Chapter 179 The Way of the Fist

At the same time, all the other Initial Ones who were remotely monitoring the fleet were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief and displeasure.

"Hey, did I hear wrong? He wants to challenge all five of Pan Erlong?" Someone asked, a question mark plastered on their face.

"Isn't he a bit too arrogant? Judging by his earlier demeanor, I thought he had enough self-awareness."

"Heh, it seems his ambition is indeed not small. He even wants to give us a show of strength in reverse." Someone scoffed.

"I can't believe he thought of that. I remember he has a feat from the God-bestowal War, where he supposedly repelled more than a dozen Super-As. Could that be why he's so overconfident?"

"Possibly. He might think our combat power is on par with modern Super-As… Heh, bullying kids who grew up in a peaceful era, does he really think he's so great? He probably hasn't seen a truly top-tier powerhouse."

"Talking so big, he's angered Pan Erlong and the others. They definitely won't let it go. This will be a good show." Someone gloated. "Just wait, they'll teach this guy a good lesson, especially Pan Erlong… He has a terrible temper."

"I hope he can maintain this unyielding attitude later." Someone said with a playful tone.

Hearing this, the others couldn't help but smile, their faces full of mockery.

These words were directed at all the Initial Ones, and they also stimulated them. Most of the people present didn't care on the surface, but in reality, they were indignant and couldn't wait to see Han Xiao fail miserably.

…

On the other side, the Oathkeeper and the six of Pan Erlong's group immediately changed their expressions upon hearing Han Xiao's words.

Saying they were outdated, clinging to past glory? These words were a bit too harsh!

"Overestimating himself!"

Pan Erlong's face was unsightly, and burning flames flashed in his eyes, filled with anger.

In the era when they dominated the starry skies, when had they ever been looked down upon like this?!

This was the first time someone had spoken to them like this!

Even the Oathkeeper was a little embarrassed, feeling like he was being scolded as well.

Feeling the increasingly tense atmosphere, he couldn't help but break a sweat for Han Xiao.

The Oathkeeper hoped that Black Star would teach his friends a lesson, but Black Star actually wanted to fight five of them alone, which was beyond his expectations and shocked him, making him worry about a potential upset.

'Black Star is being too reckless, is he really capable of this…'

The Oathkeeper was a little regretful, he thought Black Star didn't know much about the strength of these Initial Ones, which was why he made such a request.

In his eyes, Black Star was powerful, but not to this extent. Although he had caught up on the news from this period, his impression of Han Xiao still lingered before entering the Sanctuary.

He should have communicated with Black Star in advance and revealed some information. These five guys were not ordinary Super-As…

At this moment, Baige'er narrowed his eyes and repeatedly confirmed, "Are you sure you want to fight the five of us?"

"What, are you unwilling?" Han Xiao's eyes swept across everyone's faces in turn, taking in everyone's expressions.

"There's no need for that." Meiji frowned and said calmly, "If all five of us go together, it's not worth praising even if we win… You're not afraid of a one-on-one fight, worried about damaging your reputation, are you? I can promise that our exchange will be restrained, we just want to test your abilities. No matter the outcome, we'll call it a draw. Would that satisfy you?"

"You're all quite considerate of me." Han Xiao smiled.

"No matter what, you are our benefactor, I..."

Before Meiji could finish speaking, Pan Erlong interrupted her and said coldly, "Don't speak for me without permission. I want to deal with him alone."

Hearing this, Han Xiao's smile remained unchanged, "Let's just go together. It's a waste of energy to fight one by one. I don't like attrition warfare."

Everyone's expressions froze, and they became furious.

He was given a way out, but he didn't take it, and even pushed his luck.

He really deserved a beating!

Baige'er took a deep look at Han Xiao, "You chose this yourself."

"I said, I'm enough alone." Pan Erlong turned to look at his other companions, ready to start an internal conflict at the slightest disagreement.

"Just treat us as providing support from the sidelines." Another person who knew Pan Erlong's nature well opened his mouth to ease the atmosphere.

Pan Erlong thought for a moment and did not object. He stomped his foot heavily on the ground, and a huge force centered on him spread out in all directions, causing the ground to ripple like waves.

Bang!

His whole body shot into the sky, impatiently flying towards outer space.

The other four were used to this and followed, Martial Artists were headstrong and a bit slow in the head. They had long been accustomed to Pan Erlong's style and didn't bother to argue with his attitude.

Han Xiao glanced with a smile at the worried Oathkeeper and also took off into the sky. At this moment, the interface lit up.

[You have triggered the hidden mission [Fists Are the Only Truth]!]

[Mission introduction: The revived Initial Ones thank you for your help, but they are not convinced by you. You have decided to show your strength and win the respect of the Initial Ones.]

[Mission requirements: Use actions to earn the respect of the Initial Ones.]

[Reward: Depending on your actions and the results you achieve, the higher the rating, the better the reward.]

[Note: This mission is a series of missions. Your actions will affect the subsequent development. Please act with caution.]

"Oh, it's here. This should be the same series of missions as [Return to the Historical Stage]."

Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat.

While browsing the mission, he flew to outer space and saw that the others had already formed their positions. The four were far apart, in different directions, defining the battlefield range, while Pan Erlong remained in the field, facing him from a distance.

"Are you ready to fight?" Pan Erlong asked impatiently.

"I'm always..."

Han Xiao had only said half a sentence when Pan Erlong lost his patience, his whole body bursting with golden-red flames, turning into a meteor rushing forward.

Generally speaking, Martial Artists and Mechanics would open a distance for a friendly exchange, allowing the Mechanics to release some of their troops first. However, Pan Erlong had experienced countless large-scale interstellar wars and had long developed a habit of infinitely expanding any advantage, not making any concessions even in an exchange.

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes and stayed in place, opening the secondary dimension armory. Before the first batch of mechanical troops could emerge, Pan Erlong crashed into his solid chest.

Boom!

The fist struck his chest squarely, and a sharp light flashed in Pan Erlong's eyes. He didn't expect Han Xiao to not dodge, and immediately changed a basic attack into a martial technique, infusing his majestic Martial Dao flames into it, pouring them into Han Xiao's body along with the punch, turning it into a wave of oscillating force that exploded.

This was a control-type skill, using Martial Dao flames to cause molecular vibrations in the opponent's body. As long as his strength overwhelmed his opponent, he could temporarily strip them of control over their body.

Pan Erlong was very experienced in dealing with high-level Mechanics, knowing that the opportunity to close the distance was rare and wouldn't let it go. A series of well-honed combos flashed through his mind. In an instant, he chose the combo with the strongest burst of power, and his body immediately followed his muscle memory, waiting for Han Xiao to be controlled so he could unload the damage.

However, he didn't wait for Han Xiao to lose control. Just as he was about to use the starting martial technique of his combo, a big slap suddenly came crashing down on his head.

Smack!!

This slap was powerful and heavy. Pan Erlong's eyes bulged, his head buzzing as if he heard the sound of his facial bones cracking in his ears.

Before he could recover from the momentary dizziness, a storm of close-quarters attacks suddenly struck, countless heavy blows landing on his body every second, shattering pieces of his protective golden-red flame, causing his muscles to ripple in circles, constantly leaving indentations, and the intense pain swept over every nerve like a tide.

Pan Erlong instinctively raised his hands to block and protect his vitals, his head still a little dazed.

Wait, I'm a Martial Artist who got close to a Mechanic, but instead of retreating to create distance, he's actually fighting back and brawling with me?

Even if he's fighting back, what's with this strength? It's absurdly powerful!

After being beaten by Han Xiao for a few seconds, Pan Erlong finally found an opening, using a grappling technique to twist Han Xiao's arm, pulling him into his embrace, and wrapping his arms around him to form a lock.

"Don't think about running!"

Pan Erlong spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, stimulating his body with Martial Dao flames, his muscles suddenly bulging, his body expanding in size, and his strength soared.

He was ready for a test of strength, intending to prevent Han Xiao from breaking free from his lock.

As long as he locked him for two seconds, he could brew a powerful martial technique and unleash an even more violent combo.

Every part of a high-level Martial Artist's body was a weapon. Although Han Xiao's counterattack had stunned Pan Erlong a bit, as long as he recovered, he had incomparable advantages in close combat with countless martial arts skills and specializations.

However, his expression froze in the next moment, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes. Not only did he not feel Han Xiao struggling, but he even discovered that Han Xiao had wrapped his arm around his waist in reverse, forming a lock on him.

"What kind of fighting style is this?" Even Pan Erlong, who had seen much, was a little dumbfounded at this time.

"Want to learn? Too bad, you wouldn't be able to learn it even if I taught you." Han Xiao chuckled.

At this moment, the first batch of mechanical troops that had just flown out of the secondary dimension unhesitatingly opened fire on the two hugging each other. In their preset program, the highest priority tactic was to fire unconditionally at the master as long as he had captured a target. This didn't even require manual control.

Seeing this scene, Pan Erlong's face changed.

Wasn't this a mutual destruction tactic? Damn it, this guy was even more ruthless than him!

As the saying goes, the stubborn are afraid of the reckless, and the reckless are afraid of those who don't value their lives. Although his physique was tough, he didn't want to take a youling bath with the enemy, which would wash away a layer of his flesh!

The roles that should have been struggling were instantly reversed. Pan Erlong hurriedly let go, wanting to retreat and dodge, but his waist was tightly bound by Han Xiao's arms, the strength was terrifying, and he couldn't break free for a while.

"Don't bother, I'm really curious. You knew I was coming to visit half a month ago, but you didn't go online to check my information. If you had carefully studied my combat recordings even once, you wouldn't have been so foolish as to rush at my face… Were you so arrogant? Or did the Oathkeeper cut off your internet?"

Han Xiao was a little speechless.

He really hadn't planned to use this trick, because he felt that as long as the Initial Ones went online and studied his information, this traditional craft wouldn't work. At the very least, seeing the nickname "Undying Body," they should have some precautions.

But he didn't expect a blockhead to come looking for him to die together at the start. He himself wasn't taking the enemy lightly and had constructed a data model of the opponent in advance. This could only prove that this group of Initial Ones didn't take him seriously.

Then he couldn't be blamed. This was something you delivered to my door.

"Eat my old trick, newly revived — Let's! Go! To! The! Yellow! Springs! Together!"

Bang bang bang bang bang!!

The light from the concentrated fire of youling cannons instantly submerged the two of them.

The bombardment lasted for two or three seconds, and a golden-red meteor fled the explosion area in a panic, tumbling a long distance in space before stopping.

Pan Erlong was disheveled, his clothes tattered, and covered in large patches of charred black. Some parts were emitting a high-heat light and were a bit carbonized.

At this time, Han Xiao also flew out of the explosion area, looked at Pan Erlong, and sighed regretfully.

The time for the legion to assemble was too short, and there were too few mechanical soldiers who arrived first, so the damage was far from enough. After the concentrated fire was reduced by various shields and resistances, it only caused Pan Erlong to suffer some minor injuries at most.

Han Xiao had already seen Pan Erlong's stats from the combat information. The opponent's energy level was around 71,000, and the attributes were roughly equivalent to his at level 300. Before his advancement, he might have had to put in some effort to deal with him, but now he could completely beat him in various poses.

However, he also understood that these Initial Ones were not at their peak. The weakness period and the loss of some abilities were only one factor, and another important reason was that although these people had recovered, their equipment didn't appear with them. For example, half of Pan Erlong's nickname came from the set he wore when he fought in the starry skies. The name was also "King of War," created by his civilization, and contained three universe treasures: a shield, a spear, and armor. Without this equipment, his strength had dropped by about 20-30%.

Especially the revived Mechanics, whose family fortunes were all gone and had to start from scratch, were really suffering. Not everyone had the terrifying production capabilities of himself and the Machinery Country.

Seeing this scene, the four who were providing support from the sidelines were greatly surprised, putting away their nonchalant attitude, and their faces became serious.

"Did you see the power this guy just showed?"

"Yeah, a Mechanic who should have a weak physique actually has such great strength and agility. Either his energy level is far higher than Pan Erlong's, resulting in amazing basic qualities, or modern Mechanics are very wild and don't learn mechanics but instead train their bodies!"

"I think the latter is more likely..."

While the others were communicating in the communication channel, the situation in the field changed again. Pan Erlong had suffered a small loss and was wary. Before figuring out the situation, he didn't dare to continue rushing at his face and didn't know where to start.

However, Han Xiao didn't take advantage of the situation to pursue. He shot out a net-like golden mechanical force, like catching fish, and covered all the mechanical troops on the field, dragging them all towards himself. In the dazzling mechanical force lightning, a huge Mechanical Deity emerged.

In the next moment, the Mechanical Deity dragged the Star Destroyer Blade, spun around, and swung out a ring of silver-blue youling energy blades horizontally.

Swish!

The blade light spread rapidly, and even the four on the edge of the battlefield became the targets of the attack. The light flickered, and magic arrays, supernatural powers, psychic powers, and other methods appeared at the same time. Baige'er, Meiji, and others each used their own abilities to block the powerful blade waves.

At the same time, Han Xiao's taunt rang out in the wide-area channel, "I said I was going to fight five, so I'm definitely going to fight five. You want to watch the show from the sidelines? You wish!"

Baige'er and the others looked at each other and didn't hesitate any longer, joining the battle together.

Having seen Black Star's methods, they didn't mind joining forces five against one. If Pan Erlong fought alone, he would probably lose. Moreover, Han Xiao took the initiative to attack, forcing them to take action, and it wouldn't be appropriate not to fight back.

They weren't averse to joining forces and ganging up. During the Exploration Era, it was normal to gang up, and being too particular would result in being killed by the enemy. The Initial Ones were used to a group of people fighting one person and wouldn't have psychological barriers to this.

"You're finally not being pretentious. Come on, let me give you a loving beating to help you recognize reality!"

Seeing this, Han Xiao grinned, and the Mechanical Deity spun the Star Destroyer Blade, stirring up surging youling energy, and met the five of them.