"This is... a breakthrough?"

In the distance, Yang Lian’Er murmured, her face a mask of shock.

The monk was also startled.

He hadn’t expected Wu Liangchen to suddenly have a breakthrough in the middle of their fight.

But a savage grin quickly spread across his face. "So what if you broke through? I’ll kill you all the same."

With that, he put more force into his palm, striking down at Wu Liangchen’s head once more.

The force was so immense it kicked up a gale, scattering the falling snowflakes.

Just then, Wu Liangchen took a sudden, deep breath.

The inhalation seemed endless, so long that even Yang Lian’Er could hear it from a distance.

Moreover, as he inhaled, Wu Liangchen’s aura surged, and his frame even seemed to swell slightly.

Then, in the nick of time, Wu Liangchen raised his hand, balled it into a fist, and met the monk’s descending palm head-on.

BOOM!

An invisible shockwave erupted from the point of impact, blasting the snow on the ground upward and clearing a circle several meters in diameter.

And from within the swirling mist of snow, a series of muffled thuds could be heard.

Yang Lian’Er’s heart leaped into her throat.

She couldn’t see the situation inside the mist clearly.

But she quickly came to her senses, grabbed the stunned Wu Mengchan, and started running away.

She knew very well that the only thing she could do at this moment was to ensure her own and Wu Mengchan’s safety, to avoid distracting Wu Liangchen as much as possible.

Clinging to this resolve, Yang Lian’Er fled into the distance without a backward glance.

The sounds of collision from within the snow mist had stopped, but the calm lasted only a few seconds before another tremendous crash rang out.

The mist of snow roiled violently, and a figure was sent flying backward out of it.

It was Wu Liangchen!

He only managed to stop after being thrown back more than ten meters. His expression was grave as he stared at the snow mist before him.

"I must admit, your talent for Martial Arts is astonishing. To be able to trade blows with me right after your breakthrough is something to be proud of."

As he spoke, the monk strolled leisurely out of the mist. His already tattered robes were now completely shredded, revealing a body beneath that looked as if it were cast from brass.

Moreover, the monk’s frame was much larger than before, making him look like a golden Arhat, a truly soul-stirring sight.

His body was also covered in the marks of fists and feet.

But they were merely marks. The monk was completely unscathed; not even his skin was broken.

The monk shot Wu Liangchen a savage grin. "But what good does it do? My golden body conditioning has reached the indestructible stage. You can’t even break through my defense. What does a higher realm matter?"

Wu Liangchen said nothing, only breathing deeply.

With each breath, his muscles trembled slightly, and he exuded a pinkish sweat.

It was a sign that his muscles were repairing the damage from the intense battle.

Seeing this, the monk was momentarily stunned, then broke into a wide grin.

"Given time, your achievements would surely be extraordinary. A pity you ran into me."

At this, the monk grew excited again. "What I love most is snuffing out geniuses like you."

"But I’ve thought of a better way. I’ll make you watch... as they die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the monk spun around and charged into the distance. His target was clear: Yang Lian’Er and Wu Mengchan.

With his speed, he closed the distance in the blink of an eye, appearing just behind Yang Lian’Er.

Hearing the footsteps behind her, Yang Lian’Er, who was running at full tilt, felt the color drain from her face.

But she immediately shoved Wu Mengchan toward a side path, then turned to face the monk and shouted.

"Hey, bald donkey! I’m over here! Come and get me if you’ve got the guts!"

The monk wasn’t in a hurry. He followed at a leisurely pace, chuckling like a cat toying with a mouse.

"Such a devoted little lady. Don’t worry, I’ll deal with you first, then I’ll go find her. Neither of you is getting away!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a flash of a blade erupted behind him.

But this flash wasn’t aimed at his body. It was aimed at the stone he carried on his back.

The monk, who had been perfectly composed a moment ago, saw his expression change drastically. He immediately twisted his body to dodge the strike.

The moment the monk dodged, Wu Liangchen knew with certainty that his guess had been correct.

The monk’s weak point wasn’t on his body, but on that stone.

Otherwise, with his golden body conditioning, he wouldn’t have needed to dodge the blade at all.

In fact, Wu Liangchen had noticed this issue from the moment he first saw the monk.

A man like the monk would never carry a large stone on his back for no reason. There had to be a purpose behind it.

Seeing the many sutras and incantations carved into the stone, Wu Liangchen had a faint inkling of the truth.

The problem was, even if he had guessed, the Wu Liangchen of that time couldn’t have done anything to the monk.

After all, he was a whole major realm beneath him. Furthermore, the monk’s origins were unknown, and not only was his body conditioning abnormally strong, but his fist and foot techniques were also formidable.

That was why Wu Liangchen had acted on a whim, incorporating the Hunyuan Stance and the Five Animals Fist into his fight with the monk. Combined with the immense pressure of facing a superior enemy, he finally achieved a breakthrough, bringing his Qi to the stage of Fortifying the Lungs.

But just as the monk had said, even with his breakthrough, it would be useless if Wu Liangchen couldn’t get past his defense.

However, Wu Liangchen never intended to rely on brute force. His objective had been clear from the start: to deal with the stone on the monk’s back.

And it worked.

After his blade was dodged, Wu Liangchen, now certain of his plan, did not relent. With a flick of his wrist, the blade flashed again, slashing out like a torrent from the heavens.

"You dare, you whelp!" the monk roared. He spun around, about to dodge again.

At that exact moment, Wu Liangchen’s other hand shot to his waist. He drew another blade, which straightened instantly as it met the air.

It was the soft sword he had taken from Zhu Chao.

In the instant before the monk could react, Wu Liangchen slashed at the stone.

Or more precisely, at the chains binding the stone.

CLANG! Sparks flew as the soft sword was deflected, but it still left a deep gash in the chains.

This time, a look of panic finally appeared on the monk’s face, quickly followed by a surge of overwhelming fury.

"Die!"

He threw his fists like the wind, wishing he could kill Wu Liangchen on the spot with a single punch.

But after his breakthrough, Wu Liangchen’s power had surged, and the speed of his Body Technique had also increased by more than ten percent.

As a result, by dodging left and right, he made all of the monk’s punches miss their mark.

Moreover, whenever an opportunity arose, Wu Liangchen would strike, every slash aimed at the chains on the stone.

Finally, the chains were left hanging by only a thin, final link.

The monk was sweating profusely, all his previous calm and composure gone. With a loud roar, he forced Wu Liangchen back with a punch and actually turned to flee.

His speed was like that of a bird startled by a bowstring.

Of course, Wu Liangchen wasn’t about to let him go, and gave chase relentlessly.

This was the best chance to eliminate the monk. If he escaped and became guarded, it would be nearly impossible to cut the chains and attack his weak point like this ever again.

As Wu Liangchen gave chase, Wu Mengchan, who had been watching in a daze from afar, seemed to remember something. She reached into her bag and pulled out several feathered arrows.

She had found them earlier in the pine forest. The arrowheads were tarnished and the fletchings were a mess, so she had kept them with her to repair.

’I never expected they would come in handy today.’

"Brother, catch!"

With that, Wu Mengchan threw the arrows directly to Wu Liangchen.