Inhale... Exhale...

The two figures rocketing forward behind Huang Tian were, naturally, Nie Kun and Tie Qi. The former bounded like an ape, leaping beside Huang Tian with a booming crash. He exhaled with a sharp shout as true qi surged through his body, whipping his robes into a fierce rustle, and violently shoved both palms forward. Boom! A sound like the surging waves of a rushing river echoed out. Surging true qi rolled like an ocean tide, its immense force forming what seemed like a wall of qi that bore down upon the tall Deacon Wu. Meanwhile, Tie Qi charged right in front of Huang Tian, his whole body suddenly bursting with shimmering golden light. Hummm— A deep drone sounded, like the great bell of a thousand-year-old temple being struck. Visible ripples spread through the air. As the chime rang out, a giant pale-gold bell manifested over the surface of his body, standing firm to block the incoming foes. As the two sides were on the verge of clashing at close quarters, facing the torrential tide of killing intent, Huang Tian finally moved. Yet he did not retreat, nor did he parry; he did not even raise a hand. Instead, he drew a deep, deep breath! Inhale— The distinct sound of an inhalation echoed in everyone's ears. At that moment, it even drowned out the blasts of qi force, the whistling of blades tearing through the air, and the roars of the crowd, stirring an edge of unease in the hearts of Zhang Yu and the others. Soaring through midair, Zhang Yu could see Huang Tian's chest faintly rising and falling in an uncanny rhythm. And that single breath drawn by Huang Tian seemed not merely to intake air, but to swallow the light, the sound, even the pervasive murderous intent within the alleyway, as well as the ripples born from the booming surges of true qi in the air, devouring it all into his belly like a leviathan! In a daze, Zhang Yu felt as if an invisible vortex had suddenly manifested around Huang Tian, causing the hazy glow of the setting sun to twist and collapse violently around him. In that instant, time seemed stretched out indefinitely, ground nearly to a standstill. A sharp warning shrieked in Zhang Yu's heart. His pupils contracted in sheer terror, urging him to scream a retreat, but before he could even open his mouth, Huang Tian's inhalation came to an end. And after inhaling, naturally came... exhaling! Boom! Like thunder detonating across the nine heavens, like a volcano that had slumbered for ten thousand years abruptly erupting, like an all-consuming, hysterical hurricane sweeping through! An overwhelmingly turbulent vortex of true qi surged out alongside the sound waves blasted from his mouth and nose, bearing an aura of total devastation as it wildly billowed and swept outward in all directions with an unstoppable momentum! In an instant, a furious gale slammed forward. Dirt and stone from the ground were whipped up by the tempest like high-speed bullets, like the deadliest hidden projectiles, rocketing toward Zhang Yu and his companions. At the same time, the sonic tempest—imbued with the might of thunder—blasted the weapons held by Zhang Yu and his four companions, snapping them backward and shattering them inch by inch. The five men glared with eyes nearly tearing at the corners. Before they could even utter a scream, they were slammed brutally into the ground by that irresistible force. Blood sprayed wildly from their mouths as tendons snapped and bones shattered. In an instant, every ounce of their strength left them, and they collapsed limp onto the dirt like withered leaves swept away by a gale. As for Deacon Wu and Deacon Liu, they had not taken Huang Tian seriously from the start. Caught entirely off guard, they had no time to change their stances and could only watch helplessly as the sonic wave rushed at them like a solid mass, slamming into them with a colossal force as immense as a mountain. Both let out muffled grunts, flung backward together like kites with severed strings. They crashed heavily into the cracked high walls on either side, jarring the entire alleyway so violently that it seemed to tremble, before sliding down in utter disarray, their blood-qi churning violently and their bones and sinews wracked with agony. As for Nie Kun and Tie Qi, they were inevitably shaken by the sonic shockwaves as well. Fortunately, the vortex of true qi directed at them was far less intense; they merely felt a massive force bearing down upon them. Turning sideways and thrusting both palms forward, they unleashed their true qi to diffuse the force. Even so, their faces flushed red and turned pale by turns. Patter, patter... The billowing dust drifted away like dense fog, and airborne debris pattered down from above. The alleyway was a scene of utter devastation, as though trampled by some primordial behemoth. Only Huang Tian still stood quietly in place, his dark black official robes fluttering gently in the slow breeze, spotless and untainted by dust. Dead silence. Zhang Yu and the others stared blankly at Huang Tian standing tall, gripped by a feeling of sheer absurdity. Deacon Wu and Deacon Liu were especially dazed. They had contemplated countless scenarios before making their move: For instance, that the Martial Restraint Guard might have dispatched a fourth-rank expert to secretly protect Huang Tian, ruining their assassination plot at the cusp of success. Or that they succeeded in the strike, only to be hunted across the entire city by the experts of the Martial Restraint Guard. Or that Huang Tian had uncovered their plot in advance and reported it to the Pacification Commissioner above him, causing them to be captured by the Pacification Commissioner and his men before they could even lay eyes on Huang Tian... All manner of possibilities. The only thing they had never imagined was that with so many experts, they would fail to defeat or subdue a mere seventh-rank Huang Tian! Well, sixth rank, to be precise—they had just witnessed Huang Tian wield true qi. But! Even if he was a sixth-rank, so what? Among their seven men, five were sixth ranks! Even if five against one failed to win, there were still the two of them, fifth-rank martial artists! Yet in a single exchange, all seven of them had been sent flying, coughing up blood. Though caught completely off guard, this alone proved how terrifying Huang Tian's strength was! "What a terrifying sonic Lion's Roar technique..." Deacon Wu stared at Huang Tian as if looking at a ghost or god, completely bewildered. How could a sixth-rank martial artist who had only just broken through be so outrageously powerful?! Right then, Deacon Liu, who had just hit the ground, bore the searing pain across his body. Rolling over, he slapped his right palm against the ground, aiming to borrow the momentum and dart deep into the alleyway. Yet his figure had barely risen when his vision blurred. Huang Tian, originally standing still, closed in like a shadow, a fleshy palm crystalline as jade booming directly toward his face. His pupils constricted in absolute horror. He instinctively raised both arms to block, only to feel an irresistible, colossal force crash into him. Like an ant standing before a galloping steed, he was knocked flying with a loud thud. Crack! A crisp crunch of fracturing bone rang out. Flying backward through the air, Deacon Liu felt a chill grip his heart. At that moment, he noticed the world seemed to darken. Panicking, he looked up, only to find that Huang Tian had vaulted into the air like a roc soaring on the wind, leaping directly above his head. Twist the torso! Raise the palm! Crush downward! True qi erupted from his right palm. Bearing the downward momentum, it slammed down upon him with peerless, domineering might! Boom! This single palm seemed to squeeze out and detonate all the surrounding air! Deacon Liu felt as if an invisible mountain was crashing directly onto his head. His backward momentum in midair was forcefully arrested, replaced by an even swifter plunge as he was slammed violently toward the earth! Thud! With a heavy thud accompanied by the sound of splintering bone, he was driven right back into the earth by the strike, cratering a human-shaped trench as dust billowed up. Lying paralyzed in the pit, blood constantly oozing from his mouth and nose, he did not even have the strength left to struggle. Low whimpers issued from his mouth, sending a bone-chilling dread through Zhang Yu and the others!