20: breakthrough!

The Blood Wolf Stockade was nestled in “Decapitation Gorge,” a hundred miles northwest of Black Stone City.

The gorge entrance was narrow, with towering cliffs on both sides like they were carved by knives and axes, only wide enough for three horses to pass abreast.

Its treacherous terrain made it easy to defend and difficult to attack, a natural bandit stronghold.

At this moment, the stockade gate at the gorge entrance, constructed from thick logs and sharp chevaux de frise, was tightly shut. Shadows flickered on the stockade walls, and the glint of blades and bows revealed a fierce bandit Aura.

Lin Jingyu's burly figure stood like an iron statue a hundred zhang outside the gorge entrance. The strong wind whipped at his tattered clothes, revealing the powerful muscles beneath, coiled like a Dragon and shimmering with dark gold and azure gold light. His gaze was cold, like a deep pool, fixed on the heavily guarded bandit stronghold.

“Blood Wolf Stockade… Zhao family’s dogs…” he muttered in a low voice, which had a metallic quality. “Good, I’ll use your blood to consecrate my new Realm!”

He no longer concealed himself, taking a single step forward!

“Thump!”

The ground trembled slightly! A heavy, mountain-like pillar of Qi and blood, with a metallic sharpness, erupted from the top of his head, soaring into the sky! Dark gold and azure gold intertwined, reaching over a zhang high, condensed like a pillar! A terrifying pressure, like a tangible storm, instantly swept across the gorge entrance!

“Who goes there?!”

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”

The bandits on the stockade wall were scared Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering by this sudden, terrifying Aura! Piercing alarm cries instantly shattered the silence of the gorge!

“Shoot arrows! Quickly shoot arrows!” a small leader with a hideous scar on his face shrieked, his voice filled with unconcealed panic.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh——!”

Dozens of wolf-tooth arrows, with a piercing Sky-Piercing sound, rained down like a swarm of poisonous bees! The arrowheads gleamed with a faint blue light, clearly poisoned!

Facing this arrow rain, which was capable of piercing iron armor, Lin Jingyu curled his lips in a sneer of disdain. He didn't even activate the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art!

“Bones like Fine Steel!”

With a thought, the characteristic of Bone Forging Realm First Level instantly activated!

“Clang clang clang! Thump thump thump!”

A dense volley of impacts, like raindrops, rang out!

Those poisoned wolf-tooth arrows, capable of penetrating the protective Qi and blood of ordinary Martial Artists, struck Lin Jingyu's exposed chest and arms, yet they were like hitting tempered fine steel! The arrowheads instantly twisted and shattered! The arrow shafts snapped one after another! Not even a scratch was left on his skin! The immense recoil instead numbed the arms of the bandits firing the arrows!

“Wh-what?!”

“Monster! He's a monster!”

The bandits on the stockade wall were utterly terrified by this scene that defied comprehension! Some even went weak in the knees and collapsed to the ground!

“Open the gate! Whoever takes his head will be rewarded with ten taels of gold! And ten women!” A furious roar, like thunder, came from inside the stockade, carrying a bloody scent! A burly man, built like a bear, with a face full of flesh, clad in blood-red leather armor, and wielding a massive, serrated ghost-head axe the size of a door panel, charged out, leading dozens of fierce core bandits with murderous glints in their eyes! It was the Great Chieftain of the Blood Wolf Stockade— “Blood Axe” Han Kui! A vicious man at the Bone Forging Realm Second Level Peak!

The stockade gate burst open!

Han Kui's pupils constricted when he saw Lin Jingyu unharmed beneath the arrow rain, but they were immediately replaced by savage Killing Intent: “What a hard turtle shell! I'd like to see how many axes of mine you can withstand!”

He roared, his muscles bulging, and his Qi and blood surged like wolf smoke, faintly carrying a bloody Evil Qi! He gripped the heavy ghost-head axe with both hands, charging at Lin Jingyu like a mad rhinoceros! The giant axe tore through the air, emitting a wailing shriek like ghosts, and descended with the terrifying might of splitting mountains and rocks! Before the axe even arrived, the heavy wind pressure had already swept away the dust on the ground!

“Great Chieftain Han is mighty!”

“Smash him!”

The bandits let out frenzied roars, as if they could already see the bloody scene of that arrogant fellow being cleaved in half by an axe!

Facing this awe-inspiring axe strike, Battle Intent burned in Lin Jingyu's eyes! Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, meeting the giant axe head-on!

“Dragon Elephant Suppressing Prison! Break!”

His right fist clenched, dark gold and azure gold Qi and blood coiled around it, and the phantom of a Dragon Elephant roared! The newfound Bone Forging Realm power erupted without reservation! Two hundred thousand catties of immense strength, supported by bones of fine steel, condensed at his fist's edge! The air was compressed to its extreme, emitting a deafening sonic boom!

Fist against axe!

The purest clash of power!

“Clang——!!!”

It was like a massive bell exploding in the gorge, shaking loose stones from the cliffs on both sides!

“Crack!”

A skull-splitting sound of shattering echoed piercingly!

The sinister smile on Han Kui's face instantly froze, turning into extreme horror! He felt an indescribably terrifying immense force, like a bursting heavenly river, brutally pouring back along the axe handle!

His ghost-head axe, forged from tempered fine steel and having drunk countless amounts of blood, where its blade met Lin Jingyu's fist, actually cracked and shattered inch by inch like fragile glass! Countless shattered steel fragments shot backward like a torrential rain!

“No——!” Han Kui let out a desperate roar! The tiger's mouths of his hands instantly burst, blood gushing out! The heavy axe handle flew out of his grasp! The terrifying immense force continued unabated, slamming heavily into his chest!

“Puff!”

Like a heavy hammer striking rotten leather!

Han Kui's burly body arched sharply backward! His chest, covered by blood-red leather armor, caved in at a visible speed! The sound of his ribs shattering was like popping beans! Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spurted from his mouth, and his body flew backward like a broken sack, slamming heavily into several core bandits who were rushing up behind him!

“Bang bang bang!”

Like bowling pins being struck! Those fierce bandits didn't even have time to scream before Han Kui's flying body broke their bones and tendons, killing them on the spot! Han Kui's body continued unabated, smashing heavily into the sturdy stockade gate!

“Boom!”

The thick log stockade gate was smashed into a huge dent, wood splinters flying! Han Kui was embedded in the gate like a lump of mud, his head tilted, his breath completely gone! In his dead eyes, there still remained boundless fear and disbelief!

Dead silence!

Absolute dead silence!

All the frenzied roars and expressions on the bandits' faces froze! They were like being frozen by invisible cold, their minds blank!

The Great Chieftain… Bone Forging Second Level Peak… Blood Axe Han Kui… was… was blown apart by a single punch… both axe and man…?

Is this… is this still human?!

Lin Jingyu slowly retracted his fist. His fist was stained with Han Kui's blood and iron filings, yet there wasn't even a faint white mark. His cold gaze swept over the petrified bandits, as if looking at a flock of lambs to be slaughtered.

“Kill!!!” After a brief silence, came utter madness and despair! Under the roars of a few minor leaders, the remaining bandits, like cornered beasts, brandished their blades and spears, letting out desperate howls, and pounced on Lin Jingyu from all directions! They knew that if they didn't fight for their lives, only death awaited!

“ants shaking a tree!”

Lin Jingyu's eyes were indifferent, his Killing Intent like a tide! He moved!

No longer just one punch, one kick!

But an Incarnation of a killing storm!

“Bang!”

He threw a punch! Three bandits charging head-on were like being hit by a speeding war chariot, their chests instantly caved in, their bodies flying backward like broken rag dolls, knocking down a whole group!

“Crack!”

A backhand elbow strike! The head of a bandit who tried to sneak attack from the side exploded like a watermelon!

“Hiss!”

A Sky-Piercing Finger pointed out! A silver flash! A bandit holding a heavy crossbow in the distance had his glabella instantly pierced, blood blooming!

He was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep! No, he was like a primordial beast charging into an anthill!

Fists, palms, elbows, knees, fingers… every part of his Body Refining had become the most terrifying weapon!

Every attack was inevitably accompanied by the sound of bones shattering, bodies tearing, and piercing screams!

No attack could touch his body! Occasionally, blades and swords would strike him, only to send sparks flying and emit the clang of metal on metal!

He moved through the flashing blades and swords as if entering an uninhabited land! Wherever he passed, severed limbs flew, and blood dyed the yellow earth red!

[Ding! Killed a Body Refining Realm Third Level bandit! evolution points +35!]

[Ding! Killed a Body Refining Realm Fifth Level minor leader! evolution points +50!]

...The cold System notifications scrolled frantically! The number of evolution points grew rapidly like a snowball!

In just half an incense stick's time!

The entrance to the gorge had become a Shura Hell!

Dozens of fierce bandits, along with their Great Chieftain Han Kui, had all become incomplete corpses! The pungent smell of blood soared into the sky, nauseating.

Lin Jingyu stood amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, covered in blood, but it was all the enemy's blood. His tattered clothes were long soaked in blood, but his exposed skin still shimmered with a dark gold luster, completely unharmed. The dark gold and azure gold intertwining Qi and blood wolf smoke above his head became even more condensed, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

He took a deep breath, the thick smell of blood seemingly transforming into fuel for strength. Feeling the surging Bone Forging Realm power within him, which had become even more refined and fluid through the slaughter, and the soaring evolution points on the System panel, there was no ripple in his eyes, only cold Killing Intent and a deeper desire.

“Blood Wolf Stockade… not over yet.” His gaze turned to the depths of the gorge, where the bandit stronghold's lair was, and there would surely be more “resources”!

He took a step, treading on the viscous blood, like a demon god claiming lives, striding towards the depths of the gorge, towards the core of the bandit stronghold where smoke and chaotic Aura rose!