One Palm Struck Him Dead
Winter has passed and spring has arrived; it is already April.
Suddenly, a heavy snow fell, its intensity immense, silently covering the mountains, forests, and the winding official road, completely enveloping the wilderness of Long River Prefecture, leaving not a trace of color to be found.
Xiao Zhushan and Chen Lingxi stood side by side in an old forest.
The trees in this forest must have lived for countless years. Each one is towering and terrifying, with straight trunks rising from the ground and piercing straight into the gray sky. People standing beneath them seem rather small.
The dense branches, already blocking out the sun, were now covered with a thick layer of snow, making their movements even more concealed.
Xiao Zhushan carried a long sword at his waist, exuding a simple yet chilling aura.
He stood with his hands behind his back beneath an old pine tree, slightly raising his eyes, his gaze passing through the snow-covered trunks and landing on a majestic mountain in the far distance.
The mountain range was majestic, with peaks clustered together. In this vast white expanse, it resembled a silent behemoth, crouching in the distance, coldly looking down upon all living beings.
That is Dragon Palace Mountain.
There is a royal palace in the mountains, with red walls and green tiles, hidden among the rugged rocks and ancient cypress trees. It is the place where nobles stay on ordinary days.
Today, Great Li Prince Ying Chi set off from Dragon Palace Mountain with a grand procession of carriages and horses, heading east to return to the Eastern Palace.
Chen Lingxi and Xiao Zhushan waited there.
After the prince's carriage passed through the official road outside the mountains, they also waited for another helper invited by Xiao Zhushan, the Heaven-Pacifying King, Demon Lord Zhang!
Before long, a figure slowly approached from the distant snow curtain.
The figure moved with extremely steady steps, each step leaving only a very shallow footprint on the soft snow, as if his body had no weight at all.
Only when he got closer could I see his face clearly.
He was tall, half a head taller than the average person, with broad shoulders and a magnificent sable robe draped over his body. The sable's fur was jet black and glossy, gleaming faintly in the snow.
He trudged through the snow, his aura perfectly concealed; had one not seen him with their own eyes, one would almost have mistaken him for an ordinary wealthy man.
What makes this person most extraordinary is his eyes, which are so bright they are almost blinding. With each turn of his gaze, it is like a sharp blade hidden in its sheath; though not yet drawn, its sharpness is already compelling.
The man walked straight up to Xiao Zhushan, his gaze first falling on him. He nodded slightly, which was considered a greeting.
Xiao Zhushan also clasped his hands in greeting.
Immediately, Demon Lord Zhang's gaze shifted to Chen Lingxi, scrutinizing her from head to toe. His sharp eyes revealed an undisguised displeasure, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"So this is the person from beyond the realm?" Demon Lord Zhang's voice was deep and resonant, like a large drum beating in one's ear.
He turned his head and asked Xiao Zhushan without any hesitation.
Xiao Zhushan nodded, his expression calm.
Demon Lord Zhang put his hands behind his back, his gaze still fixed on Chen Lingxi, and snorted coldly, saying, "If it weren't for Brother Xiao's insistence, I would not have wanted to join forces with this extraterrestrial demon."
He disregarded Xiao Zhushan and Chen Lingxi's feelings at all. After a pause, he turned his gaze to Dragon Palace Mountain in the distance, and his tone suddenly became more desolate and indignant.
"But now the country is in imminent danger, and all sorts of evil people are emerging one after another, wreaking havoc on the court and oppressing the people."
If the land hadn't crumbled and the people hadn't suffered, I would have preferred to be a wandering knight, wielding my sword across the land, slaying these monsters—that would have been a truly satisfying endeavor!
"And those extraterrestrial demons are naturally among them."
This Demon Lord Zhang seemed to be extremely temperamental, and his tone was like fire.
Hearing this from the side, Xiao Zhushan couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, saying, "There are indeed some monsters in the palace who cultivate evil arts, using human lives as resources for their cultivation, like that Crown Prince Ying Chi. Such monsters should naturally be killed."
He changed the subject, pointing at Chen Lingxi, "But this Brother Chen is not that kind of person... Although he also cultivates Law Technique, he has never done anything immoral or unethical, and he is one of us! Heavenly King, you are overthinking it."
Upon hearing this, Demon Lord Zhang snorted coldly again, seemingly quite displeased with Xiao Zhushan's protection of a person from outside the region.
He opened his mouth to say something more, but suddenly his expression changed, as if he sensed something. He turned his head sharply, his sharp gaze piercing through the layers of snow-covered branches and leaves, looking towards the distant mountains and forests.
Looking through the gaps in the snow-covered branches, one could see a train carriage winding its way along the distant official road.
The carriage was extremely long, with armored soldiers leading the way and banners fluttering in the wind; in the middle was a magnificent carriage with a canopy, painted in gold and adorned with tassels; and behind it followed a retinue of servants, a grand procession stretching for miles.
Even from this distance, the magnificent aura and the unique royal pomp still overwhelmed the senses, making the silent mountain forest tremble with solemnity.
The Crown Prince's entourage has arrived.
Demon Lord Zhang slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Xiao Zhushan.
The desolation and anger that had been in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a chilling murderous intent.
Xiao Zhushan met Demon Lord Zhang's gaze but remained silent.
He simply took a slow breath, and the next moment, deep within his eyes, there was a faint flow of Qi and Blood and Qi and Blood, which was as red as blood, yet also exuded a scorching heat.
[Mystic Eyes] can only be used by those Mystic Entry Realm.
Under the Mystic Eyes), the flow of Qi and Blood in all things in the world has nowhere to hide.
Xiao Zhushan could clearly see that in the luxurious carriage in the distance, there was an extremely pure and vigorous flow of Qi and Blood, like a burning flame.
What caught his attention even more was that within that mass of Qi and Blood, there was another mysterious power, subtle and unfathomable, which was none other than spiritual qi!
He had plotted to kill the crown prince several times, and was already intimately familiar with the prince's Qi and Blood and spiritual essence.
"The Crown Prince is inside that carriage!" Xiao Zhushan said decisively, a cold smile finally appearing on his lips.
He gently patted the precious sword at his waist, then turned to Chen Lingxi and said, "Brother Chen, later, the Heavenly King and I will act together. If we can kill the prince in one strike, you won't need to participate; you can simply stay in the forest and provide cover for us."
He paused, then carefully planned, "If there are powerful figures in the palace who try to stop me, and the Crown Prince takes the opportunity to escape, I will naturally go and stop those powerful figures in the palace, while the Heavenly King will personally go and hunt down the Crown Prince Ying Chi."
If the crown prince dies, then so be it, everyone will be happy."
"But if he were to unleash that divine treasure bottle, the Heavenly King would block its power... At that point, you, brother, would be needed to use your profound method of concealing your aura to secretly pursue the Crown Prince, seize the opportune moment, and kill him!"
Chen Lingxi listened quietly, her face expressionless, simply nodding slightly and replying, "Okay."
Xiao Zhushan and Demon Lord Zhang exchanged a glance, and with a swift movement, they vanished silently like two wisps of smoke, disappearing into the depths of the dense forest in an instant.
Chen Lingxi remained standing in place and did not follow.
He slowly raised his head, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
His gaze did not fall on the convoy in the distance, but instead fell upon something higher up.
Above that ethereal, boundless sky.
There, in the Void beyond the sight of ordinary people, Twin Luminous Mirrors hung high, one a blazing gold like the sun, the other a silvery white like the moon, silently casting their cool light upon this world covered in white snow.
This is the Total Perception Divine Chamber!
A dozen or so breaths passed in this silent mountain forest, like sand slipping through one's fingers, vanishing silently.
Chen Lingxi stood with his hands behind his back under a pine tree, gazing into the distance.
Suddenly, from the distant mountains and forests, two unimaginably terrifying auras erupted, like volcanoes that had been suppressed for thousands of years suddenly bursting forth!
The aura was so powerful and domineering that in an instant, a terrifying force spread out like a whirlwind, enveloping the mountains and forests within a radius of several miles.
The snow was shaken and fell in a flurry, and the old pines in the forest groaned under the immense pressure.
Immediately afterwards, a figure leaped out from the forest...
It was Xiao Zhushan!
His vital Qi and Blood had been pushed to its limit. The Qi and Blood of the Mystic Entry Realm was like a surging, roaring Long River, vast and endless. Its power was so strong that it almost tore the world apart!
He was still in mid-air, his precious sword already drawn from its sheath!
Suddenly, a violent blade light burst forth from the blade, so intense it was impossible to look directly at it. The light was like snow, like silk, like a raging sea, spreading out all around and obscuring everything in its path.
With a single slash, he created a whirlwind that swept across the ground. Before the blade even arrived, the sharp wind had already ripped away the snow, revealing the frozen black soil beneath.
All of this happened so fast, it was almost overwhelming.
Xiao Zhushan's cultivation at the Mystic Entry Realm was on full display at this moment. He was as powerful as a god or Gods and Devils descended to earth, his sword flashing and his aura sweeping across thousands of miles.
Meanwhile, in the mountains and forests, Demon Lord Zhang also made his move.
He stood with both feet on a huge rock at the edge of the forest, and his already tall body seemed to have swelled up even more.
The rebel king didn't use any weapons; he simply took a deep breath, his chest bulging, and with his hands clasped loosely in front of him, he suddenly thrust forward!
With this push, a terrifying aura, even more violent and tyrannical than Xiao Zhushan's sword energy, swept towards the prince's convoy like a giant tornado!
Wherever that aura passed, the earth cracked, the snow melted, and huge trees, each as thick as a person's embrace, were uprooted and spun in the air, like straw in a gale, before crashing down on the convoy!
The guards protecting the Crown Prince's carriage were all elite soldiers carefully selected from the capital garrison, numbering in the hundreds.
They were all clad in gleaming armor, with long swords at their waists or spears on their backs, and their Qi and Blood was formidable, making them a truly ferocious army.
However, these elite soldiers were utterly vulnerable in the face of Xiao Zhushan and Demon Lord Zhang, two powerful figures who stood at the pinnacle of martial arts.
They didn't even have time to react, or even to utter a cry of alarm, before the overwhelming light of the blades engulfed them, and the giant tree crashed down like an avalanche.
In an instant, screams filled the air, and blood and flesh flew everywhere. The scene was like a gust of wind mercilessly blowing down a patch of weeds.
Xiao Zhushan's most terrifying strike, a long sword light condensed from his life's cultivation, had already pierced through the air like a thunderbolt tearing through the sky, and slammed fiercely into the most luxurious gold-lacquered carriage.
"Snap!"
With a deafening crack, the carriage, crafted by a master craftsman and as sturdy as metal, was as easily sliced in two by the flash of the blade, like tofu.
The horse pulling the cart let out a mournful cry and was also shaken to pieces by the aftershock, its blood instantly staining the snow red.
"Die!"
Xiao Zhushan snorted coldly.
Right at this moment...
An unexpected change occurred!
No flesh or blood flew out from the carriage that had been cut in two, nor was the crown prince seen.
Inside the shattered carriage, a gleaming silver statue lay silently!
The statue was sculpted to lifelike size, and its entire True Person shimmered with light and color.
The statue is engraved with dense, ancient runes that are now shimmering with a faint light.
It was these runes that exuded an aura identical to that of Crown Ying Chi, which perfectly deceived Xiao Zhushan's Mystic Entry Realm Mystic Eyes just now!
"Just as I thought." In the distant mountains and forests, Chen Lingxi's eyes, imbued with the power of Qi Observation and True Intention, flowed slowly.
Chen Lingxi smiled slightly, "Things are indeed not as easy as they seem."
He raised his head slightly, his gaze piercing through the Void, looking straight at the Dragon Palace Mountain.
At this moment, under his Qi Observation Technique, as the silver statue shattered with a deafening roar, the runic aura swirling around the statue, like a startled firefly, transformed into a tiny breeze and drifted back towards Dragon Palace Mountain.
The breeze was invisible and intangible, yet it could not escape Chen Lingxi's eyes.
Following the aura, he saw that on the summit of Dragon Palace Mountain, the aura of a person was slowly emerging.
Some also rise from the mountaintop.
He was a young man dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe and wearing a purple-gold crown.
He stood atop Dragon Palace Mountain with his hands behind his back, coldly surveying everything unfolding below from a great distance.
On that handsome face, a cold smile of complete control and confidence was now on his lips.
It was none other than the Crown Prince, Ying Chi.
Meanwhile, the battlefield below the mountain is also undergoing further changes.
Just moments ago, Demon Lord Zhang Heaven-Pacifying King, was righteous and indignant, denouncing the incompetence of the court and declaring his intention to join Xiao Zhushan in killing the monstrous crown prince. Suddenly, he let out a deafening laugh.
His towering figure leaped out of the forest, his Qi and Blood soaring into the sky like smoke, transforming into a terrifying tornado that stretched from heaven to earth.
He turned around, and his eyes, which had been full of anger, were now filled with murderous intent.
With earth-shattering force, he unleashed a terrifying power capable of destroying mountains and uprooting peaks, aiming it directly at Xiao Zhushan, who had just been fighting alongside him!
At the same time, from the distant mountains, six more powerful auras soared into the sky.
Six martial artists dressed in tight-fitting clothes leaped out from a hidden corner.
Although their cultivation levels were far inferior to Xiao Zhushan's, they were still extremely powerful martial artists.
The six of them moved swiftly, instantly forming a strange battle formation. Within that formation, their Qi and Blood were interconnected and resonated with each other, transforming into a cage that surrounded them from all directions, blocking Xiao Zhushan's retreat.
What was originally a meticulously planned assassination attempt on the Crown Prince turned in an instant into a premeditated ambush targeting Xiao Zhushan!
"Hahahaha!" On Dragon Palace Mountain, Crown Ying Chi's wild laughter seemed to reach the ears of everyone present clearly, even from such a great distance.
only...
In that quiet mountain forest, Chen Lingxi still stood with his hands behind his back.
Under his True Intention of Qi Observation, every person on the battlefield and every movement of Qi could not escape his perception.
He clearly saw that Xiao Zhushan, surrounded by Demon Lord Zhang and several powerful figures, seemed to be in dire straits...
A meaningful smile, strikingly similar to that of Crown Prince Ying Chi, even graced the corners of his mouth.
The next instant, Xiao Zhushan, standing in the center of the battlefield, suddenly let out a long roar.
The whistling sound pierced through metal and split rocks, soaring straight into the sky.
With a push of his left hand, an unimaginable and astonishing aura erupted from him, like a dormant volcano suddenly bursting forth.
His robes couldn't withstand the force and tore apart inch by inch, revealing the bulging muscles beneath, as if cast in bronze and iron.
"Demon Lord Zhang!" Xiao Zhushan's voice boomed like a bell, echoing throughout the valley. "You call yourself the Heavenly King, occupy several states, and gather followers in the mountains and forests. I thought you were a true hero who dared to defy the imperial court! But I never imagined that you, the Heaven-Pacifying King of Pingtian, would be nothing more than a vicious dog of the imperial court!"
He laughed loudly, his laughter filled with contempt and disdain. "You were fine today because you helped me kill the Crown Prince, but now that you've shown your true colors, that's perfect. I'll just cut off your head and use it as a sacrifice to my precious sword!"
Demon Lord Zhang, who was launching a fierce attack, finally changed his expression upon sensing the sudden surge of aura emanating from Xiao Zhushan.
"You... you actually concealed your cultivation level? You've already entered the Six Profound Realm?"
"Xiao Zhushan! So you were plotting against me too!"
Demon Lord Zhang sneered, "Even if you are stronger than me at the Mystic Entry Realm, I am not alone!"
His murderous intent was fully revealed, and he joined forces with the six Qi and Blood experts to besiege Xiao Zhushan!
Just as these three forces, each with their own ulterior motives, were locked in a chaotic battle...
On Dragon Palace Mountain, Crown Ying Chi looked down at the devastated battlefield, at the bewildered Demon Lord Zhang and the surging Xiao Zhushan, yet his face showed no sign of panic.
He suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, a laugh filled with a condescending and all-powerful mockery.
"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious..." The Crown Prince's voice, like a cold wind from the depths of hell, clearly reached everyone's ears.
He slowly extended his hand, a single finger pointing gently across the distant Void towards the chaotic battlefield!
With this single finger strike, an overwhelming force arose, as if the winds and clouds of heaven and earth had changed their course because of it!
"Whether you are Demon Lord Zhang or Xiao Zhushan, none of you will escape today; you will all die here!"
Crown Prince Ying Chi's voice finally carried a hint of ferocious killing intent.
As he pointed his finger down, the gray clouds in the sky suddenly began to churn violently.
From within the churning clouds came a deep, muffled sound, like the low roar of a giant beast.
Immediately afterwards, the clouds were suddenly torn apart by an invisible force, and a huge Heavenly Boat slowly emerged from the clouds.
The boat was covered in flowing light and dense runes. A figure stood at the bow, dressed in magnificent clothes, looking down at the ant-like struggles of the mortal world like a god.
No, there wasn't just one.
The clouds and mist continued to churn, and after the first Heavenly Boat, two more sailed out in quick succession!
Three Heavenly Boat, arranged in a triangular shape, silently hovered in the Void.
Chen Lingxi's expression changed!
The style and aura of those three Heavenly Boat were exactly the same as the Heavenly Boat that Chen Lingxi had seized from Rong Chun, a striking similarity.
Chen Lingxi, who had been silently observing the scene, finally showed a hint of emotion the moment he saw the three Heavenly Boat.
He took a deep breath, his brows furrowing slightly, and a guess involuntarily surfaced in his mind. "These three Heavenly Boat are exactly the same as mine."
Could it be that Consort Chun was also standing on that Heavenly Boat?
Could it be, as Rong Chun said before she died, that she... was merely an avatar?
This thought astonished Chen Lingxi!
However, when his eyes gleamed with spiritual light and his Qi Observation Technique reached its peak, the spiritual Qi within the Heavenly Boat completely dispersed the clouds and mist, allowing him to finally see the people on the three Heavenly Boat. Yet, the doubt between his brows deepened even further.
Indeed, a woman stood atop each of the three Heavenly Boat.
Each of them possessed extraordinary beauty, some aloof, some dignified, some alluring, dressed in magnificent robes that fluttered in the wind like celestial beings, radiating a powerful aura.
But they... are not Rong Chun.
The three men had completely different faces, with no resemblance whatsoever between their eyes and brows.
Their gazes differed. The person standing on the foremost Heavenly Boat had icy, murderous eyes, radiating killing intent with every glance. The person on the left had a gentle aura, even a faint smile on their face, yet beneath that smile lay a chilling murderous intent. The person on the right appeared somewhat languid, leaning casually against the ship's railing, seemingly indifferent to the battle unfolding before them, too lazy to even make a move.
They are not the same person, much less the aloof and noble Consort Chun.
But their methods are strikingly similar!
Almost simultaneously, the three of them raised their slender, fair hands, their fingers slightly spread, and suddenly flipped their palms downwards!
In an instant, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of several hundred feet seemed to be sucked up by three invisible giant whales, and was instantly plundered!
The massive amount of spiritual energy that was drawn in gathered, compressed, and solidified wildly in their palms, transforming in the blink of an eye into three enormous, sky-covering handprints!
The handprint shimmered with spiritual light and runes, radiating a terrifying power capable of destroying the heavens and the earth.
Heaven-Seizing Seal!
The three Heaven-Seizing Seal, like three inverted hills, crashed down with a deafening roar!
It actually smashed straight towards Demon Lord Zhang, Xiao Zhushan, and the six warriors who were fighting in the middle of the battle!
This attack was intended to annihilate everyone present, regardless of friend or foe!
"Who, in the end... is the one unaware of the danger?"
Looking at the increasingly chaotic and bizarre situation before her, Chen Lingxi felt as if she had become an outsider.
The three forces, each with their own schemes, are engaged in a back-and-forth struggle, and now, these mysterious women aboard the three Heavenly Boat have emerged.
It seems that in Xiao Zhushan's mind, Chen Lingxi was merely a minor condition used to gain Demon Lord Zhang's trust, a dispensable character used to perfect the details of the assassination.
"These various forces are all incredibly cunning."
Chen Lingxi shook her head slightly and smiled.
Today's situation is truly complex and intricate.
Just then, in his perception, a gaze suddenly pierced through the chaotic battlefield, through the layers of mountains and snow, and landed directly on him.
Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow and looked up.
But on the summit of Dragon Palace Mountain, Crown Prince Ying Chi had somehow disappeared from his original spot.
His body shimmered with spiritual light, and he treaded on surging clouds, seemingly floating in mid-air. From the towering mountain, he descended step by step as if walking on flat ground.
Just as Chen Lingxi had expected, his aura had become much stronger, clearly indicating that his cultivation had improved again.
He has already entered the Qi Circulation Seventh Floor circulation.
"Chen Lingxi!" Crown Prince Ying Chi's voice, like muffled thunder, echoed throughout the land.
He looked down at the seemingly ordinary young man below, his eyes filled with chilling killing intent and undisguised mockery. "I didn't come looking for you, yet you dare to come looking for me?"
With his hands behind his back, he had pushed his aura to its limit. His spiritual energy surged around him like boiling water, and the powerful pressure seemed to transform into a tangible gale, howling towards Chen Lingxi.
He drew closer, his handsome face twisting into a savage grin. "You believed Xiao Zhushan, thinking the two of you could kill me? How utterly laughable... Chen Lingxi, Chen Lingxi, you've deceived me time and again, playing tricks on me, then scurrying away like a rat with its tail between its legs. Did you ever imagine that today, you would ultimately fall to me...?"
Before Crown Prince Ying Chi could finish speaking...
He hadn't even had a chance to finish his long-brewing, humiliating words.
But Chen Lingxi didn't even bother to lift her eyelids again.
He simply raised his right hand casually, his five fingers slightly spread, and slammed it down on the head of the arrogant Crown Prince Ying Chi, who was striding through the air!
The power contained in that palm strike was enough to cause changes in the Void!
In that instant, Chen Lingxi forcibly plundered the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of two hundred feet in an extremely domineering manner!
That vast amount of inspiration seemed to be seized by an invisible, all-encompassing giant hand, frantically condensing and compressing within his palm.
A Heaven-Seizing Seal, even larger, more solid, and more terrifying than the one wielded by the women on the three Heavenly Boat, instantly materialized!
Not only did the handprint shimmer with spiritual light, but wisps of golden lightning also flickered and danced, emanating a destructive aura that sent chills down one's spine.
Chen Lingxi slammed down with his palm, and the enormous handprint crashed down like the collapse of the sky.
The smug grin on Crown Prince Ying Chi's face hadn't even fully bloomed before it was frozen forever on his face.
His protective aura and his supposedly formidable Qi Circulation Seventh Floor were like a thin sheet of paper, easily crushed in the face of this absolute power.
Before he could even let out a scream, he was struck by that terrifying palm print, like a fly being swatted away, and instantly killed in mid-air.
His magnificent princely robes, and even most of his body, were reduced to dust under that terrifying palm force, leaving not a trace.
Only a head remained!
One slap, and he's dead!
Xiao Zhushan and Demon Lord Zhang suddenly turned their heads.
The same was true for the three women on that Heavenly Boat.
With a casual wave of his hand, Chen Lingxi retrieved the fallen Hongdong Bag and the head from the prince's waist and put them into his Universe Bag.
He didn't even glance at the blood and gore filling the sky; he simply strode forward and boarded his luminous Heavenly Boat.
The Heavenly Boat trembled slightly, then transformed into a streak of light, carrying him straight towards the distant horizon. In an instant, it disappeared into the vast sea of clouds, leaving behind only a devastated battlefield and a group of people still trapped in shock and confusion, at a loss for what to do.
"Fool..." On the Heavenly Boat, Chen Lingxi toyed with the Hongdong Bag belonging to the Crown Prince in his hand. "You clearly have a deadly treasure like the Purple True Treasure Bottle, so why not just use it to kill me from afar? Why bother getting close to me and showing off your power in front of me?"
What an idiot.
But then he thought again, and his brows furrowed slightly. "But... just who is this Crown Prince? Why did he act like that just now, completely unaware of my achievements in the Ancestral Mountain? And yet he dared to be so arrogant and approach me?"
P. S.: Bonus chapter yesterday for reaching 100 monthly votes.