Chapter 83: The Terrifying Giant Hand Seal

"Enemy attack! There are enemies!"

"Everyone grab—ah!"

"This mist is poisonous, everyone hurry and—close—close—cough~!"

...

Screams, shouts, cries.

Accompanied by the continual sounds of coughing and vomiting blood, the entire hillside echoed with chaos. The toxic gas released by three 'poison pills' engulfed the gathering of over one hundred thirty people, and most succumbed, collapsing to the ground, coughing blood, vomiting, bodies convulsing, breath growing labored, eyes rolling back, until finally, with a last twitch, they expired.

The entire process lasted less than a minute.

Within that minute, the dead fell one after another.

Except for those who managed to hold their breath in time, only a handful survived; the rest were poisoned swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, fewer than thirty survivors remained from the original gathering.

These twenty-odd survivors could no longer move, sitting cross-legged in place, holding their breath, concentrating on refining the toxins within their bodies.

The chaotic hillside, in just a few moments, returned to silence.

If not for the bodies strewn across the ground, it would seem no different than before.

But the corpses told Hu Zonghan, the leader, that everything he had worked for was finished.

Hu Zonghan, a master-level martial artist, had never imagined that the mercenary group he assembled with his own hands would lose most of its members within two minutes.

"Come out..."

Hu Zonghan, shrouded in his protective aura, murmured softly.

"Come out..."

"Come out!"

"Come out!!"

The murmurs grew into low growls, then into hysterical roars.

"You dare poison us, but don’t dare show yourself?!"

Hu Zonghan's eyes blazed, his teeth clenched, his body trembling as he bellowed, "Come out, show yourself—"

Whizz!

An arrow suddenly shot out from the woods like lightning.

With tremendous force, it pierced through three Red Star Mercenary Group members who sat together, refining the poison.

The others around them, stunned, scattered in all directions, fleeing in terror.

"Ah!!!"

Hu Zonghan howled, his face contorted as he screamed like a madman, "Despicable thief, come out!"

Whizz!

A second arrow followed, taking the lives of two moving Red Star members.

Whizz!

A third arrow, immediately after, claimed two more.

Whizz!

A fourth...

A fifth...

Hu Zonghan’s howl was like a trumpet call for slaughter. Nine arrows were released in rapid succession, snatching away more than a dozen lives.

[Life Force +78]

[Life Force +83]

[Life Force +61]

[Life Force +79]

[Life Force +80]

...

The system’s automatic recovery notifications flashed quickly through his mind.

Tang Mubai, having finished loosing his arrows, was just preparing to reveal himself.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the air exploded with a thunderous sound.

Hu Zonghan’s aura surged fiercely, blood and energy roiling, as his hands whipped up wild currents of force.

With each swing, his palms struck out, unleashing broad, forceful handprints of energy, like cannon blasts, sweeping all around him.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Heavy, resounding blasts echoed through the entire forest.

Wherever the energy handprints passed, not a single tree remained intact.

They were either split into several pieces or shattered into fragments, wood chips flying everywhere.

The soil, stones, and leaves on the ground were swept up by the wild force, swirling through the air.

"Come out! Come out!!"

Hu Zonghan, now resembling a demon, shouted hoarsely, his once dignified and resolute face twisted into a savage mask, eyes bloodshot, filled with madness.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Without wielding a weapon, using only his hands, he unleashed terrifying destructive power.

One after another, the energy handprints materialized out of thin air, wrecking the surroundings of Hu Zonghan.

The remaining Red Star Mercenary Group members, still refining the poison, lay flat on the ground, not daring to make a single sound.

Hu Zonghan had clearly lost his mind.

His wild rampage was purely to draw out the poisoner.

Tang Mubai, who had been preparing to show himself, was genuinely startled by Hu Zonghan’s display, quickly retreating while his eyes gleamed with excitement.

"What incredible martial arts!"

The palm technique Hu Zonghan used—let’s call it a palm technique for now—was the most powerful martial skill Tang Mubai had ever witnessed.

Each strike produced a handprint with the force of an exploding shell.

Hu Zonghan’s rampage was like a barrage of cannon fire, scouring the land.

The destructive power was immense!

So immense that Tang Mubai’s heart stirred with desire. Whether it was his 'Wave-Cleaving Blade Technique,' 'Tiger Roar Fist,' or even 'Nine Mountain Arrows,' none could match this palm technique in raw destructive force.

Unlike the ferocity of Hu Zonghan’s display—it was simply overwhelming!

If only he could acquire this martial skill...

Marveling inwardly, Tang Mubai swallowed, retreated a hundred meters, abandoning any intention to reveal himself, and watched as Hu Zonghan vented his rage, destroying the trees around him and exhausting his own energy.

With such a powerful palm technique, even Tang Mubai’s protective aura would not hold out for long.

Rather than take a pointless beating, it was better to wait for Hu Zonghan to wear himself out, then clean up the aftermath.

He waited for more than ten minutes.

The hillside where Hu Zonghan’s group had gathered was devastated by his barrage, reduced to a wasteland.

Dust billowed through the air.

Hu Zonghan, drained of energy, half-knelt on the ground, soaked in sweat, gasping for breath.

At this moment, Tang Mubai strode forward.

Swish!

As he approached, Hu Zonghan, panting heavily, immediately sensed him, sprang upright, and fixed Tang Mubai with a bloodthirsty gaze.

"It’s you..."

"It’s me," Tang Mubai interrupted. "You diverted disaster, hoping the Raging King Dragon would kill us all. I survived, and came here to poison your group. Isn’t that fair?"

"Raging King Dragon?"

Hu Zonghan didn’t answer, just murmured the name a few times, then burst out laughing, "So that’s it, so that’s it, so that’s it! Hahaha..."

Tears welled at the corners of his eyes, but his face remained twisted and savage.

"Yes, very fair!"

Having vented, Hu Zonghan took a deep breath, stared at Tang Mubai with reddened eyes, and growled, "You have reason to kill us all, but now that you’ve shown yourself, you’ve lost all chance!"

Boom!

The air detonated again.

Invisible energy gathered once more in Hu Zonghan’s hands, swirling about him.

"I admit..."

Buzz!

The air suddenly quivered.

A majestic pressure descended from above, enveloping Hu Zonghan as he prepared to strike, forcing him to his knees, terror on his face.

"Grandmaster-level pressure?!"

"You—you can’t be a Grandmaster!"

Hu Zonghan howled, veins bulging on his neck like dragons or serpents as his agitation soared.

"There are many things you don’t know," Tang Mubai replied with a smile. He stepped closer, towering over Hu Zonghan, and looked down, asking, "Forgive my boldness, but what palm technique did you just use?"