I forge eternal life with the Dao seed

After swiftly eliminating Liu Hong's four subordinates, Zhao Heng's eyes flickered as he recalled the mention of the three words "Hua Gu Sect" (Bone-dissolving Gate). A realization dawned upon him, and he immediately understood the situation.

The seemingly casual act of shifting blame to another party had unexpectedly worked.

After a brief moment of thought, Zhao Heng unceremoniously looted the fallen bodies and continued moving toward the direction Liu Hong and his group had fled.

After traveling less than a mile, Zhao Heng once again heard the sounds of a fierce fight. Even from over a hundred meters away, the sharp sound of fists cutting through the air was faintly audible.

Zhao Heng's heart tightened. Holding his breath, he carefully followed the sound and stealthily approached.

Finally, he parted the shrubs in front of him and saw what was happening.

By a stream about thirty meters away, two figures were locked in an intense battle.

One of them was a burly man with a bald head and a single eye, his muscular torso bare and radiating a ferocious aura.

The other was a man in a tattered blue robe, his face pale and slightly chubby. Although his robes were torn and his face smeared with dirt, making him look incredibly disheveled, Zhao Heng recognized him at once—it was Liu Hong.

The two were fighting barehanded by the stream. The one-eyed man swung his iron fists wide and forceful, with a ferocious momentum.

Meanwhile, Liu Hong displayed a bizarre palm technique. At times, his palms struck forward like crashing waves, and at other times, his hands slashed downward like sharp blades, each move venomous and cunning.

Their fists and palms collided fiercely, but the bald man's forehead was covered in sweat, and his lips had turned a faint shade of blue—clear signs of poisoning. At this point, he was merely holding on with great difficulty.

The clash between two Bone Refinement Stage experts was extraordinary. Zhao Heng dared not act rashly and chose to quietly observe from the shadows.

It was clear that the bald man was gradually losing ground, his mouth cursing bitterly.

"Who would've thought that your Yu Hua Sect, which claims to be a righteous and noble faction, would stoop to poisoning people in secret! Such underhanded, despicable methods!"

Hearing this, Liu Hong's face twisted in anger. "Nonsense! I have no enmity with you, yet you ambushed and hunted us down first! And now you dare accuse me of foul play?"

The bald man sneered coldly. "No enmity? A month ago, wasn't it you who gravely injured a disciple of my Hua Gu Sect and insulted our sect with your vile words?"

"A month ago?"

Liu Hong was momentarily stunned. He distinctly remembered that he hadn't stepped out of the sect gates at all a month ago, so how could he have provoked the other party?

But right now, explanations were pointless. His opponent had been hunting him and his group for days in the mountains near Niutou Peak, leaving them in a desperate situation.

If not for poisoning their water supply beforehand, which turned the tables on these demonic sect martial artists, the outcome of this battle would have been far less certain.

Now, with both sides harboring a deep and irreconcilable hatred for each other, Liu Hong had no intention of sparing this man.

The next moment, Liu Hong's blood surged within his body, pulling his muscles and bones into motion. A powerful burst of energy erupted from him, channeling through his palms.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The collision of fists and palms echoed like firecrackers being set off.

This was Internal Force, also known as Bone Force!

Although the raw physical strength of Bone Refinement Stage experts wasn't much greater than that of Body Tempering Stage experts, the explosive force generated within their muscles and bones far surpassed the latter, resulting in devastating damage.

As both fighters unleashed their Bone Force and traded ferocious strikes, sweat poured down their faces after only a few moments.

The bald man had already been struck by several of Liu Hong's palm strikes. His body swayed unsteadily, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He was clearly gravely injured and on the verge of defeat.

Seeing this, Liu Hong immediately intensified his offensive, launching a series of killing moves. The bald man was forced to retreat step by step, eventually backing into the trunk of a massive ancient tree.

Another palm strike landed squarely on the bald man's chest, slamming him into the tree with a loud crash. Now cornered with no way to retreat, his defenses were completely exposed.

Liu Hong's eyes narrowed as he prepared to deliver a fatal strike to the bald man's throat. Even the bald man himself thought he was doomed.

"Swish!"

Suddenly, at the critical moment, a blade light descended from above the tree, slashing directly toward Liu Hong's head.

The strike was so abrupt that Liu Hong sensed the danger and shifted his footwork instantly, leaping backward like an agile monkey. He narrowly avoided the blade and looked up.

To his astonishment, a masked figure dressed in black hung upside down from the tree, swinging a short blade toward him.

When the ambush failed, the masked man used his other hand to scatter something toward Liu Hong's face.

"Puff…!"

A cloud of quicklime sprayed out, forcing Liu Hong to retreat swiftly.

The masked man seized the opportunity to leap from the tree, sheathing his short blade as he pursued Liu Hong at high speed. At the same time, he scattered more quicklime from both hands.

Although Liu Hong had been on guard, he hadn't expected his opponent to have so much quicklime. The air became a hazy fog, blinding him and making it impossible to open his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt a fierce punch hurtling toward his face, accompanied by a powerful surge of energy. Liu Hong instinctively lashed out with a palm strike, unleashing his Bone Force to counter the attack.

"Boom!"

Fist and palm collided with a deafening crash.

Liu Hong staggered back a step, while the masked man was forced to retreat several steps before stabilizing himself.

"A Bone Refinement Stage martial artist?"

Clearing the quicklime with his sleeve, Liu Hong finally got a good look at the masked man. His expression turned wary.

Although he had held the upper hand in their exchange, he clearly sensed the faint trace of Bone Force emanating from his opponent. It wasn't particularly strong, but it was undoubtedly real.

The masked man was none other than Zhao Heng, who had been lying in wait for the opportune moment to strike.

Seeing the bald man about to be defeated, Zhao Heng had decided to intervene.

Though the bald man was from a demonic sect, their shared goal of killing Liu Hong aligned their interests.

Zhao Heng hadn't expected Liu Hong to be so alert, evading his ambush even while locked in a heated battle.

Moreover, when Zhao Heng unleashed a full-force punch, the surge of blood energy and the resulting strain on his muscles and bones inadvertently triggered a trace of Bone Force—something he hadn't anticipated.

Having just broken through to the ninth level of the Body Tempering Stage, Zhao Heng's impressive strength was undoubtedly the result of the Green Pine Technique's (青松诀) perfect modifications.

"Who are you, and why are you interfering in this matter?" Liu Hong asked coldly, his gaze fixed on Zhao Heng.

Liu Hong felt that this masked figure looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't recall where he'd seen him before.

Before Zhao Heng could respond, the bald man from the Hua Gu Sect clasped his fists and spoke.

"May I ask which sect you hail from, brother? I am Hua Gu Xiong, senior disciple of the demonic Hua Gu Sect. You have my gratitude for saving my life."

"Demonic sect?"

Zhao Heng paused momentarily before realizing that his attire and tactics—spreading quicklime and ambushing from the shadows—made him look nothing like a righteous martial artist. Being mistaken for a demonic sect member was only natural.

But that suited him perfectly. Zhao Heng had no intention of revealing his true identity, at least not before killing Liu Hong.

Adopting a rough, gruff voice, Zhao Heng replied, "I am Ren Woxing of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect. I could not stand by and watch an injustice, so I drew my blade to assist!"

"The Sun and Moon Divine Sect!?"

Both the bald man and Liu Hong were stunned. Neither had ever heard of such a sect among the demonic factions.

Zhao Heng didn't bother to explain further. Turning to Hua Gu Xiong, he said, "Brother, this Liu Hong is notorious for committing every vile act imaginable—murder, rape, even preying on eighty-year-old grandmothers! He has no respect for us demonic sects. Since we've encountered him today, why don't we join forces to take him down?"

Hearing this, Liu Hong nearly spat out blood in rage. Was there no justice left in the world?

He had barely dealt with the relentless pursuit of the Hua Gu Sect disciples, only to now face a self-proclaimed "Ren Woxing" from some made-up Sun and Moon Divine Sect spreading even more lies!

Liu Hong wanted to protest, but Hua Gu Xiong roared, "Very well! I will join you, Brother Ren, to eliminate this scum!"

Without further ado, Hua Gu Xiong charged at Liu Hong like an enraged bear, swinging his iron fists wildly.

Zhao Heng also sprang into action, attacking from the other side with swift punches.

The two of them coordinated their attacks, their combined Bone Force forcing Liu Hong onto the defensive.

Although Liu Hong's strength was formidable, facing two Bone Refinement Stage opponents working in tandem left him no choice but to keep retreating and blocking.

To make matters worse, Zhao Heng kept throwing handfuls of quicklime at him, creating constant opportunities for Hua Gu Xiong to press the attack.

During the chaotic battle, Liu Hong noticed that his strength was gradually weakening. The decline was subtle but unmistakable.

"Poison!"

Liu Hong immediately remembered the faint scent of the quicklime Zhao Heng had thrown earlier. He now realized he had been poisoned.

With his strength fading and his opponents growing bolder, Zhao Heng and Hua Gu Xiong's attacks became even more ferocious and relentless.

"Enough! You've gone too far!"

Driven to his breaking point, Liu Hong's fury erupted. His hand movements shifted as his palms turned into claws, unleashing a chilling energy toward his two attackers.

When Zhao Heng and Hua Gu Xiong clashed with his strikes, they were both forced to stumble back.

"The Yin Wind Claw! How do you know this demonic martial art?"

[--------------------------------------------]

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