The sudden turn came in the instant Lu Shengzhong stood there stunned and distracted.
Bai Yao suddenly thrust the sword hilt in his hand forward, smashing it viciously into an acupoint at Lu Shengzhong's waist.
By the time Lu Shengzhong reacted, it was already too late. At such close range, coupled with the gap in strength between him and Bai Yao, even had he not been distracted, he likely would not have been able to evade it.
A sharp pain tore through his waist. A surge of colliding dharma power slammed through his entire body. Caught completely off guard, immense pressure burst from his nose and mouth, and with a "pfft," he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Before he could even be knocked away, Bai Yao had already pressed one hand onto his shoulder, pinning him in place. His heavy fingers struck Lu Shengzhong's body repeatedly, directly sealing his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Only after cutting off his ability to wield dharma power did Bai Yao shove him away.
Lu Shengzhong staggered, dizzy and disoriented, his breathing ragged and uneven. His insides churned like river and sea, and he collapsed to the ground, coughing up another two mouthfuls of blood.
After finally recovering somewhat, Lu Shengzhong shook his head hard. Once his mind cleared a little, a cry of grief rose in his heart. He did not need to guess to know that they had likely seen through his identity. Yet he still clung to a shred of hope. He abruptly turned back to Bai Yao and asked mournfully, "Why did you strike me?"
Bai Yao said calmly, "There is a rebound of dharma power within your body." He was telling him there was no need to keep pretending.
Lu Shengzhong said, "Can't I cultivate?"
"Look over here!" Niu Youdao