Gou Zai Wudao Shi Lian Shen

With Qiu Heixiong dead, Black Wind Stronghold collapsed.

The remaining bandits dared not linger and scattered, fleeing into the mountains.

Lu Chen stood in the woods, listening to the hurried footsteps fade into the distance, his eyes calm.

You can run away from the monk, but you can't run away from the temple.

Lu Chen lightly touched the ground with his feet, and the Golden Ape Through the Forest Leg technique was unleashed.

In the mountains and forests, a dark shadow silently swept past the treetops, rocks, and streams.

The bandits ran for their lives, but when they looked back they couldn't see anyone, so they thought they had escaped.

But they didn't know that Lu Chen was following behind them the whole time.

Black Wind Stronghold is hidden deep in a dangerous valley in the Red Cloud Mountain. The gate is made of rough wood and rubble, with watchtowers on both sides. The mountain path is narrow, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The bandits who escaped had no intention of rebuilding their stronghold and becoming mountain kings; they immediately rushed towards a stone cave behind the stronghold.

That place is the Black Wind Stronghold's treasure vault.

Lu Chen stood in the shadow of the stockade wall, watching this scene, and narrowed his eyes.

People die for money.

Before fleeing for their lives, the bandits were reluctant to part with the possessions they had plundered over the years.

He didn't rush inside.

The entrance to the treasure vault was a narrow stone passage, filled with chaotic voices and constant sounds of collisions.

Before long, the first bandit rushed out carrying a bag of silver.

He had just stepped off the stone path when a figure appeared before him.

"you--"

boom!

Lu Chen landed a punch.

The bandit's chest caved in, his bundle fell apart, and silver ingots rolled all over the ground.

Lu Chen didn't even look, he just stood outside the passage and waited quietly.

the second.

The third.

the fourth.

Every bandit who rushed out had a look on his face that showed relief at surviving a disaster and greed for a windfall.

But when they rushed out of the passage, all they saw was Lu Chen's face, which looked like the Grim Reaper.

boom! boom! boom!

The sound of punches rang out one after another.

Outside the narrow passage, corpses fell one after another.

The people inside finally realized something was wrong, and several bandits rushed out with bloodshot eyes, but in front of Lu Chen, it was just a matter of throwing a few more punches.

The power of the Azure Dragon flows through both arms.

One punch shattered his chest.

One punch to the throat.

Lu Chen stood guard outside the treasure vault passage, his robes stained with blood, corpses piled at his feet, yet his expression remained completely unchanged.

"That saves me the time of going in and looting."

He said in a low voice.

Another incense stick's time passed.

The last bandit, carrying a few taels of silver, walked out of the passage, trembling.

Upon seeing the corpses scattered on the ground, his legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud.

"Hero, spare my life!"

"Spare me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Chen had already thrown a punch.

The mountain wind blew through the village gate, causing the village flag to flutter loudly.

This bandit stronghold, which had occupied Chixia Mountain for many years, robbing caravans and slaughtering mountain people, has finally quieted down.

Lu Chen picked up everything from the ground and counted it; the silver in total was only a little over a hundred taels.

These bandits must have squandered a lot of their wealth, leaving very little behind.

There are a few martial arts manuals, though.

"The Wild Bear's Mountain-Slamming Skill", "The Black Wind Saber Technique"...

What Lu Chen cared about most was Qiu Heixiong's "Heart-Shattering Strength".

Lu Chen carefully put away the manual, packed up all the silver, then slung his bag over his shoulder, and with a light step, his figure disappeared into the forest.

Back at the herb garden, Lu Chen told Wang Zhong about the annihilation of Black Wind Stronghold.

The latter never expected that the bandits who had plagued them for years would be wiped out by Lu Chen alone.

"You've broken through to the Great Perfection of Blood Removal?"

Wang Zhong considered the only possibility.

Only when Lu Chen breaks through to the Great Perfection of Blood Transformation can he possibly wipe out Black Wind Stronghold on his own.

Lu Chen nodded, tossed the captured manual to Wang Zhong, and kept the "Heart-Shattering Force" for himself.

He returned to his small courtyard and began studying the book "The Heart-Shattering Force".

This is a method specifically for cultivating internal strength.

There are no specific martial arts moves; only internal strength is trained.

There are four stages: breaking the skin, shaking the flesh, shattering the bones, and destroying the heart.

Qiu Heixiong had only reached the second level of minor mastery, where his internal force could penetrate the skin and flesh, and vibrate the muscle structure.

Those who are hit will experience muscle soreness, numbness, stiffness, and localized convulsions, as if struck by a blunt object.

If one cultivates to the third level of mastery, the force will penetrate flesh and blood and strike the bones directly.

When mastered to perfection, one can shatter the heart with a single palm strike, directly impacting the heart meridian.

For a Blood Transformation Realm martial artist, the heart meridian is the core of all blood and qi circulation.

When the heart meridian is damaged and the flow of qi and blood is obstructed, a martial artist's combat effectiveness is greatly reduced.

Lu Chen looked at the explanations on the book pages, his expression gradually becoming serious.

This skill is indeed ruthless.

However, if one can grasp the changes in force within it and combine it with the Azure Dragon Force, then...

His punching power is bound to reach an even higher level.

After flipping through the entire manual, a transparent light screen quietly appeared before Lu Chen's eyes:

[A Heart-Pounding Force: Not Yet Entering the Gate]

[Progress: 0/100]

Lu Chen blinked.

The light screen rippled gently open like water, and then lines of familiar handwriting appeared:

[Panlong Stance Skill: Perfect]

【Characteristics: Coiled Dragon Body, Appearance of the Dragon Dissipates Force】

[Azure Dragon Tongbei Fist: Perfect]

【Special Feature: Azure Dragon's Might】

[Iron Wire Grappling Technique: Da Cheng]

[Progress: 602/1000]

[Golden Ape Through the Forest Kick: Perfect]

【Special Feature: Golden Ape Leg】

Lu Chen quietly looked at the record in front of him.

Panlong Zhuang Gong (a type of martial art) can transport qi and blood, strengthen the foundation, and neutralize and deflect force.

The Azure Dragon Tongbei Fist makes his punches as swift and deadly as a dragon, capable of defeating an enemy with a single blow.

The Iron Wire Grappling Technique adds more variety to his close-quarters combat.

The Golden Ape Through the Forest Kick allows him to move swiftly through the mountains and forests, advancing and retreating at will.

These martial arts techniques paved the way for his path in martial arts.

"Three perfect-level martial arts techniques and one mastered grappling technique. With my current strength, an ordinary mastered Blood-Transferring Martial Artist should not be my match."

"If I encounter a strong enemy, I can use my leg techniques to fight them off, or even just run away."

With a slight thought, Lu Chen concealed the transparent light screen, revealing a confident expression on his face.

However, he did not stop and immediately began to cultivate the Heart-Shattering Strength.

The path of martial arts is boundless; there is always a higher mountain to climb, and he will continue to climb.

Night falls, and the sky is filled with stars.

Lu Chen was diligently studying the Heart-Shattering Technique in the courtyard when Wang Zhong suddenly rushed over.

He was covered in sweat, his face extremely pale, and he shouted loudly, "Lu Chen!"

Lu Chen looked up. "Chief Wang, what happened?"

Wang Zhong took a breath. "This is terrible."

"Something's happened at the yam shop!"

Lu Chen's gaze sharpened. "What's going on?"

"The Huang family has made their move."

Wang Zhong continued, "Just tonight, the Huang family launched a surprise attack on the county's yam shop."

"Two of the three alchemists are dead."

"Only Master Ge Ye was fortunate enough to escape unharmed under the protection of Senior Qiao Yuan."

Lu Chen's face darkened.

Alchemists are the true foundation of the yam trade.

Medicinal herbs can be bought, and guards can be hired, but once an alchemist dies, the pill business is essentially being strangled.

"Where is Senior Qiao?"

Wang Zhong's expression grew even uglier.

"After Senior Qiao Yuan protected Master Ge Ye, he went out to pursue the murderer."

"As a result, we were ambushed."

"The enemy was prepared, and three Blood Transformation Masters surrounded and killed him alone."

Lu Chen's expression changed drastically. "Three Blood Transformation Masters?"

"good."

Wang Zhong's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "Senior Qiao fought his way out, killing one and injuring another, but he himself was also seriously injured."

The flickering lights cast intermittent light and shadow on Lu Chen's face.

Upon learning that Qiu Heixiong of Black Wind Village had broken through to the Great Perfection realm with the help of the Huang family during the day and attacked the medicine garden, he immediately understood that the Huang family wanted to completely take over Wang Ji and dominate the elixir market in Chixia County.

Wang Zhong looked at Lu Chen at this moment, his tone urgent:

"The shopkeeper wants you to go back and help."

"The yam market is in complete chaos right now, and everyone is panicking. Since the Huang family has already made their move, they certainly won't let it go easily; they'll come back a second time."

"The shopkeeper wants you to return to the county town to take charge."

"Okay!" Lu Chen did not hesitate and immediately set off back to the county town.