Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 148: Secret Arts (I)

"Then die!"

As his voice fell, Xing Rui stepped forward, pivoting on his left foot and sweeping his right leg across the air. The muscles on his body bulged as a powerful aura surged outward. A fierce gust howled through the air. From the sharp shriek of the air being torn apart, it was clear that this kick carried immense power, at least equal to Lin Zheyu's full-strength strike when not using the Mountain Shattering Palm.

Boom!

Lin Zheyu raised his right arm to block, his toes tapping lightly as he retreated to dissipate the tremendous force from the opponent's leg. Throughout the fight, he kept part of his attention on the other man. Although that man's aura only showed that he was at the second transformation of blood qi, Lin Zheyu still sensed danger from him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of collisions resounded in quick succession. Though Xing Rui was strong, he found himself suppressed when facing Lin Zheyu, who had mastered leg techniques. Each punch he threw felt as though it struck cotton; of his full strength, not even a third landed effectively.

What strange movement techniques. It's no wonder he's been able to kill so many experts. I can't believe the Xu Family managed to hire someone of this level! Xing Rui was secretly astonished.

His strength was considerable, and ever since cultivating the Origin Returning Art, it had risen to a whole new level. Although he had practiced it for just over a month and barely reached Initiation, with the aid of Essence and Qi Pills, his power had increased dramatically. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Yet before Lin Zheyu's exquisite movement techniques, Xing Rui could not gain the slightest advantage. Lin Zheyu moved like a slippery loach, circling Xing Rui with fluid, evasive movements. Each time an attack connected, Lin Zheyu would swiftly retreat, using his agile movements to deflect and dissipate the force. Or he would simply dodge away altogether.

"Make your move, let's take him down together! If we drag this out, that old Xu Family bastard and the deputy commander will soon come following the commotion!" shouted Xing Rui.

The other man showed no expression upon hearing that. He pulled a medicinal pill from his robes, tossed it into his mouth, and activated a secret art. His aura surged rapidly, and his entire body swelled as if filled with air.

Lin Zheyu frowned slightly at the sight but showed little concern. His earlier exchange with Xing Rui had merely been a test; he hadn't even used his blood qi burst technique. Xing Rui was indeed strong, his aura dense and his vitality deep, but his strength seemed to be only at the fifth, or perhaps sixth, transformation of blood qi.

That level of power was impressive, but it posed no real threat to Lin Zheyu; if he wished to escape, he could easily do so. However, it was rare to encounter such an expert, so he simply wanted to test his current strength.

What kind of pill did this guy take? In such a short time, he's risen from the second to the fourth transformation of blood qi!

Sensing the rapid surge of the man's aura, Lin Zheyu felt a trace of surprise. The man's appearance changed drastically; his muscles swelled and stacked upon one another, his height increasing by nearly ten centimeters. A mysterious and powerful aura radiated from his body.

Boom!

The man's right foot exploded with force, shattering the ground beneath him as his figure shot toward Lin Zheyu. His speed was astounding. Though his lightness technique was crude, sheer explosive power brought him before Lin Zheyu in the blink of an eye. Such terrifying speed was nearly three-fifths as fast as Lin Zheyu when he hadn't activated his blood qi burst technique.

Interesting.

A glimmer of intrigue flashed in Lin Zheyu's eyes. He was genuinely curious what kind of pill the man had swallowed to unleash such monstrous strength.

Lin Zheyu tapped his toes and swiftly retreated, easily avoiding the man's strike. Just then, a fierce gust followed, the wind from a leg strike roaring toward his head. Xing Rui's strength was formidable. Though his mastery of lightness techniques was inferior to Lin Zheyu's, his sheer might allowed him to somewhat bridge the gap.

Lin Zheyu leaned forward at an odd angle, narrowly avoiding Xing Rui's strike. His movement was fluid and ethereal, like an eel, weaving effortlessly through their assaults.

Xing Rui's expression darkened. With his own power combined with that of another fourth transformation expert, failing to subdue this man filled him with frustration.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of dull thuds echoed as the man and Xing Rui attacked together. Though they held the advantage, they couldn't bring Lin Zheyu down. The fight had reached a stalemate.

After merging the Ten Thousand Troop Steps into the Golden Goose Technique, Lin Zheyu's movements became extraordinarily agile, making it nearly impossible to subdue him through numbers alone. At least, not by Xing Rui and that man together.

Now's the moment!

Lin Zheyu's eyes narrowed as blood qi surged through his right arm, flooding it with immense power before erupting in an instant. He unleashed the Mountain Shattering Palm, sending a terrifying gale howling toward the man's back.

Not good!

Xing Rui's expression changed drastically. If that strike landed, his companion would be crippled if not killed outright.

Whoosh.

He threw a fierce punch toward the back of Lin Zheyu's head, hoping to force him back. Yet Lin Zheyu paid him no mind, and his palm struck the man's back squarely as his left arm shot up to block Xing Rui's strike. Xing Rui's punch landed solidly, sending Lin Zheyu sliding backward as he redirected the force.

Xing Rui's blows were powerful and unpleasant to endure; Lin Zheyu had relied on his movement techniques earlier precisely to deflect such impacts. Taking the strike head-on left his arm slightly numb. He infused it with blood qi, quickly restoring the limb's condition.

Boom!

Meanwhile, the man who took the pill was struck squarely on his back. His bulging muscles caved inward as cracking sounds echoed from within his body, and he was flung through the air. His burly frame slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. But the sunken muscles on his back rose once more, and the pallor on his face quickly turned rosy again.

What in the world?

Lin Zheyu was slightly taken aback. To withstand a full Mountain Shattering Palm and still recover instantly reminded him of the strange resilience of that half-demon beast he had once faced.

Is this man a demon or a yao? Impossible. There's not a trace of demonic aura on him. There's some strange energy emanating from him, yes, but definitely not demonic.

Lin Zheyu retreated swiftly, his mind racing. He couldn't make sense of this man before him. It was no wonder that, at first glance, it hadn't been the powerful Xing Rui who made him feel threatened, but rather this seemingly weaker man at the second transformation of blood qi.

"Hm?"

Seeing this scene, Xing Rui was also taken aback. When he saw the man unharmed, he turned his gaze back to Lin Zheyu, the corners of his lips lifting into a faint, cold smile. This slippery fellow might be quick, but he was only at the fourth transformation of blood qi. He wouldn't last long. With their combined strength, it would only be a matter of time before they drained his blood qi and killed him.

If not for Lin Zheyu's extraordinary movement techniques, Xing Rui could have ended the battle in a single blow using his explosive martial art. Unfortunately, that technique was too wild and uncontrollable to execute smoothly. Lin Zheyu's movements were simply too refined; if Xing Rui used his ultimate art, he wouldn't even be able to land a hit.

The same went for Lin Zheyu; he wanted to use the Mountain Shattering Palm against Xing Rui, but he couldn't find the chance. Xing Rui's strength and combat experience far surpassed his, leaving Lin Zheyu no opportunity to unleash that move. Only that strange man, though strong and risen to the fourth transformation, lacked the martial cultivation and experience to fully wield his power. That was the only reason Lin Zheyu had managed to exploit an opening.

Fuck this! It's time to go!

Lin Zheyu made a snap decision. He had planned to cripple the strange man first with the Mountain Shattering Palm, and then deal with Xing Rui afterward. But the man's recovery defied expectations; his resilience was monstrous and almost demonic. He was perfectly fine even after taking a full Mountain Shattering Palm.

Lin Zheyu didn't know how many more of those palms the man could endure, but the aura emanating from him filled him with unease. Continuing the fight would gain him nothing, so he decided to retreat.

Spinning sharply, Lin Zheyu activated his blood qi burst technique, channeled it through the Golden Goose Technique, and shot off like a cannonball, vanishing into the night.