A Hair's Breadth from Disaster (continued)

"Meridian-Shattering Goosefoot Heart Palm?"

Shi Muyan had a feeling of déjà vu, but in her haste, she couldn't recall which school or sect it belonged to.

This is not surprising. Although the Eight Asura Sin Lord was infamous and a notorious villain when he was alive, he has been dead for more than ten years. During that time, there has been no news about him, and people have long forgotten about him. Perhaps they can recall something if they hear his name, but it is hard to associate him with martial arts.

However, Shi Muyan didn't care if she couldn't remember. There are strongest martial artists in the world, but no strongest martial arts. No matter how powerful a move is, it depends on who uses it. Now that she knew the characteristics of the opponent's martial arts, she just needed to be careful.

"Using such insidious and wicked techniques, aren't you afraid of ruining the reputation of the Si Clan's thousand-year-old orthodox Shaman School lineage?"

She joined her five fingers together, thrusting them out like a flying scythe, the energy coiling around her fingers and leaving a white line in the air.

"What era are we living in? Seniors still hold such outdated and antiquated views! The distinction between good and evil isn't in martial arts, but in people!"

Si Jingyu spun around, unleashing a burst of Yin-Yang energy. The white frost feather cloak draped over her shoulders flew out and enveloped Shi Muyan. Although it was torn to shreds by the sharp five-fingered claw energy in the blink of an eye, it successfully obstructed her vision.

She took a step forward and, taking advantage of the momentum, swayed her boneless waist like a willow, circling around Shi Muyan's side. Her hands transformed into the Marrow-Extracting Spirit-Tormenting Claw, fiercely piercing the Jianjing acupoint.

"Furthermore, senior, you've misjudged me. I wasn't using any evil techniques, but rather the orthodox methods of the Xuanmen!"

The "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment" is indeed a legitimate and orthodox esoteric text. While its techniques are indeed ruthless and vicious, the user also experiences pain when using them. Its purpose is to make practitioners understand the great danger of warfare and to warn against rash actions. It is a traditional and rigorous method of ascetic cultivation.

Shi Muyan had exhausted her strength and intended to use her sword fingers to sever the Shenmen acupoint on Si Jingyu. However, she suddenly felt her internal energy stagnate. It turned out that she had used her ultimate move earlier and hadn't had time to catch her breath before launching a preemptive attack. As a result, she was countered by the Countercurrent Divine Gang, which aggravated her injuries. As a result, her movements slowed down by a beat, and Si Jingyu grabbed her shoulder.

Ultimately, with her experience, Shi Muyan remained calm despite the shock. Her shoulders suddenly slumped, becoming soft and boneless, as if they were made of cotton, allowing her to escape the grasp of her opponent's five fingers. Then, she spun around and lashed out with her other hand like a whip, striking Si Jingyu with a "smack" and sending him flying.

But this time she couldn't press her advantage, because a vicious and troublesome force surged into her shoulder acupoint, making the meridians near her shoulder feel as if they were being gnawed by hundreds of poisonous insects, causing both pain and numbness. Coupled with the injuries she had previously aggravated, she dared not act rashly and could only seek stability first.

"Such a treacherous martial art, and you still say it's not an evil art? Your ability to call a deer a horse is as brilliant as your talent."

Si Jingyu gritted his teeth, enduring the same pain, and said, "How can the difference between good and evil be judged by appearances? The Swordsmanship technique you just used was filled with soaring anger and endless hatred, and its momentum was extreme. It is far from the legendary exquisite White Night Sword Technique, which is said to be as beautiful as the sun and moon revolving. So where is the righteous spirit?"

Shi Muyan was taken aback, as if recalling something. First, a look of sorrow appeared on her face, then it turned into indignation. "The White Night Divine Sword was broken on the day my dearest friend betrayed me. This Heart-Severing Sword Technique is a revenge Swordsmanship that I developed based on my State of Mind back then, and by integrating all the knowledge I have learned in my life. It is a constant reminder to myself not to forget my original intention!"

"What's the point of torturing yourself like this? Senior, do you still remember why you wanted revenge in the first place?"

"I can't remember, so what? Revenge is the greatest meaning of my life!"

Shi Muyan roared hysterically, her fingers forming a sword as she launched another attack. Her sword-like fingers danced, creating a powerful gust of wind that easily sliced through the surrounding stone statues.

"Then your life is truly pathetic."

A hint of pity flashed in Si Jingyu's eyes, but her actions showed no mercy. After all, she had no power to show mercy at the moment. She also used her fingers as swords, with sinful thoughts swirling around her fingertips. It was still the martial art from the "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment"—the Bone-Corroding Blood-Exhausting Finger!

Once this finger technique strikes an opponent, it's like splashing strong acid, corroding flesh and causing excruciating pain.

The two resumed their battle. Shi Muyan, mindful of her injuries, dared not use her full strength, nor did she dare to attack too hastily. Relying on her Foundation, she fought steadily and cautiously, pressing forward step by step. Although the martial arts of the "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment" brought her intense pain, for someone who had tasted the agony of being worse than dead, this pain was not enough to frighten her. On the contrary, it further ignited the violent energy in her heart, making her attacks fierce and violent.

Si Jingyu used her superior Movement Method to gain the upper hand on the surface, constantly moving around Shi Muyan, avoiding her strengths and striking her weaknesses. She used the martial arts from the "Water Moon Precious Mirror" to deflect and neutralize her opponent's force, and to use their strength against them, trying to minimize the difference in their Foundation strengths.

Even so, each time they came into contact, her Cultivation Body would be impacted, her Qi and Blood would surge, and her internal injuries would worsen.

Gradually, Si Jingyu's face turned deathly pale, making her body appear even thinner, as if she would collapse at any moment. In addition, her hands were covered with wounds, all caused by the Sword Qi from the opponent's fingertips.

Shi Muyan witnessed this scene, which strengthened her resolve to win through Foundation. She was not in a hurry to secure a victory, but instead aggravated her opponent's injuries with each exchange until the "last straw broke the camel's back."

Suddenly, Shi Muyan seized the opportunity, flashed in front of Si Jingyu, and without allowing any escape, she struck out with both palms, engaging in a solid palm strike, a contest of Foundation without any tricks!

Si Jingyu was immediately struck as if hit by a carriage. Her body was thrown back more than ten feet. After landing, she could not stop her momentum and took five steps back. Suddenly, a blush appeared on her pretty face, and she opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

It's done!

A flicker of joy crossed Shi Muyan's heart. Knowing that the other party was unable to suppress his injuries, she immediately pounced forward, intending to capture him in one fell swoop.

Unexpectedly, when the sword finger touched the air, there was only a blur of air. Shi Muyan realized she had been tricked and had no time to change her move. Suddenly, she felt a pain in her back and was struck by Meridian-Shattering Goosefoot Heart Palm.

With her True Qi deflecting some of the palm strike, Shi Muyan didn't suffer too many external injuries. However, the insidious palm force penetrated her acupoints, rampaging along her meridians and causing widespread destruction. Even with her strong will, she couldn't help but let out a painful groan. In particular, one particular force, both poisonous and cunning, shot straight to her heart, as if transforming into an invisible giant hand that gripped her heart tightly, making it hard for her to breathe and almost causing her to faint.

She quickly swung her palm back, forcing the other party back. Shi Muyan turned around and found that Si Jingyu's face was pale, his breathing was rapid, and his body was swaying. He was obviously seriously injured.

"So it was just a last burst of energy before death. You can't even stand properly anymore. Let's see how many moves you can still pull off?"

Shi Muyan suppressed the throbbing injuries within her body by channeling her inner energy, and launched another attack, giving her opponent no chance to catch her breath, intending to take her down in one fell swoop.

Fists come and palms clash, fingers and claws strike, and energy bursts forth.

After more than a dozen moves, Si Jingyu remained standing. Not only that, her Cultivation Body was getting stronger and stronger. Originally, she was only at the level of Level Nine Internal Cultivation, but now she had reached the peak of level eleven. This made it difficult for Shi Muyan to suppress her injuries, and she had to deal with her seriously, which stirred up even more waves in her heart.

"Playing dumb to fool the enemy? No, her injuries weren't faked. There's no reason for her to deliberately injure herself to appear weak. But if that's not the reason, how do you explain her growing Cultivation Body... the more she's injured, the stronger Cultivation Body becomes..."

A sudden realization dawned on Shi Muyan, and she finally understood the origin of the martial arts technique used by the other party. She blurted out, "The Sin-Exterminating Divine Mutilated Body! The True Scripture of Sinful Punishment! You are the successor of the Eight Asura Sin Lord!"

"You're only half right. I did indeed cultivate the 'True Scripture of Sinful Punishment,' but it wasn't passed down to me by the Eight Asura Sin Lord; I took it from his corpse."

Si Jingyu drew circles with both palms, like waves, and a full moon seemed to appear behind her. When the four hands intersected, in the contest of Cultivation Body, she was not at a disadvantage.

This was the first time she had directly confronted Shi Muyan's offensive since the start of the battle.

Shi Muyan was both shocked and furious. She unleashed her full power, knocking Si Jingyu away in one fell swoop, and said forcefully, "So what if you've cultivated the Sin-Exterminating Divine Mutilated Body? Although the Cultivation Body can be strengthened against the odds, the injuries you've sustained won't disappear. Your skills are already much slower than before."

"Cough!" Si Jingyu spat out another mouthful of blood onto the ground, and said weakly, "Haven't you noticed? Since my skills are hampered and slowed by my injuries, how can I still keep up with your movements?"

Shi Muyan was startled and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her nose and mouth, only to see a patch of bright red blood. She had unknowingly started bleeding from her nose.

Si Jingyu said, "If the 'True Scripture of Sinful Punishment' is merely a martial art that tortures people, what right does the former Eight Asura Sin Lord have to be called an enemy of the aristocratic Aristocratic Clan, making Aristocratic Clan both fearful and angry towards him? The most terrifying aspect of the martial arts in the 'True Scripture of Sinful Punishment' is not the excruciating pain of being unable to die, but its hidden force, which is extremely difficult to neutralize. Every time one is hit, it will lurk in the body, secretly eroding the Cultivation Body. By the time it is discovered, it is already too late to reverse the damage."

Shi Muyan quickly examined her internal condition and discovered that her limbs and bones were covered by a blood-red dark energy. This dark energy was like a leech sucking blood, gnawing at her Cultivation Body. Because the color was too similar to blood, it was difficult to detect without careful observation.

Every Spirit Transformation Grandmaster has a keen understanding of their own body. No matter how concealed the hidden force of the Sinful Punishment True Force was, Shi Muyan should have been able to detect it in time when Si Jingyu unleashed it. However, she was already injured, and there wasn't much time for her to carefully examine her inner self during the battle. Any discomfort would be mistaken for an old injury flare-up, so the slight abnormality was overlooked.