Chapter 809

Invisible palm blade struck Long Xuan'en's body, emitting a Peng! of air blast; this strike did not directly cut Long Xuan'en's skin, but was blocked by his protective gang qi, Long Xuan'en stepped forward one step, and the gold bricks beneath his feet shattered into pieces.

Ji Feihua's body did not lunge directly at him, but instead coiled like a spirit snake around the pillar inside the hall; the coiled dragon pillar emitted two consecutive crack! sounds, its top and bottom broken, a pillar thick enough for a person to embrace, ten zhang long; there are nine such coiled dragon pillars in Lingxiao Palace, symbolizing supreme supremacy, the exalted nine-five. Now this pillar symbolizing imperial authority is being used against the Retired Emperor Long Xuan'en.

A coiled dragon pillar weighing several thousand catties was hurled by Ji Feihua like a spear; the force of this throw shook heaven and earth, enough to breach the strongest city gate in the world.

The Retired Emperor's body skin color continued to darken; looking at the high-speed approaching coiled dragon pillar, he let out a cold snort from his nose, coiled his muscular right arm, and slammed a fierce punch onto the pillar; his fist struck the pillar's center, which collapsed at a visible speed, with the point of impact as center, the coiled dragon pillar rapidly cracked and collapsed, like an explosion shattering apart, Lingxiao Palace filled with smoke and dust. Night rain poured down from the large crack in the roof, Wang Qian's body fell like a withered leaf blown by the wind into Lingxiao Palace, his hands consecutively struck out nineteen palms, his withered palms fluttered like butterflies, trajectories chaotic yet ultimately merged into one, the myriad illusions again transformed into a giant palm that slapped down toward Ji Feihua.

Ji Feihua chuckled long and loud, her feet slightly pausing, the gold bricks beneath her feet lifted off the ground, forming a barrier before her; invisible palm force shattered the gold bricks, forming a huge palm print about a zhang high on the barrier.

Ji Feihua had also successfully retreated to the gate of Lingxiao Palace, her hands continuously waving palm blades, the sound of breaking endless, yet it was he who used the palm blade to cut the nine coiled dragon pillars inside Lingxiao Palace; Lingxiao Palace emitted creaking groans, the whole palace trembled on the verge of collapse.

Ji Feihua had also successfully retreated to the gate of Lingxiao Palace, her hands continuously waving palm blades, the sound of breaking endless, yet it was he who used the palm blade to cut the nine coiled dragon pillars inside Lingxiao Palace; Lingxiao Palace emitted creaking groans, the whole palace trembled on the verge of collapse.

The Retired Emperor Long Xuan'en remained standing in his original position, dust and tiles continually falling from above his head; Long Xuan'en burst out a furious roar.

Ji Feihua tapped the tip of her foot, her body already drifted outside the palace gate; the violent rain poured down, a blade of icy cold light broke through the mist, rushing toward his throat at astonishing speed. Reaching extreme speed is not dangerous; the true danger lies in being soundless and traceless.

Ji Feihua's body twisted like a spiral, dodging just before the sword tip would reach his throat; her right middle finger bent and flicked, emitting a clang! as it struck the sword blade, causing the narrow blade to spring back in an arc.

After the blade bent, it instantly straightened again. The blade rebounded, emitting a continuous low-frequency hum. The surrounding rainwater was shattered by the sound waves, fine mist spreading around Ji Feihua; night had already fallen, and the rapidly expanding mist further reduced visibility.

Ji Feihua's face was shrouded in a chilling killing intent; her tight lips slowly uttered: 'You dare betray me!'

Mu Rongzhan stood silently in a place one zhang away, his white brows like swords, his pair of gray-white pupils shining brightly in the night; the darker the night, the keener his vision. His pallid face showed no expression, ruthless as a man, ruthless as his sword!

Mu Rongzhan's swordsmanship's greatest strength lies not in speed or power, but in his ability, when drawing his sword, to shatter rainwater and create a vast expanse of mist; within a short time the surroundings are filled with fog, using the fog Mu Rongzhan can conceal his body and launch an assassination attempt on Ji Feihua.

Ji Feihua softly sighed, swept her long sleeve, and a gust of wind already dispersed the surrounding mist: 'Even a pearl the size of a grain of rice radiates splendor!'

Behind, Lingxiao Palace, having lost the nine coiled dragon pillars supporting its dome, could no longer bear the tremendous weight of the roof; it collapsed with a heaven-shaking roar, smoke and dust filling the air, sand and stones flying. A figure shot out from the dust, throwing a punch at Ji Feihua's back; as the punch was thrown, the trajectory of its force caused the violent rain to change direction, swirling and condensing around the withered, slender arm, and by the time it reached a foot in front of Ji Feihua, it had grown to the size of a millstone, crystal-clear water flowing around the fist, continuously rotating, space pulled by an invisible force drawing everything toward the fist.

At the same time Mu Rongzhan began to act, his slender sword in hand traced a bright cross in the void; after the sword-light cross condensed, the light did not scatter, advancing straight toward Ji Feihua's front; as it continued to advance, the cross-sword light rapidly expanded. Mu Rongzhan acted with astonishing speed, and within the four different regions into which the cross-sword light split, he swiftly drew eight swords; from the cross-sword light arose four more cross-sword lights, the sword lights crossing to form a brilliant sword net, covering heaven and earth, enveloping Ji Feihua's entire body.

Ji Feihua's figure stood proudly in the rainy night, her gaze still cold and aloof, attacked from front and back, a thread between life and death; under the pincer attack of two top experts, her eyes showed no trace of fear. Her right foot lifted slightly, then she stepped down firmly on the ground, the whole earth trembled; the hundred-year-old cypress before the Yun Temple shuddered violently, the divine crows taking shelter from the rain in the Yun Temple were startled by the violent shaking, each letting out a terrified screech as they flapped their wings and flew out of the Yun Temple in the rain.

The cross-sword light trembled slightly from the vibration, the water wrapping the fist also rippled faintly, but this could not stop the opponent's assault.

For Ji Feihua, even a tiny opportunity would be enough; her body vanished amidst the two's pincer attack, soaring upward like lightning to a height of five zhang in the air, then she struck with a palm toward Wang Qian's head; Wang Qian's strength surpassed Mu Rongzhan's, and only by first eliminating this formidable foe could the situation be reversed.

Wang Qian promptly retracted his fist, also launching a palm toward the sky; Mu Rongzhan's body leapt into the air, his slender sword transforming into myriad sword shadows, frantically stabbing at Ji Feihua's back.

Peng! The palms collided, the granite ground beneath Wang Qian's feet cracked inch by inch, his feet sank and his lower legs were buried by the ground, showing the strength of Ji Feihua's palm force; he still had enough time to dodge Mu Rongzhan's assassination from behind, but Wang Qian's legs were trapped underground, unable to move—this is the perfect moment to assassinate him.

Opportunity must not be lost, lost opportunity never returns! Ji Feihua's left fist struck toward Wang Qian's chest; Wang Qian reached out with his right hand to grab his wrist, actually seizing Ji Feihua's wrist in one grip, overjoyed in his heart, unaware that Ji Feihua's move was a feint; her lips slightly opened, a beam of white light shot soundlessly and tracelessly toward Wang Qian's right eye; at such close range Wang Qian had no way to dodge, he ultimately fell short in scheming by one move. In desperation he only tilted his head by a fraction, and it was this fraction that let him save his life. If the steel needle spat from Ji Feihua's mouth had flown straight into his eye socket, it would have penetrated deep into his skull; with Ji Feihua's inner strength, even such a tiny needle could shatter his brain. That fraction deflected the needle's trajectory within the eye socket to the outer right; even so, Wang Chuan's right eye burst open, the needle striking the temporal bone, causing his head to split with pain.

Mu Rongzhan's sword tip had already approached Ji Feihua's back heart; the instant the tip pierced the skin, it felt a slight slip, but it still went in. After being stabbed, Ji Feihua twisted his body, and the slender sword that had penetrated deep inside was bent and twisted by his body, eventually slipping out of him. Ji Feihua's right fist struck Mu Rongzhan's abdomen with the force of a thunderclap that leaves no time to cover one's ears, sending him flying over ten zhang, where he slammed into the bronze lion on the right side of Lingxiao Palace. After landing, Mu Rongzhan propped himself up on his sword and—puff! —spat out a mouthful of blood.

Ji Feihua fell to the ground, his back pierced by Mu Rongzhan, blood streaming out. He coldly stared at the blood‑smeared Wang Qian. After Wang Qian's right eye was blinded, his facial contours changed; it turned out he had been using his inner power to alter the shape of his facial muscles, and now he had restored his true appearance—he was actually Li Yuncong, the head of the Cangshuge.

Ji Feihua gritted his teeth and snarled, "Li Yuncong! You old thief, you've hidden yourself deep enough!"

Li Yuncong, his face covered in blood, his single eye fixed on Ji Feihua, said, "Ji Feihua, today is your day of death!"

Ji Feihua chuckled and said, "Kill me? With just you lot?"

Suddenly, a thunderous boom came from behind; amidst the ruins of the collapsed Lingxiao Palace, a giant clad in black armor rose to his feet. His body stood about twelve chi tall, his whole form encased in dull black armor, only the visor revealing a pair of gloomy eyes. In his hands he held a broken half‑section of a coiling‑dragon pillar, appearing like a deity. With each step he took, the ground trembled.

Ji Feihua then realized that his greatest rival of the day had finally appeared; he bit his lip, and in a sudden lunge he darted toward Li Yuncong, intending to eliminate the already‑wounded Li Yuncong before the black giant could launch its attack.

Li Yuncong's blood‑stained face looked especially ferocious as he gave a cold snort: "Ji Feihua! You have miscalculated!" His withered fists slammed hard into the ground, and the granite slab before him rose up as a solid block, blocking Ji Feihua's path—but a mere two‑inch‑thick slab of granite could hardly stop him; one punch shattered the stone to powder, and Ji Feihua lifted his foot to kick Li Yuncong in the chest, a blow that would surely kill him on the spot.

Yet Li Yuncong's body suddenly sank, vanishing into the ground as if swallowed, leaving only a pitch‑black hole where he had just stood.

The black‑armored giant swung the coiling‑dragon pillar in his hand with the force of a mountain‑splitting blow, aiming for Ji Feihua's head. Ji Feihua swayed, the pillar missed and slammed into the ground, leaving a pit a foot deep. Ji Feihua ran up the sloping pillar at astonishing speed, reached the midpoint and leapt with all his might, soaring above the giant's height; he flicked his right hand in the air, sending two shafts of cold light toward the giant's eyes.

Two updates delivered as guaranteed; there will be more updates tonight. Zhangyu is so diligent—please support him with your Monthly Ticket. The pursuers are pressing hard behind us, so Zhangyu can only rely on his brothers! (To be continued~^~)