Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 41 - 40: Armor of Strength, Smashed to a Pulp!

However, that warning seemed to be drowned out by the overwhelming clamor of battle. The masked man acted as if he’d heard nothing, and in that brief instant, he punched out again, sending a Black Mountain Army soldier flying.

"Die for me!"

An expression of wild delight surfaced beneath the armor of the black-armored strongman. He was a Martial Artist at the Bone Forging Realm, and born with brute strength. Even Qian Wu, also at Bone Forging, struggled to withstand his onslaught, ending up with his long saber shattered.

Yet this fellow before him wore no armor for protection, nor held a weapon in hand. If this strike landed, even a Martial Artist whose Martial Arts Realm surpassed Bone Forging would be killed on the spot.

"Not good."

Qian Wu’s face changed drastically.

This staff smashed down so fiercely the air itself warped, descending from above the masked man’s head, and, under countless horrified gazes, the figure was smashed to pieces, the staff thundered into the ground, making the earth tremble as shards of stone shot out like arrows cut loose.

Several Black Mountain and Cyan Cloud soldiers standing nearby shrieked in pain, as the flying stones cut open their flesh and blood streamed freely.

Yet in that instant, the wild joy on the black-armored strongman’s face froze, replaced by utter disbelief.

"Missed?"

Just now, he saw it clearly—the black figure slipped out like a cicada shedding its shell, suddenly shifting half a zhang to the side. What he’d smashed to pieces before was only an afterimage that escaped his vision.

But with a single miss, the strongman’s ferocity did not wane. He was born with brute strength and tireless qi power. After his full-force swing met only empty air, he fiercely drew in a breath and brandished the fine iron whistle stick once more.

Dark clouds looming overhead.

A fine iron long staff, fueled by brute force and power, was swung so hard it visibly bent, the tip thrashing toward Su Mu like an iron whip—its force enough to shatter rocks and stone with ease.

"Pear Blossom Torrential Rain Spear!"

The black-armored man shifted mid-air, switching from one hand to two on the whistle stick, coordinating his steps below. His bones abruptly contracted; his waist and abdomen powered his arms, and his arms, gripping the long staff, launched a flurry of rotating thrusts,

At that moment Qian Wu suddenly came to his senses.

"So, this villain isn’t using a staff technique, but a spear technique... When he fought me, he relied purely on brute strength and hadn’t even used his full power!"

In his youth, Hongshan apprenticed under a ranger. After turning bandit, perhaps ashamed before his master, he abandoned the spear and used a whistle stick instead.

Yet now, driven to fury, the black-armored man was wielding that staff as a spear, unleashing the Torrential Rain Spear Technique.

Shh-shh-shh!

The heavy fine iron whistle stick in the strongman’s hands became a whirlwind, the staff’s shadow merging in a dense blur.

The strongman’s whistle stick was rapid, but within that storm there was a figure moving even faster.

Su Mu took a deep breath, each inch of flesh and blood trembling as he instantly entered a limit-breaking state—double birds layered atop one another.

Five Animals Bird Play stacked with Startled Sparrow Step.

Within a span of ten feet, Su Mu weaved and shifted like a frightened sparrow in the mountain rains, dodging the storm of staff shadows by the narrowest margins every single time.

The howling gale battered him, only to be blocked by the thin film of power rippling over his body.

In others’ eyes, Su Mu’s figure hovered somewhere between illusion and reality. No matter how fierce the tempest, he remained unscathed.

"What exquisite body technique... this man’s movement art has reached such an astonishing realm?!" Qian Wu was in awe, and the stone on his heart was at last set down.

Possessing such a brilliant body technique, this masked man was nearly untouchable.

A perfected Five Animals Qigong allowed Su Mu almost supreme control of his flesh. At this moment, Startled Sparrow Step neared great success; with limit-breaking state and Bird Play stacked together, he reached a terrifying level.

It was the first time on this battlefield that Su Mu had been forced into double bird state. This black-armored strongman was powerful—without doubt, the strongest foe he’d ever faced.

Thus, Su Mu had never intended to throw himself directly into a two-man brawl. His plan was to save Qian Wu by drawing away the enemy—slaughtering other Black Mountain soldiers first, and with his jade-level comprehension, quietly analyzing the strongman’s martial arts path.

Now that the spear technique was forced out, Su Mu had already grasped the pattern of the strongman’s martial arts.

"So, you filthy, craven, masked rat—can you do nothing but dodge? If you’re a real man, take my staff head-on!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The black-armored strongman was both startled and enraged, roaring furiously. Su Mu’s movement art filled him with dread. He was born with brute force and his spear technique was terrifying—but what did any of it matter if he couldn’t hit his foe?

"As you wish, then!"

Seeing Su Mu no longer dodge, the strongman was wild with delight. He stepped aside with his left foot, swung his waist, and unleashed a Sweeping Thousand Soldiers with the whistle stick.

"No, this knight is too upright—provoked into falling for the trick."

Qian Wu’s worry was written all over his face. The black-armored strongman not only wore fine iron heavy armor but also wielded a fine iron whistle stick that weighed at least a thousand catties. Even a wild tiger in the woods would have its muscles crushed and bones broken—let alone an unarmed, unarmored masked man.

Yet as the long staff thundered in, Su Mu’s figure once again became a startled sparrow among the mountains—an afterimage shattered by the long staff, but Su Mu himself instantly closed the distance.

"Bastard, how dare you trick me!"

Facing the furious curse, a glint of coldness flashed in Su Mu’s eyes. There is no deceit too clever in war; mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. Especially when the villain before him had slaughtered Master Zhou, and his strength was above even Su Mu’s own.

To handle such a man, you must be even more ruthless than he is!