846. An Even Stronger Move / 847. Eating Strange Fruits

Seeing that he was injured, Izayoi’s expression darkened. Gritting his teeth, he circulated his true qi to stop the bleeding and heal himself while charging at the old man before him.

This old man’s strength far exceeded his expectations. Though Izayoi was already a formidable fighter, he still seemed utterly helpless before him.

Izayoi roared and shouted the name of his move.

"Sky-Breaking Slash!" A fierce sword qi flew toward the old man.

The old man snorted coldly. "Such a petty trick, and you think you can hurt me? Break!"

As soon as he spoke, the old man extended his right palm and struck at Izayoi’s Sky-Breaking Slash. This was the old man’s signature technique, the Life-Stealing Chain Palm.

This palm technique was incredibly powerful. Legend had it that every palm strike contained the might to destroy heaven and earth. If a move like this struck a person, it could instantly smash them into pieces.

Seeing such a move, Izayoi was deeply frightened. He had never expected this old man to possess such a terrifying technique, and he could not help trembling.

Still, he gathered his courage and confronted the old man. After all, even if he ran now, he would not be able to escape. He might as well give it everything he had. With that thought, Izayoi charged forward.

Very soon, the old man’s palm had reached Izayoi. Izayoi hurriedly resisted him.

With a bang, the old man’s palm collided directly with Izayoi’s Sky-Breaking Slash. Then came a muffled crash as the massive Blood Drinker Saber was shattered by the old man’s palm into several pieces.

"Ah!" Izayoi cried out in pain as his body was sent flying backward. The old man’s palm had contained a powerful shockwave, which blasted Izayoi away.

Seeing this, the old man sneered. "You think you can hurt me? You’re overestimating yourself." A proud look appeared on his face, as though he believed himself invincible and without equal in the world.

His figure flashed as he rushed toward Izayoi at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he caught up to Izayoi, who had fallen to the ground, and stretched out his hand, ready to crush him into a pulp.

At that moment, Izayoi’s speed suddenly surged.

"Phantom Sword Art!" The Phantom Sword Art was Izayoi’s signature technique, capable of instantly slaying an enemy.

Izayoi’s figure blurred in an instant. When he appeared again, the sword in his hand had already pierced through the old man’s chest.

The old man’s pupils dilated, his face filled with unwillingness and terror.

With a thud, the old man’s corpse fell to the ground, becoming a cold body.

The old man’s life came to an end.

After dealing with the old man, Izayoi examined the treasures on his body and swept them all away.

Stronger Techniques

Izayoi spotted a strange-looking fruit in the distance, radiating a gray glow. Though the fruit looked completely ordinary, Izayoi could sense the immense power contained within it.

Delighted, he walked closer. Izayoi plucked the fruit and examined it in his hand.

Just as Izayoi put away the strange spirit fruit, a middle-aged man appeared before him. The man’s gaze was clearly drawn to the spirit fruit.

Izayoi looked at him and demanded loudly, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The middle-aged man suddenly gave a strange smile, one that looked utterly terrifying.

"Kid, hand over the spirit fruit you just obtained, or there will be only one path for you: death!"

Izayoi frowned when he heard the middle-aged man’s words. He had always hated being threatened, especially in such an intimidating manner.

So Izayoi directly grabbed the middle-aged man and sent him flying with one palm strike. Looking at him, Izayoi cursed, "Bastard, you dare threaten me? Do you know who I am?!"

The middle-aged man was sent flying by Izayoi. He fell from the air, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Only then did he realize that this young man, who had looked so weak, actually had some skill.

However, the middle-aged man was not afraid. He had only been struck by Izayoi because he had been careless. If he used his full strength, Izayoi would be no match for him.

Suddenly, powerful energy erupted from the middle-aged man’s body, shocking Izayoi.

He had not expected this seemingly ordinary middle-aged man to unleash such immense power. Just who was this man?

The middle-aged man looked at Izayoi and gave a sinister smile. "I’ve changed my mind. I saw that thing first. I refuse to believe I can’t snatch it away from you!"

As he spoke, he swung his fist at Izayoi. Bursts of fist wind erupted from his punch, instantly uprooting a patch of trees. He truly intended to seize that spirit fruit.

Izayoi snorted disdainfully. He did not dodge, allowing the middle-aged man’s fist to strike him.

When the middle-aged man saw that this attack had failed to seriously injure his opponent, he was not disappointed. Instead, excitement appeared on his face.

"Good! Good, excellent! It’s been far too long since I encountered an opponent as challenging as you. It seems I must keep you here today and make you my sparring partner!"

Izayoi looked at the middle-aged man and smiled faintly. A competitive spirit rose within him as well. He wanted to see whether this man truly had what it took.

So Izayoi answered directly, "I want to see too, whether you’re qualified to make me your sparring partner!"

At that moment, the middle-aged man punched Izayoi in the face, blasting him away. Izayoi crashed through several large trees before finally coming to a stop.

Seeing that a single punch had sent his opponent flying, the middle-aged man burst into laughter. His eyes were filled with arrogance as he coldly mocked Izayoi, who lay on the ground.

"Kid, you’re really pathetic. You can’t even withstand one punch from me! Looks like I overestimated you. I’ve decided now—you must die!"

The middle-aged man walked toward Izayoi step by step. Izayoi had already gotten back to his feet and wiped the corner of his mouth. He felt some regret now. He had not expected the middle-aged man to be so strong.

Eating the Strange Fruit

Izayoi looked at the middle-aged man before him and thought, It seems I’ll have to use a stronger technique to deal with him. With that thought, he used the sword in his hand to smear his face’s blood onto the blade. Suddenly, the sword radiated a dazzling red light.

"Blood Slash!" Startling crimson energy burst from his body and shot directly toward the middle-aged man.

Seeing this powerful energy, the middle-aged man knew he could never block it. Yet he was not afraid. Instead, he used the long whip in his hand to scatter the crimson energy.

At that moment, Izayoi’s sword had already reached the middle-aged man and pierced his shoulder.

In an instant, the intense pain forced the middle-aged man to stagger back several steps. Izayoi’s sword remained lodged in his shoulder, not yet pulled out.

The middle-aged man felt excruciating pain shoot through his right shoulder, so painful that he nearly cried out.

"How is this possible?" The middle-aged man looked at the youth before him in disbelief. "His sword actually pierced even me!"

He stared at the longsword embedded in his shoulder, utterly shocked. At the same time, he realized that his strength seemed to have weakened compared to before. When did I become weaker? Why?

"Because you aren’t qualified to be my enemy." Izayoi sneered. "Don’t think you’re the only one with such power. I have it too. Since that’s the case, I’ll use my strongest move to finish you!"

Hearing this, the middle-aged man’s heart tightened. He had already sensed that something was wrong with the youth, but he could not tell what it was.

Seeing the middle-aged man’s reaction, Izayoi gave a cold smile and pulled the sword back from his left arm.

"Ah!" The moment he pulled out the sword, the middle-aged man suddenly screamed.

Izayoi’s sword had cut open the man’s shoulder, and blood flowed out.

The middle-aged man was enraged. He swallowed a spirit fruit, and the power within him erupted. He immediately unleashed a Whiplash Kick, striking Izayoi in the shoulder.

The Whiplash Kick was extremely powerful. Izayoi was quickly knocked to the ground, and he stared at the middle-aged man before him in disbelief.

He had not expected this middle-aged man to be so powerful. He had clearly used all his strength just now, yet he had still been defeated!

Unwilling to accept this, he rose from the ground once more and unleashed a sword technique. This sword strike was extremely domineering.

Third Form of the Soul Severing Sword Art!

Izayoi used another sword technique, but this time, its power was several times weaker than before. Though the sword art was formidable, its strength was far inferior to the previous attack.

Seeing the power of this strike, Izayoi felt deeply frustrated. The sword move he had unleashed now was nowhere near as powerful as the one he had used before.

The middle-aged man was also displeased when he saw the power of Izayoi’s strike.

He could already tell that the power of Izayoi’s sword was far inferior to his own, which made him feel greatly insulted. So he used another move.

This move was even more powerful.

Soul Severing Soul Capture!

Seeing the power of this move, Izayoi’s heart trembled. It was simply too terrifying, making him wary.

He did not dare receive it head-on again, so he hurriedly unleashed his strongest technique, the Nine Revolutions Golden Bell Shield!

Boom! This move directly blocked the middle-aged man’s attack. However, the man’s sword curved around the barrier again and slashed Izayoi across the back.

Bright Jade Pendant

Izayoi was injured now. He knew that if he did not find a way to defeat this middle-aged man, he would surely die here. Growing anxious, he thought of that strange fruit, which seemed capable of increasing one’s strength. He took it out and swallowed it in one bite.

Powerful strength erupted within his body. Izayoi looked at the middle-aged man and laughed. "My strength has increased now. You’re no longer my opponent. Just watch!"

A strange fluctuation appeared in Izayoi’s palm, seemingly containing the might to destroy heaven and earth. It made the surrounding air hum violently.

"Chaos Palm!" Izayoi struck out with his palm, carrying overwhelming force. The surrounding air churned with violent currents as it shot directly toward the middle-aged man.

The fierce airflow carried countless fallen leaves as it struck the middle-aged man. Seeing this, the man hurriedly used a defensive technique.

Boom! The middle-aged man was caught by the massive attack and blasted away, vomiting blood as he flew backward for several thousand meters before crashing heavily onto the ground.

"Pfft!" The middle-aged man spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale. He had clearly suffered severe injuries.

The middle-aged man stood up, his expression changing several times before he finally sat back down.

At this moment, the middle-aged man’s heart was filled with regret and unwillingness, but he had no choice. Izayoi’s strength was simply too great.

"So this is the Chaos Palm? Truly formidable! I really didn’t expect your strength to be so powerful. It seems you don’t intend to spare me. I admit defeat. A bet is a bet, and I accept the loss!" the middle-aged man sighed helplessly.

"Haha, at least that was the right thing to say! Since you know how strong I am, you still dared challenge me? Aren’t you afraid of death?" Izayoi laughed.

The middle-aged man frowned, wondering whether he should give up. But he was unwilling to surrender like this, so he decided to fight Izayoi to the end.

With that thought, the middle-aged man charged forward. "Airflow Fist!" Streams of air wrapped around his fist as he punched at Izayoi.

"Hmph!" In Izayoi’s eyes, the middle-aged man’s move was no different from children playing house. It was not worth mentioning at all.

Before the middle-aged man’s attack could even reach Izayoi, Izayoi easily blocked it.

Bang, bang! The middle-aged man’s fists continuously struck Izayoi’s body, but they failed to harm him in the slightest. Instead, he was repeatedly knocked back by Izayoi’s counterattacks.

"How is this possible?! How can you possibly evade my attacks?!" the middle-aged man cried in shock.

"Your attacks are indeed strong, but you’re nothing special. Just accept your fate!" Izayoi mocked.

After hearing Izayoi’s words, the middle-aged man’s frustration became indescribable.

He wanted to counterattack, only to discover that he did not even have room to fight back. He could only glare helplessly from the side.

The middle-aged man’s martial arts were simply too pitiful before Izayoi. Izayoi easily neutralized every attack, while the middle-aged man had no power to retaliate.

Bang! The middle-aged man failed to dodge in time and was struck in the chest by Izayoi’s palm wind, his entire body thrown backward.

Thud!

The middle-aged man crashed to the ground. His body twitched continuously as blood poured from his mouth and nose. Before long, he bled dry and became a corpse.

Struck on the Shoulder

After killing the middle-aged man, Izayoi continued on his way. Suddenly, a clear gleam came from the grass. Curious, Izayoi walked over and parted the grass.

Once the grass was moved aside, a Bright Jade Pendant appeared before Izayoi, delighting him. Just as Izayoi was about to put the jade pendant away, a young man appeared before him.

The young man glared viciously at Izayoi and angrily shouted, "I’ve taken a liking to the jade pendant in your hand. Hand it over now."

Izayoi frowned. He had not expected the other party to be so rude, demanding something from him the moment they met.

Izayoi snorted. "No. If you have the ability, come take it!"

After hearing Izayoi’s words, the young man became furious and then burst into laughter.

"Good, very good. Since you’re courting death, don’t blame me. Let me show you my Red Light Fist!" Red light appeared around the young man’s fist, looking extremely powerful.

Izayoi frowned slightly. "Fine. Since you insist on opposing me, I’ll let you experience my power." Izayoi gathered his inner strength, and white airflow swirled continuously around both palms.

"Ha!" The young man punched toward Izayoi’s head. Izayoi hurriedly dodged, but his arm was still struck, causing intense pain.

Izayoi’s face darkened, but he refused to admit defeat. He continued gathering his inner strength and struck at his opponent with one palm.

Bang!

Two massive forces collided. The young man was sent flying several meters away and fell to the ground. Izayoi’s right arm, meanwhile, could no longer gather inner strength after exhausting it completely.

Izayoi gritted his teeth and held the wound on his right hand with his left, slowly drawing the blood back in.

Izayoi felt a wave of dizziness. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed. Fortunately, he braced himself against the ground in time and barely managed to remain standing.

He knew that his internal injuries were extremely serious. He feared they would not heal anytime soon, and his life might even be in danger.