"All seven are warriors. If you defeat all seven, I will let you leave."
Lin Heier and the other six men stood at the forefront, clearly the warriors that Wu Shenglao Mu referred to.
Wu Pifu and his two companions did not voice any complaints about the unfairness of the situation.
Although they were three against seven, they were the ones forced into a desperate situation.
This opportunity was truly earned by Wu Pifu's willingness to sacrifice himself, creating a scenario where the opponents would hesitate to act.
It could be said that this was their only chance for survival.
Yamadai stepped forward and said, "I'll go first!"
"No!"
Wu Pifu immediately replied to Yamadai, "You two absolutely cannot step out of the shelter even a single step. Wu Shenglao Mu will not kill me; rather, he wants to enslave me. However, he will not hesitate for a moment when it comes to you two. He might even use you to threaten me, so I must be the one to fight!"
Yamadai did not insist.
As a seasoned veteran of three battles, he naturally would not show any hesitation.
After hearing Wu Pifu's words, he immediately stepped back, standing about fifteen to twenty meters away from Wu Pifu, while holding an N5 bomb in his hand.
He said, "If I find you under mental control, I will immediately throw these bombs to kill you. Is that acceptable?"
Wu Pifu laughed heartily, "Well done!"
Xu Shilan remained silent for a moment, gripping the already movable Qiuqiu in her hand, and said, "Be careful."
Wu Pifu said nothing, but raised his gaze once again to the seven men before him.
This time, there were no unexpected occurrences.
The seven men did not exhibit any more five-colored lotus flowers in their eyes.
When Wu Pifu stared at them, they also looked back at him.
As Wu Pifu focused on them, their gazes began to gradually become more animated, and then the seven of them each spread out, twisting their bodies, gradually appearing to return to normal human form.
But Wu Pifu knew this was merely an illusion.
Among the seven, Lin Heier was the first to step forward.
Her face was filled with sorrow, and she hesitated to speak.
In the end, she could only sigh and clasp her fists, saying, "Lin Heier, greetings!"
Wu Pifu felt a pang of sadness in his heart, but at this moment, he could not afford to be distracted.
He also clasped his fists and replied, "Wu Pifu, greetings!"
Lin Heier stepped lightly, her feet gliding like lotus petals, and in three steps, she arrived before Wu Pifu.
With a single palm thrust, she executed a gesture of respect from the Buddhist sect, aiming to strike at Wu Pifu's throat.
Wu Pifu focused all his attention, and he noticed that this palm strike seemed to slow down by nearly ten percent.
This sensation was incredibly strange; he knew exactly how fast the opponent was moving, yet when he watched it unfold, he distinctly felt a sense of time dilation.
This perception allowed Wu Pifu more reaction time when facing the attack, enabling him to see everything more clearly.
(Is this... a special effect of transforming strength? Or has my physical body at the third stage become stronger?)
In that instant, this thought flashed through Wu Pifu's mind, and he saw his own palm stretch back, launching a counterattack that struck Lin Heier's palm.
With a loud crack, Lin Heier's palm fell limply, and the back of her hand showed signs of bone fracturing.
In just that brief exchange, one of Lin Heier's hands was rendered useless.
But that was not all; as Wu Pifu's palm struck out, it transformed into a claw, directly grabbing Lin Heier's tiger mouth.
In a split second, Wu Pifu nearly pulled Lin Heier into the protective area behind him.
However, he suddenly noticed a slight shift in Lin Heier's gaze.
Instinctively, he shifted from pulling to pushing, sending Lin Heier back at least five meters.
As Lin Heier retreated, she smiled gently at Wu Pifu, and her entire body began to gradually dissipate, turning to ash before it even touched the ground.
Wu Pifu stood silently in place, his mind replaying Lin Heier's smile and the subtle shift in her gaze.
He suddenly realized that if he had dragged Lin Heier into the protective area, it would not have destroyed the shelter; rather, it might have been some kind of trap.
Wu Shenglao Mu had too many means at his disposal, and he could not afford to make a single mistake.
"Come again!"
Wu Pifu remained half in the protective area and half out, waving at the remaining six men in the distance.
"The younger generation today is truly remarkable. By your appearance, you have just entered the realm of transforming strength, yet your power is already immeasurable."
One of the shorter, thinner men suddenly spoke, but he did not step forward.
Instead, a large man dressed in the attire of a Qing dynasty military general strode forward.
This general stood three meters away from Wu Pifu, coldly glaring at him while clasping his fists, saying, "Yimu Tu, greetings."
Upon seeing this general, Wu Pifu felt a chill in his heart, but he still clasped his fists and replied, "Wu Pifu, greetings!"
This general was at the transforming strength stage!
Wu Pifu immediately understood this upon seeing the general clasp his fists.
Although his battle with Lin Heier had lasted only two seconds, Wu Pifu had gained a rough understanding of his current strength and Lin Heier's strength after being controlled by Wu Shenglao Mu.
Lin Heier had originally been at the dark strength stage, but during their battle, she had already reached the peak of dark strength, just a step away from transforming strength.
Moreover, her physical power and strength had increased by at least two to three times compared to before, and the most terrifying aspect was the cold energy that accompanied her contact.
However, compared to Lin Heier, Wu Pifu's strength had increased even more dramatically.
With two top-tier treasures consumed, his human immortal martial arts had advanced to the stage of perfected skin training and opened the path of flesh training, resulting in a dramatic increase in physical quality and qi and blood, multiplying several times over.
Now, even without using qi and blood, his regular physical strength was around three to four tons with one hand.
If he unleashed his qi and blood, he could exert over fifty tons of force, which was already inhuman strength.
At the third stage of the physical body, he had entered the realm of the extraordinary, and it was entirely normal for him to incapacitate Lin Heier with a single strike.
The general Yimu Tu stared at Wu Pifu for two to three seconds, then stepped forward to stand before him.
Both fists shot out like two hammers, one aimed at his face and the other at his chest.
The wind howled as the punches flew, and with just two strikes, they gave an impression of being unbeatable and unstoppable.
This was intent!
Martial intent, fist intent, sword intent... and so on!
In that moment, Wu Pifu immediately grasped this essence of martial arts.
It wasn't as mystical as it seemed; it was merely a confidence cultivated over many years of training.
Just as a person immersed in a particular field for decades would naturally possess immense confidence in that area, whether conversing with others or working within that domain, they would exude the demeanor of a master who has everything under control.
This was what was referred to as intent.
The general before him was also a martial arts master, perhaps even a hidden grandmaster within the court, having honed this move to perfection.
When he struck, no one could block it, and over time, he naturally developed this intent.
When battling against opponents of the same level, having this martial intent made a significant difference compared to those who lacked it.
However...
As Wu Pifu faced these two punches head-on, he already had a plan in mind.
He extended both hands, palms meeting the fists.
Yimu Tu's eyes revealed disdain, and his fists suddenly accelerated again, the power behind them becoming even more violent.
At that moment, his fists began to rotate slightly, taking on a circular quality.
Countering Hammer!
The two fists struck forward, meeting Wu Pifu's palms.
Upon contact, their strength erupted simultaneously, and Yimu Tu's fists carried a chilling energy that surged into Wu Pifu's palms, traveling up his arms.
But before the strength and cold energy could fully enter his palms, a torrent of overwhelming strength surged back from Wu Pifu's hands.
Even the cold energy was repelled at that moment.
Yimu Tu felt as if he were striking not a human body, but a mountain—a mountain that was crushing down upon him.
As Wu Pifu pressed down with his palms against Yimu Tu's fists, Yimu Tu attempted to withdraw his fists, but the immense difference in power made it impossible for him to retreat.
Based on Wu Pifu's current estimation, excluding the cold energy, Yimu Tu's punch alone was exerting a force of around seven to eight tons, which was already terrifyingly powerful.
A single punch could almost shatter a human body.
However, Wu Pifu's palms contained around fifty tons of force.
The levels of strength they both unleashed were not even on the same scale; a difference of about seven times was no longer just a simple crushing.
Everyone watched as Wu Pifu's palms pressed down on Yimu Tu's fists, seemingly slow yet actually fast.
In the astonished gaze of Yimu Tu, his arms were crushed into a pulp, and then Wu Pifu's palms closed together like a constricting serpent.
With a squeeze, Yimu Tu's entire body disintegrated, collapsing to the ground motionless, quickly turning to dust.
Wu Pifu withdrew his palms, standing still, breathing.
After two seconds, he waved his hand again and said, "Come again!"
"Good!"
The short man shouted and was about to step forward, but another Qing dynasty general stepped out before him, standing at a distance and clasping his fists, saying, "Er Guawa, Batulu, greetings!"
Er Guawa was the surname of this general, while Batulu was his title, meaning "brave."
Wu Pifu paid no mind to this.
He was deeply experiencing the qualitative change brought about by the combination of national martial arts and human immortal martial arts.
Human immortal martial arts enhanced the essence and origin of the human body, granting it extraordinary physical capabilities, while national martial arts allowed for a multiple explosion of qi and blood and physical qualities, resulting in this overwhelming effect.
He also clasped his fists and said, "Wu Pifu, greetings!"
Er Guawa let out a strange cry, then leaped up to a height of three meters, aiming a single-footed kick at Wu Pifu's temple.
Wu Pifu remained rooted in place, not even attempting to dodge.
One palm was raised to shield his temple, while the other clawed at the lower leg of the kicking foot.
However, halfway through his claw strike, Er Guawa unexpectedly changed his move in mid-air, converting the kick aimed at Wu Pifu's temple into a push against Wu Pifu's arm, while extending his other leg to kick at Wu Pifu's other temple.
In the blink of an eye, Wu Pifu's entire body flipped, both hands pushing down toward the ground, while his legs met Er Guawa's legs in a clash.
The dull thuds of impact rang out almost simultaneously as Wu Pifu's legs, like steel, directly broke Er Guawa's kicking legs.
His legs did not stop; like scissors, they crossed and clamped down, brutally snapping Er Guawa's spine.
When he landed, his upper and lower body collapsed to the ground, unable to struggle even once.
The next second, Er Guawa also turned to dust and vanished.
Wu Pifu flipped back up, took a deep breath, and waved his hand again, saying, "Come again!"
The remaining four men suddenly fell silent, each looking at Wu Pifu with grave expressions.
In the distance, Yamadai and Xu Shilan were fixated on the battle, their hearts racing in their throats.
Yet, neither they, nor Wu Pifu, nor Qiuqiu, noticed...
The dust from Lin Heier, Yimu Tu, and Er Guawa scattered across the ground outside the shelter.
Invisible to the naked eye, each particle was wriggling in the soil, surrounding the very edge of the protective area, and was...
Gradually eroding inward, millimeter by millimeter!
Wu Pifu, unknowingly, had already stepped more than half of his body outside the protective area!!
And deep in Wu Pifu's memory, the information he had deliberately forgotten seemed to be surfacing in a daze...
(End of Chapter)