When fist and palm collided, a soft "huh" slipped from Fang Wen's lips. Trading blows with Cao Jiuyin felt entirely unlike fighting anyone else.
As his palm force descended, it felt as though he were striking not a human being... but a boneless mass of meat.
Even more, ripples continually cascaded across Cao Jiuyin's skin and flesh.
These undulating ripples dispersed the force of his strike, spreading what had been a concentrated palm power throughout his entire body, where it was ceaselessly neutralized into nothingness amidst the rolls of fat.
When Fang Wen had watched Cao Jiuyin fight earlier, he had already found the man's martial arts peculiar.
Now that they were clashing directly, the sensation was all the more vivid.
"Just what martial arts are you using?" Fang Wen asked out of curiosity.
This, however, gave Cao Jiuyin a terrible fright...
Earlier, he had been on the verge of killing Zuo Qingshuang, only for this kid to butt in and save her.
Now, he was just about to overpower the old monk from Nianhua Zen Courtyard—planning to feast ravenously afterward so his cultivation would grow once more.
Yet this kid had meddled again.
Thus, Cao Jiuyin had struck out with venomous hatred this time, channeling ninety-five percent of his full power, holding back a mere half-measure to guard himself against unforeseen turns.
The fact that they were locked in an impasse was already unbelievable to Cao Jiuyin. How could someone so young possibly stand toe-to-toe with him?
Yet not only was Fang Wen holding his own, he could actually speak with such effortless ease?!
Was this kid... even more of a monster than he was?
While Fang Wen could speak freely, Cao Jiuyin could not utter a single word.
Though his martial arts were extraordinary, they were ultimately still harmonized with his breath.
The moment he opened his mouth and broke his breath, utter defeat would be inevitable.
How was Fang Wen supposed to know this?
Seeing that the man remained silent, he nodded. "Just as I thought. People like you won't give an honest answer until you've been beaten so thoroughly you can't get back up."
"?"
Inside Cao Jiuyin's corpulent brain, a colossal question mark surfaced.
The very next instant, a force like a roaring tsunami surged forth. Not only did it blast away his offensive in a flash, it tore irresistibly into his meridians like bamboo splitting before a blade.
Bang, bang, bang! Boom, boom, boom!
The sounds of bursting flesh echoed in rapid succession. Beneath the colossal impact, even his massive frame could not hold its ground.
He was lifted clear into the air, blasted backward like a giant cannonball.
Enveloped in howling wind, the ground beneath his path exploded in continuous rumbles.
Then came a series of violent crashes as he smashed through the temple walls of Autumn Moon Nunnery, toppled the seated Bodhisattva statue, and blasted straight through the building from front to back.
Fang Wen remained with his palm extended. Amid the swirling dust, the masters of the Seven Great Sects were left utterly dumbfounded.
All at once, they understood why Zuo Qingshuang of Zhujige Pavilion held Fang Wen in such high esteem.
Why she had been willing to wage war against Wentian Mansion just to protect him.
What manner of master was this?
The might of this single palm strike was by no means inferior to that of the Seven Sects' leaders.
Fang Wen paid no heed to their thoughts. That palm strike had not killed Cao Jiuyin, so he naturally had to pursue him to finish the job.
Stepping into the temple hall, Fang Wen looked at the fallen Bodhisattva statue, pressed his palms together, and murmured, "Forgive me, forgive me... I did it only to slay demons."
With that, he took another step forward, crossing the temple and entering the backyard.
Before he had even planted his feet, a bizarre, sickening stench of blood assailed his nostrils.
Glancing around, even Fang Wen could not help but narrow his eyes.
Across the wide expanse of the backyard, heaps of bleached human bones lay strewn everywhere.
The ground was black and the earth moist, soaked through with vast amounts of blood.
Looking at Cao Jiuyin embedded in the wall, Fang Wen asked coldly, "Those people... why are only their bones left? Where did their flesh go?"
Recalling the earlier exchange between the old monk of Nianhua Zen Courtyard and Cao Jiuyin, Fang Wen had already deduced the answer... yet he was still reluctant to believe such human atrocity.
Struggling free from the wall, Cao Jiuyin merely laughed aloud and slapped the rolls of fat on his body. "How fortunate they were to receive such a grand blessing and become one with this King!"
Fang Wen's eyes turned colder than ever. "Is this the martial art you cultivate?"
"What this King cultivates is called the Nether Flesh Art! Nourishing myself with skin and flesh is the realm's foremost profound art. You—"
Before he could finish, Fang Wen had already lunged forward.
He had heard enough!
This was a thorough, irredeemable demon who had to die no matter what.
Fang Wen had lost all interest in him. He did not want to hear another word from his mouth. His sole thought was to beat this creature to death with his bare hands!
His figure darted forward like an arrow released from a bow. In the blink of an eye, he was before Cao Jiuyin, a palm striking straight toward his face.
Cao Jiuyin's face changed drastically!
From the sheer rush of wind alone, he realized that this strike was on an entirely different level from the previous one.
Without time for words, he overlapped his palms one in front of the other and shoved them forward fiercely.
He delusionally hoped to withstand Fang Wen's strike through the sheer power of both hands.
It was not that he did not want to flee... but while the Mahakala Palm appeared to be brute force crushing all technique, it in fact contained myriad subtle variations. Fang Wen's strike was its final stance, Majestic Virtue Subdues Demons—the ultimate technique of the Mahakala Palm. The moment it was unleashed, it locked down the space in all four directions around him, making it impossible to evade no matter how he shifted or turned.
At that point, taking the initiative was better than receiving it passively.
At this instant, ripples coursed across the flesh of his entire body, piling up madly as all the meat from across his frame shifted onto his hands.
His hands transformed into a pair of gargantuan palms!
Yet in the next breath, Fang Wen's palm came crashing down.
As the three palms met, heaven and earth seemed to freeze for a split second.
Immediately following, a ripple radiated across those giant palms.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom!
This time, the ripples brought more than simple displacement of flesh; they shattered it completely.
Centered on Fang Wen's palm, an immense force rippled outward. Flesh and blood burst apart violently, exposing the grim white bones within.
First the hands, then the carpal bones, then up through the forearms, spreading relentlessly upward...
Cao Jiuyin watched helplessly as the flesh of his hands was obliterated, the destruction tearing upward with unstoppable momentum.
At the same time, a gash split down his face from top to bottom, faintly carrying the trace of lingering saber qi.
"No... That's impossible!!!"
Fang Wen's palm force cared nothing for whether he believed it or could accept it.
The overwhelming force surged through his entire body, shattering every inch of the flesh he had taken such pride in.
Beneath the immense palm power, his skeleton had long since shattered to pieces, leaving behind only an enormous head.
Upon that fat, massive face, fierce defiance and utter disbelief still lingered.
Just as it was about to hit the ground, Fang Wen caught it with a swift snatch.
"Death is too good for you!"
Chapter 75