Li Chonglou frowned and punched through his heart without hesitation.
To wield elemental power, one must utilize the power of acupoints, and the root of acupoint power lies in the heart.
The gray-robed man's fist also landed on Li Chonglou, but having lost his elemental power, his punch had become weak and ineffective.
Until death, a hint of confusion lingered in his eyes.
Weren't there supposed to be five layers of cultivation? Is this the strength befitting the fifth layer?
Alas, he would never get to know the answer.
Li Chonglou stared at the gray-robed man's corpse with a slight frown, feeling no sense of triumph.
The reaction made in the face of crisis was enough to prove that this was no ordinary assassin or international mercenary.
Without a certain level of professionalism and experience in killing, such a crazy yet decisive choice could not have been made.
More importantly, he was clearly dealing with forces from Shangjing, so why would such a professional international killer appear?
"There's more than one of them. If they are all..."
This question was rather serious, and the key was that he knew nothing about all of this.
The unknown was the most troublesome enemy and the greatest threat!
"I need to find someone alive to understand the situation."
Li Chonglou muttered, squatting down to search the body.
Of course, it wasn't out of any strange fetish, but to find something useful or valuable.
However, after searching the entire body, he only found an encrypted satellite phone.
"It seems my location was leaked here."
Li Chonglou played with it for a moment, but he lacked the skills for it. This heavily encrypted phone was just a pile of useless parts to him.
Let's find another one.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
In the cave where Li Chonglou had been held previously, the old village chief and several men in animal skins exchanged glances.
"Everyone really ran towards him. How did he manage that?"
They were all bewildered. After sending Li Chonglou out, they discovered that almost all the outsiders preparing to enter the forbidden area had turned around and rushed towards Li Chonglou's direction!
If someone didn't know, they would think he had sent them all!
At this moment, a man in animal skins suddenly spoke, "Village chief, could it be that they were all actually heading for Li Chonglou?"
The village chief's expression changed.
"Stop the transmission first! Let's see if we can capture one and interrogate them."
"Mhm."
After simply burying the gray-robed man's corpse on the spot, Li Chonglou changed into a set of gray robes and headed in the direction from which the last transmission had come from the sound-transmitting stone.
Ahead of him lay a small patch of withered trees. The trees inside were relatively more compact, but their branches were similarly bare, revealing only their stark trunks.
However, compared to the open flatland he was currently in, the terrain inside was undulating, making it more suitable for hiding.
But before he could enter, he encountered another masked man wearing a long robe.
Not the same color, but a black long robe.
Li Chonglou walked directly towards him.
"Who!"
As soon as he entered the ten-meter range, the other party stopped his search and warned in a low voice.
Li Chonglou ignored him, and yellow light once again surged under his feet.
A secret technique from the Li family of the Sixteen Families, Rock Eruption.
It was a secret technique that transformed internal energy into earth attribute for an explosive effect, characterized by its charging ability, especially on soil, where it had a good enhancement effect.
In this special place where he couldn't use his own strength, it was even more like a fish in water.
The ten-meter distance was covered in less than a second, and he was in front of the opponent.
The black-robed man was greatly startled but reacted extremely quickly, crouching down and pushing his palm forward, unleashing a powerful gust of wind.
Bending his body, Li Chonglou dodged and circled around to the opponent's back.
"Seeking death!"
The wind force erupted from behind him, and the powerful thrust made Li Chonglou unable to dodge in time, sending him flying back.
It was all secret technique combat; at such times, it depended on who had more trump cards.
The black-robed man was no saint either. As a beastly roar suddenly sounded, sharp green light, like an invisible sword, aimed directly for Li Chonglou's heart.
Stone Wall!
Before the sword tip could reach him, yellow light appeared.
The sword tip, formed by green light, shattered on the yellow light inch by inch.
He had encountered a master!
The black-robed man retreated without thinking, but it was too late.
The yellow light, like a coiling serpent, followed the green light all the way to the black-robed man's waist.
The latter let out a startled cry, exclaiming, "What secret technique is this?"
The yellow light, as if alive, directly coiled around his body, instantly trapping him in place, unable to move.
Li Chonglou reappeared behind him and said coldly, "If you don't want to die, behave yourself."
The wicked fear the ruthless. When facing a life-or-death crisis, not everyone has the courage to fight to the death.
Moreover, Li Chonglou had no intention of killing him, which made the black-robed man immediately give up his resistance.
"Who are you! Why are you attacking me!"
Seeing a hand pressed against his chest, the black-robed man felt his entire body tense, daring not to make any further moves.
Only then did Li Chonglou remove his hat, revealing his true face.
He didn't want to wear the mask of the gray-robed killer. Who knew if the other party had any oral diseases? So when he took off his hat, the black-robed man immediately recognized his identity.
For a moment, the shock in his eyes intensified.
What's going on? Wasn't he only in the early stage of the fifth layer?
Is this the strength expected of someone in the early stage of the fifth layer?
Li Chonglou did not interrogate him immediately. Instead, he precisely pressed several acupoints on his body, and a look of terror appeared in the latter's eyes.
He actually discovered that his secret techniques could no longer be used!
"Acupoint Hand!"
The name of the move that the black-robed man instinctively shouted made Li Chonglou pause for a moment, but he didn't pay too much attention to it. Instead, he took the black-robed man to a relatively hidden spot.
Under a dead tree that required three people to embrace.
"I ask, you answer. Say one unnecessary word and I'll kill you!"
The black-robed man knew that he had completely messed up this time and could only nod repeatedly with a pleading expression.
Li Chonglou first removed his mask.
It was a black man's face.
As expected, they were all professional killers from the international arena.
Li Chonglou's expression became somewhat gloomy, and he said coldly, "Who sent you."
The black man: "We took the mission on the dark web."
"You? How many of you are there in total?"
The black man shook his head.
Li Chonglou also asked about the dark web, and the black man explained its nature and function one by one.
Including everything that was happening now.
After understanding all this, Li Chonglou frowned and asked, "So, someone posted my mission on it, and someone is publishing my location in real-time?"
The black man nodded and said, "Friend, I'm in this line of work. I admit I lost to you, but if you could spare my life, you can ask for anything."
His desire to survive was quite acceptable.
However, Li Chonglou did not answer. Instead, he continued to ask for other details.
Three minutes later, before the black man could react, Li Chonglou delivered a palm strike to his neck.