Under One Person, Engage in Black Technology

Chapter 216 Fighting
Seeing Qiu Rang attacking his head, the evil monk showed no panic whatsoever. Instead, a sinister smile crept onto his face, a smile as sharp as a cracked ravine on a sandbar, appearing particularly ferocious on his stubble-covered face.

But he's not a clown, nor is he just someone who laughs wildly.

He slammed his toes into the ground with such force that it created a shallow crater half an inch deep. His body swayed and tilted backward like a leaf suddenly lifted by a gale—his waist and legs were almost bent at a ninety-degree angle, and the silk thread behind his head brushed the ground, barely avoiding Qiu Rang's powerful slash.

Swish!
But Qiu Rang was no pushover either. Seeing that his horizontal slash had been dodged, he immediately used his hand, wrist, and shoulder to turn the non-aggressive blade into a slash, sweeping it diagonally downwards.

Upon seeing this, the evil monk frowned, twisted his waist suddenly, and swung his body back to center like a spinning top. After dodging the attack once again, he used the momentum of the spin to approach Qiu Rang again.

With a flick of his wrist, he gripped the longsword in a reverse grip, the blade whistling through the air, like a venomous snake poised to strike, and stabbed fiercely toward Qiu Rang's right shoulder.

Swish!
Compared to the previous attack, this sword strike was so fast that it left only a blur, clearly employing the tactic of using a 'fast and slow blade'. Wherever its edge touched, golden and red energies trembled and emitted a sharp hiss, displaying overwhelming power.

Upon seeing this, Qiu Rang felt a chill run down his spine, his pupils contracted sharply, and he pushed off with all his might, retreating rapidly to the side and back, trying to avoid this fatal blow.

But... the distance was too close, and the evil monk's sword strikes were too fast; he was ultimately a beat too slow.

With a crisp "clang," the longsword struck Qiu Rang's right shoulder with a solid blow. The sound was as clear as jade striking jade, yet it carried a force powerful enough to shatter metal and split stone.

Fortunately... Qiu Rang's 'close combat' was just a hobby; his main profession was a weapon refiner. Although he was struck in a vital spot, his protective magic weapon took effect in time.

That crisp sound was proof of the clash between the sword strike and the protective magic weapon.

hum!
A faint golden light suddenly shone from Qiu Rang's shoulder. The light was like gold just taken from a furnace, warm and intense, and instantly formed a semi-transparent protective shield around him.

The sword blade struck the protective shield, causing the golden light of the protective artifact to tremble violently, rippling like waves, yet it never shattered.

when!
Ultimately, the evil monk's energy and power applied to the sword quickly dissipated under the resistance of the golden light, leaving only a shallow white mark on the opponent's shoulder, without even tearing his clothes.

Seeing this, the evil monk showed no surprise, as if he had expected this outcome.

He stuck out his tongue and slowly licked his dry, chapped lips, then smoothed the Hermès hat hanging on his back. His eyes flashed with even more ferocity as he grinned maliciously and said:

"This attack failed to break through; it seems we'll have to go even harder..."

Deputy Village Chief Qiu naturally heard what the other party said, but he didn't react in any particular way. Although he was struck squarely by the swordsman monk's sword, the defense of his protective magic weapon was within his calculations.

After this attack, and by observing the energy stored in his protective magic artifact, he gained a clear assessment of his opponent's strength—far inferior to the group of temporary workers he encountered yesterday.

When the topic of 'temporary workers' came up, Qiu Rang immediately pictured the people from Na Du Tong from yesterday.

Let's start with the most unassuming of those 'temporary workers,' Black Pipe. His seemingly ordinary fists contain terrifying power in every punch. If he can withstand the steel-like Black Armor, it means that his moves can pierce through clouds and split rocks, and breaking magical artifacts is naturally no problem.

As for Xiao Zizai, although his specific methods were not very clear, Qiu Rang had only heard that he used Buddhist martial arts. However, since he was able to torture and kill Master Zhao, he must also have the ability to destroy protective magic artifacts.

Then there's Feng Baobao. As long as she wields that kitchen knife nicknamed "Okamoto 001," she has the ability to destroy 'ordinary' protective magical artifacts with a single heavy blow.

Of course, even so, for the three of them to break through the protective magic artifacts, even the most ordinary ones, they would need to strike the vital points precisely and use the most intense force—like piercing a window with an awl, finding the weak point would make the task much easier.

But the so-called vital points and the most dangerous points are ultimately nothing more than weaknesses in the defense.

Just now, Qiu Rang had been 'accidentally' caught off guard and his weakness was exploited by the evil monk, who struck him squarely with his sword. Yet, his protective magic weapon didn't even have a crack, and the golden light on it only trembled slightly before returning to normal...

The conclusion is quite clear when comparing the two: the group of people in front of us, whose origins are unknown, are far less capable than the "temporary workers".

However, the exact extent of this "distance"—whether it's like being separated by a small stream or a vast ocean—requires further investigation to determine.

especially……

Qiu Rang quickly scanned the entire area, thinking to himself, 'This sword-wielding demonic monk is probably the strongest among their group.'

'At least from the perspective of pure Qi circulation speed and physical destructive force, this is indeed the case.'

Ignoring the vulgar and vicious words the evil monk opposite him continued to spew, Qiu Rang pondered for a moment before frowning. His thick eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown, and fine beads of sweat trickled down his face.

While the other party was making threats, his brain was working like a high-speed gear, rapidly calculating his next course of action.

'Should we call Wu Kui and Jin Yong over?'

Qiu Rang pondered for a moment, then explained to himself, "With opponents of this caliber, if two more people join, creating a three-on-one situation, I can definitely win within a few rounds!"

"Three against five is difficult, but five against five is a sure win. Two of us can hold them off while the other three attack. Even if the opponents unleash some new skills, they definitely won't be able to turn the tide..."

But the thought was abruptly interrupted as soon as it popped into his head.

When the evil monk realized that his trash-talking tactics were ineffective and saw that Qiu Rang was distracted by his own madness, the fierce light in his eyes suddenly intensified, like an enraged beast.

His sinister grin abruptly stopped, replaced by an almost manic rage.

Without further ado, he slammed his feet into the ground, and with a muffled thud, the ground shattered.

His figure shot towards Qiu Rang like an arrow released from a bow, his long sword carrying an even more ferocious aura than before, with a faint red light emanating from the blade, clearly infused with a large amount of Qi, aiming straight for Qiu Rang's throat.

brush!brush!brush!
In the blink of an eye, the evil monk's wrist spun rapidly like a windmill, and the long sword in his hand was manipulated with Qi, creating several dazzling sword flowers.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Each of these sword flowers was as big as a washbasin, with layers upon layers of petals, the edges gleaming with the cold light of white iron, like a mandala blooming on the edge of hell, its core adorned with red, possessing a deadly beauty, covering the sky and engulfing Qiu Rang.

These sword blossoms were extraordinary; wherever they drifted, the cores of the blossoms sprayed out, leaving behind faint, vibrant red energy in the air, like congealed blood droplets. As they accumulated, they coalesced into a thin red mist in the air, resembling blood filling the sky, emitting a faint, fishy odor. *Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!*
Seeing the sword flowers based on Qi coming towards him, Qiu Rang dared not be negligent. He quickly transformed [Non-Aggression] back into a shield, bracing his arms against the shield, preparing to withstand the dense sword attacks.

Another series of clanging sounds rang out like popping beans, and each contact between the sword and the shield made Qiu Rang's arm go slightly numb.

Having weathered the attack, Deputy Village Chief Qiu seized the opportunity to turn around. At the same time, with a thought, [Non-Aggression] instantly transformed into a small crossbow. He raised his hand, aimed at the evil monk, and pulled the invisible trigger, firing three arrows in quick succession—these arrows had been hidden within Non-Aggression beforehand, imbued with Qi, and hurtled straight towards the evil monk's face with a sharp whistling sound.

These three arrows, which he considered mere 'playing a side game,' were all swept away by his sword flashes before he even saw the 'chessboard.'

Upon seeing this, the evil monk opposite him sneered again and suddenly thrust out his sword. The movement seemed ordinary, but it was as if he had flipped a switch. The red energy that had been spreading in the air was drawn by an invisible force and instantly condensed into several red energy waves, surging towards Qiu Rang.

Wherever the Qi wave passed, the air seemed to be ignited, making a "sizzling" sound and carrying a scorching heat wave.

Chou Rang wasn't stupid. His opponent had clearly prepared a killing move after laying the groundwork for so long. If he were to take a hit from such a move that consumed a lot of Qi, even his backup protective magic weapon would probably not be able to withstand it.

So he quickly transformed [Non-Aggression] into hook lock mode. The sharp hook at one end gleamed coldly. With a flick of his wrist, the hook aimed precisely at the distant rock formation.

With a "whoosh," the sharp hook flew out and embedded itself deeply into the rock, instantly tightening the rope.

Using the pull, Qiu Rang jumped back quickly, trying to avoid the red wall of air.

Just as he was rapidly retreating using the grappling hook, he suddenly caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that in the direction his grappling hook was traveling—a “gigantic” bee made up of countless insect corpses was blocking his retreat path, clearly having been waiting for a long time.

Moreover, bad news also came from other corners of the battlefield.

Zhong Xiaolong was being pressed down in front of the man in the blue robe, with nowhere to retreat.

The man in the green robe closed his iron fan and used the fan ribs as a weapon to smash it hard into Zhong Xiaolong's forehead.

With a "plop," blood instantly gushed from Zhong Xiaolong's forehead, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the ground, spreading into dark red patches.

After being hit, Zhong Xiaolong used the force of the opponent's weapon to jump back, but he also shook his head, obviously he was a little dizzy.

Meanwhile, Zhang Kun, the Earth Immortal, was not faring much better. Although he had his arms wrapped around the neck of the boxer Fu Zai, he also used his Earth Escape Technique to drag half of Fu Zai's body upside down into the ground, tightly locking him in place.

But... Fu Zai's strength was truly astonishing. With one hand, he used Zhang Kun's arm to deflect the force, preventing himself from fainting and being eliminated. With the other hand, he firmly gripped Zhang Kun's legs, thus "controlling" Zhang Kun in that same spot.

The two were like bulls in a gladiatorial arena, neither able to break free of the other's grip, locked in a stalemate in the mud, veins bulging on their faces, clearly having expended tremendous strength.

Seeing this situation suddenly deteriorate without any apparent reason, Qiu Rang did not hesitate any longer.

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes. He ripped off the tinder-shaped magic weapon hanging from his waist and threw it at the swarm of giant bees, instantly detonating the weapon.

This magical artifact was made by him; if it were used as a disposable item, its power would be several times greater.

"boom!"

After a loud bang, a raging fire suddenly erupted, like a wall of fire falling from the sky, instantly engulfing the entire swarm of bees.

After burning for a while, the flames burst forth with renewed vigor, reaching an astonishingly high temperature that distorted the air itself.

The giant bee let out a mournful hiss in the flames, its wings flapping at a slower and slower pace, until it was quickly burned to ashes and scattered on the ground, leaving only a burnt smell.

Upon seeing his treasure gone, the beekeeper's expression changed drastically, a look of panic appearing on his previously calm face for the first time. Qiu Rang, noticing this, also breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.

After all, judging from the old man's demeanor as he commanded the bees, there was no need to worry about him summoning another large bee to harass them for the time being.

Then, Qiu Rang pulled out a pill from his pocket and threw it violently to the ground.

boom!
As a cloud of smoke and dust exploded, the moment the food bag landed, a strangely shaped mechanical beast emerged from it—a [hound].

When the greyhound was first summoned, it remained motionless like a statue. But after two breaths, its eyes lit up with a pale blue light, its limbs began to move slightly, and its joints made a soft "click" sound, indicating that it had been successfully activated.

After shaking itself off, the greyhound first looked around, seemingly analyzing the situation.

A moment later, it opened its mouth wide, letting out a low growl, and then a torrent of flames spewed out of its mouth.

The flames were orange-red, carrying rolling heat waves, and shot straight towards the nearest sword-wielding evil monk, scorching the ground wherever they passed.

……

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away from the battlefield, in downtown LPS, Liu Ke was about to accept a cone of ice cream from Chen Duo on a bench in front of an ice cream shop.

The ice cream cone was strawberry flavored, with pink cream sprinkled with chocolate shavings, making it look very tempting.

But just as Liu Ke's fingers were about to touch the cold ice cream cone, he suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing tightly. Judging from his expression, it seemed as if he had remembered something important.

Seeing this, Chen Duo, who was still in the "handing over" posture, also paused.

Her movements were somewhat numb, or rather, a little stiff, but she still asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Her voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing the people around her.

(End of this chapter)