The words caught in Tong Tianba’s throat. He saw that Fang Shuwen wasn’t interested in talking and was already attacking. The fury that already filled his heart was doused in oil.

He paid no mind to Elder Shixian watching him like a predator from the side, and he let out a furious roar.

"A fine attack!"

Instead of retreating, he advanced, throwing a vicious punch.

His physique was powerful. In Zheng Sihai’s words, his natural constitution was exceptional.

He was born with Divine Power, which, combined with the Horizontal Training he later cultivated, made him like a human-shaped beast.

The size of his fist alone was almost comparable to Fang Shuwen’s head.

He put his full power into this punch!

Even Lu Guiyan and the others could feel the crushing pressure of this fist, an involuntary sense of suffocation rising within them.

They were still so far away, yet they felt this... so what about Fang Shuwen, who stood toe-to-toe with Tong Tianba?

As the thought flashed through their minds, Fang Shuwen’s palm had already met Tong Tianba’s fist.

One was the Great Black Heaven God Palm, a technique that was all about overwhelming all tricks with brute force.

The other possessed immense innate strength, his every move heavy and powerful.

The moment they collided, a thunderous BOOM erupted.

If one only heard the sound without seeing the combatants, they might even suspect two ferocious beasts were ramming into each other.

A powerful gust of wind exploded from the point of contact between fist and palm.

Elder Shixian was the closest and couldn’t help but retreat several steps.

He thought to himself that in his youth, he might have been able to clash head-on with Tong Tianba using his Inner Strength. But now, he was old. On top of that, an incident five years ago had left his power a pale shadow of what it once was.

Now, he couldn’t even withstand the aftershock from a single clash between two juniors and could only retreat to dissipate the force.

A sense of a hero in his twilight years couldn’t help but well up in his heart.

Lu Guiyan and her men were farther away. They saw the roaring flames of the torches whip about in the gale, and they all scrambled to get out of the way, but they were mostly fine.

They peered through the gaps in the swirling wind, wanting to see the result of the exchange.

They had originally thought it would be a stalemate at the very least... but what they saw when they looked up left every single one of them dumbfounded.

The fist and palm had made full contact. Yet, while Fang Shuwen was completely unscathed, a series of sickening CRACKS and CRUNCHES echoed from Tong Tianba’s fist.

The sound traveled up from his fist, traversing his entire arm in the blink of an eye.

BOOM!!

A spray of blood mist erupted from Tong Tianba’s back shoulder. He let out a muffled grunt, finally unable to hold on.

He was knocked staggering backward, his thick arm hanging limp like a noodle.

He was utterly horrified.

His Body-Protecting Divine Technique was completely useless against Fang Shuwen.

His own powerful force had vanished without a trace the instant it touched Fang Shuwen’s palm.

Only Fang Shuwen’s power, with the unstoppable momentum of splitting bamboo, came crashing through... He hadn’t been able to put up the slightest resistance!

’Who in the world is this person?’

’He’s so young. Even if he started practicing Martial Arts in his mother’s womb, how could he possess such skill?’

With just that one move, Tong Tianba’s fighting spirit was shattered. He no longer had any thought of contending with Fang Shuwen; his mind was set on retreat.

But in this situation, how could he possibly be allowed to retreat?

Having landed a successful palm strike, Fang Shuwen advanced again. This time, however, he was no longer using the Great Black Heaven God Palm. With a flick of his five fingers, he unleashed the Plum Blossom Scattering Hand!

He shot out his hand in a grappling motion, aiming straight for Tong Tianba’s shoulder.

Seeing the move, Tong Tianba knew what he was trying to do. He bellowed, swinging his remaining arm in a wild smash, trying to bat away Fang Shuwen’s attack.

’I am the great East Hall Master of the Fierce Tiger Gang! I can be defeated, I can die, but how can I let some greenhorn capture me alive?’

But he never would have imagined that his counterattack, rather than helping, gave Fang Shuwen the very opening he was looking for.

Fang Shuwen’s five fingers hooked, latching perfectly onto his wrist.

He activated the North Nether Divine Technique, and Tong Tianba’s once-mighty power instantly drained away like a bursting dam.

With no strength left to resist, his arm was twisted behind his back by Fang Shuwen. With two loud CRACKS, his joints were dislocated.

Immediately after, Fang Shuwen kicked the back of his knees.

"Kneel!"

’A warrior can be killed, but not humiliated!!’

Tong Tianba roared and tried to circulate his True Qi again, but it wouldn’t reach his legs. Instead, it flowed from his wrist, through the meridians, and was completely siphoned into Fang Shuwen’s body. His effort was utterly useless. When Fang Shuwen’s kick landed, despite his extreme reluctance, he could only fall to the ground with a THUD, forced onto his knees.

Fang Shuwen switched his grip to the nape of Tong Tianba’s neck and reached down. Using the Plum Blossom Scattering Hand, he hooked onto a vertebra, his five fingers digging into the flesh like claws. With a sickening CLICK, he plucked out a piece of the spinal bone. Then, Fang Shuwen hauled the man’s entire body into the air.

Tong Tianba’s enormous frame looked somewhat comical dangling from Fang Shuwen’s hand.

But in Fang Shuwen’s grasp, he was completely powerless, easily manipulated. He was tossed in front of Lu Guiyan, and Fang Shuwen even remarked casually,

"This kid’s got some real strength."

Hearing this, Tong Tianba almost vomited a mouthful of blood.

He was born with Divine Power, his physical strength unparalleled. Countless heroes and experts had died under his iron fists.

How was that reduced to just "some real strength" by Fang Shuwen?

Lu Guiyan and her men were already stunned speechless. Even as the East Hall Master of the Fierce Tiger Gang was thrown before them, they still couldn’t quite process it.

When Lu Guiyan finally understood what had just happened, she sucked in a sharp, cold breath.

She had, in fact, considered that Fang Shuwen might win.

But that was based on the premise that with the combined efforts of her Lu’an Escort Agency, help from Elder Shixian, and the unfathomable Fang Shuwen, defeating the East Hall Master Tong Tianba would no longer be a pipe dream.

But the reality was...

The people of the Lu’an Escort Agency, including herself, never even had a chance to make a move from start to finish.

Tong Tianba, one of the four Hall Masters of the Fierce Tiger Gang, couldn’t even withstand a single move from Fang Shuwen!

A single palm had crippled one of his arms.

With a casual grab and pull, this incredibly imposing master was brought before her like a sack of potatoes.

Lu Guiyan stared. That last move looked rather familiar...

It was the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall’s Plum Blossom Scattering Hand.

She had seen Mo Beidou use it before, more than once.

But the same Martial Arts technique, when used by Fang Shuwen versus Mo Beidou, was a completely different story.

Lu Guiyan subconsciously swallowed. It suddenly dawned on her that she had most likely hit the jackpot.

’With Fang Shuwen around, why worry about failing this Escort mission?’

At this thought, Lu Guiyan’s gaze fell upon Tong Tianba before her. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

She spoke in a low voice,

"Why does your Fierce Tiger Gang want to kill these two people?"

Tong Tianba looked up, his eyes filled with mockery. His lips split into a wide grin.

"Hahaha—"

SLAP!

Before he could finish, a hand smacked him on the head, and his laughter cut off abruptly...

Fang Shuwen’s voice was tinged with impatience.

"Wipe that stupid grin off your face. You were asked a question. Answer properly."

...

...