Novel Full Chapter 240: Gathering - 3
Chapter 240: Gathering – 3
Li Yun had not expected to encounter her here of all places.
After his previous clash with this woman in the Black Wind Desert, he had deliberately gathered information about the top geniuses of the four great sects upon returning to his sect. It was then that he learned her true identity. She was none other than Yan Luo, the daughter of the Sect Master of the Boundless Martial Palace.
At that time, he had felt fortunate to have escaped from her.
Yet now, seeing her standing right before him again, Li Yun could not help but feel that fate was playing a cruel joke.
Instinctively, he shifted slightly, attempting to position himself behind Han Xue. However, it was useless. Yan Luo had already noticed him.
“Thief, it’s you!”
Her voice rang out sharply, followed by a cold and malicious smile.
Back then, she had deeply regretted letting him slip away. She had never expected fate to present him to her once more, as if deliberately placing him within her reach.
“Miss Yan, we meet again,” Li Yun said calmly, no longer attempting to hide.
“Brother Li?”
Han Li and Han Xue were both stunned. They had not expected Li Yun to have any connection, let alone a conflict, with someone like Yan Luo.
Wu Lin and Mu Lan also turned their attention toward him.
A trace of jealousy flickered across Wu Lin’s face.
Mu Lan, on the other hand, showed a hint of curiosity.
At first, she had paid no attention to Li Yun, but now that she observed him more closely, she immediately sensed something unusual.
The aura he gave off was difficult to grasp. At one moment, it felt like a blazing sun, overwhelming and intense. At another, it resembled a peerless sword, sharp and restrained, yet capable of cutting through anything.
“This person is not ordinary,” she thought.
The perception of someone with ten-star aptitude was extraordinarily keen. In certain aspects, especially when sensing other geniuses, it could even surpass that of Essence Qi Realm experts.
It was like the interaction between magnets, where both attraction and repulsion existed at the same time.
“You are that thief?”
A powerful aura suddenly erupted, pressing down toward Li Yun.
The one who spoke was Xue Ming. He was one of Yan Luo’s admirers and a close ally of hers. It had been he who instructed Zhao Shu to obtain the Martial Dao Crystal for Yan Luo.
Unfortunately, at that time, he had been away on another mission and had been unable to accompany her personally. Otherwise, he was certain that with both of them present, Li Yun would not have escaped alive.
“I am.”
Faced with the situation, Li Yun did not attempt to deny anything. His expression remained calm, yet his gaze turned sharp. He was already prepared for whatever might follow. If a fight was unavoidable, then he would fight without hesitation.
Yan Luo was only at the sixth level of the Qi Sea Realm, while Xue Ming had reached the eighth level. Even so, Li Yun did not fear either of them. Even if the two joined forces against him, he would face them head-on without retreat.
“Stealing from a disciple of the Boundless Martial Palace is a capital offense. Die!”
As Xue Ming spoke, a peculiar weapon appeared in his hand.
It was composed of three parts, an iron rod, a chain, and a spiked iron ball. The moment it emerged, its killing intent was unmistakable.
A meteor hammer.
With a thunderous roar, Xue Ming swung his arm. The iron ball shot forward along the chain like a blazing meteor, tearing through the air as it hurtled toward Li Yun.
Li Yun merely smiled.
He clenched his right fist and struck forward without hesitation.
A violent explosion erupted.
The entire third floor of the teahouse was shattered by the impact. Wooden beams cracked and debris scattered in all directions. In the midst of the chaos, Xue Ming’s figure was sent flying backward, crashing out of the building and landing heavily on the street below.
For a moment, the entire place fell silent.
Everyone present stared in disbelief.
It was Xue Ming who had been sent flying, not Li Yun.
The difference in their cultivation was enormous. Li Yun was only at the first level of the Qi Sea Realm, while Xue Ming stood at the eighth level. The gap of seven small realms should have been insurmountable, yet the outcome had completely overturned their expectations.
Han Li and Han Xue were the most shocked.
They already knew that Li Yun’s true strength far exceeded his cultivation, especially after witnessing him kill Mo Tian with a single strike. However, seeing him send an eighth-level Qi Sea Realm expert flying with a single punch still left them stunned.
“Who is he?” Shi Mo frowned, his eyes filled with suspicion. As a disciple of the Martial Ascension Gate, he was familiar with most of the prominent True Disciples, yet he had never heard of Li Yun before.
“Interesting.”
Mu Lan, on the other hand, showed growing curiosity. Li Yun’s display of strength had clearly caught her attention.
“Thief, die!”
Xue Ming roared as he surged back into the fight. This time, the meteor hammer in his hand burned with even fiercer energy as he charged forward once again.
“Haha, come!”
Facing the aggressive advance of Xue Ming, Li Yun showed no fear. Instead, a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes. He activated the full power of his Ninefold Origin Flesh Scripture, and three cauldron-shaped marks on his chest began to glow intensely. A surge of terrifying raw strength coursed through his body, filling him with explosive power.
Feeling that strength, Li Yun laughed and threw out another punch without hesitation.
In an instant, his fist collided once again with the blazing meteor hammer.
A thunderous explosion erupted.
The ground beneath them cracked open, and a massive pit formed on the street below. Dust and debris were sent flying in all directions.
This time, Li Yun remained standing firmly in place, unmoving like a mountain.
Xue Ming, on the other hand, was blasted backward once more. His body slid across the ground, carving a long trail before he finally came to a halt.
The crowd fell into complete silence.
The first clash could have been dismissed as carelessness or underestimation, but this second exchange left no room for doubt. It was now obvious who held the advantage in this battle.
“Impossible. How could his strength have reached such a level?”
Yan Luo’s eyes widened in shock. The Li Yun she had encountered in the Black Wind Desert had been strong, but still within the realm of what she could handle. The Li Yun before her now felt entirely different, almost overwhelming.
“His cultivation has risen from the third level of the Xiantian Realm to the first level of the Qi Sea Realm in such a short time,” she muttered, unable to conceal her disbelief. “This rate of growth is simply terrifying.”
“His physical body is incredibly powerful, but that is not all. Every one of his attacks carries an overwhelming weight.”
On the shattered third floor of the teahouse, only a few sections remained intact. Among them, the area where Mu Lan stood was the most untouched, as if the surrounding chaos could not reach her.
Her gaze remained fixed on Li Yun.
A faint, unusual glimmer appeared in her eyes.
She had never cared much for ordinary True Disciples. What truly interested her were those rare, peerless geniuses who stood above the rest.
Although Li Yun’s cultivation was relatively low, in every other aspect, he had already reached that level.