23: Chapter 23 Fierce Battle

Perhaps it was the pain that stimulated Xu Yan, just like the reaction when Shen Fang struck his waist and abdomen back then.

At this moment, Xu Yan abandoned all defense, holding the resolve to trade his life for an injury, and smashed a fist towards Tian Feng.

The punch was a technique from the Wuji Technique.

Those basic moves like punches, palms, and swords in martial arts cultivation manuals were not just for building a foundation; they were also killing techniques.

Although Tian Feng was a Second-order Martial Artist, he never expected that an ordinary person like Xu Yan would dare to take the initiative to swing a punch at him, and that the force of this punch would be so great.

In a moment of carelessness, he actually let Xu Yan smash a fist into his chest.

"Pfft!"

Tian Feng spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering it all over Xu Yan.

"Hmm?"

Xu Yan looked puzzled. "A Second-order Martial Artist, and that's it?"

Without bothering to wipe the blood off his face, Xu Yan took advantage of the distance Tian Feng had put between them to quickly stoop down and pick up the shovel from the ground.

The opponent had a dagger in his hand; he would have to be an idiot to go head-to-head with his fists.

At this moment, Tian Feng was shocked, his face full of disbelief.

"How is this possible?!"

"He was clearly a piece of trash even inferior to an ordinary person just a few days ago!"

After remembering who Xu Yan was, Tian Feng clearly remembered that a few days ago, the other party was a complete waste. After being controlled by Deng Fang's Superpower, he started panting after not walking for long, and even nearly broke free from the control because of it.

To avoid complications later when entering the mountain, he didn't kill him, instead letting Deng Fang give the kid a mental suggestion and let him go.

But just now, neither the opponent's impromptu reaction nor the strength of that punch that hit his chest was something a piece of trash could possess.

"Could it be... that this kid got lucky and awakened during this time?"

Feeling the excruciating pain in his chest and the internal injuries he was gradually unable to suppress, Tian Feng's gaze towards Xu Yan became increasingly cold.

During the day, after finishing his call with Huo Chong, he had a premonition of danger.

He immediately packed his things to relocate, but in the end, he was still a step late. He was chased down by a mad dog who not only severely injured him, making him unable to channel the internal energy in his body, but also forced him all the way here.

Originally, while fleeing, he had no intention of bothering with Xu Yan; after all, he didn't know it was Xu Yan at that time.

He thought it was another "kind" who wanted to go to the Gateway early. Being severely injured, he naturally didn't dare to provoke them.

But the mountain road was extremely quiet at night, and although Xu Yan's muttering was not loud, it clearly reached Tian Feng's ears.

That was how the scene of him attacking Xu Yan came about.

Xu Yan naturally didn't know that this counted as trouble coming from his mouth; he was still watching Tian Feng vigilantly.

Although he didn't know how a Second-order Martial Artist like Tian Feng could be beaten to the point of vomiting blood by a punch from him, he wouldn't think he could defeat the opponent just because of that.

That was a Second-order Martial Artist, an existence comparable to a minor superman.

However, while the two were in a standoff, neither of them noticed that on the mountain forest in the distance, a figure was standing quietly, watching this scene below with great interest.

"Interesting..."

The figure was none other than Shen Fei, who had chased Tian Feng all the way here.

"Xu Yan is undoubtedly an ordinary person, but the force of that punch just now is not something an ordinary person could deliver."

Although it was pitch black all around, in Shen Fei's eyes, the two figures below representing different colors were incomparably clear.

Tian Feng was a scorching red, which was the mark of a martial artist.

And Xu Yan was gray, which was the mark of an ordinary person.

"Let me see what other surprises you can bring me."

...

Down below, neither Xu Yan nor Tian Feng acted rashly.

Xu Yan was wary of the opponent's strength as a Second-order Martial Artist and didn't dare to strike easily.

And Tian Feng was stalling for time, trying to calm the agitation caused by Xu Yan's punch while desperately suppressing the internal injuries in his body.

Time passed second by second, and just as Tian Feng was about to suppress the internal injuries in his body again, Xu Yan opposite him suddenly moved.

Xu Yan was not an idiot; he was just mindful of Tian Feng's strength as a Second-order Martial Artist, it wasn't like he couldn't hear the opponent's gradually calming breathing.

Xu Yan dashed in front of Tian Feng, swung the shovel in his hand, and smashed it towards his head with a whistling sound.

When Xu Yan struck, he naturally held nothing back, aiming to crack open Tian Feng's head with one blow of the shovel.

But having had the experience of being careless and taking a punch earlier, Tian Feng was naturally guarding against Xu Yan.

The moment Xu Yan made a move, he had already anticipated it, swinging his dagger to stab directly at Xu Yan's neck.

Facing Tian Feng's fatal attack, Xu Yan didn't dodge at all. He had originally intended to trade his life for an injury, so if he could trade his life for his opponent's now, he would actually be the one profiting!

But while Xu Yan thought this way, Tian Feng did not.

If he really had the courage to face death, he would have blown himself up with the Shen Fei who was chasing him long ago; how could he still be clinging to life and fleeing here?

Feeling Xu Yan's desperate, daredevil attitude, Tian Feng chickened out at the critical moment.

He withdrew his blade to block, attempting to intercept the shovel smashing towards his head.

"Clang!"

The dagger collided with the shovel, the sound of metal clashing echoing continuously in the quiet mountain forest.

"This guy..."

Tian Feng gritted his teeth, his hand tingling, and the dagger almost flew out of his hand.

"Could he be a power-type First Awakener?"

Seeing Tian Feng take a defensive stance, Xu Yan grinned, his white teeth particularly conspicuous in the light.

He knew that his winning percentage had increased by another twenty percent!

The principle that the brave win in a narrow encounter holds true everywhere.

"Kid, you are courting death!"

"Court your mother!"

Xu Yan cursed, while the shovel in his hand swung wildly.

"What? Do you also know how to use Mother's Entanglement?"

Clang~

"Do you also have Lover's Sacrifice?"

Clang~

Tian Feng didn't understand, but he already felt the context.

"Looking for death!"

Tian Feng was ashamed and angry, no longer suppressing his internal injuries. Even if he were caught by that madman later, he had to at least kill this kid first.

He channeled the internal energy in his body; although the energy flow had become much more sluggish due to his injuries, it was enough.

You have to know, as long as a martial artist enters a rank, they will produce internal energy, and internal energy is transformed from spiritual energy.

The difference in strength between a martial artist using internal energy and one not using it is not just a little bit.

Just like that, Tian Feng, after channeling his internal energy, immediately seemed like a different person; not only did his speed and reaction become faster, but his strength was also much greater than before.

As Xu Yan swung the shovel over again, Tian Feng easily parried it while kicking Xu Yan in the chest.

"Bang!"

Xu Yan flew backward several meters, crashing directly into the mountain wall on one side.

"Pfft~ Cough, cough, cough!"

Xu Yan spat out a mouthful of blood; he felt like a few of his ribs were broken.

"What the hell? Did he go berserk?"

Using the shovel to barely support himself, Xu Yan looked at Tian Feng opposite him and found that Tian Feng was not doing much better at this moment.

His face was waxen white, his body started to tremble slightly, and his breathing became increasingly heavy.