Chapter 173: Beaten to Death with Fists
The extreme north of the Qingyun World was already cold, and the temperature drop became even more pronounced after bypassing a massive mountain range.
The members of the envoy group had already changed into cotton clothes and were still advancing into the Snow Region while hidden. They crossed wastelands and swamps until their horses and carriages were exhausted, then rested in a secluded spot with poor visibility.
Yesterday's swamp forest and today's Yellow Earth Ridge were excellent choices.
From their current position, Cultivators with abundant Divine Thought could pierce through the mist with their keen eyesight, yet they still couldn't capture the outline of the Snow Region Demon Court. However, they could vaguely see countless towering black peaks stretching endlessly into the clouds.
Ji You once again took advantage of the night to walk into the mist, looking alone towards the northwest.
Here, his brilliant golden pupils shone brightly, like a beacon in the underworld.
He now understood one thing: the berserk state of the Barbarian Race originated from their Bloodline and physical structure, not from any Cultivation Technique, so it couldn't be plundered.
He was somewhat ashamed that he had previously wronged those Barbarians, accusing them of being stubborn and unwilling to share the benefits even after being beaten.
Now it seemed that only those who were wronged truly knew how wronged they were.
The goal of developing customers wasn't achieved, but another matter was completed: the assessment of Physical Body strength.
The Human Race did not Cultivate their Physical Body to allow their Divine Thought to be less restricted, so there was no clear division of Physical Body levels.
This made it difficult for the tough Ji Hanfei to clearly know how resilient his Physical Body truly was. He had thought that coming here would allow him to test a standard against the Barbarian Race.
But even today, he had not been breached.
So he had to try again to avoid overestimating his Physical Body's defense and encountering a sufficiently fatal risk in the future.
At this moment, under the hazy moonlight, Ji You's Divine Thought began to expand outwards. After a long while, he finally discovered a Barbarian Race scout.
“Excellent, you will earn merit.”
Ji You couldn't help but feel happy for him, then stepped out to meet the Barbarian. The longsword in his hand instantly sang with Sword Qi.
As expected, the Barbarian soldier's eyes instantly ignited with fervent excitement upon seeing him, and he pounced over in an instant, like a wild beast with a distorted face.
Clang!
Ji You swung his sword, creating layers upon layers of Sword Light, like surging waves, clashing with the iron saber with lightning speed.
Amidst the scattering sparks, the blade also reflected a look of disbelief, which quickly turned into even greater excitement.
Thus, a fierce clash of sabers and swords began beneath the Yellow Earth Ridge valley, until a Sword Intent hummed, and the opponent's iron saber was shaken out of his hand, embedding itself diagonally into the yellow earth.
After achieving his goal, Ji You threw the longsword in his hand aside.
“Please go berserk.”
“Damn Human Race…—”
After a rough, panting growl, Ji You saw a scene as familiar as the past few days.
The Barbarian soldier, an Upper Soldier Realm Cultivator, suddenly leaned forward. Between his bared teeth, his shoulder blades suddenly began to protrude high outwards.
Ji You's Divine Thought surged outwards at this moment, sensing the opponent's body temperature rapidly rising.
Then, a rumbling sound continuously emanated from within the Barbarian's body. Moments later, he was completely bloated, instantly growing an entire size larger, his already savage and massive frame becoming even more colossal.
The armor of these Barbarian soldiers seemed to be specially made to fit their berserk forms.
The previously loose areas were now tightly filled by the explosively bulging flesh, restraining the surging and swollen Physical Body, yet still unable to conceal the powerful Qi energy deep within.
“Boom!”
With a loud bang, the yellow earth beneath the berserk Barbarian's feet suddenly collapsed, and a deep pit abruptly appeared. The hairy figure instantly shot out of the pit like an arrow from a bowstring, pouncing with the force of thunder. Fists the size of cooking pots, accompanied by whistling wind, smashed directly towards the face of the hateful Human Race in his eyes.
Ji You fiercely raised his fist to counterattack. This punch contained endless power and anger, its force so fierce it seemed to compress the surrounding air to its extreme.
Mountain Shaking Fist — Mountain Shaking Fist.
This was a basic boxing technique taught to him by Wang Instructor, one of the least valued forms of martial arts cultivation.
After all, the Human Race, who did not Cultivate their Physical Body, had never thought of engaging in hand-to-hand combat with others, but Ji You had swung it thousands of times.
Because after each micro-illumination, some unruly Qi energy would remain in his limbs and bones, unable to dissipate, so he used this fist to dissipate the energy.
However, at this moment, this ordinary boxing technique, under the control of the tough bandit's powerful Physical Body, erupted with astonishing power. Each punch carried a whistling wind, striking with fierce momentum. Amidst the intertwining fist shadows, it seemed as if everything in front of him would be completely shattered, making the berserk Barbarian's expression even more distorted, as if he felt unprecedented pressure.
Two resounding chopping punches rained down on his head. The Barbarian raised his fists, blocking the fiercely striking Qi energy, his feet already deeply embedded in the yellow earth—
But at this moment, another pair of fists came through his shoulders, and the heavy Qi energy directly slammed Ji You away, causing his eyes to suddenly narrow.
At this time, the Barbarian in front of him had four arms raised to the sky.
And those two extra arms had grown from his back.
What a beautiful symbiotic talent.
Among the Barbarian Race, various races intermingled, and after intermarriage, many inexplicable talents would appear. This four-armed Barbarian was the first he had ever seen.
But fortunately, this was exactly what he wanted to encounter.
Ji You clenched his fists, and a scorching aura began to emanate from his body, then he stomped down, creating a deep pit with a boom.
The Spiritual Light around him intertwined and leaped like lightning, and the fist stance held against his chest was like rolling thunder, carrying the force of the heavens, fiercely smashing towards the four arms dancing towards the sky.
Bang bang bang!
Dull thudding sounds echoed continuously, like a dense war drum, reverberating across this yellow earth slope.
Fierce fist winds continuously condensed and dispersed during the collision, causing the surrounding airflow to become turbulent.
The bad news was that four fists indeed had a greater advantage than two fists, but the good news was that he was truly tough.
Ji You endured a punch from the opponent with his broad chest, then without any pause, he clenched his right fist and directly smashed him away. With Spiritual Qi gushing from his feet, he leaped into the air and brought his fist down again.
A long time later, the battle on the yellow earth subsided.
The Barbarian's berserk form receded, his arms retracted into his body, and his body temperature gradually turned cold.
Ji You's condition was a bit more disheveled than yesterday. The corners of his mouth were slightly swollen, and his chest felt a bit stuffy.
Especially his shoulders, which felt a noticeable soreness after being hit unexpectedly.
Truly… beating a master to death with wild punches.
He recalled his Spirit Sword, sheathed it, and began to analyze and judge.
The strength of a berserk Upper Soldier Realm Barbarian far surpassed that of Chu River, who used the Huantian Technique. After all, when he fought Chu River, he had only completed his twelfth micro-illumination, but now it was his fifteenth.
In other words, if he hadn't continued Body Refining through micro-illumination due to a whimsical idea, the punch from the suddenly grown double arms just now would have truly broken both of his shoulders.
“Damn it, the Barbarian Race is truly ferocious.”
Ji You looked at the soldier in front of him, whose chest had a deep indentation, and angrily denounced his ferocity.
However, the next time he encountered an Upper Soldier Realm Cultivator, he shouldn't need to test them with hand-to-hand combat. Upper Soldier Realm Barbarians indeed couldn't completely break through his Physical Body's defense.
The golden light in his eyes slowly dissipated at this moment, and the beacon that illuminated the path for the Barbarian Race gradually extinguished. Then, he fumbled around the Barbarian's body—
“Well, as poor as I am.”
Ji You grabbed the body and headed towards the encampment. After taking a few steps, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
Disposing of the body could indeed conceal their tracks for a certain period, but the problem was that even if the body wasn't found, a soldier suddenly losing contact was still a form of news and might not necessarily go unnoticed.
Because when the Barbarian Race discovered that all the missing soldiers came from the same area, their whereabouts would eventually be exposed.
He thought as he stepped down the yellow earth slope and arrived at the encampment.
Jiang Yan and Yan Qiubai were at the encampment at this time. Seeing him approach, they couldn't help but go to meet him.
“Were there any stragglers?”
“No.”
“What happened to the corner of your mouth?”
“The Barbarian Race is truly too brutal.”
“Today's Barbarian—very strong?”
“His Physical Body was similar to yesterday's, but his symbiotic talent was having two arms grow from his back. He took me by surprise and directly struck my head. They are naturally born with Divine Power. I was almost caught off guard in my haste. Now that I think about it, it was indeed dangerous.”
Jiang Yan and Yan Qiubai looked at him and couldn't help but exchange glances.
The symbiotic talents of the Barbarian Race varied, and those with multiple limbs were not common.
Only Huo Hong had encountered a similar situation during this journey, and according to him, it could be considered being jointly attacked by two Barbarians.
The two regained their composure, told him to rest well, and then dragged the Barbarian's body to the previously dug pit.
However, they didn't rush to push him in. Instead, they drew their long swords, removed the barbarian's iron armor, and pulled open his clothes. Then, they collectively fell silent, their expressions becoming very complex.
These past few days, many people said that Ji You was returning later and later, and in an increasingly disheveled state, already teetering on the edge of life and death.
Perhaps this time, perhaps next time, he would fall here.
But no one paid attention to how those barbarians he dragged back had died. They were hastily dealt with; some were sunk into swamps, others buried on the spot. It wasn't until last night, when Yan Qiubai inadvertently checked one, that some theories emerged, yet they found them hard to believe.
Perhaps there was an accident, perhaps he took some Medicinal Pill, perhaps it was some Magical Artifact.
It wasn't until tonight that they checked the body Ji You brought back again and found it was the same as yesterday's.
Not the same in appearance, but the same in how it died: no sword wounds, only light or heavy fist imprints covering its arms and shoulders, as if it had been beaten.
And the most fatal was the fist-sized crater that had completely caved in its chest.
Disheveled?
Indeed disheveled. When he returned, his clothes were messy, and the corners of his mouth were somewhat swollen, as if he had barely won. But it wasn't until this moment that they confirmed the reason for his disheveled appearance: Ji You hadn't drawn his sword yet.
Instead, he was engaging in close-quarters combat with the barbarians, who were naturally strong in Physical Body.
From beginning to end, it was fist-to-fist, using only the weakest Physical Body of the Human Race to literally beat the barbarian to death.
【The barbarians are too brutal】
【The Physical Body is stronger】
【Almost suffered a Dao】
【It's really dangerous】
Yan Qiubai couldn't help but recall Ji You's evaluation of the barbarians, falling silent for a moment.
They had previously heard Gongshu Chou say that he had killed eighteen Tongxuan and one Rongdao with his sword, which felt somewhat unreal, but now the two figures seemed to overlap.
The two stood up in a daze and turned to look in Ji You's direction.
At this moment, a series of footsteps echoed in the dense forest. Subsequently, Peng Dongyang, the deputy supervisor of the Si Xian Bureau responsible for leading the diplomatic mission, along with six Immortal Sect Elders, came over.
“Pack up your things. We need to change our route and set off tonight.”
“??”
Peng Dongyang looked into the night: “Based on the barbarians' behavior in recent days, we should be exposed.
We can't continue along this path.”
Jiang Yan snapped out of her daze and, hearing this, couldn't help but feel puzzled: “How could we be exposed? There haven't been any stragglers these past few days.”
“We previously thought that if we disposed of the bodies, we wouldn't be discovered. But in recent days, you should have noticed that
the barbarians we encountered were mostly active in small areas, not patrolling widely, and their activity range was very close to us, indicating they already have some clues about our whereabouts.”
Peng Dongyang sighed: “I've thought about it for a long time and believe we overlooked the strictness of military orders within the barbarian army.”
“They indeed haven't seen the bodies, but they know their subordinates are missing. They probably used the locations of their disappearances to deduce where we might pass. However, this method isn't very precise, so we still have time to set off now.”
Ge Elder of Tianshu Academy also nodded at this moment: “We've already discussed it. We'll abandon a few carriages to reduce our target and simultaneously confuse the barbarians' vision.”
Yan Qiubai couldn't help but speak upon hearing this: “But the surrounding area hasn't been cleared yet. If we encounter barbarians again on this journey, we might be exposed in a hurry.”
“We're also worried about this, so we need the two of you to go ahead and scout the path, trying to avoid the barbarians. We'll meet at the low mountain ahead in half an hour.”
“That's the only way.”
Jiang Yan and Yan Qiubai exchanged glances, then picked up their Dao Swords and walked out beyond the earth slope.
Before leaving, they couldn't help but glance at Ji You, who was still sitting quietly under the tree recovering, paying particular attention to his fists.
“Sister Yan, he—?”
“I don't know either—”
The two rushed away, while the remaining people quickly prepared.
Meanwhile, Huo Hong, Jiang Chenfeng, Chu Butian, and others who had gone out to slaughter barbarians returned one by one after receiving the summons.
They threw the barbarian bodies they had brought back onto the ground, and seeing the figures bustling in the silence, they couldn't help but frown slightly.
“There's only about a hundred li left to the Snow Region. I thought it would be smooth sailing all the way, but I didn't expect things to get tense again.”
Jiang Chenfeng sneered: “If we could really reach the Snow Region so smoothly, then the barbarians wouldn't be worth fearing.”
Just then, everyone was drawn by a light cough from the corner of the earth slope.
They looked in the direction of the sound and found Ji You, dressed disheveled, sitting cross-legged, his arms and shoulders hanging limply, and the corners of his mouth still swollen.
In the wilderness, there were no banquets or singing and dancing, nor any beautiful scenery.
Throughout this journey, apart from comparing the number of barbarians killed, most people preferred to pay attention to Ji You's state.
After all, his Realm was the lowest, and his chance of death was the highest. Each time he returned, his appearance was different.
Hearing this, Jiang Chenfeng couldn't help but look to the west, staring at the disheveled man in the secluded forest, saying, “It seems our team is about to suffer casualties.”
“You mean that Tongxuan?”
“Who else? Could it be you or I, who are in the Rongdao Realm?”
Jiang Yuerou retracted her gaze and said, “In the first few days, he could return unharmed, but these past two days he's been in a sorry state. Now there's also a risk of our whereabouts being exposed, so he really can't keep up.”
Jiang Chenfeng looked indifferent after hearing this: “I really don't know what purpose he serves here. I just hope he doesn't hold us back.”
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but turn their heads towards Xiao Hanyan and Shi Junhao, who were also Inner Courtyard Disciples of Tianshu Academy, curious if they would help if something happened to Ji You.
And when the two noticed they were being watched, they couldn't help but frown slightly.
Human nature is a very strange thing. Although they and Ji You were all Inner Courtyard Disciples of Tianshu Academy, they actually preferred to be with Jiang Chenfeng, Huo Hong, and others, belonging to the small group of “various sect” Prodigies, feeling that these were their true companions.
So, even though they were currently in a foreign land, they were not close to Ji You.
Especially since they knew before coming that Ji You's actions in Feng Province were too irregular, even disregarding rules, to the extent that many hoped he would never return. Therefore, they originally did not want to cause any complications.
However, seeing the looks in everyone's eyes, the two felt that if they truly saw him in danger and didn't save him, it would make their Tianshu Academy seem heartless, so they felt annoyed.
This feeling was like having an extra burden placed upon them.
They didn't want to deal with it, but they had to.
It wasn't until half an hour later that everyone was ready.
Ji You had just come back to his senses and hadn't reacted yet when Gongshu Chou pulled him up from the ground: “We're leaving, hurry!”
“Where to?”
“There's a risk of exposure, so we have to set off tonight. We can't stay here.”
Ji You glanced at him, then curled his lips: “Without money to lure me, I won't walk into this clumsy trap with you.”
Gongshu Chou was stunned for a moment: “Lure you with what?”
Ji You was about to speak, but he noticed sounds all around him, so he turned to look and found that many carriages had already started driving out of the loess slope.
He had previously worried that if barbarian soldiers started disappearing one after another, even if no bodies were found, it would likely cause alarm. He hadn't expected it to come true so quickly.
However, he still didn't understand why Gongshu Chou had to specifically come over and tell him.
“Did I really hit your head?”
“No, it was the chest.”
“Is your head in your chest?”
Gongshu Chou thought, what is this? A head in the chest? Wouldn't that make him a turtle? But he still pulled him along, thinking, there's no way I'll let you die here, or my worth will be gone.
Then the convoy drove out of the Loess Ridge, and under the cover of night, began to move in the changed direction, Magical Artifacts operating non-stop, and swift horses galloping like flying.
During this time, under the command of several Elders, the three convoys discarded more than a dozen carriages in different directions.
The barbarians' Innate Physical Body is strong, but the drawback is that they cannot release Divine Thought like the Human Race, and can only search by eyesight. Therefore, reducing the target was an extremely correct choice.
So the horses galloped non-stop, disappearing into the night, and the sound of rushing wind filled their ears.
At this moment, under the night, on the loess hill, faint firelight was already beginning to approach.
(Tenosynovitis flared up, so I wrote a bit less today. Please give me your monthly votes.)