The Xiantian Realm Blocking the Way

Zijing stared dumbfounded at Shen Lin, who had returned with Cheng Yi from the prison in the blink of an eye. She could only feel that the whole thing was absurd.

She had already prepared herself to charge into the prison and fight a fierce battle before painstakingly bringing Cheng Yi out.

But what had actually happened?

Ashamed because she had triggered the alarm bell, she had only been distracted for a moment. She had just been about to rush into the prison when she discovered that Shen Lin had already finished everything.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go!"

Shen Lin frowned and lowered his voice.

Why was this girl acting so dazed?

Shen Lin shook his head speechlessly and leaped toward another rooftop.

But while he was still in midair, before he had even landed, a brazen laugh rang out from the side.

"Ha ha ha! I knew lying in wait here would pay off. You bandit, prepare to die!!!"

Wielding a massive spiked club, Cheng Shanhe charged in from the side, his imposing momentum making him seem like a cannonball.

Yet Shen Lin wasn't the least bit surprised by this sudden attack.

I was wondering where this guy had gone instead of staying in the prison. So he'd been waiting outside for me to walk right into his trap.

At that moment, Shen Lin was in midair, with no room to dodge or maneuver.

And to avoid arousing suspicion tonight, he hadn't brought any weapons. He could only take the attack with his bare body.

But...

The spiked club in Cheng Shanhe's hands was clearly forged from fine steel, its sharp spikes each larger than an ordinary iron nail.

Even a demon couldn't withstand being hit by this thing in the flesh.

After all, a martial artist in the Opening Meridians Realm was still made of mortal flesh and blood.

There was no way out!

Cheng Shanhe wore a triumphant grin, secretly pleased with the timing of his attack.

But in the next moment, Shen Lin, still in midair, twisted at the waist and threw a punch.

He can still move?

Cheng Shanhe was stunned at first, but then he realized his opponent had only thrown a punch with his bare fist, and couldn't help feeling like laughing.

How hard do you think your fist is, daring to—

BOOM!

A mighty force erupted in the next instant.

All the Qi and Blood Force in Shen Lin's body surged into his right fist. His dense Qi and Blood Force seemed almost tangible, gathering before his fist into the phantom of a clenched hand.

At that moment, Cheng Shanhe's gaze turned unfocused. He felt as though a mountain had appeared before him, crushing down upon him with tremendous force.

The spiked club flew from his hands, and the phantom fist slammed into Cheng Shanhe.

His clothes burst apart in an instant. Blood seeped from every inch of skin as his whole body was crushed, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.

That wasn't all. A succession of sharp cracks showed that the bones inside him were being ground to pieces.

"Fist Essence... leaving the body..."

Cheng Shanhe murmured in a daze, his body falling helplessly from the rooftop.

"Go!"

Shen Lin shouted to Zijing, who was still frozen behind him, then took Cheng Yi and rushed into the distance.

Behind them, Hu Dongxing and Wang Yuantong had just leaped onto the rooftop to catch up. Now they jumped back down and found the seriously injured Cheng Shanhe.

As soon as they helped Cheng Shanhe up, he spat out a mouthful of blood. His fingers trembled as he raised a hand and murmured, "Fist Essence... leaving the body. He's Xiantian!!!"

Those words stirred a storm in Hu Dongxing's heart.

The reason the Xiantian Realm differed from the Opening Meridians Realm, and why its martial artists feared no blades or weapons, was that they could rely on their powerful protective True Essence to defend against attacks.

Among those in the Xiantian Realm, some exceptionally gifted individuals with abundant spiritual energy could even send their True Essence outside their bodies.

Such True Essence was incredibly powerful. Ordinary iron weapons couldn't withstand its might.

That person just now was actually in the Xiantian Realm...

For some reason, hearing such shocking news actually made Hu Dongxing feel a little relieved.

Now the County Magistrate won't be able to blame me.

After all, that had been someone in the Xiantian Realm...

"When did you reach the Xiantian Realm???"

Zijing ran with Shen Lin for a while. Seeing no one pursuing them, she immediately asked.

Shen Lin turned his head, speechless. He was just about to remind them that they still weren't safe when his eyes suddenly widened and he looked up at the sky.

A tiny black speck was growing larger and larger in Shen Lin's sight.

Whoosh!

In less than a breath, the black speck had plunged down from high above.

It was a Bird Demon covered in black feathers, with a pair of wings on its back, a bird's head on a human body, and a pair of sharp hooked talons in place of its lower legs.

Now, taking advantage of its dive, it viciously slashed at them with its hooked talons.

Shen Lin had no time to think. He tossed Cheng Yi aside, planted his feet firmly, and threw another Mountain Tipping Fist.

BOOM!

The phantom fist collided with the Bird Demon.

But the Mountain Tipping Fist, which had just gravely wounded Cheng Shanhe in a single blow, failed to repeat its earlier triumph.

A flash of black light passed over the Bird Demon, and a thin black veil of light instantly covered its body.

The phantom fist scattered. The Bird Demon was unharmed.

After carefully sensing the attack, the Bird Demon frowned and murmured softly,

"He's not in the Xiantian Realm, but that was clearly a technique for projecting True Essence outside the body..."

Shen Lin felt his scalp go numb. This is really trouble.

This was a Bird Demon in the Xiantian Realm!

That veil of light covering its body was clearly the protective True Essence of someone in the Xiantian Realm.

With this layer of defense, nothing a martial artist in the Opening Meridians Realm could do would break through.

Not even his strongest attack, the Mountain Tipping Fist, was an exception.

After all, Qi and Blood Force was on an entirely different level from the spiritual energy of the Xiantian Realm.

"Kid! What was that punch you just threw called?"

The Bird Demon thought for a while but couldn't figure it out, so it simply asked outright.

"Mountain Splitting Fist!"

Shen Lin replied in a low voice. He didn't say it was a technique he'd created himself, instead giving the name of the original technique.

"Mountain Splitting Fist... Never heard of it."

The Bird Demon shook its head and was about to ask something else when it suddenly seemed to sense something. It narrowed its eyes as it looked into the distance, then sighed. "No matter. I can take you back and question you at my leisure."

Shen Lin's heart sank at those words.

Even though he had opened ten meridians, he still wouldn't stand a chance against someone in the Xiantian Realm.

There's no choice.

Shen Lin took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and glared viciously at the Bird Demon.

He was ready to use the system's deductions to break through to the Xiantian Realm immediately.

Given the situation, he couldn't afford to open all his meridians before breaking through.

But just as the system panel began to unfold in his mind, he froze and abandoned the idea.

A young man dressed in black suddenly appeared in front of him.

"You won't be taking him today!"

He held a sword in his right hand, his arms crossed before his chest, and looked at the Bird Demon with an indifferent expression.

The instant the young man in black appeared, the Bird Demon involuntarily rose a zhang into the air.

It seemed to recognize the young man in black and fear him deeply.

This reaction made the young man's expression change for the first time.

He mused aloud, "You seem to... know who I am?"

The Bird Demon didn't respond. It merely beat its wings hard and flew straight into the sky.

The young man in black scratched his chin, puzzled. Without paying Shen Lin any mind, he vanished on the spot.

"Who was that just now?"

With the danger gone, Zijing couldn't help letting out a long breath. She looked at Shen Lin in confusion.

How did this guy know a martial artist in the Xiantian Realm?

Shen Lin didn't answer. He said quietly, "Let's hurry. The people from the County Office won't just give up."