Slaying Ma Meng

Lin Qing had sensed it coming. He turned sideways and threw a punch, golden currents wreathing his fist as it collided violently with the palm strike.

In an instant, a wave of dust surged up around them, and the ground caved in beneath their feet.

After a momentary deadlock, Ma Meng was blasted away again. He arced through the air and crashed onto open ground nearby.

Lin Qing gave him no time to catch his breath. He flashed forward and, before Ma Meng could regain his footing, raised a foot high above him and stamped down hard at his head.

Ma Meng's face tightened. Bracing himself with one hand, he rolled left to evade it.

Boom!

Lin Qing's foot struck the ground, stamping out a deep crater as a thunderous boom echoed around them.

His first strike missed, but the second followed on its heels. He lunged forward, drove up his right knee, and slammed it toward Ma Meng.

Ma Meng crossed his arms before his chest. At the same time, emerald-green true qi surged around him and condensed into a shield.

But the instant Lin Qing's knee struck it, the shield shattered.

His knee smashed into Ma Meng's forearms, sending him flying sideways through a stone house. Collapsed masonry and timber buried him.

Shock flashed through the eyes of Qiu Changming and the others. None of them had expected Lin Qing to beat Ma Meng back like this.

"Lord Lin can suppress Ma Meng of the True Essence Realm with Astral Qi Realm cultivation? That's unbelievable."

"I heard Lord Lin cultivates dozens, maybe even a hundred, lower-realm training methods. One of his arms can exert over a million jin of force."

"A million jin? Impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible. Lord Lin is a martial prodigy who appears once in an age.