Chapter 12: Out of the Cliff

The Nine Yang True Energy surged through Li Xiu's body, his grey hemp robe fluttering in the wind. With each light step, he covered several zhang in distance, his fists fierce, pushing forward step by step.

Huogong Toutuo did not hold back either, his internal energy was so strong that the stone ball beneath him seemed as light as a feather, allowing him to move at will like the wind.

In just a dozen moves, the battle had reached a feverish stage, and the entire cliff had been turned into a chaotic mess by the two of them.

On the ground, there were either the gullies torn out by the vines controlled by Huogong Toutuo, or the large pits created by Li Xiu's powerful blows.

As the two moved along their trajectory, the broken vines were scattered on the ground.

It was clear that Li Xiu had gained the upper hand in the fight, and there were hardly any vines left on Huogong Toutuo's stone ball.

The two fought fiercely, their true energy raging as they targeted each other's vital points.

Even though they both had indestructible True Energy protecting their bodies, if they were hit by each other's attacks, they would face a series of violent attacks like a storm.

One misstep could lead to death in an instant.

Therefore, both of them were extremely focused and cautious.

Especially for Huogong Toutuo, after having only a few vines left, he decided to play defence and became like a shrunken old turtle, making it difficult for Li Xiu to attack and even harder to gain the upper hand.

"Boom! Boom!" "Snap! Crack!"

The sound of the two men clashing and punching was endless and echoed through the cliff.

Finally, after another fierce blow from Li Xiu, with the Nine Yang True Energy still lingering in the air, Huogong Toutuo was left with no more vines to use.

Without his main method of attack, Huogong Toutuo looked like a beast without claws, and although he was usually fierce and menacing, his face now showed nothing but panic.

He kept retreating, trying to find an opportunity to use the vines on the cliffs on either side.

But how could Li Xiu let Huogong Toutuo succeed? He quickly chased after him and attacked, aiming his fists at the vital points.

After losing his vines and being distracted, Huogong Toutuo was at a disadvantage and his defeat was already apparent.

As he saw Li Xiu getting closer and closer, even the gusts of wind generated by his Seven Harms Fist blew into his face, causing his beard and hair to fall.

"Ah!"

Huogong Toutuo was angry and scared, and he let out an involuntary roar.

Suddenly, the internal energy in his body surged out like a flood, condensing into a powerful and almost substantial force that burst out in one fell swoop.

This blow couldn't be taken head-on!

Li Xiu understood this and quickly jumped to avoid the attack, temporarily dodging the sharp edge.

"Boom!"

Huogong Toutuo's Nine Yang True Energy in the form of a pillar hit the nearby rock wall, causing it to instantly explode, sending rocks and dirt flying.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Li Xiu couldn't help but squint and focus his attention.

A hole had suddenly appeared in the rock wall, nearly half a zhang deep and as thick as a water tank.

The edge of the hole was also covered in a dense network of spider web-like cracks, making it look shattered and terrifying.

"If that hit had landed, even a person made of wrought iron wouldn't have survived!"

Li Xiu sighed inwardly, but his expression gradually turned to joy.

This last attack by Huogong Toutuo was terrifying, but it was no different from trying to deliberately dissipate his own power. It was just a desperate struggle before death.

Li Xiu did not wait for Huogong Toutuo to recover, but quickly activated his Nine Yang True Energy and used the ground as a lever to leap up, almost flying, and chase after the retreating Huogong Toutuo.

Take the opportunity to take his life!

As soon as Li Xiu caught up with him, he immediately unleashed a ferocious and devastating power with his Seven Harms Fist, his Nine Yang True Energy enveloping his entire arm.

Huogong Toutuo, whose internal energy was almost depleted, had no way to defend himself. With a look of anger and fear in his eyes, he watched as Li Xiu's fist hit his chest just three inches away.

When the punch stopped, the Nine Yang True Energy exploded out, hitting Huogong Toutuo's body with a loud boom.

"Boom Boom boom"

Finally, the stone ball came to a halt, and the sound of it grinding on the ground gradually faded away. Li Xiu also breathed a long sigh of relief and drew back his fist, ending his technique.

Looking up, Huogong Toutuo's already gaunt and shriveled chest had collapsed, his front pressed against his back.

His five entrails and six organs had turned into a mess of flesh. Even the Nine Yang Divine Skill, known as the sacred classic for healing injuries, couldn't sustain Huogong Toutuo to utter a single curse.

With a satisfied tilt of his head, his eyes lost their sparkle and he died on the stone ball.

It wasn't until the next breath that blood slowly flowed from Huogong Toutuo's seven orifices, as if an evil ghost in the world had finally become a real one.

This rare fight to the death between two martial arts experts at such a high level in the world came to an end, leaving only Li Xiu as the sole possessor of the Nine Yang Divine Skill.

Li Xiu looked around and found nothing to hold him here. He was about to step onto the stones and leave the cliff behind when he suddenly saw the umbrella-shaped tattoo on the inside of his left wrist flicker inexplicably.

It was brief, just a few breaths, before the tattoo returned to its crude and ordinary appearance.

This tattoo was closely related to his sudden arrival in this world. Li Xiu had studied and researched it for dozens of days since his arrival, but had gained nothing.

Now that he saw this umbrella-shaped tattoo showing an abnormality, Li Xiu's mind, which had just relaxed after the battle, became tense again.

Unfortunately, it was just a fleeting moment. After that, no matter how Li Xiu tried to use his mind, conversation, internal energy or any other method, the tattoo remained unresponsive, devoid of any mystery.

"When I killed the paralysed man earlier, the tattoo didn't flicker. But it did when I killed Huogong Toutuo."

"Is it because Huogong Toutuo was a master? Or is it because I killed Huogong Toutuo and changed the course of this world?"

Li Xiu thought and pondered in his mind, but he could not come to a definite conclusion. He had to put it aside for now and examine it later.

"Maybe I can still go back through this umbrella-shaped tattoo."

Finally, such a thought flashed through Li Xiu's mind.

He then used his internal energy to leap up the cliff, using the momentum to soar higher and higher with each step, like a feather floating in the wind.

In a few moments, he had already passed halfway up the cliff, and the edge was within reach. At that moment, Li Xiu's heart was filled with joy, and he looked down.

At the bottom of the cliff, there were tangled vines and thickets, and what appeared to be baby-sized vines looked like thin threads from his height. Even room-sized boulders looked like tiny grains of sand.

Despite the same danger, there was no panic in Li Xiu's heart.

He was still the same person, just with an incredibly powerful martial arts skill.

All because Li Xiu understood that even with dozens of feet more, as long as he didn't fall straight down, he could walk on it as if it were level ground and be safe and sound.

With the Nine Yang Divine Skill in his possession, apart from Zhang Sanfeng, there were countless masters in the world, but who else could be his opponent!

Looking up at the cliff that seemed to touch the sky, a sense of grandeur rose in Li Xiu's heart. With a long roar from his Dantian, the sound echoed through the mountain forest and the cliff.

Before the roar had subsided, Li Xiu had already landed on the edge of the cliff, and a cloud of dust rose from where he had landed.

Despite his coarse, ash-grey clothes and dishevelled hair, the young man exuded an air of confidence and determination that surrounded his forehead, and his eyes were warm and bright with a gleam that showed he had returned to the essence of his martial arts training. Who on earth would dare underestimate him?