Chapter 77: Being able to withstand falls is a skill you need to survive

A regular tremor could be heard in the distance, and the ground shook with the sound, as if a giant was striking the mountains. Chu Hengkong hurried out of town, while Fander hung his head in confusion. "Earthquake?"

Lights shone brightly on the west side of Yingshi Town, and the townspeople gathered in a group, torches and lanterns in hand. Their faces showed no fear, but rather sorrow. The iron giant had already approached the town, hammering down on the stone wall at its edge. Its blows were blocked by a flickering barrier, woven from countless tiny secret symbols. It rose from the wall and enveloped the entire town.

Qi Su held her staff against the wall, and new secret characters kept popping out from the top of the staff to fill the barrier. Her face turned pale. "Walking corpse, return quickly! This is not your home!"

But the shadow giant ignored her words, its eyes flashing blood-red. It struck again, finally shattering the shaky barrier, its force shattering the town's western stone wall. Qi Su was blown away by the blast, his eyes filled with sorrow. The giant's heavy fist descended upon the crowd, casting a shadow over their faces.

A dark green shadow leaped out of the crowd and rushed towards the wilderness outside the town!

The shadow giant's massive form vanished in an instant, reappearing a hundred meters away, nipping at the heels of the person leaving the town. Chu Hengkong's consciousness drifted for a moment, and then he saw a massive shadow looming ahead. Sure enough, the shadow giant was chasing him, just as it had chased Fander the night before. It was like a programmed machine, relentlessly pursuing any intruder it spotted.

Fander trembled in his pocket. "Are you crazy? You're the kind of idiot who can't stand seeing women and children cry, right?"

"Yes." Chu Hengkong said simply, "This time it's my turn, you..."

……!

The unfinished words were shattered by the strong wind. When Chu Hengkong regained consciousness, he was already a hundred meters high. The excruciating pain spread through his nerves, exploding like a bomb within him. His breathing became labored. His heart froze. The sheer force of the attack shattered his consciousness like shattering glass. He opened his mouth, and a stream of blood gushed out.

He had been hit! By the giant's heavy punch!

……!

Consciousness was cut off once more, a trance-like blankness gracing his mind. Chu Hengkong rolled his eyes stiffly, only to see an iron wall pressing down from above. It was a shadowy giant that had teleported high into the sky, its crimson eyes like blood-red stars. It pressed down from above like a fortress, crushing mortals like insects.

The giant fell to the ground, sending dirt and grass roots flying like a waterfall. Qi Su screamed in despair. From within the town, she witnessed the entire process clearly. Chu Hengkong was paralyzed by the shadow giant's strange power at the very beginning of the battle. By the time he regained consciousness, the shadow giant had teleported close by and launched an attack. This couldn't be called a battle; it was simply a one-sided massacre.

"Get him back! Quick!" Qi Su shouted anxiously, but no one took action. It was precisely because of this that they all understood her torment. These people couldn't leave the town, and no matter what tragedy happened outside, they couldn't intervene... They were powerless!

The shadowy giant stood speechless in the distance, like a towering tower of death. Qi Su knelt helplessly on the ground, knowing that the moment the giant fell, there would be no "after." But Xiang Fuzi helped her up and pointed at the giant's feet.

"Look." Xiang Fuzi's voice trembled, "Look carefully!"

Qi Su watched in astonishment. She noticed the giant's foot lift slightly, a tiny "bean" blocking the steel from landing. It was an inconspicuous dot, a man with his arm raised. The iron foot inched away from the ground, the man raised his arm high, and stood up from the dark mud pit.

He roared and exerted his strength, raising his arms to shake off the giant's feet, just like a mortal carrying a mountain of metal!

The shadow giant took a step back, nearly losing his balance. Chu Hengkong stood at the bottom of the mud pit, taking a deep breath. His lips were covered in blood, dripping from the corners of his eyes and flowing from his ears, making the man's face a bloody mess. But he was not dead. He was still able to stand, because a powerful energy flowed through his body. That energy protected his internal organs, protected his muscles and bones, making his bones as tough as steel, allowing the warrior to stand and strike again.

"...Are you really a human?" Vander said blankly.

Chu Hengkong laughed and hooked his finger at the giant.

"Not full?" He sneered viciously, "Come again!"

Consciousness was interrupted as the Shadow Giant flashed to the side, its massive metal palm slamming into the ground, sending the human flying into the air. In the next teleportation, the Shadow Giant was beneath the human, striking three times with his iron fists from various angles, leaving the human bleeding profusely. The final blow, a powerful hammer with both fists, smashed the human into the ground, creating a massive crater with a radius of dozens of meters!

Fander huddled in his pocket, feeling dizzy and nearly vomiting. But he didn't die, for Chu Hengkong was constantly "reacting." Before each attack, he adjusted his body's orientation, contracting some of his muscles to allow his will and energy to cling to his bones. His qi... the unique power of a warrior... grew solid and clear during this process, then mysteriously vanished, its destination unknown.

Vander suddenly had a ridiculous premonition. He felt that this person could hold on forever. Even if the Iron Giant fought until dawn, he would not be able to defeat this person!

It watched with awe, even fear, as Chu Hengkong rose from the pit once again. He brushed off the dirt, spat out the blood, and looked nonchalantly at the steel giant.

"Is that all the strength you have?" He shook his head as if to confirm, grinning, "Then...it's my turn!"

Consciousness shattered. The sound of wind. Red eyes. A giant fist of steel, filled with murderous intent. The Shadow Giant repeated its sure-win attack after teleporting, but this time the fist landed on empty air. The human vanished in the same instant! He reappeared behind the Shadow Giant, whip raised like thunder!

The lightning whip struck the giant's left leg, creating colorless circles. The force of the blow spread deep into the giant's body, causing the shadow giant's movements to slow for a moment. Chu Hengkong retracted his tentacles, stepped forward with his right foot, and struck out with immense force. The moment his right palm struck, the giant's armor crumbled, creating a spherical collapse.

Dragon Country Fist: Qi-Intercepting Strike. This technique, infusing inner energy into the body and unleashing it, is a unique skill specifically designed to target heavily armored foes. The Shadow Giant's left leg buckled, nearly losing its balance. Steadying itself on its sturdy structure, it teleported once more, attempting to strike the formidable foe. However, Chu Hengkong vanished almost immediately, and by the time the Shadow Giant reappeared to strike, he was already in mid-air, countering the heavy blow with a spinning kick.

The shadow giant retreated, teleporting to a position above Chu Hengkong, attempting to crush him with his weight. However, there was nothing below. The green-clad assassin appeared above the giant. He exhaled, shouted, and brought down a powerful punch, slamming the shadow giant into the ground. The giant vanished again, and the assassin vanished with it. The two figures, large and small, engaged each other, the clashing fists and steel stirring up a fierce wind.

To the townspeople, the current battle looked like a duel between two teleporters. When the Shadow Giant's massive form vanished, Chu Hengkong would inevitably strike simultaneously. He wasn't always able to dodge the attack, but his immense strength was enough to allow him to withstand the blows and launch a counterattack before the enemy vanished.

Only Fander and Qisu realized the truth: it had nothing to do with teleportation; it was simply the warriors adapting to the rhythm of the attack. They used the brief moment after their consciousness was interrupted to adjust their position, making decisions to dodge or defend, and then, in that fleeting "gap," they used extreme speed to launch a counterattack.

He had no intention of cracking the enemy's ability mechanism at all. He used pure strength and speed to overcome the attacks and dismantled the giant step by step with his skills!

Chu Hengkong struck the same spot each time, deepening the dent in the Shadow Giant's left leg. After another powerful punch, he spun in mid-air, gathering strength and drawing his rock blade for the first time. A powerful, unreturned strike slashed across the wound, unleashing all the accumulated damage. The blow severed the Shadow Giant's left leg, completely losing its balance and falling to its knees on the grass.

"Okay! Win, win, win!"

Fander cheered loudly, thinking this was a sure win. This guy couldn't fight flexibly, and any subsequent attacks would just teleport and come crashing down from the sky. Chu Hengkong tried to dodge this idiotic attack. But he accidentally met the giant's eyes, the blood-red light still flickering in them, carrying a cold cruelty.

Fander suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, an inexplicable fear gripping him like a hand. The shadow giant struck the ground with both palms, casting a dark and deep shadow, like a tangible mass of dark mud. Chu Hengkong sank a little, his feet sinking deep into the shadow.

He was being dragged into that quagmire of shadows!

"Retreat! Leave!" Fan De shouted anxiously, but there was no response. Chu Hengkong stood there frozen, seemingly unconscious, his eyes vacant for a long time, only occasionally showing a flicker of light.

That strange attack... the intermittent assault on his consciousness... was inflicted continuously upon him. The Shadow Giant changed its attack method, aiming to consume the unconscious enemy to death in its shadows.

Chu Hengkong felt himself sinking, his consciousness fragmented as if he'd blacked out. He could only vaguely see the bloodshot in the giant's eyes. He remembered his first fall in the swamp, and Adari's mind-controlling cane. The trauma he felt now was eerily similar. Perhaps the cane had something to do with the giant...

He struggled to lift his legs, taking one step at a time, moving forward as his consciousness returned. Vander's voice was intermittent. "It's the opposite... It's not... Turn back! Turn back!"

No resistance, he thought. Closer. The giant's red eyes magnified in his field of vision. When half his body was nearly lost in the shadows, Chu Hengkong raised a finger.

"Fander," he said haltingly. "Fire."

What to launch? Finder was confused for a moment, then it reacted, jumped out of its pocket, and pointed its tentacles at the shadow giant.

More than a dozen streams of mucus sprang out from the holes all over the grassland, sticking to the giant's body like spider webs!

That was Chu Hengkong's backup plan from the previous attack, a little bit of slime deliberately left at the bottom of each pit. This slime trap couldn't stop the giant's movements, and he didn't intend to rely on it to restrain him. Fander landed on a slime line, his eyes gleaming with twilight. "Stop!"

The Eye Demon's hypnosis took effect, completely halting the Shadow Giant's movements. The shadowy mire's restraints were broken, and Chu Hengkong leaped up like a flying rocket, heading for the Giant's severed left foot. He drew out the remaining flames and rubbed them against the tentacles, causing a cyan glow to emanate from the silver tentacles. As the Giant struggled from the hypnosis, Chu Hengkong had already stabbed the tentacle into the gash in its left foot. The cyan flames spread throughout the Giant's body, forming a cerulean ring.

"Aoki."

Brilliant flames rose from the giant's body, and the fire of ambition burned through the shadow giant's head, turning it into a blazing blue pillar of fire!

Aided by the spider gauntlets, this strike completely destroyed the Shadow Giant's shell, instantly halting its movements. Its powerless form collapsed to its knees, like a giant bonfire illuminating the wilderness.

Chu Hengkong retracted his tentacles and wiped the blood from his face. When Fander poked his head out, he was still in shock: "What would you have done if I hadn't reacted just now?"

Chu Hengkong tossed the remaining fire in his hand and smiled.

"A relic of a high-level demon, are you afraid it won't burn through this little shadow?"

Fander's expression was quite complex, alternating between "Where do you get the guts?" and "You're truly awesome." Chu Hengkong approached the flames, observing the giant's wreckage. The fire of ambition burned fiercely, charring the outer steel plate. The giant's face melted in the flames, its once weeping face distorted by the heat, almost smiling.

Its eyes are a beautiful black, with no trace of blood in them.

Chu Hengkong observed the scene for a moment, then extinguished his ambition to prevent the fire from spreading to Yingshi Town. He stretched his tired muscles and slowly walked back to the town. The townspeople surrounded him, cheering loudly, their voices seemingly reaching the heavens. Qi Su excitedly hugged his legs, and he patted the little girl's head.

"The hunt is over." He yawned. "Go to bed early."

(End of this chapter)