Chapter 264: Flying Dragon in the Sky Can Also Turn Back
The deep red clouds burned in the sky, and Zhou Yan’s breathing brought his state to its peak.
He was not reckless.
Zhang Sanqiang had mentioned some details about the opponent: the son of the former Ming Cult Leader Yu Wupo, Yu Huacheng, who was the current White Lotus Sect Leader, aimed to reclaim the position of leader and the Qiankun Great Shift, therefore the opponent would not possess this sect-protecting cultivation method of the Ming Cult.
Moreover, his martial arts were comparable or slightly inferior to Zhang Sanqiang’s; otherwise, the White Lotus Sect and the Ming Cult would have already erupted in large-scale conflicts. Analyzing horizontally, his skill level was roughly the same as Qiu Qianren’s.
During the battle at Shaoshi Mountain, he could withstand a hundred moves of Iron Palm Water Floating. Now, fighting again, Zhou Yan was confident he could handle two hundred moves. Therefore, he did not fear Yu Huacheng.
Ba Rui was severely injured. Both Yanbo Diaosou and Zhang Wangyue could defeat him, and neither fell short when facing Wuse. The remaining leaders and bandits of Funiu Mountain would be handled by Yang Miaozhen and others. He only needed to tie down Yu Huacheng, and victory was assured.
Yu Huacheng, on the other hand, intended to finish the fight quickly. After clashing with Ouyang Feng, he sustained a minor internal injury, making a prolonged battle disadvantageous. This person called “Central God Sword” was clearly a leader. Capturing the leader first was key to stabilizing the situation.
With this thought, he spoke, “Boy, make your move.”
“Observe my palm!”
Zhou Yan did not hesitate at all. He slightly bent his left leg, curved his right arm inward, drew a circle with his right palm, and with a whoosh, pushed outward.
At the moment the palm force erupted with a “bang,” a low explosion sounded in the air. The palm force, like a tidal wave, roared like an invisible dragon, charging towards Yu Huacheng.
“What can the Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms do to me?” Yu Huacheng stepped forward, his fists moving freely, circling and extending. A formless force as heavy as a mountain suddenly enveloped Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan felt that as the opponent’s palm technique was unleashed, it was like colorful clouds drifting down from the nine heavens, but upon encountering his palm force, it abruptly transformed into a raging torrent like the Yellow River breaking its banks, as if borrowing a force from heaven and earth to descend upon him.
Zhou Yan suddenly recalled a peerless skill from the Ming Cult in the Jianghu of Heaven Sword.
Great Nine Heavens Hand.
Yang Dingtian possessed two divine abilities and cultivation methods; besides Qiankun Great Shift, there was Great Nine Heavens Hand. This peerless martial art had once defeated the three divine monks of Shaolin Temple.
In the span of a thought, the two palm forces collided with a “boom.” Instantly, the air currents around them churned like a rolling barrel, kicking up sand and smoke.
Zhou Yan retreated several steps, leaving imprints several inches deep wherever he passed.
Yu Huacheng’s body flickered, and he retreated half a step before steadying himself.
“Again!”
Zhou Yan exhaled a turbid breath, feeling refreshed. His profound internal force surged warmly from his Dantian, flowing along his meridians like a surging great river towards the channels in his hands.
As he stepped forward, he pushed out his palms in a move called “Shocking a Hundred Miles.”
Yu Huacheng no longer held any contempt.
As Zhou Yan had guessed, Yu Huacheng was indeed using the supreme cultivation method of the Ming Cult, Great Nine Heavens Hand, besides Qiankun Great Shift.
It was a palm technique similar to Shaolin Temple’s ultimate skill, Thousand Hands Tathagata Palm, but even more powerful.
Yu Huacheng’s white robe billowed violently. His right palm rapidly flickered, creating a flurry of palm shadows. His left palm drew an arc, and from within that arc, his palm momentum suddenly struck out like a raging tidal wave, meeting “Shocking a Hundred Miles.”
Boom!
Zhou Yan’s body retreated again, stopping after hitting a mud wall on the side of the street. Following the imprint on the wall from his back, spiderweb-like cracks spread like earthworms burrowing through acupoints.
From within the dust, Yu Huacheng’s body swayed for a moment. He slowly stretched his arms and walked towards Zhou Yan, his voice slow and heavy, carrying over the dust to Zhou Yan’s ears.
“I have roamed the Jianghu for decades and have never seen anyone as young as you with such cultivation. If we had met by chance, I would have offered some guidance to elevate your martial arts vision, but since we are opponents, I must kill you to prevent future trouble.”
“Whoosh!”
Zhou Yan exhaled a turbid breath, his body shaking as he pulled himself out of the wall. His voice was like a great bell.
“The White Lotus Sect claims to save the world and help the people, but in reality, it is merely a den of iniquity, no different from the bandits of Funiu Mountain and Tongbai Mountain who rob and kill. If your mother, Sect Leader Yu Wupo, knew of your current state, she would surely scold you as an unfilial son.”
“Ah, I will kill you.”
“Then come!”
Yu Huacheng was enraged. His entire body spun like a whirlwind, rotating rapidly around Zhou Yan at an incredible speed. With each rotation, he unleashed more than ten palm strikes, the palm techniques layered upon each other, the force like steel walls and bronze barriers, yet also like raging tidal waves, with astonishing power.
Zhou Yan’s figure flickered, his posture elegant, like a graceful dance. His palm techniques, however, were sharp as a sword. As he attacked, his left and right legs curved inward, his momentum flashing like sparks.
Using Peach Blossom Island’s two peerless skills, Falling Ying Divine Sword Palm and Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Leg, he unleashed his fierce and stormy moves upon Yu Huacheng.
As they clashed, they attacked fiercely, advanced aggressively, and circled back, their dodges and movements fluid and swift. Their movements were like a giant millstone. The mud walls on both sides of the street first collapsed with rumbling sounds. Amidst the rapid exchanges of palm strikes, their greyish figures moved into a courtyard inhabited by a minor leader, and among the houses. Wooden frames and tables and chairs shattered under the impact of their internal energy, houses tilted, and tiles rained down.
The White Lotus Saint Son, Wuse, watched with a pounding heart. In just one year, how had their cultivation progressed so rapidly compared to when they were at Dragon and Tiger Mountain?
As he thought this, he suddenly heard a voice, “Boy, take this move.”
Although Yanbo Diaosou disdained the White Lotus Sect and had a peculiar temper, he was honorable in combat. He first gave a warning, then flicked and swept his fishing rod, creating a gust of wind that attacked Wuse.
The White Lotus Saint Son, Wuse, let out a light cry. His agility was as swift as a gust of wind, and his palms found openings to penetrate. He began to fight Yanbo Diaosou.
Zhang Wangyue charged forward, his body leaping more than twenty feet into the air. The eight-pointed copper rod descending from above smashed down on Ba Rui with the force of Mount Tai.
Eight White Lotus Sect women wielded their white silk ribbons, which flew and coiled like strange snakes, surrounding Wang Kui within the “White Silk Formation.” If Fu’an’s escorts fought alone, they could defeat one woman in just over ten rounds, but the formation was bizarre, and he, like Liu Qingzhou in the past, was flustered.
Not long after, Liang Xiaowu joined the fray with two escorts, which finally stabilized the situation somewhat.
Looking up, the infantry and cavalry of Cuya Mountain were attacking unstoppably, and the stronghold of Funiu Mountain was on the verge of collapse.
…
Amidst the rumbling roars, as half a wall collapsed, Zhou Yan and Yu Huacheng, who had exchanged nearly one hundred and fifty moves, broke through the wall. In the massive cloud of dust, the White Lotus Sect Leader exhaled like thunder and unleashed the killing move of Great Nine Heavens Hand, “Turning Heaven and Returning Sun.” He swung his right palm, creating swirling winds, and his left palm stirred up energy that filled the sky. The vast, boundless palm wind spread out like a Heaven and Earth Net, leaving no room for escape.
A roaring sound like tides surged within Zhou Yan’s chest. The strength in his limbs converged inward from the outside, his external force and internal energy gathering simultaneously. His palm strike was like a sudden burst of wind and thunder. The most righteous move of the Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms, “Riding the Six Dragons,” met “Turning Heaven and Returning Sun.”
With a “boom” and a great roar, earth and stones flew, and waves of energy rolled. Zhou Yan’s body tumbled out, propelled by the momentum of “Flying Dragon in the Sky.” Yu Huacheng’s white robe turned to grey, stained and dirty. His beard fluttered beneath his chin as his figure charged out, his palm striking towards Zhou Yan’s waist.
Flying Dragon in the Sky can also turn back.
Suddenly, a low “clang” of a sword sounded. Zhou Yan held his sword in both hands, his body tumbling. At the moment he was parallel to the ground, he thrust forward.
The third leader of Tongbai Mountain had recently been parallel to his horse’s back, and his “returning horse spear” technique had been evolved by Zhou Yan into a new peerless skill.
With a “puff,” the Qingfeng Sword pierced Yu Huacheng’s right chest. The surging palm force of the White Lotus Sect Leader also landed on Zhou Yan. His body was sent flying forcefully, and at the same time, a startling amount of blood gushed from Yu Huacheng.
“Sect Leader!”
The White Lotus Saint Son’s eyes were about to split.
As Yu Huacheng staggered back, he pressed several major acupoints on his body and turned to say, “Go!”
He ran towards Ba Rui but stopped after a few steps. In his sight, Zhang Wangyue’s staff at the front end suddenly lifted, striking towards Ba Rui’s chest. “Mountain Spectre” used Eagle Claw, his left and right hands gripping the long staff.
The next moment, the opponent was pushed by Zhang Wangyue and crashed into a wall. Their figures rushed through the courtyard, and Ba Rui’s back slammed into a pillar. Fu’an Chief Escort abandoned his staff and retreated a step, kicking the butt of the staff.
The copper rod whizzed upwards and was smashed back.
“Bang!”
Brain matter splattered.
