In the depths of Evergreen Forest.
Luo Xiu struggled out of the Lotus Pond. He was half-kneeling on the surface of the water when his brow suddenly furrowed, and he spat out a bloody tooth. Taking a deep breath, he pursed his lips and spat out another.
The sturdy punch from the Bandaged Man had struck him in the face, instantly knocking out two teeth.
He then reached with his left hand to grab his right shoulder. With a sharp squeeze, twist, pull, and press, he skillfully reset the dislocated joint. He looked up at the Bandaged Man standing silently on the shore, his expression growing somber.
That punch from the Bandaged Man had carried no cultivation aura or fluctuations of Spiritual Power. Yet, its sheer force was terrifyingly powerful, enough to shatter Luo Xiu's protective Gang Qi and injure his Thunder Path Physique.
This thing… it doesn't seem to be the Heavenly Emperor. What in the world is it? It seems I have no choice but to use my sword.
In the blink of an eye, Terrifying Sword Qi soared and danced wildly through the air. The night sky filled with its enraged howls, like the wails of malevolent spirits. However, even as this dreadful Sword Intent enveloped the heavens and the earth, the Bandaged Man remained unmoved.
Luo Xiu's gaze was fixed on the creature as he slowly stood up, the Mysterious Central Sword appearing in his hand out of thin air.
"Sword One…"
Suddenly, Luo Xiu vanished, transforming into a straight "black line" that shot forward. He instantly brushed past the Bandaged Man, reappearing behind it and holding a cool, sword-drawn pose, unmoving.
A mont later, a soft CLICK sounded from behind Luo Xiu. The Bandaged Man's head fell to the ground, and its tall body collapsed with a thunderous crash, now completely still.
Luo Xiu perford a brilliant flourish with his sword, turned casually, and looked indifferently at the now-headless Bandaged Man. "Roaming Dragon Sword Salute," he said lightly.
Unexpectedly, the words had barely left his mouth when his cool facade shattered. His body quivered, and he collapsed weakly to one knee, gasping for breath. After re-cultivating the Nine Suns Creation Technique, he was already in a weakened state and needed ti to recover. That single sword strike had exhausted nearly all his remaining strength. He truly found it difficult to muster any more power.
Fortunately, the mysterious and powerful Bandaged Man had been dealt with.
Dammit, I'm more drained than after a 'double happiness' session with Yan'er. I've never been this exhausted. Luo Xiu muttered to himself, his gaze falling upon the head that was still slowly rolling on the ground.
The head rolled until it was stopped by a rock at the edge of the Lotus Pond. After taking a mont to recover, Luo Xiu used his sword to push himself up with difficulty and walked to the pond's edge. With his sword, he began to peel away the bandages from the head as if unwrapping a present.
When the last of the bandages ca off, Luo Xiu stared, completely taken aback. The head was rely a piece of wood! It was crudely carved, its features haphazardly rendered, with two glowing rubies embedded where the eyes should be.
After all that, was it just a Magical Treasure and not a person?
Feeling utterly deflated, Luo Xiu split the wooden head in a fit of frustration, only to find nothing inside. It was, without a doubt, just an ordinary block of wood.
Damn it all… To think that I, the great Emperor Shura, lost two teeth to a wooden puppet… Word of this can never get out!
TSK!
As he was grumbling to himself, his body suddenly jolted. He froze, a strange stiffness creeping over him.
The night breeze whispered past. A hushed silence fell over the area.
Blood trickled from the corner of Luo Xiu's mouth. He slowly lowered his head, his gaze trembling as he saw the bloodied hand that had pierced through his chest. Sohow, the headless Bandaged Man had appeared silently behind him and dealt a devastating blow.
In the dead silence, Luo Xiu gritted his teeth. Enduring the searing pain, he stumbled forward several steps, pulling the bloody hand free from his chest. He then whirled around and slashed at the Bandaged Man.
The Bandaged Man remained motionless, letting Luo Xiu's sword strike it. Eerily, the blade only sank slightly into the bandages before it could go no further.
Seeing this, Luo Xiu was horrified. How can a simple piece of wood so easily resist the sharpness of the Mysterious Central Sword? Even if I'm weakened, I'm wielding a Mysterious Yellow Instrunt!
Suddenly, the Bandaged Man began to flail its arms wildly, as if trying to grab him. Perhaps because it was headless, its movents were clumsy and slow, and it seed unable to imdiately lock onto Luo Xiu's position.
Severely injured, Luo Xiu knew he couldn't delay. Clamping a hand over the hole in his chest, he took the opportunity to dash toward Timber Tendril Garden.
The Bandaged Man spun in place a few tis, then suddenly bent its legs, gathering power. The ground beneath it cracked and collapsed. With a fierce leap, it shot into the sky like an arrow from a bow, in hot pursuit of Luo Xiu. The Bandaged Man couldn't fly like a normal Cultivator, but it could perform incredibly fast, long-distance jumps!
「...」
「In Timber Tendril Garden.」
Luo Xiu suddenly fell from the sky, stumbling toward Hua Muyan. But after only a few steps, he collapsed, violently coughing up blood.
Hua Muyan, who was absorbing the heart of the tree, saw him and her expression changed drastically. She rushed over to support him. Upon seeing the gaping hole in Luo Xiu's chest, she froze, tears welling in her eyes.
"Master, what… what happened to you?"
A cold light flashed in Luo Xiu's left eye as he opened a spatial entrance to the Land of Lawlessness. "We'll talk later. Get inside."
Hua Muyan didn't hesitate for a second, instantly flying into the portal.
After she was safe, Luo Xiu looked toward the Heaven Moon Pope, who had been standing guard. "Hold back the monster chasing ! Keep the battle far away from here. Don't let anything be destroyed."
As soon as he finished speaking, the headless Bandaged Man descended from the sky.
The Heaven Moon Pope sighed inwardly but had no choice. He flew up, kicked the Bandaged Man into the distance, and then gave chase, imdiately unleashing an onslaught of Heavenly Moon Dao Techniques.
Luo Xiu glanced at the frightened ginseng babies, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Sorry, little guys. Looks like I'll have to find another chance to help you move.
With that thought, he dashed in another direction, planning to escape Evergreen Forest.
Unexpectedly, a mont later, a deafening BOOM resounded from the distant sky.
Luo Xiu's expression tensed. In his Divine Sense, he could feel that the Heaven Moon Pope's Heavenly Moon Dao Techniques had no effect on the Bandaged Man. In contrast, the creature had sent the Pope flying with a single punch. The disparity in strength was far too great.
The Bandaged Man seed to have locked onto Luo Xiu completely. After punching the Heaven Moon Pope away, it perford another high-speed, long-distance leap, continuing its relentless pursuit.
"Damn it!" Luo Xiu cursed, unfurling his Tricolor Thunder Wings.
However, in his current state, he couldn't sustain them. The Tricolor Thunder Wings appeared only to collapse and vanish before he could even flap them once.
BOOM!
The Bandaged Man caught up to Luo Xiu with absolute speed, cutting off his escape.
***
Who exactly is the Bandaged Man? Feel free to guess.
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