Chapter 134
At the same instant, he heard a noise behind him, and a gust of wind rushed towards him.
As Spirit Transformation cultivator, Yuwen Dongliu had opened up a sea of consciousness in his mind. Even without using his eyes, he could observe the surrounding environment with his Divine Sense. Moreover, his will was exceptionally strong. The momentary lapse in concentration caused by the Dazzling Bomb was very brief. He immediately struck out with his palm, which was his most prized technique Meridian-Shattering Goosefoot Heart Palm.
What appears to be an ordinary palm strike actually contains a hundred different forces, some hard, some soft, some straight, some curved, some yin, some yang, making it extremely difficult to defend against. Once struck, these forces will rush upwards along the meridians, directly into the heart, delivering a fatal blow.
Even if the opponent has a strong Foundation and manages to protect their heart in time, this force will still shatter their meridians along the way, completely crippling one of their arms. It is truly insidious and vicious.
However, the instant their palms met, two muffled groans were heard. Yuwen Dongliu and the attacker were both jolted and injured.
"He deflected half of my palm strike—that's the Mirror Reflection Technique from the 'Water Moon Precious Mirror'! But Qi Refining Realm martial artist simply doesn't have the Foundation to fight me. Therefore, this person is the real Si Jingxi, and the one standing next to Yan Jinghong is just an imposter!"
In the blink of an eye, Yuwen Dongliu had figured out the whole situation. He quickly circulated his Internal Cultivation to neutralize the chaotic force that had turned against him. After all, it was a move he was familiar with, and he neutralized most of it in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, a powerful pulling force surged from Si Jingyu's body.
"Trying to steal him? Dream on!"
With his fingers like a lock, Yuwen Dongliu held Si Jingyu tightly. He knew that the other party would eventually let go, because he could not care about Si Jingyu's life or death, but the other party could not.
As expected, seeing that they could not take the person away, the attackers, fearing they would tear Si Jingyu in two, dared not continue to exert force and could only let go and retreat, running away as if to leave the battlefield.
Why did they retreat so quickly? Could it be...?
Yuwen Dongliu quickly circulated his True Qi and concentrated it in his eyes, enduring the pain as he looked at the hostage in his hands. He did not see anything unusual, and although his vision was slightly blurred, he was certain that it was indeed Si Jingyu's appearance.
Before he could get a good look, Yan Jinghong had already drawn her sword and was closing in on him. Accompanied by the shrill cries of birds, the divine sword spun like Peacock Spreads Its Tail, covering all of Yuwen Dongliu's vital points. The dazzling beauty concealed a sharp murderous intent. Even before it reached him, his vital points were already throbbing with pain.
Yuwen Dongliu did not dodge, nor did he have time to dodge. In terms of Movement Method, he was still inferior to Yan Jinghong. He immediately activated his True Qi and concentrated his strength in his arm, wielding it like a divine whip to directly block the sharp Sword-Ray.
A series of metallic clanging sounds rang out, but Yuwen Dongliu stood firmly in place, not retreating an inch. More than a dozen sword wounds appeared on his body, but the wounds were very fine, only breaking the skin and leaving a few traces of blood, without damaging his bones or muscles.
"The Sin-Exterminating Divine Mutilated Body!"
Yan Jinghong was not surprised. He already knew that his opponent had practiced a powerful external martial art. He immediately withdrew his sword shadow and transformed it into a single One Sword, as if dozens of swords were superimposed together. The Sword Qi was highly condensed and fiercely stabbed towards Yuwen Dongliu's face, with the momentum of a white rainbow piercing the sun.
No matter how strong one's external martial arts skills are, the face and eyes are always the weakest points in terms of defense, and also the most difficult parts to train. Yuwen Dongliu had no confidence that he could block this One Sword, so he used the same trick again, raising Si Jingyu as a shield in front of him.
As expected, Yan Jinghong was hesitant to strike for fear of harming the victim, and had no choice but to deflect his sword. However, before Yuwen Dongliu could even feel smug, he saw "Si Jingyu" suddenly raise his arm, and a cold glint shot out from his sleeve!
"Ah--"
With a deafening scream, Yuwen Dongliu's entire face was covered in dark, sharp needles, making him look like a hedgehog. In pain, he flung "Si Jingyu" away with all his might. If it had hit the ground, it would have shattered into pieces. Fortunately, Yan Jinghong arrived swiftly and used her gentle strength to neutralize the force, catching him lightly.
"You're not that girl! Damn it, you really did switch the hostages!"
Si Ming forcefully ripped off his wig, then threw away the disposable hidden weapon mechanism concealed in his sleeve, saying, "My sister has already been rescued by the Ancestor. Now you have no hostage. Once the Ancestor puts my sister in a safe place, he will return immediately, and then you will have nowhere to escape."
Yan Jinghong reminded him, "Be careful," before launching a preemptive attack.
He pushed his lightness skill to its limit, his figure blurring instantly, leaving only a dazzling Sword-Ray light that hurtled towards Yuwen Dongliu, and the two engaged in a fierce battle.
Like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair, Yuwen Dongliu roared repeatedly, his palms pounding like raging waves to block the divine sword's edge, fighting and retreating simultaneously.
With Si Ming's cultivation level, he couldn't see the battle between the two at all. He only saw a blurry shadow rushing through the forest, breaking down trees wherever it went, like a rampaging war chariot.
"The Eight Asura Sin Lord was already injured, and now that I've hurt his eyes, Senior Yan should have a sure win..."
Before Si Ming could finish speaking, one of the shadow figures was shot backward, wounded and retreating rapidly. He spat out a mouthful of blood in mid-air, which turned into a mist of blood.
That person was none other than Yan Jinghong!
"Hahaha, you all schemed and planned, but you didn't expect my Sin Punishment Divine Art to break through again!"
Yuwen Dongliu burst into loud laughter.
Chapter VI: The fledgling eagle spreads its wings, ready to soar.
The situation changed drastically. Yan Jinghong, who should have had victory in his grasp, was instead severely injured by his opponent. A bright red palm print appeared on his chest, clearly indented inward, and blood beads kept seeping from the wound. The remaining force raged in his body, tormenting his will and causing him great pain.
"The True Scripture of Sinful Punishment is a divine skill that makes one stronger with each setback. The more severe the injury suffered by the practitioner, the faster their progress. Since being severely injured and relentlessly pursued by your Mohist Knight Guard, I have constantly lived under the pressure of my life hanging by a thread. This month of escape has been equivalent to ten years of arduous cultivation. Finally, seven days ago, I broke through my original limits."
Yuwen Dongliu laughed loudly, circulated his True Qi to his head, and shook it outwards. All the black needles stuck in his face were blown away, leaving behind slightly red needle marks. However, the body control ability of Spirit Transformation expert is so strong that these wounds quickly healed on their own and disappeared. Only the injuries to his eyes were not so easy to heal.
Yan Jinghong suppressed his injuries with his internal energy and suddenly realized, "No wonder you showed weaknesses several times seven days ago; it turns out you were setting a trap to lure me into attacking."
"It's a pity you're too cautious, kid. You never fell for their tricks, always waiting for your companions to come and help. Heh, to achieve such success at such a young age and still maintain this mindset, the disciples of the Mohist School are indeed pragmatic people."
Yuwen Dongliu intended to heal his eye injury. Although Spirit Transformation cultivator could use Divine Sense to replace sight, it was ultimately not as convenient as using eyes. Therefore, he cooperated with Yan Jinghong to buy time.
"Instead of making you wait for another Heavenly Ultimate Mohist Hero Guard to help you, I'd rather find one for you myself, so I came to the Water Mirror Manor."
Yan Jinghong frowned and said, "Although you have made another breakthrough, you still have no chance of winning against two opponents. Only if the elder of the Si Clan returns..."
"She's not coming!" Yuwen Dongliu laughed again. "Let me tell you something. I used all my strength when I was ambushed, so this old woman must have known that I was hiding my true strength. However, she didn't warn you. Do you know why?"
"Because she was worried that if she reminded him, Senior Yan would ask her to stay and help."
The answer came not from Yan Jinghong, but from Si Ming.
Yuwen Dongliu glanced at Si Ming with some surprise, seemingly not expecting a child to see through human intrigue so clearly. He praised, "That's right. She ascertained my strength and knew that even if she stayed and joined forces with you, Yan Jinghong, killing me would come at a great cost. She dared not take such a risk because she was the only remaining pillar of the Si Clan. Once she fell, Water Mirror Manor would be finished. For the Aristocratic Clan families, national righteousness, justice, and morality are not as important as the interests of their Lineage. How could she possibly serve your Mohist School?"
If Si Jingxi were to speak up and remind Yan Jinghong that she should stay, she would offend the Mohist School and face retaliation if she refused. However, if she pretended not to know, she would have a reason to refuse afterwards.
Yan Jinghong realized, "So that's why you chose Water Mirror Manor. The Si Clan only has one Spirit Transformation expert, and he's already old. On the surface, I seem to have received help from a Spirit Transformation expert, but in reality, I'm still all alone."
"Aristocratic Clan's what aristocratic families are like. They're like a swarm of greedy leeches, sucking the blood of the local people and the blood of their collateral branches. Even if you amass a fortune through your own abilities, you have to hand it all over at the clan leader's command, or you're considered disloyal, unfilial, and rebellious! Just because you were born into a good family, you can oppress others for life, exploiting your clan members with rules. What kind of local gentry are they? They're nothing but a bunch of moral bandits who seize by trickery and force!"
Yuwen Dongliu spoke through gritted teeth, clearly harboring deep hatred for the aristocratic Aristocratic Clan. He looked at Si Ming and said, "I originally wanted to casually kill you with a single slap, but then I remembered the rules of the Si Clan. Your Lineage a matriarchal society where men are treated like pigs and dogs. Even if you have extraordinary talent and ability, you can only obediently be a breeding boar. Don't you feel resentful?"