Li Yuan had considered many ways to deal with the crisis before him.
He could ask the Xia Family elders to protect him, for one.
But those measures would treat the symptoms, not the cause.
The moment a Xia Family expert appeared, Jin Lou would slip away and hide.
Then he would look for another chance to strike.
That would only postpone the crisis.
Worse, Jin Lou would be more careful next time, making him even harder to counter.
Li Yuan would have to stay on guard every moment, never knowing when the danger might return.
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became: this was his best option.
A surging palm strike bore down on Li Yuan, its Ninth-Rank Martial Dao power like a tsunami ready to swallow the sky.
Jin Lou was certain the blow would cripple Li Yuan and destroy his foundation.
But in the next instant, he sensed something was wrong.
He slammed into a transparent Qi Barrier, which immediately blunted the force of his attack.
Li Yuan was ready for him, as if he had known exactly where Jin Lou would emerge.
A Qi Barrier could not stop a Ninth-Rank Martial Dao expert outright.
Li Yuan knew that.
Even so, the strange countermeasure sent a flicker of alarm through Jin Lou.
The next instant, Jin Lou's palm strike landed.
Despite that brief setback, he remained confident.
After all, his target was nearly thirty years younger—a whole generation behind him.
But as his palm closed in, a deft force began to turn.
Wiping Force, Unloading Power!
It was the core first stage of the Wiping Blade technique.
A full thirty percent of the palm strike's tremendous force was suddenly stripped away.
Jin Lou had responded well enough to lose only thirty percent.
But