You wish

Palm force surged toward him like a raging tide.

"You think you can?"

Cao Jinxing rose and thrust out a palm.

In his hands, the seventh-grade Great Vajra Palm unleashed unmatched ferocity. As his palm struck, cold gathered from every direction, fierce and biting.

The two palms collided with an explosive metallic clang. Razor-sharp force scattered outward, shattering the tables and chairs throughout the hall.

In just one day, Cao Jinxing had advanced to Xiantian. He was several times more terrifying than Lou Zizhen had claimed!

Yesterday, he could only withstand Lou Zizhen's attacks head-on. Today, he handled the even stronger Yang Gongbu with ease!

Yang Gongbu had never imagined he possessed such explosive power. Not only had his palm gained him no advantage, but a thread of cold had invaded his right hand. He hurriedly withdrew.

"To wield such power at early-stage Xiantian-who are you?" Yang Gongbu flipped backward. Three tears had opened in his robes, and his expression grew grave.

"Dead men don't need to know who I am."

Cao Jinxing said, "Your internal energy is a complete mess. I gave you too much credit. Had I known, I would have used the Heavenly Sword-Linked Finger to break your martial arts outright!"

"Such arrogance!"

Yang Gongbu flew into a rage. "You're at death's door, yet you still dare boast! I'll leave you without an intact corpse!"

More than a dozen figures descended from above, all Hehuan Sect disciples returning from their plundering of Jialin Zhenshan's tomb.

"So these are what gave you the nerve?"

Cao Jinxing turned his gaze toward Jiang Yushan. "You had Ding Zhaosheng stall for time just to wait for these people to return?"

Ding Zhaosheng froze. He actually saw through it?

A sheen of cold sweat broke out across Jiang Yushan's forehead.

He had thought victory was assured. Surely Yang Gongbu could handle this! Yet he had gained no advantage in that exchange. Seeing how relaxed Cao Jinxing remained only deepened his unease.

"Sect Master Yang, things have come this far. We cannot let these two Embroidered Uniform Guards escape! Please, use your full strength!"

Jiang Yushan bowed deeply.

"Rest assured, Young Master Jiang."

Yang Gongbu swept his sleeve and declared confidently, "I merely underestimated him. Now watch me unleash my divine art to vanquish evil and uphold the righteous way!"

He took an object from his robes: the [Mani Jewel] he had gone to such pains to obtain.

The jewel was the size of a winter jujube, fiery red and crystal clear. He held it in his mouth, and fiery energy surged through his body, greatly amplifying his internal energy.

"Die, whelp!"

Yang Gongbu lunged forward, true qi pouring forth. His entire right hand ignited, becoming a mass of roaring flames!

Tummo · Crimson Flame Palm!

The sheer force of it steadied Jiang Yushan's heart.

But to be safe, he still shot Ding Zhaosheng a look.

Ding Zhaosheng nodded. All his earlier hesitation vanished as his spear shot like a dragon straight toward Cao Jinxing's throat!

Two Xiantian experts attacked from either side with terrifying force! Sun Lang's expression changed drastically. He wanted to help, or at least hold one of them back, but before he could move, a sweet, coquettish laugh reached his ears:

"Hehehehe~"

The voice was soft and sweet, brimming with seductive charm.

Just hearing it once lit a flame of lust in Sun Lang's lower belly, leaving him floating in intoxicating bliss.

His consciousness seemed to drift into a mist-shrouded place. Through the haze, he glimpsed beautiful women in half-open robes singing and dancing beside a pool of wine. He saw expanses of soft, pale flesh that melted his bones and caught waves of tantalizing fragrance that made him want to sink into it all, never to escape...

This is bad!

Ren Lingjiao has made her move too!

Through his daze, Sun Lang recalled the information he had read about the Hehuan Sect and hurriedly bit his tongue to regain his senses.

According to those records, besides the Great Bliss Zen Method, this evil sect possessed a secret art practiced by women called the Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance, which specialized in enthralling the mind!

At such a critical moment, can my lord withstand it?

He hurriedly looked up.

Shing!

A ringing saber cry exploded in his ears, shaking the heavens!

Cao Jinxing remained completely unaffected. His Embroidered Spring Saber left its sheath, and brilliant white light flashed!

Ding Zhaosheng's thrusting Overlord Spear suddenly snapped. A line of blood appeared across his neck, and his head flew into the air alongside the spearhead!

Yang Gongbu screamed. Half his arm flew upward, and a thirty-centimeter saber wound opened across his body from his left ribs to his right shoulder!

The slash was impossibly fast, brilliant and swift as a lightning flash, like a long rainbow streaking across the sky!

Ding Zhaosheng and Yang Gongbu saw only a burst of white light. The saber qi was savage, its gleam swift as lightning. In an instant, one was dead and the other gravely wounded!

Yang Gongbu was hurled backward, vomiting great mouthfuls of blood. The jewel in his mouth came flying out with it!

He was utterly stunned!

It was one thing for the Great Bliss Zen Method to fail. Its true qi came easily and was indeed impure. But Tummo was a divine art of the esoteric tradition. How could it crumble just as easily?

Having dealt with those two, Cao Jinxing looked up and barked coldly:

"Get down here!"

His wrist turned, and he delivered another slash.

Saber qi tore through the air!

A muffled grunt suddenly came from the hall's roof. A young, beautiful woman tumbled down and slammed flat onto the ground. Her bones cracked, and she groaned in agony.

-Ren Lingjiao, the Hehuan Sect's Right Guardian.

Enduring the excruciating pain, she looked up at Cao Jinxing, her eyes filled with shock and confusion. "Impossible... you, cough, cough... you... weren't affected... at all?!"

The Sixteen Heavenly Demon Dance had an aphrodisiac effect. Any normal person, man or woman, would be stirred by hearing its sounds or watching its movements!

Yet Cao Jinxing's attacks had flowed without the slightest hesitation. How was that possible?

"What a joke!"

Cao Jinxing sneered. "A whore like you? Even looking at you makes me feel dirty, and you think you can seduce me? You wish!"

"Pfft!"

Ren Lingjiao spat out a mouthful of blood. Her eyes closed, and she fainted from fury.

In the blink of an eye, Cao Jinxing had defeated three formidable experts without flushing or losing his breath. Every escort and disciple inside and outside the hall stared dumbfounded. Not a sound could be heard!

Jiang Yushan, in particular, stood frozen for a long while before suddenly dropping to his knees before Cao Jinxing with a thud. In a voice full of righteous conviction, he declared, "My lord! I locked that Hehuan Sect remnant in the woodshed. I'll go cut off his wretched head and present it to you right away!"

With that, he turned to leave.

"Hah!"

Cao Jinxing slowly sheathed his saber and sneered. "You certainly know when to bend and when to stand tall. Unfortunately, do you think that trick will still work now? I gave you a chance, and you failed to take it. Don't blame me for what comes next."

He waved a hand.

Sun Lang's confidence returned, and he was about to pounce.

Jiang Yushan jumped in fright and hurriedly retreated into the crowd of escorts. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Don't forget, my lord! This is the Jiang Family's territory. Push us too far, and we'll take you down with us!"

"Take me down with you?"

Cao Jinxing made no effort to conceal the contempt in his eyes. "You? You think I played along this long without a backup plan? Let me tell you the truth! To keep you from lashing out in desperation, I already sent someone to the Pacification Commission to bring in the Night Patrol Commandants. You were waiting for them to return and kill me. I was waiting for the Pacification Commission's men to arrive so I could catch you all in one net! Never mind that the Jiang Family has only you pathetic rabble left-even if Jiang Xuanwei were here, he couldn't escape this dragnet! I just never expected you to be so useless. You've made all my preparations seem unnecessary..."

"My lord!"

Just then, Su Yunsheng, who had gone to the Pacification Commission for reinforcements, leaped into the courtyard and saluted Cao Jinxing with clasped hands. "I've brought the men."

Growing ever more terrified, Jiang Yushan looked up.

Embroidered Uniform Guard commandants lined all four walls, bows drawn and arrows nocked, already aiming at the remaining escorts and Hehuan Sect disciples.

His legs gave out. He collapsed onto the ground in terror, his face pale as paper.

"Seize them!"

At Cao Jinxing's command, the Embroidered Uniform Guards leaped down from the walls like tigers descending on a flock of sheep.

The escorts had always feared the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Now they dared resist even less, and one by one, they submitted to capture.

The Hehuan Sect disciples wanted to escape, but with bows and crossbows trained on them, they could only accept their fate.

The dust settled.

Cao Jinxing walked over to Yang Gongbu and picked up the [Mani Jewel].

Yang Gongbu's heart trembled. Looking at Cao Jinxing's expressionless face, he felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

Cao Jinxing said, "You must have ruined plenty of women to build up all that internal energy."

Yang Gongbu grew even more frightened. "I..."

Cao Jinxing struck as fast as lightning, driving a palm into his dantian. Yang Gongbu grunted. His dantian shattered, destroying his martial arts completely.

Cao Jinxing rose and said coldly, "Put the escorts in jail. Send every Hehuan Sect disciple to the Imperial Prison! Don't let this lot die easily. The Pacification Commission has plenty of torture instruments. Use every last one on them!"

"Yes, sir!"

The commandants answered loudly.

Every Hehuan Sect disciple was overcome with terror.

The night stretched on.

They would never see the dawn again...