The Might of Three Palms, Slaying an Equal in an Instant

Several dozen li outside the valley. Clad in splendid golden robes, Qian Ting listened to his subordinate's report, an uncertain expression flickering across his face. "He is actually in that valley!" A few days ago, he had led men to ambush a female cultivator who had hailed from that very valley. That ambush had been interrupted by True Person Fu of Tianyuan Tower, leaving them in considerable dread for a time. However, the news of that incident had been suppressed by them, so even his own clansmen were still unaware, leading to their current plan of lying in wait. "Patriarch, our people are in position. Shall we strike?" Qian Ting hesitated somewhat and asked, "Besides us, is anyone else there?" The clansman immediately answered, "There are some lingering rogue cultivators nearby, mostly at Foundation Establishment. They are likely hoping to scavenge scraps." Qian Ting pondered for a moment before saying decisively, "When my Qian family acts, how could we let others reap the benefits? Send people to drive them forward to attack Luo Hai. As for the excuse, just brush them off by saying he has Core Formation resources on him." "Will those rogue cultivators believe it?" "Do you think they will believe it?" Qian Ting countered. The clansman froze for a second, then immediately understood. Faced with an opportunity to form a Golden Core, no rogue cultivator could hold back—especially with Qian family cultivators leading the charge, which would dispel their greatest hesitations. Having received his orders, the clansman hurried off toward the valley. Qian Ting followed unhurriedly behind, thoughts racing through his mind. Back then, when their ambush outside the valley was rebuked by True Person Fu, the three factions had been terrified, so they came bearing gifts to apologize. They hadn't managed to see him in person. However, True Person Fu had given a reply, saying the people in the valley had nothing to do with him. Reasonably speaking, striking against Luo Hai now should not pose any major problems. Yet Qian Ting was deeply scheming; what if he accidentally offended True Person Fu after all? *The rogue cultivators can take the blame in name.* *Still, the responsibility is heavy, more than my Qian family alone should shoulder. We must find others to share the load.* *I spent spirit stones to bribe Wu Yan, who was on duty at the Leng Mansion in Feileng City, to tip me off. Presumably, the Wu family received the news as well and ought to make a move.* *The Zhou family has always kept a low profile and probably won't meddle in this. But Luo Hai is carrying millions of spirit stones' worth of mineral ores, as well as precious resources like Origin-Tracing Mud and Woven Gold. Lianfeng Firm and Baizao Mountain barely obtained anything at the auction earlier, so they must harbor resentment. Perhaps I can notify them.* *Once we capture Luo Hai and share some of the spoils, my Qian family can extricate ourselves from blame. That way, the Soul Nourishing Wood I desire will safely fall into my hands.* After this contemplation, Qian Ting finally made up his mind. Taking several voice transmission jade slips from his storage bag, he whispered into each in different tones, then accelerated his flight toward the valley. Yet before he could even draw close to the battlefield, he saw the Foundation Establishment clansman who had reported earlier rushing back in sheer terror. "Patriarch! This man is fierce and unstoppable! The Eighth Elder was killed by him the moment they met—he couldn't even withstand a single strike!" "Little Eighth is dead?" Qian Ting froze, disbelief written across his face. "How is that possible?" The Qian family was powerful; counting his youngest son who had just advanced to Golden Core, they had nine Golden Core cultivators in total, rivaling ordinary great Golden Core sects. For this trip to attend the Feileng City auction, he had brought two Golden Core cultivators along. Though Little Eighth was not of his direct bloodline, he was a junior Qian Ting regarded highly. He had advanced to Golden Core about fifty years ago and had been cultivating hard within the clan ever since, which was why Qian Ting had brought him out to broaden his horizons. Qian Ting's face darkened with rage. "Go call Jin Zhan over! We must not let this rogue cultivator escape!" *** Above the valley. Clutching a ceaselessly trembling Golden Core in his hand, Luo Chen swept his cold gaze in all directions. A full hundred cultivators had surrounded this place. At their head were two Qian family Golden Core elders, while the rest were Foundation Establishment cultivators. Only, one of the Golden Core elders had already perished under his thunderous strike, his Golden Core captured. Now, seeing his terrifying might, those Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators were already falling into chaos, attempting to flee. Seeing this, Luo Chen sneered menacingly. "If you dare raise a hand against me, be prepared to pay the price." He raised both hands, and a thousand fireballs rose behind him like stars floating into the air. Every single one contained immense power. A Golden Core cultivator might not care, but the Foundation Establishment cultivators felt their throats go parched at the mere sight. "Run!" No one knew who fled first, but panic spread, and all hundred-odd Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators scattered in every direction. With a cold snort, Luo Chen sent the fireballs floating behind him hurtling in all directions like a shower of meteor fire. A Golden Core cultivator's casual strike was a devastating blow to Foundation Establishment cultivators. Moreover, Luo Chen's mastery of the Fireball Art had long reached unfathomable heights. Even though it was only a lowest-grade tier-one spell, casting it now with his pure and overbearing magic power made it on par with any top-tier tier-two spell. As the fiery rain poured across the sky, wails echoed across several li around. Every Foundation Establishment cultivator used whatever means they had to protect themselves—either countering attack with attack, or hunkering down in defense. The weaker ones were pulverized on contact. Even the stronger ones, though managing to block the barrage, were gravely injured and fled in panic, not daring to linger for a second longer. Luo Chen paid no heed to the toll of his strike, his gaze falling upon the remaining group: nine Foundation Establishment True Cultivators and one Golden Core cultivator. Judging by his magic power fluctuations, he was around the fifth layer of Golden Core. At that moment, the elder stared at Luo Chen with an ashen face. "Return Little Eighth's Golden Core, and I can spare your life." "Are you serious?" "Of cour—" "Fuck your seriousness! Do you take me for a three-year-old child?" Before the curse finished echoing, Luo Chen shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. The Qian family's Second Elder swallowed hard. He knew full well that while this rogue cultivator appeared to be only at the fourth layer of Golden Core, he was in fact terrifyingly formidable; alone, the elder might be able to protect himself, but keeping Luo Chen here was out of the question. Stalling for time until the patriarch arrived was no longer an option. In that case, fight it was! "Form the Qian family grand array! Help me trap him!" Behind him, the nine Foundation Establishment True Cultivators were already prepared. In an instant, the nine took their positions. Spiritual power surged from them, interweaving and tracing patterns before channeling directly into the Second Elder. Within the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, Han Zhan let out a soft exclamation of surprise. "An array linked by bloodline. Luo Chen, be careful." Luo Chen acted as if he hadn't heard, charging straight forward. Upon closing within a hundred zhang of the Qian family's Second Elder, he swung out a palm. A massive azure hand, wrapped in endless azure flames, crashed down with tremendous force. The Second Elder's expression grew taut. A rust-covered copper coin flew from his mouth, expanding as it met the wind, turning in an instant into a giant coin, round on the outside and square within. The palm and the coin collided in the span of a hair's breadth. *Boom!* With just this single clash, a terrifying shockwave of magic power rippled in all directions, whipping up a colossal tempest. The ten Qian family cultivators at the very center of the storm were immediately knocked into disarray. The Second Elder was horrified. *What a terrifying spell! The might of a single palm nearly overwhelmed my Falling Treasure Golden Coin, which balances offense and defense!* Yet seeing this, Luo Chen's eyes lit up. "An interesting magic treasure. It can actually dissolve the magic power in my Qingyang Great Handprint." Even a late third-tier great demon king like Jin Ao struggled to withstand a palm strike of his. Yet who would have thought that an obscure cultivator at the fifth layer of Golden Core could block it with a magic treasure? "I'll take this treasure!" Luo Chen chuckled softly. The crimson chains drifting behind him shot out, extending toward the rusty copper coin in midair. Seeing this, the Second Elder felt delight rather than anger. The reason his magic treasure was called the Falling Treasure Golden Coin was that a drop of a unique water-attribute material called Ruo Water had been incorporated during its forging. It could temporarily sever the mental connection between an enemy's magic treasure and its master's soul. Normally, when an enemy's natal magic treasure had its connection severed, their mind would inevitably fall into turmoil, which was when he could unleash his full might. Although he didn't know what kind of magic treasure the floating chains behind this man were, once it was caught in the coin's trap, the man would be at his mercy. A total of nine crimson chains rattled from various directions, flying toward the rusty copper coin. *Clack! Clack! Clack!* Instantly, they slipped into the hole of the coin, binding it tight. At this, the Second Elder laughed smugly. "You've fallen for it! Fall!" Midair, the rusty copper coin radiated a layer of dusky light, striking back at the nine chains from the inside out. Under that luster, the nine chains seemed to go limp. Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, his delight growing even greater. Indeed! He hadn't misjudged it. This magic treasure really did possess the effect of dissolving magic power and severing the mental connection between a magic treasure and its master. However, this man's battle awareness was somewhat lacking. The chains he had sent out were not the core body of his magic treasure; they were merely an offensive method derived from the Hunyuan Cauldron. With a shift of his mind, magic power surged forth furiously. Instantly, the nine chains hardened once again. From afar, it looked like nine dragons fighting for a pearl. Under Luo Chen's control, the nine massive chains forcibly dragged the rusty copper coin toward him. The Second Elder's face changed drastically. "Something's wrong!" Without thinking, he attempted to shrink the copper coin and quickly retrieve it. Yet no matter how it shrank, the nine chains shrank alongside it. Only now did he realize that a single misstep had led him right into the opponent's trap. *His magic treasure actually has a similar effect, and because it directly attacked my magic treasure's body, its effect is even stronger than mine!* The Second Elder dared not hesitate any longer. With a flick of his wrist, a golden longsword appeared in his hand. He slashed through the air! He didn't strike the chains, but Luo Chen himself. It was cutting off a wrist to save the arm, attacking what the enemy was bound to defend. Yet it was too late. This sword strike came far too late. *Crack!* A loud blast echoed in the void. In the next moment, Luo Chen shifted horizontally, sliding several dozen zhang sideways through the air to evade the sword strike. The formidable slash plowed straight into the depths of the valley, carving a narrow, long ravine. Meanwhile, dragged by the nine chains, the rusty copper coin flew right before him. Extending his large hand, he forcefully gripped the trembling copper coin in his grasp. He raised his right hand again! Beneath the clear sky, a massive handprint materialized once more. The muscle textures were clearly defined, the knuckles distinct. Were it not for the dense azure flames curling around it, it would have looked virtually identical to a normal human palm. "Without the protection of this copper coin, let's see how you block this palm of mine!" Luo Chen gave a low shout and pressed his palm downward. *Rumble!* Carrying boundless magic power, the colossal palm print surged forward madly with irresistible momentum. The void itself seemed to twist, unable to withstand the crushing pressure. The Qian family's Second Elder watched with madness in his eyes. Magic power surged violently through his body as the golden longsword in his hand morphed into thousands of sword rays, which abruptly converged into a single gigantic blade. The great sword slashed diagonally, aiming to shatter the palm print in one blow. Yet— *Boom!* Following the palm strike, an enormous crater appeared upon the earth. The crater spanned a full hundred zhang. Looking closely, it was distinctly shaped like five fingers. Inside that crater, the nine elite Qian family Foundation Establishment True Cultivators had been reduced to pools of bloody mush, dead as could be. The Second Elder himself was kneeling on the ground, leaning on his longsword with disheveled hair. He lifted his head, bleeding from all seven orifices, his magic power fluctuations completely chaotic; that single palm had shaken his Golden Core into disarray and shattered the meridians in his body inch by inch. In his vision, a silhouette was speeding toward him like lightning. *My life is forfeit!* At that exact moment, a fierce roar came from not far away. "Show mercy!" Accompanying this roar was an incomparably peerless ray of black saber light. Delight showed on the Second Elder's face—the patriarch had arrived! Luo Chen drifted down to the ground as if he hadn't heard the shout at all. He pressed a palm onto the Qian family Second Elder's head, unleashing his magic power, and the cultivator beneath him instantly exploded into a mist of blood. Because the elder had harbored a flicker of hope, he hadn't managed to crush his storage bag before dying, so even his Golden Core and that golden longsword remained intact. Luo Chen snatched them up, then looked up to face that incoming saber light. "Late Golden Core! A mid-grade magic treasure!" "Such an enraged strike won't be easy to take!" Thoughts flashed through his mind, yet Luo Chen's movements did not slow in the least. Due to a shift in trajectory, the saber light suffered a momentary delay. And that brief instant gave Luo Chen ample buffer to cast a spell. His fingers shifted through incantation gestures, the Golden Core in his body spun, and stream after stream of pure magic power surged forth. In the air, rings of fire erupted layer upon layer. It was none other than the fire-attribute defensive spell Luo Chen had created himself—the Blazing Heavens Sevenfold Rings! However, though named the Sevenfold Rings, with Luo Chen's current mastery, he could only unleash five rings. The black saber light was peerlessly sharp. As the blade slashed down, the five rings each unleashed their might—some confronting it head-on, some diffusing it from within, while others redirected and clashed against each other to disperse the force. Yet beneath that saber strike, they were ultimately reduced to nothingness. Luo Chen shook his head. Fire was ultimately not known for defense, even if he had developed this self-created spell to an impressive level. Seeing the remnant saber light sweeping toward his face, Luo Chen showed no fear. He opened his mouth and spat! A small gray cauldron drifted out, spinning gently. Without even changing size, it simply stood before the black saber light. Only a single sound rang out: *Clang!* In the next moment, a small black saber revealed its true form, its balance destabilized as it went tumbling back. Luo Chen inhaled, swallowing the Hunyuan Cauldron back into his belly. Right at this moment, two figures landed one after the other—one opposite Luo Chen, and the other behind him. "Master, I apologize. Tianxuan failed to stop this man." Behind Luo Chen, Tianxuan's face was pale, showing signs of depleted demonic power. Earlier, she had been ahead, using her demonic aura vortex technique to create chaotic tornadoes that delayed the great cultivator's steps. Only through this had Luo Chen been given ample time to resolve the battlefield in front of him. "You did very well. Prepare to leave," Luo Chen said calmly. "Leave? Where do you think you're going!" Qian Ting's eyes were bloodshot as he strode forward step by step, the small black saber circling endlessly around him. "You killed two Golden Cores and nine Foundation Establishments of my Qian family, and you still think you can leave?!" "If I want to leave, you cannot stop me," Luo Chen chuckled softly. The crimson wings behind his back shuddered violently. At the same time, a pair of azure wings suddenly unfurled from Tianxuan's back. On the battlefield, a man and a woman—he tall and broad, she slender and graceful—each unfurled their wings, resembling celestial beings. "Use that flight method from the *Huanyu Secret Scripture*," Luo Chen said in a low voice. "Go!" One human and one demon, moving in perfect accord, simultaneously cast Ninety Thousand Li. Transforming into two streaks of light, they soared toward the horizon. Qian Ting was furious and moved to pursue, but the moment he took to the sky, a massive azure handprint came pressing down. He had sensed the might of this imprint from far away earlier. Thus, not daring to underestimate it in the least, he immediately deployed a technique to meet the strike. Yet doing so allowed the distance between them to widen. Before the disturbance settled, Jin Zhan, the Qian family's other Golden Core cultivator stationed long-term in Feileng City, arrived on the scene. Before he could even speak, he heard the patriarch roar: "Pursue them! They won't get away!" Beneath that roar, besides endless fury, lay a deep, bitter sorrow and unwillingness. With the departure of the Qian family's two Golden Cores, figures began emerging around the valley area that had been torn to shreds by the battle. They were all Feileng City cultivators who had rushed over to watch the spectacle after hearing the commotion. Looking at the gruesome scene in the valley and that gigantic five-fingered crater, the onlookers were all struck with terror. "Who is this man? How can he be so terrifying?" "With his strength alone, he slew two Golden Cores and a hundred Foundation Establishments on the battlefield, and even when the Qian family patriarch personally intervened, he couldn't keep him here." "I heard he's a rogue cultivator named Luo Hai who was quite high-profile at the auction earlier." "Luo Hai..." "He probably flaunted his wealth and provoked the Qian family's greed!" "Now we're in for a good show!"