The grand hall fell into complete silence. The vast majority of people had never even heard of Meng Qi, and they couldn’t believe someone so audaciously reckless could exist. Who are you challenging? Someone who ranks among the top Nine-Orifice experts in the entire Hanhai region!
Where did this idiot come from?
Wang Hong found it even more unbelievable. He had exchanged a single move with Meng Qi. Judging from his movements, strength, agility, and sword techniques, the young man could have at most opened four orifices. At his age, this could rival the direct disciples of major sects—after all, exceptions always exist, and anyone might have a fortuitous encounter. But where did he get the confidence to challenge Elder Yuanmeng?
Earlier, he had mocked Meng Qi using Yuanmeng as bait, purely intending to provoke him into challenging other famous bandit riders, thereby offending everyone and getting killed on the spot. At no point had he ever imagined that this young fellow called Xiao Meng would dare directly challenge Elder Yuanmeng!
For a moment, he thought he was dreaming.
Yet he quickly regained his senses, staring at Meng Qi like he was staring at a madman. Even arrogance and self-confidence must have its limits!
In the past, many young bandits who disregarded the rules never dared to act beyond their capabilities, especially when their abilities were immediately and visibly apparent rather than revealed through pursuit and killing afterward.
Therefore, they dared to assassinate opponents in places where fighting was forbidden, dared to kill bandit leaders protected by other experts, and dared to draw their blades and kill instantly without hesitation or concern for consequences.
However, when the gap in strength became an unbridgeable chasm, they might remain defiant, strive to grow stronger, or even resort to poison or ambushes—but they absolutely would not dare to challenge someone directly to their face!
After all, what use is a great reputation if you’re dead?
Yet today, Wang Hong witnessed a “young bandit” he’d never before encountered in his life who actually dared challenge Elder Yuanmeng? Did he really think Elder Yuanmeng was some kind-hearted lay devotee who would merely spar and stop at a demonstration?
Foolish and arrogant people always die quickly… Wang Hong suddenly felt relieved. Previously, being targeted by someone like this had left him anxious and uneasy, as if a venomous snake lurked in the shadows, watching him silently with its tongue flickering, waiting for the perfect moment.
But now, all of that would soon pass.
Zhong Yasha’s expression was even more complex—shock, confusion, and fear mingled together. This young fellow actually stepped forward to challenge Elder Yuanmeng? Elder Yuanmeng, may I say I don’t know him?
He now deeply regretted his decision, his heart aching with remorse. How could he have been so blinded by a momentary impulse to recruit this wolf-like fellow into his group?
Wait, even wolves would retreat and maneuver when facing an opponent they couldn’t defeat. But this guy charged in headfirst without a shred of sense!
“How should I explain this…?” Zhong Yasha painfully pondered this question. If not for the crowd’s watchful eyes and the lack of chaos, he would have fled already!
Hmm, should I step forward to stop him and try to salvage the situation, or pretend I don’t know him?
His mind was in turmoil, and Gong Shaya felt the same way. Xiao Meng looked so handsome and promising—could he really be such an idiot? Was he nothing more than a pretty face?
Just as Zhong Yasha resolved to step forward, pull Meng Qi back, apologize with a forced smile, and halt the situation from spiraling into danger, Dutuo, who had a white cloth wrapped around his head, stepped out coldly and said, “You dare challenge our leader? Get past me first.”
If anyone could challenge Elder Yuanmeng at will, what was the point of having subordinates?
However, he didn’t take it lightly either. This young fellow had dared to step forward, so he must possess at least some genuine skill. It was better for him to personally deal with it rather than risk the other ordinary orifice-opening brothers in a direct challenge. If no one from Yuanmeng’s side answered the challenge, it would be a huge embarrassment.
Of course, if not for the public setting and the matter of face, the usual approach to such a challenger would be to swarm him and tear him apart with blades!
Yuanmeng Zhi’s expression remained unchanged as he toyed with his golden wine cup, but inside, he was furious. This was a rage born from the violation of his authority and dignity.
Besides, he himself had once been a man of boundless audacity, daring to attack opponents directly in the streets of Yuhai, risking thousand-mile pursuits, and decisively killing those with powerful backgrounds. Yet no matter what, he had never challenged any leader whose strength far surpassed his own until he had grown to nearly their level before confronting them directly.
What gave this fellow the confidence to challenge him?
Of course, as one of the few prominent figures in Hanhai, Yuanmeng Zhi cared about his dignity and restrained his impulse, choosing not to personally intervene. He gave Dutuo a look filled with approval and veiled authority.
Watching Meng Qi step forward, Zhen Hui’s expression shifted slightly, then quickly resumed its calm and composed demeanor.
Meng Qi’s face remained expressionless as he coldly said, “You actually think you’re worthy?”
A stunned uproar spread among the crowd. Bandits who opened seven orifices before thirty were extremely rare in Hanhai, unless they came from powerful lineages like An Guoxie. Dutuo was among the rarest of the rare, his martial arts rooted in his tribal heritage, his strength forged through bloodshed on the battlefield!
And you, a mere four-orifice brat, dare to look down on him? A madman! Thinking a little good fortune makes you extraordinary?
Despite his young appearance, Meng Qi’s demeanor was mature from years of worldly experience. At around seventeen or eighteen years old, opening four orifices already marked him as an outstanding disciple in a major sect. Among bandits with weak traditions, such an achievement practically screamed “fortuitous encounter”!
Dutuo forcefully suppressed his rising anger, slowly descending the steps. Just as he was about to say a few formal words before dealing a brutal lesson to this young brat, Meng Qi suddenly moved—fast as a storm, swift as a ghost—dashing past Dutuo, drawing his dark red long blade, and rushing toward Yuanmeng Zhi.
Though slightly caught off guard, Dutuo, having already opened seven orifices with sharp senses, wasn’t completely surprised. He swung his single blade horizontally—not only to defend himself but also to block Meng Qi’s advance.
The blade struck Meng Qi but felt like it had hit an illusion, shattering and vanishing into nothingness.
Dutuo was both shocked and furious. Normally, how could he fall for such an illusion? Yet this time, everything happened too quickly—he hadn’t had time to distinguish reality from illusion and had to rely purely on instinct, which led him astray!
He quickly withdrew his blade, guarding his entire body. A sense of unease crept into his heart. Could this young fellow be a Half-Exterior Master? But given his age, that was simply impossible!
“Brother, be careful!” he blurted out instinctively.
Meng Qi’s figure appeared in midair, his essence, energy, spirit, and intent completely merging into the Red Sun Subduing Evil Blade.
When Meng Qi used the illusion to deceive Dutuo, Yuanmeng Zhi was slightly surprised but remained unaffected. He was arrogant, yes, but always maintained peak readiness, so the illusion didn’t fool him.
That’s more like it. If you don’t have some tricks, how could you kill someone like An Guoxie?
He discerned Meng Qi’s identity, his mind growing calm. Extending both hands, he prepared to seize the precept blade. Aside from the illusion, judging by this young man’s movements and aura, he was at most a four-aperture expert!
Yuanmeng Zhi’s hands were solid and broad, lacking the usual roughness and scars common among bandits. They looked like jade carvings, glowing faintly with a jade-like luster.
He was very satisfied with these hands. Guan Feng, once a famous bandit leader in Cheli known for his mastery of the Thirty-Six Dividing Water Sword techniques, had been feared across the surrounding oases, but Yuanmeng Zhi had crushed his neck with these hands. Cheng Guang, the “Cold Moon Sword,” a Nine-Orifice expert ranking among the top in Hanhai, had chased Yuanmeng for nearly a thousand miles when he had just opened his eighth orifice, but Yuanmeng still strangled him with these hands. Wuchenzi, a direct disciple from the Nanshan Sect, a major sect in Northern Zhou, had been righteous and vengeful, coming to challenge Yuanmeng when he had just opened his seventh orifice. Despite his superior techniques overwhelming Yuanmeng, he still ended up with his neck crushed by these hands.
And today, he would crush the neck of a direct disciple from a great martial arts lineage!
Don’t be fooled by the curved blade at his waist—his true strength lay in these “Jade Hands”!
The blade light flared, neither dazzling nor dim, neither brilliant nor eerie, like the mundane blade of the common streets.
Seeing this blade light, Zhong Yasha recalled the day his wife and children were slaughtered during a bandit conflict, filled with both hatred and despair, wanting revenge yet also wanting to leave this “profession” behind forever. Gong Shaya remembered her younger self, always cheerful and playful, dreaming of marrying a perfect husband one day, but the bandits had shattered that happiness forever…
Everyone had their own sorrow, their own painful memories they could never forget or resolve!
When the dark red blade light flared, no one in the grand hall spoke, as if all had fallen into a trance.
Yuanmeng Zhi’s mind wavered slightly, and for a moment, he seemed to see Zeluo Ju standing before him, wearing a black eye patch.
Zeluo Ju stood proudly with his hands behind his back, making Yuanmeng, kneeling on the ground, feel extremely insignificant.
“I know you’re a wolf, untamable and capable of biting your master, but I’m not afraid. You’ll never catch up to me. Before me, you’ll always be just a dog,” Zeluo Ju said coldly. “Now it’s up to you whether you can earn your dog’s food.”
Looking up from that angle, Zeluo Ju seemed towering and majestic, making Yuanmeng feel ashamed and inferior, as if he were a god or a demon king—unresistable, unstoppable, only to be submitted to!
This fear welled up from deep within him, so real, like thunder exploding in his ears, making him shiver involuntarily, his whole body trembling, hands shaking.
Meng Qi’s left hand bore a prominent thunder mark, purple and dripping with energy. Everyone in the hall felt an overwhelming pressure, as if a deity had descended or heavenly thunder had come to punish evil. They couldn’t resist it, trembling in fear, forgetting their previous worries, their minds going blank.
Raindrops fell, stinging the skin. Gu Changqing hurriedly left Lao Cao’s tavern, returning to his courtyard to avoid drawing Wu Yong’s suspicion.
Suddenly, a blinding light erupted, illuminating the entire Yuhai as brightly as day. Instinctively lifting his head, Gu Changqing saw the writhing lightning in the sky converge into a thick, silver-white bolt as thick as a water barrel. Carrying an aura of ultimate righteousness and power, it directly struck toward the city lord’s mansion!
Boom!
Only after the lightning came the deafening thunder, making Gu Changqing shudder and finally snapping him out of the terrifying divine punishment-like pressure.
“It’s raining, thundering…” he muttered to himself, recalling what Meng Qi had hummed earlier.
Inside Lao Cao’s tavern, Xie Jiugui and others stared out the window at the sky, watching the heart-stopping silver-white lightning snakes.
No one spoke, for this was completely unexpected, leaving them all in stunned silence.
“No!”
The sword’s energy pierced through his body, jolting Yuanmeng Zhi awake from the illusion cast by “Break Purity.” With a furious roar, he slammed his palms together, bracing to block the incoming monastic blade poised to strike him.
Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock. An unimaginably thick bolt of silver-white lightning, colossal beyond comprehension, tore through the roof and struck the ritual blade. Wrapped in crackling electric fury, the lightning surged downward with a devastating slash!
His vision turned blindingly white, filled only with dancing arcs of electricity. Instinctively, his hands shot forward to block.
Boom!
The thunderous roar filled his ears, shaking his heart and soul. Regret surged in Yuanmeng Zhi’s mind, but how could human strength resist the overwhelming might of Heaven and Earth at such close range?
Exterior Realm?!
That was his final thought.
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