Chapter 54 Breaking the Door Open

After finishing their instant noodles and getting fully prepared, the two of them stepped out of the village once more. Basking in the glorious midday sunlight, they made their way along the path to the Tian family's old residence.

Gazing at the scarecrows scattered among the surrounding wheat fields, I Wanna Be Immortal asked with curiosity, "Brother Feng, how are we supposed to lure this Tian Daniu out?"

Xiao Jie had already figured out a plan for this.

"Since Tian Daniu is fond of martial arts, there must be something resembling a training ground around the Tian family estate. Let's search the area first and see what we find."

A place like that wasn't difficult to locate. Before long, they found a flat, open patch of ground. The plot was square and remarkably level, entirely free of weeds and wild wheat. Near the clearing, they spotted a few decayed spear shafts, some shattered wooden racks, and a rusted bronze gong.

Xiao Jie had originally been pondering how to draw Tian Daniu out, but the sight of the gong made his eyes light up instantly.

Could it be that striking the gong triggers the boss?

It really is a familiar cliché.

Let's give it a try.

Xiao Jie instructed I Wanna Be Immortal, "If Tian Daniu is summoned, remember, do not engage him in direct melee combat. Tian Daniu loves martial arts, which means his strength will definitely be much greater than the previous two, perhaps even fiercer than that giant rat.

Madam Tian and Old Master Tian were just a middle-aged matron and a withered old man; even after their demonization, their strength couldn't have increased all that much.

Tian Daniu is different. The guy was already a martial arts enthusiast to begin with, so he probably possesses at least the strength of a lost mountain bandit, and he'll likely be even more formidable after demonization.

Let's stick to the strategy we used against the lost mountain bandits. Use a shield for defense if he gets close, and the other person takes charge of dealing damage, just like fighting the lost mountain bandits."

"Understood."

With their preparations complete, the two dogs also took their positions.

Xiao Jie switched his weapon to a wooden staff and struck the bronze gong with a resounding thwack.

Clang……!!!!

Amidst the resounding chime of the bronze gong, Xiao Jie shouted into the air.

"I heard there is a martial arts expert here by the name of Tian Daniu. I am Yin Yue Suifeng, sect leader of the Heavenly Saber Sect, and I have come specifically to seek your instruction."

Uncertain of the exact summoning conditions, he decided to combine striking the gong with shouting a challenge.

After shouting twice and striking the gong twice—having no idea which action had actually done the trick—he saw a burly figure wreathed in black mist emerge from the thin air. A towering dark-skinned brute, two and a half meters tall, appeared before them. Because of the demonization, his entire body was exceptionally robust, and his expression was twisted beyond recognition. Over his shoulder, he carried a giant axe of an exaggerated design.

Tian Daniu (Demonized Martial Artist), Level 9, HP 380.

Not bad, he seemed slightly weaker than that giant rat.

Tian Daniu (Demonized Martial Artist): "Where do these scoundrels come from, daring to provoke your Grandpa Tian's might!"

"Loose arrows!"

Without a second word, the two of them fired simultaneously.

Two arrows whizzed through the air and struck Tian Daniu, instantly provoking an angry roar.

"Cowards who strike from the shadows, you're courting death!"

Wielding his giant axe, he charged straight at them.

Since I Wanna Be Immortal was using a serpent-spine longbow, his damage output was noticeably higher, causing Tian Daniu to make a bee-line straight for him.

I Wanna Be Immortal immediately switched from his two-handed axe to a shield and battle axe, raising his shield to defend against Tian Daniu's incoming slash.

*Crack!* That single axe blow actually shattered the shield into pieces, and the residual momentum carried through to strike I Wanna Be Immortal directly.

-23!

Fortunately, he was wearing iron scale armor, so the damage wasn't excessively high.

"Run!" Xiao Jie shouted as he kept firing arrows, but unlike the mindless giant rat, Tian Daniu locked onto I Wanna Be Immortal and hacked away relentlessly!

When the second axe came down, I Wanna Be Immortal had no choice but to parry!

*Clang!* The battle axe in his hands blocked the enemy's attack.

However, Tian Daniu immediately followed up with a horizontal sweep. This time, I Wanna Be Immortal failed to parry successfully, taking an axe blow right across his waist.

-28!

Such high damage! Seeing his health bar plummet drastically in an instant, I Wanna Be Immortal was alarmed. He owed it entirely to the iron armor he wore; otherwise, he probably would have been hacked to death in two or three blows.

By this time, Xiao Jie had already closed in behind Tian Daniu.

Severing Blade!

-57!

This time, Xiao Jie finally managed to draw the aggro.

Seeing Tian Daniu turn around and lunge at him, Xiao Jie didn't dare to take him head-on; he spun around and bolted.

Over on the other side, I Wanna Be Immortal hurriedly seized the opportunity to drink a health potion.

Xiao Jie ran in circles while Tian Daniu pursued him for two laps, but the two dogs pounced from left and right. Combined with I Wanna Be Immortal—one man and two dogs—their axe chops and dog bites landed a flurry of attacks that caused Tian Daniu to grunt repeatedly, lose health, and stagger backward.

"Hraagh!" With a loud roar, a metallic sheen washed over his body.

Iron Cloth Shirt!

Faced with axe chops and dog bites now, he remained completely unfazed.

He spun around and swept out with his axe.

Sweeping the Army!

A single move blew the man and both dogs flying backward.

Before he could follow up, Xiao Jie slashed at him again from behind.

Severing Blade!

-32!

Ever since learning this skill, this was the first time the damage had dropped below 40.

It seemed that this Iron Cloth Shirt not only increased poise and tenacity but also provided a substantial damage reduction effect.

Seeing Tian Daniu spin around and sweep horizontally with his axe, Xiao Jie hastily executed a Harrier's Flip!

Flipping acrobatically through the air, the giant axe swept right past underneath him.

The moment he landed, Tian Daniu brought his axe down in a direct frontal overhead chop!

Cleaving Strike!

*Crap*, this guy even knows how to chain combos?

Xiao Jie hadn't expected a mere level 9 mob to possess so many techniques, chaining various martial arts moves together like a veteran competitive gamer; he was nothing like the brainless NPCs in other games.

Fortunately, it was a 4-on-1 fight now, so there was no need to trade blows with him head-on!

The previous exchange of combat had already drained nearly half of his health pool, and a few more rounds would finish him off.

Running and shooting simultaneously, I Wanna Be Immortal also joined in with ranged attacks, supplemented by the two dogs darting in to snap at him every now and then. Inch by inch, Tian Daniu's health bar was steadily whittled away.

Tian Daniu (Demonized Martial Artist): "Despicable cowards…… Argh!"

As his health bar hit rock bottom, he collapsed to the ground with a loud thud and perished.

Xiao Jie pulled out a health potion to restore his health to full. This battle had been fraught with suspense but ended safely; indeed, having numbers on your side was the absolute truth.

The two of them stepped forward to loot the corpse. Upon inspecting the dropped items, Xiao Jie was immediately overjoyed.

This time, Tian Daniu had actually dropped two items.

The first was a pair of bracers.

[Warrior Bracers (Bracers)
Body Defense +2.
Unarmed Attack +3.
Item Description: Leather bracers embedded with metal rivets, symbolizing a warrior. The rivets on the bracers increase the potency of techniques during unarmed combat.]

This stuff was pretty much useless; who goes around using unarmed attacks for no reason?

The second item, however, was the giant axe he had been wielding.

[Giant Axe (Heavy Weapon/Fine)
Equipment Requirement: 30 Strength.
Attack: 25 Slash.
Armor Penetration +5.
Weapon Special Effect: Shattering Blow. When executing a powerful attack, inflicts a shattering effect on shields or wooden structures.
Item Description: A colossal battle axe shaped like a solid block of iron, requiring immense strength to wield. It is a specialized weapon frequently used on battlefields to destroy enemy camp fortifications.]

There was no doubt about it—this was the exact thing they needed!

Shattering Blow: judging by the description, it was clearly designed specifically for smashing down doors.

The only problem was that this item required 30 Strength just to lift it.

Yet he wasn't planning on building a Strength-based character...

His gaze immediately shifted toward I Wanna Be Immortal.

I Wanna Be Immortal said, "I just leveled up. If I invest another 5 points into Strength, I should be able to wield it."

This touched upon one of the game's mechanics: when a player dual-wields a weapon with both hands, they receive a 50% Strength bonus.

In other words, having 20 Strength allowed a player to effectively wield items requiring 30 Strength. Of course, the trade-off was that equipping a shield became impossible this way.

Similarly, the Goose-Quill Saber could also be held with both hands, but since Xiao Jie's base strength was already low, the two-handed strength damage bonus was very limited and still prevented him from using a shield, making it inefficient.

"Then you take it."

Since I Wanna Be Immortal had just leveled up after defeating Tian Daniu, he poured all his attribute points into Strength.

Gripping the giant axe with both hands, he found that he could indeed lift it.

The giant axe weighed a solid 30 units, pushing I Wanna Be Immortal's encumbrance level straight up to "Heavy."

Clad in full iron armor while wielding a giant axe, his appearance looked undeniably formidable and imposing.

It was just that his image was straying further and further away from that of a Daoist immortal.

By now, I Wanna Be Immortal seemed to have completely forgotten his goal of cultivating immortality, his eyes fixed entirely on the treasures hidden inside the Tian family estate.

The two of them arrived in front of the grand gates of the Tian family estate, and I Wanna Be Immortal began channeling his strength, aiming at the doors.

Charged Heavy Strike!

*Boom!* With a single axe blow, a deep crack was cleft directly across the gates.

-48!

"Keep going," Xiao Jie said, while simultaneously commanding the two dogs to crouch down on either side of the entrance. He also nocked an arrow to his bow, ready to immediately seize the aggro should any monsters emerge the moment the doors opened.

After a few more axe blows, as the durability was exhausted, the grand gates shattered into pieces with a loud crash, finally revealing the interior of the Tian family estate.