Chapter 23 Close Quarters Combat

"Fortunately, Shi Chun was already accustomed to the barbaric practices of the Land of Exile, a place where the strong prey on the weak, and thus he felt no anger, only surprise that even Zhixu City, a place known for its strict rules, had fallen into disarray.

As for a one-on-one duel, he was not afraid.

His worry lay in the rules of this duel, ten drumbeats, and if the victor wasn't decided within ten counts, both combatants would be executed together. With such a short amount of time, how could this be considered a fair duel?

The problem was that the execution wouldn't just be his own; only one party was allowed to leave alive. If he lost, Wu Jinliang would also lose his life alongside him.

He wasn't afraid of the duel, but there was a fatal flaw in the rules. If the opponent realized they were outmatched and chose to evade, dragging out the ten counts would be easy, potentially dragging everyone to death.

While pondering a strategy, he quickly cast a spell to check his body's condition as soon as the restrictions on him were lifted.

Fortunately, he hadn't been tortured for long, and while the injuries appeared severe on the surface, they were just flesh wounds that hadn't damaged any tendons or bones. For someone like him, who often suffered injuries, this was nothing new.

What truly hurt was that during the punishment, a strange and supernatural vision in his right eye had surfaced once again, tormenting him severely.

Ever since that night, he had been trying to trigger the vision in his right eye again but had been unable to find the right technique. Unexpectedly, it had activated once more.

While he was silently adjusting his physical state, the accuser who had falsely charged them was brought before them, still draped in that dirty rag that had been patched up who knows how many times, visibly anxious.

This anxiety had a source; having accused them first left him uncertain. Moreover, Du Huoguan had broken his promises, failing to deliver on what was assured. Even if he won the duel, could they be trusted to honor their word this time, or would they renege again?

Without the option to dwell on it, he was shoved into the clearing and pushed directly opposite Shi Chun.

Once it was confirmed that his opponent would be the accuser, Shi Chun's suspended heart finally settled to some extent.

His biggest fear had been the possibility that the power behind Shen Youkun extended its reach into the city's garrison. If that power was truly controlling his fate, he was certain that he would not escape doom this time.

Seeing the accuser before him ready to fight to the death indicated that his suspicions about the shift in the interrogation's direction were correct—the dark power behind it had lost control of the situation.

However, whether his judgment was right or wrong, he had to overcome the challenge before him first.

Thump!

As both challengers eyed each other with growing hostility, the guards at the edge of the arena raised their mallets and struck the drum on the stand.

That first sound of the drum prompted an involuntary heartbeat from both sides. They hadn't expected the duel to start so abruptly, without any chance for preparation, beginning without warning.

Unbeknownst to them, the spectators were not in the mood to watch them slowly get ready.

Almost simultaneously, both men glared fiercely at each other, like starving wolves, with no choice but for one side to survive.

Neither man had a weapon, since someone wanted to see a match of hand-to-hand combat.

Thump!

Another drumbeat sounded, two out of the ten already passed.

The urgency could drive a person mad. Neither side dared to hesitate any longer, and almost in sync, they rushed toward each other. To flee or hide? Impossible!

In the moment of the collision, the accuser took the chance to tear off the filthy rag he was wearing and flung it out like a curtain, enveloping the charging Shi Chun. No wonder he had always worn that ragged cloth; it had this use after all.

Accustomed to using this trick, there must be more to it!"

Shi Chun's eyes flashed with caution in an instant. Having fought his way out from childhood, he had encountered too many dangers and knew well that if an opponent made a preparatory move, there was always the concern of a follow-up attack.

But in the moment of collision, it was already too late to dodge.

"Break!" he suddenly shouted with a surge of energy and, with all his might, combined his palms and hammered out violently.

Boom!

A muffled explosion rang out, accompanied by the sound of a drum, and shadows flew chaotically.

The curtain shaken out by the accuser unfurled like hundreds of flying butterflies, fabric shredding and bursting apart, mixed in with glints of cold light.

From behind the lattice upstairs, Du Huoguan murmured with light praise, "Overbearing!"

For someone of his cultivation, it was clear that although it was easy for those in the Initial Martial realm to break stone tablets and split rocks, to completely shatter a soft piece of fabric in mid-air was extremely difficult. To burst and tear it apart was simple, but shattering it completely was almost impossible for someone at the Initial Martial level of cultivation.

Had he not caught Shi Chun and investigated thoroughly, understanding his capabilities, it would have been easy to mistakenly believe that Shi Chun had reached the High Martial realm.

As he expressed his appreciation, his eyebrows also slightly raised, recognizing what was mixed in with the shards—the dirty piece of cloth had been hiding many finely needled weapons, and by the looks of their chill, they were likely poisoned.

This move could only be described as malevolent.

Hidden weapons are also arms, and though they were told to expect unarmed combat, one party had brought weapons. Du Huoguan glanced peripherally at the reactions of those beside him and saw no ripples of any kind on the prison master's face.

Shi Chun was not blind and could only be described as both shocked and angry.

Before the tattered cloth exploded, the accuser who had thrown it had not completely let go, still clutching a corner of the fabric, almost grazing his opponent, with a grim smirk of imminent success forming on his lips.

He knew very well that if his adversary touched the cloth he threw, whether by grabbing, blocking, swinging with hands, or kicking with feet, as soon as he pulled back with force, his opponent was bound to be hit.

But just as he was shifting his stance to dodge to the side and was about to pull, the scene before him exploded into countless "butterflies," which bewildered him, and the subsequent sharp pain almost scared his soul out of his body.

Some of the poisoned needles he himself had hidden within suddenly struck his own body.

He was all too familiar with the power of his own needles; not only were they coated with a potent toxin that sealed the throat once blood was drawn, but they would also soon paralyze the entire body.

Fortunately, he carried the antidote on his person because he certainly had to be prepared for accidents when playing this game.

However, Shi Chun did not give him the chance to self-administer the antidote. As the blinding debris burst open and the accuser's form was revealed, Shi Chun instantly sprang from the ground and lunged toward him.

The accuser hastily withdrew his hands to block, aiming to stop the incoming attack, but Shi Chun twisted their hands together like wringing a towel.

Their four arms had just entangled when, thump, the sound of a drum echoed again.

The drumbeat sounded like a death knell, time waits for no one. Shi Chun, with fierce brows and a face full of murderous intent, stomped down with a "heh," cracking the thick stone floor with spiderweb-like fissures. His ragged clothes fluttered without wind, wounds on his body expelling beads of blood, and one arm, like a dragon emerging from the sea, forcibly burst through the entanglement, punching out with the force of thunder, the fist transforming into a palm strike on his opponent's chest.

The impact was explosively violent; the accuser felt a burning pain at the places on his arms rubbed by the strike, followed by being hit with such a massive force that he stumbled backwards.

Struggling to steady his stance, the accuser choked back the blood rising in his throat, feeling his internal organs churn in agony. The opponent's immense Attack Power was fierce and strange, seemingly piercing through his flesh.

From within the upstairs window lattice observing the battle, Du Huoguan's pupils suddenly constricted, clearly seeing the accuser's back as if it had an agonized human face trapped and struggling to break the bonds of flesh, or like a demon attempting to burst forth from the body. Then, it quickly faded and died, leaving a blood imprint resembling a skull on the skin.

What on earth? His face showed surprise and uncertainty.

Even Nie's eyes narrowed slightly as he softly exhaled three words, "Bath Demon Skill..."