll cripple this ignorant brat, then I’ll deal with that Fire Celestial God.’

But in the next second...

He grabbed at empty air?!

Old Ke froze.

’How could I miss?’

’I pushed my speed to the limit. How could he possibly have dodged my full-power attack?’

But before he could think it through, Zhai Jia was upon him.

”You beast! Your opponent is me!”

His fist howled through the air as Zhai Jia aimed a punch straight for his back.

Enraged, Old Ke was forced to turn and meet the attack with a palm strike.

BAM!

The two clashed head-on, and a shockwave erupted.

Zhai Jia staggered back three steps, while Old Ke merely swayed his shoulders to steady himself.

They were more or less evenly matched.

Old Ke narrowed his eyes, his heart sinking slightly.

’This Fire Celestial God is more troublesome than I thought.’

’But if this is all he has, it’s not nearly enough to stop me.’

Their fists and palms met, exchanging seven or eight moves in an instant. Each blow carried the power to shatter stone tablets, and the aftershocks raked across the surrounding ruins, sending rubble flying and kicking up clouds of dust.

In a lull during Old Ke’s struggle with Zhai Jia, a fist came blasting in from the side.

Old Ke caught a glimpse of the figure in his peripheral vision, and his pupils constricted.

’The one in the Thunder God mask... he actually dares to attack again?’

In his experience, the weak feared the strong.

’This ant before me luckily dodged one attack. He should have taken the chance to run, yet he dares to throw a punch at me?’

”You certainly are... courageous.”

Old Ke sneered, forcing Zhai Jia back with one palm while freeing his other hand to grab at Wan Ze’s incoming fist.

With this grab, he intended to cripple this presumptuous hand.

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

Wan Ze could clearly feel the crushing pressure washing over him... the searing heat of his opponent’s vital energy, like a red-hot iron furnace.

The momentum of a Refining Viscera Late Stage expert bore down on him like a mountain.

But he did not retreat.

The momentum of his fist did not wane; he pressed forward relentlessly.

’If I retreat now, my Martial Dao will no longer be pure.’

’Besides, if Brother Jia really isn’t his match, Copper Mountain and I won’t be able to escape this place anyway!’

Old Ke’s hand was right in front of him, fingers curled like a claw, aiming straight for Wan Ze’s wrist. His eyes held the playful cruelty of a cat toying with a mouse.

’This ant will soon be on his knees, wailing before me...’

But just then...

His wrist was suddenly caught.

A hand reached in from the side, clamping down firmly on Old Ke’s wrist.

It held him completely still.

Old Ke was stunned.

Following the arm with his gaze, he saw a man in a black trench coat who had appeared at Wan Ze’s side at some unknown moment.

The man’s gaze was placid as he looked at Old Ke, as if observing an ant.

Zhai Jia blurted out, ”Brother, you’re here?”

A thought flashed through Old Ke’s mind like lightning...

’The Fire Thunder Celestial God aren’t actual brothers?’

’No... The Fire Celestial God actually has an older brother?’

’What the hell kind of messed up relationship is this?!’

But no one was there to explain it to him.

Zhai Yu stood his ground, one hand gripping Old Ke’s wrist, unmoving.

He was waiting.

Waiting for what?

Wan Ze closed the distance in an instant, his fist slamming viciously into Old Ke’s chest.

BAM!

With this punch, Wan Ze unleashed one hundred percent of his power.

The combined force of his Taming the Tiger Vajra Skill and Dragon Eagle Secret Martial Arts erupted at that moment.

Fierce! Dominating! Unstoppable!

Like a truly awakened tiger, it slammed viciously into Old Ke’s chest cavity.

Zhai Yu released his grip at the perfect moment.

Old Ke shot backward like a cannonball.

CRASH!

His body smashed through a broken wall, snapped a half-broken cement pillar, and finally embedded itself deep within the ruins, sending a tall plume of dust into the air.

Wan Ze panted slightly, his fist still numb and aching from the rebound force.

But he stood ramrod straight.

Zhai Yu smiled at him, his tone filled with admiration. ”Well done.”

CRUNCH!

A loud noise came from within the ruins.

Old Ke climbed out of the rubble, his hair disheveled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with madness. ”You... You bunch of bastards!”

In the next second, his body began to change.

His muscles bulged, and his bones cracked and popped. His entire body swelled by a full size, two fangs emerged from the corners of his mouth, and his skin took on a strange, ashen-gray hue.

Divinity Transformation!

Zhai Yu’s brows furrowed slightly as he sized up the monster before him. ”So this is the Secret Palace’s Divinity Transformation? It’s pretty disgusting.”

Old Ke’s voice became deep and muffled, as if squeezed from the depths of his chest. ”You... all of you will die today...”

Zhai Yu ignored him and said coolly, ”You guys go on ahead. Leave this to me...”

He turned his head as he spoke.

Behind him was nothing but empty space.

Those two, Wan Ze and Zhai Jia, had already taken Copper Mountain and run more than twenty meters away.

The corner of Zhai Yu’s mouth twitched. ”You guys are really something... Fine, I’m used to it anyway.”

He quickly shook his head and looked away.

He gave his wrist a light shake and walked unhurriedly toward Old Ke, muttering to himself, ”A bastard from the Secret Palace, no matter how you enhance them, is still just a bastard.”

”You’re courting death!” Old Ke roared, lunging forward with a ferocious expression.

His sharp claws tore through the air, carrying a foul stench. On his semi-bestial hands, his fingernails had grown into three-inch-long hooked talons.

A cold glint flashed as his killing intent boiled over!

He was already a Refining Viscera Realm expert, and now he had undergone Divinity Transformation. His power was immense and tyrannical; even Zhai Jia would definitely be at a disadvantage if he faced him now.

Even under such pressure, Zhai Yu did not retreat.

He simply sidestepped lightly, letting the claws graze past his ear.

He could feel the powerful gust of wind, but his footing remained unshaken.

The next second, Zhai Yu charged into Old Ke’s center. His speed was even faster, far surpassing that of the Refining Viscera Realm!

BAM!

Zhai Yu slapped a palm against Old Ke’s ribs.

Old Ke grunted. Even after his Divinity Transformation, he couldn’t stop himself from staggering.

But his ferocity was now fully unleashed. Feeling no pain, he forcibly halted his retreat and swung his other clawed hand in a wide arc.

Zhai Yu raised his hand, his expression impassive.

He parried.

BAM!

Another palm strike landed in the exact same spot.

A sharp crack echoed from Old Ke’s ribs, which could no longer bear the strain.

His eyes instantly turned blood-red. He lunged like a madman, striking with both claws, completely abandoning his defense. His only thought was to tear the man before him to shreds.

Zhai Yu still didn’t retreat.

Facing the sharp claws, he suddenly darted a step forward.

The step was shockingly fast, like a ground-shrinking technique, causing Old Ke’s claws to miss their mark.

Then, Zhai Yu’s hand was already on his right arm.

He yanked hard.

RIP!

The sound of tearing flesh.

Old Ke’s right arm was torn clean off at the shoulder joint. Blood gushed out like water from an open floodgate.

He froze for a moment.

He looked down at his bare shoulder, then at the severed arm still clutched in Zhai Yu’s hand, blood pouring madly from the stump...

Only then did the excruciating pain explode in his mind.

”AHHH!!!”

His shrill scream tore through the night sky.

Old Ke staggered back and slammed into a broken wall behind him. He clutched the wound with his remaining left arm, but blood poured freely from between his fingers, drenching his body and pooling on the ground.

He looked up at Zhai Yu.

The face was strangely familiar.

As some thought struck him, Old Ke’s pupils contracted violently.

It felt as if something had suddenly squeezed his heart.

For an instant, Old Ke’s breathing even hitched. He stammered, ”...It’s you. You’re... that person from the Phoenix Camp...”

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

Because those eyes were watching him calmly, as if looking at prey that had lost all ability to resist.

”Good eyes,” Zhai Yu said faintly.

Old Ke’s mind was in chaos.

’How could someone from the Phoenix Camp be here?’

’That terrifying organization... an official agency even more ruthless and bloodthirsty than him!’

’But...’

’Wasn’t this man supposed to be in Kansai?’

”You... Why are you here?! I haven’t provoked you, have I?”

Zhai Yu’s tone was flat. ”Of course it’s for you bastards. Couldn’t you all just... keep a low profile? You just had to cause such a huge disturbance in the Holy City.”

As his voice fell, he moved.

Old Ke didn’t even see how he struck.

The next second, the back of his head was slamming against the wall.

BAM!

The brick and stone cracked, the fractures spreading rapidly outwards.

Old Ke’s vision went black, his head ringing. He subconsciously raised his left arm, wanting to counterattack.

But Zhai Yu’s knee had already driven into his abdomen.

THUD!

Old Ke’s body bent like a shrimp as he spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. His left claw flailed wildly, but every strike met empty air.

Zhai Yu released the hand holding his head.

Just as Old Ke’s body began to slide down...

...that same hand clenched into a fist and smashed into his face.

CRACK!

Old Ke’s head snapped to the side, and several bloody teeth flew from his mouth.

His legs went weak, and only the wall behind him kept him from collapsing.

But Zhai Yu gave him absolutely no chance to breathe.

The hand grabbed the back of his head again.

It yanked his entire body off the wall.

And then...

BAM!

Once again, he was smashed viciously back into it.

This time, the cracks deepened.

The entire wall trembled, loose bricks rustling as they fell.

Old Ke’s limbs struggled in vain, like a cornered beast nailed to the wall. His fingers gouged bloody marks into the brick, and he tried to raise his knee to strike.

But every time he moved, an even more tyrannical force suppressed him again.

He lifted his blood-soaked face and managed to force out a few words: ”You... you actually broke through?”

Zhai Yu lowered his head, leaning close to his ear. ”That’s right.”

He paused.

”The first person I’ve killed since I stepped into the Refining Force realm... is you. Congratulations.”

Old Ke’s pupils shrank.

He opened his mouth, wanting to scream...

”NO!!!”

But the sound was cut short.

Zhai Yu wiped his hands, turned around impassively, and as he reached the gate, he suddenly ordered, ”Eliminate all Secret Palace personnel. Collect all information... make sure nothing is missed.”

A large, fully armed squad rushed out from the shadows.

He quickly spotted Zhai Jia and Wan Ze and kicked each of them in the ass.

”No wonder Master doesn’t want you two hanging out, you’re a goddamn magnet for trouble! You two actually dared to provoke a Divinitized Refining Viscera Late Stage expert?”

But suddenly, Copper Mountain stepped in front of Wan Ze, glaring at him with both eyes.

Zhai Yu: ”...”

He paused.

Then his eyes widened in confusion as he asked, ”And you? Who are you?”

The voices of Zhai Jia and Wan Ze came from the side. ”Brother Yu, cut the chatter. Let’s divvy up the loot first.”