In the mountain ravine, the emerald bamboo for miles around suddenly froze. Tong Chen's pupils contracted sharply. The "Zhen" hand seal concealed in his sleeve hovered on the verge of release, but before his eyes, countless bamboo leaves burst apart in midair, and an extraordinarily agile figure stepped out of the void, treading on the leaves.
Seeing that the Jade Pendant at the man's waist bore the "Dou" seal of a direct disciple of the Three Pure Ones Sect, Tong Chen was utterly stunned. He had never seen anyone like this in the sect.
"The Zhe seal should be like a flood dragon probing the sea!"
With that furious shout, the newcomer pressed his index and middle fingers together. A column of water shot skyward from Golden Sand Creek, then curled back upon itself to form a seal.
Tong Chen's "Zhen" seal had barely taken shape before it dissolved like spring snow meeting boiling oil.
Three thousand bamboo leaves were shredded into emerald blades by Gang Qi, forming a jade-green barrier between the two men and casting uncanny patterns of light and shadow into the newcomer's eyes.
"Who exactly are you? You aren't one of our Three Pure Ones Sect's..."
"Lin!"
Dressed in black, his face gloomy, the newcomer offered no answer. He crossed his hands, hooked his little fingers together, and joined his thumbs and middle fingers. As the air warped, a golden seal appeared out of thin air.
In an instant, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy churned violently like boiling water. Dark clouds swiftly veiled the formerly bright sky, and nine bolts of purple lightning thundered down from the clouds, blasting scorched craters beside Tong Chen's feet.
Tong Chen held his hands palms-up before his lower abdomen, his right hand resting atop his left, with both