Martial Arts Master

At that moment, everything—what he saw in the tapes, clues discovered at the scene, and the reality before him—flitted across the Mummy’s mind. He was certain he had walked into a cunning trap.

His specialty lay in mental prowess. Against someone who hasn’t been through qualitative changes—what they call an “Inhuman” in China—he would have an overwhelming advantage. Even if he took on a few of them at once, he was certain he could make quick work of them. However, his powers were much less effective against a Demigod, even if it wasn’t a full-fledged one. He could win in the end, but not without a tough fight.

And if he was caught in a tough fight, he would be at a disadvantage in numbers. If Siris and his companions fought well, he could even be in grave danger. Moreover, covering a long distance to chase them down had taken a toll on his energy. Even if it was one-on-one, he wasn’t certain if he could defeat the well-rested enemy!

More importantly, who knows if they had other Demigods!

Retreat!

He had to retreat!

As quickly as possible!

The Mummy had made up his mind in an instant.

However, in a fight of the same league, focusing solely on retreating would only put him in greater danger! Not only would he be surrendering the aura fight, he would also be giving his back to the enemy!

If he wanted to retreat, he had to first attack!

Only by pushing back his opponent could he create a fleeing opportunity!

The Mummy flashed forward, crossing over twenty meters, and punched at Lou Cheng’s face. He left afterimages behind him, some parts clearly visible and some parts fading. The layers of afterimages formed a long strip of film stock.

These shadows, like wake turbulence from a Jet aircraft, pushed each other, giving the Mummy a violent forward momentum. In the blink of an eye, he had closed up to Lou Cheng. He first tried to intimidate him by releasing a hellish gas. His fists were reflected in Lou Cheng’s eyes that contained a starry night sky.

The Mummy had white bandages wrapped around his fist. “Corpse’s oil” seeped from the inside, staining the outside in a revolting yellowish-brown. The air around him was filled with a nauseating, headache-inducing stink.

Whoosh!

A wind began to blow around him. Black gas gathered and formed small worms. With the Mummy’s punches, they crawled into every part of Lou Cheng’s body, especially through his eyes, nose, ears, and temples.

Dark Mantra of the Dead—Dead Man’s Punch! A vicious and cunning move!

Slightly shaken by the sinister, horrifying power, Lou Cheng’s movements were a tad slower than usual. He only came back to his senses when the punches drew close and black worms infiltrated him. He hastily raised his right arm, jamming it before himself to block.

Bam!

Right as the Mummy’s fist contacted his sleeves, he bent his arm backward at a similar speed. Like that, he didn’t receive too much impact, as though he was performing in an act they agreed on.

As Lou Cheng retracted his arm, his Qi, blood, mind, force, and the black worms that snuck into him all gathered at his Dantian. His willpower control and mind guidance were by far more powerful than before. Within his vast starry sky, the brilliant stars quickly shifted to form an indomitable, ancient Fighting character.

Zzzap! At that instant, the black worms at the back lost target, scattering helplessly as though they had entered a lifeless body. The black worms that were already inside him melted from the Fire force.

Right before Lou Cheng’s arm recoiled to his chest, his muscles bulged by more than three times its original size. Blue and black veins protruded filled with pure strength.

Boom!

Lou Cheng snapped his wrist joint and reverse-swung his arm. It collided straight into the Mummy’s fist that had lost its momentum. A thunderous explosion sounded from the distorting muscles and fascias.

The yellowish-brown bandage quivered gently. The Mummy fancied hearing a weird crack from his bones.

He quickly jerked his shoulder, pulling his fist back with borrowed strength. He floated back ten or so meters, like a broken kite flying free.

Lou Cheng stepped forward with his right foot, his entire body shifting flatly across. In between the retraction and release of his Dan Force, a dense and heavy white-hot flame enwreathed his left fist. He punched at the air between them.

Whoosh!

The air in a ten-meter radius around him was ignited at once, turning into countless incandescent flame Spirits. Commanded by Lou Cheng’s fist, they flew towards the Mummy from all directions.

Flying Moth!

The 116th style of Fire Sect—Flying Moth!

After making the great leap and connecting heaven and earth, Lou Cheng could now cast it without making preparations!

When it came to dealing with evil and sinister objects, fire is always the way to go!

In the Mummy’s eyes, a mass of suicidal Flying Moths swarmed towards him. The high temperature curled the edges of his bandage. The yellowed bandages turned moist, as though some sort of fat was melting.

Rage came into his eyes. He suddenly raised his arms and let out a terrifying roar.

The black gas sprang up. A dark hurricane suddenly formed around the Mummy. It swirled upwards uncontrollably and expanded outwards, swallowing all Flying Moths.

In the distance, Wang Dong and Siris who wanted to assist were taken by a sudden giddiness. They fancied they saw a scythe-wielding, wolf-headed God of Death. The lag in their brain made them space out, nearly driving the MPV out of the road.

Dark Mantra of the Dead— Anubis’s Call!

Lou Cheng quickly visualized a Forwarding character, repressing all his fear. On his right hand, a white-hot fireball with a hint of purple formed. He threw it at the Mummy who was in the eye of the hurricane.

The 36th Style of Fire Sect—Devour!

That was when the Mummy suddenly stomped forward. He seemed to be using a lot of strength, but his foot landed onto the ground without a sound.

Whoooosh!

The howling of the wind grew extremely loud. The dark tornado dissipated at once and spread towards Lou Cheng. At the same time, the desert sand turned into numerous hidden weapons that whooshed towards Lou Cheng. It was even more clustered and dangerous than Flying Moth!

Dark Mantra of the Dead—Sandstorm!

Boom!

The saturated fireball exploded. A bright, white-hot flame flashed past, nearly blinding the Mummy. The non-stop shock wave whipped up a wild barrage of sand that rushed towards him. Scarlet flames tumbled in the wind, threatening to devour.

The Mummy shut his eyes and raised his arms to block. Dark light flared.

The shock waves blustered against him. He flew back with the momentum, borrowing strength from which to wheel around. In that split second, he dashed to the desert and sprinted north for Khukhang.

It was the first time Lou Cheng encountered a Mighty One who didn’t hesitate to run. It made him wonder if he could have chosen a better move. Thoughts racing, he gave chase in the trail of sand and dust.

He couldn’t let him escape that easily; things would get troublesome once he returns to Khukhang, for he had excellent tracking abilities and potential reinforcements.

Killing a Physical Invulnerability Expert is no easy feat. Alone, he might not be able to retain the Mummy-dressed Mighty One. However, he had to at least make him run in the wrong direction like a headless chicken to buy time for Siris and his family to evacuate!

Bam, bam, bam!

A condensed wind formed as Lou Cheng moved and turned agilely, scattering the raging sand.

Thump, thump, thump!

As he chased after the Mummy, his large strides split the golden sand apart.

With one on the run and one on the chase, the two soon disappeared from the eyes of Wang Dong and Siris, leaving behind only a trail of sand that resembled a dragon.

“Let’s get a move on!” Wang Dong was experienced, so it didn’t take him long to understand Lou Cheng’s intentions. He decisively started up the MPV and drove at a staggering speed.

“Shouldn’t we help?” asked Siris, puzzled.

“No. We won’t be able to catch up with him. Even if we do, we won’t be able to retain that Physical Invuln—I mean, Demigod! If we get tangled up in a fight with him, we’ll be trapped when his reinforcements arrive!” explained Wang Dong as he drove. “If Lou Cheng’s alone, he’ll have to freedom to fight or retreat. That way, it’s actually safer and more flexible for him. We have to reach Fartouats and leave Nile as soon as possible. That’s the greatest help we can give him!”

Siris also once lived on the edge, so he immediately understood the rationale after some calm thinking. He protested no further.

…

Two sand dragons appeared in the desert. Sometimes, the distance between its head and tail increased, sometimes it decreased.

After turning and skirting around a dune, there was only bright moonlight before Lou Cheng. The desert was peaceful. He could no longer see the Mummy’s traces.

An idea flitted across his mind. Expanding the reflection range of Ice Mirror, he felt like he can hear the tiny movements of insects deep in the sand.

He felt a soft, fleeting movement below his feet. A gleaming light gathered at his eyes. He suddenly retracted his Qi and Force, forming a Human Body Big Dan that was like a concentrated Universe.

This time, without having to use external forces, he used his own willpower and mind to gather the stars internally. Absolute darkness and coldness formed at the edge of the universe.

Bam!

Lou Cheng lifted his right foot and suddenly stomped down. His foot disappeared into the sand.

In the time of breath, with his feet as the center point, the sand froze, forming ice crystals. It spread in all directions and dug down deeper.

Self-created secret arts—Lament of the Ice Queen, full power!

Snap!

Ten meters away, the layer of ice above the golden sand shattered and rained at Lou Cheng from all directions, like bullets.

The Mummy leaped out in another attempt to escape.

Lou Cheng scattered the hidden weapons with a Devour Punch, then went on chasing.

Three hours later, at the edge of the desert outside Khukhang.

Lou Cheng stood on the spot, frowning. He had completely lost the Mummy.

“It’s so hard to kill a Physical Invulnerability Expert…” Lou Cheng’s flashing thoughts ultimately turned into a sigh.

On the way, he blocked off and engaged the Mummy a few times, forcing him to run in circles. By the time the Mummy reached Khukhang, Wang Dong and the others would have to crash to not be near Fartouat.

Now, even if the Mummy’s reinforcements arrive and cross the desert, they wouldn’t be able to stop them in time. Once the group made their way there, the military will immediately arrange a ship to leave at night and send them out of Nile.

This arrangement, of course, hasn’t been premeditated, so it might take some time. That leaves a chance for the Mummy and his reinforcements to strike.

Mhm. I’ll hide east to Khukhang City. If the Mummy gathers reinforcements, crosses the desert, and rushes for Fartouat, I’ll buy time by harassing them along the way using guerilla attacks, thought Lou Cheng.

He skirted to the east of the city, adjusted his breathing, and channeled his Ice Force. Using the technique from cultivation kungfu, he hid his presence and blended into the darkness. He rested while keeping an eye on the edge of the desert.

Back then, Ge Hui had slipped past his danger premonition with similar techniques. After Lou Cheng got a hold of the complete cultivation manual, he naturally devoted a lot of time into this area, turning it into his own strengths!

…

In a building close to the military base.

Constantine had a glass of red in his hand. He was rather surprised at the sight of the battered and exhausted Mummy.

“Big pests?”

“China’s Lou Cheng. He promoted to a Demigod, though half-fledged,” replied the Mummy moodily.

Thankfully he had bandages around his face, else Constantine would have seen his face flushed with anger.

In the three hours of see-sawing with Lou Cheng, he almost succumbed to exhaustion, which had been accumulating since his arrival. He nearly got killed by Lou Cheng.

If Khukhang was ten more miles further, that would most likely have been a one-way trip!

“Lou Cheng’s Terror Grade too?” asked Constantine with a twinkle in his eye.

“You are interested?” asked the Mummy shrewdly.

Constantine sipped at the red in his glass. There was a craze in his eyes when he smiled.

“Of course. I have wanted his danger premonition skills for the longest time. In the past, if not for China’s Ji and Shi getting involved with the Grand Cultivator and Kontsev, I would have used his girlfriend to corner him! Well, to be frank, when I noticed him, he was already a tad stronger than me.”

“As for now… The taste of his blood could only be better!”

“You are both Terror Grade—newly promoted ones,” reminded the Mummy coldly. “You might not win against him.”

Constantine wasn’t rankled by his comment. He laughed, then spread his arms.

“The Savior’s blood flows in me. That naturally sets us apart!”

The Mummy was going to speak again, but something distracted him.

“Reinforcement’s here,” he said in a deep voice.