Chapter 256

The invincible child Gu San Tong was once carefree and lawless, which is why Zhu Wushi outmaneuvered him step by step and ultimately stole Su Xin, locking her in the Imperial Prison.

Now, Zhu Wushi sees this same lawless spirit in Gu Qing.

"Zhu Wushi ordered Yi Dao to drop this investigation—there is no personal motive."

Iron Dan God Marquis said: "This is a secret protected at the cost of the Qilin Child's life. Zhu Wushi, though in court, is still a man of the Jianghu—he possesses a knight's heart and understands that a promise is worth a thousand gold."

Iron Dan God Marquis spoke with righteous grandeur.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Gu Qing asked with a smile.

The smile Zhu Wushi had just forced onto his face gradually turned cold as he fixed his gaze on Gu Qing.

"Father. Master."

Duan Tianya, sensing the danger, hurried between the two and said: "We can talk slowly."

Zhu Wushi stared at Gu Qing and said: "If Grandmaster Gu insists on investigating, let us settle it in combat. If you can win even a single move or half-move from me, I will surely hand over this secret. But if you lose even a single move or half-move..."

"I will go to the Imperial Prison to keep Gu San Tong company."

Gu Qing said calmly.

"That won't be necessary!"

As Zhu Wushi spoke, his figure flashed forward, passing Duan Tianya and arriving on the open ground outside Qilin Manor. Flames still burned the buildings there; the swirling air currents made Duan Tianya, Haitang, and Guihai Yidao unable to see Iron Dan God Marquis's expression—whether he was calm or furious—but all of them felt that the Iron Dan God Marquis at this moment was terrifying!

Gu Qing followed closely and said to Xueji: "Take Piaoxu and the others far away. Watch your husband claim the title of Number One Under Heaven today."

Liu Sheng Xueji and Liu Sheng Piaoxu had already seen Gu Qing's strength clearly in Dongying. Hearing his order, they hurriedly moved farther away, clearing the space for Gu Qing and Iron Dan God Marquis.

"Number One Under Heaven?"

Iron Dan God Marquis's eyes flickered with dark malice.

Gu Qing smiled lightly, raised one hand in a casual gesture, and sent his fingertip force toward Iron Dan God Marquis's Danzhongxue.

Iron Dan God Marquis did not dodge or evade—he let the internal force surge into his body like a mud ox sinking into the sea. Then he raised his hand.

In the past, when Gu San Tong challenged the Eight Major Sects by the shores of Taihu Lake, Zhu Wushi had mingled among them and used the Absorbing Meridian Technique to absorb the internal power of one hundred and seven martial artists, and also learned their martial arts—including the Four Great Captains. It was this accumulation of internal power that gave Zhu Wushi the courage to fight Gu San Tong.

Over the years, Zhu Wushi had absorbed additional internal powers, making him stronger than during the Tianchi battle. Now, this casual palm strike surged like a tidal wave, carrying dust, wood chips, smoke, and flame toward Gu Qing.

Gu Qing's movement was light and nimble. As the palm strike coalesced, he had already shifted position, raised his hand, and unleashed a palm strike from the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms: "Kang Long You Hui."

"Boom!"

Iron Dan God Marquis raised his hand, purple energy gathering, and met the blow head-on. The released force scattered in all directions.

"Kang Long You Hui!"

"Kang Long You Hui!"

"Kang Long You Hui!"

In an instant, Gu Qing stacked three palm strikes in succession, surging toward Iron Dan God Marquis.

Iron Dan God Marquis slashed with his palms, meeting Gu Qing's blows across the void. Around Qilin Manor, the entire area was a firestorm. Their internal powers clashed through the air, creating winds like gales across a mountain ridge—whistling and scattering, dimming the flames and shaking the roof tiles.

Amid this gale, Gu Qing closed the distance, and the Tianshan Plucking Plum Hands emerged effortlessly, sweeping toward Zhu Wushi.

Great Strength Golden Claw Finger!

Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Fist!

Zhu Wushi used both fists and palms, unleashing a full-force assault on Gu Qing. Having mastered countless martial arts, Zhu Wushi had reached a state of effortless mastery—Buddhist finger techniques and Daoist fist forms, amplified by his profound internal power, struck in rapid succession like divine laws in motion, unstoppable, forcing Gu Qing to retreat step by step.

The numbers were simply stronger.

"Get down!"

Zhu Wushi, having gained clear upper hand with consecutive punches, felt he had returned to his familiar domain. He swung a punch straight at Gu Qing and roared.

"Boom!"

Zhu Wushi's punch collided with Gu Qing's fist. This punch carried the "Sinking Weight" force, meant to make Gu Qing's limbs and bones collapse and fall to the ground. But when it struck Gu Qing's fist, Zhu Wushi felt nothing—his full-power punch landed on empty air.

This was the Empty-Mind Fist.

Gu Qing twisted his fist, neutralizing the force, then launched his left palm in "Qian Long Wu Yong," aimed at Zhu Wushi's face.

Zhu Wushi had seen this palm technique several times before. Now, sensing Gu Qing's ingenious way of neutralizing force, he naturally raised one hand to block.

"Got you!"

Gu Qing's hand pressed against Zhu Wushi's arm bone.

Zhu Wushi's entire body was wrapped in powerful internal energy; his arm should have easily blocked Gu Qing's palm. But upon contact, Zhu Wushi realized the palm felt empty—devoid of force. Before he could react, the palm energy spread outward, striking his face directly. Though his internal power was strong and his body unharmed, the blow shattered his topknot, leaving him disheveled and humiliated.

Gu Qing smiled. The power of "Qian Long Wu Yong" never originated from the palm's center—Zhu Wushi had lost this exchange fairly. "Next move!"

The loss of his topknot was like a modern man having his wig ripped off—Zhu Wushi flew into a rage. He extended his Absorbing Meridian Technique toward the nearby buildings. Under its pull, the houses collapsed, rubble and walls tumbling together, hurtling toward Iron Dan God Marquis, who redirected them toward Gu Qing.

"Shhh..."

Gu Qing, seeing this, flashed his body aside, evading completely.

In this world of Number One Under Heaven, Gu Qing still had full confidence in his lightness skill. He let Zhu Wushi's palm force tear down houses and hurl tiles—he drifted east and west, never letting Zhu Wushi trap him with debris.

Zhu Wushi's palms glowed faintly purple. One palm pulled in walls and houses; the other struck empty air, trying to lock onto Gu Qing's form for a hard control. But Gu Qing drifted and danced, using the void to rebound, always evading in ways Zhu Wushi never anticipated. Despite his countless changes, he never touched Gu Qing.

"Master's situation is dire."

Duan Tianya watched Zhu Wushi display overwhelming power while Gu Qing darted and dodged, and said anxiously.

Guihai Yidao also watched the battle, deeply worried. He wished from his heart that Gu Qing would win—he hoped the killer of his father would finally surface. To repay kindness and avenge wrongs was the basic principle Guihai Bailian had taught him.

"I think it's Zhu Wushi who's in trouble!"

Liu Sheng Piaoxu snorted: "He's wasting his internal power and can't even touch your husband. Excess cannot last—he's already lost!"

!

"Years ago, Father and Gu San Tong fought for three days and three nights at Tianchi."

Shanggu Haitang had no affection for Gu Qing and fully supported the God Marquis—she naturally spoke up in rebuttal.

Liu Sheng Piaoxu's face darkened.

"Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh..."

As Gu Qing leapt through the air, his fingers tapped rapidly, gathering the Six Meridian Sword Qi into countless sword auras that rained down upon Zhu Wushi.

Zhu Wushi, who had been dominating the battle, suddenly faced the sword auras. He immediately activated his internal power to defend—only to feel, in an instant, sword strikes falling like rain. Seven or eight swords shifted unpredictably, surrounding him completely. Each sword aura shattered his Absorbing Meridian Technique's power; the surrounding buildings, no longer under his control, clattered and collapsed.

At this moment, Gu Qing was already beside the God Marquis. He surged forward, launching another flurry of fists and palms.

Dragon Claw Technique! Grappling Hands!

Zhu Wushi's face darkened. Though he had just forced Gu Qing back with techniques, his internal power remained full, and each strike now carried immense force, aimed squarely at Gu Qing.

Gu Qing, close at hand, instantly transformed his force into softness—"Dragon Appears in the Field," "Divine Dragon Swings Tail," "Dragon Leaps from the Abyss," "Crossing the Great River." These four moves of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms all avoided strength and struck weakness, targeting his flanks. After four moves, the softness of the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms formed a net of silk. Zhu Wushi's furious momentum sank helplessly into it. Gu Qing's strikes flowed endlessly, weaving through the air, seizing the initiative and turning the Iron Dan God Marquis's position against him.

Zhu Wushi changed his palm techniques—slamming, slapping, chopping, swinging—struggling desperately to break free. In the midst of the Eight Sects' grappling techniques, he suddenly seized Gu Qing's palm. He followed with a series of continuous moves, preparing to lock onto Gu Qing's pulse point—when suddenly, pain shot through his leg. He tumbled backward, rolled several times on the ground, thrown down by Gu Qing's leg sweep.

In raw power, Zhu Wushi was stronger. But in actual combat, Zhu Wushi was a child.

Zhu Wushi's face turned ashen. Since mastering the Absorbing Meridian Technique, he had never suffered such humiliation. Gu Qing had not only ripped off his topknot but also tripped him—Zhu Wushi's face was utterly ruined.

At the start of the fight, Zhu Wushi had said victory would be decided by a single move or half-move. But now, he had already lost two moves.

As he rose to his feet, Zhu Wushi's face was dark with rage.

"Slap!"

Gu Qing's palm struck again.

Zhu Wushi's eyes narrowed. During their previous exchanges, he had already discerned Gu Qing's patterns. Seeing the same palm technique again, he suddenly exerted full force—one hand twisted to seize Gu Qing's wrist, the other lunged forward to grasp his chest!

Absorbing Meridian Technique!

Zhu Wushi's gaze was fierce as he stared at Gu Qing, certain his vast internal power would surge downward, flow through his meridians, and be absorbed. But he felt no harmony—instead, in that instant, his internal power vanished entirely. The strength in his hands dropped by more than half; even his legs went weak.

"Surprised?"

Gu Qing smiled and asked: "Do you know why I tapped your point at the start?"

Iron Dan God Marquis's Absorbing Meridian Technique was powerful, but it had a flaw: when Su Xing awoke, the twenty years of cold energy within her was absorbed by Iron Dan God Marquis—and could not be resolved. It took Cheng Fei's Golden Unbreakable Divine Art to help.

In the revised version of the Dragon Slayers, the Dissolving Meridian Technique is no longer an internal power transformation—it is a poison art. Once the poison is injected into the opponent's meridians, they lose control of their internal power.

Gu Qing knew Iron Dan God Marquis's weakness. Long before the fight, he had planted a poison within his body. He didn't even use the Robe of the Divine Art—he sent a thread of Yi Yang Finger internal energy, waiting for Iron Dan God Marquis to absorb it.

After multiple calculations, he finally exposed this flaw, giving Zhu Wushi the chance to absorb internal power—and slipped the poison out in the same instant.

Zhu Wushi's limbs were powerless. He stared at Gu Qing before him... Gu San Tong had been a brute, and thus was outmaneuvered step by step by Zhu Wushi. But Zhu Wushi had just been utterly defeated by Gu Qing.

"Slap!"

The powerless Zhu Wushi collapsed to his knees—right before Gu Qing.

"Didn't you say that if I won even a single move or half-move, you'd hand over Guihai Yidao's secret?"

Gu Qing looked at Liu Sheng Xueji, Liu Sheng Piaoxu, Duan Tianya, Guihai Yidao, and Shanggu Haitang as they gathered close, and barked: "Zhu Wushi—speak!"

(End of Chapter)