Chapter 38: The Universe in One’s Palm

As the words faded, Tang Shun suddenly quickened his pace, charging forward like a maddened bull toward Qi Zhengyan and Meng Qi, the only two still standing.

Although his martial arts skills ranked lowest among the four grandmasters, he was still a formidable opener of acupoints. Qi Zhengyan dared not be careless. He circled his long sword, flicking out an arc resembling a setting sun descending sorrowfully, forming an airtight defense. His intention was to stabilize the situation first, and then rely on Meng Qi’s cooperation to hold out until Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan finished healing and could rise to join them.

Qi Zhengyan had experience fighting against acupoint-openers before, whether during internal sparring or the Hidden Emperor Fortress mission, where he had faced opponents who had only opened their eye acupoints. Thus, he had confidence in his rigorous and steady Changhe Sword Technique. Even if victory seemed unlikely, he believed he could delay Tang Shun momentarily. Moreover, he had recently mastered some of the “Hundred Transformations, Thousand Illusions, Cloud and Mist Thirteen Forms,” secretly integrating its elusive and agile elements into his sect’s sword techniques, which might even wound Tang Shun and weaken his strength.

By then, even if Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan could only perform at twenty or thirty percent of their usual capability, relying on their refined sword techniques and superior numbers, they might still repel Tang Shun or hold out until the main mission was completed.

Meng Qi roughly guessed Qi Zhengyan’s intentions. Activating his Divine Steps, he darted sideways and slashed downward with his blade, cooperating seamlessly.

Just as Qi Zhengyan and Meng Qi were about to complete their techniques, Tang Shun suddenly lunged forward, intentionally throwing himself onto the sword tip as if committing suicide!

Oh no!

This abnormal change heightened Qi Zhengyan’s vigilance, but Tang Shun’s timing was precise and accurate, giving Qi no chance to retract his sword or adjust his stance. He could only twist his body sideways and contract his chest.

Puh! The sword struck something like old leather, producing a dull sound. Meng Qi’s downward slash, aimed at Tang Shun’s back, only managed to slice through his clothes, revealing his dark skin and leaving a white scar.

The palm wind was fierce. Qi Zhengyan’s sword flew from his hand, and his body was sent flying sideways, blood spewing from his mouth as he crashed heavily to the ground.

Body-hardening martial arts?

Perfect Iron Shirt?

Meng Qi dodged backward, then oddly lunged left, narrowly avoiding Tang Shun’s casual strike after sending Qi Zhengyan flying. His heart was filled with shock.

For days, he had relied on his Iron Shirt to launch aggressive attacks, using speed to counter slowness and trading minor injuries for major ones, achieving smooth success. Now, however, he faced a terrifying opponent whose Iron Shirt was even stronger and whose martial arts surpassed his own!

Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan both flushed slightly, forcibly interrupting their recovery process, picking up their swords and preparing to join the battle.

Upon landing, Qi Zhengyan staggered several times before barely managing to stand. Though he had evaded the fatal spots, Tang Shun’s blow was immensely forceful, leaving him grievously wounded.

Back and forth, left and right, facing this terrifying enemy, Meng Qi could only move around, relying on his Divine Steps to barely hold his ground.

The gap between them was simply too large. Otherwise, Meng Qi would definitely have adopted the strategy Zhen Miao used against him.

Now, although Meng Qi’s steps were strange and elusive, his maneuvering space was being gradually compressed by Tang Shun. Soon, he would find himself cornered with no place to escape.

“Jiang girl and Zhang senior brother are coming soon…” Meng Qi gritted his teeth, fully concentrating on dodging. Under such pressure and danger, he seemed to gain a deeper understanding of the essence of the “Divine Steps.”

“Hah!” At that moment, Tang Shun suddenly exhaled powerfully, like the simultaneous beating of bells and drums.

Weng! Meng Qi immediately felt his ears ringing, his mind restless, his head spinning, his limbs weakening, his steps slowing.

Pah! Seizing the opportunity, Tang Shun caught up and swung his right palm, striking Meng Qi squarely on the back.

Meng Qi’s vision darkened, his back numbed, and he was sent flying, his body making popping sounds like frying beans. Blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth.

The intense pain revived Meng Qi as he landed, just in time to see Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan attacking and defending together, intercepting Tang Shun.

Barely resisting the urge to faint, Meng Qi managed a few breaths of regulation. His thick Shaolin inner energy slowly flowed, like a stream of fresh water, eliminating many discomforts and stabilizing his injuries.

“The injuries aren’t too serious…” Meng Qi assessed his condition. “But my Iron Shirt has been completely broken…”

Since Tang Shun’s palm was interrupted by Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan’s side attack and couldn’t exert full force, and Meng Qi still had his novice-level Iron Shirt protecting him, he only suffered minor injuries and the breaking of his Iron Shirt, retaining his ability to store energy at the novice level.

However, without the Iron Shirt, Meng Qi’s strength had decreased by at least seventy percent!

Inside the Grand Hall, the unceasing sound of the wooden fish echoed, creating a strangely solemn and quiet atmosphere.

Xin Ji sat cross-legged before the golden Buddha statue, calmly and peacefully tapping the old wooden fish in front of him, seemingly unaffected by the impending danger.

“Master Xin Ji, you truly have attained some Buddhist insight,” the outside sky was dark, heavy clouds low, silver snakes flashing, and heavy rain pouring. A figure slowly walked through the “curtain” formed by dripping eaves, stepping into the Grand Hall—it was indeed General Dorchad!

He wore barbarian black robes, his left eye, pierced by Jiang Zhiwei, was not closed but wide open, revealing a chilling darkness and emptiness.

“Pity I couldn’t persuade the lay devotee to lay down his butcher’s knife,” Xin Ji stopped the wooden fish and spoke calmly.

Dorchad snorted. “Annihilating all beings is becoming a Buddha!”

With these words, a fierce wind suddenly arose inside the Grand Hall, extinguishing candle after candle.

Unperturbed, Xin Ji struck the wooden fish again, solemnly chanting, “Shariputra, all phenomena are empty in nature, neither born nor destroyed…”

Suddenly, a glazed Buddhist radiance emanated from his left palm, accompanied by the sound of chanting.

“Neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing…”

The Buddhist light gathered on Xin Ji, making him resemble a solemn Buddha statue. Together with the golden statue behind him, they formed an indescribable magnificent scene—one small and one large, one illusory and one real, one moving and one still.

Dorchad’s expression turned serious. “You actually sacrificed so many relics.”

He swung his right fist, the wind in front of him condensing into a dragon, and lightning from the sky struck the hall’s roof.

“…No suffering, no accumulation, no cessation, no path; no wisdom, no attainment.” Xin Ji struck with his left palm, the Buddhist light intensifying, his expression wrathful like a Vajra.

Meng Qi leaped up like a carp flipping over, searching for his flying ring-blade while observing the battle between Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan. Meanwhile, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Qi Zhengyan hesitantly picking up his sword.

Zhang Yuanshan excelled in ultimate defense, while Jiang Zhiwei’s sword technique was sharp and fierce. Together, one defending and one attacking, they temporarily held off Tang Shun.

Originally, in their current condition, Tang Shun could have forced his way through Zhang Yuanshan’s defense with a few aggressive moves. However, every time he tried, Jiang Zhiwei’s “White Rainbow Piercing the Sun Sword” would dart out like a venomous snake from its den, agile and terrifying, aiming at several of his weak points, forcing him to abandon his attack and switch to defense, giving Zhang Yuanshan a chance to catch his breath.

And if he wanted to defeat Jiang Zhiwei first, he couldn’t break through Zhang Yuanshan’s sword formation.

Seeing this situation, Meng Qi secretly rejoiced. Qi Zhengyan should no longer hesitate. With his and Meng Qi’s assistance, Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan could surely hold off Tang Shun until the mission ended.

Just as Meng Qi retrieved his precept blade and was about to join the fray, Zhang Yuanshan’s body suddenly shuddered violently, and his sword formation slowed down significantly.

Bad! His injuries couldn’t be suppressed anymore!

This thought had barely surfaced in Meng Qi’s mind when he saw Tang Shun seize the opportunity, striking Zhang Yuanshan’s sword away with a palm, then kicking his side ribs, sending him flying sideways.

The sound of Zhang Yuanshan’s ribs breaking was clearly audible. After landing, he spat out a large amount of blood, trying to stand but lacking the strength, now in a critically wounded and near-death state.

Without his defense, Jiang Zhiwei was immediately confronted by Tang Shun. Within a few moves, due to her unstable injuries and insufficient strength, her movements weren’t as nimble and swift as in her prime. Tang Shun seized the opportunity, enduring a sword strike on his left palm, closing in, and using his right shoulder to slam into her, sending her flying.

Jiang Zhiwei’s robes fluttered as she gritted her teeth, yet blood still streamed freely from the corner of her mouth. Despite this, she clung tightly to her sword, barely managing to use it to steady herself upon landing, refusing to collapse.

“What exquisite skill in dissipating force…” Tang Shun hesitated slightly, praising, originally expecting this strike to kill Jiang Zhiwei outright, only managing to severely wound her. “Pity, pity. Now you can’t even defeat a child…”

He scanned the surroundings, seeing the injured and weakened, secretly pleased, laughing loudly: “Your martial arts are all exquisitely refined, clearly from an extraordinary lineage. How about teaching them to me? I’ll make your deaths easier. What do you say?”

He looked at Jiang Zhiwei: “You, little girl, are exceptionally beautiful, the most charming I’ve ever seen. If not for the general’s strict orders, I might show mercy. Hehe, I especially like strong martial artists like you, seemingly fierce female heroes. If I could take you to bed, I wonder how you’d beg for mercy…”

Jiang Zhiwei’s expression was extremely angry, but her current injuries made even speaking difficult, leaving her only able to pant heavily.

Tang Shun spoke as he approached Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan, turning slightly toward Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan, aiming to pressure them with both words and presence to reveal the secrets of martial arts.

In fact, he had his own unique methods of interrogation, extremely cruel. However, Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan’s injuries were extremely severe, nearing death. Using those methods might result in them dying before revealing anything.

“You little monk, what are you looking at? Your martial arts are mediocre, your strength low. Hmm, I might as well kill you first.” Tang Shun decided to make an example, targeting Meng Qi, the least valuable for interrogation.

Meng Qi cursed furiously outwardly while remaining strangely calm inwardly, continuously thinking of countermeasures.

Although he knew the hope was extremely slim given the disparity in strength and conditions, he hadn’t collapsed, trying to grasp that single thread of survival.

“Use the Divine Steps to flash over there… slash his vital points…” Meng Qi watched Tang Shun approach, bracing himself for a desperate final struggle.

“If not fighting means certain death, then better to go all out!”

Tang Shun smiled as he approached Meng Qi, his gaze fixed on Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan, waiting for them to submit.

“Little monk, should I first remove your left hand or your right leg? Or perhaps you’d prefer becoming a eunuch first?” Tang Shun chuckled.

As the words faded, his expression suddenly froze. A white light suddenly erupted from Qi Zhengyan’s hand, growing brighter and brighter, illuminating everyone, striking Tang Shun who was caught off guard.

Amidst Tang Shun’s furious roar, the sound of thick cloth tearing rang out. At this moment, another white beam flew from Qi Zhengyan’s hand, dazzling and even more chilling. With a “swoosh,” it struck Tang Shun’s hastily raised right palm, piercing through and hitting his chest directly.

“Child-and-Mother Separating Soul Darts?” Meng Qi vaguely recognized it, recalling the Tang Clan’s hidden weapon that had left a deep impression on him from novels.

But he had no time to think further. His premeditated assault transformed entirely into instinct—dodge, duck, roll—sliding beneath Tang Shun while thrusting his blade upward, piercing through Tang Shun’s lower abdomen from below.

Meng Qi twisted the knife forcefully, blood pouring down like rain, hot vapor rising.

He didn’t dare to continue exerting force, so he abandoned the knife and rolled away to evade Tang Shun’s desperate counterattack.

Tang Shun’s agonized scream echoed through the back mountains, like a lone wolf howling at the moon, like a demon wailing at a grave.

The scream gradually weakened. Tang Shun collapsed, eyes wide open, a strange dart embedded in his chest, his lower body a bloody mess.

After launching the “Child-and-Mother Separating Soul Darts,” Qi Zhengyan seemed unable to even stand, collapsing to his knees, gasping for breath.

“When did he redeem the ‘Child-and-Mother Separating Soul Darts’? Where did he get the merit points?” Meng Qi wiped blood from his face. “Could it be he exchanged all his Huahua Sword Sect martial arts?”