Chapter 354 - The Release of Power

POW!

It was a ferocious blow, and Xiao Luo was thrown back violently, landing hard then continuing to tumble along the sandy ground for several meters, leaving a trail of sand and dust in his wake.

Everyone watching from the roadside was both in awe and horrified with the savage display of sheer power. Considering the number blows both fighters had thrown at each other, even an armored vehicle would have been smashed to a pulp.

"Oh, no… Mr. Xiao Luo!"

Ji Siying screamed in anguish as she stared nervously at Xiao Luo, who had been knocked down and was now lying still on the ground. Although she was well aware of Xiao Luo's prowess and his ability to take a hit, even a superhero like the "Ironman" would have been seriously injured after taking such a crushing blow.

"Mie, you better get up, don't act like you're done for the day!"

Jin Gang sneered at his fallen foe, standing proud like a divine sculpture glittering in gold. His well-defined and muscular body was beaming with golden light, and an aura of raw power radiated from within.

Xiao Luo clenched his teeth, slamming his fist into the ground, he slowly picked himself up. Blood streamed from the top of his head down the left side of his face, and his eyes glowered with unrestrained fury. A dark aura of malice emanated from deep within his soul, sending a chilling wind across the field.

Xiao Luo looked grim and fearsome, and a bloodlust glowed in his eyes.

"Oh, no, the beast in him has awoken!"

Ji Siying gasped, and she was shaking, as she knew better than anyone else that when Xiao Luo was provoked, he would turn into a wild beast. She still had vivid memories of how Xiao Luo transformed when he annihilated the Cobra Mercenaries in Luo Mountain, and the demon she had encountered then still scared her to this day. But, despite her fear, there was something about Xiao Luo's taciturn nature that appealed to Ji Siying.

"Awoken? What has awoken?"

Fu Yiren's curiosity was piqued by the mention of the word. She stepped gracefully toward Ji Siying with her hands behind her back, looking stunning in her black suit, which complimented her fair skin and slender form. Her eyes were fixed on the duel as she spoke to Ji Siying.

Ji Siying was startled, and her expression suddenly changed when she caught a waft of sweet fragrance. She instinctively covered her nose and jolted back, staring at Fu Yiren with abject fear.

The other NSA soldiers paled when they suddenly noticed Fu Yiren's presence and backed away helter-skelter, trying to keep a safe distance from her. Fu Yiren, Lady Poison, was the most dreaded among the Grade-S agents, and even Jin Gang did not compare when it came down to fear-factor. She was a biological anomaly, a freak of nature, and every part of her body contained powerful toxins. Even being in her proximity could cause a person to shed a layer of skin and succumb to her poison. In appearance, she was a beauty in every sense of the word, but to those who knew her, she was a fell and terrifying angel of death.

Fu Yiren maintained her casual demeanor and disregarded the crowd's panicked reactions. Switching her attention from the duel to Ji Siying, she said, "I asked you a question, what has awoken in him?"

"N-no, nothing… I'm just saying that Mr. Xiao's angry."

"Angry?"

Fu Yiren looked down her nose and frowned. "Well then, it might just make this duel a little more interesting," she quipped.

She then strolled off and took a seat on a large slab of stone nearby. She sat with her legs crossed elegantly, and as she slowly raised her arms, two small green-colored serpents crawled out from her voluminous sleeves and coiled around her arms, flicking their blood-red tongues. As Fu Yiren played with the snakes like pets, she kept her eyes on duel as it unfolded on the training ground.

Fu Yiren's pet serpents did not escape the notice of the horror-struck NSA soldiers, as those little green snakes were bamboo pit vipers, an extremely poisonous species. If a person was bitten by one, the wound would cause excruciating pain, quickly swell up into a blister, and experience nausea and headaches. And, without an anti-toxin serum, the bite could be life-threatening.

On the training ground, Jin Gang had an excited smirk on his face as he finally found a worthy opponent to face off with.

Staring at Xiao Lu with an air of contempt, he bellowed, "Very well then, let's continue the fight like there's no tomorrow!'

Xiao Luo gave his adversary a cold glare as he stretched out his right arm and gave a thumbs up. For a moment, Jin Gang thought that Xiao Luo was acknowledging his prowess, but then Xiao Luo rotated his wrist to point his thumb downward, and his meaning was evident—you die!

GASP!

An audible gasp from the crowd was followed by a dead silence as a deathly chill set upon the entire training ground. No man could insult Jin Gang in such a way and get away with it. It seemed that the fight was about to get out of control!

As the crowd had expected, Jin Gang's expression immediately darkened, and his face was distorted with a hideous scowl.

Without warning, Xiao Luo let out a deafening roar and dashed across the ground toward Jin Gang. Xiao Luo took ten rapid steps forward, then suddenly, he leaped and spun his body just before he came into Jin Gang's range, and struck downward using all of his inner power.

Everyone was on edge, trembling at the fearsome power that Xiao Luo had unleashed. They now realized that Ren Maohua did not lose his fight to just anybody, for this man was indeed a level-S exponent.

Even Fu Yiren was taken aback by Xiao Luo's show of strength and nodded appreciatively.

The speed and power of Xiao Luo's execution were unsurpassed, and Jin Gang could not react in time.

As Xiao Luo leaped and spun before he was within Jin Gang's strike range, he twisted his body and delivered a devastating kick with his right leg, smacking his opponent's neck.

BOOM!

The explosive force of the kick resounded across the ground, and a blast of energy blew a swirling cloud of dust around the fighters.

Even Zhanguo and Dongfang Shuoyu, watching from the office building, were left breathless. As they stared at the training ground, they saw images of a battleground littered with bomb craters.

As the cloud of dust began to clear, another unbelievable sight was unveiled. Incredibly, Xiao Luo's leg was still lodged against his opponent's neck, struggling to free himself with his other leg, while Jin Gang was standing firm, upright and tall, with no sign of being injured. As the dust finally settled, everyone suddenly realized that the ground that Jin Gang was standing on had sunk a meter deep!

"Hahaha, well done… you're good, really good."

Jin Gang's sinister laugh was chilling. He stared at Xiao Luo with bloodshot eyes, and he had both of his hands clamped around Xiao Luo's right leg like a pair of steel pliers. In control of the fight now, Jin Gang grunted as he spun his body around twice like a hammer thrower and flung Xiao Luo away with a mighty heave.

Xiao Luo sailed through the air for a distance before crashing into a two-meter high training wall like a bombshell, smashing the sturdy brick wall into smithereens. The force of the throw sent him flying another three meters through the wall before he landed on the brick-strewn ground beyond.

The NSA soldiers cringed, as they could not imagine how they would have felt had they been in Xiao Luo's shoes.

They had all finally witnessed a battle between two Grade-S fighters.

Everyone had mixed feelings—they were undoubtedly in awe, and at the same time, there were moments of excitement, shock, and fear. Regardless of the outcome of the duel, Xiao Luo had earned their respect and approval.

From a short distance away, Fu Yiren stood up immediately. She stared at Xiao Luo intently with a look of concern. Not many people could have survived Jin Gang's attack, and although she was here as an observer, she did not intend to allow this duel to escalate.

…