Chapter Seventy: Decapitation!

Rain-slicked streets, stone-paved roads.

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The Cart Driver was in front, Qiu Ting at the side.

Tap, tap, tap!

The Cart Driver quickly stepped through the water, splashes scattering.

Qiu Ting moved on the tips of his toes, ripples swaying slightly.

Not only did he not splash a single drop, but when the fine rain fell, it seemed to be deflected by a curved arc.

Smooth and effortless.

Body like Taiji.

As the eldest Disciple of the Taiji Sect, Qiu Ting had long since incorporated Taiji into his very being; in every movement, whether walking, sitting, or lying down, there was the form of Taiji, yet he could not cross into the spirit of Taiji.

Because of this, Qiu Ting had bid farewell to his Master and descended the mountain to gain experience.

He wanted to find his own path of Spirit Refining.

Then… he met the Man of Benevolence and Righteousness.

Not only did he save his life, but he also helped him find his own path of Spirit Refining.

So, he came this time to repay the favor.

A life-saving debt cannot be repaid easily.

The debt of teaching must be repaid.

Qiu Ting was a pure martial artist and didn’t understand much.

But Qiu Ting knew to return a kindness.

If he couldn’t pay it back in full, he would keep trying.

At worst, he would give his life.

So, even though he knew the person in the carriage was not the one being pursued by the Pseudo-Dynasty, when the attack came, Qiu Ting still stepped forward—

The attacker crashed through a side pavilion and descended from the sky.

With the force of a thunderclap, a heavy palm struck downward.

Qiu Ting raised his hand, using Cloud Hands to listen for the force and bridge the gap.

As soon as the Cloud Hands connected,

The heavy palm stalled.

But in the next moment, an even greater force erupted.

Not only were the Cloud Hands repelled, but the heavy palm followed the momentum straight into the Central Palace.

Qiu Ting slid his feet, his waist drawing a circle as he used the force to retreat.

He avoided this strike.

However, Qiu Ting’s blood and Qi were surging, and his arms were numb.

“Mighty Vajra Palm!”

Qiu Ting blurted out.

“Hmph!”

“You junior have good eyesight, but to dare assist a rebel is simply like an egg striking a stone. Leaving you alive will surely lead to future trouble!”

“Take another palm from me!”

The attacker cold snorted, leaped into the air, his hands weaving like flowers.

Palm shadows overlapped, indistinguishable from all sides.

No-Self No-Form; Arhat Subduing Demons.

In Qiu Ting’s eyes, the attacker glowed with golden light, like an Arhat in a temple rising, stepping out, and striking down with a hand—a thousand catties of force, overbearing and unstoppable.

Qiu Ting’s hands drew a circle, his spine shaking like a Great Dragon.

His feet divided Yin and Yang, and the blood Qi throughout his body surged.

The blood color turned black and white, and the Taiji Twin Fish rotated.

Bang!

Palm and hand struck again.

Qiu Ting retreated once more.

This time, it wasn’t just surging blood and numb arms; he spat out a mouthful of blood directly.

Pfft!

As blood was spat out, his Qi dissipated.

His strength failed to rise, and his whole body went limp.

Qiu Ting felt stars dancing before his eyes.

“Hahaha!”

“You junior, do you see the gap now?”

“Although your Taiji’s ability to borrow and redirect force is strong,”

“But,”

“In terms of blood Qi, you are far inferior to me.”

“In terms of strength, I have innate Divine Power.”

“In Spirit Refining, you’ve only just started for a few years, while I have refined for thirty years, and am already pure and stainless.”

“No matter how strong Taiji is, how can you possibly win against me?”

The attacker laughed and raised his palm to strike again.

This palm, Qiu Ting could not block.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, but the attacker’s palm shattered his stance, sending him flying several meters.

After hitting the ground, he had just performed a carp kick to stand up when he spat out another mouthful of blood.

This time, Qiu Ting’s vision began to darken.

“Hahaha!”

“A mantis trying to stop a carriage, overestimating your own strength!”

“What dogshit Man of Benevolence and Righteousness? You’re all just a bunch of insects!”

“Not a single one can fight!”

Looking at the swaying Qiu Ting, the attacker laughed again, raising his hand to finish him off with a single palm.

But just as he raised his hand, the attacker heard the sound of wheels rolling over stone slabs.

At the entrance of a distant alley, a coolie pulling a flatbed cart arrived.

The attacker didn’t recognize the coolie.

But he recognized the Man of Benevolence and Righteousness sitting on the cart.

He also recognized the injured young girl.

“Li Xiu?”

“Hahaha, the Buddha protects his Disciple.”

“To think the Disciple has found his heart’s desire again.”

Upon seeing Li Xiu, the attacker’s eyes lit up.

He completely ignored Qiu Ting and turned to rush toward Li Xiu.

His expression was excited, and words kept pouring from his mouth.

“Li Xiu, your ‘Flying Swallow Art’, is the perfect supplement for this Buddha’s ‘Great Joy Zen Art’!”

“It just so happens that this Buddha’s Spirit Refining has hit a Bottleneck. With your help, the harmony of Yin and Yang will surely break through the shackles and see the world!”

The attacker became more and more excited as he spoke.

Li Xiu looked nervous.

The Man of Benevolence and Righteousness also frowned deeply.

The ‘Rebel Monk’ Yan Kong was the most troublesome of the seven Great Enshrined, aside from that Chief Manager Li.

Not only did Yan Kong possess innate Divine Power and a body tempered by various secret medicines since childhood—far exceeding ordinary people—but he was also proficient in the ultimate techniques of the Shaolin Thirty-Six Chambers and had mastered them all. After violating the precept against lust, betraying Shaolin, and joining the Pseudo-Dynasty’s inner court, he had learned many unknown methods from the Esoteric Sect.

After three years of diligent practice, he descended the mountain again. With only two palms, he killed his own Master and subsequently slaughtered the Thirty-Six Chambers.

Leaving the Shaolin lineage extinct.

He lacked nothing in heritage, talent, or Foundation.

And with the addition of time…

No one could afford to underestimate him.

Some had even said that the ‘Rebel Monk’ Yan Kong was the strongest in the inner court.

Yan Kong believed this himself.

That dead eunuch only held a position above him because he was favored by the Old Buddha.

In terms of true ability, he was the strongest.

So, when Liu Jiang came to persuade him, he agreed immediately.

He wanted the Old Buddha to see his capabilities.

Thief Sun was as good as dead.

Thief Meng was also doomed.

Li Xiu was an unexpected delight.

As for this coolie?

Just collateral!

If you must blame something, blame your bad luck!

Yan Kong thought to himself as he raised his hand for a Mighty Vajra Palm.

Whoosh!

The palm strike brought wind and thunder.

He felt unrestrained and comfortable.

This feeling of manipulating others’ fates at will made Yan Kong laugh heartily again.

Qiu Ting, Li Xiu, and the Man of Benevolence and Righteousness, however, were all frowning.

Qiu Ting even shouted repeatedly—

“Stop!”

His voice was a hoarse roar, his face distorted by anger.

To disregard life without restraint must surely feel free.

But with deep affection and towering hatred, how could one not look hideous?

Qiu Ting forced his body up, intending to stop Yan Kong once more.

This time, it wasn’t to repay a favor.

It was simply because of seeing injustice on the road.

Li Xiu spun the Flying Swallow Dagger in her hand, also preparing to take action.

Even though she hadn’t understood Ding Xie’s blade.

Facing a powerful enemy, Li Xiu didn’t think she could just stand by.

“Heh.”

“An ant trying to shake a tree!”

Yan Kong glanced over, his Mighty Vajra Palm not stopping.

Whether it was Qiu Ting or Li Xiu.

It didn’t matter.

He was faster than both of them.

No one present was faster than him.

Until—

A flash of blade light burst forth.

With the force of a mountain collapsing.

Fast as a flash of light.

Yan Kong was greatly shocked, and his Mighty Vajra Palm immediately shifted into the Arhat Formless Hand.

Instantly, palm shadows filled all directions.

The wind from his palms swept the raindrops, and the raindrops transformed into a temple.

Inside the temple, an Arhat rose.

Sanskrit chanting echoed continuously, filled with mercy.

Those who saw it felt their hearts soften.

Those who heard it felt pity in their hearts.

But,

The blade did not stop.

The blade passed through the Buddha statue, and the Sanskrit chanting stopped abruptly.

The Arhat’s wail rose, and Ding Xie’s cold intent grew.

“When I begged you, you turned a blind eye.”

“When I asked you, you said the Buddha saves those with affinity.”

“You deserve to die!”

The 【tiger fiend】 unleashed its malice, the weapon showing its ferocity.

The temple collapsed, and the Arhat was decapitated.

Also severed were Yan Kong’s Flowing Cloud Flying Sleeves and Kashaya Demon Subduing.

All were cleaved through with a single blade strike.

Yan Kong’s head fell into the mud.

Ding Xie sheathed his blade and looked back at the Man of Benevolence and Righteousness—

“Continue!”