Chapter 166: The Counterattack

"Good grief, isn't this Senior Brother Meng's Blood Entanglement Art? To think he's actually resorting to this move! It looks like he's genuinely furious."

"Blood Entanglement Art? What on earth is that? A toad? Could this be something similar to the Toad Skill?"

The commotion from the battle was immense, drawing not only nearby disciples of the Chu Sect but also casual bystanders who had been taking a stroll in the vicinity, all eager to witness the spectacle.

Hearing this, a burly man clad in iron armor turned to the person beside him and asked in confusion.

That person gave him a look of utter disdain and retorted:

"You really are an ignorant fool, aren't you? What bloody Toad Skill? This is a Tier Three intermediate amplification secret art!"

"What? Tier Three intermediate?"

An uproar rippled through the crowd. Secret arts and cultivation techniques of the third tier were already exceedingly rare, let alone a Tier Three intermediate one!

Such martial arts techniques, whenever they surfaced, would invariably be fought over by various factions, sparking bloody storms of violence and conflict.

A powerful secret art capable of boosting one's combat prowess in a short span, reversing desperate situations, and enabling a counterkill was especially precious.

Naturally, such techniques were far rarer than weapons or cultivation methods of the same grade.

Meng Yujiang was already at the Foundation Establishment stage. With this amplification secret art, his cultivation instantly surged by two tiers, boosting his strength by at least fifty percent.

Gazing at Meng Yujiang, whose overwhelming aura caused even those standing a hundred meters away to feel a faint sense of suffocation, the onlookers could not help but shake their heads in pity.

That little fatty was truly formidable, and his talent was nothing short of monstrous—he had actually managed to master a new technique in such a short period of time.

Yet, in the face of such overwhelming strength, any talent or aptitude was entirely useless. Raw, brutal power was the only absolute truth.

The threads of blood drifting in the air continuously coiled around Meng Yujiang's body. Viscous and crimson, these threads wrapped around him like strips of fabric, making him look precisely like a red mummy. Nevertheless, the fierce ripples of spiritual energy constantly radiating from him prevented anyone present from daring to take him lightly.

"To think you've driven me to use the Blood Entanglement Art—you fat bastard certainly gave me quite a few surprises. But it ends here. Next, I'm going to beat you into a pulp!"

His roaring voice, laden with thick spiritual energy, exploded in everyone's ears.

Some of the cultivators with lower realms even felt the blood in their bodies surge upward. Amidst their terror, they looked with a mixture of awe and admiration at the little chubby fellow who stood facing this immense pressure head-on.

However, that overwhelming pressure vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Zhang Dabao merely felt a slight heaviness on his skin before it instantly lifted, returning to normal.

Knowing that his boss had intervened, he immediately set his mind at ease.

The blood-red figure vanished right after that frantic roar, and when it reappeared, it was already hovering directly above Zhang Dabao.

"Go to hell!"

Meng Yujiang let out a thunderous bellow, then brought his hands together into fists and smashed them fiercely downward.

The blood threads winding around him began to wriggle like maggots in an instant, converging onto his clasped fists until they formed what looked like a massive ball of flesh.

"Fly away for your granddaddy Zhang Dabao!"

Yet this seemingly earth-shattering ball of flesh lasted for barely a second against Zhang Dabao's plump hand before being batted away.

Meng Yujiang was sent flying along with it for dozens of meters, crashing consecutively through two walls.

The crowd erupted in shock, their gazes toward Zhang Dabao shifting instantly.

If they had been in that position, an attack like that would likely have smashed them into critical injuries, or even pulverized their bodies entirely.

Yet not only was the fat man completely unharmed, but he had actually batted Meng Yujiang away. Could his cultivation really be at the level he had displayed?

Doubts arose in the minds of the onlookers, and they found themselves utterly unable to believe it.

Just a moment ago, Meng Yujiang's speed and force had reached a terrifying degree. To say nothing of someone below the Foundation Establishment stage, even a fellow Foundation Establishment expert would have found it exceedingly difficult to neutralize the blow with such effortless ease.

Accompanied by a furious roar, Meng Yujiang charged out once more. That previous slap had not only shattered his technique, but the residual force had also lashed viciously across his face.

This was no longer merely physical pain; it was supreme humiliation!

"You're quite sturdy after all! But that was just your granddaddy Zhang Dabao teaching you a lesson. If you still refuse to repent, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

This time, Meng Yujiang said nothing at all. He transformed into a blur, his fists striking out like a violent storm. Countless fist imprints materialized in the sky behind him, raining down relentless bombardments in tandem with his attacks.

The earth cracked and split, and countless shards of stone flew in all directions. The crowd watched the scene with pounding hearts, their eyes growing numb with shock. Seeing Meng Yujiang regain the upper hand, the disciples of the Chu Sect burst into loud cheers of encouragement.

With the delivery of his final blow, Meng Yujiang executed a flip in mid-air and landed back in the center of the arena, panting heavily.

The blood threads on his body gradually paled and dissolved into the air, revealing his original appearance.

Immediately afterward, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and dropped to one knee, though his eyes remained fixed with intense hatred on the billowing smoke and dust.

"Hmph."

Li Jianshan shook his head in disdain. A cultivation technique accompanied by such severe backlash and incapable of lasting even a minute was sheer trash; he didn't even have the interest to spare it a proper glance.

Secret arts like the Blood Entanglement Art that reinforced one's power in a short duration generally came with a tremendous cost. This was precisely why those who possessed such techniques were reluctant to use them lightly, usually saving them as a trump card.

Amidst the tense watchful silence, the dust and smoke gradually dissipated, and Zhang Dabao's figure reappeared before everyone, causing the onlookers' pupils to instantly constrict.

Contrary to expectations, the fat man did not have a single scratch on his entire body; not even a speck of dust clung to the hem of his clothes.

The faces of the Chu Sect disciples turned deathly pale. To think that their Senior Brother Meng had gone to such massive lengths and yet failed to inflict even the slightest injury on his opponent—how could this fellow possibly be so terrifyingly powerful?

"Impossible! How could my attack be this weak?"

Staring at the smug fat man before him, Meng Yujiang's eyes split wide open in fury as he roared like a madman. Suddenly, he whipped his head around and locked a deadly stare onto Li Jianshan.

"It was you! You must have meddled, didn't you? How could I, a dignified Foundation Establishment expert, possibly lose to good-for-nothing trash who hasn't even reached Foundation Establishment? I'll kill you!"

Driven past his breaking point by the dramatic fluctuations of the battle, Meng Yujiang finally snapped under the pressure. His mind verged on collapse, leaving room for nothing but hatred in his eyes as he charged frantically toward Li Jianshan.

"Enough, you're truly noisy. You can go die now."

Li Jianshan gave a cold snort and flicked his wrist casually. Meng Yujiang's charging figure instantly exploded into a bloody pulp of flesh and bone.