CRACK!

A bone-fracturing sound rang out.

Jiang Guinong's two fingers bent backward a full 180 degrees, the muscles on his face twisting instantly. His eyes filled with intense shock.

He actually broke two of my fingers with a single strike! How is this possible? This is inconceivable!

Utilizing the rebound force, Su Xuan shot backward through the air and landed in the distance, feeling considerably more composed.

With the Divine Armor protecting my body and the astonishing power of the Ruyi Staff, I might actually be able to fight him!

TAP.

After Jiang Guinong landed, he pulled out another strange pill and swallowed it. Then, gritting his teeth, he snapped his two fingers back into place.

He then focused his gaze on the Ruyi Staff in Su Xuan's hand and asked in a deep voice, "What kind of weapon is that?"

"A Dog-Beating Staff!"

Su Xuan blurted out a random name and swung the staff, attacking Jiang Guinong again.

What the hell?!

Jiang Guinong's mouth twitched. He never imagined Su Xuan would dare to take the initiative.

Does he really think I'm some incompetent fool?

Jiang Guinong clenched his right hand into a fist and charged at Su Xuan.

BANG!

His right fist slammed into Su Xuan's chest.

Yet Su Xuan remained completely unharmed, while the Ruyi Staff in his hand swung down and landed squarely on Jiang Guinong's shoulder.

CRACK!

Jiang Guinong's arm immediately went limp.

"Why?" he muttered, "Why?"

Enduring the excruciating pain and his deep confusion, Jiang Guinong swung his left fist toward Su Xuan's temple. His punch was as fast as lightning.

But Su Xuan's body, repeatedly enhanced by the system, now possessed an unbelievable level of perception. He could clearly track the trajectory of Jiang Guinong's fist, dodging it with a turn of his head while simultaneously swinging his staff to meet the attack.

Jiang Guinong was smarter this time. He didn't dare touch Su Xuan's Ruyi Staff again, so he quickly retracted his fist and kicked out at Su Xuan's legs instead.

With a twist of his arm, Su Xuan brought the Ruyi Staff down on Jiang Guinong's raised leg.

Jiang Guinong was surprised by Su Xuan's agility. Unable to pull his leg back in time, he tapped his toes against the staff, using the force to propel himself backward five or six meters.

Jiang Guinong's face suddenly flushed red. He had actually been forced back by Su Xuan. Not only that, but he had been injured as well.

"Let me ask you!" Jiang Guinong said, steadying himself as he stared coldly at Su Xuan. "Did you take that map?"

Su Xuan's fighting spirit only intensified. He ignored the question, tightening his grip on the Ruyi Staff and searching for his next opening.

Now I'm certain. Jiang Guinong isn't just a martial artist from the pugilistic world. He's something far beyond that—a higher level of existence!

"Your silence tells me everything," Jiang Guinong said, almost to himself. "You didn't just get the map; you followed it and found a great fortune. Your incredible defense and that weapon in your hand... they must have all come from it!"

Su Xuan remained silent, his expression cold and aloof.

Damn him! Jiang Guinong seethed internally. Back in my sect, with my status, never mind the male disciples, even the female disciples would be falling over themselves to curry favor with me. How can this nobody treat me with such contempt? Is this what they mean by a tiger in the plains being bullied by a dog? Or a dragon in shallow waters being taunted by shrimp?

"Your silence is your confession." A murderous intent, several times more intense than before, flashed across Jiang Guinong's face. "In that case, I'll just kill you and seize the fortune you don't deserve!"

The next second, Jiang Guinong extended his right hand, and a cloud of Dark Smoke billowed from his palm, condensing into a longsword wreathed in the same black energy. Though not a physical blade, the sword radiated a bone-deep chill. The horrific screams of wraiths echoed from it, enough to make one's skin crawl.

"Go!"

With a fierce push from Jiang Guinong, the sword let out a piercing shriek as it tore through the air, transforming into a beam of dark light that shot toward Su Xuan.

Even with his enhanced eyesight, Su Xuan saw the sword was too swift to dodge. He had no choice but to hold the Ruyi Staff horizontally to block.

CLANG!

Sparks flew in all directions.

Su Xuan held his ground, his feet scraping backward for several meters, but fortunately, the sword shattered on impact.

"Not good!"

A sudden chill ran down Su Xuan's spine as he heard something cutting through the air from behind.

The broken half of the sword was stabbing directly at his back. Jiang Guinong could still control the shattered pieces!

CRACK!

But when the shard of the sword struck Su Xuan, it failed to inflict any damage and simply disintegrated.

"The fortune you possess is truly enviable!"

As he spoke, Jiang Guinong closed the distance again in his astonishment, his fists raining down like a tempest, bombarding Su Xuan's body in a dense flurry.

Jiang Guinong's eyes gleamed as he shouted, "Let's see how long you can last! Even your defense must have a limit!"

The scene looked like something out of a video game. Su Xuan was the boss, and Jiang Guinong was using every skill he had, trying to farm him for his loot.

Su Xuan wasn't just standing there taking the hits. He continuously swung the Ruyi Staff at Jiang Guinong, and while most of his attacks were dodged, a few solid blows still managed to land.

If Wei Junhao could have witnessed this, he would have been utterly dumbstruck. This reckless, life-or-death exchange was nothing short of brutal.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Suddenly, Su Xuan staggered back a few steps. He had finally been moved by Jiang Guinong's assault.

Jiang Guinong also retreated quickly, wiping a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. He ignored his own injuries, his face lit with manic excitement.

I broke through! I finally broke through his defense! Now Su Xuan is mine for the slaughter!

Once Su Xuan steadied himself, a grave expression settled on his face.

So it's true, he thought. The Divine Armor's protection really does have a limit. I can understand that. It's like it runs on a battery. In this fight with Jiang Guinong, the power has been completely drained.

"This time, you're really going to die!"

A ferocious grin twisted Jiang Guinong's face. He stomped hard on the ground and lunged forward, throwing a punch at Su Xuan.

Before he even arrived, the force of the blow washed over Su Xuan's face.

A mysterious smile touched Su Xuan's lips. Even without the protection of the Divine Armor, he showed no trace of panic.

Seeing that smile, Jiang Guinong's heart lurched.

He instinctively halted his advance and whirled around, striking out behind him.

CLANG!

He batted away a saber that was flying through the air.

But unfortunately for him, there wasn't just one.

SHHNK!

Another saber pierced straight through Jiang Guinong's shoulder.

"I was careless... I was far too careless..." Jiang Guinong muttered, his head hanging as he glanced down at the blade embedded in his shoulder.

I should have been on guard against his ability to control objects from afar, especially after he summoned that staff out of thin air. But I never imagined he could summon not only the Ruyi Staff but two sabers as well!

"You were indeed careless." Su Xuan unbuttoned his jacket, revealing the full Taoist robe he wore underneath.

Wearing the robe, he could retrieve objects from a distance. Those two sabers were the very ones he had found at the Chongming Park construction site; he had left them in his car.

Jiang Guinong ignored the blade in his shoulder, his gaze fixed intensely on the robed Su Xuan. "Who on earth are you? Are you one of the 'mountain people' too? What sect or faction do you belong to?"

Su Xuan didn't answer. His gaze drifted past Jiang Guinong, staring mysteriously into the distance.

"So it's you..." he murmured. "You're here?"

Jiang Guinong turned to look, and his heart leaped into his throat.

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