Chapter 43: Shattering the Heavens with a Single Palm (Vote Requested)

Page 1/3

Chapter 43: A Palm Shatters the Firmament (Please Vote)

“You, Daoist—who are you? Where do you come from?”

Zeng Yunqin’s face was grim as he barked out the question.

Had it not been for this Daoist’s intervention, Daoist Jingtian would have already perished on the spot.

To catch the Rainstorm Pear Needles with such ease—this man’s strength seemed at least on par with his own.

Yet, among those who could match him in battle, there were but a handful in the world, most of them famed eccentrics of renown.

But this Daoist before him—he had never even heard the name. And the energy radiating from him was utterly unfamiliar; Zeng Yunqin could not recall ever encountering such a presence.

Luo Feng smiled faintly and offered a Daoist salute. “A newcomer to the martial world, Qingxiang White Lotus Su Huanzhen pays his respects to the elder.”

“I hail from Blue Star, a branch of the Solar System within the Milky Way of the Xingyao Universe. I reside in Hidden Sword Manor. My original name is Ye Xiu, also known as Zhou Shuren, the courtesy name Canghai Daoist. In the martial world, I am called the Drunken Sun Hermit, and my specialty is military-style boxing.”

Zeng Yunqin was silent for a moment, feeling as though he was being made a fool of.

This Daoist looked earnest enough, yet not a single word rang true.

Half sage, half immortal, all Confucian, all Daoist, wholly virtuous—bah! More like a deceiver of sages, a trickster of the Dao, a cheat among men. The world’s nickname for him should be the Old Schemer in White.

“Daoist, what brings you here?!”

Though Zeng Yunqin was a contemptible man—base, despicable, and treacherous—he could read the situation well.

Luo Feng’s strength rivaled his own; he could not act rashly.

Luo Feng smiled calmly, glancing toward Elder Jingtian.

The old Daoist, though disheveled and covered in dust, was beaming, holding up four fingers.

All had gone as planned; the big fish were gathered here.

The small fry would be left to the Shangqing Sect to handle.

With a casual flick of his whisk, Luo Feng announced, “I heard there was bloodshed and injustice here, so I have come to put a stop to it.”

Zeng Yunqin sneered, “Daoist, and how do you propose to resolve this calamity?”

Luo Feng lowered his gaze and sighed softly. “Naturally, by ferrying the wicked and saving the good.”

Zeng Yunqin nearly burst out laughing. So this was the figure he had feared? Just a pedantic Daoist, chanting the names of the Celestial Lords and preaching mercy. What was there to be afraid of?

A tremendous burst of true energy, shaped like a dragon, roared toward Zeng Yunqin’s brow.

In that instant, his hair stood on end and his blood surged wildly. Relying on years of arcane martial instinct, he barely dodged the blow.

Luo Feng raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “Muscle memory, perhaps?”

Page 2/3

In the martial ways of the mortal world, mastery began in flesh and blood, then reached the very bones. When perfected, one gained a preternatural sense—like the cicada that senses autumn’s chill before the wind arrives.

To some extent, it allowed one to anticipate an opponent’s attacks.

Science termed this “muscle memory”: before conscious thought could respond, the body sensed danger and instinctively dodged to survive.

Zeng Yunqin, still shaken, dabbed the blood from his forehead and spat, “A fine, weakling hypocrite—striking with a hidden blade!”

At this, Elder Jingtian gave a cold laugh. “Old villain, have you forgotten your own earlier deeds?”

Zeng Yunqin sneered, unabashed, even proud. “I, at least, am an honest scoundrel—not like you sanctimonious hypocrites. Ha! An ambush!”

“Elder Zeng, your words are mistaken.”

Luo Feng formed a lotus seal with his hand and smiled serenely. “The Celestial Lord is merciful and forgives the world. All should live out their allotted span, let the flesh wither, and only then ascend to worship the Celestial Lord and cleanse themselves of sin.”

“My task, however, is to send you ahead of schedule to meet the Supreme Celestial Lord of Deliverance, so that His Eminence may forgive you.”

“For this is the Daoist creed: cherish life, deliver the multitude.”

“The Supreme Celestial Lord of Deliverance!”

He invoked the name with a dignified presence, seeming almost a god among men.

His reasoning was clear, his logic impeccable.

“The Celestial Lord, it seems, grows impatient—reminding me of my duties.”

“So, Elder Zeng, please make your way to the Azure Radiance Assembly!”

With a shout, Luo Feng changed the lotus seal to a cloud seal.

This transformation was mysterious, more for show and to distract the opponent.

Lotus blossoms formed beneath his feet, each one condensed from pure energy.

This technique was simple at its core, based on the martial artist’s ability to project true energy outward. But here, two principles were added: subtlety and shaping.

On the scene, even Elder Jingtian of the Shangqing Sect could perform it.

Yet the energy cost was immense; at his level, he could only sustain it for a minute or so.

Luo Feng ascended on lotus blossoms, each step radiating golden light, standing suspended in the air as though a celestial being had descended to the mortal realm.

The display left not only the Zeng clan’s eccentrics, but even his own allies, utterly dumbfounded.

In an instant, the genre had shifted from martial arts urban fantasy to pure immortal legend.

The gap was enormous.

At that moment, Zeng Yunqin cast aside all thoughts, fleeing madly for his life. All talk of hypocrites and peerless masters vanished like smoke.

Had he lived in modern times, he would surely have shouted, “Referee, I want to report—he’s cheating!”

How could a mere martial artist hope to contend with one who cultivates the Dao?

“Elder Zeng, I bid you farewell!”

Luo Feng offered a bow, plucked a lotus, and tossed it skyward. The blossom rose on the wind, transforming midair into a vibrant green lotus, teeming with life, swaying high above in the void.

Page 3/3

The lotus continued to rise, spinning faster and faster, true energy streaming from its tip, transforming into a splendid flood dragon.

Ten energy dragons coiled around each other, merging after a single circuit into a vast, ancient dragon, which roared as it shot forth, trailing fire and lightning.

With a thunderous crash, the ground caved in by three feet, forming a massive pit some eight hundred feet across.

In that instant, who could escape such destruction—who could run a hundred meters in a second?

Zeng Yunqin lay half dead, buried in the earth, barely clinging to life.

“Hmm?” Luo Feng raised his eyelids in surprise. Zeng Yunqin’s strength exceeded expectations, surpassing even the top tier of eccentrics and approaching the level of a celestial master.

By Luo Feng’s reckoning, those unable to withstand a single palm were ordinary eccentrics; to take one palm marked a top-tier eccentric; as for celestial masters, perhaps they could withstand two or three blows.

Zeng Yunqin, having endured his full-strength strike, had nearly reached the celestial master’s level.

Luo Feng descended upon a lotus and sat beside him.

“Why… why…” Bloodshot eyes, tattered clothes, every inch stained with blood—Zeng Yunqin stared at Luo Feng, bewildered and weak, forcing out the question.

Luo Feng smiled and asked in return, “Why do evil, why commit wickedness—have you ever regretted it?”

“So… that’s it… so unwilling!” Zeng Yunqin wailed, the cry of a defeated cur.

“You and your kind—their lives and names perish together—yet the rivers and seas flow on forever.”

Luo Feng scoffed, “What is there to regret?”

For such ambitious schemers, he never spared a shred of pity. Every man must answer for his own deeds.

With Zeng Yunqin dealt with, the rest was simple.

Without their patriarch, the Zeng clan was like a body stripped of its spine, left with only a dying gasp.

Young Li Xin of the Heavenly Strategy, tears in his eyes, took revenge in kind, extinguishing even that last breath.

A slip of paper in hand, bearing the names of three families extracted from the Zeng clan’s elder.

Handing the bloodstained spear to Li Yan, Luo Feng said quietly, “Come, let us deliver souls.”

Li Yan nodded fiercely, and the group set off once more.

[Counting for yesterday, still owe Daoist Moyan two more chapters, going to sleep ≧w≦]

(End of Chapter)