This palm strike was launched almost the moment Meng Qi sensed something wrong with the Qifeng Qin. It came suddenly, soundless and without any wind or force, leaving only a black afterimage.
Though still over ten feet apart, “Ruan Yushu’s” hand seemed to pierce through layers of empty space or successive veils of water, creating subtle ripples, and suddenly appeared before Meng Qi. Whether “she” had shrunk the distance or used an illusion array remained uncertain.
Peng!
A long sword forged of flames abruptly emerged, blocking the palm strike and producing a dull sound.
Almost simultaneously, Meng Qi slightly shifted his body and slashed downward with his long knife along a mysterious trajectory, surrounded by silver-white lightning.
Dang! The palm and blade collided, and Meng Qi felt his right hand go numb, with a sensation of his meridians, bones, and flesh beginning to shatter inch by inch.
This was a situation he hadn’t encountered even when fighting Bai Qigu. Partly because he had struck hastily without hitting the weak point of the palm force, and partly because his opponent’s technique was bizarre and his strength greater!
Dengdengdeng, Meng Qi first took an involuntary step backward, then used the momentum to maneuver his steps, feigning retreat while actually moving left to avoid the opponent’s follow-up palm strike.
Only then did Meng Qi notice that after the opponent’s attack, their aura changed, making it impossible to continue impersonating Ruan Yushu. Their face became blurry, their body taller and stronger, but not resembling anyone Meng Qi recognized.
He extended his left hand, grasping the returning Liuhuo, and wielded both knife and sword without hesitation.
This was an enemy more dangerous than Bai Qigu!
And one brimming with killing intent!
The opponent moved like a black shadow, extremely fast. As soon as Meng Qi grabbed Liuhuo, the opponent struck again, giving him no chance to catch his breath.
Unlike the earlier stealthy attack, this palm strike now created a roaring sound through the air, with a pitch-black palm center, as if holding filth, tinged with a metallic hue.
Meng Qi had long achieved the ultimate state of unity with nature and returned to simplicity, always able to harmonize with the natural world. His mind constantly reflected the surroundings—boulders, streams, wastelands, dim skies, even the simulated cosmic movements within the illusion array, all in exquisite detail. He could sense the sea of primal energy enveloping him, permeating his body, replenishing his true energy and stamina, and restoring his spirit.
However, as the black palm approached, this delicate harmony with nature was abruptly disrupted. Meng Qi sensed the primordial energy sea churning violently—roaring and turbulent—no longer gently permeating his breath.
The “boulders” shattered, the “streams” dried up, the “wastelands” cracked, and the “sky” turned pitch-black. The scene within Meng Qi’s mind resembled the apocalypse, making it difficult to maintain his unity with heaven and earth, and even harder to harness their power.
“Six Annihilation Falling God Palm?”
“Six Annihilation Human Demon?”
“Perfect Half-Step!”
After feeling the mysterious and terrifying power of this palm strike, these words naturally arose in Meng Qi’s mind.
Though these thoughts surfaced, he remained calm. Meng Qi altered his footwork, sidestepping with a knife arc that was both rigid and soft, yin and yang, offensive and defensive, embodying the circular motion of Taiji and the blending of yin and yang, precisely targeting the weak point in the palm force.
Pu, silently, the black palm withdrew, the blade force was shattered, with no residual wind, and Meng Qi’s body radiated a faint golden hue, his arm still numb, his insides seemingly breaking apart inch by inch.
He stepped continuously, redirecting the force and unleashing it, moving like a ghost.
The enemy also adjusted their stance, continuously launching palm strikes, not giving Meng Qi any chance to escape.
…
As Zhao Heng moved swiftly, he continuously eliminated minor enemies, wielding fist and sword, both techniques from the “Jingshi Book,” deliberately concealing the techniques he had exchanged using the cycle points. Even so, his level and techniques far surpassed his opponents, making it difficult for them to resist his every move.
Usually at this point, the opponents would lose their will to fight and be withdrawn by their elders, but now Zhao Heng’s brows were deeply furrowed because the Ke family disciple he had knocked unconscious with a single palm strike remained motionless on the ground, showing no sign of recovery.
“Have the illusion array and the elders’ auras failed?” Zhao Heng sensed a whiff of conspiracy.
Thus, he discerned the direction, abandoning the effort to eliminate minor enemies, hoping to reunite with his companions sooner.
Just as he ran a short distance, he heard a bold female laughter: “Meeting the Prince Wei, such an opportunity cannot be missed!”
The person was none other than Bai Qigu, her face filled with fighting spirit, intending to assist the Prince Jin by driving Zhao Heng from the battlefield.
Dengdengdeng, Bai Qigu ran like a fierce beast, reaching Zhao Heng in a breath, delivering a punch that pressed heavily on his body, slowing his movements.
Seeing that Bai Qigu gave him no chance to explain the abnormalities, Zhao Heng dared not let her strike him directly; he couldn’t afford to be eliminated now!
His expression changed, and he held his sword vertically, aligning the tip with his brow, as if praying to the heavens.
The sword pierced forward, changing wind and clouds, the roaring wind entwining with vapor, transforming into a true dragon.
This sword, blessed by heaven, immediately broke free from earthly constraints, aiming at Bai Qigu, as if the heavens themselves rejected her.
After exchanging several blows, raising dust and swirling winds, a figure rushed over, wielding a long knife, with a square and stern face.
“Yan Chong, come help me!” Though Bai Qigu had the upper hand, she couldn’t decide the outcome quickly. Worried that Prince Jin might be expelled prematurely, she joyfully called out upon seeing the figure.
Yan Chong nodded slightly, rushed forward with his knife, and slashed downward like a sudden wave.
“There’s something wrong…” Before Zhao Heng could finish speaking, he was surrounded by the two, his situation becoming perilous, leaving him no time to speak!
…
Qi Zhengyan was navigating through the woods, trying to escape, when he suddenly encountered someone.
This person wore plain robes, turning prayer beads in his hands, with a thin face—an attendant monk of the Crown Prince, who had the privilege of bringing two people into the competition.
“Amitabha,” the monk did not attack immediately, instead reciting the Buddha’s name before pushing both thumbs together, forming the Solar Disk Seal.
Blinding light erupted between his hands, like the sun descending, illuminating all directions, extremely dazzling, while the palm force carried a scorching heat.
Qi Zhengyan drew his sword and slashed, the blade resembling crimson clouds soaring with solitary wild geese, subtly infused with the power of Mei Xiaodang, deflecting the monk’s Solar Disk Seal.
His eyes shimmered with purple specks, deep as the cosmos, unafraid of the sunlight.
The monk successively employed the Vase Seal, Great Vajra Seal, Lion Seal, and Inner Binding Seal, like a wrathful deity descending, suppressing Qi Zhengyan.
However, Qi Zhengyan seemed to have mastered the Hun Tian Treasure Mirror and combined it with the sword techniques of the Huanhua Sect, wielding them freely, sometimes like a starry river swaying, sometimes like distant cold light, facing a monk whose cultivation level was a step higher, showing no sign of defeat, instead counterattacking while defending.
…
Ruan Yushu carried her ancient qin, walking through the wasteland. When encountering opponents who wished to bully the “helpless maiden,” she often repelled them with “Disorder Spirit Melody,” “Heart-Shaking Sound,” and the Six Pulse Divine Sword, without even needing the Returning Curse, Moon-Cold Mantra, or Heavenly Dragon Eight Sounds.
A man in wide sleeves approached from ahead, handsome and elegant, wielding a long sword—Cui Zhe.
Seeing Ruan Yushu, he laughed heartily: “Meeting you, Yushu sister, I can finally listen to your wonderful music.”
He had loved music since childhood and seemed eager to test Ruan family’s divine melodies.
Ruan Yushu did not retreat; she had faced far more formidable foes than Cui Zhe. Holding the qin with her left hand, she prepared to play with her right.
Suddenly, Cui Zhe slightly hesitated, furrowing his brow, then said to Ruan Yushu: “There’s trouble outside; it’s dangerous inside the illusion array. Yushu sister, leave quickly.”
After saying this, his figure flickered, passing through layers of “water veils,” instantly disappearing from Ruan Yushu’s sight.
The previous incident with the Holy Emperor’s Demon Order had made the Cui family cautious, so they arranged additional protections for Cui Zhe’s safety. Thus, Cui Zhe was among the first to be found and pulled out of the array. Similarly, Wang Zai left shortly after him.
Hearing Cui Zhe’s warning, Ruan Yushu slightly frowned, quickened her pace, and tried to find her companions to warn them.
After walking a while, she climbed a small hill and heard a distant rumble.
Looking up, the sky ahead was dark, with two figures constantly moving. One wielded knife and sword, while the other launched palm strikes, sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightning, sometimes by flames, but all quickly dissipating.
The surroundings were dark like the end of the world, the two locked in a stalemate, with Meng Qi seemingly at a slight disadvantage, unable to break free.
Seeing this, although Ruan Yushu remained calm, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, planning to cross the hill, enter the qin’s range, and perform the Langhuan Twelve Divine Sounds to assist Meng Qi in defeating his enemy quickly.
Just then, she sensed something and turned her head toward the left rear, where a figure in a black robe and mask rapidly approached.
“Nine Heavens Thunder God!” In Ruan Yushu’s clear eyes, her pupils contracted like needles.
The Nine Heavens Thunder God seemed suppressed by the array, unable to fly, yet his speed was astonishing, closing the distance of hundreds of feet in an instant!
In just a few breaths, he would spot Meng Qi and herself, launching attacks from afar!
Meng Qi fully unleashed his sword and knife techniques without holding back, not only displaying various true meanings, continuously breaking through the opponent’s force, targeting weak points, but also skillfully laying traps, cleverly positioning, sometimes suddenly attacking with Purple Thunder Force or using Liuhuo’s supernatural abilities.
However, each strike seemed ineffective, as soon as his opponent’s black palm struck, the force silently dissipated, the blade force shattered, lightning and flames vanished, and all the stories told by his weapons were interrupted midway.
The Six Annihilation Human Demon wisely chose to suppress Meng Qi through cultivation level and techniques, rather than competing in forms, levels, or mental willpower.
Strike after strike, Meng Qi increasingly felt the surging primal energy around him, making it difficult to recover or regain nourishment. His true energy was fine, but his physical strength and spirit gradually declined, and maintaining the “Unity of Heaven and Humanity” state became harder as “nature” neared destruction, approaching the apocalypse!
Even more terrifying was that this destruction began to spread to Meng Qi’s physical body. The Deathless Seal could not unload or neutralize this strange attack. If not for the Eight-Ninth Divine Body’s strength and the golden glow protecting him, Meng Qi would have perished with his body shattered long ago!
The Six Annihilation Human Demon was patient, continuously entangling Meng Qi, not giving him a chance to unleash a killing move or escape.
Similarly, the Six Annihilation Human Demon himself could not find a decisive opportunity to determine victory.
He seemed to be waiting for something… This was Meng Qi’s strongest impression.
Amidst the swirling energies, an immense pressure radiated from the Six Annihilation Human Demon, steadily amplifying Meng Qi’s aura. Yet, constrained by the Human Demon’s elusive combat tactics, this enhancement remained limited…
…
Watching the Nine Heavens Thunder God rapidly approaching, Ruan Yushu first felt a slight fear, then took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and placed both hands on the qin.
At this moment, her mind echoed with the voice of her ninth grandfather, Ruan Kang: “The situation has changed; it’s dangerous inside the array…”
The mental communication lasted only an instant, as Ruan Kang had finally located her.
Ruan Yushu suddenly froze, and sensing something amiss, Ruan Kang used his aura to scan the surroundings: “Is there an outsider near you? Quickly leave with me!”
Detecting the Nine Heavens Thunder God, Ruan Kang’s tone was extremely serious. Due to the array’s transformation, he couldn’t project much power, only able to pull her out.
Ruan Yushu felt the aura attached to her begin to stir, her expression rarely showing complexity. She glanced at the struggling Meng Qi, gazed afar at possibly still battling Qi Zhengyan and Zhao Heng, then looked back at the approaching Nine Heavens Thunder God nearing the hill, her expression suddenly becoming resolute.
“Ershiyi Niang, what are you about to do…” Ruan Kang’s voice abruptly ceased, his aura mysteriously vanishing.
Ruan Yushu lowered her eyelids, whispering softly:
“Grandfather Jiu, although you often praise my intelligence, I know I’m very foolish, so foolish that I abandoned a smooth path of life to choose a rugged road to death…”
The Qifeng qin floated up, her delicate fingers strumming, and the cry of the Feng bird echoed through the skies!
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