Chapter 23: Hand-to-Hand Combat

Thankfully, this was already a land of the survival of the fittest, a place of exile where Shi Chun was long accustomed to all sorts of barbaric acts. He therefore felt no anger, but he hadn't expected that even Zhixu City, a place supposedly governed by heavenly laws, would descend into chaos.

As for one-on-one duels, he wasn't afraid.

What worried him were the rules of this duel: ten drumbeats. If a victor wasn't decided within ten counts, both combatants would be executed together. With such a short time, what kind of duel was this?

The problem was that he wasn't the only one who would be executed on his side; only one combatant was allowed to leave alive. If he lost, Wu Jinliang would also lose his life.

He wasn't afraid of the duel, but there was a fatal loophole in the rules: if his opponent found himself outmatched and adopted a dodging strategy, it would be easy to drag out the ten counts, leading to everyone's death.

While contemplating a countermeasure and taking advantage of his restraints being removed, he quickly cast a spell to check his physical condition.

Fortunately, the torture hadn't lasted long. Although he appeared to be severely injured on the surface, they were actually just superficial wounds, not affecting his bones or tendons. For someone like him, who was often injured, he was already accustomed to it.

What was truly painful was that during the torture, the bizarre illusion in his right eye recurred, tormenting him once more.

After the incident that night, he had been trying to restart the illusion in his right eye but had never found the way. He hadn't expected it to activate again inadvertently.

While he was silently adjusting his physical condition, the owner who had falsely accused them was also brought in. He was still wearing that filthy, tattered cloth, patched countless times, and his expression clearly showed unease.

His unease had a source: he was already on shaky ground due to his initial false accusation. Furthermore, Officer Du Huo hadn't kept his word, failing to fulfill his promises. Even if he won this time, would they keep their promise? Or would they go back on their word again?

Without giving him time to think further, he was directly pushed onto the open ground, positioned opposite Shi Chun.

Upon confirming that his opponent was the accuser, Shi Chun felt a certain degree of relief.

What he had feared most was that the power behind Shen Youkun had extended its reach into the city guard. If that power were to control his life and death, he would surely be doomed this time.

Seeing the accuser fighting him to the death indicated that his previous observation about the change in the interrogation's direction was correct; the hidden power had lost control over the matter.

However, regardless of whether his judgment was right or wrong, he first had to get through this immediate challenge.

Just as hostility began to emerge in the eyes of both combatants as they sized each other up, the guards on the side had already picked up drumsticks and struck the drum on the stand.

That drumbeat made both parties' hearts pound. They hadn't expected the duel to start so abruptly, giving them no chance to prepare; it began without any warning.

Little did they know, the spectators had no patience for them to slowly prepare.

Both men almost simultaneously showed fierce glints in their eyes, staring at each other like hungry wolves. Only one could survive; neither had a choice.

Neither had weapons, because someone had requested to see a bare-handed brawl.

Another drumbeat sounded, and two of the ten counts were already gone.

Such urgency could drive a person mad. Neither of the opposing parties dared to hesitate any longer; almost simultaneously, they surged towards each other with a whoosh. Flee or dodge? Impossible!

At the moment of impact, the accuser, with a swift motion, tore off the filthy, tattered cloth from his body and flung it out. It flew like a curtain towards the charging Shi Chun. No wonder he had been wearing that tattered cloth as clothing; it served this purpose.

He was accustomed to this trick; there must be something hidden!

Shi Chun's eyes flashed with instant vigilance. He had fought his way up since childhood and had experienced countless dangers, knowing well that if an opponent made a preliminary move, one should worry about a follow-up.

However, at the moment of collision, it was too late to dodge.

"Break!" he suddenly shouted, gathering his breath and strength. He exerted all his cultivation and unleashed a furious attack with both palms.

A dull explosion and the sound of the drum rang out simultaneously, and chaotic shadows flew everywhere.

The cloth curtain, shaken from the accuser's hand, fluttered open like hundreds of scattering butterflies. Shreds of fabric burst outwards, mixed with shimmering cold glints.

Officer Du Huo, watching from behind the window lattice upstairs, lightly praised, "Dominating!"

Someone of his cultivation level knew clearly that while a practitioner of elementary martial arts could easily crack stone tablets, to completely shatter a soft piece of cloth in mid-air was extremely difficult. Tearing or blasting through it was simple, but completely pulverizing the entire piece was almost impossible for elementary martial arts.

If they hadn't captured Shi Chun and investigated him thoroughly, understanding his background, they would probably have mistakenly thought Shi Chun had reached the High Martial realm.

As he praised, his brow slightly furrowed. He recognized the cold glints mixed in the shredded cloth; that filthy, tattered cloth concealed many fine needle-like hidden weapons. Judging by the color of the glints, they were likely poisoned.

This move was truly vicious.

Hidden weapons were still weapons. It had been stated that they wanted to see a bare-handed brawl, yet one side had brought weapons. Officer Du Huo simultaneously glanced at the reaction of the person beside him from the corner of his eye, but saw no ripple of emotion on the Prison Lord's face.

Shi Chun wasn't blind; he was both shocked and enraged.

Before the tattered cloth exploded, the accuser, who had flung the cloth, hadn't completely let go, still clutching a corner of it. Seeing it was about to touch his opponent, a sinister grin of impending victory appeared on his lips.

He knew very well that as long as his opponent came into contact with the cloth he had flung, whether by grabbing, blocking, waving with a hand, or kicking with a foot—as long as any body part touched it—if he pulled with force, his opponent would certainly be struck.

But just as he changed his stance to side-step and was about to pull with force, the scene of countless "butterflies" suddenly exploding before his eyes left him slightly bewildered. The ensuing stinging pain almost scared him out of his wits.

Several of the suddenly exploding poison needles had pricked his own body.

He knew the power of his poison needles too well: not only were they coated with deadly, fast-acting poison, but they would also quickly cause full-body paralysis.

Fortunately, he carried an antidote. When playing with such things, one must certainly guard against accidents.

But Shi Chun didn't give him a chance to save himself. As soon as the illusion burst open and his opponent became visible, Shi Chun, who had been charging, instantly pushed off the ground and redirected his attack towards him.

The accuser hastily retracted his hands to block, intending to fend off the incoming attack, but Shi Chun twisted his arms like a pretzel, trapping him.

The four arms had just become entangled when *Dong!* another drumbeat sounded.

The drumbeats were like a death knell; time waited for no one. Shi Chun, with knitted brows, cold eyes, and a face full of killing intent, stomped his foot and let out a grunt. The thick stone floor instantly cracked into a spiderweb pattern. His tattered clothes fluttered as if by an unseen wind, and blood beads burst from his wounds. One arm, like a flood dragon emerging from the sea, forcibly broke free from the entanglement. His fist, charging like thunder, transformed into a palm and struck his opponent's chest.

Its power was furious; the accuser felt a burning pain where his arms had rubbed, and then his entire body was struck by an immense force, causing him to release his grip and stumble backward.

The accuser, forcing himself to steady his stance, suppressed the blood he was about to vomit. He only felt a tumultuous, churning pain in his internal organs. His opponent's powerful attack was both formidable and strange, seemingly wanting to burst through his body.

Officer Du Huo, watching from behind the window lattice upstairs, suddenly had his pupils contract. He clearly saw what appeared to be a trapped human face on the accuser's back, seemingly suffering endless torment, trying to break free from the confines of the flesh, or like an evil spirit trying to erupt from the body. Then it quickly subsided and died, forming a blood imprint on the skin, resembling a skull.

"What in the world?" He looked astonished and bewildered.

Nie's eyes also narrowed slightly, and he softly uttered three words: "Bath Demon Art..."