Assassination

The Palm Momentum was mighty, like lightning, striking Sun Daoming in the chest in an instant.

Sun Daoming saw only a blur before an irresistible force came crashing down on him like mountains toppling and seas overturning. His body flew backward uncontrollably. His feet left the ground, and his back slammed heavily into the window, smashing the wooden frame to pieces and sending him tumbling into the courtyard.

With one palm strike, the man in black sent Sun Daoming flying. His eyes narrowed as he lunged at Yu Yuhan again.

Realized that the other party had likely come to silence them, Jiang Shuo was greatly shocked. He threw himself forward without regard for his own safety, immediately unleashing the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill and striking the man in black with his palm. The man in black lightly blocked it, powerful Inner Force surging from his arm and blasting Jiang Shuo away. Jiang Shuo crashed down hard, smashing a wooden table and landing atop a rotting corpse. Ignoring the slime coating his body, he scrambled to his feet and shouted a warning, "Yu Yuhan, he's very strong—be careful!"

Yu Yuhan had devoted her entire focus to mixing the liquids before her. Though Jiang Shuo called out twice, she seemed utterly unaware and paid him no heed.

In the blink of an eye, the man in black had reached her. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he struck at her Heavenly Spirit Cover.

Yu Yuhan suddenly moved. Twisting sideways and bending at the waist, she dodged the first blow. The man in black's heavy palm chopped into the wooden chair she had been sitting on, smashing it to splinters. Yu Yuhan retreated several steps, widening the distance between them. When she straightened again, she already held a handful of medicinal powder. As her enemy attacked, she flicked her hand, scattering the powder at him. A trace of surprise flashed through the man in black's eyes. Holding his breath, he charged through the mist of powder, determined to take Yu Yuhan's life.

"Hm?" As he reached Yu Yuhan, the exposed skin on his body began to itch unbearably, as though countless tiny insects were crawling over it. His movements abruptly stalled.

Yu Yuhan reacted swiftly, drawing three Silver Needles from her robes. With a flick of her jade fingers, the needles split into three paths, shooting at the man in black from high, middle, and low angles.

The room was cramped and dimly lit, and the two stood close together. In but an instant, the Silver Needles could have struck the man in black.

The man in black frowned. Kicking off with one foot, he leaped into the air and spun horizontally, evading the upper and lower needles. At the same time, he thrust out his palm, its wind knocking the middle needle off course. The moment he landed, he charged straight at Yu Yuhan without hesitation.

Yu Yuhan's delicate brows furrowed. She had not expected him to be so powerful. Retreating, she fired Silver Needles from her palm, but the enemy knocked each one aside. Tap. Suddenly, Yu Yuhan's heel struck the wall. There was nowhere left for her to retreat.

A savage gleam rose in the man in black's eyes. His body moved like a swimming dragon, his clawing hand like an eagle's talons, and in an instant his palm climbed onto Yu Yuhan's snow-white neck. His five fingers tightened slightly around her throat, pinning her against the wall and slowly lifting her. Yu Yuhan's feet left the ground, kicking wildly at the wall. Her face turned red from lack of breath, and she could not muster any strength. Her hands flailed helplessly, but the man in black's arm seemed forged from steel, utterly unmoving.

"Let her go!" Jiang Shuo climbed off the corpse, unleashed the Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill, and struck the man in black's unguarded back with his palm.

At first, the man in black's attention had been fixed on Yu Yuhan, allowing Jiang Shuo to steal a sliver or two of his Inner Force by sheer luck. But the man in black immediately reacted, circulating True Qi throughout his body until it was as impregnable as a fortress. Jiang Shuo's Meridian Swallowing Divine Skill could no longer take effect.

The man in black turned sideways and casually struck out with his other hand, sending Jiang Shuo flying once more.

"You dare touch Miss Yu? Did you ask me first?" With his hair disheveled, Sun Daoming strode toward the man in black. Once close, he threw a heavy punch.

As though annoyed that Jiang Shuo and Sun Daoming were such nuisances, the man in black struck with extreme force. Before Sun Daoming's fist could reach him, he slammed a palm into his shoulder.

Crack. The sound of a joint dislocating rang out, and Sun Daoming's entire left arm hung limply at his side. Gritting his teeth, Sun Daoming refused to retreat and attacked again. Impatience flickered in the man in black's eyes. He kicked out, striking the cartilage beneath Sun Daoming's knee with unerring precision. Before Sun Daoming's fist could reach his enemy, he was grievously injured first and dropped to his knees. Then the man in black struck again, blasting Sun Daoming away.

Sun Daoming flew backward flat on his back. The instant his back hit the ground, he sprang upright like a carp. After taking only two steps forward, his injured leg gave out and he collapsed again. A fierce and unyielding look appeared in Sun Daoming's eyes. He grabbed a medicine jar beside him and hurled it at the back of the man in black's head. Sensing the danger, the man in black did not even turn around. With a backhand swipe, he smashed the jar to pieces with a sharp crack. Corpse fluid from the jar splashed all over him, making him frown slightly. Unwilling to waste any more time, he hastened to kill Yu Yuhan.

Yu Yuhan's face gradually shifted from red to purple, and her eyes rolled white. The situation was critical, leaving Jiang Shuo no time to think. Golden light gathered at his fingertips as he unleashed Bone-Sealing Immobilization, pressing a palm onto the man in black's shoulder.