Palm of the Universe

The moment the words fell, Tang Shun's pace suddenly quickened, charging like a mad bull toward Qi Zhengyan and Meng Qi, the only ones still standing.

Although his martial arts ranked lowest among the four masters, he was still an Orifice Opening expert. Qi Zhengyan dared not be careless. His long sword traced a circle, trembling into an arc like a setting sun descending desolately, his defense watertight. His intent was to hold steady first, dragging time with Meng Qi's cooperation until Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan finished healing and rose to join the fight.

He was no stranger to fighting Orifice Opening experts. Whether in sect sparring or the Hidden Emperor Fortress mission, he had faced opponents who had only opened their Eye Apertures. Thus, he had considerable confidence in his own steady and composed Long River Sword Technique. Even if victory was hopeless, stalling for a moment was still within reach—let alone now that he had partially learned the "Thirteen Forms of Ever-Changing Cloud and Mist," hidden within his sect's sword style, agile and unpredictable, perhaps even capable of wounding Tang Shun and weakening his strength.

By then, even if Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan could only exert twenty or thirty percent of their full power, relying on their exquisite sword techniques and numerical advantage, they still had hope of repelling Tang Shun or holding out until the Main Quest was completed.

Meng Qi could roughly guess Qi Zhengyan's thoughts. He unfolded the Eight Steps of Divine Travel, flashed to the side, and struck down with his blade in a single chop, cooperating with tacit understanding.

Just as Qi Zhengyan and Meng Qi's moves were about to reach their end, Tang Shun suddenly lunged forward, actively crashing into the sword tip like a suicide charge!

Bad!

This abnormal change stirred Qi Zhengyan's vigilance, but Tang Shun's eyesight was extremely sharp, his timing exceptionally precise, leaving him no time to withdraw his sword and change his move. He could only twist his body, tucking his chest and sucking in his stomach.

Pfft. The long sword struck like hitting rotten leather, emitting a dull sound. Meng Qi's downward chop, due to Tang Shun's sudden lunge, could only slash at his back, tearing the clothes, revealing dark skin, and leaving a white scratch mark.

The palm wind was fierce. Qi Zhengyan's long sword was knocked away, and his entire body flew sideways, blood continuously spurting from his mouth as he crashed heavily to the ground.

Iron Body Skill?

Perfected Iron Cloth Shirt?

Meng Qi dodged backward, then weirdly lunged left, evading Tang Shun's casual strike after sending Qi Zhengyan flying. Shock surged within him.

For so many days, he had relied on his Iron Cloth Shirt to press the attack, using speed to overcome slowness, trading minor injuries for major ones to defeat enemies, smooth sailing all the way. But now, he faced a terrifying opponent whose Iron Cloth Shirt was stronger than his own, whose martial arts were superior!

A flush of red flashed across Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan's faces. They forcibly interrupted their healing, lifted their long swords, and prepared to join the fray.

After landing, Qi Zhengyan struggled several times before barely standing. That palm strike, though he had avoided the vital point in time, had still inflicted heavy injuries due to Tang Shun's formidable strength.

Back and forth, left and right, facing the terrifying enemy Tang Shun, Meng Qi could only dart around, barely holding on with the Eight Steps of Divine Travel.

The gap between them was simply too great; otherwise, Meng Qi would have chosen the same strategy Zhen Miao had used against him.

Now, although Meng Qi's footwork was bizarre, his space to maneuver was being steadily compressed by Tang Shun. Soon, there would be nowhere to dodge.

"Miss Jiang, Senior Brother Zhang will be here soon..." Meng Qi gritted his teeth, focusing entirely on evasion. Under such pressure and danger, he seemed to grasp the essence of the "Eight Steps of Divine Travel" a step further.

"Ha!" At that moment, Tang Shun suddenly expelled a breath, sounding like bells and drums ringing together.

Buzz! Meng Qi's ears instantly rang, his mind restless, his vision blurry, his limbs weak, and his steps slowed.

Slap! Tang Shun seized the opportunity to close in, his right palm swinging out, squarely stamping onto Meng Qi's back.

Meng Qi's vision went black, his back went numb, and he soared into the air. His body emitted crackling sounds like frying beans, and blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth.

The intense pain jolted Meng Qi awake as he hit the ground, just in time to see Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan, one attacking and one defending, engaging Tang Shun.

Suppressing the urge to faint, Meng Qi forced himself to regulate his breathing a few times. The mellow Shaolin Internal Energy flowed slowly, like a clear spring, dispelling much of the discomfort and stabilizing his injuries.

"The injuries aren't serious..." Meng Qi examined his own condition, "But the Iron Cloth Shirt is completely broken."

Because Tang Shun's palm had been hindered by the flanking attacks from Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan, it hadn't exerted its full power. With Meng Qi's Minor Iron Cloth Shirt protecting him, he had only sustained light injuries and the loss of his Iron Cloth Shirt, still retaining his Minor Qi Accumulation strength.

But without the Iron Cloth Shirt, Meng Qi's combat power had dropped by at least seventy percent!

Inside the Daxiong Baodian, the steady thump-thump-thump of a wooden fish echoed without pause, creating a strange, solemn stillness.

Xin Ji sat cross-legged before the golden Buddha statue, his expression calm and indifferent as he struck the old wooden fish before him. It didn't seem like a great enemy was approaching, but rather like he was performing his daily devotions.

"Monk Xin Ji, you've grasped a bit of Zen intent." Outside, the sky was dark, leaden clouds hung low, silver serpents flashed, and rain poured in torrents. A figure slowly walked through the "curtain" formed by dripping eaves and stepped into the Daxiong Baodian—it was none other than the Great General, Du'er Cha!

He wore a black barbarian robe. His left eye, blinded by Jiang Zhiwei's thrust, was not closed but wide open, revealing a dark and hollow void that made one's heart tremble.

"A pity I couldn't persuade the benefactor to lay down his butcher's knife." Xin Ji stopped the wooden fish and spoke calmly.

Du'er Cha let out a snort: "Slaughtering all living beings is itself the Buddha!"

As he spoke these words, a fierce wind howled through the Daxiong Baodian, extinguishing the candles one by one.

Xin Ji remained unhurried, striking the wooden fish again, chanting solemnly:

"Shariputra, all dharmas are empty of characteristics, neither arising nor ceasing..."

In his left palm, a Glazed Buddha Light suddenly flared up, accompanied by the sound of Zen chants:

"Neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing..."

The Buddha light converged on Xin Ji, making him resemble a solemn Buddha statue, forming an indescribable sacred scene with the golden sculpture behind him—one small, one large, one illusory, one real, one still, one moving.

Du'er Cha's expression turned grave: "You're willing to sacrifice so many Sariras."

He swung his right fist, and the wind before him condensed into a dragon. Lightning from the sky struck the temple roof.

"...No suffering, no cause of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path. No wisdom and no attainment." Xin Ji struck out with his left palm. The Buddha light blazed, a wrathful Vajra glare.

Meng Qi performed a Carp Leap, springing to his feet. He searched for his flying monastic blade while intently observing Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan's battle. At the same time, from the corner of his eye, he saw Qi Zhengyan pick up his own long sword, standing there with a hint of hesitation.

Zhang Yuanshan excelled at the defensive Grand Ultimate stance, while Jiang Zhiwei's sword technique was fiercely unmatched. One defended, one attacked, and they actually managed to temporarily hold off Tang Shun.

Given their current condition, Tang Shun could have broken through Zhang Yuanshan's defense with a few aggressive strikes. But at every critical moment, Jiang Zhiwei's "White Rainbow Piercing Sun Sword" would strike like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, agile and terrifying, aimed at several of his vital points, forcing him to abandon his offense and turn to defense, giving Zhang Yuanshan a chance to catch his breath.

And if he tried to defeat Jiang Zhiwei first, he couldn't break through Zhang Yuanshan's sword momentum.

Seeing this situation, Meng Qi felt a secret delight in his heart—Qi Zhengyan should no longer hesitate. With his and Qi Zhengyan's help, Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan ought to be able to hold Tang Shun at bay until the task ended.

Just as Meng Qi found his monastic blade and prepared to join the fray, Zhang Yuanshan's body suddenly began to tremble, his sword momentum abruptly slowing.

Damn it, his injuries can no longer be suppressed!

The moment this thought flashed through Meng Qi's mind, he saw Tang Shun seize the opportunity, a palm strike sending Zhang Yuanshan's longsword flying, followed by a kick to his side ribs that sent him tumbling sideways.

The sound of Zhang Yuanshan's ribs snapping was clearly audible. After he hit the ground, he coughed up blood violently, struggling to rise but lacking the strength, hovering on the brink of death from severe wounds.

With his defense gone, Jiang Zhiwei now faced Tang Shun directly. After just a few exchanges, her unstable injuries and flagging strength left her movements slower and less agile than at her peak. Tang Shun found an opening, took a palm strike to block her sword, closed in, and rammed her with his right shoulder, sending her flying.

Jiang Zhiwei's robes fluttered, her teeth clenched tight, but blood spilled from the corner of her mouth as if it cost nothing. Even so, she gripped her longsword firmly, and after landing, used the blade to prop herself up, refusing to fall.

"A very clever deflection technique..." Tang Shun paused, then praised her. He had expected that blow to kill Jiang Zhiwei outright, yet it only gravely wounded her. "A pity, a pity—you can't even beat a child now..."

He swept his gaze around, seeing the wounded and the weak, and grew secretly smug, laughing loudly: "Your martial arts are all exquisitely refined, clearly from extraordinary lineages. Why not teach them to me, and I'll let you die a bit more easily, how about that?"

As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Zhiwei: "This little girl, you're quite lovely—truly the finest I've seen in my life. If not for the Great General's strict orders, I might have shown some tenderness. Heh heh, I love these kinds of chivalrous women—strong in martial arts, seemingly fierce. If I got you into bed, I wonder if you'd beg for mercy..."

Jiang Zhiwei's expression was one of extreme fury, but with her current injuries, even speaking was difficult. She could only gasp for breath.

Tang Shun talked as he approached Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan, his side turned toward Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan, intending to use words and presence to pressure them with the threat of death and force out their divine techniques.

In truth, he had unique methods for interrogation, vicious and cruel, but Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan were so gravely wounded they were near death. If he used those methods, they might "end" before he could ask anything.

"What are you looking at, little monk? Mediocre martial arts, low strength. Hmm, I'll kill you first." Tang Shun decided to make an example of the weakest, picking Meng Qi, who had the least interrogation value.

Meng Qi cursed loudly with foul language, but inside, he was strangely calm, constantly thinking of ways to respond.

Though he knew that given the disparity in strength and condition between them, hope was extremely slim, he didn't break down, trying to grasp that thread of life.

Use Eight Steps of Divine Travel to flash there... strike his vital point... Meng Qi watched Tang Shun approach step by step, preparing for a desperate gamble.

If I don't fight, death is certain—I might as well go all out!

Tang Shun walked toward Meng Qi with a grin, but his eyes were on Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan, waiting for them to yield.

"Little monk, shall I take your left hand first, or your right leg? Or would you rather be a eunuch first?" Tang Shun chuckled.

The moment his words fell, his expression suddenly froze. A white light bloomed in Qi Zhengyan's hand, growing brighter and more blazing, illuminating everyone, striking the caught-off-guard Tang Shun.

Amid Tang Shun's roar, sound after sound of thick cloth tearing rang out. At this moment, another white light flew from Qi Zhengyan's hand, dazzling and even more fierce. With a "whoosh," it struck Tang Shun's right palm, which he barely raised to block, pierced straight through, and hit him square in the chest.

"Child-Mother Soul Separation Dart?" Meng Qi felt a vague familiarity—it was a Tang Sect hidden weapon that had left a deep impression on him when he read about it in novels.

But he had no time to dwell on it. The attack he had been planning turned into pure instinct. He flashed, ducked, and rolled, getting right in front of Tang Shun. His long blade thrust upward, entering Tang Shun's lower abdomen through the groin's weak point.

Meng Qi twisted hard. Blood poured down over his head, hot steam rising.

He didn't dare keep pushing; he abandoned the blade and rolled away to avoid Tang Shun's death throes counterattack.

Tang Shun's miserable screams echoed through the back mountain, like a lone wolf howling at the moon, like a vengeful ghost weeping at a grave.

The screams gradually faded. Tang Shun collapsed, eyes wide open, a strange-shaped dart embedded in his chest, his lower body a bloody mess.

After unleashing the "Child-Mother Soul Separation Dart," Qi Zhengyan seemed unable to stand. He fell to his knees, gasping heavily.

"When did he exchange for the 'Child-Mother Soul Separation Dart'? Where did he get the Merit Points?" Meng Qi wiped the blood from his face. "Did he exchange all his Flower Washing Sword Sect martial arts?"