Chapter Twelve: Battle Against Zheng Yun

Chen Xuan left the mountain trail, his mind heavy with thoughts, his eyes darting frequently toward his right arm.

Aside from his entire right forearm, which had turned a strange shade of blue, the rest of his body remained as it had always been.

What on earth was happening? Did getting bitten once really cause this?

The tooth marks on his wrist had already begun to heal, but the resulting scars looked incredibly bizarre, resembling some kind of blue tattoo.

"What is going on? I was poking around inside that infant's mouth last night and pulled out a liquid; could that stuff have affected my arm?"

Chen Xuan suddenly stopped, rubbing his chin in thought. The liquid from last night had been truly sinister. It was freezing cold and slimy... Was it the creature's gastric juice? Or something else entirely?

After pondering for a while without any clarity, he tapped his head lightly, only to freeze, his expression turning comical.

Damn it, his hair seemed to have been completely scorched away by fire. He had become a bald monk! How was he supposed to roam the pugilistic world like this?

Suddenly, Chen Xuan heard some low murmuring and looked up. In a plaza not far away, a large group of disciples had gathered. Among them, a few were casting unfriendly glares, sweeping their eyes over him repeatedly.

This feeling... well, it was a bit like his middle school days in his previous life, being picked on by bullies. Those thugs would stare at him deliberately, and if he dared to look back, they would curse, "What the hell are you looking at?", before rushing over to beat him to a pulp...

Yeah, it felt exactly like that.

Chen Xuan thought for a moment and decided to walk over proactively. Regardless of whether they were looking for trouble, he would start it first. If for no other reason, it was to increase his reputation and luck points.

"What the hell are you looking at?!" Chen Xuan bellowed.

The disciples were stunned, their expressions turning livid as they gritted their teeth and glared fiercely at Chen Xuan. They hadn't even started the confrontation yet, and this guy was already cursing them.

With angry laughs, the disciples rushed over and surrounded him.

"Junior Brother Chen, who are you cursing?" one of them, tall and thin, asked as he crossed his arms and stared coldly at Chen Xuan.

"That's right! Unless you give us an explanation, this isn't over today!" the three beside him added, their voices icy.

"Want an explanation? I've got none. If you've got the guts, let's spar; if you don't, then get as far away as you can!" Chen Xuan sneered.

By now, many disciples in the plaza had been drawn over, their eyes filled with surprise.

"Is that... Chen Xuan? And Senior Brother Zheng Yun and the others?"

"They’re really clashing! Last night, Senior Brother Zheng Yun said he wanted to weigh Chen Xuan's strength. I didn't think they'd actually start fighting."

"Senior Brother Zheng Yun's 'Spider Palm' has reached the 'Proficient' stage, manifesting actual Spider Qi—it's incredibly toxic. While Chen Xuan's iron-body training is unfathomable, he's in for a rough time against those poisonous palms!"

"Indeed, I agree."

Many whispered among themselves. Aside from the onlookers, there were true experts in the crowd, their eyes cold and detached as they scanned Chen and Zheng, looking down on the masses as if both were beneath notice.

The tall, thin man’s gaze darkened. He sneered at Chen Xuan, "Spar? Junior Brother Chen, it seems you are quite confident in your iron-body training. Since you want to spar, I will oblige. If you end up with a broken leg or a missing arm later, don't blame me for not warning you." He flexed his wrists, causing his bones to pop with a crisp sound.

"Who the hell are you? I never strike at nobodies. State your name first," Chen Xuan said arrogantly.

He wanted to be arrogant; the more arrogant he was, the faster his name would spread, the higher his reputation would climb, and the faster his luck points would increase. So, Chen Xuan acted as imperious as possible. After all, they were all members of a demonic cult—acting eccentric was the norm. If he wasn't overbearing, would he just be a coward hiding in his shell?

The tall man laughed in sheer anger. *Damn it, did this guy eat manure? Every word out of his mouth is a curse; can't he speak like a civilized person?*

"Damn you, this is our Senior Brother Zheng Yun!" one of the disciples exploded.

They had mostly been thugs before joining the sect, where cursing like a shrew was the norm; they had only learned to be disciplined after joining. But now, Chen Xuan dared to curse in front of them? Damn it, they were the masters of cursing!

"You sons of bitches, do you believe I can crush you to death?" Chen Xuan turned around suddenly, glaring with wide eyes.

"You..." the disciple's face flushed with rage.

"Enough!" Zheng Yun barked. "Chen Xuan, you were the one who spoke disrespectfully first. Today, as your senior, I shall teach you some manners. Make your move!" He exuded the aura of a powerful fighter, looking down on the world.

*Bang!*

Chen Xuan lunged with a kick, aiming straight for the crotch. It was swift and powerful, causing the air to emit a sharp, piercing whistle. Zheng Yun had intended to show off, but he hadn't expected Chen Xuan to attack so suddenly. His face changed drastically, and he hurriedly deployed his movement technique, flashing past Chen Xuan like a gust of wind.

The other disciples began to curse loudly.

"Despicable! You dare to launch a sneak attack!"

"Chen Xuan, you're absolutely shameless!"

...

After the kick missed, Chen Xuan realized the situation was dire. It was no wonder Zheng Yun dared to pick a fight; his movement technique was even faster than Fang Dao's. With a flicker of a shadow, he had vanished from sight.

The next moment, Chen Xuan felt a numbness in his back.

*Bang!*

A tremendous force struck his vital 'Shendao' point. Chen Xuan’s body shuddered, and he couldn't help but lunge forward a few steps. The Shendao point was one of the most critical meridians in the human body. It was said that when Qiao Feng captured Murong Fu, he had seized this very point, rendering Murong Fu unable to move.

Although Chen Xuan's 'Iron Shirt' technique had closed off over ninety percent of his body's meridians, Zheng Yun's internal energy was nothing to sneeze at; the palm strike carried over a decade of refined internal force. Furthermore, with his Spider Palm technique at the 'Proficient' level, the strike was laced with toxic Spider Qi. Even a single hit left Chen Xuan's back burning with pain.

However, since defeating Fang Dao, his Iron Shirt had advanced to the 'Mastery' level. While his back burned, the pain was within the range of what he could endure.

Chen Xuan grew furious, treating the strike as a free session of cupping therapy. He turned around quickly and threw a punch behind him. But the moment he swung, Zheng Yun's figure vanished again.

Then, a pungent, acrid scent wafted from the side, accompanied by a howling wind as a flurry of attacks descended upon Chen Xuan. His forehead, crown, chest, back, groin, nostrils, and eyes were all covered by the incoming force. Zheng Yun's palm strikes were everywhere, leaving no room to dodge.

Except for his eyes and groin, which he dared not expose, Chen Xuan feared nothing else. In the end, he simply covered his head and groin, crouched on the ground, and let Zheng Yun rain blows upon him.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

The toxicity and ferocity of the Spider Palm landed on Chen Xuan, creating a series of dull thuds. In an instant, he didn't know how many times he had been struck.

The surrounding disciples were shocked beyond words. Senior Brother Zheng's movement and palm techniques were both masterfully executed—fast as lightning, fierce as a hurricane. This level of strength was at least at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, making him a standout among the disciples of the Five Poisons Sect.

Yet, seeing Chen Xuan's performance, they were all left gaping. *This guy... he’s just squatting there, letting himself be hammered? Is his hard-body training really that terrifying?*

Little did they know, Zheng Yun was suffering in silence. Every time he landed a palm, it felt like striking solid iron; the recoil made his arms go numb, his internal energy surged chaotically, and his chest felt congested. While the Spider Palm was domineering, the damage it dealt to the user was not insignificant. If the opponent's internal energy was deep or their defense too strong, the palm force would recoil onto the attacker.

Though the force of each recoil wasn't strong, enduring it repeatedly was more than he could handle. While heterodox techniques were powerful and easier to master than orthodox ones, their drawbacks were just as massive. At this moment, Zheng Yun was experiencing the backlash of his own Spider Palm.

Crouched on the ground, Chen Xuan had initially felt his whole body burning, but as Zheng Yun continued to strike, he realized the force behind the blows was gradually diminishing.

Chen Xuan immediately realized: *Is this guy running out of steam?*

He looked up abruptly, just as Zheng Yun landed another palm strike toward the center of his brow. Zheng Yun’s face was twisted in malice, his palm wreathed in black, foul-smelling mist.

Chen Xuan finally caught a glimpse of Zheng Yun's position. He raised his fist, channeling 420 pounds of physical strength and two years of internal force, and smashed it forward.

*Bang!*

The sound was dull and heavy, as if the earth were shaking, accompanied by a howling gale.