Du Xue could not believe what had happened before his eyes!
There was pain all over his right arm and it would not take a doctor to see that he was badly injured at the moment as more than one bone protrusion has broken skin from that hard contact he went through.
'What monstrosity is this?!'
'How can a mere fourth stage junior shatter my bones without even lifting a hand in the first place!' Du Xue was shocked inside.
He had tried cutting the proud boy in half but it felt like he hit an immovable rock instead. His sword shattered upon impact and the same thing happened to his attacking limb thereafter.
'Is this boy's body akin to an immortal metal in strength?'
"Curse this boy!" Du Xue spat on the ground. He would have stood up and charged like a mad bull once again if not for a firm voice that called for him from behind.
"That's enough! Go back for now, Du Xue. There is something very wrong about this boy." Du Xue heard the voice of his leader.
If he had been a rookie mercenary, then there would have been no doubt that he would have lashed out in shame and anger but alas, Du Xue was already an old dog in this business.
One that has been to countless battlefields already so he knew how to follow the commands of his superior.
"Yes, boss." Du Xue growled the answer out but then nodded to accept that he had lost. He immediately did an easy retreat back towards his allies.
All the while, Du Xue could not help but look at the broken pieces of his sword and back again at the inert figure of the boy. Only a tear in the boy's robes marked exactly what had happened earlier.
"His body is strange, boss. We can't look at him like a normal cultivator." Du Xue reported even as he gritted his teeth in obvious pain.
After that, he took a pill from his storage ring and without ado, gulped down the said conception. Heat flowed all over his body, particularly at the tattered remains of his bowed right arm.
The medicine did not even take five breaths for it to take effect. The bones reconstructed themselves anew and even the flesh wounds closed by themselves.
This was a pill concoction called The Bone Mending Pill. Its usage was clearly apparent by its name alone but there was of course a side effect to this kind of hasty healing.
"AHHHGGGGG!" Du Xue pressed his belly in agony. He felt extreme hunger inside his body. This was not a natural one but something more drastically sinister if there was no remedy to be introduced fast.
He could even eat dirt, rock and shit or anything else similarly disgusting just in order to assuage the extreme want for sustenance right now.
In some extreme cases, it was even discovered that cultivators who could not take the necessary steps against this specific side effect had turned into flesh eating monsters that lived on the flesh and brains of both people and animals.
They particularly loved to eat brains afterwards and would even go as far as grumble this solitary words over and over again in reflection to the unsated wish deep inside their psyche.
To combat this, Du Xue was of course prepared. He took about a hundred spirit stones from his storage ring and directly gulped them up like tasty candies. But one dosage was not enough for his injury.
His body needed more energy so he took a second and then a third until the craving he felt finally subside in time.
"How are you, Du Xue?" Tian Song asked without taking his eyes off of the mysterious boy in front of them.
"I'll live, boss. But I can't say the same to that boy right there. How should we kill him, boss?" Du Xue replied as he looked at the boy with extreme hate in his eyes.
Unfortunately, the next words of his boss stunned Du Xue instead.
"We are a part of the Monster Brigade in Canta City. There is no hatred between us, Fellow Daoist. Why don't we each take a step back and forget this ever occurred in the first place.
If you would visit Canta one day, you would be warmly welcomed as one of the Zhang Clan's honored guests."
Tian Song used diplomacy this time around. He witnessed how easily the magical tool of Du Xue folded like a piece of paper which clarified a point that this unknown boy may indeed be a body cultivator just like they feared he was.
Tian Song also did not think that this was the person they were looking for. This boy most certainly did not look like a middle aged man, save for the beard of course.
"There is no mistake about it at all. I am Clark. You came for me and so... here i am. Or do you want me to come for you instead?" Clark teased.
"Then so be it!" Tian Song complied like a true warrior. He did not live long and flourished within the Monster Brigade Ranks by being a coward.
"Let's attack in all directions. But only use ranged attacks for now. I believed that we got ourselves a body cultivator in our midst so don't let him hit you. Not once! Don't even let him get close! You hear me?!"
"We heard you, boss!"
"Of course, boss!"
"Yes, boss!"
Tian song relayed his orders in detail. Although body cultivators were rare in this Blood Continent but they were definitely not unheard of.
This was especially true for the mortal clans that wanted to compete with the cultivators. Some clans were even so successful in this part that they could even match someone in the World Traveler Realm.
"It's good that you have decided. Are you all ready to say goodbye to this earth?" Tian Song and his men heard this taunt from the lone enemy amongst them.
This arrogant boy has only stood there and awaited their lengthy discussion in silence.
It seemed like he did not care at all if they attacked or not and just awaited them calmly for them to make the first move.
'This brat!' Tian Song cursed inside. He would have liked nothing but to cut the tongue of this snake tongued boy but he was after all a veteran through and through.
He did not let his emotions win over his rational mind. At this time, he only has one command left to say.
"Go!" The group did not move forward but scattered in five parts. Even further away from Clark's position.
The old men moved as one as it could be seen from their tight formation on how disciplined everybody was.
They flowed as shadows in their designated spots and when they were done, a rain of arrows were unreleased all at the same time.
"WHOOSH!"
"WHOOSH!"
"WHOOSH!"
"WHOOSH!"
"WHOOSH!" The fast projectile of death aimed true and deadly unto its motionless target.
"BOOM!" and countless explosions of fire and ice followed thereafter
'I got you now, boy! Pray that you will die a fast death because if you do manage to still live after this, i shall take my time and apply unto you a thousand different deaths and torture!'
This was Du Xue of course. Alas, what happened next vanquished of any thoughts of revenge whatsoever.
"WHAT?!"
"THIS CAN'T BE!"
"A FUCKING GHOST!" The Monster Brigade could only open their eyes widely at the scene before them.
They had released three salvos of arrows from all five different places and not even one lucky hit was garnered from their efforts. One should know that the weapons on their hands were not ordinary ones.
They were all magical tools that were enchanted by a master craftsman. Even one strike could burst a huge boulder easily!
"Continue! Don't stop!" Tian Song roared.
"Yes, boss!"
A full minute of the same thing passed and the dim of chaos finally subsided for a second time.
"Is Master Clark dead?"
"He should be after all that earth shaking display of power!"
"SIGH!"
"And he was such a talented man also."
"LOOK!"
"MASTER CLARK IS STILL ALIVE!"
The audience on the scene clamored left and right. With how catastrophic this fight had been, it would take one to be blind, deaf and dumb to remain oblivious to what was happening.
While most of the city cheered not that they were fans of Clark but only because they wanted to see a prolonged fight between experts some more, the men from the Monster Brigade had different thoughts altogether.
"Boss... we're fucked, aren't we?"
"..." To this, Tian Song only had this to say.
"I forgot to mention that I inherited more than the Titan's toughness. I also got its speed." Clark rubbed his long black beard as he looked on at the unbelieving eyes of his opponents.
It was fun playing with these NPCs but all good things must end. Thus, Clark could only let these men die swiftly as due recompense for their service this early in the morning.
"Farewell." Clark muttered and his form disappeared from his spot completely. After that, a series of ruinous detonations could be heard.
"BANG!"
"BANG!"
"BANG!"
"BANG!"
"BANG!" Several pits were hastily created in the midst of everyone's astonishment. The five men that recently attacked with arrows were nowhere to be seen at all.
"Oops... I think i overdid it a little bit." Clark shook his head and did not want to see the condition of the bodies that were now entombed several feet unto the ground.