Chapter no.21 Zhongli Vs Hu Lunmei

[ A Few Minutes Ago ]

Zhongli ran alongside Lin Lai, his eyes flicking over to her every few moments. The forest around them was thick with trees, their leaves rustling in the breeze. The ground beneath their feet was soft and spongy, the mossy undergrowth squelching beneath their boots. Zhongli wore a suit of dark leather armor, adorned with intricate gold filigree. He carried a longsword at his side, its blade gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the leaves overhead. Lin Lai, on the other hand, wore a simple white robe, her hair tied back in a ponytail. She carried no weapons, but Zhongli could sense the power emanating from her.

"What is it?" Zhongli asked, his eyes still fixed on Lin Lai.

"May I ask, just what was that power?" Lin Lai asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Oh, it must be your first time witnessing the power of the Manifestation Realm?" Lin Lai said with a small smile.

Zhongli frowned and asked, "Just what is the Manifestation Realm?"

Lin Lai looked at him curiously, "Hmm, do you want me to answer that for you?"

Seeing his visible confusion, Lin Lai answered," You do know that everyone's cultivation journey is different, we all have our understandings of the way of the Dao and it represents a different meaning to everyone. If I do tell you my understanding of the Dao, you will try to follow my Dao and lose your way."

Zhongli was taken aback by Lin Lai's answer. He remembered his father and brother debating their understanding of the Dao when he was a child. Was this why his father had never been able to break through? Zhongli wondered as Lin Lai looked at him curiously and asked, "So what technique are you using?"

"Pardon?" Zhongli asked, caught off guard.

"Ever since you absorbed the blood of those two, your aura has been increasing. I could feel it, you are getting stronger," Lin Lai said, her eyes fixed on Zhongli.

"Oh, it's just my martial skeleton," Zhongli lied, not wanting to reveal his true power to someone as dangerous as Lin Lai. "I can take the blood of others and temporarily boost my strength."

Lin Lai raised an eyebrow, "Well then, we have quite the trouble ahead. Mind showing me this boost in power of yours?"

Zhongli hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. The bowman beside them narrowed his eyes, and with a sharp twang of his bowstring, he shot an arrow ahead.

.....

The swamp was a murky and bloody landscape, the ground soft and squishy beneath their feet. The sky was dark and overcast, the only light coming from the glowing tattoos on Zhongli's body. He stood tall, his muscles rippling as he prepared for battle. His opponent, Hu Lunmei, was a striking figure as well. She wore a set of flowing robes adorned with intricate designs, her long hair tied back in a ponytail. The most striking feature of her attire, however, were the shiny marbles that dangled from her waist, exuding a powerful and steamy aura of spiritual Qi.

As the winds picked up, the two opponents locked eyes in a fierce stare. The sound of coins clattering to the ground could be heard as the collars two began to run wild, but Zhongli and Hu Lunmei were not affected by the distraction. Zhongli wasted no time, launching into a series of fast and powerful punches and kicks as spiritual Qi coated his fists and feet.

Hu Lunmei was ready, using her marbles to create a spiritual Qi barrier that deflected Zhongli's attacks. The sound of clashing energy could be heard as the two fighters clashed. Zhongli continued to press forward, his movements quick and precise. But Hu Lunmei was not without her tricks.

"Jade Dragon Art: Roar of Life," she shouted, her marbles beginning to glow as her spiritual Qi permeated into the ground. Suddenly, massive vines broke out from the earth, launching at Zhongli with deadly force. The widowed man managed to dodge the vines, but the thorns on the vines cut deep into his skin.

Zhongli clicked his tongue as he realized that his opponent was in the affinity realm, using her marbles as weapons. He took a deep breath as he felt his spiritual Qi run through the multiple sets of spiritual roots in his body, exponentially increasing his power as he coated his body in a layer of Spiritual Qi. He unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches, driving Hu Lunmei back. She countered with a bolt of her marbles flying at Zhongli, but he was quick to dodge and countered with a powerful roundhouse kick. The sound of the kick echoed through the swamp as the two fighters continued their intense battle.

Hu Lunmei suddenly caught Zhongli's kick with her hand, and in one swift motion, she attacked his femur with her elbow. Zhongli, unfazed by the attack, jumped using one leg and spun himself as his foot crashed into Hu Lunmei's face with a loud THUD. The two continued to exchange blows, each one trying to gain the upper hand. Zhongli's powerful strikes were met with Hu Lunmei's weird bag of tricks, causing sparks to fly as they clashed. The sound of clashing metal and flesh echoed through the misty forest.

As the fight raged on, Zhongli began to tire, his movements becoming slower and less precise. But this was all part of Zhongli's plan, he was baiting Hu Lunmei into making a mistake. Hu Lunmei, sensing an opportunity, summoned a swirling vortex of spiritual Qi as her marbles spun in a clockwise motion and launched at Zhongli. Zhongli was caught off guard as he didn't expect his opponent to launch such an attack when he threw in a bait, the vortex sucked him in and engulfed him in darkness.

The bowman who had been watching the fight from a distance fell silent, unsure if he should step in but Lin Lai, who was also present, stopped the man from moving as she wanted to push Zhongli into revealing more. Lin Lai had never told anyone about this, but her sensitivity to Spiritual Qi was so powerful that she could predict the flow of spiritual Qi through a person's body, and to her, Zhongli was something different as she could sense his rise of power in a short period.

Just when it seemed that Hu Lunmei had the upper hand, a powerful aura crashed onto everyone's shoulder, Zhongli emerged from the vortex, his eyes glowing with demonic Qi. Zhongli unleashed a powerful punch that caused pure air pressure to attack Hu Lunmei, the force of the attack sending her flying backward with a loud WHOOOSH. Hu Lunmei hit the ground hard, her body battered and bruised. Zhongli stood over her, his chest heaving with exertion. Hu Lunmei tried to summon one last spell, but it was too late as Zhongli's fist crashed into her back, caving in her spine and chest as she died without even having the ability to call out for her brother who kept looking into the residential area.

"I am sorry, little bro, your sister has to apologize for leaving you with the burden of facing this world on your own," Hu Lunmei thought as she closed her eyes. Lin Lai landed on the swamp with Zhongli glancing at her.

"Stop using that demonic Qi!" Lin Lai ordered as she checked if her toy hadn't been broken. Zhongli sighed and let the intoxicating Demonic Qi that he had extracted from Toji's blood disperse