"Hear yourself talk." The air suddenly warped in a ripple of light and shadow, and Huang Shang seemed to appear out of nowhere beside Zhao Gou. He looked at Huang Yaoshi with disdain. "Back at the Mount Hua Sword Competition, how many masters in the world never even took part? Do you really think you could rank among the top five?"
Huang Yaoshi replied calmly, "My nature may be proud, but I am not arrogant. Of course I know that many true masters disdain participating. Still, while my martial arts may not rank among the top five in the world, I have never failed to kill anyone I intended to kill all these years."
The moment he finished speaking, he fired a Finger Flicking Divine Skill at Zhao Gou's brow. The sharp pebble shrieked through the air, carrying boundless Internal Energy. Everyone's ears rang from the shock. Let alone an ordinary man—even an expert struck in the brow would likely have had his head burst apart.
Huang Yaoshi's martial arts were extraordinarily formidable. With this sudden strike, fueled by hatred, this was likely the most powerful Finger Flicking Divine Skill he had ever unleashed in decades.
Ordinary guards could not react in time, and even the Imperial Guard with Weapons were caught off guard. Only Li Yanshi, ever cautious and secretly on guard, hurriedly drew his blade and placed it before the pebble. The pebble struck the blade with a crisp crack, and his sword snapped into two.
The pebble was shattered by the violent impact as well, but Li Yanshi found no reason to celebrate. The scattered fragments still carried tremendous force as they shot toward Zhao Gou's entire body, like a Pear Blossom Rain Needle fired point-blank at him.
For an instant, Li Yanshi even suspected that Huang