32: Chapter 32: Warm-up is over

The sinister smile on that Yunhai Sect Disciple's face froze instantly at the moment his spirit-light-infused palm print was about to touch the clothes on Chu Xiao's chest.

Time seemed to have hit the pause button.

His violent palm strike, infused with the cultivation of the seventh level of Foundation Establishment and capable of shattering stone tablets, stopped dead in mid-air, less than three inches from Chu Xiao's chest.

And what stopped it were merely two fingers.

Two seemingly ordinary fingers had, at some point, nonchalantly pinched his wrist.

The expression on that Disciple's face shifted from sinister to bewildered, from bewildered to horrified, and finally turned into pure terror.

He felt his wrist being held in a death grip; moving forward even a fraction of an inch was impossible, and even moving at all became a pipe dream.

A terrifying force surged through those two fingers, completely suppressing and sealing off the Qi throughout his entire body!

"You..."

A dry syllable escaped his throat, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.

"Noisy ant."

Chu Xiao didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone as indifferent as if he were shooing away a fly.

The moment the words fell, his two fingers pinching the opponent's wrist casually flicked outward.

The movement was as gentle as brushing dust off a sleeve.

However, that burly Yunhai Sect Disciple, who likely weighed no less than two hundred pounds, was sent flying backward like a discarded sack of rags at a speed several times faster than he had come!

"Crack—"

A tooth-aching sound of bones shattering rang out in mid-air.

His entire body traced a pathetic arc through the air, crashing heavily into several fellow Disciples behind him who hadn't yet reacted. They tumbled into a heap, and he finally collapsed on the ground, spraying blood wildly from his mouth.

His entire right arm was twisted at a bizarre angle; the muscles and bones were shattered to pieces, completely ruined.

This sudden turn of events caused the atmosphere in the area to instantly drop to the freezing point.

The contempt and arrogance on the faces of the remaining Yunhai Sect Disciples vanished, replaced by deep shock and wariness.

With a "shing," they drew their longswords, shielding their half-dead fellow Disciple behind them as if facing a great enemy, yet not one of them dared to take a step forward.

Ye Lingyun's pupils constricted sharply.

The confidence and arrogance on his face finally disappeared completely, replaced by gravity and suspicion.

He was no fool; that casual flick contained an absolute control over power and a Physical Body strength so pure it made one's heart skip a beat.

It far exceeded his understanding of a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator.

This person was definitely not some Loose Cultivator who had just stumbled upon some dumb luck!

He was a powerful expert!

An existence capable of speaking with him as an equal, or even... threatening him!

"Your Excellency has impressive methods."

Ye Lingyun slowly took a step forward, the Qi fluctuations of the eighth level of Foundation Establishment releasing without reservation.

A powerful pressure belonging to a Sect Prodigy surged toward Chu Xiao like a tide: "I admit, I underestimated you. You are qualified for me to take seriously."

His tone remained condescending, as if taking Chu Xiao seriously was some kind of favor bestowed upon him.

"Now, I will give you one last chance."

Ye Lingyun's gaze was sharp, locking onto Chu Xiao: "Hand over everything you took from them. I can choose not to pursue the crime of you injuring my Yunhai Sect Disciples."

"I can even take it upon myself to recommend you to join my Yunhai Sect as an Outer Sect Deacon. This is a glory that a Loose Cultivator like you could never achieve in a lifetime."

He thought that by bringing up the great mountain of the Yunhai Sect and promising a seemingly bright future,

it would be enough to make any Loose Cultivator without a Foundation tempted, or even deeply grateful.

However, what responded to him was Chu Xiao's sneer.

"Heh..."

Chu Xiao finally looked up, sizing up this self-satisfied 'Child of Luck' with interest, looking at him as if he were a clown.

"After all that talk, don't you still just want to rob me of my things? You just have to say it so grandiosely. As expected of a Disciple from a prestigious righteous Sect; even when acting as a bandit, you're a bit more hypocritical than others."

These words were like a slap across the face, striking Ye Lingyun hard!

"You're looking for death!"

Ye Lingyun's face instantly turned the color of pig liver, humiliation and anger rushing straight to the top of his head!

When had he, Ye Lingyun, a Genius Inner Sect Disciple of the Yunhai Sect, ever suffered such humiliation?

Moreover, the one humiliating him was an anonymous ant in his eyes!

"Since you are bent on dying, I will fulfill your wish!"

Boom!

A Qi pressure more than ten times stronger than that of the previous Disciple erupted from within Ye Lingyun!

His figure flickered as he stepped out in a profound footwork pattern. He moved like a wisp of green smoke, instantly crossing several yards to appear before Chu Xiao!

"Ethereal Cloud Palm!"

He struck out with a palm, the wind whistling and bringing with it layers of cloud-like energy. It looked soft and ethereal, but in truth, it hid killing intent, sealing off all of Chu Xiao's paths of retreat!

This palm was one of his ultimate techniques, a powerful Earth Grade Medium Grade Cultivation Technique!

Facing this strike that would make any Cultivator of the same level despair,

not even a ripple of emotion appeared on Chu Xiao's face.

He didn't even draw that Hundred-Refined Steel Sword.

He just quietly watched the palm coming through the clouds and mist, and similarly, simply met it with a punch.

This punch still didn't have any flashy techniques.

It didn't even activate that signature Chaos Golden Light Qi.

But at the moment the fist moved forward, an almost imperceptible, heavy and solid earthy-yellow glow flashed across his fist.

The air around him seemed to become ten thousand times heavier in that instant!

Demon-Subduing Fist!

BOOM—!!!

Fist and palm collided fiercely!

The world-shaking explosion that was expected did not happen; instead, only a dull, heavy thud rang out!

A visible shockwave erupted from the two of them as the center, sweeping outward.

It ground the ruins and rubble within dozens of yards into fine powder!

The dust settled.

The scene in the clearing made the eyes of all the surviving Yunhai Sect Disciples nearly pop out of their sockets!

The youth in hemp clothes still stood in his original spot, his feet as if rooted to the ground, completely unmoved.

While their invincible Senior Brother Ye, hailed as the future of the Sect, actually staggered back three steps before barely managing to steady himself!

The palm he had used to clash with Chu Xiao was trembling uncontrollably. His fair and handsome face flushed with a sickly crimson, and his throat felt sweet as he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood!

"This... how is this possible?!"

Within Ye Lingyun's heart, a stormy sea had already erupted!

He stared wide-eyed at the indifferent youth opposite him, his heart filled with boundless horror and disbelief!

He was a Genius of the Yunhai Sect and practiced the Sect's top-tier Cultivation Technique.

This Ethereal Cloud Palm was executed with his full strength; he was confident that even a Golden Core Early Stage expert would not dare to take it head-on like this!

But this guy before him, an anonymous Loose Cultivator whose aura clearly indicated only the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, had actually taken his palm using only Physical Body strength...

And even... faintly held the upper hand?!

That heavy fist energy produced by that force... this was simply not a power a Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator should possess!

At this moment, all of Ye Lingyun's pride and all of his confidence were smashed to pieces by this one punch!

But in the next moment, the horror in Ye Lingyun's eyes was quickly replaced by a surge of killing intent.

This boy must not be allowed to live!

An anonymous Loose Cultivator of unknown origin possessed such Heaven-Defying talent and strength.

If he were allowed to grow, he would certainly become a major threat in the future!

Today, no matter what, he had to be strangled here!

Feeling the other party's undisguised, chilling killing intent,

a hint of seriousness finally flashed in Chu Xiao's consistently indifferent eyes.

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"It seems the warm-up is over."