270: Chapter 270 Like a Demon's Armor

Fang Cheng's gaze swept across suddenly, recognizing the person leading the shouting.

This tower-like burly man was precisely the second eldest of the Heihe Twin Heroes, Xiong Wei.

Previously in the Underground Vault, the two brothers and Nailhead had a dispute over contending for the golden bumpa bottle, causing the Twin Bears to turn into lone wolves.

Fang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze wandering between Xiong Wei and Nailhead, looking thoughtful in his heart.

Nailhead's eyeballs rolled around, as if he was trying hard to recall what background the person before him actually had.

Then, he asked somewhat doubtfully:

"Big guy, I don't know you, what are you looking for me for? In the middle of the night out in these desolate mountains, is your brain broken, Running here to go crazy?"

While speaking, his pale face also revealed an expression of caring for the mentally disabled.

Hearing this, Xiong Wei's eyes widened in anger, and he couldn't help roaring again:

"Cut the crap, my big brother's life was lost at your hands, and now I'm here to take your dog's life!"

"Boss Xiong, don't talk nonsense with him, let's rush up together and fuck him to death!"

"Right, hurry up and kill this bastard, avenge the big brother!"

The few extraordinary people who surrounded them heard this and also followed with a round of shouting to cheer them on.

These people were all accomplices he had gathered, each holding weapons and possessing abilities, appearing numerous and aggressive.

"Nailhead, previously in the Underground Vault, there were many people and eyes, consider yourself lucky, letting you scum temporarily pick up your life."

As Xiong Wei opened his mouth, his teeth gnashed loudly, and the muscles on his cheeks bulged into hard lumps:

"Don't think this matter is over just like that, hum, now everyone around is my people, kneel down and beg for mercy early, perhaps I can leave you with an intact corpse."

After learning Nailhead's whereabouts, he led his accomplices to rush over at top speed, seizing a hidden spot first and setting up an ambush trap.

To ensure victory, he also offered heavy rewards, temporarily finding several helpers from other teams to strive for absolute foolproofness.

Even with the astonishing strength the opponent displayed in the Underground Vault, right now they wouldn't even think about escaping alive, and could only obediently await death!

Nailhead, however, acted as if nothing was wrong, shrugged, and responded indifferently:

"Is that so? Then I'm really looking forward to it."

For a moment, both sides were at daggers drawn, forming a stance of confrontation.

Nailhead's hands were tucked into his sleeves, faintly emitting a spine-chilling friction sound, his eyes even revealing a provocative intent, making people unable to see the depth of his strength.

Xiong Wei stared at him fixedly with both eyes, as if wanting to slice him into a thousand pieces with his gaze.

At the same time, he tightened his grip on the giant axe in his hand, as if this could add more confidence to himself.

The surrounding crowd of encirclement also breathed heavier, clenching their weapons tightly and eager to try.

Xiong Wei suddenly took half a step forward, but then suddenly stopped.

He glanced sidelong at another bystander standing aside who seemed to be keeping out of it:

"Brother White Ghost, I reckon you should also have a grudge against this fellow, now let's go up together and slaughter this bastard, how about it?"

His gaze carried a trace of hopeful intent as he looked at Fang Cheng.

You must know, whether it was the performance of blowing up someone's head with one punch earlier in the Underground Vault, or the agile skills of easily dodging Nailhead's sneak attack just now.

This mysterious man wearing a mask was definitely a top expert qualified to run neck-and-neck with himself.

If the two of them could combine forces and achieve Body Integration, dealing with this freak whose head was covered in nails would be as easy as slicing melons and vegetables, killing wildly with crackling sounds.

Thinking of this, Xiong Wei couldn't help raising his chin, puffing out his chest even higher.

"After the matter succeeds, I'm willing to make a friend out of you and share glory and wealth together."

"You can ask around the surroundings, I, Xiong, am also considered a prominent figure of status in Jianghu, with plenty of cash, plenty of brothers, and valuing loyalty the most. In the future, whenever there are good things to eat and drink, I will definitely call you along to join in..."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his spittle almost flying out, as if he had already concluded that Fang Cheng was his capable helper.

As long as the two joined hands, let alone a freak like Nailhead, even a character several times more formidable would be taken down together. From then on in this Jianghu, who would dare look down on them?

Hearing this, Nailhead's mouth curved into a playful arc, casting his gaze leisurely over as if watching an interesting farce.

The heads of the others also turned toward this side in unison, their lines of sight all falling on Fang Cheng.

Under everyone's gaze, Fang Cheng was silent for a moment.

Then, he spoke with a calm expression:

"I have no interest, nor do I intend to meddle in the grudges between you, please make yourselves at home, everyone."

Hearing this, Xiong Wei couldn't help being stunned, the smugness on his face instantly dissipating, replaced by a look of sheer bewilderment.

He never expected that with his status and renown, he would actually be rejected.

Seeing this, Nailhead chuckled out loud, as if mocking Xiong Wei for calculating too well, only for it to fall through this time.

Fang Cheng slowly retreated a few steps, his gaze sweeping across everyone like lightning, his eyes revealing a sense of vigilance.

Immediately, his figure flashed, swiftly gliding toward the outside of the encirclement.

With a few bounds, he disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

Leaving everyone staring at each other in place, the atmosphere awkward for a moment.

Only the rising and falling calls of birds echoed through the forest.

Suddenly, no one knew who shouted "Charge" first, breaking this brief silence.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out, and a fierce slaughter thus unfolded in the dense forest.

As for Fang Cheng, he had long run several hundred meters away at a speed that others could only look up to in despair.

According to the scene seen earlier, the Lu family's main force of troops was on the way and would soon arrive here, believing it wouldn't be long before the mountain was sealed off for searches.

Continuing to stay here and tussle would purely be acting like a fool and asking for trouble.

It was better to let Xiong Wei and Nailhead fight fiercely to attract the Lu family's attention, and he could just take the opportunity to slip away.

"You guys fight slowly, I won't keep you company..."

Fang Cheng's footsteps did not stop, and taking advantage of the chaos, he had already quietly slipped far away.

The night grew deeper, the air was somewhat chilly, and the branches and leaves of plants were covered with dew.

Looking up at the post-rain clear night sky, the bright stars twinkled like tiny gems embedded in a black curtain.

Pity he wasn't wearing a sports watch, so he didn't know the exact time.

Judging by experience, it should be around two in the morning.

"Must hurry back to the hotel, eat a good meal, and sleep soundly..."

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng instantly gained a burst of motivation and accelerated his pace once more.

Like a hurricane, he swept through the grass and brushwood where there was no path at all.

Wherever he passed, there was a rustling sound, plants swayed and shook, scattering a patch of water droplets.

When nearing the foot of the mountain, suddenly a roaring loud noise came over.

The flames rushed out of the treetops like a ferocious beast, illuminating a small patch of the dark night sky.

Frightening birds into flying about in all directions, chirping non-stop, and the ground also vibrated slightly.

It seemed Xiong Wei finally couldn't help using high-power weapons like bombs or grenades.

Fang Cheng turned his head in astonishment, looking at the scene deep in Miwu Mountain, shook his head helplessly, and muttered inwardly:

This commotion is way too big, as if he's afraid others don't know a war is being fought here.

Then he withdrew his gaze, looking at the pitch-black distant village and the moon-hazed Yulong Lake.

Then he slightly adjusted his breathing and expression, resuming his Running posture.

Just pretending to be a fitness enthusiast who couldn't sleep in the middle of the night and came out on a whim to exercise.

Da da da——

Footsteps trod lightly and rhythmically on the ground.

The lakeside Running track was like a winding ribbon, shimmering under the moonlight, constantly extending forward as Fang Cheng moved ahead, taking him gradually away from the turbulence and clamor of this night.

...

In the dead of night in the early morning.

The lake surface rippled slightly, shimmering with fine silver light.

Mist lingered over it, as if draped in a layer of cold white gauze.

The moonlight was faint, outlining a dreamlike yet somewhat eerie picture.

Suddenly, with a swish sound, the calm lake surface stirred up violent waves.

A head suddenly emerged from the lake water, like an aquatic beast suddenly appearing, and immediately swam rapidly toward the shore.

At this time, the night was as deep as ink, the lake waves rolled endlessly, and the darkness blurred vision, making it hard for people to see clearly what on earth that thing was.

Only with the aid of the faint moonlight could one vaguely see that the head was unusually large in shape, with a sharp protrusion on top, as if it grew horns.

Two eyes were hidden underwater, flashing with a dim luster.

This appearance was truly terrifying to the extreme, as if it were a water ghost monster crawling out from the bottom of the lake.

Until close to the lake shore, a human-like figure broke out of the water, bringing up a large splash of water and nimbly leaping onto the bank.

That figure stood on the bank, the moonlight outlining the muscular male physique contour.

He shook his head, water droplets falling down in rustles.

Through the hazy light, one could see that the clothes on his body were tattered beyond recognition and still retained many scorched traces.

It seemed he had just experienced a thrilling baptism of fire not long ago, and to evade enemies, had no choice but to jump into the water to escape.

Only until this moment did he poke his head out and reappear.

But this was not the most important thing.

What truly made people's scalp go numb was that the body he exposed shockingly presented an even more bizarre and terrifying outer shape than his head.

His skin was grayish-black, and its texture appeared very strange, seemingly metal yet not pure metal, unexpectedly having fine scale textures looming and fading.

Moreover, the muscles presented a fibrous bundle shape, like steel bars intertwined together, yet constantly writhing.

If one leaned in to look closely, it was as if countless hidden insects were shuttling beneath the skin, trying to drill their way out.

His arms were thick and sturdy, muscles bulging like iron lumps, and the elbow parts not only grew sharp bone spurs but also encircled a ring of dense barbs.

Whenever the arms waved, those barbs unexpectedly also followed along, slightly writhing and expanding and contracting, seeming able to easily tear apart the flesh and blood of prey.

His legs were also the same, with huge joint bones bulging at the knees, ferocious and exaggerated.

On the back of his calves, a row of barbs was arranged in a sawtooth shape, and as he walked, these barbs also swung rhythmically, resembling the tail of some creature.

The whole person exuded a strong and highly oppressive dangerous aura, looking simply no different from a demon in legends.

"Ling Zifeng, didn't you say the Lu family is just a declining household, and with you alone stepping up it could be easily settled, how did you still end up looking in such a wretched state?"

Suddenly, a laugh carrying a bit of mockery sounded, echoing in the quiet night sky.

That demon-like figure abruptly turned his head, a cold flash in his pupils, staring at the source of the voice:

"Liang Xiaotang, you drove dozens of miles from the urban area to Yulong Lake just to watch my joke? Do you want me to dig out your eyes and see if you can still laugh."

"Hehe, Chief Ling, calm your anger."

A figure subsequently walked out from the forest ahead and explained a sentence:

"I also received the notification from headquarters and came on orders to inspect the situation."

He stood at a relatively distant position, not rashly approaching the other party, seemingly having some wary intent.

Then his expression turned serious, and he asked:

"What on earth is the plot behind the Lu family making such a huge commotion this time? Is it related to their Secret Realm? Please give a clear word, Chief Ling, so it's convenient for us to take targeted plans subsequently."

This series of questions was asked anxiously and quickly.

The man called "Ling Zifeng" snorted coldly and did not answer immediately.

At this time, his breathing was exceptionally heavy, and his already ferocious and terrifying face became even more distorted, seeming to appear very painful.

On top of his chest, an irregular crystal-like protrusion was slowly rising and falling, faintly revealing red light, like a beating heart.

Subsequently, a crack split open in the center, from which dense barbs extended, flashing with cold light under the moonlight, resembling opening a bloody mouth.

Following closely, those barbs rustled, all flying swiftly toward Ling Zifeng's own head, plunging precisely and accurately like nails into various parts of his head and face.

Liang Xiaotang, standing opposite, had his expression change instantly, his pupils slightly shrinking as he stared closely at this scene.

Only to see Ling Zifeng's head begin to rapidly shrink, his facial features gradually returning to place, shockingly transforming toward the appearance of a normal person.

The strong and dangerous aura exuded from his body was also slowly dissipating.

The grayish-black epidermal tissue, as if receiving some silent instruction, quietly initiated the "homing" program.

First were the bulging muscles of his arms, the writhing gradually subsiding.

Those bone-chilling barbs also like the receding tide of sea waves, one by one slowly retracting beneath the skin, leaving only a relatively smooth epidermis.

Following closely, the sharp bone spurs at the elbows also slowly retracted, turning into the appearance of normal elbows.

During this period, faint lights occasionally flashed continuously, as if energy was re-gathering.

The legs and torso parts similarly presented a similar change, turning back into the appearance of a normal human.

This body of blackish-gray muscle structure was like a suit of armor covering the entire body from head to toe.

Moreover, it was clearly pieced together by some kind of writhing, living object.

Right now as the instruction started, the grayish-black substance spread all over the body converged toward the center of the chest at a speed clearly discernible to the naked eye, turning into streams of light and finally injecting into that crystal-like core.

The red light bloomed by the core grew brighter and brighter, as if scorching magma was surging within it.

Ling Zifeng clenched his teeth tightly, blue veins bulging on his neck, seeming to bear a heavy pressure of thousands of jin, his body trembling slightly out of control, his hands instinctively clenching and loosening, loosening and clenching.

Until the entire set of "gray armor" was completely gathered, only then did he raise his hand, abruptly digging the core out from his chest.

In a split second, all light went out, and everything returned to peace.

The originally ferocious and terrifying, demon-like figure shockingly turned back into a thin-bodied, ordinary-faced man.

Only the tattered, scorched oversized trench coat on his body still retained the traces of that thrilling transformation just now.

Ling Zifeng let out a sigh of relief, raised his head to look at Liang Xiaotang, and said coldly:

"That old fellow Lu Shihua is still alive."