Reverence

After Gao Wenqi and the other two took two steps forward, Shi Xuan gathered his True Qi and leaped. Thanks to the talismans' enhancement, his figure moved like a phantom toward the three, his movements elusive.

Gao Wenqi and his companions had seen their fair share of battles, and they remained incredibly calm. Gao Wenqi drew his sword, its radiance like the great sun, aiming directly for Shi Xuan's vital points. Meanwhile, Cao Chuyu and Peng Tianxiao attacked from left and right, one with a saber and the other with a sword, sealing off any space for Shi Xuan to dodge.

Shi Xuan had overheard Liang Shenglou mention Gao Wenqi's nickname, "Sun-Revealing Divine Sword," and had been wary. He closed his eyes slightly, his toes touching the ground as he cut to the right.

Seeing that Shi Xuan ignored his and Peng Tianxiao's attacks, Gao Wenqi felt a flicker of doubt but continued to move his sword with his spirit, thrusting toward Shi Xuan's left rib. He remained cautious, anticipating any unfathomable moves from his opponent.

Cao Chuyu's sword darted out like a venomous snake, heading straight for Shi Xuan's right chest. However, Shi Xuan didn't evade. He shifted his body slightly, and the sword reached him. Cao Chuyu felt a surge of joy, only to find his sword hitting something like iron or stone, making no further progress. Seizing this opportunity, Shi Xuan closed the distance and struck Cao Chuyu's chest with his palm, disregarding the saber and sword behind him.

After his sword struck Shi Xuan, Cao Chuyu's heart grew wary, but his reaction was not as swift as Shi Xuan's palm strike. He could only watch as Shi Xuan's palm landed squarely on his chest, shattering his protective True Qi. However, the opponent's True Qi seemed to have reached its limit. In a fit of joy, he was about to flip backward when he saw the opponent's bare palm crush his ribs and shatter his heart. It was achieved solely through pure physical strength. Cao Chuyu's eyes, filled with unwillingness, slowly fell to the ground.

After killing Cao Chuyu with a single palm strike, Shi Xuan continued forward. He managed to evade Peng Tianxiao's steel saber but was struck in the back by Gao Wenqi's sword. Using the force of this thrust, he leaped forward a considerable distance, then circled around like a phantom, lunging at Peng Tianxiao, who was behind Gao Wenqi.

After striking Shi Xuan with his sword, Gao Wenqi felt, just like Cao Chuyu had, that the opponent's body was like iron or steel. He was filled with terror. His sword strike, he knew, would have drawn blood even from Zen Master Zhihai, the head of the Daru Hall and a master of the tenth level of the Golden Bell Shield. What martial art was this mysterious young Daoist priest practicing? Could it be the legendary Great Perfection of the Golden Bell Shield? A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind. Though it was only an instant, his movements still faltered. Then, he saw Shi Xuan lunging at Peng Tianxiao and shouted, "Be careful..." but his feet hesitated, unsure whether to flee or go to his rescue.

Seeing Shi Xuan charging at him, Peng Tianxiao, despite the bizarre death of Cao Chuyu, had no time to ponder. Though rough, he was not without cunning. He decided not to engage in a direct confrontation. He feigned a saber strike at Shi Xuan's neck, intending to use his footwork to dart toward Gao Wenqi.

Shi Xuan had initially worried that Peng Tianxiao would engage him in a battle of evasion using his Lightness Skill, which would prevent a swift victory. The talismans' effects wouldn't last long, and the two sword strikes he had just received had already depleted most of the Vajra Spell's efficacy. Seeing Peng Tianxiao's feigned saber strike, Shi Xuan was delighted. He didn't dodge or evade, merely tilting his neck slightly. The steel saber, carrying a gust of strong wind, struck the lower part of his neck with a crisp "ding" sound, deflecting the saber back. Shi Xuan then charged straight at Peng Tianxiao.

After Peng Tianxiao's saber strike, had Shi Xuan shown the slightest evasion, he would have seized the opportunity to flee toward Gao Wenqi. Now, with the steel saber rebounding, his heart filled with dread. His feet reflexively tried to jump away, but at the same time, he heard Gao Wenqi's shout of "Be careful..." His momentarily dulled mind was still trying to figure out what to be careful of when Shi Xuan struck his face with a palm, causing his entire head to explode like a watermelon dropped on the ground.

Gao Wenqi had only half-shouted "Be careful" when he saw Peng Tianxiao's steel saber being deflected by Shi Xuan's neck, followed immediately by Shi Xuan exploding Peng Tianxiao's head with a palm strike. His soul nearly fled his body. His feet no longer hesitated; he turned and used his Lightness Skill to flee.

After Shi Xuan exploded Peng Tianxiao with a palm strike, red and white matter flew everywhere. Fortunately, he had cast the Rain Evasion Art, or he would have been quite dirty. Without pausing, he lunged at Gao Wenqi. Seeing Gao Wenqi turn to flee, Shi Xuan felt a slight joy. He had feared Gao Wenqi wouldn't run. The Vajra Spell talisman's efficacy was practically gone, and the little remaining was negligible. Thankfully, he had experimented with this talisman before and knew its effects well. At this moment, if Gao Wenqi had turned to fight steadily, Shi Xuan's Internal Energy for offense and defense wouldn't have matched his opponent's. He might have had to find an opportunity to use another talisman, which would have been a waste. Now, with Gao Wenqi fleeing, and under the talismans' enhancement, his Lightness Skill far surpassed Gao Wenqi's, making pursuit and elimination much easier.

With a rush and a leap, Shi Xuan caught up to Gao Wenqi's back and unleashed his favorite move from the Ten Dragons Subduing Demons Fist: Black Dragon Playing in Water. Gao Wenqi was filled with awe for Shi Xuan's "protective divine skill" and didn't even consider counterattacking. He held his sword behind his back, his feet continuing to move forward, intending to withstand the blow, even if injured, and escape outside. Only in the heavy rain would he have a chance to escape.

This was the first time Shi Xuan had used the Ten Dragons Subduing Demons Fist, a body-training technique, in a fight. Yet, this move, Black Dragon Playing in Water, felt incredibly good. The physical strength and internal energy of his entire body seemed to merge at his fist, striking Gao Wenqi's sword with an immense, unstoppable force. Gao Wenqi's treasure sword instantly shattered into countless fragments, but it couldn't stop the fist's momentum.

As Gao Wenqi fled, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He ran another dozen steps before crashing to the ground with a thud, a deep fist imprint on his back.

Shi Xuan leisurely retracted his right hand, his heart stirred by a great wave of emotion. The Ten Dragons Subduing Demons Fist truly lived up to its reputation as an ancient secret manual; its power was incredibly immense. He hadn't expected to kill with a single blow; he had only intended to gradually weaken his opponent. Once they reached the rain, with his Dark Night Vision Spell and Rain Evasion Art, that would have been the opportune moment to strike.

The people from the escort agency, having witnessed Shi Xuan's battle with the three top experts, felt their hearts and guts turn to ice. Even someone as seasoned and calm as He Xiangshan nearly popped his eyeballs out when he saw Shi Xuan's neck deflect Peng Tianxiao's steel saber. He Yuqing felt as if a myth were unfolding before her eyes. Such martial arts were unheard of, and her heart pounded uncontrollably, unsure if it was from nervousness or excitement.

He Dahai, with his wealth of experience, quickly regained his composure and cautiously approached Shi Xuan. He hesitated for a moment before speaking, unsure whether to address him as "Master" or "Daoist Priest," as Shi Xuan's martial arts bore a striking resemblance to the Golden Bell Shield, one of the four great Zhenpai martial arts of Zen Buddhism. However, He Dahai was unsure if the Golden Bell Shield possessed such power. He glanced at Shi Xuan's Daoist robe and gritted his teeth, saying, "Senior Daoist Priest, are there any miscellaneous tasks you need us to do?"

Shi Xuan was contemplating whether to search the bodies of the deceased for silver and other items, or to take the "Longevity Treasury" manual he had overheard about earlier for a look. However, maintaining his demeanor as an otherworldly expert, he couldn't possibly engage in such a task as rummaging through corpses himself. While he hesitated, He Dahai's words were quite pleasing. He instructed, "Yes, search the belongings of those on the ground and show them to me."

After speaking, Shi Xuan returned to his campfire and sat down, watching the escort agency's people rummage through the black-clothed men and Liang Shenglou. As for Du Yuhan and Cheng Ying, they were left lying there. He merely sent an escort to ask Shi Xuan if he wished to unseal their acupoints.

Shi Xuan nodded. The martial arts of these people combined wouldn't even amount to half of Peng Tianxiao's. Therefore, there was nothing to worry about. Of course, caution was still necessary in certain areas; there were plenty of cases of capsizing in the gutter.

He Yuqing approached Du Yuhan, preparing to kneel and unseal his acupoints. Seeing his handsome face covered in dust, his expression of terrified rigidity replaced by a look of surprise upon seeing her, she felt a surge of disgust. He looked utterly disheveled. She must have been blind before to have thought this guy was so great.

Du Yuhan, lying on the ground, had heard the entire exchange. He recalled his unfriendly attitude toward the Daoist priest and was both worried and fearful. Seeing He Yuqing approach, he finally relaxed, exclaiming with surprise, "Miss He, it's you! Quickly, unseal my acupoints."

He Yuqing forced herself to suppress her disgust, unsealed Du Yuhan's acupoints, and turned to walk back to Shi Xuan's side, remaining there like a maidservant. After Du Yuhan got to his feet, he cautiously observed Shi Xuan's expression. Seeing that Shi Xuan wasn't even looking at him, he quickly retreated to a secluded spot with his page, Cheng Ying.

Shi Xuan enjoyed the warmth of the campfire, watching as the escort agency's people placed various items they had found before him, such as silver, sweat towels, tobacco pouches, hidden weapons, bottles and jars, and several manuals. Finally, He Dahai, holding a manual found on Liang Shenglou, presented it to Shi Xuan with an excited expression. It bore four ancient seal script characters: "Longevity Treasury."

Shi Xuan knew that He Dahai couldn't have overheard the conversation outside the temple earlier, so his excitement upon seeing the "Longevity Treasury" was understandable. He casually asked, "Do you know this manual?"

"Replying to Senior, this peerless manual always causes bloodshed whenever it appears, so we juniors have all heard of it. Although many who obtained the manual failed to cultivate it successfully, it is said that the last person to achieve mastery, Guangyang Hermit, broke the void and ascended," He Dahai replied honestly, puzzled as to why he was asked this question.

After receiving the manual, Shi Xuan began to consider a problem. He had often heard of people in the martial world shattering the void and ascending, yet their realm was only one level above the Subtle Realm, which, according to the "Treasury Record," was the Qi Induction Stage. This realm indeed referred to shattering the void, but it had nothing to do with ascending.

The "shattering the void" here didn't refer to breaking space. Beings capable of breaking space would at least be Primordial Spirit True Persons. Considering the effects of Subtle Realm martial arts, it was worlds apart from breaking space. How could one break space by simply advancing a realm? This actually had two meanings. The first referred to external matters, implying breaking the barrier between the physical body and heaven and earth, allowing the soul to directly sense heaven and earth, and the physical body to directly absorb the qi of heaven and earth. The second referred to the inner self, breaking the emptiness of the heart and mind, thereby reflecting upon the physical body, meaning a very detailed internal observation of the physical body.