Taken Captive

The fifth floor of Yipinju Restaurant had also been wrecked beyond recognition by the pair's repeated fierce clashes. The floor had cracked, tables and chairs lay shattered, and quite a few unlucky people had been struck by the aftershocks, suffering grave injuries; two or three were even at death's door.

"A dream spanning a thousand autumns, fleeting years like flowing water."

The scar-faced young man flicked all ten fingers of both hands, like lotus blossoms unfurling, and unleashed a Lotus Heart Seal at Xia Shu. In an instant, a misty, dreamlike Qi Aura filled every direction, layer upon layer of hand seals taking form.

In a daze, one felt as though a thousand years had passed within a dream. Time flowed on, seas turned into mulberry fields, yet one alone remained unchanged. Pain, loss, confusion—countless emotions surged through Xia Shu's heart.

However, he was protected by a rare treasure, and what he had learned was also supreme royal martial arts. He naturally possessed methods to break through mind-bewitching powers, and almost instantly freed himself from the scar-faced youth's Lotus Heart Seal.

He struck back with a punch. Its force, Artistic Conception, and momentum were so overbearing that the surrounding air was sucked dry by the blow, making the space around them thick and viscous. The air was compressed into a single point before erupting with astonishing power.

This had been Xia Shu's instinctive counterattack. Though its power was formidable and the fist technique itself exquisitely profound, he had mistimed it. It was a counterattack made while being restrained, rather than a deliberate offensive, and the scar-faced youth evaded it with ease.

At the same time, Xia Shu realized that he had finally exposed an opening. Just as he was about to erupt with true qi once more and seize the