Mei Ren's fists were too hard, and his will was just as unyielding.
The Heart Questioning Hammer struck the will first and the body second when its target had a weak will. But Mei Ren's will was as steadfast as a bitter, icy wind, and his cultivation was higher than Jiang Ning's!
Jiang Ning simply couldn't beat him.
She had already begun to consider fleeing with Hua Xiaomei and Huang Wufeng. But when she heard Hua Xiaomei mention increasing her pay, her fighting spirit rekindled.
Fortune favored those who risked their lives. With half the income from Three Talents Manor, she could do so many things!
This life was worth risking!
Through gritted teeth, she forced herself to swing her lightning-wreathed fists, clashing against Mei Ren's Black Wind Gang Qi. Storm and lightning intertwined as the two fought, illuminating the sky above them like a thundercloud in the midst of a tempest.
Thunderbolts occasionally streaked past the two of them, but neither paid them any mind. They only wanted to beat the other to death!
Just then, the sky turned yellow.
A yellow glow drifted in from the northeast, dyeing the entire sky the color of yellow earth.
Shi Feizhe was very familiar with this "Yellow Sky." It was the Yellow Sky of Sun Daoren from Yi Yang City. He'd watched it for two months in Yi Yang City—he couldn't be mistaken.
"Mr. Wang, Sun Daoren is here too. Should we run?" Shi Feizhe asked Mr. Wang, who was regulating his breathing.
Mr. Wang had just told him to run as soon as it looked like the people from Three Talents Manor were losing.
Now even Sun Daoren of the Yellow Sky Sect had come to look in on them. What was the point of fighting for Three Talents Manor now?
"We can't run..." Mr. Wang replied with a bitter smile.
"How could—" Shi Feizhe hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly felt short of breath. His heart pounded furiously, and his face went pale!
Seeing him like this, Mr. Wang hurriedly sent a stream of true qi into him to protect his heart.
"What's happening to me?" Shi Feizhe felt as if his heart had nearly leaped out of his chest.
"When martial arts reaches the True Person Realm, it undergoes a qualitative change. A True Person Realm expert might affect the surrounding environment just by releasing a little of their aura, making it unbearable for ordinary people." As Mr. Wang spoke, he waved his hand. It seemed to meet resistance, as though he were moving it through water.
"As for those who aren't ordinary people, they fare even worse. Within the aura of a True Person Realm expert, the body involuntarily resists it, placing an immense strain on the body!" Mr. Wang explained.
"Why does it feel like a True Person Realm expert fighting someone below that realm is like an adult beating a child?" Shi Feizhe couldn't help asking.
"Easier than that—like beating a bug!" Mr. Wang shook his head.
"So... what do we do?"
"Wait!"
"Wait for what?"
"To die, or to live!"
With the Yellow Sky's arrival, the wind stopped and the clouds scattered. Only a vast, boundless Yellow Sky remained, completely enveloping Three Talents Manor.
Mei Ren and Jiang Ning also stopped fighting. They warily watched the Taoist standing within the Yellow Sky.
He wore a yellow hemp robe, a thick hemp rope tied around his waist, and straw sandals on his feet. In his broad hand, he held a Nine-Section Bamboo Staff. His hair was tied up with a grass stem for a hairpin, and a triangular headscarf covered his forehead.
His face was strikingly unusual. He looked like an old farmer, with a ruddy, dark complexion and a face full of wrinkles. Only his eyes shone with an exceptionally bright light.
"Those who surrender live. Those who resist die!" he said calmly to the two factions at Three Talents Manor.
"Hmph... Our Demon Sect has never interfered with your Yellow Sky Sect, and you with us!" Mei Ren said. "This is an internal matter of our Demon Sect."
"Exactly! The Yellow Sky Sect is acting far too high-handedly. One day, my father will come to your door in person!" Hua Xiaomei perked up as well, invoking his family's authority.
Sun Daoren glanced at Hua Xiaomei and replied coolly, "Beneath the Yellow Sky, I'll be waiting for him!"
Sweat appeared on Hua Xiaomei's forehead. This fellow didn't care about his father's standing. Given his father's temperament, even if his son were beaten to death outside, he probably wouldn't bother asking about it.
If Hua Xiaomei feared anyone most, it was surely his father! He wasn't the only one—everyone in the Hua Family feared his father!
Seeing that this group had no intention of surrendering, Sun Daoren raised the Nine-Section Bamboo Staff in his hand, ready to bring it down.
With that one strike, Mei Ren, Jiang Ning, Hua Xiaomei, and the others—as well as the Profound Wind Guard—would all die beyond a doubt!
"Meow!" A cat's cry rang across Three Talents Manor.
A gray tabby cat made a light leap from a rooftop into the sky, coming to stand before Sun Daoren.
"So it's Cat Revered One!" Sun Daoren actually recognized the cat. He saluted with clasped hands and said, "I never imagined Cat Revered One would be here too!"
Inside the thatched shelter, Mr. Wang saw Big Cat appear and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "We're saved!"
Shi Feizhe watched in shock as Big Cat blocked Sun Daoren, who even saluted the cat. "Big Cat is that strong?"
"What Big Cat? That's Cat Revered One! Thank him for saving your life!" Mr. Wang said, smacking Shi Feizhe on the head.
"Meow!" Cat Master meowed again and stroked his whiskers with a paw.
Sun Daoren fell silent. Slowly, he extended his right hand toward Cat Master, and Cat Master extended a paw toward him.
The instant hand and paw met, Shi Feizhe saw a flash of light that nearly blinded him. Then an enormous wave of qi erupted from the point where the man and cat touched, blowing away the thatched shelter over his head!
Even the Yellow Sky bore a massive mark, as if someone had slashed a long gash across it with a blade.
"Cat Revered One is indeed extraordinary! I'm impressed!" Sun Daoren praised. Then he addressed Mei Ren, Jiang Ning, Zhan Yunfan, Hua Xiaomei, and the others. "You may leave. Three Talents Manor now belongs to Yi Yang City!"
"Cat Revered One!" Jiang Ning and Mei Ren asked Cat Master at the same time.
"Meow!" Cat Master responded with displeasure, giving them a look.
It meant: I stepped in to save your lives. What more do you want—the manor too?
Seeing that look from Cat Master, the others had no choice. They exchanged glances and could only gather their people.
Mei Ren first rallied the Profound Wind Guard. Of the twenty-five guards, one had died and several were injured! If he'd taken Three Talents Manor, those losses would've been acceptable. But he'd gained nothing, and he felt deeply bitter.
Fortunately, Zhan Yunfan sent him a message, easing the frown from his face. After counting their people, they left Three Talents Manor!
Hua Xiaomei also gathered the people from Three Talents Manor. There were only seven or eight lucky ones who'd hidden away and survived the massacre. Shi Feizhe and Mr. Wang were among them.
Shi Feizhe gazed glumly at the vast Three Talents Manor. Of the hundred or so people who'd been there, only a handful remained. Zhan Ming, Zhang Lianglong, Wang Chengfeng—all of them were dead!
That was the way of the martial world. No one knew when disaster might fall from the sky!
They died without even knowing why!
"Young brother, you really are lucky to be alive!" Hua Xiaomei said when he saw Shi Feizhe. He hadn't expected Shi Feizhe to survive.
It was a shame Shi Feizhe had only just begun practicing martial arts. If he'd cultivated true qi, he could have taken this great medicine and healed his wounds!
The mantis stalked the cicada, but the "Yellow" oriole was behind!
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