3 Chapter 3: The Five Poisons Palm is Nothing More than This

Prosper City, west side, Cloud Inn.

With the rush of hoofbeats, a large group of soldiers appeared at both ends of the street, converging together.

In a short while, the entire street was blocked off, making it impassable.

Looking around, the rooftops and streets were filled with uniformed soldiers, armed with various weapons like swords, shields, bows, and arrows. A total of eight hundred elite troops had been urgently mobilized from the city defense camp.

On a tall building opposite the inn on the street.

Chief Constable Zhou Bo, General Wang Lang of the city defense camp, and Tributor Yu Xian representing the Royal Mansion, were all gathered there, with a clear view of the situation at the Cloud Inn across the street.

"Tributor Yu, I wonder if Prince Wang has any instructions?"

The one speaking was Chief Constable Zhou Bo, a man of heroic stature and sharp temperament, and the overall commander of this arrest operation.

Two days had passed since Duke Fu's summons.

Yu Xian had taken the time to visit Doctor Huang, the Royal Mansion Tributor, for some nourishing prescriptions. After several days of continuous consumption, self-disciplined use of his mana to heal, and self-restraint, his body's recovery speed had been incredibly fast - he had recovered seventy to eighty percent of his energy by now.

He picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and replied with a polite smile:

"Chief Constable Zhou is the protagonist today. When I came here, Prince Wang instructed me not to overshadow you. I'm here to support you in this operation."

In other words, Yu Xian could watch the show and aid when needed, but should not take the lead.

Zhou Bo was not surprised, as he hadn't expected the Royal Mansion Tributor to go all out. He turned to General Wang and said:

"General Wang, I'll leave the rest to you."

This man was the main force of the arrest operation.

"Orderly, pass the order!"

General Wang, a burly man, spoke bluntly. He bowed his fists at the two of them and went straight downstairs to lead the soldiers.

As the orderly on the terrace waved his flag, the soldiers on the street, poised for action, began to tighten their encirclement around the Cloud Inn.

Meanwhile, Zhou Bo's city arrestors and the Royal Mansion's expert fighters had already broken into the inn ahead of the main force.

In less than half a cup of tea's time,

Noises of chaos and fighting came from inside the inn.

BANG!

The window on the second floor of the inn was shattered by a dark shadow that heavily fell on the ground.

It was an arrestor, his chest caved in, his face black and red, bleeding dark blood from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. He struggled painfully on the ground for a while, then fell motionless.

A black-robed man in his thirties with gray hair appeared at the broken window. He glanced at the surrounding soldiers and quickly locked eyes with Zhou Bo and the others.

With a cold snort, he thundered, "Zhou Bo, back in the day, you were a famous Iron Pen Judge in the society, with a far-reaching reputation as a chivalrous man. Now you've become a lackey of the court, disgracing your fellow martial artists.

"How did you find me?"

"If you don't want others to know your secrets, don't do anything shameful!"

Zhou Bo's face was cold as he shouted, "Chen Xiao, you dared to assassinate Prince Wang and defy the court's laws! If you don't surrender now, there's only one way for you - death!"

"Fire!"

As the command was given, arrows fell like rain, forming a dark cloud that covered the entire second floor of the inn, threatening to puncture it with countless holes.

Faced with the onslaught of countless sharp arrows, Chen Xiao laughed fearlessly, showing no signs of fear.

"Zhou Bo, do you really think these weaklings can hurt me?"

A sudden shockwave of air appeared in front of him, and a black-red energy barrier covered his entire body. The arrows struck the barrier and lost their power in an instant, falling to the ground one after another.

He then plunged into the crowd like a cannonball, with the mere shockwave of his landing disabling five or six soldiers on the spot.

"Those who block my way die!"

In the blink of an eye, Chen Xiao broke through the city defense camp's formation and charged halfway down the street. Though the eight hundred soldiers were numerous, only about a dozen could actually attack him from close range.

As for his strength, ordinary soldiers would be injured by merely brushing past him, let alone engaging him directly.

In the room above,

Zhou Bo's face changed slightly, "Middle-stage Innate, Gang Qi protection?!"

Yu Xian, who had been leisurely sipping tea and watching the show, tensed up. He felt a sense of danger, flexing his calve muscles.

Although martial artists were not as dependent on spiritual energy as cultivators, breaking through to the middle-stage in the Mortal World was still extremely difficult.

A middle-stage Innate martial artist was someone even an early-stage Qi cultivator had to take seriously, lest a single mistake cost them dearly.

However, he was now at Level 5 of Qi Cultivation.

Oh, no problem then.

Thus, the tensed-up Yu Xian went limp again, slouching in his seat.

"Tributor Yu, please help quickly, and don't let him escape the encirclement! This monster has broken through to the middle-stage Innate realm, and it would be disastrous if he escapes!" Zhou Bo looked at Yu Xian urgently.

But Yu Xian didn't even bother to get up. Instead, he shook his head and calmly replied:

"Chief Constable Zhou, Chen Xiao is now a middle-stage Innate martial artist, too arrogant and powerful for me to handle. So, how about..."

At that moment, a cry of surprise came to their ears.

"Chief Constable, Tributor Yu, Chen Xiao has been stopped by General Wang!"

"What?!"

The two were shocked and turned their heads to look down.

General Wang, wearing a heavy black armor, was riding on a sturdy armored horse, holding a black iron spear as thick as an egg. A single horse blocked Chen Xiao's momentum.

Behind him were seven or eight heavily armored cavalry.

"Kill!"

With horses neighing and men shouting, the cavalry advanced together. Although there were only a few people, it was as if a mountain was pressing down, causing the air to stagnate.

Chen Xiao, with bloodshot eyes and his body covered in blood, faced the charging horse without dodging or avoiding, welcoming it head-on.

In an instant, dark energy swirled around his palms, creating near afterimages in the air. Evading the spear's tip at the last moment during their clash, he sidestepped and struck the horse with his palm.

Boom, boom, boom!

Muffled noises burst out one after another.

General Wang could only manage to block a palm with his spear horizontally before he was sent flying off the horse. The horse beneath him let out a painful cry as black tears of blood flowed out from its exposed eyes on its armor.

The leading horse crashed heavily to the ground, lying across the middle of the street. The momentum of the cavalry behind also halted, and chaos ensued. Then Chen Xiao attacked again, sending them tumbling.

As they charged down the straight street, they undoubtedly held a relentless momentum, but once that momentum was broken, defeat would be just as swift.

In an instant, the heavily armored cavalry lost their combat strength.

But Chen Xiao was apparently also exhausted.

Facing another salvo of arrows from the roof archers who seized the chance, the protective energy around him flickered incessantly, and several arrows managed to pierce through it, sticking straight into his back. Fortunately, they were caught by his muscles, only injuring the flesh.

"Seeking death!"

Chen Xiao pulled out the arrows, blood splattering as he threw the arrows back and knocked down a group of archers on the rooftop.

His aura increased another level.

In front of him was a street filled with blood and gore for tens of meters, while behind him were fallen heavy armored horses, scattered weapons, and grieving soldiers.

This scene made him seem like an invincible demon king.

The city defense camp's soldiers were pushed to the brink of collapse, knowing full well that their enemy was near exhaustion, yet they dared not advance even a step.

"Trash!"

Chen Xiao spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, showed a cold smile, and was about to turn around and leave.

"Halt!"

A shriek sounded in the air as an Iron Pen Judge flew through the sky. It was General Zhou, leading his bailiffs, once again surrounding Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao's expression turned cold, his black energy gathered in one palm, and he attacked Zhou Bo.

"You can't hold me!"

Zhou Bo didn't speak. Holding the Iron Pen Judge in hand, he and his subordinates formed a formation to block Chen Xiao's escape.

If you looked closely, you could see a layer of green True Qi covering the Iron Pen Judge, which allowed it to withstand Chen Xiao's poisonous True Qi erosion.

Unexpectedly, General Zhou was also an Innate Warrior!

"Zhou Bo, you're a good person. I don't want to kill you. If you insist on standing in my way, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Chen Xiao threatened while fighting Zhou Bo.

He sensed that his True Qi and strength were quickly draining away, and he knew that if he didn't leave soon, he would be trapped here forever.

"If you surrender, I can guarantee your survival."

Zhou Bo wasn't in the mood to accept the offer.

"Seeking death!"

Chen Xiao's expression turned cold, and his moves suddenly changed. His palms were crystal clear like jade, and the air was filled with a fishy wind.

"Five Poison Palms!"

An icy chill struck Zhou Bo's brow, and he didn't dare to be careless. The pen in his hand was covered with green True Qi at its tip, and he also used his own proud Innate Martial Technique.

"Magic Pen Point!"

The two collided together.

Zhou Bo only felt a pain in his fingers, followed by pain creeping up his palm, wrist, and arm as if thousands of ants were gnawing at him. The intense pain shot straight into the depths of his soul, making him cry out involuntarily.

"Ah!"

The Iron Pen slipped from his grasp, and half of his body was paralyzed. He fell backward, black energy appearing on his face.

At the same time, Chen Xiao was also in pain as the Iron Pen's sharpness left a long cut across his chest. The wound was extremely deep, almost injuring his internal organs.

"If it wasn't for my injuries not yet fully healed..."

Chen Xiao covered his wound, cursing inwardly. Just as he was about to escape, he felt a heat behind him, and danger filled his mind.

"Protective Energy!"

"Red Flame Divine Palm!"

Crack!

Chen Xiao felt his protective energy being ripped apart easily like paper. While this was partly due to his lack of True Qi, it also showcased the strength of his enemy.

The next moment, scorching flames climbed up his back, making him experience the cruelest punishment in the world, and causing him to lose all consciousness to resist.

In a daze, Chen Xiao vaguely saw a green robe walking slowly toward him and heard a condescending voice.

"Huh, Five Poison Palms, that's all there is to it."

Chen Xiao was furious, his injuries flared up, and he fainted on the spot.