Chapter 84: Chen Yi He's Grand Battle with Old Man Zhang

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Old Man Zhang unleashed three palms in succession!

Chen Yi He barely managed to block them; with each palm he took three steps back, and after the third he was backed into a corner by Old Man Zhang.

Though Old Man Zhang appeared frail and weak, his palm force was the strongest Chen Yi He had ever seen—swift, fierce, and rapid, each strike ripping the wind, howling forth and back, leaving Chen Yi He utterly unable to retaliate.

Chen Yi He focused solely on dodging; if not for his speed, he would have already been pulverized by Old Man Zhang's slaps.

Dealing with Chen Yi He, Old Man Zhang was like a hawk catching a chick—no matter how Chen Yi He ran, he could always intercept him swiftly, block his path; the killing move always fell just short, and as a senior expert he hadn't expected Chen Yi He's speed to be this great.

"No wonder Xiao Feng and Nan Zhongyi could do nothing to you!"

"Just dodging won't work; I'll go all out!" Specks of white light burst from Chen Yi He's body, rich and brilliant.

Most of the true qi left to Chen Yi He by the Seventh Elder had been refined by him, becoming his own.

Chen Yi He opened and closed his hands, unleashing a "Parting Cloud Palm"; milky-white true qi surged toward Old Man Zhang.

Chen Yi He directly blasted a shockwave inside the Eternal Joy Gate; its powerful force overturned dozens of gambling tables, sending silver notes, gold, dice, dominoes, mahjong tiles, and more flying everywhere, while assorted debris rushed out through the hole Old Man Zhang had just blown open.

It smashed the onlookers outside the street, leaving them bruised and battered!

All that was seen was Old Man Zhang flicking his sleeve; the sleeve rolled up, completely neutralizing the incoming palm force, and only fell back when the force had dissipated.

By then, Chen Yi He had already fled the Eternal Joy Gate!

The wooden structure inside the Eternal Joy Gate was damaged, its beams severely compromised; the eight-story building teetered on collapse. Trapped inside, Old Man Zhang found his path blocked by countless shattered gambling tables, and it seemed he would perish together with the Eternal Joy Gate.

What kind of man is Old Man Zhang? He strode forward, and in just a few steps walked out of the Eternal Joy Gate.

"Boom—" Old Man Zhang seemed to have calculated everything; the moment he left the Eternal Joy Gate, that eight-story wooden tower collapsed instantly!

The mighty headquarters of the Eternal Joy Gate actually collapsed under the duel of two men! Fortunately no one else was hurt, but the property loss is immeasurable.

Chen Yi He ran for his life! He ran toward the Prince's Manor. He sensed a force closing in from behind—Old Man Zhang was about to catch up!

At the end of the street, Old Man Zhang flipped his body and blocked Chen Yi He's path.

Chen Yi He was in a sorry state, while Old Man Zhang glared at him ferociously.

"No wonder Qian Da and Lu Qianchuan couldn't handle you, heh." Old Man Zhang spoke without even catching his breath.

Meanwhile Chen Yi He was exhausted to the point of near collapse; this person's strength far surpassed his, and he could not possibly oppose him!

Desperate, Chen Yi He thought, "Rather than be worn down to death, I might as well go all out!" As the idea formed, his sword rose.

This was Chen Yi He's strongest move, "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun"; he executed it with extra care, the sword taking an angled path, using offense as defense—the Purple Tempered Sword left no trace, repeatedly aiming for Old Man Zhang's throat.

"The Mount Hua Sword Technique—nice." Having wandered the court and jianghu for so many years, Old Man Zhang, well-versed and experienced, could hardly fail to recognize the Mount Hua Sword Technique.

To counter the Mount Hua Sword Technique, one must first evade its sequence, wait for an opening when the opponent shifts the sword, then strike a killing blow. Never clash head‑on with it, or you'll easily be swept away by this reckless sword style.

One sword shattered the ground's bricks, revealing a crack dozens of paces long.

One sword overturned a vendor's stall before he could clear it away.

One sword cut off half of Old Man Zhang's sleeve.

Old Man Zhang started; just moments ago he had nearly had his hand cut off by Chen Yi He, and he hadn't expected Chen Yi He's swordsmanship to have reached such a level as to draw someone like him into the path!

He kicked the blade of the Purple Tempered Sword; Old Man Zhang leapt back, shaking his head at Chen Yi He, "No wonder Zhou Ke wants you—this way you certainly can't stay!"

Chen Yi He drew his sword ready to attack again, but was frightened by Old Man Zhang's aura.

True qi seeped from Old Man Zhang's body, forming a mass of hot air around him; the ground began to tremble beneath his feet, the tremor's range initially just the distance before and behind him, then gradually expanding and spreading.

During this time Chen Yi He discovered he could not move, his steps as if locked; he gripped his sword with both hands, gathering his utmost strength! Sword intent pierced heaven and earth! It ran through his body. As a junior of the Third Heaven, Chen Yi He could wield sword intent like this—something to be proud of!

"Boundless Sea!" Old Man Zhang thrust both palms forward; his true qi and palm force surged like the waves of the East Sea, struggling out from his palms, vowing to submerge everything on the water's surface.

Chen Yi He raised his sword and brought it down!

When the two forces met, the true qi exploded thirty‑odd times, blasting houses to ruins, shredding shops, leaving the area around them in utter chaos!

"Pfft!" Chen Yi He was flung backward, spitting out a mouthful of old blood as he fell, nearly fainting.

Old Man Zhang rarely showed such mental disturbance; he hadn't expected to be driven to this point by a youngster, but fortunately the outcome was settled—no one could survive under his "Boundless Sea"!

Although he hadn't used full force in that move, its power was still no less than seventy percent—more than enough to deal with a Third Heaven expert!

It was precisely because of Old Man Zhang's brief confidence that Chen Yi He managed to escape.

Chen Yi He fled amid dust and smoke to the sound of explosions, enduring intense pain as he lightly leapt onto a roof about to collapse, using the last of his strength to get away.

When the dust finally settled, Old Man Zhang saw only bricks and stones scattered everywhere, but no trace of Chen Yi He's remains.

Old Man Zhang gave a faint smile, "I was careless."

Old Man Zhang did not pursue, for Chen Yi He's true qi had dissipated, leaving nothing to track; moreover he was not in a hurry. He knew that even if Chen Yi He escaped, he would surely die.

To take a hit of "Boundless Sea" head‑on, even if it doesn't instantly shred the body into myriad pieces, the meridians and bones will be shattered, perhaps even causing blood to flow backward—in short, death is unavoidable.

"Good lad…… just a pity…" Old Man Zhang muttered to himself; he had never personally struck a junior before, and Chen Yi He was the first. Reflecting now, he felt his decision to intervene was correct, for if Chen Yi He were allowed to grow unchecked, in ten or twenty years likely no one could stop his advance.

"Lu Qianchuan, send people to search for Chen Yi He's corpse—he couldn't have gone far."

"Yes."

……

"Ah! Pfft…" Chen Yi He could no longer hold back, spitting another large mouthful of fresh blood; he was like a scarecrow stripped of support, collapsing straight into the field.

Chen Yi He lost consciousness, his vision plunging into total darkness.