Chapter 835

Pang Long wanting to hide in the Jade Willow Villa was not because he had lost his mind, but because he had his own considerations.

He was a mortal enemy of the Demon-Slaying Hall, yet he chose to hide in the very location of the Demon-Slaying Hall's Hall Master; was this not the principle of "the most dangerous place is the safest place"?

Since the incident at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, the martial arts world had spread rumors about Yu Liancheng that were nothing short of miraculous. Even if others had such thoughts, they likely lacked the courage to put them into action.

But Pang Long believed this was merely hearsay; Yu Liancheng had only disappeared for over half a year, and it was impossible for him to have transformed from a top-tier expert into a figure of the God class.

After carefully pondering the entire matter, Pang Long felt the feasibility was extremely high.

Pang Long stroked his chin as he thought. Perhaps he could disguise himself as a woman and enter the Jade Willow Villa as a maid, ideally becoming a personal maid to Zhang Jing or Sanniang. In this way, he could get close to Yu Liancheng, see what kind of ability the Demon-Slaying Hall Master truly possessed, and know himself and his enemy to ensure victory in every battle.

Even if his identity were exposed and discovered, he could take Zhang Jing or Sanniang hostage to escape calmly.

He could even use the identity of a maid to kill Yu Liancheng when he let his guard down, then disguise himself as the man and take control of the Demon-Slaying Hall for himself.

Once this thought arose, it immediately excited him.

And while thinking through the entire plan, information regarding Yu Liancheng naturally surfaced in Pang Long's mind.

He had not only seen portraits of Yu Liancheng but had also collected news about him from every aspect: his background, preferences, martial arts, sword technique attainments...

Pang Long had even seen martial arts experts who died under the "Duoqing Sword" and further deduced the sword's movements, angles, speed, and variations from the wounds on those corpses.

If there was anyone in the world who understood Yu Liancheng best, besides the man himself, it was likely that even women like Zhang Jing, Lianxing, and Yao Yue could not compare to Pang Long.

After adjusting his breath well and planning out what he would do next, Pang Long rose to his full height and was about to step out of the ruined temple when his brow furrowed, and a strange feeling arose.

He had originally intended to rush to the Jade Willow Villa immediately, and his mind had been clear, but the image of Yu Liancheng in his mind simply would not dissipate, and it even became increasingly realistic as he outlined it.

One must know that he had never truly seen Yu Liancheng; he had only looked at a few portraits of the man.

But now, the Yu Liancheng in his mind was becoming more solid, having jumped beyond the scope of a portrait and appearing no different from a real person.

Even that calm smile and dashing demeanor were revealed without doubt, as if the man existed within his own mind.

Pang Long shook his head, wanting to empty his thoughts and shake Yu Liancheng out of his mind.

But no matter what he did, no matter how he diverted his attention, the image of Yu Liancheng remained clearly branded in his spirit.

"What is going on? Could it be that I have been struck by a secret technique similar to the Soul-Seizing Art?" Pang Long frowned and rubbed his temples hard. He was an old hand in the martial arts world and knew that secret arts to bewitch the mind existed; he had even practiced two such techniques himself, but they did not seem to fit the current situation. Furthermore, who could make him fall into a hallucination without him noticing?

Suddenly, the Yu Liancheng who had been motionless in his mind moved.

He extended a palm and pressed it down into the void.

Boom—!!

In an instant, Pang Long felt a surging, incomparable force pouring down from mid-air, pressing the surrounding space until it collapsed layer by layer.

"Ah!" Pang Long let out a sharp cry, and a sound like thunder exploding erupted from within his body; his momentum surged aggressively, and his body even seemed to expand slightly. But this astonishing external hard-body technique could not resist that abruptly appearing giant force at all. In just a split second, he felt the pressure of Mount Tai descending suddenly; his bones creaked, his body bent, and his right knee smashed down, forcing him to kneel on the ground.

"What, what is going on!?" Pang Long's veins bulged, and he gritted his teeth tightly, feeling that in the next moment he would be pressed flat against the ground and then crushed into a pulp of flesh by that giant force.

Yet from beginning to end, he had not figured out who was attacking him or how they were attacking.

Crack, crack!

In his mind, Yu Liancheng's fingers continued to press down, inch by inch. Pang Long could already hear the sound of his own bones shattering, a continuous series of cracks, and his body kept tilting toward the ground.

At this moment, Pang Long actually thought of the times when he was a child and used his hands to crush ants; he had no evil thoughts at the time, just feeling that it might be fun and interesting.

Also, ants are truly fragile.

One crush and they were dead.

Bang!

The arms and legs Pang Long had been using to support himself could no longer bear it; his bones were crushed inch by inch, and his whole body collapsed onto the ground, unable to move even a single finger.

The pressure grew greater and greater. "Cough!" He lay on the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood; the bloody foam contained shattered internal organs. His consciousness gradually blurred, and the image of Yu Liancheng in his mind also gradually became transparent, while that strange giant force seemed to weaken slightly.

"I am not actually suffering an attack; it is an illusion, it really is an illusion..."

Perhaps it was his final moment of clarity, but Pang Long's consciousness became sharp. He finally understood that he had fallen into a bizarre illusion.

The illusion only acted upon his spirit; there was no force truly descending from the sky. Otherwise, not only would he be crushed, but the surrounding ground would also shatter and sink. But the illusion cast upon him had managed to turn the virtual into reality, making the false seem true.

Such an unimaginable method could not possibly be created by martial arts; only the Gods and Demons of myths and legends could perform it.

"Perhaps, if I hadn't planned to go to the Jade Willow Villa, I wouldn't, wouldn't..."

Pang Long thought again of the strange methods Yu Liancheng had used at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, vaguely understood something, and felt a sense of regret.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

This was his final thought.

In the Jade Willow Villa, Yu Liancheng, who was currently styling the hair of the little Xiaoxiannv Zhang Jing, shook his head lightly.

As long as he wished, the evil thoughts and wicked intentions of others could be perceived in his heart.

Originally, he had not intended to take action against Pang Long, treating it only as training for Xiaoyuer and the others.

It was just a pity that this fellow harbored thoughts he shouldn't have, so Yu Liancheng had simply crushed him to death.

To him, this was indeed no more difficult than crushing an ant.

For the following month, Yu Liancheng stayed by Zhang Jing's side, traveling through mountains and rivers with her, upholding justice, and taking the opportunity to meet with Xiaoyuer and the others to reminisce. Afterward, he returned to the Republic of China world and discovered that Yao Yue had actually established the Yihua Palace in Great Shanghai, recruiting disciples and forming a force that was not too weak. Later, she even traveled around the globe, showing a posture of challenging global experts and standing at the absolute peak.

As for Lianxing, she was much more of a slacker; she was responsible for staying in Great Shanghai to guard the Yihua Palace headquarters, and aside from occasionally dealing with people who came to challenge the sect, she would just stay at home or go shopping with Princess Yunluo.