NABC Chapter 24 Encirclement
Chapter 24 Encirclement
He knelt on one knee, his left hand tightly covering his injured left rib, his fingertips almost digging into his flesh. His chest rose and fell slightly as he took a few deep breaths. His originally handsome face turned pale, and a trace of undisguised pain flashed between his brows.
"He hit him! He's injured!"
Upon seeing this, the fat man's eyes instantly lit up with intense joy. He gripped the cold dagger in his hand and excitedly shouted to his second brother beside him, his tone full of excitement.
The man in black, referred to as the second brother, remained standing still, his figure as steady as a mountain, showing no sign of rashly rushing forward to attack.
His eyes were as cold and deep as an icy pool, fixed on Li Yi, who was kneeling on one knee. The veins on his hand, which gripped the long sword tightly, bulged, and the blade gleamed with a chilling light. His aura was completely suppressed. He was holding back, observing, and quietly waiting for Li Yi to reveal a greater weakness due to his injuries, so that he could strike to decide the outcome.
A moment later, Li Yi slowly straightened up and gently released his left hand from his left rib, letting the faint stinging pain from the wound continue to assault his senses.
The light within his double pupils remained steady, without a trace of panic or ferocity. However, deep within his indifferent gaze lay an extremely profound and contemplative meaning.
There was no overwhelming rage, no trace of fear, only an extreme seriousness, as if he had finally faced up to the strength of the opponents before him.
"A strike from a late-stage Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator is indeed extraordinary."
Li Yi gently moved his aching and numb left arm, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth that aggravated the wound and sent waves of dull pain through him. Yet his tone remained calm and indifferent, revealing little emotion as he said, "That punch did indeed have some real skill."
On the other side, Scarface slowly swung his numb fist, the force of the recoil making his hand ache slightly, but his heart was already in turmoil, filled with disbelief.
That punch he just unleashed was with ninety percent of his Yuan Power. Even an ordinary Tianyuan Realm expert would be seriously injured and on the verge of death if hit by it. Even a late-stage Tianyuan Realm expert would definitely not be able to withstand this domineering blow. At best, their bones and muscles would be shattered, and at worst, they would perish on the spot.
But this young man in front of me, who was clearly only at the mid-stage of the Earthly Realm, withstood this fatal punch. He only needed to land and take a short breath before standing up again as if nothing had happened. His physical body was so strong that it defied common sense.
"How...how could his body be so hard?" Scarface's throat bobbed, his voice carrying an undisguised dryness and apprehension.
"It is said that those with double pupils possess extraordinary strength, which cannot be measured by ordinary Earthly Realm cultivators."
The tall, thin second brother finally spoke slowly, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a strong sense of gravity. His gaze remained fixed on Li Yi, not daring to relax for a moment. He said, "Stop treating him as an ordinary mid-stage Earth Origin Realm expert. From now on, treat him as... a Core Formation Realm expert and fight him with all your might."
These words struck Scarface and Fatty like a thunderclap, their expressions instantly changing drastically, their eyes filled with horror.
Yuan Dan Realm!
That level is where one has already condensed their Yuan Dan and undergone a complete transformation. Their cultivation barriers are formidable, enough to crush all Tianyuan Realm cultivators. They are not even in the same combat power dimension.
The young man before me clearly only possesses Yuan energy at the mid-Earth Origin stage, so why should he be regarded as a formidable enemy at the Yuan Dan realm?
However, their ability to withstand a full-force attack from a late-stage Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator had already shattered their preconceived notions. The full-force offensive of an ordinary late-stage Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator had little effect on him. His physical strength was formidable, his perception was extraordinary, and his combat power was unpredictable and could not be judged by ordinary standards.
"Second Brother, if we're talking about the Yuan Dan realm, how are the three of us supposed to fight?" The fat man's hand holding the dagger trembled slightly, and a sense of fear rose in his heart that he could hardly suppress.
The second brother did not answer immediately; his expression shifted rapidly as he quickly calculated the situation in his mind.
In just a few breaths, the five of them, who had joined forces and were full of overwhelming momentum, thought that taking down a mid-stage Earth Origin youth would be a piece of cake.
In the blink of an eye, the third and fifth brothers perished on the spot, and the once large five-man gang is now reduced to just the three of them struggling to survive.
On the other hand, his opponent only took one punch from beginning to end. Although he was injured, he remained calm and composed, and his combat power did not drop significantly.
"Don't engage him in a direct confrontation." The second brother gritted his teeth and gave the order in a deep voice, a fierce glint in his eyes. He said, "The three of us will surround him and keep him occupied, focusing on wearing him down."
"No matter how extraordinary he is, he's still only at the mid-stage of the Earthly Origin Realm, and his total Yuan Power must have a limit. The three of us are all at the Heavenly Origin Realm, with profound Yuan Power foundations. By using three against one, we can wear him down!"
Scarface nodded emphatically upon hearing this, suppressing his apprehension. He once again gathered dense crimson energy in his fists, and his ferocious aura surged once more.
The fat man took a deep breath, forcibly calming his panicked mind. He switched the dagger to his left hand and gripped it tightly. His right hand quietly reached into his waist and pulled out three poison needles that gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light. He gently held them between his fingers, the tips of which were surrounded by a faint, fishy, poisonous odor, clearly indicating that they were coated with potent poison.
The three moved slightly, quickly forming a triangle, their movements coordinated and their breaths linked, instantly trapping Li Yi firmly in the center of the encirclement, blocking all routes of advance and retreat.
Li Yi stood quietly in the center of the encirclement, his gaze slowly sweeping over the three people's solemn and wary expressions. Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on his indifferent lips.
The smile wasn't mocking or contemptuous; rather, it carried a hint of calm approval, as if acknowledging that the opponent had finally abandoned their underestimation and revealed their true teamwork and strength.
"That's what makes me a little interested."
The moment the words left his mouth, the battle erupted.
The second brother stepped forward first, but instead of directly slashing with his sword, he moved erratically, dragging his long sword diagonally on the ground. The sharp blade rubbed violently against the hard rocks, scattering a series of dazzling sparks and creating a continuous, ear-piercing sound of metal scraping against metal, constantly assaulting people's minds.
His move was not to kill immediately, but to disrupt Li Yi's judgment with noise, while moving around to distract Li Yi and coordinate with the other two to form a perfect encirclement.
The scarred man on the left seized the opportunity to pounce forward, his figure like a tiger emerging from the mountain, unleashing a barrage of punches. The fist shadows overlapped one after another, and the thick, blood-red Yuan energy, along with the whistling fist wind, densely blocked all of Li Yi's left flank's dodging space.
He had already obeyed the order, no longer seeking to achieve victory in one strike, but only to press forward step by step, forcing Li Yi to constantly dodge and deplete his physical strength and energy.
The fat man on the right moved like a snake, hesitant to get close and fight rashly. He always kept a safe distance on the outside, his eyes fixed on Li Yi's weaknesses. Three poison needles between his fingers were ready to be fired at any time, ready to launch a sneak attack and inflict a fatal poison wound.
Having worked together for many years, the three had developed a natural tacit understanding. Instead of launching a rash attack, they opted for a cautious and protracted war of attrition, gradually reducing Li Yi's room to maneuver.