Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Killing the Man in White

The core area of the Zhou Mansion.

The once-calm Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy had, at some unknown point, grown as turbulent as a tide, stirring up monstrous waves.

BOOM!

Following the deep, muffled explosion, the house that dozens of artisans had spent three months building collapsed with a deafening crash.

Dust and smoke billowed everywhere.

"Zhou Jianmi, you lured others to become Fallen Demons and used the blood of a thousand people as a sacrifice for Alchemy! Your crimes are unforgivable! Prepare to die!"

An overwhelmingly powerful Sword Qi descended from the sky, cleaving the air and creating ripples like water. The dust and smoke in the area parted to either side, and the tyrannical force shot down this newly formed channel, striking at a figure several dozen feet away.

"You’re all just after my Elixirs. Why bother with the false righteousness?"

Zhou Jianmi’s eyes narrowed. He unleashed a sudden burst of Palm Force, and the Bronze Tripod before him shattered with a CRACK. Several Elixirs flew out from within.

He swept his long sleeve to catch the Pills, simultaneously flipping one hand up to meet the incoming Sword Qi.

BOOM!

Another tremendous roar echoed.

"Hee hee..." The Demoness Qii Yao let out a seductive giggle.

"Gentlemen, three pills were successfully formed in total. Just enough for one for each of us three. It seems to be fate."

"We can make our move now."

Yuu Yuanliang and Jiangg Ke exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. Then, together with the Demoness Qii Yao, they lunged at Zhou Jianmi.

"Qii Yao!" Zhou Jianmi’s expression changed drastically. He dodged the incoming attacks while shouting:

"I can give you one Corpse Yin Breaking Acupoint Pill! How about we team up? You don’t really think they’ll let you go after they kill me, do you?"

"You and I are both Evil Cultivators. These so-called Righteous People will be all too eager to kill you once I’m gone."

"Then what’s to be done?" Qii Yao shrugged.

"I’ve already made them a promise. How can a person go back on their word?"

"Unless..."

"You give me two of the Elixirs!"

"That’s impossible!" Zhou Jianmi screamed.

"I spent ten years gathering ingredients and learning Alchemy just to refine this batch of Elixirs! You did nothing, and now you want to take two of them?"

"The negotiations have failed. What a shame," Qii Yao said with a captivating smile.

"In that case, Senior Brother Zhou, please be on your way!"

*

*

*

SHREEE!

The man in white attacked with astonishing momentum. From beneath a long sleeve, a hand as translucent as jade reached out, like a delicate work of art.

Bright Jade Palm!

A Palm Technique passed down through the Joyful Demon Sect, it was named for the way one’s skin becomes as transparent as jade when using it.

This Palm Technique was not only beautiful to behold, but also astonishingly powerful. When activated, the user’s Inner Qi would seep into their skin and bones without the slightest leak, making their bare hands comparable to a Divine Weapon that could slice through gold and shatter jade.

Before the palm even arrived, the skin beneath Zhu Ju’s armor tensed in response, and his Inner Refining Third Realm Thirteen Body Refinement activated on its own.

Mixed Element Iron Hand!

In stark contrast to his opponent, Zhu Ju’s palms turned pitch-black as he gathered the surrounding Heaven and Earth Qi and struck out fiercely.

BANG!

The two palms collided.

An immense Strength erupted from the point of contact, sweeping out in all directions and sending soil and splintered wood flying.

Hm?

The man in white raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He had seen what Zhu Ju looked like without his armor; for someone not even twenty years old, his Inner Power Cultivation was astonishingly profound.

"Good!"

"Let’s see just how deep your Cultivation really is!"

With a surge of determination, the man in white fiercely drew upon his True Qi, and his already surging Palm Force swelled once more.

He appeared young, but in reality, he was already over sixty years old. It was only because the Cultivation Techniques of the Joyful Sect had beautifying effects that his age didn’t show.

As a ’Mortal Disciple’ of the Joyful Sect, the Inner Power he cultivated was naturally extraordinary, and the purity of his Inner Qi far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Thus, a contest of Inner Power was what he feared the least!

Zhu Ju’s gaze was deep and dark. The Five Elements Internal Qi inside him circulated wildly, a torrent of Inner Qi surging toward his palm.

BOOM!

The Powerful Qi roared.

The Five Elements Internal Qi mutually generated one another; once it began to circulate, it was like a vortex, its Inner Strength endless and inexhaustible.

Straining under the force, both men were pushed back several steps. It was an even match.

"How can this be?"

The man in white was stunned. His opponent’s Cultivation was clearly weaker than his, yet he wasn’t at a disadvantage in a clash of Inner Qi.

’Doesn’t that mean...’

’The Inner Power Method he cultivates is stronger than mine?’

’Much stronger, even!’

’But how is that possible? The Method I cultivate is a legacy from an Immortal Sect, already among the best in the world.’

Though his heart was filled with shock and doubt, his movements didn’t slow in the slightest. With a flicker of his body, he rushed forward again.

Celestial Demon Chaotic Dance!

His Body Technique was erratic and his Palm Force unpredictable. In an instant, the field was filled with vortexes of Qi, each with a different kind of Strength.

The forces varied wildly—Yin and Yang, hard and soft, direct and reversed, smooth and abrasive—pulling at Zhu Ju’s figure and making him unsteady.

If not for the special Inner Qi cultivated by the Five Peaks True Form Force, even the Qi within his body might have been stirred by the technique.

Such an exquisite and terrifying Palm Technique was far beyond what the Mixed Element Iron Hand could compare to.

"HAH!"

Faced with such a bizarre and ever-changing Palm Force, Zhu Ju had no elegant solution. He furiously channeled his True Qi and unleashed seven fierce strikes forward.

Mixed Element Without Extremity!

Mixed Element Without Extremity!

...

A torrential Palm Force, augmented by the Power of Heaven and Earth, surged out, merging into a continuous wave of Qi that brutally crushed everything in its path.

Compared to his opponent’s flexible and varied Body Technique and Palm Technique, the moves of his own Palm Technique were far simpler.

In truth, the Mixed Element Iron Hand was incredibly powerful in the hands of an ordinary Martial Artist, but it paled in comparison when faced with a top-tier expert.

Of its Thirty-Six Forms, only the final one could draw upon the Power of Heaven and Earth.

And in the end, Barbaric Power was difficult to sustain.

"Hmph!" The man in white snorted coldly at the sight. He avoided a direct confrontation and sneered:

"Let’s see how much Inner Qi you have to burn."

Before he could finish his sentence, his vision was suddenly filled with a bright flash. The Cross and Vertical Saber slashed out with a cold, murderous intent, aiming straight for his face.

Demon Saber!

SHING...

Flashes of the saber’s light burst forth.

The vortexes of Qi in the area were like venomous snakes whose vital points had been struck, losing all their life in an instant.

Zhu Ju wielded the long saber, its light flashing through the air. Relying on profound and unpredictable moves, he forcefully tore open a path.

If only one move of the Mixed Element Iron Hand could draw upon the Power of Heaven and Earth, then every single move of his Saber Technique could do so.

Moreover, protected by his Breaking Army Armor and Inner Refining Third Realm, he could completely ignore the minor aftershocks of Powerful Qi.

BANG!

Another huge explosion of Powerful Qi erupted. This time, the man in white let out a muffled groan and shot backward like an arrow.

"Junior Sister!"

While still in midair, he yelled urgently:

"Quick, save me!"

Zhu Ju pursued relentlessly, about to press his advantage and slay his foe with another slash, when a blinding white light stabbed toward him from the side.

CLANG...

He hastily swung his saber to block, only to feel a ferociously powerful force, one that was purely hard and yang, surge up the blade and rush toward his Meridians.

Fortunately, his Five Elements Internal Qi was of an extraordinary grade; with just one cycle, it suppressed and crushed the invading Inner Qi.

However, his momentum was broken, and he landed back on the ground.

"Good Junior Sister."

Having escaped death, the man in white was overjoyed.

"It wasn’t a waste for me to dote on you so much."

"Cut the crap." The woman in white, who had just appeared on the field, held a Treasure Sword, its tip pointed straight at Zhu Ju.

"My Profound Hao Sword Qi has no effect on him. Let’s attack together!"

"Alright!"

The man in white wasted no more words. He circulated his Inner Qi to suppress the turmoil in his Qi Blood, then unleashed a flurry of Palm Techniques as he lunged at Zhu Ju.

The woman in white followed close behind. The light from her sword was grand and righteous, showing no signs of being a technique from the Evil Demon Sect.

The two of them were one Yin, one Yang.

The man, despite being male, had a Powerful Qi that was soft, cloying, and Yin. Once it touched you, it was like a maggot on a bone, difficult to remove.

The woman, despite being female, had a Strength that was hard, vast, and mighty. Her Sword Light was purely hard and Yang, capable of destroying anything.

When they joined forces, it was a Yin Yang Union.

Their power multiplied.

Zhu Ju was trapped between the two of them, like a Swimming Fish caught in a whirlpool, struggling desperately.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

The sounds of collision were as rapid as a sudden downpour, and the escaping Powerful Qi shot out in all directions.

Cross and Vertical Saber!

Zhu Ju’s body flipped and twisted. The light from his saber glittered, and with each flash, its sharp yet restrained blade aura tore through the incoming attacks.

"Exhilarating!"

"So exhilarating!"

Deep in the protracted battle, he felt not alarm but joy. He could feel his Saber Technique improving at a visible rate under the pressure from his two opponents.

His Martial Arts Talent was astonishing, and both his Five Peaks True Form Force and Demon Saber had mysterious origins. He simply lacked the tempering of real combat.

Now, with two masters as his sparring partners, his potential was gradually being unearthed.

At first, Zhu Ju was hard-pressed under their combined assault, able to barely hold his own only by relying on his Breaking Army Armor and Hard Skill.

Gradually, he became able to trade blows evenly with them.

Finally, they even found it difficult to truly suppress him.

And all this, which seemed like it should have taken a long time, happened very quickly—so quickly that the two from the Joyful Sect felt their hearts pound with fear.

"Now!"

"Don’t hold back! If this continues, I’m afraid neither of us will escape with our lives."

Exchanging a look, the man and woman in white from the Joyful Sect both let out a shrill cry as their Powerful Qi merged in midair.

Yin Yang Transformation!

The Palm Force was like a hidden dragon and the Sword Light like a Poisonous Flood Dragon. Yin and Yang intertwined, transformed, and merged, evolving into a ferocious attack that shot toward him.

This single move actually encompassed more than half of the small courtyard.

"Bring it on!"

His fighting spirit blazing, Zhu Ju faced their combined Killing Move not by retreating, but by advancing, swinging his saber in a fierce slash.

Demon Saber—Shocking God!

The air seemed to brighten suddenly. A strange sense of panic welled up in their hearts, and the two of them were inwardly shaken.

A flaw appeared in their merged auras.

’This is bad!’

The man in white’s heart pounded wildly. He desperately squeezed out every last bit of potential from his body, venting his Inner Qi through his palms.

The woman in white made a similar choice.

’This man’s Saber Technique is too terrifying to fight head-on. We have to force him back first.’

BOOM!

Saber light, sword shadows, and Palm Force intertwined. The three figures were all thrown backward. Although the man in white’s aura was weak, he was overjoyed to find he wasn’t seriously injured.

"Junior Sister, again!"

He shouted the command, but received no response. His heart leaped in alarm just as Zhu Ju closed in for the kill.

CLANK!

The saber rang out.

The man in white swung his palm to block, but a streak of green light suddenly flashed in the corner of his eye. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late.

SQUELCH!

The sharp Jade Hairpin pierced through his right ear and shot out his left, trailing a mix of red and white matter.

Not far away, the woman in white had a single drop of blood on her brow. She had been killed by having her skull pierced.

Magic—Controlling Objects!

In recent days, Zhu Ju had not only been cultivating his Martial Arts, but he also hadn’t forgotten to study Magic.

His Object Controlling Technique had not only reached the Entry Level, but had also advanced to the Second Realm, allowing for faster and more varied control than what a Spirit Binder could manage.

This time, he had taken advantage of the moment their strength was depleted to release his Artifact and kill them in one fell swoop.

SWISH!

The Jade Hairpin, like a streak of green light, danced through the air before coming to rest, hovering silently above Zhu Ju’s shoulder. It was a fantastical and moving sight.

"Ugh... urk..."

The man in white’s eyes were wide open as he made strange gurgling sounds. He stared fixedly at the Jade Hairpin, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief, which finally turned to despair as he collapsed to the ground.

HUUU...

Zhu Ju let out a long, turbid breath. After searching the two bodies and finding three Yin Sha Pearls, he quickly sprinted away from the Zhou Mansion.