Chapter 130: The Iron Scorpion

A figure slowly approached.

The man in the lead was tall, his muscles bulging prominently. His face was a horrific map of jagged knife scars, leaving him completely disfigured and looking exceptionally ferocious. This was Zhao Hu, the sworn enemy of Zhao Huang. Following behind him was a gaunt, withered old man with deep-set eye sockets, resembling a heavy opium addict.

As the two stepped into the grand hall, Zhao Hu flashed a smile; the scars on his face writhed like earthworms, sending a chill through everyone present.

He laughed loudly, "Good, very good. It seems all the Paoge bosses of the capital have gathered today. That suits my intentions perfectly. Right here, in front of all of you, I, Zhao Hu, shall wash away my past shame and slay Zhao Huang."

The moment Zhao Hu entered, his blunt and arrogant declaration to kill Zhao Huang caused the crowd to frown. To dare utter such wild words before so many people suggested that Zhao Hu was absolutely prepared.

Zhao Huang slammed his hand on the table and rose, shouting, "Zhao Hu, stop your insolence! You were defeated by me ten years ago, and today will be no different."

Although Zhao Huang knew he was no match for Zhao Hu, as a Great Paoge, he could not allow his prestige to waver. Moreover, he felt confident knowing there were two Xiantian-level experts by his side.

Zhao Hu sneered, "Is that so? Then come forth and meet your death." He stood with his hands behind his back, tilting his head to look at Zhao Huang with a defiant expression.

"As if I fear you!"

With a roar, Zhao Huang leaped into the center of the courtyard, standing face-to-face with Zhao Hu. Since Zhao Hu had challenged him by name, he had no choice but to step up.

Zhao Hu let out a harsh laugh, flickered toward Zhao Huang, and began the assault without another word. Zhao Huang, a master at the peak of the Internal Arts, channeled his true energy and engaged Zhao Hu. Zhao Hu’s fists and feet were accompanied by fierce gusts of wind, launching a relentless barrage of lethal strikes. Zhao Huang defended calmly, his body wreathed in a shimmering white aura of true energy, proving he was no weakling.

However, after a few exchanges, a rust-colored sheen spread over Zhao Hu’s body. He seemed to transform into solid iron; whenever his limbs collided with Zhao Huang, the sound of clashing metal rang out. Furthermore, Zhao Hu’s movements became bizarre, resembling a scorpion. He crouched low, one leg arching up from behind to strike viciously at Zhao Huang’s lower body.

Caught off guard, Zhao Huang’s rhythm broke. Zhao Hu seized the opening and delivered a heavy kick to Zhao Huang’s chest, sending him flying. Zhao Huang spat blood, let out a cry, and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise.

The crowd was stunned. Zhao Hu’s techniques were strange and ruthless. Zhao Huang, a peak Internal Arts master, had been severely wounded in under ten moves. He was truly formidable.

Zhao Hu retracted his stance and did not pursue. Standing in the middle of the courtyard, hands behind his back, he said with cold arrogance, "Is there anyone else who disagrees? Feel free to come up. Today, I, Zhao Hu, will make you all submit."

The faces of the crowd turned pale. Among them, Zhao Huang had the highest cultivation; if he was no match, what could they possibly do? It was clear that Zhao Hu was here to establish his dominance. If no one dared challenge him today, his position as the Great Paoge would be unshakeable.

At this moment, Wang Jingshan glanced at Lu Ming, who remained with his head lowered, eyes closed as if meditating, still as a monk in deep trance.

Wang Jingshan sneered, "A charlatan seeking fame."

Lu Ming acted as if he had heard nothing at all. Seeing that Lu Ming made no move, Wang Jingshan rose to his full height and walked slowly into the center of the courtyard. He first helped Zhao Huang up, saying, "The expert you hired is truly something. At such a critical moment, his talent for faking sleep is top-tier. If there were levels to sleeping, he would surely be a Grandmaster."

Zhao Huang’s internal energy was in turmoil, causing him immense discomfort. He could only force an awkward smile, feeling deeply dissatisfied with Lu Ming’s inaction. The rest of the crowd also cast looks of contempt toward Lu Ming. To be hired for protection and then sleep on the job—taking money without doing the work—was truly shameful.

Wang Jingshan cast one more look of disdain at Lu Ming before turning to Zhao Hu. "Young man, don't think that just because you've mastered the Iron Scorpion style, you are invincible. I advise you to turn back now while you still can, lest you throw your life away for nothing."

Seeing Wang Jingshan identify Zhao Hu’s strange martial art with a single sentence, the crowd was filled with admiration. This peak Xiantian expert was indeed well-informed.

Zhao Hu gave a grim, distorted smile. "Knowing the power of the Iron Scorpion, you still dare to come and die?"

"Hahahaha!" Wang Jingshan laughed heartily. "How laughable. Since you are so eager to die, let me be the one to slay this scorpion."

As he spoke, a three-foot-long blade materialized in Wang Jingshan’s hand, formed from white, razor-sharp condensed energy. The crowd cheered loudly at the sight.

"As expected of a Xiantian expert, incredible!"
"To condense true energy into a weapon without a sound—a Xiantian is truly a Xiantian."
"This energy blade is sharper than any weapon forged from refined steel. That scorpion is finished."

The crowd showered Wang Jingshan with praise. Zhao Hu’s expression turned grave as he assumed a defensive stance.

Wang Jingshan shook his head. "To have the courage to fight even under my energy blade—I admire that. However, I shall slay you within three moves. You can still regret it now."

Seeing Wang Jingshan’s calm and composed manner, the crowd cheered again.

Zhao Hu let out a roar. The rust-colored sheen covered his body once more, and he crouched into his scorpion-like form, staring at Wang Jingshan with bloodshot eyes. Wang Jingshan shook his head and swung his energy blade downward. A crescent-shaped wave of energy tore through the air, flying toward Zhao Hu.

Zhao Hu rolled to dodge, and the blade energy carved a foot-long gash into the ground with a thunderous sound. After dodging the strike, Zhao Hu used his hands and feet to move with blinding speed, appearing at Wang Jingshan’s side. He flipped, and the "scorpion tail" formed by his leg lashed out viciously.

This was the same move that had severely wounded Zhao Huang.

Wang Jingshan sneered, swinging his energy blade to intercept the incoming leg.

A metallic "clang" rang out. Wang Jingshan’s energy blade was deflected, and Zhao Hu’s momentum was broken. The two stood in a standoff.

Wang Jingshan felt a surge of shock. His energy blade was incredibly sharp; usually, an Internal Arts practitioner would be cut in two by such a strike, and even another Xiantian expert would not dare to meet it with flesh and blood. Yet, Zhao Hu had withstood the blow.

Seeing that Wang Jingshan’s blade had done nothing to Zhao Hu, the group of Paoge members was also stunned.

"I underestimated you. It seems your Iron Scorpion style has reached a profound level. You are worthy of a fight. Come then!" Wang Jingshan roared, raining strikes down upon Zhao Hu with his energy blade. He now viewed Zhao Hu as an equal opponent, one with the power to truly challenge him.

Zhao Hu gave a sinister smile, his form flickering like a scorpion as he engaged Wang Jingshan. His fists and feet collided repeatedly with the energy blade, creating a constant cacophony of clashing metal.

As the battle progressed, flakes of rust-like substance began to fall from Zhao Hu’s body, suspended in the air about a foot above the ground. Amidst this rust, Zhao Hu’s movements became increasingly rapid, until the crowd could barely track his silhouette.

Wang Jingshan grew more alarmed. Not only could his blade not cut through Zhao Hu, but Zhao Hu seemed to move with greater ease and speed within the cloud of rust. Conversely, Wang Jingshan felt his own movements hampered, no longer as agile as before.

Gradually, a sense of dread took hold of Wang Jingshan. The rust falling from Zhao Hu seemed to form a domain, showing signs of a true Grandmaster.

"A half-step Grandmaster?" Wang Jingshan gasped in horror.

Zhao Hu cackled and launched a ferocious assault. Within the floating rust, his position was unpredictable, and Wang Jingshan could not even graze his clothes. The Paoge members watched with terror, for even they could see that Wang Jingshan was in a dire situation.

Just then, Wang Jingshan roared, and his energy blade suddenly surged to ten feet in length. Gripping the blade with both hands, he brought it down toward the attacking Zhao Hu.

At that moment, the rust on the ground suddenly gathered around Zhao Hu, forming an iron-like protective shell.

With a resounding "boom," the massive blade and the iron shield collided.