Chapter 151: Man Can Conquer Nature

Beneath the moonlight, the figures of Chen Erpao and Tian Yi stood in stark contrast. One glowed with a brilliant radiance, bright as a full moon illuminating the surroundings, appearing as though he wished to measure his height against the heavens itself. The other was utterly shrouded in gloom, his spirit plunged into the deepest abyss of despair.

Overwhelming agony distorted and twisted Tian Yi's features. Yet, reason had now been entirely consumed by irrationality; a profound and desperate terror of impending death drove him, with a rare and desperate courage, to face a man who ruled like a king.

Wielding his machete once more, he hacked toward Chen Erpao, the chilling blade cutting through the darkness like a shooting star.

With a sharp *clang*, the blade unexpectedly struck home against his opponent's body. But before any joy could take root, it was instantly replaced by an even greater horror.

Where the machete made contact, there was not the slightest trace of blood—it had merely torn through the fabric of the clothing, exposing the bronze skin beneath, which appeared all the more striking in the nocturnal gloom.

Disbelieving his eyes, Tian Yi swung the machete again, delivering several even more ferocious chops and stabs with all his might. Yet the results were identical, producing only a series of crisp, melodic *clang, clang* sounds.

"The Vajra Shield? Or the Iron Cloth?"

Chen Erpao did not withhold the answer from a dying man. "It transcends both the Vajra Shield and the Iron Cloth. It is called the Nirvana Sage Technique. Let me tell you, this art possesses limitless potential. When practiced to its ultimate state, it continually refines, thickens, and compresses every inch of flesh and blood in the body, rendering it as unyielding as diamond, brimming with vital energy and the fierce strength of a tiger. To die beneath it is no small honor."

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Chen Erpao, go to hell!" A rapid succession of defiance, ferocity, and terror flashed across Tian Yi's face as he leaped into the air, slashing and hacking wildly with his machete in total disarray.

Spotting an opening, Chen Erpao struck. His right leg shot out like a cannonball breaking from its breech, ferocious and swift, planting itself squarely against his adversary's chest.

With a heavy *thud*, Tian Yi was sent flying straight backward, crashing down several meters away as gouts of blood spewed frantically from his mouth.

"I don't want to die! I refuse to resign myself to this! Think of me, Tian Yi—pampered by thousands and adored by tens of thousands since childhood. From the moment I was born, it was destined that I would command countless men and have legions of underlings trailing in my wake. Who would have thought that today I would be driven to such a pass by you, Chen Erpao? Heavens, you are unfair to me! Heaven aids the Righteous Gate, yet it destroys my Horizontal Hall. Ha, haha!"

Chen Erpao did not rush to finish him off. He stared coldly down at Tian Yi. Both were young men, and both moved in underworld circles, yet their destinies could not have been more different. One was a second-generation mobster born under the protective wing of an elder brother and a father, never needing to shed blood on the streets, brawl in alleys, or carve out territory to command a massive following and numerous profitable venues.

The other had emerged from the crucible of a special forces military camp, forged through endless battles and life-or-death trials into a man of lethal capability. Though he had never sought entanglement in the underworld, once caught in the currents of the jianghu, one is never truly master of their own fate. Since it was destined, he chose to cast caution to the wind and fight with everything he had. If Chen Erpao was going to walk this path, he would either not play the game at all, or he would become the supreme monarch of the underworld.

By this time, every last man of the Horizontal Hall had fallen, leaving only Tian Yi standing alone. Although the reinforcements from the Heavenly Alliance had pushed into the central theater, they still found it difficult to pierce the defensive line held by the forces of the Righteous Gate. Tian Yi was like a solitary leaf adrift upon a vast ocean—insignificant and fragile, perpetually on the verge of being swallowed by the relentless waves.

Without a moment of hesitation, Chen Erpao raised his long blade to strike. Tian Yi offered a bitter, wretched smile. This time, he made no move to block with his weapon; instead, he abruptly brought the edge of his blade up against his own throat.

"Chen Erpao, even in death, I will not fall by your hand! If there is an afterlife, I swear I will settle this score with you. My only regret is the unfairness of the Mandate of Heaven! To think that I, Tian Yi, should become mere stepping stones for you to ascend as the overlord of Tuen Mun. Ha, haha!"

With those words, the razor-sharp edge swept across. The slender wound rapidly gaped wide, and a torrent of crimson blood surged forth, painting the night red in a striking and grotesque spectacle.

"You saw only the unfairness of the heavens, yet remained blind to your own flaws. Even if you were granted another lifetime, or ten after that, you would still meet the exact same fate as today. Man can conquer destiny; blood is shed with purpose, corpses are piled to build an empire, and a domain is won through brute force and steel. The Mandate of Heaven? What is this so-called Mandate? How could any man willingly bow to an unknowable, faceless destiny? Ridiculous."

Tonight, the Horizontal Hall was utterly obliterated. From this day forward, the Righteous Gate would reign as the undisputed overlord of Tuen Mun and the absolute sovereign of the underground world.

Led by Wild Bull, the reinforcements of the Heavenly Alliance had sliced their way into the central zone, but their losses were catastrophic. In the chaotic melee between the two factions, the snipers stationed upon the high-rise buildings could no longer play a decisive role.

Chen Erpao instructed Yellow-Haired, "Signal that force of five hundred men to emerge. Strike the Heavenly Alliance from their rear."

Within the span of a few short minutes, the tide of battle inverted completely. The Heavenly Alliance, already fighting a losing battle, suddenly heard battle cries shaking the heavens behind them as dense waves of enemies swarmed forward, catching them in a devastating pincer movement.

Wild Bull instantly sensed the danger. The force he commanded today numbered only a thousand men, but every single one of them was an elite veteran hardened through countless turf wars against rival gangs. Augmented by the few hundred survivors from the Horizontal Hall, they had not been at a disadvantage against the Righteous Gate. Moreover, in his eyes, the Righteous Gate—a fledgling faction that had risen rapidly and merely lorded over a tiny district like Tuen Mun—was never worthy of his respect.

Yet, once the full engagement unfolded, he was rudely awakened. The enemy fought like a pack of wild beasts from the mountains; every single one of his opponents acted like raving madmen, thoroughly prepared and laying in ambush. It seemed as though a massive net had been cast, capturing not only Tian Yi, but preparing to swallow him and his entire reinforcement force whole.

Wild Bull had not risen to become one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Alliance on martial prowess alone; he possessed a sharp, tactical mind. Recognizing the perilous situation, he immediately rallied nearly a hundred of his most trusted core subordinates and charged toward the weakest flank, hoping to blast open a breach and escape scot-free.

Wang Hu and Chen Shao, the two vice-commanders of the Divine Guns Hall, were fighting within the thick of the melee. Catching sight of Wild Bull attempting to slip away, the two exchanged glances and immediately rallied a contingent of fighters to give chase.

Wild Bull wielded a massive silver battle-axe weighing several tens of pounds. Every strike was devastating—anyone caught in its path either died instantly or suffered crippling injuries, boasting a terrifying lethality.

At that moment, a mid-level commander of the Righteous Gate from the Blood Hall, who had gained a modest reputation for his formidable martial arts, was spattered from head to toe in enemy blood. Catching sight of Wild Bull slaughtering his way toward them, and burning with a fierce desire to claim the supreme glory of taking the enemy commander's head, he leaped forward to intercept.

With a ferocious swing, his heavy machete came whistling down. Wild Bull parried upward with his silver battle-axe, and the two weapons collided with a thunderous crash. The commander staggered back several paces, the immense force transmitted through the axe nearly knocking him off his feet, sending a wave of shock through his heart.

Without a moment's pause, Wild Bull executed a sweeping arc with his axe—a move known as the Slanting Moon—and crashed against the machete once more, sending sparks flying in all directions. In the blink of an eye, the silver axe unleashed a flurry of ferocious strikes, a dizzying web of axe shadows filling the surrounding space like a sky full of bright moons.

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