Things split, and while the Lord of Kunlun and the giant fought earth-shattering battles, the black-masked man, a subordinate of the Lord of Kunlun, was ordered to hunt down Du Fei after he fled.
He was naturally confident in letting his subordinate pursue Du Fei, as he possessed the strength to do so. With Du Fei's vital energy depleted to only one-third, victory was virtually assured. However, after a few minutes, the black-masked man began to grow impatient. Although Du Fei was no match for him in terms of power, Du Fei was far more familiar with the mountainous terrain. His escape routes were all through dense bushes and winding paths, leaving the black-masked man with all his skill but nowhere to apply it.
Boom!
Boom!
Again and again, Du Fei escaped from under his nose, infuriating the black-masked man. The trees along his path suffered, all of them felled by his blows. But this act of venting did nothing to help his pursuit; instead, felling trees wasted precious time and almost allowed Du Fei to disappear from his sight.
"Damn him!!"
Gnashing his teeth, he cursed, no longer bothering to vent his anger on the trees. Knowing his master, the Lord of Kunlun, he understood that if Du Fei escaped this time, he would face the most brutal punishment. The mere thought of such punishment sent a shiver down his spine, demonstrating the ruthlessness of the Lord of Kunlun's methods.
"Huff, huff."
Du Fei ran for a long time but couldn't shake off the black-masked man behind him. Moreover, his vital energy had been further depleted by the continuous chase. He knew that if he continued running, it would lead to a slow death. He had never expected that after finally managing to escape the Lord of Kunlun, his subordinate would be so troublesome.
Ten minutes later, Du Fei stopped in a mountain hollow. Naturally, the black-masked man soon caught up.
"What's wrong, can't run anymore? You brat made me chase you for so long, I'll torture you properly!"
Seeing Du Fei stop, the black-masked man assumed he was exhausted. However, Du Fei spoke, "Why do you assist the wicked and become a subordinate of that Lord of Kunlun?"
The black-masked man was taken aback. He had expected Du Fei to beg for mercy or defiantly claim he would rather die. But he never anticipated Du Fei asking such a question. After a moment's pause, the black-masked man sneered, "My master is destined by heaven. What do you, a mere ant, know? Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand." He clearly had no intention of explaining.
"I only know that true freedom lies in following one's own will. Submitting to others, living in constant fear, and facing the danger of death for any mistake – that's not a life I would ever want." Du Fei spoke word by word. He had intended to persuade the black-masked man, but he underestimated the extent to which the Lord of Kunlun had brainwashed him.
"So much nonsense, die!"
The black-masked man, enraged, lunged at Du Fei. Yet, as he neared, Du Fei remained still. Had he been scared stiff? That shouldn't be right. As a flicker of doubt crossed the black-masked man's mind, a whistling sound came from the side. He quickly dodged, only to see a thick branch graze past him. It turned out Du Fei had stopped to use the terrain to ambush the black-masked man.
Undeterred by the missed attack, Du Fei immediately launched a full assault on the black-masked man. Though their fight wasn't as ferocious as the one between the Lord of Kunlun and the giant, Du Fei fought for his life. However, their combat prowess was similar, and coupled with the depletion of vital energy and stamina during the chase, Du Fei would have been at a disadvantage if not for the surprise ambush.
"Brat, you think you can win with a sneak attack? Stop dreaming! Within ten moves, I'll have you lying down!!" The black-masked man sneered, increasing the intensity of his attacks. Seeing the enemy's offensive grow fiercer, a hint of ferocity flashed in Du Fei's eyes.
"Die!"
During the fight, the black-masked man found a flaw in Du Fei's defense and struck him in the chest.
"Pfft!"
Du Fei spat out a mouthful of blood. But just as the black-masked man thought victory was within his grasp, Du Fei roared, "Vital energy release!" A wave of white light shot from his palm. It turned out the opening was a deliberate trap set by Du Fei to make the black-masked man complacent. As expected, after being hit and spitting blood, the black-masked man intended to press his advantage and kill Du Fei. However, at this moment, he lowered his guard.
The vital energy that Du Fei had been accumulating within him was released, striking true.
*Swoosh.*
Du Fei's stored-up attack tore a long gash across the black-masked man's chest. If not for the black-masked man's desperate dodge at the last second, the wave of light would have severed his neck, and he would have been decapitated.
"You ant, I'll kill you! I will kill you!!" Nearly killed by Du Fei, the black-masked man was both shocked and terrified. He then completely lost his mind and began attacking Du Fei recklessly. Within mere minutes, Du Fei sustained numerous wounds. Although Du Fei's sneak attack had been effective, it had also driven the black-masked man into a frenzy, making him fight desperately regardless of his injuries.
As time ticked by, Du Fei's wounds increased, and his body was covered in blood. Even breathing felt like a pain in his lungs.
"It's all over." After another furious assault from the black-masked man, Du Fei could no longer stand and slumped against a nearby tree. To prevent Du Fei from tricking him again, the black-masked man deliberately did not approach immediately. He waited for a full two to three minutes, and seeing that Du Fei was truly exhausted, he took a couple of steps forward, intending to claim Du Fei's life.
*Whoosh!*
At that moment, a flash of white light filled the black-masked man's vision. He tried desperately to dodge, but the distance was too short, and there was no time.
Boom!
Seeing that he couldn't evade, the black-masked man steeled himself and unleashed a full palm strike towards Du Fei, who was near the tree. He was willing to perish together!
Blood spurted from the black-masked man's neck in a torrent, while Du Fei, struck by his final palm strike, lost consciousness and fainted.