novel-bin Chapter 51 Assault
Chapter 51 Assault
Xishan Mine.
The cave entrance was high and wide, with fluorite on the rock walls casting dim yellow light and shadows. Liang Cheng stepped into the cave, and was immediately hit by the damp and dusty smell. Water droplets splashed down from the cave ceiling with a soft, crackling sound.
He went to the side room, put down his luggage, and sat down cross-legged.
The damp and cold air here, with its abundant moisture, subtly suits the environment required for the "Broken Wave Technique".
He closed his eyes, circulated his qi and blood, and stimulated his acupoints.
Each time he circulated his cultivation technique, he drew a tiny, almost imperceptible amount of water essence from the humid air. Two hours later, he opened his eyes.
[Introduction to the First Level of the Broken Wave Technique (191/600)]
Cultivating in the cave was actually a fraction faster than in the meditation room.
An unexpected delight.
……
As night deepened, the first wave of rock rats arrived.
At first, there was a soft rustling sound that came from deep within the cave. Liang Cheng got up, picked up his knife, and walked into the mine tunnel outside the side room.
In the darkness, dozens of scarlet lights gradually lit up.
The rock rat is the size of a cat, with grayish-brown fur and sharp incisors that gleam white in the dim fluorite light. It squeaks and squeaks as it surges in like a tide!
Without hesitation, Liang Cheng charged into the swarm of rats, advancing instead of retreating, and slashed horizontally with his long sword!
The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, and the three rock rats in the front row were cut in half at the waist. The smell of blood instantly aroused the rat swarm even more.
More rock rats emerged from the cracks in the rocks from all directions, pouncing directly at his vital points. Liang Cheng neither dodged nor evaded, fully activating his Iron Armor Realm.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The rock rat's sharp teeth bit into the arm and shoulder, producing a metallic clanging sound, leaving only faint white marks.
He clenched his left fist, unleashing a burst of brute force, and blasted the oncoming rock rat into a bloody mist with a single punch. His right hand slashed repeatedly with his longsword, the blade light weaving into a dense net.
Half an incense stick later, more than forty rat carcasses lay directly in the mine tunnel.
The remaining rock rats hissed and retreated.
Liang Cheng sheathed his sword and looked at his arm. The skin was unbroken and no blood had flowed. He was at the Lesser Completion of the Iron Armor Realm, and could completely ignore this kind of first-order demon beast.
After cleaning up the rat carcasses, he continued his post.
……
The same thing happened for the next five days.
The rock rat swarm attacks every night, ranging in number from twenty to thirty to forty or fifty, but they have never seen the fourth-tier rock rat king.
Liang Cheng cultivated during the day and guarded the area at night, gradually figuring out the rat swarm's movement patterns.
On the seventh night, a strange change occurred.
The number of rock rats decreased sharply this time, with only a dozen or so remaining. Their attack was also less intense than before. Liang Cheng immediately became alert and held back three-tenths of his strength in his sword strike.
Sure enough, shortly after the rats retreated, a dull "thump-thump" sound came from deep within the cave, as if some enormous creature was slowly approaching.
Under the faint glow of the fluorite, a huge black shadow slowly appeared.
It was nearly five feet tall and over ten feet long, with its fur standing on end like steel needles and its eyes bloodshot.
With each step it took, the ground trembled slightly; it was the fourth-tier Rock Rat King!
The Rock Rat King stared at Liang Cheng, growling in its throat, and foul-smelling saliva dripped from between its teeth.
Liang Cheng gripped the knife handle tightly and slowly adjusted his breathing.
The Rock Rat King has moved!
It was several times faster than an ordinary rock rat, its body turning into a gray shadow as it pounced straight at the king. Its two front claws tore at the king like scythes. Liang Cheng dodged to the side, then swung his long sword back, slashing at the king's ribs.
"Sizzle!"
The fur was torn, penetrating about an inch into the flesh.
The Rock Rat King, writhing in pain and fury, lashed out with its massive tail like a steel whip. Liang Cheng raised his sword to block it, but with a loud clang, the blade trembled violently, and he staggered back three steps, his hands and feet going numb.
That's some serious strength!
Its defense is average, but its strength is extremely high!
However, it is actually more suitable for martial artists with extremely strong defense.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Rock Rat King pounced, its blood-red mouth biting straight at Liang Cheng's neck. Liang Cheng did not dodge; he reached out with his left hand, his five fingers gripping the Rat King's upper jaw like iron pincers, while his right hand stabbed the long knife into its open throat.
"roar!"
The Rock Rat King struggled frantically, its claws drawing sparks across Liang Cheng's chest. Liang Cheng gritted his teeth and exerted his strength, twisting the blade fiercely inside the Rat King's body before withdrawing the sword and retreating rapidly.
With his blood gushing out, the Rock Rat King staggered a few steps, collapsed to the ground, convulsed for a moment, and then fell silent.
Liang Cheng's robe was torn at the chest, revealing his gray-iron skin underneath. Three shallow marks were slowly fading away. He had grown to this point, and even a fourth-tier demon beast was no more than this.
Just as he was about to step forward to take the Rock Rat King's demon core, he suddenly caught a very faint sound of footsteps coming from a side entrance of the cave.
It's not a rock rat.
Liang Cheng's eyes turned cold, and he held his long sword horizontally in front of him, remaining silent.
Three people slowly emerged from the shadows at the crossroads.
The leader was Liu Meng. His right arm appeared to be unharmed, but his eyes were filled with extreme resentment.
To his left was a lean old man with narrow eyes, a leather bag around his waist, and black finger cots on his hands.
On the right was a burly man carrying a bronze hammer as thick as a bowl on his shoulder, exuding a powerful aura.
"Liang Cheng, how have you been in the mine for seven days?" Liu Meng grinned.
Liang Cheng's gaze swept over the three men: "Liu Meng, who are you?"
The lean old man's voice was hoarse: "Xu Qi, the guard of the Xu family."
The burly man said in a deep voice, "Earthly abode, Wu Gang."
"I see." Liang Cheng nodded. "The three of you are here to cause me trouble?"
Liu Meng's smile was sinister, his face cold: "I hate it when you're about to die and still have the nerve to talk back. Seventh Master Xu, Brother Wu, make your move! This mine will be your burial ground today!"
Before he could finish speaking, Xu Qi had already made his move!
He waved his hands repeatedly, and more than ten jet-black bone-piercing nails shot through the air, blocking Liang Cheng's escape routes to the left and right. Each one was coated with a dark blue luster, clearly indicating that it was coated with a deadly poison.
At the same time, Wu Gang stepped forward, raised his bronze hammer high, and smashed it directly at Liang Cheng's head with the force of splitting mountains.
A pincer attack from both sides; the killing move has been revealed.
Liang Cheng did not retreat, but instead advanced!
He shielded his face with his left arm, and the bone-piercing nails struck his arm with a series of clangs, sparks flying, but they failed to break the skin.
Instead of slashing Wu Gang with his long sword, he slashed at the ground with his right hand.
"boom!"
The blade's energy blasted away the rubble and dust, instantly filling the mine tunnel with smoke and dust.
Wu Gang's hammer struck empty air, and his body froze. In that instant, Liang Cheng burst out of the dust and rushed straight at Xu Qi on his right.
Xu Qi's expression changed, and he waved his hands repeatedly, firing three more bone-piercing nails. Liang Cheng remained unmoved, enduring the nail strikes head-on, while his longsword sliced across Xu Qi's throat!
"laugh!"
As the blade flashed, Xu Qi retreated hastily, but a bloody gash was still cut open on his neck. In his horror, he grabbed a handful of crimson powder from his pouch and threw it out.
Liang Cheng immediately held his breath and retreated rapidly. The toxic phosphorus powder stuck to his robe and immediately caught fire, emitting pungent yellow smoke.
He tore off his outer robe and threw it aside, revealing his gray-iron body underneath.
Wu Gang had already recovered and swung his copper hammer down again.
This time, Liang Cheng did not take the hit head-on.
He touched the ground with his toes, twisted his body, and slashed his long sword diagonally, leaving a bloody gash on Wu Gang's ribs.
Wu Gang roared and swung his copper hammer, but Liang Cheng used the force to retreat to the cave wall, then thrust his knife into a crevice in the rock with his backhand, suspending himself in mid-air to avoid the hammer's force.
"He's stalling for time. Once it's light and we're out of work and down in the cave, the Martial Academy will definitely notice us. They'll have to kill us quickly." Xu Qi clutched his neck, his voice hoarse.
Liu Meng's eyes hardened: "We can't let him waste any more time!"
The three pounced at the same time.
Liang Cheng laughed.
He landed with a thud, sheathed his long sword, and slowly clenched his fists.
The gray iron sheen under the skin becomes brighter and brighter, and the blood and qi throughout the body are like a furnace burning, like layers of surging tides, each layer stronger than the last.
"Since the three of you are in such a hurry to get going," Liang Cheng said calmly, "then I will see you off."
He took a step forward and threw a punch.
The first punch was aimed at Wu Gang's bronze hammer.
"clang--!!!"
The fists and hammers struck each other, producing a booming sound; dust fell from the cave ceiling, and cracks spread across the rock walls.
Wu Gang felt an immense force coming from the hammer, and his entire arm went numb instantly. The bronze hammer flew out of his hand and smashed into the rock wall on the side!
The second punch was aimed at Xu Qi.
Xu Qi retreated hastily, scattering the poison, but Liang Cheng did not pursue. The force of his fist dispersed the poison powder from a distance, and the remaining force struck Xu Qi's chest. Xu Qi was hit hard, vomiting blood and flying backward, crashing into a stone pillar and sliding down.
The third punch was aimed directly at Liu Meng.
Liu Meng's face was contorted with rage as he used his fist as a blade to unleash a devastating wave-slash!
The two fists collided.
"boom!"
The shockwave exploded, and rubble fell from the cave ceiling. Liu Meng felt the opponent's fist force surging like waves, each layer stronger than the last. His two years of hard-earned Broken Wave Technique was completely suppressed!
"Your Broken Wave Technique..." He stared wide-eyed.
"Just starting out," Liang Cheng said, withdrawing his fist and looking at Liu Meng, who was staggering backward, "but killing you is enough."
Before Liu Meng could speak again, his blood and qi suddenly surged in his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing to his knees.
Three punches later, all three were injured, and they looked at Liang Cheng in horror.
What kind of monster is this?!
Liang Cheng stepped forward slowly, about to finish the job, when a rumbling sound suddenly came from above.
not good!