Chapter 130: The Ten-Fist Sword

To completely shatter the power known as the Martial Intent, one must kill the martial artist who wields it. As long as the martial artist lives, no matter how many times it is broken, it can always manifest once more.

Of course, the repeated manifestation of Martial Intent is not a simple feat. Each time it shatters, the martial artist’s spirit, will, and soul suffer a heavy blow. If it breaks too many times, the person will simply collapse. Furthermore, the interval for each re-manifestation varies—ranging from an hour to as long as a day or two—depending on the strength of the martial artist’s mental power. Those with stronger mental fortitude have shorter intervals, and their Martial Intent persists longer once manifested. The reverse is true for the weak.

Shi Zhinie’s Martial Intent had been shattered by Su Jingxing less than ten minutes ago, and for it to manifest again so quickly, one could only imagine how inflated his mental state must be. For others, a single shattering would severely wound their mind, will, and spirit. Shi Zhinie, however, did not... or rather, to be precise, as he was currently suffering from a qi-deviation, he felt nothing. Lacking pain, fear, or reason, he was driven only by a frantic, bloodthirsty desire. In such a state, he could naturally manifest or retract his Martial Intent at will.

"Roar!"

As Shi Zhinie surged out of the base entrance, his roar echoed through the mountains. The blood-colored serpent, as solid as reality, once again unleashed a terrifying, heaven-shaking aura of blood. An intangible pressure, vast and mighty, shattered the air, spreading outward from Shi Zhinie for over a hundred meters in all directions.

Whoosh! Swish!

Li Linzhou, Yan Yuanfeng, Li Lilou, Zhou Wencen, and the others, needing no reminder, immediately employed their movement techniques to flee from Shi Zhinie. Among them, Qi Xinjue, riding a giant leopard cat, was the fastest. Not even a shadow remained; with a series of wind-tearing sounds, both human and beast vanished hundreds of meters away.

In contrast, Su Jingxing’s approach was simpler. Instead of staying on the ground, he shot straight into the sky. Utilizing the "Eight Steps of the Ascending Dragon," he transformed into a dragon-shaped trail and soared hundreds of meters into the air. Pausing only for a heartbeat, he channeled a century’s worth of internal energy into his right hand and executed the "Hundred-Step King Fist." Looking down from above, he locked onto Shi Zhinie and unleashed a punch.

"Boom!"

A sound louder than a sonic boom rippled in all directions. A silver-black fist imprint, carrying a million catties of force, plummeted toward Shi Zhinie, accelerated by gravity.

"Roar!"

On the ground, Shi Zhinie seemed to sense the strike. He tilted his head back and roared, his scarlet eyes locking onto the descending fist.

Bang!

The earth trembled. Countless cracks radiated from beneath Shi Zhinie’s feet. Enveloped by the blood-colored serpent, he did not dodge or show fear, but instead shot straight upward, meeting the fist head-on. Airwaves erupted, and dust swirled in a frenzy. Transforming into a pillar of blood-red light, Shi Zhinie, carrying the overwhelming pressure of his blood aura, collided hard with the falling punch mid-air.

Boom!

A heavy, thunderous sound echoed across the horizon. Under the tearing force of the Martial Intent, the silver-black fist imprint did not dissipate immediately; instead, it caused the blood-colored serpent to flicker, flashing in and out of existence. Finally, with a "snap," it shattered once more.

The resulting shockwave swept across both sky and earth. In the air, a hurricane-like vortex swept away the clouds for over a thousand meters. On the ground, entire hillsides of trees rattled, whipping up countless fallen leaves that danced and scattered wildly through the forest.

Shi Zhinie was slammed back down to the earth with the same force he had used to rise. The heavy impact carved a crater four or five meters deep into the ground, with jagged, serpentine cracks twisting and spreading for over a dozen meters around the perimeter.

Swish! Whoosh!

Seeing this, Qi Xinjue, Li Linzhou, Li Lilou, and the others immediately returned. As Shi Zhinie stood up from the bottom of the crater, roaring and preparing to launch himself into the sky again, they unleashed their internal energy. Sword qi, blade intent, palm imprints, and fist strikes—a barrage of attacks poured down upon him.

Without the protection of his Martial Intent, Shi Zhinie was knocked off balance, roaring in fury. His already bare upper body was shredded, blood streaming from his wounds. Clearly, his physical body had not been enhanced by his demonic arts and remained at its original strength. At this level of durability, he could not withstand the combined assault of Li Linzhou, Yan Yuanfeng, and the others for long.

But soon, a brand-new blood-colored serpent manifested, circling Shi Zhinie and releasing its terrifying blood aura.

Whoosh! Swish!

Li Linzhou, Yan Yuanfeng, Li Lilou, and Qi Xinjue decisively retreated once more, avoiding the oppressive field of the Martial Intent.

In the air, Su Jingxing stepped on the very air, ascending back to hundreds of meters high. He then channeled another century of cultivation and, through the "Hundred-Step King Fist," smashed another punch toward Shi Zhinie.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The fist imprint descended, causing the air to explode all the way down. Carrying a million catties of force, the punch struck the freshly emerged Shi Zhinie again.

"Boom!"

With a deafening crash, the blood-colored serpent surrounding Shi Zhinie shattered and vanished. The remaining force of the punch slammed him back into the crater, driving him a meter deeper than before. The cracks at the edge of the crater doubled in number, becoming finer and more numerous.

Whoosh! Swish!

Li Linzhou, Qi Xinjue, Li Lilou, and the others rushed back in.

"Roar!"

Shi Zhinie, his bones shattered and his body a mass of gore, roared as he scrambled from the bottom of the pit. But before he could gather his strength, sword qi, blade intent, and various strikes rained down on him again, opening new wounds and sending blood spurting into the air.

Lacking any sense of pain, Shi Zhinie roared continuously, and the blood-colored serpent manifested once more.

Whoosh! Swish!

Li Linzhou, Yan Yuanfeng, and Qi Xinjue, seeing this, preemptively retreated again. By the time Shi Zhinie had fully manifested the serpent, Su Jingxing had already struck from the sky. Still wielding the power of a million catties, he hit Shi Zhinie with the force of gravity, shattering the Martial Intent and driving him deeper into the crater.

"Roar!" Shi Zhinie roared, struggling to crawl out.

Whoosh! Swish!

Li Linzhou, Qi Xinjue, and Yan Yuanfeng rushed back in, another wave of attacks lopping off one of his legs and an arm. They retreated again before he could manifest his Martial Intent.

High above, Su Jingxing channeled his century of cultivation and smashed down with another punch.

Boom! "Roar!" ... Boom! "Roar!" ...

Punch after punch, time after time. In his state of qi-deviation, Shi Zhinie persisted for a full ten cycles before he finally ceased to breathe. Not only had his Martial Intent been beaten down until only a faint outline remained, but Shi Zhinie himself had been reduced to a human torso, with only his head and half of his upper body still connected.

[Detected Secondary Blood Demon Body. Do you wish to loot it?]