Chapter 64: The Might of the Vibrating Shield, Murong Bo Defeated!

Chapter 64: The Might of the Vibranium Shield, Murong Bo Defeated!

Cloaked in grey and wearing a mask, possessing extraordinary martial arts, and risking everything to rescue Murong Fu.

Looking across the entire story of *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, the only person who met all these conditions was none other than Murong Fu’s father, Murong Bo, one of the four titans of the martial world.

Unlike Murong Fu, whose repertoire was vast but lacked mastery, this Murong Bo before him was similarly versed in a wide array of arts, yet every single technique he practiced had been pushed to an unimaginably profound realm. Alongside Qiao Feng, Xiao Yuanshan, and Kumazhe, he was hailed as one of the four preeminent masters of the era.

Facing such a formidable powerhouse, Zhang Fang naturally did not dare to harbor the slightest bit of carelessness. The moment he made his move, it was his ultimate killing technique!

Even as he hurled the round shield from his left hand, his right hand traced a circle in empty space. A dragon’s roar that shook the entire plaza rang out once more, striking the airborne shield from behind and overtaking it in an instant. Accompanied by a resounding explosion, the force of the Dragon-Subduing Palm was transferred onto the shield, instantly transforming the refined steel round shield into a silver streak of light that sliced horizontally toward the waists of the Murong father and son at a speed several times faster than before.

Before the shield even arrived, the biting edge-wind was already causing Murong Bo’s skin to sting.

What a formidable kid, what startling methods!

Even Murong Bo could not help but praise inwardly at Zhang Fang’s "Flying Dragon Shield," a seamless fusion of shield and palm technique. Yet his hands did not hesitate in the slightest. Meeting the edge of the shield head-on, he unleashed a single palm strike—the *Great Strength Vajra Palm*, one of the seventy-two supreme arts of Shaolin!

"Boom!"

The surging force of the Great Strength Vajra Palm slammed into the refined steel round shield, engaging in a direct, hard-hitting clash of sheer power against Zhang Fang’s executed *Proud Dragon Repents* through the medium of the shield itself.

Logically speaking, the *Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms* could undoubtedly be considered the representative of ultimate yang and ultimate rigidity in Jin Yong’s martial arts universe, and its theoretical upper limit of power was definitely superior to the *Great Strength Vajra Palm*.

However, Zhang Fang’s internal energy was still shallow after all; even compared to Murong Fu, he was somewhat inferior, let alone when placed side-by-side with Murong Bo.

Therefore, in such a direct clash of palm forces, he was destined to be at a disadvantage.

Yet, the actual result of their collision of inner forces turned out to be...

A dead heat!

The reason for this outcome was not because Zhang Fang had employed some special method or performed beyond his usual limits. Rather, it was because the medium bearing both men’s palm forces—Zhang Fang’s refined steel round shield—could no longer hold out.

Speaking of this round shield, it had been perfectly fine two days prior.

However, ever since yesterday, when Zhang Fang used it to withstand attacks for a prolonged period from the Reincarnator Gongye Qian's famous blade, Snow-Clearing, the body of the shield had already been marred by countless wounds of varying depths. Today, in his battle against Murong Fu, although the opponent's sword was not as sharp as the famed Snow-Clearing blade, it was imbued with Murong Fu’s formidable internal energy, carrying immense force with every swing. Under dozens of heavy impacts, while the surface of the shield still looked intact, the scars left previously by Snow-Clearing had deepened considerably.

At this moment, although the refined steel round shield still appeared sturdy on the outside, its structural integrity was already severely compromised within. Now forced to simultaneously bear the collision of two torrents of ultimate yang and ultimate rigidity, the poor refined steel round shield finally buckled under the unbearable burden, shattering instantly into countless pieces under the dual forces!

To the uninformed onlookers, this outcome naturally created the illusion that Zhang Fang’s palm force was on par with that of the grey-robed man.

The only pity was that outsiders were unaware that the black-clad man before them was none other than Murong Bo of Gusu, who had shaken the martial world decades ago. Otherwise, the sheer might of this single palm exchange alone would have been enough to elevate Zhang Fang’s renown by another huge margin!

Seeing the steel shield shatter, Zhang Fang did not halt his movements for even a split second.

Just as he blasted out that strike of *Proud Dragon Repents*, his figure was already hurtling toward the Murong father and son at the fastest speed of his life. As the distance between them rapidly closed once more, Zhang Fang traced another circle in empty space with his right hand, and another dragon’s roar echoed across the heavens and earth.

This time, Zhang Fang even abandoned the core principle of the *Proud Dragon Repents*—which was to always hold something back in reserve with every strike—in order to maximize the offensive power of this single blow. He poured every last ounce of the breath he had just gathered directly into this fierce execution of the technique.

*Regretless Proud Dragon!*

An unprecedented, majestic surge of palm force transformed into a golden giant dragon, baring its fangs and roaring as it smashed toward Murong Bo... and the unconscious Murong Fu he was carrying.

Zhang Fang knew very well what he was capable of. To dream of harming Murong Bo under these circumstances would be nothing short of sheer delusion. But using the opportunity of crossing blows with Murong Bo to take a shot at killing Murong Fu? That he had the guts for.

And those guts were massive!

If his target had been Murong Bo, the latter could have easily dodged and left the Beggar Sect disciples behind him to bear the full-force strike of the newly appointed sect leader. But precisely because Zhang Fang’s target was Murong Fu in his grasp, Murong Bo, who valued family lineage above all else, dared not take any easy risks.

This was because the angle at which Zhang Fang’s palm strike came was simply too tricky; Murong Bo had no time to control the unconscious Murong Fu and evade the blow simultaneously.

Seeing the fatal strike close in, a flash of unprecedented, intense murderous intent erupted in Murong Bo’s eyes. He suddenly stepped forward, simultaneously pulling his left hand—which held Murong Fu—backward, using his own body as a human shield to block in front of his son. At the same time, his right hand swept casually across his front, forming a powerful force that swirled into a peculiar vortex resembling a black hole.

And Zhang Fang’s full-strength strike of *Proud Dragon Repents*, the moment it neared Murong Bo, was sucked violently into this inner-energy vortex. Instantly, it was rebounded directly, hurtling straight back toward Zhang Fang’s chest.

The Murong family’s signature ultimate art—*Shift Stars and Demolish Heaven*!

The *Shift Stars and Demolish Heaven* of the Murong clan was an immensely sophisticated technique of borrowing and reflecting force, capable of rebounding an enemy’s killing blow to inflict self-injury. Years ago, the Shaolin Master Xuanbei had perished beneath this very technique. The price Zhang Fang paid for executing *Regretless Proud Dragon* without holding back a single fraction of force was that, faced with this sudden turn of events, he simply had no residual internal energy left to instantly gather and mount an effective defense.

Seeing his own palm force rebounded by Murong Bo, what else could Zhang Fang do?

He merely silently retrieved the Vibranium round shield—which he had kept hidden away as his ultimate trump card—from his personal spatial inventory. After a brief adjustment of the angle, he threw himself forward without a shred of hesitation, meeting the incoming Dragon-Subduing palm force rebounded by Murong Bo head-on.

Seeing this, the corners of Murong Bo’s mouth beneath the black cloth curled into a sneer of contempt.

Just how powerful Zhang Fang’s *Regretless Proud Dragon* was, he had already gauged thoroughly when he deflected it using *Shift Stars and Demolish Heaven*. Now, with Zhang Fang lacking the time to reconsolidate his true qi, he actually thought he could rely on a mere shield to block such a tyrannical palm force?

That was nothing short of daydreaming!

Old me will simply wait for you, brat, to swallow the bitter fruit of your own actions, and then follow up to eliminate you...

"Hum!"

Just as Murong Bo was already contemplating how to deal a fatal blow to Zhang Fang, a scenario entirely contrary to his expectations unfolded.

The moment that Dragon-Subduing palm force slammed into the shield, the expected scene of both man and shield flying backward did not occur. Instead, like a rubber ball, the instant it touched the surface of the shield, it bounced right back. The palm force, having undergone a double deflection at point-blank range, struck straight toward Murong Bo’s vulnerable ribs.

This change happened far too quickly and abruptly. Amidst his shock, Murong Bo only had time to circulate his protective true qi before the palm force hit him squarely.

Accompanied by a dull muffled thud, Murong Bo was blasted backward several steps by the strike, followed immediately by the crisp crack of breaking bones. Two of his ribs had been snapped clean in half under the might of this palm!

"Pfft!"

Regaining his footing, Murong Bo could not suppress a mouthful of fresh blood from escaping his lips. Immediately afterward, he stomped violently on the ground, hurtling straight into the crowd of Beggar Sect disciples. Snatching the tightly bound Deng Baichuan from the hands of two disciples along the way, he vanished into the distance after a few rapid blinks.

Watching Murong Bo escape, Zhang Fang could do nothing about it.

After all, he had exerted himself far too fiercely with that previous strike; by the time he managed to gather his true qi once more, Murong Bo had already fled far away with the two members of the Murong household.

Seemingly offering consolation for his failure to stop the enemy, the prompt from the Reincarnation Tower rang out in his mind at that very moment:

[You have successfully defeated Murong Bo of Gusu, one of the four titans of Tianlong, and completed the hidden quest "Challenging the Pinnacle." Reward obtained: Random Martial Arts Level +1!]

Ding! The reward critical-hit system has taken effect. The reward obtained by the host in the hidden quest "Challenging the Pinnacle" will receive a 100% critical-hit amplification!

Reward obtained: Random Martial Arts Level +2!