A Sickly Body, a Fiercer Spirit; a Palm Strike That Spat Lotus Blossoms

In the dead of night at Temple of National Protection, only the sound of hundreds and thousands of long banners fluttering in the wind remains.

The remains of dozens of members of the delegation lay peacefully in coffins in the square in front of the Maitreya Hall.

Above each coffin was a white canopy supported by four bamboo poles.

During the day, people who come to worship will walk through the central aisle to the Maitreya Hall, where they will offer incense and pay their respects to the dozens of memorial tablets on the offering table.

Spices used to mask the smell of corpses, incense on the clothes of worshippers, and incense burned in temples.

Such smells and sounds were all mixed together.

It gets quiet here at night.

The moonlight spilled onto the corridor like a layer of silver frost, and the night breeze carried away most of the unpleasant smells.

Inside the Maitreya Hall, only Guan Changling remained, sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat beside the offering table.

He faced the offering table, his eyes fixed on it, neither looking at the scenery outside the hall nor at the Buddha statues inside.

The commander of the Inner Guard Left Division seemed to be wholeheartedly keeping vigil for the fallen envoys.

At this moment, the entire temple exudes a sense of stillness and coldness in its sounds, colors, lights, and smells.

The two large white candles on the altar burned with a quiet, dim yellow flame.

Even as it swayed in the night breeze, the candlelight shone without smoke, flickering silently.

Whoosh!!

The flames inexplicably lengthened, becoming flat like tongues, and their flashing speed increased, producing a buzzing sound.

Suddenly, a thin mist blew over the threshold and into the hall.

Hai Donglai, dressed in red and holding an umbrella, stepped into the main hall amidst the eerie aura of the Weapon Soul.

Guan Changling looked up, moved, and said, "Lord Hai, you've really come."

"You have already avenged them by killing the Tubo high priest. Now that you have come again tonight, they can rest in peace even more."

Hai Donglai looked at the memorial tablets but did not go forward to take incense.

"I'm already here, what are you pretending for?"

He didn't even look at Guan Changling. "There are things we both know perfectly well about what's going on at this gathering tonight."

Guan Changling's smile remained unchanged.

"Lord Hai, you became famous because of your martial arts skills, but to become the Commander of the Inner Guard, you're clearly not just good at using force."

"I tampered with the Nanzhao Inner Guard with utmost secrecy, yet you still managed to detect it and destroyed part of the files. In retrospect, the physician Chu Tianshu who intercepted the Yuwen Family assassins was among the files you destroyed. You truly are a very good subordinate."

"Since you're here today, did he come too? Or perhaps Zheng Hui's group is also here?"

Hai Donglai's gaze shifted. "It seems you've admitted to being the mole. But you're already in a high position of power, why would you betray us?"

Guan Changling smiled and said, "Do you remember the Grand Princess of Gao?"

Back in the Great Tang, Grand Princess of Gao was quite powerful and had close ties with the generals of the Imperial Guard, the Crown Prince's tutor, and the Prefect of Shu Prefecture. Initially, she was accused of cultivating supporters for the Crown Prince, and later she was even accused of plotting a rebellion.

As a result, the emperor demoted several ministers, had several people beaten to death, and imprisoned the eldest princess in her residence.

Hai Donglai this file.

"Back then, there was a skilled swordsman among the Princess's retainers. He was an expert with superb swordsmanship and a mysterious identity. He repeatedly helped her. After the incident, his identity was revealed. He was said to be the leader of a wandering knight-errant in Chang'an at the time."

Hai Donglai, "I remember that the wandering knight was separated from his wife and children, fled the Great Tang, and his whereabouts are still unknown."

"Now it seems that you framed that person. The real swordsman under the Princess's command is you."

Guan Changling sighed, "That's right, it's me."

"The eldest princess was imprisoned for three years before dying of illness. What kind of grudge did she hold against the court? And what kindness could she possibly have done for you?"

Hai Donglai chuckled softly, "If you truly harbored deep-seated hatred and wanted revenge against the emperor, why would you have waited until today instead of plotting an assassination sooner?"

Guan Changling was perfectly entitled to an audience with the emperor.

If a sudden assassination attempt is launched when manpower is limited, it may not be impossible to succeed.

"No, no, no, is killing someone enough to be considered revenge? The emperor targeted the princess to secure his throne, so I'll make sure his throne remains unstable forever."

Guan Changling smiled broadly.

Did you know that poison is actually made up of countless strangely shaped tiny insects? Damage to the human body is caused by these tiny insects.

"A vast country is like a person; the emperor is only part of the brain. To make the brain suffer, you can't just target the brain."

"Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants, soldiers, the land, and the treasury—all harbor hidden poisons. Poison an entire nation, detonate all its toxins, and watch how this poison takes effect."

"This will be the pinnacle of poison arts."

Guan Changling's eyes were full of anticipation as he said, "Nanzhao, that's the needle I used to poison you. You can't break it before I do."

No sooner had he finished speaking than mold suddenly appeared on Hai Donglai's umbrella.

Those patches of mold, some white and some green, were rapidly growing fuzzy mycelia and steaming.

Guan Changling's expression changed.

He had already poisoned this hall; Hai Donglai was poisoned as soon as he stepped into it.

But now it seems that all the poisonous power has been absorbed by the Weapon Soul from Hai Donglai.

The Cauldron Boil sensation also caused the poison on the umbrella to be rapidly destroyed.

Guan Changling had always known that Hai Donglai was an anomaly.

He was someone whose achievements in the Strength-Tempering Method surpassed even those in the art of Blood Refinement Weapon Method.

For him, the Weapon Soul was merely a tool, not a deadly weapon that other martial artists treasured like a precious treasure.

Such an attitude would inevitably prevent him from grasping the nuances of the Weapon Soul.

But now, the harmony between that Weapon Soul and Hai Donglai's is clearly beyond previous estimates.

Guan Changling stepped back, abruptly leaving the prayer mat and moving about ten feet away.

Hai Donglai, however, did not make a move.

He continued looking at the memorial tablet.

When people are worshipping ancestral tablets, the most comfortable and subconscious distance they should choose is about three feet.

Hai Donglai was more than six feet away from there.

His gaze was not focused on the memorial tablet, but on the area three feet in front of him.

A figure silently descended onto the roof beam.

That was Duan Zhong. His robe sleeves billowed in mid-air, and when he landed, he made no sound, landing exactly three feet away.

"Rusu and the others died without cause."

Duan Zhong mentioned his deceased nephew, his voice was calm, and his eyes were remarkably clear.

"From the moment you stepped in here, there wasn't a single flaw. Even Guan Changling's retreat just now didn't provoke you to make the first move."

It is now past midnight.

The top martial arts masters of the Great Tang and the Nanzhao indeed met on the fifteenth of March.

Hai Donglai's eyes lit up with interest as he frankly said, "You're very good too, extremely good!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen someone, suspended in mid-air with absolutely nothing to rely on, still exude such a strong sense of threat."

As the two were talking, Hai Donglai's umbrella slowly rotated.

Duan Zhong's robe sleeves would suddenly bulge to the side and then suddenly deflate, caused by the expansion and contraction of airflow due to changes in temperature.

For a moment, the two candle flames on the offering table seemed to lean and elongate towards Duan Zhong's back.

The murderous aura emanating from their two Weapon Soul was so intense that it sent chills down one's spine.

Duan Zhong recalled the stone lion that had been thrown inside the gate of the Prince's mansion, and the pavilion that had collapsed halfway.

Hai Donglai was probably still injured at that time, but he has likely recovered by now.

Even greater physical strength, coupled with an unfathomable gaze and murderous aura...

Guan Changling.

Hai Donglai suddenly said, "Are you willing to risk your life for your ally and create an opening for me?"

Guan Changling smiled and suddenly blew a whistle.

There is someone else who is truly willing to risk their life to create weaknesses in Hai Donglai's character!

Even if the helpers from Hai Donglai, like Zheng Hui and his men, arrive, the Yuwen Family will handle them.

Who else can stop the Kunlun?

Behind the Maitreya Hall is also a plaza.

Dark figures were darting out from the buildings at the edge of the square.

In front of the Maitreya Hall, there are too many people coming and going during the day, and the corpses and coffins were all arranged by the Nanzhao people, so there was not much opportunity to tamper with them.

Guan Changling's men were to be hidden, naturally in the rear.

Dozens of Kunlun gathered in a group and rushed towards the back door of the Maitreya Hall.

But behind them, on the roof of the main hall, two figures jumped down.

One of the figures landed and rolled forward.

Another figure, upon landing, shattered and dented a five-foot-square, thick stone brick with just one right foot.

His left foot had already stepped forward.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

Three explosions rang out from the ground; the figure had already caught up with the Kunlun.

The two Kunlun at the very back sensed something was wrong, turned around abruptly, and simultaneously reached out with all four hands.

Their hands could pierce through three-inch-thick wooden boards, and their fingernails could leave clear dents in marble.

But the figure chasing after him simply spread his arms and continued charging forward.

Both Kunlun were struck in the chest by the horizontal arm.

The muffled thuds emanating from them didn't sound like flesh and blood, but rather like solid wooden stakes wrapped in thick iron.

But with the impact of those two arms, their chests caved in, and blood gushed from their backs.

Multiple broken ribs, gleaming white, shot out amidst the spray of blood.

Ta-da!!

Those Kunlun who were struck by the broken bones all shuddered slightly, but the broken bones were also deflected.

There was only one unlucky one; he had just turned his head when a broken bone pierced his eyelid. He didn't even groan before collapsing and dying on the spot.

The corpses of the two Kunlun also crashed down, only to be simultaneously held down by seven or eight black hands.

Chu Tianshu's charge only killed two enemies before he felt a slight setback and paused in place, quite surprised.

He instantly changed his fighting style, slamming his body to the side and forward, his right arm shooting out to grab the belly of a Kunlun.

The Kunlun's belly was as hard as iron, but under his grasp, it softened and deformed like a pile of flabby flesh, which he held firmly in his hand.

Then the Kunlun was thrown out and crashed seven or eight zhang away.

Blind Cheng arrived at the scene, heard the enemy approaching, and dodged to the side.

BOOM!!

The Kunlun crashed to the ground, but his body was tough enough to bounce back up.

The Wind-Listening Saber suddenly slashed at his chest with a loud clang.

The cut left only a shallow white mark, without breaking the skin.

But the knife still had some strength left. After the first slash, it suddenly made a horizontal cut, using the lingering echo of the blade's trembling sound.

On the Kunlun's belly, there were still five finger marks from where he had been pinched and squeezed earlier.

The cut left a mark that strung together the imprints of four fingers.

A knife wound flashed, and blood splattered.

The hardened skin was broken, and the curve of the blade severed the internal organs, sweeping down the spine.

The Kunlun thrashed about like a dead fish, clutched his stomach, turned to his side, and curled up motionless.

Thump thump thump thump!!

In an instant, most of the Kunlun were thrown over and slammed to the ground.

It's either on the stomach or on the neck.

They always have marks on their bodies from the five fingers that gripped and pinched flesh, from throwing people out.

Because the grabbing and throwing were too fast, prioritizing efficiency over proper force, the inward force was insufficient each time, resulting in minimal damage.

However, after they landed...

What awaited them was a knife whose flaws could be detected with the slightest touch.

The force of the grabbing and pinching, the impact of the slamming to the ground, and the resulting stress changes were all exploited by the Blind Cheng.

His body moved in circles, as if chasing his own shadow under the moonlight.

The knife, held in his hand, flashed and swept, the sound of its blade slicing higher and higher.

Those Kunlun at his feet, some with broken throats, some with broken backs, all died as soon as he swayed past them.

If the two of them were to confront these Kunlun Kunlun head-on, even with Chu Tianshu's strength and Blind Cheng's alertness, it would probably take them nearly half an hour to wipe them all out.

The problem is that these Kunlun were originally assassins.

If it takes that long, then the other party has already completely achieved their goal.

Therefore, Chu Tianshu only threw them away Busha.

Using the force of the earth's impact, the Blind Cheng unleashed the full power of his Loulan Slash.

In just three or four breaths, a large number of those Kunlun had died.

A slight change in combat strategy can lead to drastically different results.

The Yuwen Family subordinates who had just rushed out from the side could hardly believe their eyes.

Only Yuwen Qing reacted relatively quickly.

The old man held a longbow in one hand and a handful of slingshots in his other.

There have always been two types of slingshots.

One type is a wooden fork with a cow tendon attached; the force of the projectile depends entirely on the extension and retraction of the cow tendon.

Another method is to use a bow to launch projectiles directly, with the power primarily coming from the deformation of the sturdy bow back.

The latter is generally stronger than the former.

However, when firing the latter, one must have enough strength in their hand to twist the bow and slightly deflect it so that the projectile does not hit the back of the bow or their own hand when it is fired.

Yuwen Qing used the latter method.

He mastered the Bronze Sparrow Bow and was confident that he was almost as good as his ancestors.

However, although the arrow has a long range and a large target, even without hitting the arrowhead, a skilled archer can deflect the arrow by hitting the shaft.

Therefore, he switched to using bullets, which were smaller and harder to intercept.

Buzz!!!

Yuwen Qing's bowstring left a trail of afterimages.

He fired a handful of bullets in quick succession from his right hand.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty bullets were launched.

All of Chu Tianshu's vital joints, as well as several possible dodge locations, were covered by the projectiles.

With such a unique skill, Yuwen Qing had originally suggested that he create weaknesses for Hai Donglai.

However, bullets have a straight trajectory and are unstoppable once launched.

If Hai Donglai slip by, it could easily affect Duan Zhong and Guan Changling, and it's hard to say who would have been created with a weakness.

Guan Changling was too wary of Hai Donglai, and his suggestion was rejected on the spot.

Now, when used on Chu Tianshu, there are no reservations whatsoever.

The bullet was approaching, and in the darkness, not a trace of it could be seen.

Chu Tianshu didn't miss it; his foot had somehow found its way into the gap between the floor tiles, and he suddenly flicked it up.

Collapse!!!

The five-foot square stone slab did not break at all despite such a short burst of force.

The force of the Immortal Force caused the entire floor tile to suddenly bounce into the air.

Chu Tianshu's figure vanished in that instant.

He lowered his head and shoulders, pulled his feet up, and completely shrank behind the stone slab.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

The few remaining Kunlun around him were covered in blood.

The skin could withstand the crossbow bolts, but not these projectiles; they were embedded in the flesh.

The thick, large stone slab was hit by six or seven projectiles and shattered instantly.

However, the force of the projectile decreased sharply when it shattered the stone slab.

A hand suddenly burst out from behind the broken stone slab.

This palm strike, with its five fingers spread wide like a bucket, is as powerful as thunder.

The only spot you could hit with your palm was a small section in the middle of the stone slab.

But just as the stone slab was about to shatter, it was struck by this force, causing even the slabs at the edges to be pulled apart and shatter.

Under the moonlight, it looked like a dusty lotus flower in bloom.

The enormous lotus flower, with a mouth five or six feet in size, was facing directly at the Yuwen Family members.

Boom!!

Yuwen Qing's heart skipped a beat, as if he could really hear a clap of thunder right next to his ear.

His hand was just pulling out a second bullet, and as it left the deerskin pouch, his fingers suddenly loosened, causing the bullet to fall from his fingers.

Yuwen Qing looked down and saw a small hole in his chest, from which blood was oozing.

It was faintly visible that a small fragment of Shitou was embedded there.

This was the true target of Chu Tianshu's palm strike, the fragment that came into contact with the center of his palm.

Ugh!!

A golden light suddenly illuminated Yuwen Qing's face, and a golden divine weapon appeared in front of Yuwen Qing.

The weapon was long like a spear, but its tip was crafted to resemble a phoenix.

The two edges of the blade resemble phoenix wings, and the tip resembles a phoenix beak.

The weapon arrived extremely quickly.

Yuwen Chiming, wielding this weapon, was actually able to track the trajectory of Chu Tianshu's small fragment even in the moonlight.

But the danger wasn't aimed at him personally; by the time his weapon reached out to block it, it was too late.

Uncle Qing!!

Yuwen Chiming only roared angrily in his heart.

In an instant, his face shone like gold paper, exuding an imposing aura, the taut muscles of his cheeks stretching straight to his temples.

The aura released by the evil weapon caused the people of the Yuwen Family nearby to have the illusion that their bodies were rising and falling with the waves.

Chu Tianshu charged forward with a powerful kick, his trajectory perfectly straight, shattering the illusion of the undulating environment, and punched their patriarch.

His dark blue fist was as hard as steel.

However, when they got within seven feet, even Chu Tianshu felt that the situation ahead was truly strange.

A dark golden light suddenly flashed above their heads.

It crashed down with a heavy thud!

(End of this chapter)