Chapter 162 Rescued

Boom!

The blade Qi cleaved a crack several yards long directly into the ground.

"Not bad reflexes, kid, but unfortunately, you can't stop our attacks."

Almost simultaneously, a voice rang out from behind, followed by a long sword thrusting forward.

Its target was none other than Zhen Zhuang's back, aiming straight for his heart.

"Oh no! I can't dodge this."

By the time Zhen Zhuang reacted, it was already too late.

Realizing it was impossible to avoid the strike entirely, he could only twist his body sideways as much as possible to protect his vital organs.

Puff!

A trace of blood seeped out.

The tip of the sword pierced his skin, sinking three fingers deep.

And that was the extent of it. No matter how much force the sword-wielding Grand Master applied, he could not break through the muscles and bones.

This left the sword-wielding Grand Master slightly startled. Just as he prepared to retract his blade, Zhen Zhuang suddenly turned his head.

He grabbed the long sword with his bare hand.

"You're courting death!"

Seeing that he had actually grabbed the naked blade, the attacker attempted to channel his internal Qi to slice the opponent's fingers off.

However, he quickly discovered that Zhen Zhuang's hand was as hard as dark iron. No matter how much internal Qi he infused, it failed to budge even a fraction of an inch.

"Wh-What?!" The sword-wielding Grand Master looked at Zhen Zhuang in utter astonishment.

Although his long sword was not a spiritual weapon, once infused with internal Qi, it surpassed ordinary spiritual weapons.

It was no exaggeration to describe it as something that could cut through iron as if it were mud.

"You brought this on yourselves."

Having sustained an injury, Zhen Zhuang could no longer suppress the roar within his heart.

Days of relentless slaughter, combined with the wound he had just received, completely awakened the ferocious violence buried deep in his soul.

He exerted a slight pressure with his fingers.

Crack!

The long sword snapped in two right on cue.

Immediately afterward, amidst the bewildered gaze of the sword-wielding Grand Master, Zhen Zhuang threw a punch.

Boom!

The blow landed squarely on the opponent's chest, and a burst of blood blossomed from his back.

"You..."

The man tried to say something, but blood surged from his mouth instead.

He collapsed straight down, lifeless.

This spectacle terrified everyone present.

For a moment, no one spoke; they merely stared at Zhen Zhuang in horror.

To catch a weapon bare-handed and emerge completely unscathed—

Such physical fortitude chilled their hearts, reminding them of a unique and rare path.

Body Refiners.

Rumor had it that Qi refiners relied on magical treasures to boost their combat power, whereas body refiners had only one weapon: their own physical body.

No matter whom they fought, they always engaged bare-handed.

In the early stages, body refiners might fall short of Qi refiners, but once a body refiner's physical vessel matured,

at the same realm, a body refiner was the very definition of invincibility.

Possessing near-infinite strength alongside formidable defensive prowess.

"This kid is a body refiner! Watch out, everyone, don't lower your guard."

The middle-aged man leading the group apparently recognized the terrifying nature of body refiners and hurriedly warned his subordinates.

Hearing this, the expressions of the other Grand Masters turned grim.

Most of them were familiar, to varying degrees, with the legends surrounding body refiners.

If not for the fact that cultivating the body was exceptionally arduous, coupled with the astronomical resources required for each stage of physical tempering, body refiners would have been the true protagonists of this era.

"I don't want to fight you. I'm just waiting for my young master," Zhen Zhuang said indifferently.

However, his previous actions had completely infuriated the group.

With one of their companions killed outright, how could they possibly swallow this humiliation?

"Dead or alive, kill him!"

At the middle-aged man's command, all the Grand Masters attacked simultaneously.

Every single one of them unleashed their ultimate lethal technique, determined to eliminate Zhen Zhuang on the spot.

This completely enraged Zhen Zhuang. He hadn't wanted to fight, not out of fear, nor because of cowardice.

He had merely wanted to wait for Xiao Yang's return, yet these people kept pressing him, trying over and over again to take his life.

Even a clay Buddha had a temper, let alone a living person.

"You asked for this."

Zhen Zhuang took a deep breath, faint red Qi swirling around his entire body.

Simultaneously, more than a dozen attacks landed upon him all at once.

In an instant, Zhen Zhuang was completely swallowed by the flurry of blows.

"As expected of a body refiner."

After a full moment had passed, the middle-aged man spoke slowly.

Had it been an ordinary Grand Master, he would have been killed dozens of times over by now.

"I thought you people would be stronger than those beasts, but looking at it now, you're far inferior."

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

The expressions of everyone present shifted dramatically.

They stared in shock and disbelief toward the lingering dust and smoke.

The combined attacks of more than a dozen people had actually been blocked—how was that even possible?

At that very moment, a figure slowly walked out.

Although disheveled and covered in numerous wounds, the figure radiated an aura of savage fury.

"How can this be... Fall back..."

Regaining his wits quickly, the middle-aged man realized they were no match for Zhen Zhuang.

He wanted to flee and return with reinforcements.

Zhen Zhuang's brow furrowed slightly. Though he looked unhurt on the surface, his internal organs had shifted several centimeters from the impact.

Every step he took now sent searing pain through his body.

Having been pushed to such a miserable state, how could he possibly let them go?

"You want to run? Did you ask my permission?"

Locking onto a single target, he charged forward and threw a punch.

Discarding all form, stance, and technique, he relied entirely on brute, raw power.

Bang!

Sensing the impending danger, the man desperately raised his weapon to block, but the strike bent the heavy saber in his hands so badly it was ruined beyond repair.

And it didn't end there. Zhen Zhuang threw another punch.

With a single blow, he felled another enemy.

In the span of a dozen breaths, seven men had been left behind.

As for the rest, they had already fled too far; even if Zhen Zhuang gave chase, catching them was impossible.

"Consider yourselves lucky today."

He muttered, reaching out to massage his aching body.

The fierce battle had left him with severe pain all over, which he had simply endured out of necessity during the fight.

"Where on earth has the young master gone?"

Watching the retreating figures, Zhen Zhuang said with a helpless sigh.

At this moment, he felt somewhat like an abandoned, unloved orphan.

The group of Grand Masters who had fled happened to cross paths with Xiao Yang's approaching party.

The guide leading the way instantly recognized the middle-aged man running for his life in a blind panic.

"Old Liu, why are you back?"

The guide asked with a puzzled expression.

Upon seeing the City Lord, the middle-aged man finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Wonderful, we're saved."

Hearing this, the City Lord cast a suspicious glance at him before speaking coldly.

"Running around in such a panic, what kind of behavior is that?"

Hearing those words, the other Grand Masters snapped out of their daze and hurriedly stood up, while the middle-aged man scrambled back to his proper position.

"What did you run into? Didn't I tell you not to act rashly?"

"Why are you all back?"

Knowing of Xiao Yang and learning that Zhen Zhuang was Xiao Yang's man, the City Lord had rushed back to report.

Before leaving, he had explicitly instructed everyone to bide their time.

Yet now, he had an ominous premonition.

"That fellow suddenly went berserk, and he's a body refiner. Several of our men are dead," the middle-aged man said, his expression tense as memories of the encounter rushed back.

Naturally, this exchange did not escape the eyes of Xiao Yang and Jin Buhuan.

"What did you do to him?"

Sensing from the other party's words that a conflict had already occurred, resulting in casualties,

a bone-chilling wave of murderous intent caused the surrounding Grand Masters to shiver involuntarily.

They glanced at Xiao Yang in terror,

yet without daring to hesitate, they embellished the story, claiming that Zhen Zhuang had suddenly turned violent and attacked them out of nowhere.

"We actually kindly went over to ask if he wanted something to eat, but the man suddenly went mad and slaughtered several of our brothers. If we hadn't run fast, we'd all be dead down there."

Xiao Yang's eyes narrowed slightly.

His murderous intent erupted to its absolute limit.

Pressing down upon the crowd,

several Grand Masters instantly felt their legs turn to jelly, and they nearly collapsed to their knees.