131: Tough battle

"Lu Fei!"

Qin Shuang let out a sharp cry, frost gathering on her pretty face as she rushed toward Xu Jingzhe.

This type of bullet could be used for shooting or as a miniature bomb; its lethality was immense.

Moreover, the metal fragments from the explosion, driven by powerful kinetic energy, were also deadly weapons that could easily pierce human bone.

"Boom!"

A sturdy figure descended from the sky, kicking up dust and blocking Qin Shuang's path.

The man was named Li Ge, and both his arms and legs had been modified with alloys.

He grinned, his mouth full of alloy teeth, which looked quite terrifying.

He raised his arm, his five metal fingers splayed, and a metal tube several meters long appeared in the center of his palm, aiming at Qin Shuang.

"Pfft!"

Blue flames instantly erupted from his palm, reaching dozens of meters, and the intense heat distorted the air.

Qin Shuang reacted quickly; she swung her leg and kicked a boulder weighing several hundred jin toward Li Ge.

As the flames swept over, the stone cracked and shattered into pieces with a 'crackling' sound.

At the same time, the remaining people moved.

Zheng Peng unleashed his ability, and ten vines shot out from his fingers to disrupt the enemies.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

As the dust settled, Xu Jingzhe's face was dark; his forehead had been scratched by flying metal fragments, and his clothes were gone, revealing his Second-level Alloy Battle Suit underneath.

He shook his buzzing head; thanks to the Second-level Alloy Battle Suit and his powerful physical body, the shockwave from the bomb had not injured him.

Looking closely, there were seventeen or eighteen white scratches on the battle suit.

"Oh~ so you were wearing a battle suit; no wonder it didn't hurt you!"

Yakos attributed Xu Jingzhe's lack of injury entirely to the Second-level Alloy Battle Suit.

"Swish!"

Xu Jingzhe gripped his Black Gold Long Saber, vanished from his spot, and abruptly appeared behind Yakos.

Yakos curled his lips in mockery; no matter how fast he moved, it didn't matter. Inside his mechanical right eye, a 3D scene of the surroundings was simulated, and the bodies of Xu Jingzhe, Qin Shuang, and the others were outlined by red lines.

He was like an outsider watching Xu Jingzhe's movements clearly, able to capture them instantly.

The Black Gold Long Saber slashed down, its cold light flashing.

Yakos turned and smashed out with his metal arm.

The two collided, and sparks flew everywhere.

Xu Jingzhe was secretly shocked; Yakos's reaction speed was too strong, as he could react to almost any sneak attack.

"Whoosh!"

Yakos swung his metal left arm; with the precise instruments operating, there was simply no room for error.

Xu Jingzhe retracted his blade and held it in front of him to block.

"Bang!"

The punch from the metal arm was heavy and powerful, defying common logic. Xu Jingzhe was sent flying hundreds of meters by the punch, and he only managed to stop after digging his Black Gold Long Saber into the ground, dragging out a long trench.

"Now you know the gap between flesh and machinery."

Yakos mocked, actively attacking Xu Jingzhe as he said, "Every one of my strikes has undergone countless experiments; the operation between parts never goes wrong."

"What's more, there are various auxiliary devices inside the metal arm; a casual swing of my fist carries the force of a thousand jin, and the energy efficiency can reach ninety-five percent."

"This is the power of technology!"

Xu Jingzhe pursed his lips and inserted the Black Gold Long Saber into a large rock.

"Technology is very impressive, but... I want to experience for myself just how large the gap between flesh and technology really is!"

Yakos, who was walking over, paused; was this guy not right in the head? Or... was it a trap?

How could anyone want to pit flesh against alloys? His right eye rotated, scanning the ground around Xu Jingzhe; various data analyses appeared before his eyes, and only after confirming there were no hidden bombs did he beckon to Xu Jingzhe.

"Come on, let me test how strong your physical body is, and if it can compare to the Adam Five!"

Both of them rushed toward each other at the same time. During the run, Yakos's forearm rotated silently, emitting a peculiar resonant frequency. In just two short seconds, the space around him distorted, and even the moonlight shining down was bent.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance!

"Boom!"

Xu Jingzhe threw a punch, as if hitting a transparent water wall. Transparent ripples fluctuated, and the force of his fist was dispersed to the surroundings, causing not a shred of damage to Yakos.

He was shocked inside.

Damn!

How is this any different from an ability?

It was even stronger than a typical ability. Using an ability consumes a lot of energy within the body, especially for more powerful abilities, so it cannot be used continuously.

The various functions developed by technology do not have such concerns; as long as the operating parts are not broken and the modified person is not dead, they can be used continuously.

Refining the body with Moon Soil Evolution Fluid does not guarantee everyone will develop an ability; most people only improve their physical strength and cleanse impurities to extend their lifespans.

Nüwa City and Adam City advocate for the Old Art combined with Moon Soil Evolution Fluid for body refinement, and do not recommend using alloys, vibranium, or the like to modify the body.

Especially among top-tier families, there is very strict control over this aspect for core disciples.

It is not forced upon other disciples; if clansmen without abilities are willing to undergo modification, let them do so.

One cannot simply stifle their desire to become stronger!

"Bang!"

Xu Jingzhe's momentary lapse was captured by Yakos, who kicked him in the chest.

"Stumble, stumble, stumble..."

Xu Jingzhe retreated several meters and rubbed his chest.

The Second-level Alloy Battle Suit could offset sixty percent of the external force, and the remaining forty percent acting on his body was nothing.

He held his breath and focused, assuming an Old Art starting stance.

Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea!

The golden pollution core vibrated, and energy was stimulated. Xu Jingzhe felt the pressure on his physical body suddenly increase, and his bones creaked.

He stepped using the Celestial Maiden's Drunken Steps, his footwork light and nimble, with a hazy aura surrounding his body.

The red lines outlining Xu Jingzhe in the 3D simulated scene within Yakos's right eye began to become unstable, flickering in and out, which left Yakos very confused.

Signal interference?

Before participating in the competition, the high-level officials of Adam City had guaranteed to them that, given the current technology of Pangu City and Nüwa City, it was absolutely impossible for them to develop instruments capable of interfering with their mechanical operations.

Only they could interfere with others; there was no possibility of others interfering with them.

However, in the simulated scene, Xu Jingzhe's figure was gone!

Immediately afterward, Yakos felt a tremendous force, as if he had slammed into a mountain that had appeared out of thin air while running at high speed.

He witnessed a scene that overturned his worldview!

The super-strong defense generated by the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance had been cracked by this person's punch.

It felt like a frozen lake where a giant stone had fallen; with the stone as the center, irregular cracks spread in all directions.

Immediately afterward, a second punch was thrown at the same spot.

"Crack!"

The super-strong defense was shattered, and the immense force, having nowhere to disperse, struck Yakos.

He was hit as if by a heavy hammer, instantly sent flying hundreds of meters, shattering seven or eight arm-thick trees before crashing heavily into an ancient tree and coming to a stop, opening his mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Bang!"

Just as Xu Jingzhe was about to beat the fallen enemy, a golden bullet arrived at high speed; he couldn't dodge in time, and it struck his chest.

The bullet did not penetrate the Second-level Alloy Battle Suit, but the powerful kinetic energy still forced him to retreat several steps, making him grit his teeth in pain.

"Bai Binger, the sniper on the other side has opened fire; lock onto the enemy's position quickly, over!"

Xu Jingzhe said coldly, panting slightly; those two punches just now had consumed two-tenths of the energy in his body.

Because of this delay, Yakos had already stood back up.

The best opportunity to kill him had been missed.