Palm Strike Suppression

Palm Strike Suppression

"Your Excellency has been sneaking in and out of my True Martial Sect in the dead of night. What are your intentions?"

The voice was calm, yet it exploded beside Qin Yun's ears like a clap of thunder.

Qin Yun's pupils abruptly contracted.

Looking at the unfamiliar middle-aged Daoist who had turned around, turbulent waves surged through his heart.

"Since when did our True Martial Sect gain such an expert?"

"I can't see through him. I can't see through him at all!"

Qin Yun instantly became grave.

Within the True Martial Sect, his master, Dragon Mountain Daoist, was unquestionably the strongest. As for his other senior brothers and sisters—even the Eldest Senior Brother and Fifth Senior Brother—he believed he could still exchange a few moves with them.

But he had never seen the man before him.

That faint yet ever-present pressure was no illusion.

Qin Yun said coldly, "You are not from the True Martial Sect. You are neither Dragon Mountain Daoist nor one of the True Martial Nine Sons. Who are you?"

His words carried a probing intent.

Ning Qi could not help but laugh.

This middle-aged Daoist was naturally a disguise he had assumed.

In truth, he had already been watching the black-clothed man in secret. There was something strange lurking within the man's aura. Ning Qi had initially intended to suppress him outright, but he discovered that this black-clothed man seemed exceedingly familiar with the True Martial Sect's circumstances. That was why he had revealed himself.

Upon hearing the black-clothed man's words, Ning Qi became even more certain.

This man truly knew the True Martial Sect like the back of his hand.

He became even more determined to capture him.

If an enemy had silently infiltrated the True Martial Sect, the consequences would be rather serious.

Ning Qi said calmly, "How could you possibly know the True Martial Sect's Foundation? Since you came uninvited today, then stay."

Qin Yun's body trembled.

A powerful Sense of Crisis surged into his heart, but at the same time, an inexplicable feeling rose within him.

"This Daoist... is a hidden expert of the True Martial Sect. Yet he only appeared when I approached Junior Brother's residence. Doesn't that mean he has been secretly protecting Junior Brother all along?"

The moment he thought of this, Qin Yun felt a bitter, indescribable taste in his heart.

He wanted to know just what realm Ning Qi had reached for his master to treat him so differently.

The jealous malice in his heart suddenly swelled.

Black Qi abruptly rose from Qin Yun's body, and his eyes turned completely black.

"Then let me test this so-called True Martial Sect's Foundation!"

He let out a low, grim chuckle.

His figure shot toward Ning Qi like lightning. He carried no weapon, but a faint Black Qi coiled around his fists, brimming with fierce and Sha Qi.

"What heavy Sha Qi."

"Could this man be from the Demonic Sect?"

The thought arose in Ning Qi's mind. He had once heard Ye Qinghe and the others mention that most martial arts cultivated by members of the Demonic Sect were like this.

For Inner Strength to possess such properties, this man had to be at least at the stage of great Inner Strength attainment.

But Ning Qi was not overly flustered.

So long as the opponent was not in the Gang Yuan Realm, he had nothing to fear.

He sensed no danger from the man before him and even had the leisure to observe the black-clothed man's techniques.

Qin Yun drew closer and closer.

Seeing the middle-aged Daoist standing there as though frightened stiff, Qin Yun could not help sneering inwardly. But in the next instant, he froze, and a chill ran through his entire body.

Ning Qi finally moved.

Though he struck later, he arrived first, merely extending his right palm slightly.

Like a True Dragon extending its claw, it contained boundless power.

Ning Qi's Physical Body and Inner Strength erupted together.

Qin Yun could not help widening his eyes. He did not even detect a fluctuation of Inner Strength, yet he vaguely heard a terrifying roar. That palm seemed ready to suppress the entire world with a casual motion. Within it, he saw towering mountains and divine elephants trampling the heavens.

He had almost no strength to resist.

Qin Yun was sent flying by a single slap.

With a muffled bang, his entire body flew backward, the sounds of breaking bones painfully clear.

Two utterly different thoughts rose in their minds.

"So weak?"

Ning Qi froze inwardly. If he had not withdrawn his force at the critical moment just now, that single slap would likely have killed this man.

Qin Yun, meanwhile, could hardly believe it.

"So strong?"

"The Gang Yuan Realm! Such terrifying strength—this man is absolutely a Gang Yuan Realm expert!"

He had never imagined that, aside from his master Dragon Mountain Daoist, the True Martial Sect actually had a second Gang Yuan Realm expert.

No wonder he dared call himself the True Martial Sect's Foundation.

At that moment, bitterness filled Qin Yun's heart beyond measure.

A Gang Yuan Realm expert was protecting Junior Brother...

Yet that slap had also scattered much of his jealous malice, and his mind gradually cleared. Only then did he realize what a foolish thing he had done—he had actually wanted to disguise himself and launch a nighttime attack on Junior Brother to probe his true cultivation.

But regret came too late.

Watching the Middle-aged Daoist steadily draw closer, Qin Yun knew he was no match for him. If he were captured, he would have no face left to meet his master or Fellow Disciples.

He gritted his teeth.

Reaching into his robes, he pulled out two Black Orbs and flung them at Ning Qi.

Ning Qi instinctively dodged.

Bang! With a muffled boom, the Black Orbs exploded, and thick White Smoke shrouded the area before him. Alarm bells rang in Ning Qi's heart; he knew his opponent was trying to flee.

With a light tap of his feet, he instantly shot through the White Smoke.

Ning Qi looked into the distance. The black-clothed man had already sprinted some way off.

But it did not matter. With the speed of his Ephemeral Swimming Dragon Steps, catching up to the black-clothed man would be absurdly easy.

However.

Ning Qi chased for only a few breaths before stopping where he stood, no longer pursuing.

A complicated look rose in his eyes as he recognized the intruder's identity.

After the evil thoughts temporarily receded, the Black Qi withdrew into Qin Yun's body, making the traits of his Inner Strength especially conspicuous. In particular, as he fled at full speed and could no longer spare attention to concealing his movement technique, Ning Qi saw everything with perfect clarity.

"It's Eighth Senior Brother..."

"Why would he...? Could he have come looking for me...?"

Looking at Qin Yun's attire, then recalling the various discussions of Heart Demons he had read today, Ning Qi guessed that Qin Yun's Heart Demon had stirred, and he had come to probe Ning Qi's true strength.

Only to be suppressed by Ning Qi's single slap.

He felt somewhat fortunate. Good thing he had held back—otherwise, if that slap had killed Qin Yun, he would never have been able to let it go for the rest of his life. Although Qin Yun had intended to sneak over at night, he had ultimately carried no killing intent.

With injuries like these, he would recover after resting for a while.

"Once a Heart Demon rises, one may not even know what one is doing. Eighth Senior Brother is trapped within his own Obsession. He wants the True Martial Sect to flourish in his hands. He can accept the True Martial Sect having a Genius, but he cannot accept someone even more gifted than himself."

Ning Qi sighed. He had already pieced together the cause and effect.

He was somewhat unsure how to handle this. Qin Yun posed no threat to him, but Qin Yun himself was in danger this way.

After a moment, he made his decision.

At the very least, he had to tell Dragon Mountain Daoist what had happened tonight and see whether there was some way to resolve Qin Yun's Heart Demon.

Ning Qi shifted his bones and features, returning to his original appearance.

Patrolling disciples rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Ning Qi merely smiled and explained that he had been testing martial arts just now and had made a little too much noise.

Meanwhile, Qin Yun.

After sensing that the mysterious Middle-aged Daoist behind him had not pursued, he quietly let out a breath of relief.

"Why didn't he chase after me?"

Qin Yun was puzzled.

"Perhaps his duty prevents him from leaving that area at will?"

But no matter how hard he thought, he could never have imagined that the True Martial Sect's Foundation who had suppressed him with a single palm was Ning Qi.

Then, his heart was immediately flooded with endless remorse.

"I... I was influenced by that Cultivation Technique again?"

"How could I do something so vile to Little Nine? I am unworthy of being his senior brother."

Qin Yun was in immense pain. After obtaining that Fragment, he had been influenced by it before. He had originally thought it was a Cultivation Technique for suppressing Heart Demons, yet he had never expected it to be a bizarre secret art that planted Heart Demons as seeds and led one down a path of no return. The more he cultivated it, the stronger the Heart Demon became, though this Fragment allowed him to barely keep it under control and preserve a trace of his original heart.

If he stopped cultivating it, the Heart Demon would rebound and lose control even more completely.

"I'm not suited to remain in the True Martial Sect. What if I lose control again next time and hurt Little Nine or someone else? I would never forgive myself for the rest of my life."

Qin Yun let out a long sigh.

His whole body ached terribly; some of his bones had shattered, and his internal organs were bleeding as well.

Yet the regret and pain in his heart were even worse.

After returning to his residence and settling everything, Qin Yun gazed toward Bright Martial Pavilion, then bowed deeply, his face streaked with tears.

Afterward, he took advantage of the deep night to descend the mountain.

He no longer had the face to face his sect.

At the beginning of the month, please vote with your monthly tickets!! Thank you, everyone!