Chapter 183 Affliction Dismissal
"Very well, that’ll be added to your tab," Luo Eleven remarked with a faint smile, his gaze flicking briefly over the two standing before him. "One’s a bulky man whose all show no strength while the other is a girl who's as thin as a twig. Their punches are weak and harmless."
"Haha!" Zhang Shan laughed in anger. "weak and harmless? Come and give it a try!"
"Alright then." Luo Eleven gently pushed Ole Sun aside and walked onto the bridge.
At this moment, all six had boarded the bridge, though their formation was a little chaotic. Positioned from left to right, they were Qiao Jiajin, Xiao Xiao, Zhang Shan, Li Xiangling, Luo Eleven, and Ole Sun.
The teams had been thrown into disarray, and the most crucial factor now was which side could find a breakthrough and lead their team to victory.
Zhang Shan and Li Xiangling had completely entrusted their backs to Qiao Jiajin, both of them fully focused on the opponents before them.
"Zhang Shan, let me have a go," Li Xiangling said. "You can take the penultimate position."
"Okay." Zhang Shan nodded. "Tread carefully."
The youth known as Luo Eleven did not respond. Instead, he continued to mutter to himself, "All show no strength, thin as a twig, weak and harmless. All show no strength, thin as a twig, weak and harmless."
It was as if he were possessed.
Li Xiangling disregarded the man’s mumblings and swiftly moved forward, executing a powerful Sweep Kick after a sharp stomp.
The strike aimed at his abdomen—his most vulnerable spot—would have definitely hurt any normal person, but Luo Eleven didn’t bother to block. Instead, he took the blow and immediately countered with a punch that hit Li Xiangling squarely on the cheek.
"Ah!" Li Xiangling was knocked to the ground, and Zhang Shan quickly moved to help her up.
"Are you alright?" Zhang Shan asked, concern evident in his voice.
"I—I’m fine..." Li Xiangling’s physical conditioning from years of martial arts training made her far stronger than the average person. Yet, she couldn’t understand why he could immediately retaliate after her attack.
"Be careful," Zhang Shan warned. "These lunatics also have their {Reverberation}."
"Indeed, it’s very strange…" Li Xiangling rubbed her cheek. She clearly remembered the sensation of her kick landing. She had put a great deal of force into the strike, logically, it should have caused internal damage, yet he seemed completely unaffected.
"See? What did I say? You're no match for me." Luo Eleven extended his index finger and waved it. "You still have a long way to go."
Li Xiangling's gaze hardened, and she took up her stance again. "No matter how tough your skin or thick your flesh, if I keep striking, sooner or later you’ll expose a weakness."
"Then try it," Luo Eleven beckoned with a gesture.
Li Xiangling didn’t waste a moment. She stepped to the side, planted her feet wide in a horse stance, and thrust her right elbow forward, hitting him firmly in the chest. This was a technique she had picked up from a fellow villager, the Bajiquan[1] style.
Luo Eleven had never anticipated such a forceful strike. Although he felt no pain, the immense impact lifted him off the ground, sending him soaring through the air for nearly half a meter before crashing back down.
Without hesitation, Li Xiangling charged forward. Her goal had never been to kill, but to {cross the bridge}. Once she could pass him, the only opponent left would be the one ahead.
However, to her surprise, something appeared beneath her feet, once again blocking her path.
Looking down, she saw her feet surrounded by a pile of scattered stones.
The stones were covered in moss, some of which had already crept up her legs, as if they had been there for years, and she had been standing in this very spot for just as long.
Li Xiangling blinked, ensuring her senses were clear, then quickly crouched to clear the stones. She knew that if she didn’t seize the opportunity while her opponent was momentarily incapacitated, it would all be for nothing.
"Watch out!" Zhang Shan shouted, rushing forward to her side.
Luo Eleven, who had been knocked down by Li Xiangling, rose to his feet as if nothing had happened. His hands came together as if gripping something, and he swung them toward Li Xiangling's head.
Li Xiangling’s eyes widened. Although she clearly saw him swinging through the air, she suddenly felt as if a stone had struck her on the head.
Sure enough, she saw that Luo Eleven was holding a broken stone cudgel, one that seemed to have materialized out of thin air, as though it had always been in his hand.
The force of his strike was overwhelming, propelling Li Xiangling off the bridge and sending her flying through the air.
Zhang Shan’s heart sank. He immediately threw himself to the ground and, at the last moment, grabbed her wrist, preventing her from plunging into the depths below.
"Hey! Girly!" Zhang Shan shouted. "You alright?"
Li Xiangling shook her head, slowly opening her eyes, feeling a strong dizziness. "I'm fine... Shan ge," she forced a smile, but the next moment, she saw Luo Eleven reappear behind Zhang Shan, holding the broken stone cudgel. He swung it violently toward his head.
"Shan ge, look out!!" Li Xiangling screamed.
Zhang Shan’s expression darkened, and the blow struck his head solidly.
"Shan... Shan ge..." Though Li Xiangling was concerned, she realized that Zhang Shan’s grip on her wrist remained firm.
"I thought you were going to hit harder," Zhang Shan sneered. "Now this is what I call {weak and harmless}."
Luo Eleven froze. He turned around and gestured with his hand. Ole Sun quickly passed him another stone cudgel.
With all his strength, Luo Eleven raised the stone high before bringing it down with a fierce crash. The stone shattered on impact, yet Zhang Shan remained completely unaffected.
Despite Luo Eleven having struck Zhang Shan twice, the sight of this caused him to stagger backward several steps.
"What the hell is this man made of?!"
Zhang Shan stood up nonchalantly, lifting Li Xiangling with one hand and placing her behind him. He then reached up and casually brushed the stone dust off his head.
"Fighting is one thing, but to go so far as to attack a young girl with lethal force…" Zhang Shan's expression darkened with anger. "Come on, try hitting me with your stick. If I so much as dodge, I’ll take your surname."
He began to step forward, his imposing presence forcing Luo Eleven to retreat with each step.
Luo Eleven extended his hand behind him, and Ole Sun produced yet another stone cudgel out of thin air.
As Luo Eleven swung the stone cudgel, ready to advance, Zhang Shan immediately reached out and delivered a crushing punch to his face.
The force of the punch rippled through the muscles in Luo Eleven's face, and a few of his teeth flew out like splinters of wood.
It was a brutal blow.
Zhang Shan knew that even someone like Qiao Jiajin wouldn’t have been able to take such a punch head-on.
But to his surprise, after absorbing the blow, Luo Eleven quickly turned, raising the stone cudgel again, and slammed it down onto Zhang Shan's head.
Zhang Shan didn’t flinch, and a trickle of blood began to seep down from his scalp.
This impact seemed to spark some kind of realization in him.
"Punk, your {Reverberation}... numbs all pain?" Zhang Shan wiped the blood from his forehead, his voice cold as he asked.
"At your service..." Luo Eleven grinned, blood staining his teeth. "I am {Affliction Dismissal}. Not just pain, but all unpleasant sensations—none of them reach me."
"Oh?" Zhang Shan nodded slightly, his eyes narrowing. "So, you think you can use that ability to beat me?"
"Yes." Luo Eleven smiled, nodding. "{Judgment’s Domain} had already made their order, so you have to die. Next time, if the price is right, I might even lay down my life for you."