Step by Step Ascend to Immortality

Chapter 23 - 24 Fierce Fight

Chapter 23: Chapter 24 Fierce Fight

The blazing bear charged forward, its momentum like that of a raging bull, while a water-striped tiger leaped from behind. Fire Qianshu, a man of indomitable spirit, didn't utter a sound. He pressed forward with determination, swinging his pair of meteor hammers toward the fire bear.Du Yunlong had a moment to catch his breath, and without hesitation, he swung his Heaven's Tear Starfall Sword. A streak of azure light shot towards the fire bear, but Lei Bingtian reacted with lightning speed, shouting, "Block it!"Even without Lei Bingtian's command, the bandits had already been terrified by Du Yunlong's formidable attack. They unleashed a barrage of stones, arrows, and talismans, trying to stop the azure light. But it moved like lightning, only one swift arrow managed to strike it, and even then, it was deflected.At this critical moment, an elite cultivator from the Pang family waved his broad sleeve, releasing dozens of folded paper cranes. As soon as these white cranes left his sleeve, they grew rapidly, from a mere inch to over a foot in size, sprouting feathers as they expanded.The dozens of cranes, seemingly imbued with intelligence, streaked towards the azure light like bolts of lightning. The cultivator, a mid-stage Qi Refining expert, bit down hard, using his life-saving trump card. The cranes collided with the azure light, one after another, but were sent flying, shrinking back to their original size. Some of them turned a scorched yellow, losing their spiritual essence, while others spontaneously combusted in mid-air.Despite the fierce onslaught, the cranes only managed to slow the azure light. The cultivator, whose mind was connected to the paper cranes, staggered backward, coughing up blood repeatedly. Yet, this momentary delay allowed the Pang-Ma alliance to concentrate their firepower on intercepting Du Yunlong's attack. Arrows, stones, iron pellets, Daoist talismans, ice beads, and iron spikes flew in rapid succession. The azure light dimmed after several impacts, finally dissipating into thin air.Meanwhile, Fire Qianshu found himself in a dire situation. Though tall and robust, he seemed like a dwarf in front of the fire bear, which towered over him. His heavy meteor hammers, which normally packed a punch, were no match for the bear. The fire bear, unaffected by the blows, charged directly at Fire Qianshu, sending his hammers flying.The bear remained unscathed, save for a few singed patches of fur where the hammers had struck. With a roar, it continued its assault, while the water-striped tiger lunged at Fire Qianshu from behind. He twisted and turned, meeting the tiger's claw with his own hand.The force of the tiger's strike was immense, sending Fire Qianshu flying back several feet. His face flushed red as he stumbled back two steps, trying to regain his footing, but the fire bear was already barreling towards him, radiating intense heat."Damn it!" Fire Qianshu thought, his legs unsteady, making it impossible to face the bear head-on.The fire bear weighed at least six to seven hundred pounds, and its charging momentum added several thousand more. A direct hit would either kill him or leave him severely injured.Despite his reluctance, the bear's massive paws came crashing down, while the water-striped tiger circled around for another strike. Fire Qianshu barely managed to leap aside, flipping in mid-air, his meteor hammers smashing into the bear's snow-white paws. The impact propelled him out of the tiger's reach, evading its deadly jaws.For such a rough and burly man, Fire Qianshu executed the maneuver with remarkable finesse, moving with the fluid grace of water. But Du Yunlong's heart was in his throat—his earlier azure light attack had been his strongest move.Who would have thought that the enemy would deploy dozens of high-quality spiritual cranes to block it? Now, Du Yunlong was out of powerful tricks. Despite wielding the Heaven's Tear Starfall Sword, he was merely a second-level Qi Refining cultivator, and borrowing the sword's power only elevated him to the fifth level at best.As he and Fire Qianshu became engulfed by the enemy's forces, Du Yunlong urgently asked, "Miss Wang, do you have any ideas?"Normally, he wouldn't have asked Wang Zihan for help, but their situation was desperate. Wang Zihan, perched on Du Yunlong's back, frowned deeply, unable to think of a way out.They were up against more than thirty formidable opponents, and Du Yunlong was struggling to keep up, while Fire Qianshu was faring even worse. Trapped between the bear and the tiger, he was forced to retreat step by step, constantly fending off ambushes.The iron-willed warrior moved like a deity, leaping and dodging through the enemy ranks, but his body was already a bloody mess, with even a patch of flames clinging to him. His meteor hammers were knocked from his grasp time and again!"What should we do?" Wang Zihan bit her lip, preparing to act, but just then, Fire Qianshu shouted back at Du Yunlong, "I've got a plan! Leave it to me! The young lady is in your hands!"Despite his bold words, Fire Qianshu's situation was growing increasingly dire. The fire bear pressed forward relentlessly, and Lei Bingtian controlled the water-striped tiger with equal ferocity. Fire Qianshu had no room left to retreat."You think you can turn this around?" Lei Bingtian's mood improved as he saw his side gaining the upper hand. With reinforcements led by Pang Jiaolong on the way, he shouted, "Even if you were the king of the heavens, you're heading straight to hell!"Fire Qianshu, covered in blood, had barely any clothing left on his body, just a few charred scraps clinging to his skin. He was burning in several places, clearly on the brink of collapse. But then, he gripped his meteor hammers tightly, smashing them against his chest with all his might.These hammers, forged from pure steel, weighed sixteen pounds each, and after countless battles, they were glowing red hot. Now, as they rebounded off his chest, they struck with a series of thunderous booms, shaking Fire Qianshu to his core.The fire bear paused, momentarily startled. But as a fierce battle beast, it didn't hesitate, swinging its massive white paws towards Fire Qianshu. The chains on the meteor hammers whirled through the air, tearing the very atmosphere apart, and Fire Qianshu spat a mouthful of blood onto them.The fire bear's eyes widened in disbelief as the seemingly diminutive figure before it suddenly grew larger, impossibly so. The meteor hammers, now imbued with terrifying power, hurtled towards the bear. It hesitated for just a moment before instinctively striking back with its paws.But it was too late. The fire bear felt its paws shatter under the impact. The hammers smashed through, tearing into its side, engulfing half its body in flames.Impossible!Lei Bingtian could hardly believe his eyes as Fire Qianshu's fearsome figure yanked the hammers back, ripping them free from the bear's side, and in the process, smashing through its already battered paws once more.This fire bear was known for its ironclad hide, yet Fire Qianshu's blow had shattered countless bones. He spun his left hand, sending the meteor hammer crashing into the bear's nose, utterly disfiguring its face and causing it to spew flames.What terrifying power!Lei Bingtian was stunned. The hammer strike had been impossibly powerful, yet executed with such precision that it landed squarely on the bear's most vulnerable spot—its nose.Wait, where's the other hammer?The next moment, Lei Bingtian saw his water-striped tiger torn apart by the second hammer. The tiger, known for its endurance, couldn't withstand Fire Qianshu's devastating throw, and was instantly obliterated. Lei Bingtian felt dizzy, nearly collapsing.Fire Qianshu, swinging his meteor hammers, charged forward, roaring at Lei Bingtian, "Remember my name in hell!"