Xuanming Divine Skill, First Display of Might

"Splash--!"

In the center of the Angry River, the churning vortex suddenly exploded.

A black shadow, shrouded in a spray of water, surged violently into the air.

A blast of cold air erupted, freezing the splashing water droplets into ice pellets while they were still mid-air, which then pelted down onto the river surface with a rhythmic clatter.

Lu Chen landed on a protruding, massive reef.

He gasped for air, greedily inhaling the long-lost fresh oxygen.

The cold, decaying stench beneath the water was truly unbearable.

Now back in the world of the living, looking up at the sky—gloomy, yet vast—Lu Chen felt a sense of relief wash over his entire body.

"Is that... the boss?!"

Not far away, a roar choked with sobs rang out.

Lu Chen turned his head to look.

Dozens of feet away, the large ship bearing the government lanterns was still there.

However, the ship was now in a wretched state.

The gunwales were shattered, the mast was snapped in half, and the hull was listing, ready to sink at any moment.

Surrounding the ship were dense clusters of black dorsal fins.

Mutant Piranhas, along with a dozen surviving Water Ghosts, were frantically besieging the teetering vessel.

On deck, Wang Xiaoliu was covered in blood, brandishing a notched steel saber as he hysterically hacked at a Water Ghost that had crawled onto the ship.

Zhao Gang and the remaining few yamen runners were all wounded, huddled back-to-back in the center of the deck, their eyes filled with despair.

"It's been three days..."

Zhao Gang hacked a piranha away with his blade and spoke, "Hall Master Lu is definitely not coming back... We are going to die here too..."

"Shut up!"

Wang Xiaoliu's eyes were bloodshot, like a crazed beast. "The boss won't die! He told us to wait, so he will definitely come back!"

"Get a grip!"

Zhao Gang roared, "It's been three days! Even an immortal would have suffocated to death at the bottom of that river! Our fresh water and dry rations are all gone; if we don't break out now, we won't even need these beasts to finish us off—we'll die of thirst ourselves!"

"I'm not leaving!"

Wang Xiaoliu kicked a water ghost away, his body swaying unsteadily, yet his eyes remained stubbornly fierce. "Dead or alive, I need to see him! Even if I have to die, I'll stay here to keep vigil for the Boss until I see his body!"

The brothers of the Black Water Gang around him looked fearful, but upon hearing Wang Xiaoliu's words, they all gritted their teeth. Not a single one retreated.

This was the loyalty of the pugilistic world.

It was also the unwavering devotion that Lu Chen had cultivated over time with silver and kindness.

Just then, a massive sound of something breaking through the water drew everyone's attention.

Everyone looked up instinctively.

On that reef, a man stood straight, his upper body bare and his skin deathly pale.

There wasn't a single wound on him; instead, he radiated a chill that made people shiver.

His eyes, in particular, were terrifyingly black.

"Boss!!"

Wang Xiaoliu froze for a moment, then erupted into a thunderous cheer. "I knew it! I knew you weren't dead!"

"Hall... Hall Master Lu?"

The blade in Zhao Gang's hand nearly dropped to the ground, his eyes bulging as if they might pop out.

Three days!

Three whole days!

Had this man actually survived in that hellish place?

And by the looks of it, not only was he alive, but he had... become even stronger?

"Roar—!"

The commotion here also alerted the swarm of monsters.

A dozen water ghosts turned their heads and spotted Lu Chen.

They recognized this human.

It was this bane of their existence who had slaughtered countless of their companions underwater three days ago.

When enemies meet, their eyes turn red with hatred.

"Wooo—!"

The lead water ghost let out a sharp shriek. Abandoning the large ship, it led the remaining water ghosts and the school of piranhas in a frantic charge toward Lu Chen.

"Boss, watch out!"

Wang Xiaoliu was horrified. "These beasts have gone mad!"

Lu Chen watched the swarm of monsters rushing toward him, his face expressionless.

If it had been three days ago, facing an encirclement like this might have taken some effort.

But now...

"A bunch of small fry."

Lu Chen let out a cold snort.

He did not draw his blade.

He simply raised his right hand slowly.

The grain-sized black ice crystal within his body trembled slightly.

A surge of black energy instantly rushed toward his palm.

The surrounding temperature plummeted.

The water vapor in the air froze, forming a thin layer of white mist.

"Xuanming... Hanging Hand."

Lu Chen gave a low shout and struck out with his palm.

There was no loud noise.

Only an invisible cold current, like a burst river dam, instantly swept across the surface of the river ahead.

Crack, crack, crack...

A harsh, freezing sound rang out.

The water ghost in the lead suddenly stiffened while still in mid-air.

A layer of black frost instantly covered its entire body.

Maintaining its clawing posture, it turned directly into an ice sculpture and crashed into the water with a splash.

But this was only the beginning.

The cold current swept across.

Those dozen or so water ghosts, along with the dense school of piranhas on the water's surface, froze the instant they were touched by the cold current.

In the span of a single breath.

The previously churning river surface fell silent.

Dozens of black ice sculptures floated on the water, radiating a bone-chilling cold.

Even the surface of the river was covered in a layer of floating ice.

"This..."

On the boat, Zhao Gang's mouth hung open wide enough to fit a duck egg.

He stared blankly at the scene, his mind a complete void.

One palm?

Just a single palm strike?

It had wiped out the entire group of monsters that had besieged them for three days and three nights, driving them to despair?

What kind of technique was this?

What kind of martial art was this?

Was this even human?

"Gulp."

Wang Xiaoliu swallowed hard. The way he looked at Lu Chen was no longer just admiration; it was as if he were looking at a god.

Lu Chen withdrew his hand, the black hue on his palm fading away.

He tapped his toes, his entire body soaring into the air like a great bird before landing on the tilted deck.

"Boss..."

Wang Xiaoliu flopped onto his knees, hugging Lu Chen's thigh and wailing, "You finally came back... Wuwuwu... I thought I'd never see you again..."

Over these past three days, the pressure on him had been immense.

He had to face the siege of the monsters, endure the questioning from Zhao Gang and the others, and suffer through the constant worry over whether Lu Chen was dead or alive.