Chapter 3: Nine Suns Shocking the World

The night was dark and the wind high, with black clouds obscuring the moon—it was the perfect time for killing. A sudden, miserable shriek erupted from the Ruzhou Prefect's mansion, followed by a red figure that flashed out from the mansion and vanished into the night.

After exiting Ruzhou City, Luo Yexi, who was speeding through the night, suddenly frowned. She landed on a large tree and said coldly, "Everyone, aren't you tired after following for so long? Why not come out and catch up?"

"Swish, swish, swish!" Numerous figures suddenly emerged from the jungle, surrounding Luo Yexi completely.

"Tie Ying, Leng Qi, Duan Lei, Tie Shi..." Luo Yexi's gaze swept over everyone present, the cold glint in her eyes growing increasingly intense. "Almost all the experts of the Divine Catcher Gate are here. What a grand formation indeed!"

"Hongyi, you have repeatedly murdered imperial officials, a crime beyond forgiveness. Today, many experts of our Divine Catcher Gate have arrived together; even if you grew wings, you wouldn't escape. You had best surrender obediently!" Tie Ying said coldly.

"Surrender? Ridiculous! Do you think people like you can stop me?" Luo Yexi gave a cold laugh. "The dignified Divine Catcher Gate doesn't go after corrupt officials or mountain bandits and villains, yet now you've actually come to catch me. Do you really think I wouldn't dare to lay a hand on you?"

"Enough talk, take this!" A flash of annoyance crossed Tie Shi's eyes. He lunged at Luo Yexi, throwing both fists out at once. A faint sound of a lion's roar echoed out—it was Tie Shi's famous signature technique: Mad Lion Fist.

"Are you angry from embarrassment? Then let me show you this young lady's power!" Luo Yexi was quite fed up with the Divine Catcher Gate repeatedly causing her trouble. She circulated the Nine Yang Divine Art within her body, seven parts output, three parts reserved, and met Tie Shi's fists head-on with red light faintly appearing on her palms.

With a "Boom," Tie Shi's face turned pale. He felt an incomparably scorching power break through his fist force and blast directly into his body. He immediately stumbled back several steps, a trickle of fresh blood spilling from his mouth. A single exchange, and his internal organs were already injured.

Leng Qi's expression turned ugly instantly. He had fought Luo Yexi before and understood her strength. Now that Tie Shi was injured in their first exchange, it was clear that Luo Yexi was no longer holding back.

"Not good, attack together!" Seeing Tie Shi injured, Duan Lei's expression changed. He quickly stepped forward a few paces to take Luo Yexi's second strike for Tie Shi. Even though his strength was significantly greater than Tie Shi's, he still felt a stifling sensation in his chest.

Seeing the Divine Catcher Gate experts attacking together, a cold sneer curled the corners of Luo Yexi's mouth as she unleashed the Nine Yang Divine Art to its full extent. In an instant, within a radius of three zhang, red light shone everywhere. Everyone who traded blows with her ended up with blood spilling from their mouths, retreating repeatedly. For a time, dozens of experts from the Divine Catcher Gate could not do anything to Luo Yexi alone.

Tie Ying's face was half-red and half-white, but he pushed his Dual Origin Art to the limit and met Luo Yexi with a heavy palm strike. With a "Boom," Tie Ying retreated several steps and spat out a mouthful of blood, yet a smile appeared on his lips. After forcing Tie Ying back with one palm, Luo Yexi felt the True Qi in her body stagnate, with a faint tendency to dissipate.

"Power-Dissolving Powder, despicable!" A hint of killing intent appeared in Luo Yexi's eyes.

"Hongyi, your martial arts are superb. If we didn't use some small tricks, how could we dare say you wouldn't escape today?" Tie Ying wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his tone filled with a hint of self-satisfaction.

At this moment, Luo Yexi finally understood why the people from the Divine Catcher Gate, despite coming to capture her, were not fighting to the death but instead kept entangling her—it was all to wait for the Power-Dissolving Powder to take effect.

"The so-called Divine Catcher Gate is nothing more than this!" Killing intent suddenly erupted in Luo Yexi's eyes. "Then don't blame me for being impolite!"

Luo Yexi's figure flashed, dodging Tie Ying's attack and darting into the crowd. With the Nine Yang Divine Art fully unleashed, her palms flew, and over a dozen figures coughed up large mouthfuls of blood as they were sent flying backward. Looking at them twitching on the ground, they had surely suffered heavy injuries.

"You're courting death!" Seeing many of his subordinates suffer heavy injuries, Tie Ying was furious and lunged at Luo Yexi. These were his trusted confidants he had personally trained.

Seeing Tie Ying lunging toward her, a cold sneer appeared on Luo Yexi's lips. Her figure swayed, and she met Tie Ying directly, raising the Nine Yang Divine Art to the twelfth level and blasting it straight at him. Tie Ying's expression changed abruptly. In his haste, he blocked with his palms, but he felt a massive, overwhelming force strike him, sending him flying several zhang away. A "crack, crack" sound came from his hands; he had surely been severely injured. Conversely, Luo Yexi used the force of the rebound to flash backward, 穿 through the crowd, and vanish into the jungle.

"Pfft," Tie Ying's face turned red and white before he spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood. Before the blood hit the ground, it was evaporated dry, showing just how tyrannical Luo Yexi's Nine Yang Divine Art was.

"Quickly, pursue! Hongyi has been struck by our Divine Catcher Gate's secret Power-Dissolving Powder; she surely cannot run far!" Tie Ying shouted, spitting out another large mouthful of blood as he did so.

Leng Qi and the others left some people behind to look after Tie Ying and the others, while the rest pursued her.

Luo Yexi sped through the forest, flashing over a hundred zhang in the blink of an eye before landing in a clearing. Looking at her, she did not seem like someone who had been affected by Power-Dissolving Powder.

With a "hiss," a crossbow bolt shot out from the jungle, flying straight at Luo Yexi's face. Luo Yexi tilted her head, and the bolt whizzed past her face, burying itself into a large tree.

"Who is it? Get out here!" Luo Yexi said coldly.

A whistle sounded from the woods, and a group of men in black surged out from the bushes, blocking Luo Yexi's path.

Looking at the people blocking her way, a cold glint flashed in Luo Yexi's eyes: "People from the Heaven-Listening Tower, and two of the three Tower Lords have come, along with two of the four Great Protectors. Such a grand formation—what is it you want to do?"

The Second Tower Lord of the Heaven-Listening Tower smiled faintly and said, "Miss Hongyi, we have no ill intentions in coming here. It is just that our Tower Lord admires you greatly and hopes you can gather at the Heaven-Listening Tower. Furthermore, Miss Hongyi is currently afflicted with the Divine Catcher Gate's Power-Dissolving Powder, and you have the Divine Catcher Gate pursuing you from behind. As long as you accompany us to the Heaven-Listening Tower as a guest, we can block them for you. Otherwise, please do not blame us for being offensive!"

Hearing the Second Tower Lord's words, Luo Yexi could not help but laugh out loud, killing intent rising in her eyes. Being ambushed by the Divine Catcher Gate had already filled her with rage, and now these people from the Heaven-Listening Tower were threatening her too. Did they really think she was at their mercy after being struck by Power-Dissolving Powder? She had to know that what she practiced from the beginning was the Nine Yang Divine Art. With the Nine Yang perfected, she was immune to all poisons; the mere Power-Dissolving Powder had long since been dissolved into nothing by her Nine Yang Inner Strength.

Reaching out to take the long sword from her back, a golden-red light flashed in Luo Yexi's eyes, and a terrifying aura erupted from her body. In an instant, golden-red light swirled within a radius of three zhang, and Sword Qi shot straight into the clouds.

"No wonder Master told me to bring the sword this time; it seems she had already anticipated today's situation! Then let me use you all to test my Nine Yang Heavenly Art!" The white-gold long sword in Luo Yexi's hand left its sheath, Sword Qi overflowing. "Nine Yang Heavenly Art, First Form: Initial Sun Scorching the Sky!"

When Luo Yexi unleashed the Nine Yang Heavenly Art, the Second Tower Lord of the Heaven-Listening Tower was already filled with horror. Unfortunately, the golden sword light had already covered them all, and a golden sun crushed down toward everyone present. In an instant, even outside the forest, one could see the sky-piercing Sword Qi and the dazzling golden sun. A few days later, the events that occurred here shook the entire martial arts world, which could be called the Nine Suns Shocking the World.