South of the Tianshan Mountains, at White Camel Mountain Villa, No One Under Heaven and the Vajra Sect are locked in chaotic battle.
Shouts from men, screams from horses.
Far off, ragged laborers look up in confusion and fear. Nearby, herds of horses in the stables panic. Shouts, neighs, and endless cries of battle fill the air. Amid the pounding clashes, even the outer walls of White Camel Mountain Villa tremble and shudder, shaking loose clouds of dust. Yet none of this can drown out one especially thunderous explosion.
Boom! Like thunder from the heavens, a huge cloud of smoke erupts inside White Camel Mountain Villa.
Even the fighters pause instinctively, glancing over. Fierce winds whip up, waves of chaos surge. Jill Young spins and delivers a Dragon's Tail kick to the old brute's blocking arms. Time seems to freeze for a moment—neither moves, neither shakes—then, with a deafening bang, a ring-shaped shockwave kicks up a second cloud of dust.
"Nice—!" Jill Young laughs heartily. "Again!"
It's like someone snipped out the middle of the scene—amid the wild winds, everyone sees a blur as Jill Young moves, but no one can catch the details. Then, her legs switch, her second foot lifts high, and comes down like a giant axe from the sky!
Boom! In the whimpering air, the old brute crosses his arms to block, feet bracing as the ground cracks in a spiderweb pattern. Even with internal force to spread the impact, the earth explodes, fissures steaming like a pressure cooker.
"Again—!"
Whoosh! Like the Monkey King swinging his 18,000-pound staff, another explosive clash erupts. Sand flies everywhere, pelting the crowd like hidden weapons. The onlookers have to shield their faces, and when they lower their hands, the rumbling hasn't stopped—the two are still fiercely locked in battle.
"Kill them!!"
No One Under Heaven and the Vajra Sect clash again, but everyone unconsciously keeps their distance from the center of Jill Young's fight. When the immortals are brawling, mere mortals are better off staying out of the way.
The Vajra Sect is known for their brute strength, but No One Under Heaven isn't here to play nice. The Vajra Sect only has a couple dozen core disciples—the rest are just hangers-on. But No One Under Heaven has a hundred fighters, each one solid, and they're quickly turning the tide in their favor.
Pick the softest persimmon to squeeze—some less-skilled fighters spot the little girl standing at the gate, thinking she's an easy target. They charge, but drop like flies a second later, wailing in pain.
"Boss!" Han Bing takes out a few minions and rushes to Wu Zhengfeng's side amid the chaos, worry in her voice. "Chief—er, should we help the Young Palace Master? That guy looks tough!"
"No need." Wu Zhengfeng watches the fight that no one else can see clearly, nodding seriously. "That guy's external martial arts are way stronger than I expected. He's a real talent—he's taken ordinary Iron Shirt, Iron Arm, Iron Palm, and Ironhead Techniques and pushed them to the limit. There probably aren't many people in the world whose external skills are tougher than his. But unfortunately, he's up against Jill Young."
Wu Zhengfeng points with a smile. "Look, she's having the time of her life!"
Han Bing focuses her icy gaze, and sure enough, right in the middle of the flying dust, Jill Young's face is lighting up with excitement. This isn't a desperate struggle—she's clearly enjoying the thrill of battle. The old brute, on the other hand, is all angry shouts and tense expressions.
The old brute's raw strength isn't all that impressive—maybe about level seven on the original Dragon Elephant scale, barely scraping level eight. That's about the same as a nerfed version of Dragon Elephant Wisdom Art at level nine, like when Elder Golden Wheel went to challenge Guo Jing. Compared to Jill Young now, he's still a ways off.
But he's tough—arms, bones, skin, and muscles are all hard as iron. Kicking him is like kicking a steel beam. Compared to Jill Young, who's got full-body upgrades, the old brute can't match her overall, but his defense in one-on-one is no joke.