Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 126: Chapter 103: One Technique, Two Kills, Slaying Gods and Devils

Tong Yuan grinned, a menacing smile spreading across his face. He enunciated each word. ”You. Now. Get over here, kneel down, and apologize to me!”

He hefted the shotgun in his hands.

”Young Master Yuan!”

Just then, a figure rushed in from outside. The middle-aged man’s eyes immediately swept over Wan Ze before he silently looked away, sighing in his heart. ’Thank goodness I made it in time! No one’s made a move yet!’

He quickly tried to pull Tong Yuan back, but Tong Yuan shrugged him off. ”Uncle He, this has nothing to do with you!”

”Young Master Yuan, stop this nonsense! Come back with me!” He Ji said, his face stern as he reached out to grab him again.

”Me, causing nonsense?” Tong Yuan wrenched his arm free from He Ji’s grasp, his face a mask of grief and indignation. He pointed at Wan Ze and roared, ”Uncle He, how is this nonsense? If it weren’t for this bastard, would my third brother be lying in a hospital right now, both his fucking legs crippled?!”

”He’s one of Dragon Eagle’s men, a personal disciple of Situ Bai!” He Ji lowered his voice, laying out the stakes. ”If this blows up, it won’t do anyone any good!”

”Dragon Eagle! Always Dragon Eagle!” The name seemed to ignite Tong Yuan’s fury. He craned his neck and bellowed, ”The mountains are high and the emperor is far away! This is An City! So what if I actually kill him right here, right now? Is Dragon Eagle really going to wage all-out war against my Tong Family for a single dead disciple?”

”Tong Yuan!” He Ji was losing his patience, but he bit back his anger. Leaning close to the young man’s ear, he spoke rapidly in a near-pleading tone, ”The Zhai Family has already caught wind of this! If you keep making a scene, this will spiral out of control! Your father called me himself and ordered me to bring you back! Don’t make things harder for him!”

”Shit! One after another, all of you are just a bunch of spineless cowards afraid of dying!” Tong Yuan cursed through clenched teeth, his chest heaving.

He shot Wan Ze a venomous glare. After apparently weighing his options, he finally let out a heavy snort, lowered the muzzle of his gun, and turned to leave. ”You’re lucky today. If you ever fall into my hands again, I’ll make you wish you hadn’t!”

He turned to leave.

But a sudden sound came from behind him. Although Tong Yuan was also a Martial Artist, his Cultivation was low, so he couldn’t immediately perceive the ferocious killing intent locking onto him like He Ji could.

He Ji spun around decisively, shielding Tong Yuan. Staring at Wan Ze, he said with a hint of a warning, ”Mr. Wan, Young Master Yuan is young and hot-headed. He has caused you offense. For his disrespectful words, I apologize on his behalf! I hope Mr. Wan will be magnanimous and let this go!”

Wan Ze’s face was unreadable. ”He’s not leaving today.”

He Ji’s expression sank.

He felt he had already shown more than enough respect—he had offered placating words and even apologized on the boy’s behalf.

Yet the other party was being utterly relentless, completely unreasonable!

His tone hardened. ”Mr. Wan, it’s better to forgive and forget! Young Master Run has already paid the price at your hands. Why must you keep pressing the issue? It won’t do you any good!”

”This isn’t your decision to make!” Wan Ze’s tone remained curt and calm.

From the moment Tong Run had maliciously cut him off in traffic earlier today, he had faced one threat after another.

His opponent had even escalated the conflict, attempting to use him as bait to trap his senior martial brother.

Wan Ze had only crippled one of his legs, and that was out of consideration for Brother Jia. He didn’t want to cause extra trouble for his senior brother’s family. He had held back; one could even say he had shown mercy.

But now this Tong Yuan had stormed in with a gun, threatening him in public and spewing arrogant threats.

This went far beyond what could be explained away as ”youthful impulsiveness.”

He practiced martial arts to achieve a state of clear thoughts and an unobstructed flow of qi and blood.

’If my will is obstructed, it’s like a bone stuck in my throat. How can I feel at ease?’

It was just as he’d told Miss Ling before: live, engage with the world, and experience the present. If he had to swallow his anger and act against his true nature at every turn, then he might as well give up martial arts entirely!

He Ji’s brow furrowed, anger flaring in his chest. ’This kid is a truly stubborn hothead!’ he cursed inwardly.

’If not for the powerhouse backing him, with my years of life-and-death combat experience, I would have flattened this arrogant brat with a single punch long ago. Who would give him the chance to run his mouth here?!’

”That’s enough, Uncle He! Why are you still wasting your breath on this fucking idiot?!” Tong Yuan had turned back around. He hadn’t clearly perceived the momentary clash of auras, only seeing He Ji apologize to Wan Ze, who in turn remained disrespectful.

The rage he had just suppressed flared up again. He raised the shotgun once more, aiming it at Wan Ze from across the room, and said with domineering arrogance, ”I’m not leaving? Buddy, are you running a fever? Open your damn eyes and see who’s calling the shots here. I’ve got the men, I’ve got the gun, and you’re still trying to talk tough to me? Who do you think you’re scaring?!”

Facing the raised gun barrel, Wan Ze showed not a trace of fear. He even shook his head slightly, his calm gaze locking directly onto Tong Yuan’s eyes.

”Then I’ll give you one chance. Do you dare make a move?”

The moment Tong Yuan heard Wan Ze’s words, his rationality evaporated. Blood rushed to his head, and his eyes turned crimson. He violently shoved He Ji aside, gripped the shotgun with both hands, pointed it at Wan Ze, and roared, all bluster and false bravado, ”You think I don’t dare!”

”Then shoot.”

”I’ll fucking kill you!”

Tong Yuan completely snapped. Consequences? Warnings? He threw them all to the wind. He had only one thought now: ’Shoot!’

Seeing the situation spin out of control, He Ji’s heart lurched. He scrambled to grab Tong Yuan, desperately trying to stop him. ”Young Master Yuan, don’t be impulsive! Whatever you do, don’t be impulsive!”

”Get off me! Whoever gets in my way today, I’ll shoot them too!” Tong Yuan was beyond reason. He flung He Ji aside, his gun trained unwaveringly on Wan Ze, his finger trembling.

Wan Ze even took a step forward and pointed to his own chest. ”Aim carefully. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”

”AAAAAAAGH!”

Tong Yuan’s eyes went bloodshot as he let out a maniacal scream.

His face twisted into a grotesque mask.

His finger squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

The gunshot exploded through the room.

In that same instant, He Ji’s heart plummeted.

’It’s over!’

’It’s all over!’

’That idiot Tong Yuan actually fired the gun!’

’He shot a personal disciple of the Dragon Eagle Martial Arts Hall!’

But he didn’t move.

He was thinking...

’If Tong Yuan really killed Wan Ze, how could this be fixed?’

He quickly scanned the room.

’The shopkeeper couple, and that young woman in the corner to Wan Ze’s left... killing them shouldn’t be hard.’

But the thought had barely formed before he was utterly stunned by the scene unfolding before his eyes.

Wan Ze, who should have been a mangled mess of flesh and blood, had... vanished!

In the blink of an eye, the figure had crossed the entire hall, his speed far surpassing anything He Ji could have imagined.

’Not good!’

A chill shot up He Ji’s spine, straight to his Skull.

Acting on pure instinct.

He pushed off his feet and lunged toward Tong Yuan, trying to intercept.

But it was too late!

Wan Ze’s speed was far beyond his ability to react.

Before he could get close, Wan Ze’s hand had already slammed down mercilessly onto Tong Yuan’s face. It was savage, brutal! He gripped it tightly!

”Huh?!” The crazed look on Tong Yuan’s face froze, replaced an instant later by a dazed confusion. He hadn’t even processed what was happening.

A sudden, explosive noise!

BAM!!!!

Tong Yuan’s head smashed solidly into the white wall beside them!

The wall trembled violently!

A shocking spray of blood erupted in an instant!

Tong Yuan didn’t even have time to scream. His limbs went rigid, and he slid limply to the floor, where he began to convulse, his life hanging in the balance.

”You! Are! Courting! Death!”

He Ji, who had lunged at nothing, skidded to a halt. His breath caught in his throat as he witnessed the scene.

Then his eyes flew wide, looking as if they would burst from their sockets. Without a moment’s hesitation, all thoughts of consequences or Dragon Eagle vanished.

He knew only one thing: Tong Yuan had been broken right before his eyes. If he stood by and did nothing, Tong Tianshun would make him suffer a fate worse than death.

Therefore, Wan Ze had to pay for this with his blood!

All caution was thrown to the wind. He Ji’s qi and blood erupted with a roar, and the floor tile beneath his foot CRACKED!

He twisted at the waist, Strength rising from the ground.

The Power shot up through his spine, vertebra by vertebra, and into his right arm. The limb instantly swelled, letting out a sharp shriek as it tore through the air. His palm became a blade, chopping straight for the artery in Wan Ze’s neck.

At the same time, his left fist gathered Momentum, hidden by his ribs, ready to deliver a second killing blow!

One move, two strikes—a linked, lethal combination!

This was the true ace up his sleeve, the move that had made his name. Countless opponents had fallen to it!

”Be careful!” Miss Ling cried out.

Wan Ze felt the fierce gust of wind, but his expression remained unchanged. He raised his right arm. The muscles in his forearm trembled, and his bones and tendons popped in a series of sharp CRACKLES.

His arm was instantly filled with the Power of his qi and blood!

He swung it up!

BAM!

Palm met arm!

He Ji’s expression changed drastically in an instant!

The hand-blade he had thrown with all his might felt as if it had struck a slab of Hundred-refined Steel! No, it was even harder, more terrifying than Refined Steel!

The force that rebounded from the impact was ferocious and domineering, and it carried a strange internal vibration that surged madly from the point of contact up through the meridians in his arm.

’This guy!’

’How can he be this strong!!!!’

He Ji was horrified, cursing inwardly. ’This kid was hiding his strength when he dealt with Tong Yuan just now!’

’If I’d known this, I wouldn’t have just tried to talk him down. I would have attacked with my full strength from the start to gain the upper hand!’

”Damn it!”

A sense of crisis washed over him. He Ji let out a furious roar, no longer daring to hold anything back. Pushing his qi and blood to their absolute limit, he tapped his feet rapidly and retreated in haste.

’Retreat!’

’I have to retreat!’

Every cell in his body was screaming a frantic warning after that last collision.

’Danger!’

’Extreme danger!’

’If I don’t retreat, I’ll really die!’

However, as fast as his reaction was, Wan Ze’s was faster!

In the brief moment He Ji was retreating, Wan Ze shot forward. He balled his hand into a fist, imbued with a grand and ferocious Fist Intent that locked down all of He Ji’s escape routes, and drove it toward the soft flesh of his opponent’s ribs.

He Ji was terrified.

He could feel the terrifying Beng Jin contained within that punch.

If it connected, his internal organs would undoubtedly be severely damaged.

He let out an angry shout and twisted back, lashing out with a reverse-hand grab. His five fingers were like hooks, Power pulsing at their tips, attempting to crush Wan Ze’s knuckles—a desperate attempt to relieve the greater threat by attacking its source!

But Wan Ze’s Tiger Cannon Fist, which incorporated the Divine Fist Profound Meaning, was all about overwhelming might. Its Momentum was like a fierce tiger descending a mountain—a vast, heavenly power, incomparably ferocious.

In the face of such ferocious, domineering fist Momentum, He Ji’s hasty attempt at a Capture was utterly laughable!

BAM! CRACK!

Fist and palm collided once more! The sound was much clearer this time.

He Ji felt an indescribable, savage Power brutally smash through his body’s defenses. A searing pain shot through him.

”PFFT!”

He Ji grunted, a sweet taste flooding his throat as he uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood. He staggered, his guard completely broken.

Without the slightest pause, Wan Ze’s second punch followed.

This punch landed solidly on He Ji’s upper back, right over his heart!

THUMP!!!

CRACK!

The sound of a breaking spine rang out!

He Ji was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string. He sailed a good five or six meters through the air before crashing heavily onto the street outside the restaurant with a THUD. He tumbled several more times before coming to a stop, facedown and motionless. Blood slowly began to pool beneath him, his fate unknown...