Chapter 13: Heir of the Divine Illumination Skill

While Ding Dian displayed his divine might, Feng Yi was not idle either. Ling Tui Si thrust out his palm, hoping to shake Zhou Qi away, but upon touching his body, he felt the force like a mountain, retreating several steps with a thud-thud-thud, neutralizing the incoming force.

However, Zhou Qi met a worse fate—he fell with a plop, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his nose crooked and eyes askew, already breathless and dead.

It turned out that when Feng Yi threw the person, he did so with the Shadowless Divine Fist; Zhou Qi's internal energy had not reached the highest level, and this punch shook his five viscera and six bowels.

When Ling Tui Si struck out his palm, he was thinking only of his own safety, not caring about the other's life or death. With Zhou Qi's modest skill, caught between the two men's fist and palm forces, he died instantly.

And after flinging Zhou Qi away, Feng Yi leapt high into the air; as he descended, he spread his arms wide, like a great peng spreading its wings.

In an instant he arrived before Ling Tui Si, tapped the ground with his foot, floated in a slight turn, and threw out a punch.

This punch was nimble and soaring, swift as a startled lightning, wind rising and dust swirling, its momentum terribly frightening.

Seeing this move, Ling Tui Si found it extraordinarily swift and vicious, impossible to avoid, and he was greatly alarmed. Yet as the chief of his gang, he was no ordinary foe; he curled his arms together and went forward to meet it, actually intending to block the punch head-on.

Before fist and palm even met, the immense force clashed first, and a dull "duo" sound rang out—long and ear-shaking, with vigorous wind bursting in all directions.

Ling Tui Si involuntarily retreated several steps; in an instant, hot blood surged to his head, his breathing grew ragged, he stood rooted, afraid to move, as if frozen.

Gazing intently, he saw a red vapor rise on Feng Yi's face, his body swaying slightly, then his expression returned to normal.

Ling Tui Si's heart leapt; he suddenly realized, and in an instant a wave of sorrow washed over his body and mind, and he cried out hoarsely: "Divine Illumination Skill!"

When Ling Tui Si had captured Ding Dian back then, although he had used the "Golden Wave Ten-Day Flower," Ding Dian had merely inhaled its fragrance without direct contact, so he had not lost his mobility outright; he had even exchanged moves with Ling Tui Si's subordinates, but upon clashing head-on with Feng Yi, he immediately recognized this as the Divine Illumination Skill.

Yet he realized this, though Feng Yi had been with Ding Dian for only seven days before receiving the transmission.

Yet he had expended painstaking effort, tried every means, and after three years gained nothing—how could he bear it? How could he not feel sorrowful and desolate? "Shadowless Divine Fist!"

Ling Tui Si was feeling anguished, and then this shout shook him, making his whole body tremble; he couldn't help but widen the corners of his eyes, and in his peripheral vision he saw a figure swinging both fists repeatedly in the crowd, the fist wind gusting.

That figure, Ling Tui Si naturally recognized! This again left Ling Tui Si completely stunned.

In his mind rose a single thought: How could this be possible?

The person before him was clearly Ding Dian, whose tendons he himself had severed, whose pipa bone he had pierced, who month after month had been whipped by his subordinates yet gritted his teeth and endured the pain—all of this directly shattered Ling Tui Si's understanding.

It made him unconsciously rub his eyes.

It was real, not an illusion!

Not bad—Feng Yi had learned not only the Divine Illumination Skill and the Shadowless Divine Fist, but this cripple Ding Dian was now no different from an ordinary person.

Only at this moment did Ling Tui Si accept this fact.

Yet Ling Tui Si stood there dazed, while Feng Yi had not been stunned at all—on the contrary, he had been waiting for precisely this moment.

Feng Yi drew a deep breath, the Divine Illumination Skill circulating silently; his eyes instantly shot forth bright light as he shouted, "Didn't expect that!" He stepped forward, voice and body arriving together, the divine fist like lightning, striking toward Ling Tui Si's chest and abdomen.

With a "peng" sound, Ling Tui Si felt as if struck by a massive pestle; only then did he awaken from grief and disbelief, but it was already too late.

His former self had been driven by Ling Tui Si to die in prison, and in a past life Feng Yi had loathed Ling Tui Si's nature to the bone; yet here he had knelt before this beast in human guise, begging for favor—though it was mere pretense, everything was for the present. Feeling no shame, therefore once this punch landed solidly, its force surged forth urgently.

Ling Tui Si possessed several decades of cultivation, naturally far deeper than Feng Yi's, and his internal energy was not weak either. Yet even so, his vision darkened, his blood boiled, his five viscera and six bowels felt as if fried in oil, his body seemed swept by a gale; he somersaulted backward in midair, flying over two zhang, blood gushing from his mouth as he hung in the air, and upon landing his legs went limp, about to collapse.

Feng Yi extended his form, lunged forward in a single stride, his left hand shooting out to seize Ling Tui Si's throat, his right hand drawing the waist-worn saber and laying it across his windpipe, his left elbow repeatedly striking three points on his chest and abdomen; Ling Tui Si instantly became like a puppet, unable to move.

Feng Yi's series of moves came naturally to him, filling him with great satisfaction; he exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, about to speak to call a halt, when he heard Ding Dian shout loudly: "Be careful!"

Feng Yi felt a metallic blade slicing the wind behind him; he sensed someone launching a covert attack, but this wind sound was formidable, and he had no time to turn, so he pulled Ling Tui Si along and lunged forward over a zhang, his feet not yet touching the ground, preparing to turn and counterstrike, when he heard Ding Dian's thunderous bellow like a muffled roar: "Lie down!"

Looking back, he saw Ding Dian's form flash; his left hand grabbed the sword-wielding hand of Ma Tianming, the adept of the Myriad Victory Saber, while his right fist struck straight at the man's chest.

It turned out that Ma Tianming, seeing Ding Dian suddenly strike out with fierce divine might, had his heart pounding "thump-thump" and dared not rush forward, hiding to the side.

Back when Ding Dian was captured, he had exchanged moves with Ling Tui Si's subordinates, Ma Tianming being one of them.

Moreover, during the three years Ding Dian was imprisoned, on the fifteenth of each month he was tortured, and Ma Tianming had also participated.

Assuming Ding Dian was crippled by a pierced pipa bone and severed tendons, they never expected him to be able to strike, let alone so ferociously, his martial prowess surpassing former days; thus they cried out in alarm, "Shadowless Divine Fist!" and kept to the periphery, not daring to advance.

But seeing Feng Yi's punch strike Ling Tui Si, exposing an opening on his back that faced him directly, in the flash of a thought he raised his saber and lunged at Feng Yi.

Ding Dian constantly monitored Feng Yi's movements, holding off enemies who sought to rescue Ling Tui Si on all sides; otherwise Feng Yi would never have had the chance to confront Ling Tui Si face to face.

Upon seeing Ma Tianming launch a sneak attack on Feng Yi, he immediately shouted a warning, then hurriedly drove back the foe before him and rushed forward to lend aid.

Ding Dian had practiced martial arts for over twenty years, and had trained the Divine Illumination Skill for eight; though not yet perfected, his inner depth and martial strength were such that only a handful could rival him.

With a single reach, like a cloud-dragon probing for claws, he seized Ma Tianming's wrist and bellowed, "Lie down!"

As he spoke, he pulled the man forward with his left hand and struck out with his right fist. Ma Tianming, whose pulse point was gripped, went limp and unable to move, only able to watch as the heavy fist, wind-augmented, smashed down—he couldn't even utter a word.

With a "peng" sound, Ma Tianming's breastbone was shattered; his body flew off like a broken kite, spewing a large mouthful of blood in midair and knocking over several nearby people.

Ding Dian had once been whipped by Ma Tianming; this punch, thrown with hatred, was all the more fierce.

Only a crackling "pa-pa" and clanging "dang-lang-lang" rang out; the weapons of the five or six men in front flew from their hands to the ground, their bodies leaping forth like cold ducks rushing into water, and they toppled several more behind them.

Feng Yi raised his sword-brows, glared angrily, and shouted, "All right, stop!"

His voice rang like spring thunder; everyone shuddered involuntarily, and upon seeing Ling Tui Si collapsed on the ground with his saber held to his neck, they all halted.

But someone shouted, "Feng Yi, you dare to hold the Big Dragon Head hostage—hurry up and release him!"

Moreover someone yelled, "With so many of us here, you cannot escape!"

Feng Yi sneered, "If you don't shut up, I won't cut his throat—I'll first slap him across the face!"

Saying this, he slammed his left hand hard onto Ling Tui Si's shoulder. At that moment Ling Tui Si's face was as pale as gold paper, a fine thread of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his five viscera and six bowels aching everywhere; the blow made him feel as if a heavy mountain struck his body, he endured the pain, clenched his mouth, trying not to cry out, but his agonized expression was plain to all.

His followers were merely putting on a show of steadfast loyalty in turbulent times; seeing this situation, they too fell silent.

After all, Ling Tui Si's status was noble; if Feng Yi slapped his mouth, his dignity would be utterly lost. They feared that the more they displayed, the worse things would become—if Ling Tui Si did not die, he would surely bear a grudge against them.

In an instant it fell as silent as a dropping pin, and no one dared speak further.

Feng Yi shifted his gaze to Ling Tui Si's face and slowly asked, "What do you say?"

Ling Tui Si lifted his head to look at Feng Yi, then at Ding Dian, his whole body trembling with rage, as if trapped in a nightmare; he simply could not believe that he had fallen into the hands of these two.

Ling Tui Si fell silent for a moment, his mood slightly eased, then he gave a grim smile to Feng Yi and said, "You are excellent, excellent! Feng Yi, I must say, I have always prided myself on judging people, yet I failed to see that you are such a formidable figure, and still thought highly of myself, letting you come into contact with Ding the Great Hero; I am truly blind, and deserve this retribution!"

Everyone present saw this—let alone the clever Ling Tui Si, even some disciples of the Longsha Gang and the constables of the prefectural office all understood everything.

For Feng Yi had pondered deeply, knowing that in this situation his and Ding Dian's martial arts were not yet mature, they could not win by force, and needed to rely on strategy.

Thus he deliberately put on an appearance of reckless, wild abandon, provoking those renowned fighters into single combat.

Feng Yi's appearance is exactly what the saying describes: "A full bottle of water doesn't ripple, a half‑filled bottle sways back and forth"—no one would take him seriously.

Yet when Feng Yi fought Geng Tianba, he deliberately concealed his skill, not even using the Shadowless Divine Fist, causing people to look down on him.

He loudly mocked Wan Zhenshan, counting on Zhou Qi's youthful vigor, noble birth, and arrogant nature, sure that he would fight for his own or his master's honor.

When he dueled Zhou Qi one‑on‑one, he seized the moment with lightning speed, snatched Zhou Qi's long sword, attacked Ling Tusi, even considered his retreat route, and struck again with Zhou Qi's body, leaving Ling Tusi no chance to escape the scene.

Most importantly, Dian Ding had remained silent, but at this critical juncture he suddenly struck, leaving Ling Tusi's men no time to rush to his rescue.

Any means of shooting arrows or throwing hidden weapons that could threaten the two became useless.

Even Ling Tusi's ultimate move, "Golden Wave Xunhua," had been considered by Feng Yi.

He knew well that just smelling it made one faint, touching it meant death—Ling Tusi could hardly carry it on his person.

Anything smeared on clothing would be impossible.

Unless he had a death‑wish! Moreover, with so many people around, before poisoning the enemy he would first have to equip his own side with antidotes.

But the antidote for Golden Wave Xunhua is priceless—how could everyone have a dose? Even if they did, the poison would lose its lethality, making it pointless. In the original plot, Ding Dian was poisoned twice: once while admiring flowers with Ling Shuanghua, inhaling the scent with no one else nearby;

the second time Ling Tusi smeared the poison on a coffin, and Ding Dian kissed and touched it, absorbing the toxin through his skin.

Di Yun was also present, but since he hadn't touched the coffin, being close caused him no harm.

Therefore, unless Ling Tusi used himself as bait and set a trap, a "cripple" like Ding Dian and a petty underling like himself are unworthy of Ling Tusi risking himself.

For all these reasons, Feng Yi is certain that in a crowd there is nothing to fear from Golden Wave Xunhua.

After Feng Yi had worked out all his calculations, he forced Ling Tusi into a dead end; then, relying on his true ability, he could quickly subdue Ling Tusi and secure victory.

Conversely, Ling Tusi could only turn the tide by defeating Feng Yi.

But Ling Tusi failed to beat Feng Yi, thus suffering utter defeat.

Yet Ling Tusi had also thought it through, so his praise of Feng Yi's skill came from the heart, without pretense.

After all, he never respected those strong in martial arts, but he admired those who used wisdom—that is true talent.

Just like himself.

Until this moment, Ling Tusi still believed he hadn't lost completely! But he didn't know that if Feng Yi's Divine Illumination Skill hadn't been fully perfected and his Shadowless Fist weren't sufficiently refined, that earlier punch would have killed him! Feng Yi said lightly, "I'll take your praise as a compliment. But no matter how skilled I am, how could I surpass the great hero Ding Dian? Or surpass the prefect Ling who imprisoned him for three years!

Enough idle talk—first bring out the antidote for Golden Wave Xunhua!"

Feng Yi felt that the only thing threatening his life now was Golden Wave Xunhua; he needed to obtain an antidote first to be safe.

Ling Tusi stared blankly at Feng Yi; seeing his gaze fixed on his face, it felt colder than the blade at his throat.

Ling Tusi could guess this was what Ding Ding had told him; his lips trembled, then he shouted in a quivering voice: "You, you really cultivated the Divine Illumination Skill?"

Feng Yi smiled and said: "Not bad."

He then looked at the crowd and called out: "Formerly, Hero Mei Da Xia unfortunately passed away; in life he transmitted the Divine Illumination Skill and the Linked City Manual to Hero Ding Da Xia, thereby arousing covetousness from all under heaven. Our chief, Prefect Ling, spared no expense, using his daughter as bait to capture Hero Ding Da Xia alive.

For this secret, for three years he let Hero Ding Da Xia suffer torment; when Prefect Ling had no other recourse, he threatened and lured me into the prison, hoping to trick Hero Ding Da Xia into revealing his secret.

Fortunately, Hero Ding Da Xia saw through the plot, moved me with emotion and reason, told me of his tragic ordeal, and felt I was a malleable talent, unwilling to let me sink into a mire, unwilling to let me be slain by Chief Ling to silence me, thus he took me as his disciple in place of his master! From now on, I, Feng Yi, am no longer a member of the Longsha Gang; I am the closed‑door disciple of the Two Lakes Hero 'Iron Bone Ink Plume' Hero Mei Da Xia,

and the legitimate successor of the Divine Illumination Skill.

Henceforth, anyone who dares to covet the Divine Illumination Scripture and the Linked City Manual in my school, hehe, will have to look out for themselves."

Upon saying this, an uproar rose among the crowd; Ding Ding also frowned slightly—this wasn't part of our plan.

But, knowing Feng Yi's style of conduct, he did not deny it.

After all, I truly have a master‑disciple bond with Mei Niansheng, and I have passed on Feng Yi's martial arts; saying this is therefore not improper.

Moreover, having received Mei Niansheng's kindness, I ought to clear his door, avenge the killing of my body! Only the divine skill is not yet complete, and I have also been imprisoned.

If today I can escape, this matter must not be forgotten.

(End of chapter)