Chapter 887 — Your Opponent Is Me

The remaining members of the musketeer squad finally understood what it was that had been attacking them. As one, they swung their muzzles off Wei Zhao and onto General Mighty. But General Mighty made a smaller target than Wei Zhao; a dart to the left, a leap to the right, and he was behind another musketeer.

As a result, before that musketeer could work out what was happening, he was tragically shot dead by his comrades' wild fire! Even as he died, he could not fathom why he had not been kicked to death by a dog, only to be gunned down by his own companions! Had they taken him for the dog?

General Mighty pulled the same trick again, darting and leaping with marvelous agility, and so several more musketeers died at the muzzles of their comrades' guns. A few who survived the bullets were finished off by a single kick from General Mighty.

"Master Ma, kill that dog! Kill it, quick!" Zhen Yingjun shrieked in horror. He had never imagined a dog could be so formidable — that it could kick a man to death!

Ma Zhu nodded, stepped forward, and made ready to finish General Mighty off, but Wei Zhao moved first, planting himself in front of Ma Zhu.

"Your opponent is me," Wei Zhao said mildly, looking at Ma Zhu. He could not gauge Ma Zhu's strength; the strength of an external-school expert was not judged by the amount of energy he held, for such men refined their bodies to raise their rank, and Wei Zhao had no way of knowing how tough that body was.

"Out of my way. You're no match for me," Ma Zhu said, with a glance at Wei Zhao and a note of contempt in his voice.

"Aren't I? We'll soon find out, won't we?" Wei Zhao smiled. "Maybe you're right — maybe I'm no match for you. But when you fight a monster above your level, sometimes you land a critical hit."

"What critical hit? What level?" Ma Zhu plainly had not understood. "Since you want to die first, I'll oblige you!"

Ma Zhu was thoroughly irritated. He knew the musketeers mattered just as much to the boss, for though these men worked for the Zhen father and son, the greater part of the money they earned each year flowed into the boss's pocket!

So Ma Zhu wanted to put General Mighty down first, to stop him from bounding about killing men — but Wei Zhao would not give him the chance! Fury surged up in Ma Zhu's heart, though he knew there was no saving those musketeers now.

Ma Zhu fixed his eyes on Wei Zhao, a cold gleam flashing through them. Since he could not save the musketeers, he would vent his rage on Wei Zhao's life!

In an instant Ma Zhu's aura rose to its peak — though the aura of an external-school expert was, in the end, far weaker than that of an internal-school one. Wei Zhao's energy burst forth in that same instant, and the aura of a peak early-stage Mystic-rank was in fact stronger than Ma Zhu's, for all that Ma Zhu was a peak mid-stage Mystic-rank external-school expert!

Peak mid-stage Mystic-rank? Wei Zhao knew he could not play the pig to eat the tiger today. His opponent was a full rank above him — how was he supposed to play the pig? True, an internal-school expert was always a little stronger than an external-school expert of the same rank, but that held only at the same rank!

Even a peak early-stage Mystic-rank internal-school expert fighting a mid-stage Mystic-rank external-school expert would struggle; the best one could say was that the two were evenly matched. But pit a peak early-stage Mystic-rank internal-school expert against a peak mid-stage Mystic-rank external-school expert, and the odds grew far worse!

That was exactly Wei Zhao's situation now! He had never met an expert so far above him in strength. His expression was grave; his eyes fixed on Ma Zhu, he was already in a state of combat.

"Peak early-stage Mystic-rank?" Ma Zhu was somewhat surprised to see Wei Zhao's strength. "Stronger than that old bastard Li Fu, maybe, but it won't help you! Today you die!"

With that, Ma Zhu moved. His feet slammed against the ground and both palms thrust at Wei Zhao's chest! He had cultivated defense first and attack after, so he had virtually no technique to speak of — nothing but a straight clash of brute force. Every vital point and opening on his body lay exposed, and he paid them no heed at all!

Wei Zhao's face darkened. He did not dare take a palm strike from a peak mid-stage Mystic-rank external-school expert head-on! And Ma Zhu's stance puzzled him — what kind of fighting was this? It was utterly reckless, all attack and no guard over the major acupoints. Was he not afraid of a sneak attack?

Yet until he had figured out Ma Zhu's style, Wei Zhao did not dare make a move. As Ma Zhu's palms came at him, Wei Zhao retreated swiftly, barely dodging the blow.

"Coward!" Seeing Wei Zhao dodge and run, Ma Zhu could not help but sneer. His towering frame abruptly became a black shadow once more, hurtling at Wei Zhao.

Worthy of a peak mid-stage Mystic-rank external-school expert: before Ma Zhu's body even arrived, the force of his charge stung Wei Zhao's face.

Wei Zhao frowned. Dodging alone was no solution, yet he dared not meet Ma Zhu head-on! Ma Zhu's power had already been proven on Uncle Qing's body. Wei Zhao's mind raced, searching for a countermeasure.

"Die!" Seeing Wei Zhao give ground again and again, Ma Zhu was elated. With a roar he turned his palms into fists and smashed them at Wei Zhao once more!

He could not dodge anymore. Wei Zhao knew that dodging back and forth would never solve anything, so this time he did not dodge. He stood where he was, as though waiting for Ma Zhu, as though he meant to take the punch.

A cold smile cut across Ma Zhu's mouth; he could already see Wei Zhao beaten into a pulp! It was not that he feared Wei Zhao attacking — he feared only that Wei Zhao would keep running.

Ma Zhu knew his own business. He was not afraid of a sneak attack from Wei Zhao; he was afraid Wei Zhao would play hide-and-seek with him! He was already a cultivator of the eighth layer of the Golden Bell Shield, his body long since tempered into bronze sinew and iron bone. Ordinary means could not touch him at all — unless one could find his gate and break it!

But who could find a gate like that? Even Ma Zhu's boss did not know where Ma Zhu's gate was, let alone Wei Zhao!

Against experts of higher rank, Ma Zhu dared not be careless; but against an opponent a rank below him like Wei Zhao, Ma Zhu feared nothing, however the man fought! Internal school or external, unless one was powerful to a certain degree, there was no way to do Ma Zhu's body any harm.

Of course, Wei Zhao did not know that Ma Zhu was a cultivator of the Golden Bell Shield. Had he known, he would never have taken such a risk.

Just as Ma Zhu's fist was about to land on Wei Zhao, Wei Zhao moved! He sprang abruptly into the air, his body like an arrow loosed from the string, sailing over Ma Zhu's head and landing behind him!

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