C3 Three Fists Promise

Mu Qing stepped back, assuming the role of an observer. Feifeng emerged, his gaze on Chu Haoyun dark and ominous. "Kid, as your uncle, I won't pull any punches for Feilong's sake. If you can take three of my punches, we'll call it even."

Feifeng cast himself as the wronged party, using his status as uncle to feign generosity.

"Bring it on!" Chu Haoyun said tersely. He centered himself, feeling the formidable power of the Mountain Moving Ant coursing through his arms.

Feifeng, seething internally, wasted no more words. He summoned eighty percent of his power and launched it toward Chu Haoyun. The villagers of Tharannora shut their eyes in fear; how could a mere child endure the assault of an eighth-level Body Forging practitioner?

The onlookers from Jackal's Maw watched the slender Chu Haoyun, already picturing Third Master knocking him skyward. Feishi smirked with satisfaction at the Tharannora villagers' reactions, silently berating them, "A bunch of weaklings, daring to cross Jackal's Maw."

"Grandpa!" a little girl tugged at the old man's hand, hoping he could intervene. But he shook his head; he was not part of the Silent Cloud Sect, and this territory was under their control.

Feifeng, true to his status as an eighth-level Body Forging expert, was too fast for Chu Haoyun to follow. The whistling of his punches felt like blades against Haoyun's skin. It wasn't until the fist nearly hit his face that he managed to react.

Chu Haoyun brought his arms together, channeling the Mountain Moving Ant's limb strength in a triple burst of power.

"Bang!" The impact echoed, sending shockwaves through the air and causing everyone's clothing to billow. Chu Haoyun staggered back dozens of steps before regaining his balance. The gap between their abilities was vast; without the Mountain Moving Ant's tripled explosive force, his arms would have been destroyed.

Feifeng remained motionless, his fist still raised, struggling to accept what had just happened. The boy had actually withstood his punch? Even at half strength, it was a blow of 5,000 kilograms.

The elder standing beside the girl watched Chu Haoyun closely, a sharp glint passing through his eyes as he silently marveled at the boy's formidable arm strength.

Nearby, the onlookers from Jackal's Maw, who had come expecting entertainment, were now staring in disbelief. Feishi's face soured, while a cold gleam flickered in Mu Qing's eyes.

"How can this be? Did you all see that? He actually blocked Third Master's punch!"

"Third Master must have held back. How could a mere wild child withstand a force of 10,000 kilograms?" The villagers of Jackal's Maw buzzed with speculation.

"Come!" Chu Haoyun uttered calmly, his voice as serene as a gentle breeze. His nonchalance only served to infuriate Feifeng further. With determined strides, Feifeng launched a second punch, this time with all his might.

The pressure was unlike anything Chu Haoyun had ever faced. The punch's force made it difficult for him to keep his eyes open, and the stone path beneath his feet cracked under the strain. Letting out a thunderous roar, he channeled all his strength into his arms, which began to glow with a subtle red hue as a warm current surged through him.

In that instant, Chu Haoyun seemed to tune into the fluctuations of the air itself, and with a Herculean effort, he punched directly at the heart of the current.

"Elementary force? No, that's not it. That child..." Among the crowd, only the elder could discern the faint red light on Chu Haoyun's arms.

A martial artist could only begin to harness cosmic energy after breaking through to the ninth level of Body Forging and entering the Returning to Origin Stage. With Chu Haoyun's physique indicating only a fifth level of Body Forging, the presence of elementary force seemed impossible.

Lost in thought, the elder was brought back to reality as the two fists collided with a thunderous "Bam!" A slender figure was sent flying, crashing heavily against the Black Panther statue and slumping down, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Haoyun," the old village chief and others moved to help, but were blocked by Feishi and his group.

"He's just a wild child. Third Master already showed him mercy once, and yet he remains ungrateful. Now, Third Master has spared you again. Can't you appreciate that?" Feifeng stood his ground, his composure eliciting cheers from the people of Jackal's Maw. But within Feifeng's eyes swirled a storm of doubt, his arm trembling ever so slightly.

Although Chu Haoyun was sent flying by that punch, it felt like his fists had collided with cold iron. The numbness in his arm persisted; he had exerted his full strength, equivalent to a force of ten thousand kilograms.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Chu Haoyun struggled to his feet with the help of a stone statue and resolutely made his way toward Feifeng.

"Bring on the final punch!" Chu Haoyun called out, his voice steady and detached as he faced Feifeng.

Feifeng's brow creased slightly. His last punch had certainly packed more than ten thousand kilograms of force, yet Chu Haoyun's arm was only slightly swollen? Resolute, Feifeng launched both fists forward.

Chu Haoyun slightly closed his eyes, sensing something else amidst the airflow from the previous punch. Despite the powerful gust, that elusive presence seemed omnipresent. It was that very essence that had allowed him to endure the second blow.

For the first time, a cruel smile played on Chu Haoyun's lips as he unhesitatingly unleashed his fists. With his eyes tightly shut, Chu Haoyun punched the air in front of him, his fists slowing from rapid to a crawl, as if captured in slow motion.

"Haha, that wild kid's lost his mind from fear. He's just closed his eyes, too scared to face the Third Master, flailing about blindly," jeered the onlookers from Jackal's Maw. Mu Qing's lips twitched into a slight smile, while the old man's gaze darted about, laughter echoing all around.

Suddenly, a faint sound emerged between the two combatants, followed by a series of similar noises as Feifeng advanced. Yet, inexplicably, his ferocious assault began to wane.

As Feifeng reached Chu Haoyun, the latter's seemingly languid punches perfectly intercepted the attack. In a moment, an eerie silence enveloped the scene. The force of the punches had vanished, leaving the two standing face to face, fists locked as if frozen in time.

"Uhh..." Amidst the quiet, blood trickled from Chu Haoyun's mouth, his body shuddering as he staggered back eight steps, legs quivering as he fought to regain his balance.

"I took three punches," Chu Haoyun said, his arms trembling, yet his weak voice resounded like thunder. The people of Jackal's Maw couldn't believe their eyes; this wild child had withstood three attacks from an eighth-level Body Forging warrior and was still alive.

"It's not over yet!" Feifeng's eyes turned icy as he lunged at Chu Haoyun.

Chu Haoyun was utterly spent after blocking three consecutive heavy blows. The last one had nearly drained all his vitality. Now, standing only by sheer willpower, how could he possibly fend off another assault from Feifeng?

The people of Tharannora hurled insults, accusing Feifeng of shamelessness, while those from Jackal's Maw jeered and taunted.

Just as Feifeng's fist neared Chu Haoyun's face, a massive black shadow shot out like lightning, positioning itself in front of Chu Haoyun.

A thunderous roar reverberated through the air, sending a chilling presence in all directions.

Feifeng's heart skipped a beat when he recognized the interloper. But before he could react, he was flattened by a massive black claw, the sounds of snapping bones and agonized screams filling the air.

Silence fell as the unexpected turn of events sent a shiver through the spines of Jackal's Maw's onlookers. The Guardian Beast, Black Panther, glared with eyes that gleamed with a piercing coldness. Feifeng bellowed, "I belong to the Silent Cloud Sect. You can't lay a finger on me. If you do, the Silent Cloud Sect will obliterate your entire village."

A glint of cold light in Rees' eyes made Feifeng shudder with fear. Yet, he spat out defiantly, "Young Master Mu Qing is here. I suggest you leave quickly, or you'll end up just another trophy in the Silent Cloud Sect's collection."

Rees remained silent. With a subtle shift of his stance, the sound of Feifeng's legs breaking sent shockwaves through the hearts of the onlookers. With a flick of his paw, Rees sent Feifeng soaring through the air like a baseball, his pitiful condition terrifying everyone from Jackal's Maw.

"Rees... Uncle," Chu Haoyun murmured as he saw Rees emerge, no longer able to withstand his injuries and collapsing to the ground.

"Rees, by harming a member of the Silent Cloud Sect, what are you implying? Are you declaring war on us?" Mu Qing asked sternly, casting a glance at Feifeng, who lay convulsing on the ground.

Black Panther Rees spoke without a trace of emotion, "Haoyun has fulfilled the agreement of three punches. Wasn't his recent action disgraceful?"

"You! A mere Guardian Beast from a tiny village dares to criticize the Silent Cloud Sect? Have you grown weary of living?" Mu Qing's face turned a steely shade of grey. True, Feifeng was in the wrong, but he belonged to the Silent Cloud Sect. Within a thousand miles, the Sect was revered above all else. That fact alone should suffice.

"Young Master Mu, it seems he has no regard for the Silent Cloud Sect at all. He's seriously injured my third brother with a single strike. How does this Guardian Beast differ from the Dire Beasts lurking in the depths of Spirit Mountain? It wouldn't surprise me if, one day, these Guardian Beasts banded together with the Dire Beasts of Spirit Mountain to pose a threat to the Silent Cloud Sect." Feishi, seething with resentment, incited Mu Qing.