Chinese martial arts: From human punching bags to martial arts mastery

Chen Feng's gaze sharpened, and just as he made out the octopus's silhouette on the wall of the City God Temple, his eardrums were violently ripped apart by a loud bang!

"Bang—!"

Catastrophe struck in an instant!

A crimson flame, dozens of feet high, rose from the core of the main hall of the City God Temple. The fire, like the gates of hell, shattered the night sky, and the violent shockwave swept in all directions with overwhelming force.

The blasted bricks, broken beams, and flying rubble, along with dripping blood, severed limbs, and shattered bone fragments, danced wildly in the sky like a torrential rain.

A scalding mist of blood rushed towards you, and the smells of burnt blood, gunpowder, and blood instantly mingled, almost suffocating you.

"ah------!!"

The piercing scream had barely risen when it was abruptly cut off by a deafening blast of air.

Passersby who had no time to escape were violently thrown into the air by the shockwave, crashing into the walls and instantly having their bones shattered and tendons broken. The ground was littered with twisted bodies, wailing wounded, and scattered limbs; as far as the eye could see, it was a living hell.

The red light, carrying the aura of death, arrived in the blink of an eye, leaving no way to avoid it!

"Be careful!"

Chen Feng roared like thunder, his body stomping forward like a fierce tiger, forcefully blocking the crowd. His hard qigong exploded, his muscles taut as if cast in steel, ready to withstand the fatal impact with his bare body!

At the critical moment!

"puff------!!"

A strong smell of alcohol suddenly erupted, and a raging wall of fire appeared out of nowhere, forcefully stopping the violent shockwave that was capable of tearing everything apart in mid-air!

Limbs, rubble, and blood splattered against the fire wall, instantly turning charred black and falling to the ground like rain.

Chen Feng felt a slight sense of relief, but not at all; instead, he became even more vigilant.

Before everyone could recover from their shock...

He abruptly released Xiao Aqiao's hand, his tone resolute: "You go now! I'll catch up soon! Everyone retreat immediately!"

"Cover the retreat!"

Hu Mingxuan shouted sharply and personally covered the rear. The Hu Qingyutang shop assistants instantly formed a tight defensive circle, protecting Hu Tao, Lin Sao, and Xiao A Qiao as they quickly broke out of the encirclement.

"Whoosh!"

Chen Feng leaped onto the charred, collapsed wall, surveying the entire scene from his vantage point—the octopus-like figure on the wall had long since vanished.

Here and now.

As the smoke cleared and the roar subsided, the area in front of the City God Temple became a scene of deathly silence and wailing.

Limbs and severed bodies were scattered everywhere, and blood flowed in thin streams along the stone slabs.

The surviving crowd scattered and fled like madmen, the sound of trampling was incessant, and the cries and howls of pain mingled together, making one's scalp tingle.

"What a ruthless move!"

Chen Feng's pupils contracted sharply as he rapidly deduced in his mind: "Such terrifying power must have required a massive amount of explosives! In 1930, Shanghai was under strict gun and explosives regulations; the ability to mobilize such a large quantity of high explosives was a red line that no ordinary gang would dare to cross! The person behind this must either wield immense power or... be deliberately instigating internal strife, causing the three tycoons to become suspicious of each other and turn on each other!"

next moment.

"Just as I expected!"

His gaze was fixed on the area below, where he saw the three tycoons retreating hastily under the desperate cover of their respective henchmen. The three groups were clearly separated, dozens of feet apart, their eyes filled with killing intent and vigilance, and they vaguely regarded each other as mortal enemies.

Chen Feng already understood perfectly.

The target wasn't as simple as just bombing the City God Temple; it was clearly aimed at the three tycoons!

This is not a revenge killing, but a complete disruption! It's an attempt to overturn the existing power balance in Shanghai!

In this way, each of the three tycoons would suspect that the other wanted to use the explosion to get rid of them!

This is exactly the situation the mastermind wanted to see! Without firing a single shot, the tripartite balance of power in Shanghai could be shattered instantly!

Just then.

"Bang!!"

The second wave of explosions roared out! The power was even more terrifying than the first wave, the earth trembled violently, and rubble was blown away!

"Retreat immediately!"

Hu Sanzhen grabbed Chen Feng's arm, and the two of them retreated with lightning speed, barely managing to escape the danger zone.

He then chose a secluded spot with a commanding view and gazed into the distance in silence.

next moment.

Three Ford cars sped away in three different directions, disappearing into the alleyways in an instant.

Chen Feng stood there waiting, but the octopus disappeared without a trace.

Without further hesitation, he returned to Hu Qingyutang with Hu Sanzhen.

Inside the courtyard, Wang Xiaoer and the others were pale and trembling, still shaken as they watched the rushing crowd and the onrushing police outside the gate.

"Brother Feng!"

Xiao Aqiao rushed forward and, seeing that Chen Feng was safe and sound, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Hu Tao hurried over and said urgently, "Aunt Lin was choked by gunpowder smoke and just took some medicine to rest. Don't disturb her now!"

Then.

The atmosphere around the tea table was extremely tense.

Wang Xiaoer was utterly horrified, scratching his head in bewilderment: "Who on earth has the audacity to defy the laws of nature and blow up three tycoons?!"

Hu Mingxuan's face was ashen, and he said, enunciating each word clearly, "Perhaps it's them themselves!"

"That's right!" Wang Xiaoer slapped his thigh, suddenly realizing, "By eliminating the other two, we can dominate Shanghai and become a true local tyrant!"

Chen Feng shook his head slightly, his eyes clear and his mind already seeing through everything.

"Even if the three tycoons were extremely greedy, they would never choose to detonate such a powerful explosive in a place like the City God Temple, a place teeming with all sorts of people!"

"They wanted to save face for the foreign concessions while also maintaining their reputation in the underworld. This move was tantamount to digging their own grave, angering both the foreign concessions and the Chinese-controlled areas!"

"The one who did it must be an outsider!"

Hu Tao nodded and slowly began to add crucial background information: "Shanghai in 1930 was under extremely strict control; even the Japanese forces were restricted from using firearms! Besides the three tycoons, only a few prominent figures like Master Gu, Master Wang, and Xiang Gongpi could have obtained so much explosives!"

Chen Feng slowly raised his eyes, his voice low and resolute, each word like a nail, piercing the core truth: "Regardless of who did it, the three tycoons will never be of one mind again. Shanghai is about to descend into chaos!"

One sentence silenced the entire room instantly.

Everyone understood that Chen Feng's words meant that a real bloodbath was about to unfold.

Chen Feng then looked at Hu Tao with a serious expression: "There's something I'd like to ask you."

He stated frankly that the situation is bound to become chaotic in the near future, and that he has to go to the boxing gym tomorrow and then go to work on the river, so he cannot spare the time to protect Xiao Aqiao and Lin Sao.

Hu Tao immediately understood and cheerfully promised, "Aunt Lin and Xiao A Qiao will stay at Hu Qing Yu Tang, so I'll have some company, and they'll be absolutely safe!"

Chen Feng clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone sincere: "Thank you!"

Outside the window, police sirens wailed incessantly, and the crowd was in an uproar. The thick darkness of the night, like an impenetrable curtain of blood, enveloped the entire city.

Chen Feng looked at Hu Sanzhen, who was lounging in the armchair, leisurely smoking with his eyes closed: "That inexplicable wall of fire reeking of alcohol! What level of cultivation did he possess? Was it his doing?"

His gaze shifted to the turbulent streets outside the window, a final mental calculation of the situation flashing through his mind: "This game is huge! And have I, Chen Feng, already been swept into this storm?"

A shocking chaos that will sweep through Shanghai has only just begun.