Only the white-clothed woman with a sheer veil over her face had boarded the boat in her physical body. But whether she managed to cross the great river or not was unknown. A faint radiance glimmered around her, clearly a sign that she possessed a precious treasure. Li Yanchu finally withdrew, seeking shelter at the nearest ruined Daoist temple. This temple had been built atop a towering cliff, which was extremely perilous in terrain. The mountain winds were biting and fierce; if one wasn’t careful, they could easily be blown clean off the edge. The moment Li Yanchu set foot on the mountain path, he felt the cold wind like sharp sabers, cutting straight through to the bone. If an ordinary person were to be lashed by that wind a few times, they would likely fall gravely ill or possibly even die. Even for cultivators or martial artists, prolonged exposure to such cold, eerie mountain wind would be dangerous. Li Yanchu immediately activated his Wind Tamer. This mythical treasure had been bestowed upon him by Lady Qingyi, the most venerated deity of Wei City’s temples. As expected, the moment the Wind Tamer activated, the fierce winds around Li Yanchu instantly came to a halt. Li Yanchu even felt that this pearl could suppress the entirety of the strange and baleful winds that haunted this mountain. “What a marvelous treasure,” Li Yanchu said with a slight smile. If he ever encountered extreme weather like hurricanes, tornadoes, or sandstorms, this Wind Tamer would truly be a lifesaving divine artifact. He continued to scale the treacherous mountain path with agile, swift movements. Suddenly, a sharp sound of something tearing through the air rang out near his ear! Li Yanchu sidestepped in a flash, and his previous position exploded with a loud blast, thereafter fragments of stone flew in all directions. Night was falling fast, and the world was sinking into darkness. He hadn’t clearly seen what had struck just now, but vaguely, it looked like a throwing knife!? One after another, the sounds of weapons slicing through the air filled his ears. Li Yanchu's brows furrowed. “Who attacks without a word or warning the moment we meet!?” This mountain path was already steep and dangerous, and with these fierce winds? The downward strike from above was clearly intended to be fatal, leaving no chance of survival! Li Yanchu suddenly summoned a layer of qi shield in front of him and didn’t bother to dodge. Instead, he charged straight through the incoming attacks. This text is hosted at novel⁂fire.net A massive boulder came crashing down with terrifying force. Li Yanchu’s eyes were icy cold as he raised a palm and struck out. Divine Astral Hands! Void-Splitting Palm! The thousand-jin boulder was instantly shattered into pieces by the sheer power of his strike. The person above seemed startled, but Li Yanchu had already used the momentum to propel himself straight to the top of the cliff. A flash of killing intent appeared in his eyes, causing the two men opposite him to instinctively retreat a step, visibly shaken! “So it’s you!?” one of them exclaimed in surprise. It was a middle-aged man with a dark and sinister expression, whom Li Yanchu had seen before. He was none other than Master Wu Hu, who had led the attack against the Gongshu family. Li Yanchu sneered coldly, “What a small world, eh?” Previously, this man had been working for the young Daoist Master from Mount Mao, orchestrating a siege against the Gongshu family, and Li Yanchu had seized the jujube tree from them. Back then, he hadn’t thought much of the man. After all, the people from the Gongshu family weren’t exactly saints either. But now this man had launched a sneak attack with lethal intent, which truly angered Li Yanchu. The middle-aged man's gaze was as cold and venomous as a snake. He said icily, “You brought this on yourself!” He pulled a bamboo tube from his robe and gave it a twist toward the sky. A firework exploded overhead, dazzling and bright. From a distant Daoist temple, several figures immediately appeared and began rushing toward the cliff. Standing beside the middle-aged man was a burly foreign man, towering and muscular, with palm-sized bronze rings hanging from his ears and tattoos faintly visible on the skin of his neck. His features were clearly distinct from those of the Central Plains. The middle-aged man said coldly, “Jiada, your brother Mancha was killed by this man.” The middle-aged man spoke in a low, heavy voice. The foreign brute beside him instantly narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning vicious. A crackling sound erupted from his body, and his muscles bulged explosively, brimming with sheer power. It closely resembled the realm of muscles and bones resonating in harmony[1] of advanced hard qigong. But unlike the disciplined methods of traditional martial artists, this barbarian exuded a wild, feral aura, like that of a savage beast. Without a word, he lunged forward and threw a ferocious and deadly punch at Li Yanchu. A deafening sonic boom burst through the air with the punch’s sheer force! Li Yanchu’s eyes chilled. He stepped forward and met the blow head-on with a fist of his own. Divine Astral Hands! Mountain-Splitting Strike! This mighty warrior from the grasslands, a barbarian capable of lifting a thousand jins, was no match for Li Yanchu’s Divine Astral Hands. His bones, which were tougher than oxen bone, shattered completely under the force of the blow. The middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically. Just then, three sharp throwing knives shot through the air toward Li Yanchu! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Li Yanchu stepped forward, and with a simple palm strike... Bang! A torrent of overwhelming force knocked all three sabers from the air, then his palm landed squarely on the middle-aged man! If not for a sudden flare of divine light from the man’s body, he would’ve been killed on the spot by that single strike! “Who the hell is this guy!?” “Where did such a powerful Daoist come from!?” The middle-aged man was visibly shaken, panic flashing across his face. Without hesitation, he turned and fled up toward the Daoist temple hall at the cliff’s peak. Li Yanchu struck out with another palm. Void-Splitting Palm! This palm technique appeared simple, yet it carried tremendous power. Each strike surged forth like a mountain crashing wave. Even with a divine artifact for protection, the middle-aged man felt as if he were being crushed under an overwhelming pressure, unable to breathe. He was flung forward like a kite with its string cut, tumbling uncontrollably through the air. “You’re seeking death!” “What reckless Daoist dares make a scene here!?” Several figures rushed down from the cliffside Daoist temple hall, shouting in anger as they launched their attacks. All sorts of spells and techniques flew toward Li Yanchu; one of them even threw the ashes of a century-old corpse, a sinister method used to taint and corrupt Daoist arts. Li Yanchu remained unfazed. His qi shield was the embodiment of pure yang force, completely impervious to these sinister ghostly tricks. With a single palm strike, he slammed the head of the evil cultivator who had tossed the ashes straight into his own chest. His skull, neck bones, and chest bones all shattered. He died a horrific, miserable death. Another man stood frozen, as if caught by a celestial Immobilization Spell, hands raised to his chest. He was utterly unable to move, and his eyes were wide with terror! He could only watch helplessly as his companion was shattered by a palm strike, his body torn limb from limb under the blazing force. Before he could act, his own head was crushed with a single punch, and the vicious bronze spike he held never had the chance to be unleashed. He was dead in an instant. All of it happened within mere seconds of crossing paths with the middle-aged man. Their curses and shouting still echoed through the mountains, though they were already killed in an instant. The middle-aged man glanced back and was instantly struck with terror. Li Yanchu was pursuing him relentlessly, killing his way up the mountainside. Panic surged in the man’s heart as he scrambled upward in desperation. “Young Daoist Master, save me! Young Daoist Master, save me!!” he shouted in terror, completely broken by fear. He was utterly terrified of Li Yanchu! Suddenly, a streak of five-colored divine light struck down from above at an incredibly fast speed. Li Yanchu reacted at once, thrusting out a powerful palm. The earth trembled, and the mountain shook. A thunderous explosion echoed through the cliffs, shockwaves erupting in all directions. Li Yanchu's offensive was finally halted. His gaze turned icy cold. At the top of the cliff stood a young man, his expression arrogant and disdainful, radiating an overbearing presence. He wore a purple-gold crown, a white jade belt at his waist, and his bearing was elegant and otherworldly, like a banished immortal descending to the mortal realm. “Kill him,” the young man spoke in a low, commanding tone, as if human life meant nothing to him. He was cold and ruthless. High atop the lonely cliff, two young men stared each other down from a distance and had a direct confrontation. 1. “筋骨齐鸣” literally means “muscles and bones resonating together,” and signifies a high level of physical and internal harmony in martial arts or qigong. It can refer to audible pops or snaps from joints and tendons during powerful, coordinated movements, indicating strong internal energy and full-body integration. Figuratively, it symbolizes mastery over one’s body and qi, reflecting strength, control, and unity of movement. ☜