Chapter 232: No Way

The old man in hemp clothes, his face solemn, immediately concealed himself with Lin Xun'er, making no sound and leaking no trace of spiritual pressure.

In the darkness, the sound of hooves and rolling wheels came from the end of the main road.

The carriage did not look luxurious, yet it seemed to hide an invisible pressure.

When they were less than a few dozen zhang from Hundred Refinements City, the guards within the city all sensed something, turning their gaze toward the main road outside the city, each one's heart inexplicably trembling with shock.

Fortunately, everyone recognized the carriage outside the city as coming from Hundred Refinements Peak, so for the moment, no one panicked.

"Open the gate!"

The coachman drove the carriage to a spot not far from the Hundred Refinements City gate and hurriedly shouted to the guards on the city wall.

Hearing this, the leader of the city guards was about to speak and question, but the next moment, the entire person was enveloped by an invisible force and instantly exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Seeing this, the guards on the city wall and the martial arts experts stationed there immediately changed expression, but before they could react, the carriage curtain not far away moved without wind.

Inside the carriage, a figure wreathed in golden true qi cast a single glance; in an instant, the massive, tightly shut city gate of Hundred Refinements City exploded with a boom, instantly turning into dust that rose into the air.

"It is... the Peak Seat!"

Someone cried out in terrified shock; immediately, the guards of Hundred Refinements City knelt flat before the carriage, shouting the honorable title of the Peak Seat.

However, the carriage clearly had no intention of paying them any mind; under the coachman's control, it sped straight through the blasted-open city gate into the city.

Seeing this, the city guards and martial arts experts raised their heads, just about to breathe a sigh of relief, but the next moment, everyone around felt an extremely terrifying killing intent brush past their bodies, flashing by in an instant.

In that instant, under the blazing torchlight illuminating the towering city wall of Hundred Refinements City, the dozens of guards and martial arts experts stationed there suddenly exploded together, leaving only clouds of crimson blood mist and bone fragments slowly scattering down.

The coachman driving the carriage looked back once; instantly, his face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror, and his hand holding the whip trembled uncontrollably.

As soon as the carriage entered Hundred Refinements City, that sky-piercing killing intent became completely unmasked.

Wherever the wheels rolled, the bluestones cracked; endless wild winds suddenly rose, the lanterns hanging from roadside shops and the wind chimes at the eaves all exploded, and the roof tiles were swept into the sky by the hurricane.

Under this terrifying spiritual pressure, the surrounding residents and common people were all terrified, trembling and daring only to crouch inside their houses, not daring to make a sound.

At the same time, Li Musheng, sitting atop the roof of Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, glanced toward the direction of Hundred Refinements City's gate, then raised an eyebrow:

"The commotion is quite large; the people coming this time do look somewhat like the Peak Seat of Hundred Refinements Peak."

As if sensing the gaze Li Musheng cast, the carriage that had been darting through the dark long street suddenly exploded into four or five pieces, and the coachman and horses were also blasted into fragments by the aftermath.

Then, a figure wreathed in golden true qi stepped into empty air, rising straight up, carrying boundless killing intent as it suddenly ascended to the sky above Hundred Refinements City.

Zheng Yunfeng's true face was indistinct; the golden true qi surrounding him resembled golden twisted dragons, making him shine brilliantly with golden light in the darkness.

At this moment, terrifying martial pressure revealed itself from his body; the surrounding night space twisted and swayed, martial arts experts throughout the city were suppressed to the point of being unable to breathe, and the common people, needless to say, all collapsed to the ground, some even losing control of their bladders and bowels.

"Is it you?"

Zheng Yunfeng's gaze, piercing through the golden true qi surrounding him, looked from the sky above Hundred Refinements City toward Li Musheng on the roof of Hundred Fragrance Pavilion; his voice was icy cold, with killing intent surging like a tide!

Li Musheng sat upon the ridge of the pavilion roof but did not reply, merely waving his hand toward the other party.

"Ignorant and fearless!"

The killing intent and rage in Zheng Yunfeng's eyes had become impossible to restrain.

The next moment, his entire person vanished from the sky above Hundred Refinements City, instantly transforming into a blurred, dazzling golden beam that swept across the night sky.

A phantom shadow trailing a golden line remained in the air above several streets in the city; in the blink of an eye, it arrived atop Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

Zheng Yunfeng, wreathed in true qi, looked down; with a single glance, he saw his son, his Lady, and a group of Hundred Refinements Peak experts, including the Elder, lying scattered together in the ditches of the streets below.

"Seeking death!"

The true qi surrounding Zheng Yunfeng instantly boiled; the true qi of heaven and earth became chaotic and violent, and the clouds above Hundred Refinements City seemed to show signs of collapsing and pressing down.

"Make the person behind you come out!"

Zheng Yunfeng looked down and shouted fiercely, his voice like thunder.

Although his heart was filled with boundless grief and rage, he did not immediately attack Li Musheng below.

Although the messenger had spoken with absolute certainty that Li Musheng had killed his Lady and two sons, Zheng Yunfeng still did not believe that everything was truly done by the Li Musheng before him.

The opponent was too young, young enough for him to despise.

The reason he restrained himself from personally erasing him was that he had not found any other expert's presence around the opponent.

In Zheng Yunfeng's view, the hidden expert must be the true culprit.

At this moment, Li Musheng looked at Zheng Yunfeng above Hundred Fragrance Pavilion and suddenly spoke:

"Throw one move; let me see your level."

Upon hearing this, the golden true qi surrounding Zheng Yunfeng paused slightly; immediately, a voice of laughter born of extreme rage sounded.

In the next instant, Zheng Yunfeng said nothing more; he merely slowly raised his hand and clenched his fist. Before the fist even struck, the space within ten zhang around him collapsed into a vortex, with crack-like golden true qi gathering and moving along the edge of the cloud vortex.

In an instant, thunder exploded in the sky; the fist intent stirred heaven and earth as if to invert the night sky, then swept down to cover the surrounding area of dozens of zhang, including Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

Where the fist edge swept, it was as if a golden dragon descended to the world; spatial folds were gnawed by a giant beast, the surrounding hundred zhang became a violent swirling current, and streams of glassy, otherworldly heavenly light hung from the center of the fist. At the end of each beam of heavenly light hung a vague mountain shadow, heavier than mountains, weaving together in the air into a massive net.

If this fist were to fall, clearly everything around, including the entire Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, would without doubt be blasted into dust.

However, the next moment, Zheng Yunfeng suddenly froze, and then a look of shock appeared in his eyes.

The mountainous giant net formed by the fist intent beneath his fist suddenly halted above the roof of Hundred Fragrance Pavilion; the golden true qi vortex in the entire night sky, no matter what, could not press downward, as if blocked by an unbreakable force.

"Finally showing yourself!"

Zheng Yunfeng suddenly threw another fist.

In an instant, a terrifying fist intent, as if suppressing heaven and earth and unbreakable by any weapon, shot skyward; the domineering true qi golden light, like a blazing sun, pierced straight through the night sky above Hundred Refinements City, projecting a pillar of golden light that held up the heavens.

At the same time, it was as if the true qi of heaven and earth throughout Hundred Refinements City suddenly emptied out, all being swallowed and sucked into the space between Zheng Yunfeng's two fists.

At this moment, the fist dao true intent that surpassed all others in Great Li Jianghu, and the vast, mighty true qi of heaven and earth, all pressed down upon the head of Li Musheng, who sat atop Hundred Fragrance Pavilion.

If these two fists of Zheng Yunfeng were to fall, without doubt, the entire street district where Hundred Fragrance Pavilion stood would be blasted into ruins, with the ground sinking three feet!

In the mountains and forests outside Hundred Refinements City, the old man in hemp clothes and Lin Xun'er quietly hid behind a mountain rock.

The old man and the child both had their eyes wide open, their gazes unmoving as they stared at the incredibly dazzling, incredibly terrifying pillar of golden light shooting into the sky within Hundred Refinements City.

The golden light pillar was even more conspicuous than the previous silver flame, but more importantly, it contained the martial pressure and terrifying essence of fist Dao.

Though the two were far from the center of the golden pillar, they still felt faintly shaken by the scattered fist intent.

"The gap between heavenly experts is this immense? Even as a heavenly expert, I've never seen you, Grandpa, be this powerful."

Lin Xun'er's dark eyes reflected the towering golden pillar in the distance; her small face filled with shock, she couldn't help exclaiming.

The hemp-clad elder glanced at his young granddaughter out of the corner of his eye, sighed, and said:

"I've told you before: even a minor realm gap between heavenly experts is like a celestial abyss. If I had Zheng Yunfeng's level of martial cultivation, I'd have killed the Hundred Refinement Peak long ago—why would I be hiding here?"

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly narrowed slightly, and he said:

"Zheng Yunfeng is clearly unleashing full power. Facing such a terrifying killing technique, I wonder how this Young Master Li will respond? Can he even withstand these two fists?"

Hearing this, Lin Xun'er's slender eyebrows furrowed as she pondered:

"If he can eliminate the Hundred Refinement Peak's Grand Elder, his martial strength may not match Zheng Yunfeng's, but escaping from him shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The hemp-clad elder slowly shook his head, his gaze fixed tightly on Hundred Refinement City:

"Hard to say. But that Young Master Li should reveal himself and act soon!"

…

A caravan traveling from Luoshenfeng's main peak toward Hundred Refinement Peak sped along the mountain path.

Inside the carriage sat the eldest disciple of the Shenfengzhang Sect, the designated successor to the Luoshenfeng Sect leader, accompanied by three elder-level martial experts from the peak.

When the towering golden pillar blazed into the sky over Hundred Refinement City, every horse and carriage on the path was instantly halted by an invisible aura.

Then, the three Luoshenfeng elders all looked toward the sky, and the carriage curtain was drawn back, revealing a young man clad in a moon-white long robe.

The young man's appearance was unremarkable, yet he was extremely young—barely in his early twenties—holding a black-wood fan with silver edges, gazing in the same direction as the elders.

"Your Young Master, it appears Zheng Fengzuo has acted."

A slightly corpulent elder turned and bowed; the young man's expression remained utterly calm as he murmured:

"If he's unleashing full power, the opponent's martial strength is no trivial matter."

"But such a master appearing in Hundred Refinement City suggests something's amiss—likely a Great Li imperial agent."

Hearing this, the three surrounding elders all grew solemn. According to their intelligence, the Commandant Fu Qiwén had planned a four-pronged assault on Luoshenfeng.

Yet no one expected he'd secretly dispatched elite forces to strike Hundred Refinement Peak—these imperial hounds were truly treacherous and cunning.

"No matter. Zheng Fengzuo will surely capture him. It's merely the loss of one of the empire's top-tier masters."

One Luoshenfeng elder's eyes gleamed with coldness as he gazed at the golden pillar in the sky.

The eldest disciple of the Shenfengzhang Sect remained silent, quietly watching the night sky as if observing what came next.

…

Meanwhile, the golden pillar rising from Hundred Refinement City was seen by all factions near Luoshenfeng territory.

The Shengzhou Tianjinwei, stealthily advancing toward Yuxing Peak, clearly saw this sight in the darkness; each halted abruptly, raising their heads in shock.

Though too distant to feel Zheng Yuanfeng's fist essence, the dazzling golden aura formed by terrifying heavenly qi was so awe-inspiring it left them trembling.

"Don't stop! Keep moving!"

A command came from behind; the Shengzhou Tianjinwei dared not linger, continuing their march while glancing upward.

"Zheng Yunfeng has acted."

On horseback, Fu Qiwén's face was solemn. If Hu Rui's words were true, then the Eighth Prince had likely just clashed with him.

Hu Rui, beside him, also saw this and quickly spoke:

"My lord, you'll soon see—I believe the Prince's fist Dao cultivation is no less than Zheng Yunfeng's."

Hearing this, Fu Qiwén glanced at him, frowned slightly, then fixed his gaze tightly on the sky.

He wanted to see for himself just how powerful this Eighth Prince truly was.

Meanwhile, the large black cat that had been swiftly leading Lin Tang and the others suddenly stopped upon seeing the golden pillar rise from Hundred Refinement City.

Seeing this, Lin Tang and the others, who had been pressing forward with heads down, also halted abruptly.

Then, all turned to follow the black cat's gaze—and in the next instant, their expressions changed.

"Such terrifying heavenly qi—could it be that Luoshenfeng's peak master has acted?"

The elder Wu Yong frowned, his gaze shifting uncertainly; then, the black cat ahead meowed several times and simply sat down, refusing to move further.

Seeing this, the scholar Sui Zhen looked startled, then turned to Lin Tang and Lin Yueru and asked:

"What's wrong with it?"

Hearing this, Lin Tang's eyes flickered; she glanced at the black cat and shook her head:

"Little sister says it's too late—we won't get to see the show!"

…

Baixiang Pavilion.

Li Musheng sat atop the roof, watching the fist intent and heavenly qi pour down upon him like a celestial river breaking its dam.

He merely shook his head slowly and said:

"No good. Too weak."

The moment he spoke, the surrounding heavens and earth fell utterly still.

The towering golden qi froze; the vast, overwhelming heavenly qi instantly turned to stagnant water.

Zheng Yunfeng's fists hung suspended in midair, the crushing weight of his fist intent like a towering mountain.

Yet no matter how hard he strained, he could not press those fists, saturated with his own fist Dao essence, down a single inch toward Baixiang Pavilion below.

Zheng Yunfeng's pupils slowly widened. In his gaze, the young man who had been sitting atop the roof now gently raised a finger and pointed it toward his forehead.

Instantly, his mind flooded with images of his Lady and two sons' skulls pierced by bloodied holes.

He desperately tried to cry out—but before his lips could part, his life force vanished in an instant.

The fist intent and true qi filling the sky crashed and scattered; the golden pillar of light shooting toward the heavens collapsed in an instant, dissolving into a golden wind that swept outward from above Hundred Refinements City in all directions.

In an instant, the entire sky above Hundred Refinements City suddenly blazed with light, then returned to darkness and silence.

(End of this chapter)