It was the afternoon hour. Beneath Lotus Peak, a wash of golden sunlight spilled across the land as the sun slowly descended toward the horizon. This was the hour of the slanting sun, when dusk lends the sky its greatest beauty. In the far distance, bands of glowing clouds adorned the heavens. Where Lotus Peak had earlier stood beneath a clear sky, clusters of clouds now drifted in, layering upon one another until the mountain seemed immersed in a vast sea of clouds. Floating vapors moved unhurriedly, gazing down in silent detachment upon the bustling world of mortals.
Returning to the matter at hand—
Though the Sixteen Whirlwind Palms were formidable indeed, Huangfu Song's White Lotus Sect's supreme art, the Lotus Divine Skill, was no less extraordinary. Each man unleashed the full breadth of his life's cultivation. Their techniques were not only subtle and exquisite, but astonishingly swift.
Sima Lun's twin palms suddenly chopped and slashed in rapid succession. Huangfu Song met the attacks head-on, countering move for move. Sima Lun's body twisted and shifted—now before him, now behind—his footwork unfathomable. Abruptly, a palm strike surged forward with ferocious force, accompanied by a shrill whistle, sweeping up sand and gravel from the ground as it struck toward Huangfu Song's flank.
Huangfu Song thought to himself: Sima Lun's techniques are profound—why should I clash head-on and needlessly expend my true qi?Yet before his thoughts had settled, the palm wind had already reached him. He was forced to twist his body sharply and respond with a counter-strike, but this time he deliberately held back, reducing the force of his palm.
Sima Lun immediately sensed the weakening of Huangfu Song's palm strength and assumed his opponent's inner energy was nearly exhausted. Delight surged within him. Without hesitation, he unleashed the move "Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain."
In an instant, shrieking palm winds roared through the air. Sand and dust exploded outward in all directions! The attack descended like thunder and lightning—dozens of palm strikes tearing through the void in rapid succession.
Huangfu Song, intent on conserving his inner power, was nonetheless alarmed. Without retreat, how could he possibly withstand Sima Lun's superior cultivation? He was forced into continuous withdrawal, his figure retreating step by step.
Gaining the upper hand, Sima Lun believed victory was already his. His left hand jabbed to seal acupoints while his right palm struck with added force, his advance fierce and unstoppable, like a descending war god. In a flash, a palm swept in from the side, forcing Huangfu Song into a desperate sideways roll.
At this life-and-death instant—where there was no margin for delay—Huangfu Song suddenly spun around and let out a thunderous shout. Like a bolt of lightning, his fingers shot forward, striking in rapid succession at Sima Lun's vital acupoints: Huagai, Juque, and the lower abdominal Guanyuan.
Caught off guard by the sudden reversal, Sima Lun instantly sensed danger. In a split-second decision, he contracted his abdomen and executed the move "Autumn Leaves in Whirling Flight," his body floating away as he shed the force of the attack. The moment his feet touched the ground, he unleashed "Heaven-Earth Reversal," striking out with a single palm.
Bang!The two palms collided. Both men were shaken backward several steps.
Huangfu Song called out coldly,"Accept your fate!"
The words were forceful, yet Huangfu Song dared not relax his guard in the slightest. He immediately unleashed the Lotus Divine Skill at full strength. Every movement in the arena now gripped the hearts of the several hundred martial artists present. The tension grew palpable.
Sima Lun, arrogant beyond measure and blind to all others, was enraged by the words "Accept your fate!" His fury surged sky-high.
"Enough nonsense!"
He stamped the ground, his body shooting into the air. Both palms thrust forward—swift as lightning, fierce as blades. The two fought with total commitment. Palm shadows filled the sky; palms and fingers collided again and again. Explosive sounds rang without cease. Figures flashed and crossed, separating and rejoining in an endless flow—dragons clashing with tigers, hares darting and falcons swooping.
Huangfu Song had been gathering strength for this very moment. Now the opportunity had arrived. He poured every ounce of his power into a single strike, his speed reaching a razor's edge. Sima Lun's stamina faltered; his response slowed by a fraction.
Boom!A palm struck squarely into Sima Lun's abdomen.
Sima Lun staggered backward. In that instant—balanced on the edge between life and death—Huangfu Song seized the moment and struck at Sima Lun's chest acupoints.
Thud!Sima Lun collapsed, sitting heavily on the ground.
Huangfu Song clasped his hands and said,"Sima Lun, this acupoint technique can only be undone by me—or it will resolve itself in two hours. To avoid further complications in our contest over the White Lotus, you may rest for now."
Sima Lun froze, unable to move. Thoughts surged chaotically within him—shock, anger, bitterness, and disbelief. Seeing this, the Three Evils of Black Wind hurried forward and carried the Black-Devouring King away.
Before long, Cui Fujun announced loudly,"Zhu Feng, Sect Master of Mount Hua, versus Western Sacred Matron Chen Jinfeng!"
Li Yan, wielding the Life-and-Death Judge's Brush, stepped forward and called,"Sect Master Zhu Feng of Mount Hua, please enter!"
Sun Tian, holding the Judge's Blade, followed:"Western Sacred Matron Chen Jinfeng, please enter!"
Surrounded by Mount Hua disciples, Zhu Feng stepped forth slowly. At the same time, Chen Jinfeng strode out boldly, flanked by the followers of the Western Sacred Sect.
Zhu Feng, confident in his status as an orthodox sect leader, looked down upon Chen Jinfeng with disdain.
"You demonic heretics," he sneered, "how dare you covet the White Lotus? It is a sacred relic of Mount Hua—how could it fall into the hands of an evil cult?"
Though a woman, Chen Jinfeng was far from ordinary. She knew well that such men required cunning rather than force. She laughed coldly.
"Sect Master Zhu, spare us the airs of righteousness. I hear you have quite a number of romantic debts outside Mount Hua. Shall I recount them one by one?"
The air instantly froze. An eerie tension spread. Zhu Feng glared at her with a terrifying expression, his face darkening as he stepped forward. How could he allow Chen Jinfeng to expose his scandals?
"Evil cults are enemies of all under heaven!" he shouted. "Enough slander—take this!"
Disregarding his status, Zhu Feng lunged forward with wolfish strides, fists and palms flying. Chen Jinfeng neither retreated nor panicked. Guarded and composed, she shifted back slightly, exchanged several palm strikes, and counterattacked with her left palm.
After only three moves, two immense palm forces collided head-on.
Boom!The clash of internal power sent both fighters flying backward, skidding several steps upon landing. The arena erupted in cheers and uproar. Zhu Feng, barely in his thirties and with shallower cultivation, was forced back farther.
Chen Jinfeng drew in her qi to her dantian, power surging through both legs. She shot diagonally through the air three zhang toward Zhu Feng. Her arms shook violently as she unleashed "Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain." Punches followed punches, palms followed palms—relentless and ferocious.
Zhu Feng raised his palms to block and dismantle the attacks. Yet Chen Jinfeng's cultivation was deep, and Zhu Feng's arrogance had led him to underestimate her. Each exchange left his palms numb and trembling.
Only then did shock strike his heart.
This woman's palm power is terrifying!With such relentless speed and ruthless techniques, he was being driven into complete disarray—his dignity on the verge of collapse.