Chapter 87: Countermeasure

Zhao Gaofeng was sent flying backwards, coughing up blood from the force of the blow. He could never have imagined that Zhao Tu’s poison had been neutralized.

Sun Xin’s expression also changed upon seeing Zhao Gaofeng injured; he hadn’t anticipated such a drastic reversal in what had seemed a certain victory. However, a veteran of countless battles, he quickly regained his composure. Reaching out, he aimed to seize the ledger that had been discarded to the floor.

Just as Sun Xin was about to grasp the ledger, a golden fist tore through the air like a falling star and struck his hand with tremendous force.

With a loud bang, Sun Xin was thrown backwards, his palm numb and even his arm trembling. Alarmed, he looked up to see the newcomer: a handsome youth of fifteen or sixteen, wrapped in dazzling golden light, exuding the aura of a golden-armored war god—undaunted and unstoppable.

“Who are you?” Sun Xin demanded.

“Liu Feng,” the youth replied. With that, he leaped forward as swift as lightning, arriving before Sun Xin in an instant. His golden fist, like a meteor, hurtled toward Sun Xin’s head.

Sun Xin roared and countered with both fists, his wild strength surging like crashing waves to meet Liu Feng’s blow.

Thunderous booms echoed as their fists collided, and the surging force blasted throughout the hall, shattering tables and chairs in its path.

Sun Xin, using the force of the impact, vaulted outside the council hall. Liu Feng followed at his heels.

“The Eight Vajra, stop this boy!” Sun Xin shouted to his eight companions.

The eight men in black shouted in unison, drawing blades and swords as they rushed Liu Feng.

Liu Feng sneered coldly, his fists whirling like twin golden millstones, crushing down upon his attackers.

The clash of gold against steel rang out, the mighty force of Liu Feng’s punches forcing the attackers to stagger backwards.

Liu Feng pressed his advantage, darting after the retreating men. His fists struck out repeatedly, unleashing a tempest of golden light. In moments, every sword and blade was shattered by his overwhelming strength.

Seeing his men delay Liu Feng, Sun Xin tried to send a signal to summon his sect. He had already produced a communication talisman and was about to ignite it when a dazzling sword flash shot forth, swift as a startled swan, shattering the talisman instantly.

Turning, Sun Xin saw a blue longsword slashing toward him. He pushed off the ground, his body darting backward and narrowly evading the strike. He drew a unique weapon—an oversized silver pair of scissors—and, gripping them with both hands, closed them around the incoming blade.

A clear metallic clang rang out as both men were forced back. Then, with a tap of their toes, they lunged at each other again, the hall filling with the constant clatter of metal on metal. Their bodies flickered rapidly, exchanging hundreds of blows in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Zhao Tu and Zhao Gaofeng had descended into a fierce melee of their own. Despite having taken a hit from Zhao Tu, Zhao Gaofeng’s deep mastery of martial arts allowed him to force Zhao Tu relentlessly backward.

“Second Brother, I never expected your cultivation to have reached the Fifth Stage of the Yin-Yang Realm. Had you not taken my palm just now, I might have lost to you already,” Zhao Tu said in shock, surprised at the strength his usually unassuming brother revealed.

“It’s precisely because I surpass you in every way that Father’s decision to pass the family headship to you filled me with such anger and resentment,” Zhao Gaofeng replied, his expression darkening.

“But even so, you shouldn’t have colluded with outsiders,” Zhao Tu retorted coldly.

“What use is there in saying more? Ever since I allied with the Hundred Venoms Sect, there has been no turning back,” Zhao Gaofeng declared, his fists bursting forth with even greater power.

Instantly, Zhao Tu felt a crushing pressure, as vast as mountains and seas, bearing down on him and forcing him back under the onslaught.

“Forgive me, Brother. For the sake of my grand ambitions, and for the Zhao family to dominate Nanzhou City, I have no choice but to sacrifice you,” Zhao Gaofeng said, his eyes ruthless as he watched Zhao Tu forced steadily backward. Gritting his teeth, he prepared to unleash his ultimate technique.

“Shattering Claw!” Zhao Gaofeng roared, his ten fingers curling as ten razor-sharp beams of light coalesced, their deadly edges like steel hooks threatening to seize the soul itself. He slashed with both hands, the claws enveloping Zhao Tu from all directions; the air shrieked as it was rent by the deadly light.

Zhao Tu’s palms struck out swiftly to meet the incoming claws, but the disparity in their cultivation showed. In moments, his hands were torn and bleeding, a pitiful sight.

“Am I to die in fratricidal strife?” At the brink of death, a wave of sorrow surged through Zhao Tu’s heart. Zhao Gaofeng’s claws were already above his head, poised for the fatal blow.

Suddenly, a golden figure charged in like a sweeping hurricane, arriving between the two brothers in an instant. A golden fist smashed down on Zhao Gaofeng’s claws.

Both the golden figure and Zhao Gaofeng staggered back from the impact.

Seizing the brief opening, Zhao Tu slipped out of the center of the battle.

“Are you alright, Brother?” At that moment, Zhao Heng and Zhao Linfei rushed in from outside, their concern evident as they saw Zhao Tu’s bloodied hands.

“I’m fine. I just didn’t expect my sister’s son, so young, to possess such formidable martial prowess,” Zhao Tu replied, watching the golden figure battling his second brother with a hint of shock.

“Indeed, for a youth of fifteen or sixteen to stand toe-to-toe with men in their forties or fifties like us—it’s truly astonishing,” Zhao Heng and Zhao Linfei both exclaimed in admiration.

“Tear the Heavens!” Zhao Gaofeng bellowed, unleashing the final strike of his ‘Shattering Claw.’ Instantly, beams of light shot from his ten fingers, each over a foot long and exuding a deadly sharpness, like ten divine blades slashing toward Liu Feng. The air hissed as it was sliced apart.

“Obliteration!” Liu Feng shouted, the golden light about him blazing brighter, like an inferno. His fists crashed forward with the force of thunder, unleashing a will to crush, shatter, and destroy, smashing down upon Zhao Gaofeng’s claws.

A barrage of explosive sounds echoed as wild energy surged in all directions, forcing everyone back.

At the heart of the clash, a crater ten meters across appeared, and the council hall shuddered on the brink of collapse from the impact.

At the same time, a towering figure was hurled into the air, vomiting blood several times before crashing heavily into the courtyard.