A Direction Lost in Confusion

He aimed his left palm at Han Lin's eyes, shooting out a bright light, and clenched his right fist, slamming it hard against the wall behind him with the force of Wild Ball Fist.

With a loud "bang," a large hole was blasted through the corridor wall. Si Ming leaned back and, using the force of the punch, squeezed through the hole and flipped out.

Do you think you can leave?

Han Lin tightly closed his eyes, which were watering from the intense light, grinned maliciously, and stretched out his left hand. He drew in his five fingers inward like claws, and the chaotic True Qi stirred the surrounding air, turning it into a vortex.

Si Ming felt an invisible force firmly gripping him. Even though he had entered the Solar Prominence State and his abilities had increased several times over, he still couldn't break free and was forcibly dragged toward Han Lin.

"Go to hell!"

Han Lin swung his right hand violently, about to smash Si Ming's head to pieces with a single punch.

Just then, a figure descended from the sky wielding a black iron pot, grabbed Si Ming, and used the pot to protect the two of them. It was Lu Mao.

A loud bell rang out, and the black iron pot was pierced through. Lu Mao and Si Ming were thrown out and rolled on the ground like gourds. The residual force caused their bodies to feel like they were about to fall apart.

Han Lin intended to press his advantage and kill the two men with two punches, but the moment the black iron pot was broken, a spice bottle hidden at the bottom of the pot was also smashed, and the red powder inside sprayed out. Caught off guard, he was sprayed directly in the face.

"What is this?! What the hell?!"

An indescribable, tingling sensation surged into Han Lin's neurons like a tidal wave, rushing upwards into his central nervous system, as if trying to burst through his skull and fly into the sky. Even with his enhanced physical abilities, he still couldn't resist it. His brain buzzed, all five senses were numb, and the muscles in his face stiffened. He couldn't help but squat on the ground, clutching his head and trembling uncontrollably.

Si Ming struggled to his feet and, seeing this, couldn't help but ask Lu Mao, "What poison did you use? The Half-Step Mania with a Smile?"

The School of Medicine also belonged to the Su Kingdom, and whether it was the Agricultural School or the Food School, they all inevitably dealt with poisons. A chef who did not know how to distinguish the toxicity of food was not a qualified chef.

"It's Exploding Anus Brand Chili Powder, insanely spicy! It's made from a blend of Snowfield Ice Pepper and Tropical Devil Pepper. Not only is it 1,800 times spicier than regular chili peppers, but it also has a dual effect of ice and fire. Even Spirit Transformation cultivator would find it unbearable without channeling their inner energy to withstand it."

Lu Mao glanced at the broken-bottomed black iron pot in his hand and sighed. This was a cooking utensil he had brought from home. It had served as an umbrella and a shield along the way, an essential item for survival in the wild, and had helped him a lot. He never expected it to die of old age today.

Si Ming comforted him, "Don't be sad, I'll find someone to fix it for you. Thank you so much for saving my life, I'll never forget that."

"Thanks to you for reminding me, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have dared to ambush a master of internal martial arts."

It turns out that Si Ming had deliberately spoken loudly earlier to remind Lu Mao upstairs that although the enemy's cultivation was high, he did not have the ability to sense auras.

"You two... you brats, you're going to die!"

Han Lin activated his powerful Internal Cultivation to quickly eliminate the nerve paralysis. Although he still had a slurred speech and couldn't open his eyes, he had already stood up from the ground and regained some mobility.

Relying on his hearing, he threw out both fists in the direction of the sound, unleashing a powerful surge of energy.

Si Ming and Lu Mao dodged to the sides, narrowly avoiding the force of the punch.

"You've caused such a commotion, the Mohist Knight Guard will be here soon!" Si Ming threatened, hoping to force them back first, as saving his own life was the most important thing.

"I'll kill you before they come!"

Han Lin recovered extremely quickly, and in the blink of an eye he was able to open his eyes. He immediately pounced on Si Ming, his steps were extremely fast, like chasing the wind and catching the moon. Although his lightness skill was not good at all, his straight-line speed was not slow at all.

The difference in cultivation levels between the two was too great, and Si Ming couldn't escape even if he wanted to. Seeing the other party's five fingers reaching for his head, he had no time to dodge and could only try his best to fight for his life. Suddenly, a figure blocked his way.

"Amitabha Buddha, please stop here."

Zhang Dixian sat on his hips, then reached out and caught Han Lin's two claws. Their Internal Cultivation clashed, and they collided head-on. The burst of energy sent Si Ming flying again.

In a direct confrontation, Zhang Dixian stood still, his shoes creaking under the strain, twisting and breaking as they rubbed against the ground. It was as if a spring had opened beneath his feet, leaving a wet patch. The granite on the ground was crushed into fine gravel, and his feet sank into it.

"The Eight Trigrams Sect's Spiral Tremor Leg, humph!"

Han Lin was forced back three steps, glancing warily at Zhang Dixian. He had just tested Zhang Dixian's cultivation level with a single move. Although Zhang Dixian was not as strong as him, defeating him would take much more than just a few punches and kicks. If too much time passed, a large number of Mohist Knight Guard would arrive, and he would be unable to escape.

"You wait, I'll settle accounts with you after I kill Yao Bilian."

Han Lin dared not linger. He turned around, leaped, and after a few quick maneuvers, disappeared into the street.

Chapter Seventy-One: A Lost Direction

Si Ming got up from the ground and looked at Zhang Dixian, who was still standing there in the same pose. He couldn't help but say, "Why didn't you make a move to hold Han Lin back? If you could just hold him off for a while, he wouldn't be able to escape once his other companions arrived."

Zhang Dixian sighed, "Alas, there was no one else here. I, the Daoist, suddenly had a whim, did some calculations, and inexplicably felt a premonition, so I came here to investigate. I didn't expect to actually encounter the murderer. Seeing the critical situation, I didn't even have time to notify the others."

He bent down and rubbed his hamstrings with both hands, and said with a wry smile, "Besides, this Daoist Master is not good at martial arts at all. All my cultivation is in health preservation. I look powerful, but it's just for show. Fortunately, I managed to scare them away with the martial arts of the Eight Trigrams Sect. Otherwise, if we had exchanged a few more moves, I would have been exposed nine times out of ten. Don't just watch, quickly help me up. My legs are numb and I can't lift them."

Si Ming apologized and quickly helped Zhang Dixian pull his legs out of the ground.

"As expected of the once-fierce 'True Scripture of Sinful Punishment,' I just took a direct hit from the Marrow-Extracting Spirit-Tormenting Claw. If I hadn't used my Spiral Tremor Leg to deflect the force into the ground in time, both of my hands would probably be crippled," Zhang Dixian fear.

He had no fighting skills, but he had learned a lot of self-defense techniques. In order to practice Eight Trigrams Leg Technique, he trained the muscles of his entire leg to be as soft as cotton and as hard as iron. When he exerted force, it was like a steel cable suddenly twisting hard, drilling down and stomping hard. Only in this way could he guide the force to the soles of his feet and transmit it to the ground when fighting with the enemy.

Si Ming asked doubtfully, "Han Lin is a disciple of the Divine Leg Sect, so why does he know the martial arts of the 'True Scripture of Sinful Punishment'? If he is the successor of the Eight Asura Sin Lord, why has he not shown any trace of it in the past eight years?"

The Eight Asura Sin Lord died at the hands of Yan Jinghong eight years ago, so Han Lin could have become his disciple even earlier. He was not one to suffer such humiliation. If he had cultivated the "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment" before, he wouldn't have lost to Yao Bilian in college.

Lu Mao walked over, rubbing the bruises on his arm, and continued, "There's only one truth: that person suddenly became stronger recently! The evidence is that the True Qi within his body is extremely chaotic, and a large portion is out of control, which is why it involuntarily leaks outwards, making it impossible for him to sense other people's presence. If he could unleash his full power, you and I would be dead already."

Zhang Dixian and said, "It doesn't make sense. A sudden increase in cultivation level is understandable; many extreme Evil Dao forbidden techniques can achieve this, but it comes at a great cost. However, martial arts reserves cannot suddenly increase. How can someone master Higher Vehicle martial art they've never encountered before in just a few days?"

Si Ming wanted to say that there was someone here who could do this, but he also understood that the changes in Han Lin's life had absolutely nothing to do with his talent; it must have been some other extraordinary encounter.

"Let's leave the task of uncovering the truth to the detectives. Our immediate priority is to contact Yao Bilian and warn her to be careful and not let Han Lin catch her."

Everyone agreed and rushed to the hospital. In an era without cell phones, communication was only possible through manual means. Si Ming also went to his room to retrieve his psionic revolver. If he had brought a gun with him earlier, he wouldn't have been completely defenseless.

Shortly after the three left, a figure emerged from the stairwell leading to the basement; it was Auntie Liu.

She looked at the badly damaged house and breathed a sigh of relief, "Luckily, that Daoist priest came. Otherwise, if I had tried to help, that thug would have killed me in two or three punches."