“You’re Lin Xiao!” the yellow-robed youth shouted as he retreated.
Lin Xiao’s expression tightened. Was he being attacked just because his identity was known?
“Can you escape?” Lin Xiao, riding wings of vital energy infused with spiritual power, surged forward at breakneck speed, quickly closing in on the youth. He threw a casual punch toward him.
The yellow-robed youth, only a Third Rank Martial Venerable, would be killed instantly if Lin Xiao used full force. Thus, Lin Xiao held back.
He wanted answers before dealing with him.
Seeing Lin Xiao’s speed, the youth’s face paled. He hurriedly threw a punch to block Lin Xiao’s fist.
Boom!
A loud crash rang out as Lin Xiao’s fist easily repelled the youth’s.
Though Lin Xiao hadn’t used full strength, it was still beyond the youth’s ability to counter. After deflecting the youth’s fist, Lin Xiao’s unstoppable punch continued, striking the youth’s chest.
Clang!
Another loud sound followed as Lin Xiao’s fist slammed into the youth’s chest.
But instead of critically injuring him as expected, Lin Xiao felt his fist hit something like a weapon. The force was blocked, tearing the youth’s clothes apart.
As the youth was knocked back, a gleaming golden armour appeared in Lin Xiao’s view.
“Defensive armour!” Lin Xiao exclaimed, “The armour auctioned at Wanxiang Pavilion, you’re from the Lu family!”
At the Wanxiang Pavilion auction in Cao family’s City No. 4, where Dragon Saliva Mid-Heaven Pills were sold, the first item auctioned was a set of armour capable of withstanding Sixth Rank Martial Venerable attacks.
That armour was bought by the occupant of Booth No. 4, Lu Yu.
Lin Xiao recognised it as the very armour before him.
Since this youth wore it, he was undoubtedly from the Lu family.
Given that Lu Yu had given him the armour, the youth likely had a close connection to him, explaining his attempt to kill Lin Xiao.
“Correct, Lu Yu is my grandfather. You stole the Dragon Saliva Mid-Heaven Pill, got my grandfather punished, and caused huge losses for the Lu family. You’ll pay for it all!” the Lu family youth shouted coldly as he was pushed back.
Though knocked back, the armour’s protection kept him unharmed.
“If you think that armour can save you, you’re gravely mistaken!”
Lin Xiao’s eyes narrowed. Riding wings of vital energy with spiritual power, he charged again. His right fist clenched, explosive strength surging through his muscles. Immense vital energy roared from the three outer chaotic layers of his dantian, converging into his fist.
A ferocious martial intent erupted, enveloping his arm.
Fourth-rank advanced spiritual power also infused his fist.
Short of activating his dantian phenomenon, this was Lin Xiao’s strongest physical attack.
Firstly, he wanted to test the full might of his bare-fisted strike and whether it could break the armour.
Secondly, he now harboured killing intent toward this Lu family youth.
“Swoosh!” In an instant, he closed in again. His ferocious fist, as if piercing the air itself, slammed into the youth’s chest, striking the gleaming armour.
Clang!
A metallic clash erupted. Lin Xiao’s ferocious fist, like a human weapon, cracked the armour, denting it an inch deep.
“Pfft!”
The Lu family youth’s face twisted in horror, blood spraying from his mouth as he was sent flying, crashing diagonally into the forest below.
Boom!
A loud crash followed as his body smashed into the ground, creating a massive crater. Dust billowed, and the surrounding forest was flattened.
“Swoosh!”
Lin Xiao swiftly descended above the hundred-metre crater. He could see the punch’s power. Without the armour, the youth’s body would likely have been pulverised.
Even so, he was likely heavily injured, if not dead.
As the dust cleared, the Lu family youth’s battered form appeared in the crater, blood staining his lips, lying sprawled.
“Worthy of the one who stirred up the Cao and Xu families, you’re strong,” the youth said, wiping blood from his mouth, glaring viciously at Lin Xiao with a cold laugh, “But no matter how strong, today you’ll fall by my hand, Lu Hong!”
“By you?” Lin Xiao was stunned. This Lu Hong, barely able to move, still boasted of killing him?
“Exactly, you’re strong, likely stronger than our Lu family’s third genius, Lu Yiluo, maybe even on par with our second genius, Lu Qi,” Lu Hong said, a sinister grin spreading across his face, “But when my dagger struck at you, you were hit with my fifth-rank beginner Body-Penetrating Essence-Blocking Powder. Now, time’s up, and your vital energy can no longer be used, haha…”
“Body-Penetrating Essence-Blocking Powder!” Lin Xiao’s brows furrowed. As its name suggested, this colourless, odourless powder automatically clung to a person’s body upon release, seeping through the skin to encase the dantian, trapping vital energy within, preventing its use.
This powder required the rare Earth Flame Saliva to refine, its grade depending on the saliva’s age and the skill of the Spirit Controller crafting it.
The powder’s grade determined the level of cultivator it could restrain, making it extremely valuable.
However, Earth Flame Saliva was found only in specific fiery regions, deep underground, and was incredibly rare.
Lin Xiao hadn’t expected Lu Hong, a mere Third Rank Martial Venerable, to possess such a thing.
In an instant, Lin Xiao tried to circulate his vital energy, but it felt like his dantian was encased in sticky tar, unable to flow.
No matter how vast his vital energy, it was useless if trapped by the powder.
Seeing Lin Xiao’s state, Lu Hong laughed even more arrogantly, “Haha… Lin Xiao, prepare to die. With my Body-Penetrating Essence-Blocking Powder, you can’t use your vital energy for an hour.”
Struggling, Lu Hong dragged his injured body up from the crater, standing shakily.
“To be precise, it’s my grandfather’s powder, the only one in the entire Lu family. Even Lu Qi and Lu Chao don’t have it. It’s my life-saving treasure,” Lu Hong said, staring at Lin Xiao, “But with hundreds of Azure Spirit Stones, the Void Phoenix Wings, and who knows what other treasures you have, using this powder on you is well worth it, haha!” As he spoke, Lu Hong forcibly circulated his vital energy, a faint aura emanating from him.
