Chapter 240: Breaking into the Cool Breeze Gang’s Hideaway
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“I can see where your confidence comes from!” Though he had been mentally prepared, when Golden Rooster saw Junior Leopard carrying the two huge twin hammers that were even larger than his body, he couldn’t help but gasp for some cold air.
It was the first time that Junior Leopard had brought out both hammers. He held a hammer in each hand and crossed them at his back. From afar, he looked like an eight foot monster with two heads.
The twin hammers were so heavy that with each step he took, the ground would sink down several centimeters, and the footprint was as long as from the city gate to the alley entrance.
The footprints were deepest at the start near the city gate, but as he took more steps, the footprints became more shallow. When he reached the alley entranceway, he stepped firmly on the ground and there remained no trace of footprint. At the same time, his Qi Power was condensed to its extremity.
His slender body looked as if it was carrying a huge mountain rather than two iron hammers. As he stood at the entranceway, the entire alley was covered in an immense and tangible shadow. It seemed like the mountain would break down at any minute and crush all living creatures into ashes.
It was the Cool Breeze Gang’s hideaway. After Junior Leopard revealed its location, the small town south of Zhonghe City had been in a weird state of extreme calm and strangeness.
There were martial arts people and Jianghu schools here, but these characters were not famous. When they heard what was beside them they were in shock and disbelief. The ordinary alley that had never attracted much attention before was now the focus of the entire martial arts world.
The government wouldn’t search it merely based on a rumor. A few constables did visit, but according to their feedback, there were no a.s.sa.s.sins living in the yard. There was only a kind and gentle old landlord.
Of course, this was to be expected. If the Cool Breeze Gang could be discovered by sending out a few constables, then it wasn’t the real Cool Breeze Gang.
However, the families that had originally resided in the small alley were decisive. They all left in one night. Before people in the city could take further action, Junior Leopard appeared at the city gate. Carrying two gigantic hammers, he walked slowly and purposefully, until he reached the alley entrance.
The alley was long and winding. Even though Junior Leopard had 360° vision, it wasn’t yet abnormal enough to see things behind a turn. Hence, he couldn’t see beyond the bend.
There was no one in the alley. Not even an animal. The ground was very clean, flat and dry.
Standing at the entrance to the alley, Junior Leopard raised his eyebrows. With a smile that carried to his eyes, he said, “Stop standing there. Although I can’t see behind the turn, I can sense your existence with my spiritual mind!”
“Yunzhou Zhou Bao, you really deserve your reputation!” Behind the alley, the sound of hands clapping could be heard. Then a man appeared before Junior Leopard.
“h.e.l.l, even a.s.sa.s.sins know how to pretend in this era. I’m here today to destroy them, yet they are clapping their hands to welcome me. How foolis.h.!.+” Junior Leopard looked at the man with a cold smile on his face. “It appears that the Cool Breeze Gang has become corrupted. a.s.sa.s.sins should remain hidden and kill their enemy with one hit. How can you pretend to be smart and powerful here?”
“It’s my business and I deserve my reputation. Who the h.e.l.l are you?”
“Huyan Ping of the Cool Breeze Gang!” The man stood, as if he didn’t care about Junior Leopard’s mountain-like Qi Power. “Yunzhou Zhou Bao, your name has spread across the world. Unfortunately, you are someone who doesn’t keep his promises!”
Junior Leopard laughed, “Go to h.e.l.l with the promise! I let you guys slaughter the client, but you dared to kill my family. No promise ever existed between us!”
“You gave us one month to slaughter the client. You never said we couldn’t dispatch a.s.sa.s.sins to kill your family!”
The man was still smiling as he spoke.
“Well, your reasoning is fair enough!” Junior Leopard also smiled. “Okay then, you can say that I haven’t kept my promise. Actually, I was just toying with you anyway. So do you want a piece of this?”
The enormous Qi Power collapsed as if the mountain had broken. A wild wind started to blow, and the air became mixed with sand and mud. The man who had been smiling a moment ago finally changed his facial expression. He gave out a cold snort, then a puff of effeminate Qi Power began to hover around his body. Junior Leopard’s overwhelming Qi Power was immediately dissolved. However, he still stepped two steps backward and left two faint footprints on the ground. His face turned red.
“Level Seven! Your cultivation has already ascended into Level Seven, the Tendon-Changing Realm!”
he exclaimed with surprise.
It was true that few people knew Junior Leopard’s cultivation had reached Level Seven except for those who were close to him. In the eyes of men in Jianghu, his cultivation was Level Six at most, though he had shown an overwhelming advantage against Meng Qingrong on River Heart Island.
The reason was obvious. Level Seven was a huge gap, no matter how talented a person was. Although Junior Leopard had excellent combat capability, which even exceeded Level Seven, combat capability wasn’t cultivation. Combat capability was composed of many extra factors. Celestial devices, magic weapons, cultivation methods and even ordinary weapons could all be counted in combat capability. But cultivation could only be measured by the amount of Internal Qi and the clarity of the Internal Qi.
Just now however, the man had discovered from the difference in Qi Power that Junior Leopard let out that his cultivation was not at Level Six. His cultivation had leaped the gap and reached Level Seven.
A Level Seven expert at the age of 17!
No wonder you are so bold and arrogant. It turns out that you are at Level Seven!
The man was in awe; his eyes revealed a sense of disbelief. But this didn’t mean he would do nothing in the face of Junior Leopard’s pressure.
It’s time to fight!
The man yelled. As he yelled, a mild power rapped his entire body. His body was like a fish, swimming towards Junior Leopard.
Countless concealed weapons shot from both sides of the alley in accordance with his yell, including a steel needle, Flying Knives, a boomerang, a Datepit Pin, an Arched Blade, a Meteor Hammer and even a Thunder-fire Ball. The weapons’ shadows covered the sky. They were all targeted directly at Junior Leopard.
There was a faint blue light on the needles and at the edge of sabers. Junior Leopard could sense the somewhat sweet smell on the concealed weapons. The weapons were smeared with toxins. Even a tiny injury could kill him. Moreover, Junior Leopard could tell from the sound as they flew through the air that some of the weapons might be able to break Gang Qi. Even if he had Gang Qi, it might be broken by them, not to mention that he hadn’t practiced Gang Qi successfully. If the Gang Qi broke, he would be injured. Although the possibility was not high, it was still there.
Junior Leopard had no way to escape from the ma.s.s of flying weapons so he didn’t. He shook his body and curled up under his huge hammers.
DING! DING! DING! DANG! DANG! DANG! PA! PA! PA!
With all the tiny cracking sounds, it was as if there was a symphony at the alley entranceway. Numerous concealed weapons were all blocked by the enormous twin hammers before they could touch Junior Leopard.
Enormous. That was the best word to describe the iron hammers. They easily s.h.i.+elded Junior Leopard’s body as they were gently put in front of him. They s.h.i.+elded him from the eccentric fish-like body movement the man used.
DANG!
The sound came from the man’s body as he approached Junior Leopard. He was struck hard by the hammer.
He flew far back. The saber light in his hand began to s.h.i.+ver dramatically. His expression changed.
“What powerful strength!”
The strength pa.s.sed down from the iron hammer was way beyond his expectations.
He was a Level Seven expert and knew to balance the inner and outer cycle. His muscles and bones were also well forged, tough and strong. Though his muscles didn’t look extraordinary, they were tougher than iron under the cover of his robe. n.o.body would refuse to say he had a body strong as iron.
In fact, experts whose cultivation had reached Level Seven could all be described as having bodies as strong as iron. There were no exceptions. If the body was not tough enough, it couldn’t hold the Internal Qi of Level Seven.
Most experts didn’t care much about weapons. Ordinary weapons couldn’t injure experts over Level Seven at all. As one became a master of martial arts, the function of weapons became weaker. Only Genuine Weapons could pose threat to them, and even that was limited.
Today, he helplessly discovered that the commonsense that existed in ordinary people’s minds was broken.
Junior Leopard’s twin iron hammers had been refined less than a hundred times. As a matter of fact, all iron hammers were refined less than a hundred of times, because they had too weird a shape. Not to mention that Junior Leopard’s hammers were too big.
They have not refined hundreds of times, nor were they sharp as blades. But they were powerful. The power frightened him. Half of the power was from Junior Leopard, and half of it was from the hammers.
“The twin hammers must weigh at least a tonne!”
This was the conclusion Huyan Ping had after he was knocked with the hammers. But the reality was that he underestimated their weight by half.
The twin hammers were like two doors and s.h.i.+elds, giving Junior Leopard airtight protection. They made all attacks ineffective. Although the man had a weird body movement, he had no choice when Junior Leopard retreated behind the hammers like a turtle. His saber could do nothing against the iron hammers. If he chopped at the hammers, his Genuine Weapon that had been refined hundreds of times might have abraded.
After the rain of concealed weapon, the alley entrance became silent again. Aside from the ma.s.s of concealed weapons covering the ground, it looked as if nothing had happened. As for Huyan Ping, he retreated to the alley’s bend. He finally had the manner of an a.s.sa.s.sin, hiding his spirits and waiting the best moment to kill.
Hahahaha, does the world famous Cool Breeze Gang really have so few killing methods?” Junior Leopard scoffed. He walked into the alley. The giant twin hammers were still carried behind his back. He continued walking, as if to walk deep into the alley.
Suddenly, Junior Leopard waved his right hand fiercely.
BANG! The giant hammer smashed against the wall beside him violently.
HONG! With a loud sound, dust billowed, and rubble flew everywhere. The wall was broken by force and the hole in the wall was big enough for three men to walk through side by side.
There was a large garden behind the wall, but it had been abandoned.
Originally, there had been four families in the alley including the Cool Breeze Gang, but the other three families had left.
As Junior Leopard entered the yard, he turned his body and waved his twin hammers. Two painful cries came out immediately from two killers who had been hiding. They didn’t have a chance to escape before they were knocked down by the big hammer. They died a very painful death.
Their corpses fell more than ten feet away, leaving no bones intact.
Next, Junior Leopard bounded in the direction of the Cool Breeze Gang. The Cool Breeze Gang’s plan was immediately ruined.
The Cool Breeze Gang was located in the deepest part of the alley, and they had allocated most of their men in the alley and around it. They were hiding beside the wall, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
But Junior Leopard hadn’t taken the normal route, he’d broken the wall and walked directly through. Their preparations had been in vain. They had to change their strategy quickly.
They had speculated on how Junior Leopard would approach, but they did not realize that the walls didn’t make any difference for a master of martial arts like Junior Leopard.
He could break down the walls with his fists, or he could simply fly over them using Lightness Skill. The wall would not stop a master like Junior Leopard.
They hadn’t thought Junior Leopard would actually break the wall and boldly walk in. Breaking a wall took great strength, especially in a killer’s nest. He’d had to prevent their attacks first. This was not the best method when considering all aspects. As for using Lightness Skill, it could be even worse. Flying in the sky could easily turn a person into a living target. However, if one had perfect Lightness Skill or had cleared Gang Qi, things would be different. The Cool Breeze Gang had a plan to deal with such experts, and they were already well prepared.
Unfortunately, they had never thought that Junior Leopard’s final option would be to smash the wall. Even a.s.sa.s.sins hiding could do nothing when they faced such method of destroying the wall. Junior Leopard’s hammer was too heavy and too fast. Under the attack of his iron hammer, the wall was like a piece of paper. It didn’t stop him at all. They could only watch as he smashed the wall with one hammer after the other.
Huyan Ping, who had been hiding behind a turn, finally appeared as Junior Leopard was breaking the last wall. Huyan Ping was now furious. His eyes were flas.h.i.+ng a chilling light of fury and humiliation. He felt he was doomed, completely doomed. He had hidden in the alley like a fool, waiting for the chance to kill, but his enemy never paid the least bit of attention to him. Instead, Junior Leopard had approached by successively smas.h.i.+ng the walls.
“Since when do killers in the Cool Breeze Gang like to confront the enemy face to face?” Junior Leopard laughed as he saw Huyan Ping jump towards him with a soft saber in hand; the saber gave off an odd light. He waved the hammer in his left hand to protect his body and smashed the one in his right hand toward Huyan Ping.
The hammer hadn’t arrived, but the momentum was near. The giant hammer was like a mountain, blocking Huyan Ping completely.
Huyan Ping hid the light of his saber and jumped into the air. His body was as swift as an eel swimming in water. An intangible force wrapped the big hammer that was coming at him. Suddenly the hammer attacked Junior Leopard as if it had its own intelligence.
The power was light and soft, like running water and breath. It was fast. When it came into contact with the big hammer, it wasn’t fighting by force. Instead, before anyone could notice, the strength leaped the big hammer’s defense and was at Junior Leopard’s front.
The power which was soft like water became piercingly cold like the saber after engulfing the iron hammer, as if to cut Junior Leopard in half starting from his head.
“h.e.l.l!”
Junior Leopard focused his eyes. Green light appeared, surrounding him, then disappeared momentarily. Things didn’t stop there. The immense evil intent and toxins that the green light contained melted into Huyan Ping’s body following the way of his power.
Huyan Ping swerved back and forth like a fish in the shadows of the hammer. Suddenly, he felt his Gang Qi diminished by a cold force. He was surprised. Then he noticed the green light that flashed around Junior Leopard’s body.
“Gang Qi!”
That was his last thought. The cold violent breath of evil made him tremble. He felt his entire body go numb. The Gang Qi he had just launched disappeared mysteriously. Before he could have any other thoughts, Junior Leopard’s iron hammer was in front of him. It crushed him.
POOF!
When Huyan Ping’s Gang Qi disappeared, all the mystery disappeared at the same time. The iron hammer, which contained Heavenly Jade Technique, struck his body heavily. He was like a pedestrian hit by a Mack truck driving at 70 kilometers an hour. No, actually, Junior Leopard’s hammering strength was even more intense than a Mack truck, and it contained devastating fist intent.
He wasn’t forced backwards. Instead, he was pounded into minced meat, squashed like a tomato. Blood and meat flew everywhere instantly. Even his bones were crushed to ashes under one attack.
He was actually hammered to death!
Junior Leopard’s one hammer had stopped the surrounding air!
Some a.s.sa.s.sins appeared out of the surrounding darkness. They had intended to join in the battle, but they all stopped. Although their faces were covered, Junior Leopard could see the terror and hesitation behind.
However, he wouldn’t let go of the perfect chance. He waved his twin hammers again. The a.s.sa.s.sins were crushed in a breath.
Junior Leopard had annihilated Huyan Ping’s group. His spiritual mind discovered that all the killers hiding in the dark were retreating.
The Cool Breeze Gang had found that it was pointless to continue. The incomparable skill of hiding spirit that the killers took such pride in was of no use when it came to Junior Leopard. The hammers in his hands were also too extraordinary. They exceeded the killers’ abilities. Anyone who encountered his hammers either met his death or became severely injured. Under such circ.u.mstances, even a strong a.s.sa.s.sin would choose to retreat.
They were killers, not Men of Sacrifice. Though sometimes these two words had the same meaning.
“It seems that this Huyan Ping’s ident.i.ty is not simple! People from Cool Breeze Gang all retreated after his death. They might have decided to defend their nest!” “It seems that this Huyan Ping’s ident.i.ty is not so simple! The rest of the Cool Breeze Gang all retreated after his death. They should have stayed to defend their nest!” Junior Leopard raised his twin hammers and crossed them behind his back again. He looked upward gently. The Cool Breeze Gang’s nest was already in his eyesight. There was only a wall between them. Junior Leopard believed that there were many killers hiding in the dark, including three experts: one was at Level Seven, another was Level Eight and the last one was Lan Wu, the Cool Breeze Gang’s Mansion Master. Although Lan Wu was only a Level Six expert, his combat ability was surely above Level Seven. This was what he had learned from the Immortal Palace.
So what kind of killing arrangement was there in the Cool Breeze Gang?
Standing before the wall of the yard and feeling the sharp murderous intent it let out, Junior Leopard wondered how many traps and killers were waiting for him.
“Did you guys really believe I would break into the yard the normal way?”
Junior Leopard sneered. He put the twin hammers in his right hand and raised his left hand at the same time. Three golden flames as big as fists soon appeared. He was smiling with malice. He waived his hand.
HU! Three flames flew rapidly toward the Cool Breeze Gang.
A few seconds later, Junior Leopard waved his hand continuously and shot out more than 20 flames. It was the Lion of Nine Forms of Real Dragon skill, the third form of Nine Dragons Heavenly Fire Technique. The flames were fast. As soon as they met objects, they ignited. One flame fell onto the camp. The red light flickered, engulfing the whole yard in fire.
Junior Leopard’s acts were too wicked!
The yard was the Cool Breeze Gang’s nest indeed, but its structure was still similar to other yards. This was to hide their ident.i.ty. The main building was made of wood and fire spread rapidly in a very short time.
As the fire was ignited, the killers hiding in the dark no doubt could not hide any longer. Everybody shouted in the yard, then dozens of black shadows appeared, storming towards Junior Leopard.
In such a great fire, it didn’t make sense to hide anymore.
But the killers didn’t charge Junior Leopard directly. They stopped when they were a hundred feet away, posing to defend themselves.
“Funny!”
Obviously, Junior Leopard knew their intentions. He squinted at them.
A violent wind suddenly swirled in the yard, wrapping all the flames in. It formed a huge fire pillar. But the weirdest thing was that the flame which was originally golden turned to dark red. The enormous Qi Power and dark red fire pillar were pressing at Junior Leopard.