To maintain and manifest samadhi. Like light and shadow, permeating everywhere while staying still in samadhi.
This was the power to silence everything!
Lu Zhou forcibly focused the Heavenly Writing’s power before himself. There was no explosion of blue lotus nor was there any reversing of the blue lotus’s energy.
Ning Han’s heart sank. He cursed silently. When he looked up again, he saw the indifferent expression on Lu Zhou’s face.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the touch of a punch.” After saying this, Lu Zhou punched his wizened hand at Ning Han.
Boom!
Ning Han, or General Ning, felt as though his arm had been punched with the force of 10,000 pounds as he flew back. ‘No energy seal? How did he do that?’
How was it possible for a cultivator to unleash such great power with his physical strength alone without condensing Qi into energy? Moreover, Lu Zhou, in all appearances, was an old man!
The others thought it was over when Lu Zhou suddenly flew up and dove. He appeared in front of Ning Han at a great speed. Nobody noticed the blue light shining between his fingers.
Boom!
Lu Zhou punched again. This time, it landed squarely on Ning Han’s chest
“General!”
The others, including Hua Chongyang, were stunned.
Ning Han was a body-cultivation elite. A cultivator like him was not talented in utilizing Qi or condensing it into energy. Hence, he took the path of body cultivation. He wrapped his skin in energy while strengthening his body at the same time. He was a formidable foe in close-range combat. A person like him was great at taking punches. He was like a solid rock.
Ning Han had lost all control when he was sent flying back.
Lu Zhou dove again. He moved faster than the speed Ning Han was sent flying. He punched again!
Boom!
The punch landed on Ning Han’s chest again. All three punches were done in a single breath. He flew out of the heaven worship platform and crashed heavily onto the limestone floor.
Lu Zhou looked down at the crater. Based on this battle, he discovered his control over the extraordinary power had improved. He no longer needed to take down his target with a single hit. He was now more than capable of subduing his target using much less extraordinary power. On top of that, his cultivation base was now in the Nascent Divinity realm. The three punches collectively used a quarter of his extraordinary power. In total, he spent about one-third of his extraordinary power. According to his previous calculations, he would have needed two-third of his extraordinary power to achieve this, including killing Zhang Can and Jiang Renyi with the energy swords.
At this moment, the platform was as silent as a graveyard.
The members of the Hengqu Branch and Taixu Academy stood riveted to the ground in stunned silence. All of them gulped as they watched on. It was as though no one cared about Jiang Renyi and Zhang Can’s deaths. The tidal waves of energy swords had long since minced the two of them to shreds.
Hua Chongyang felt his heart race. Cold sweat trickled down his back. ‘What a savage old man!’
To think that a body cultivator who was skilled in punches had lost in a punching match, and to an aged individual to boot! Who could defend his honor? He dared not move, afraid that ‘Senior Lu’ was a petty person who took their previous misunderstandings to heart. He had no choice. It was not as though this situation was rare in the cultivation world. Let alone the fact that he had actually fought with the old man, in Great Yan, people had warred over off-handed remarks such as, ‘What are you looking at?’
Inside the crater.
Crash!
Ning Han swiped the debris on him away. He stared at Lu Zhou who was hovering in the air. His dust-covered face and his dented chest clearly indicated that he was seriously wounded.
‘He’s still alive after three punches?’
Everyone else was surprised by Ning Han as well. He was too powerful!
Ning Han raised a callused hand and pointed at Lu Zhou who was looking down at him in the air. “A-a… What a tough punch.” He fought back the pain and spoke through gritted teeth, “How… how did you do-do it?”
Lu Zhou stared at Ning Han for three seconds before speaking with a powerful voice, “When you clench your hand into a fist, you’ll notice that fate is in your hands…”
Ning Han spat out a mouthful of blood. His head lolled to the side. He was no longer breathing. His eyes remained opened. He was only a martial artist. How could he die in peace after hearing those words? Were they nonsense? Or were they the truth? As the saying went, ‘The speaker had no particular intention when speaking, but the listener inferred his own meaning’.
“Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 1,500 merit points.”
Hua Chongyang placed a hand on his chest and bowed at Lu Zhou. “I’m enlightened seeing you win a fight with just three punches, Senior Lu.” Despite his words, he was shuddering inwardly. ‘Please don’t be mad, old man!’ He lowered his head so that he would seem sincere, humble, and polite. ‘This old man must be an Eight-leaf cultivator!’
Lu Zhou ignored Hua Chongyang. Instead, he looked at the remaining mounted soldiers and the members of the Hengqu Branch and Taixu Academy.
The three forces retreated.
Lu Zhou had no intention of killing these people, but they were prepared to kill him just moments ago. Their cultivation bases were not profound. He would not earn many merit points by killing them. He would not gain much by killing them.
As the three forces retreated, a huge flying chariot appeared in the horizons. Hundreds of cultivators could be seen flanking the flying chariot as it sailed.
“Cultivators incoming!”
“Which sect?”
Hua Chongyang looked up. He frowned. “The Penglai Sect?!”
There were umbrella patterns on the flying chariot’s body. They were of varying sizes and bright colors.
Groups of men and women were gathered at the helm.
A huge flying chariot with such characteristics could only belong to the umbrella cultivators of the Penglai Island’s Penglai Sect.
Hua Chongyang cursed inwardly.
Senior Lu was a member of the Penglai Sect. These were his people. It was practically impossible for him to take Miss Conch away now.
The flying chariot was soon upon them.
A voice rang from the helm, “Brother Chongyang… Why are you here?”
Hua Chongyang was shocked! ‘I’m exposed? What in tarnation?’
Hua Chongyang looked in the direction of the voice. “Shen Liangshou?!”
“Hello!”
“I… I… I…” Hua Chongyang felt like crying. There was no need to fear a godly opponent, but one should be afraid of a pig-like teammate. He felt as though he was having the worst of luck of eight lifetimes combined. He was a great Seven-leaf elite. He could have gone wherever he liked. Alas, at this moment, he was like a stray dog.
“Senior Lu! I…”
“Who’s this old man?” Sheng Liangshou pointed at Lu Zhou.
Hua Chongyang cursed at Shen Liangshou inwardly. ‘You’re a f*cking elder of the Core Yang Sect. Although you’re on good terms with the Penglai Sect, you shouldn’t be spouting whatever nonsense that comes to your mind!’
Lu Zhou looked up. “Penglai Sect?”
At this moment, an ancient voice rang from the flying chariot. “The Penglai Sect is merely passing by. We have no intentions of meddling.”
“That will be best.” Lu Zhou felt that it was time to wrap things up. He turned around and flew toward Miss Conch. He landed beside her, as light as a feather.
“Are you afraid?”
“I’m not.”
At this moment, Shen Liangshou said, “The people from the Hengqu and Taixu Branch? You’re here?”
“Please help us resolve this, senior! That demon lady will plunge the world into chaos. She can’t be allowed to live!” The people of the Hengqu Branch kneeled in unison. If they could not have her, it was better to have her killed.
“That demon lady knows the tongue and tune of beasts. The civilians here can attest to that! The heaven worship platform is objective evidence of that! I speak the truth, senior. Please help us resolve this!”
Their voices reached the flying chariot.
A puzzled voice rang from Inside the flying chariot. “The tongue and tune of beats?”
Lu Zhou ignored them, preparing to leave.
The voice rang from the flying chariot again. “What’s the hurry, my friend?”
Lu Zhou stopped his movements and replied, “What is it?”
“How can you leave when the matter isn’t settled yet?”
“Are you trying to stop me?”
“What if I am?”
Whizz!
With the flying chariot in the center, a bright golden light expanded.
Everyone looked up.
The flying chariot was now enveloped by a huge avatar. It was 100 feet tall.
Under the flying chariot, there was a Golden Lotus. Eight bright and dazzling leaves were spinning around it.
“An Eight-leaf elite!”
“Good heavens…”
Hua Chongyang cursed inwardly, ‘F*ck.’ He was certain that they were done for now.
Just when everyone was focused on the flying chariot…
Whizz!
A more intense sound resonated in the air.
An avatar rose from Lu Zhou.
10 feet, 20 feet, 30 feet… 80 feet, 90 feet, 100 feet…
Everyone’s attention was, naturally, attracted by this sight.
“Another Eight-leaf cultivator!”
“No! No! No! That’s not an Eight-leaf…”
The avatar continued to grow.
110 feet, 120 feet… 140 feet, 150 feet!
Nine leaves spun around the Golden Lotus under the avatar’s feet!
“…”
A 150-foot avatar faced the 100-foot avatar as well.
It was easy to tell which one was superior.
No wind blew on the heaven worship platform for 100 meters.
It was extremely quiet.
The cultivators of the Hengqu Branch and Taixu Academy felt as though their eyeballs were about to pop out from their sockets as they stared at the 150-foot tall avatar. They could not even see its head. They could only see the nine leaves that were dazzling and eye-catching. The leaves seemed like blades that kept slicing at their hearts.
