73: Encountered on the road

After bidding farewell to Chen Fang, Shen Xi did not linger, directly leaving Zhu Feng City.

The matters here had also come to an end.

As for the power struggles within Zhu Feng City, Shen Xi didn't want to get involved, nor did he have the ability to at the moment.

He walked all the way back home.

But not long after, a figure blocked his path ahead.

"Hehehe, the master is indeed prescient, guessing that you, kid, would try to escape."

The figure was an old man, resembling a Dried Corpse Old Man, whose laughter was incredibly piercing, like a ghost.

"Sent by the Council?"

Shen Xi looked at the Dried Corpse Old Man with a solemn expression.

"Oh?"

The Dried Corpse Old Man was a bit surprised, not expecting Shen Xi to guess his identity: "Since you know about the Council, then I certainly can't let you go. Kid, blame yourself for getting involved in this matter."

After speaking, the Dried Corpse Old Man released a terrifying killing intent.

The aura of the Major Completion of Houtian Realm was as heavy as a mountain.

"Kid, don't struggle. We analyzed your fight with Kong Wen. The fact that you could withstand Blood Demon's Craving without dodging or evading means you must Cultivate a body-refining Martial Arts, and you also master an Innate-level sword technique, as well as comprehending the first layer of Sword Intent."

"Your combat power has at least reached the Initial Stage of Acquired Realm, or even Houtian Lesser Stage, but no matter what, you are not my opponent."

The Dried Corpse Old Man sneered incessantly.

As one of Zhu Feng City's three major forces, the Council naturally possessed many powerhouses. Based solely on Shen Xi's performance in the battle with Kong Wen, they roughly analyzed Shen Xi's combat power.

Thus, they dispatched the Dried Corpse Old Man, who was capable of hunting down Shen Xi.

Of course, if they weren't worried about causing too much commotion and attracting the attention of the Judgment Squad, the Council would have sent an even stronger assassin to ensure foolproof success.

"You're right."

Shen Xi nodded, agreeing with the Dried Corpse Old Man's words.

The Council had indeed analyzed his combat power thoroughly.

He was not the Dried Corpse Old Man's opponent.

"Hehehe, since you know you're not my opponent, to save time, you should just commit suicide obediently!"

"That way, I'll save trouble, and you can reduce some pain. If I have to do it, I'll break your bones one by one, leaving you lying on the ground like a maggot, then devoured by Yao Beasts."

The Dried Corpse Old Man licked his lips bloodthirsty.

His black and red tongue was as sinister as a snake's.

"You want me to commit suicide? You don't have that ability yet. It's not certain who will win this battle."

After speaking, Shen Xi took the initiative to attack.

Seeing this, the Dried Corpse Old Man shook his head disdainfully: "Idiot, you even dare to attack proactively. I'll let you know what the consequences of doing that are."

The Dried Corpse Old Man's muscles bulged all over his body. If he was originally a skeleton, he was now a balloon full of Qi.

In just a few breaths, the Dried Corpse Old Man's appearance underwent a complete transformation, from a dying old man to a strong man with immense power.

Even Shen Xi couldn't help but gasp at this sight.

"Hehehe, surprised? There's more to surprise you!"

As the Dried Corpse Old Man's voice fell, he appeared behind Shen Xi like a ghost.

Shen Xi hadn't even been able to track his movements, only feeling a fierce punch wind brush past the back of his head.

He quickly squatted down and performed a sweeping kick on the spot.

"Too slow, your attack is too slow!"

The Dried Corpse Old Man mocked.

He easily dodged the sweeping kick and smashed down from above.

Shen Xi quickly rolled on the ground, dodging the blow.

Just at the beginning of their exchange, he felt the endless pressure brought by the Dried Corpse Old Man.

The opponent's speed and strength both far surpassed his own.

This was without even using Martial Arts, and it was already unbearable for him. If Martial Arts were used, Shen Xi would only find it more difficult to cope.

He didn't think that with the Dried Corpse Old Man's strength, he wouldn't have Innate Martial Arts.

The disparity in strength, the disparity in Realm, was too great.

To defeat the opponent, he could only fight with his life!

Only by disregarding his life could he possibly save it.

Realizing this, Shen Xi lunged at the Dried Corpse Old Man.

Since the opponent's speed was fast, he had to find a way to limit it.

Close-quarters combat was one way.

"Hehehe, idiot, do you think that in close-quarters combat, I won't be able to utilize my speed and will only be entangled with you?"

"Even without speed, my strength and defense can still crush you!"

The Dried Corpse Old Man was indeed an old hand in the Jianghu, with extremely rich combat experience, and he saw through Shen Xi's purpose at a glance.

He also didn't bother to widen the distance. To be honest, even if he stood still with Shen Xi and they exchanged blows in a turn-based combat, the opponent would undoubtedly die.

The crushing power of the Realm was that unreasonable.

This was the disparity in strength.

The two quickly engaged in a fierce battle.

As the Dried Corpse Old Man said, in close-quarters combat, Shen Xi was still not his opponent.

Every time Shen Xi hit the Dried Corpse Old Man once, the opponent could leave two or three wounds on Shen Xi's body.

This was the result of Shen Xi fighting desperately, regardless of his own injuries.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to land a single blow on the Dried Corpse Old Man, only able to passively defend.

"If this is all you've got, then I'm going to get serious."

The Dried Corpse Old Man sneered incessantly, his body emitting a dark green light.

"Withered Wood Body."

This was the Innate Martial Arts Cultivated by the Dried Corpse Old Man, derived from the meaning of 'withered wood meeting spring'.

This Martial Arts, like the Indestructible Glazed Body, belonged to body-refining Martial Arts, but its enhancement of the physique was not as overbearing as the Indestructible Glazed Body, focusing instead on recovery ability.

The Indestructible Glazed Body focused on defense, while the Withered Wood Body focused on recovery.

With the use of Withered Wood Body, the injuries on the Dried Corpse Old Man's body recovered at a visible speed.

"Hehehe, despairing? Your injury-for-injury fighting style finally managed to leave some wounds on me, but I've already fully recovered."

The Dried Corpse Old Man grew more and more smug as he spoke.

His expression was full of sarcasm and contempt.

This feeling of watching an opponent exhaust all their effort only to achieve nothing in the end, made him feel utterly exhilarated.

"It's not over yet!"

Shen Xi did not give up and continued to fight desperately.

He ignored defense, allowing the Dried Corpse Old Man to attack him, just to leave wounds on the opponent's body.

"I told you, it's useless! These minor injuries, I'll recover from very quickly!"

The Dried Corpse Old Man continued to mock.

Seeing Shen Xi unmoved, he also directly went all out, punching Shen Xi's body one after another.

"I told you, it's useless!"

"Idiot, still struggling in vain, absolutely stupid to the core!"