Chapter 222 - 218: A Night of Fish and Dragon Dance (Part 11)

Chapter 222: Chapter 218: A Night of Fish and Dragon Dance (Part 11)

When the silver-clad elder’s sword had come for his face, Fu Juemin had only felt a slight ache between his brows. But now, as the man in the Profound Robe, Yu Zhonggui, pointed two fingers from a distance, Fu Juemin felt a stabbing pain in his eyelids before the Finger Force even descended. It felt as if his very eyeballs were about to burst.

The vast difference in their strength was immediately apparent.

Aside from the Demon Commander, Luo Zhengxiong, this "Imperial Second Grade" from the Toad Palace, Yu Zhonggui, was without a doubt the strongest opponent Fu Juemin had ever faced!

To onlookers, Yu Zhonggui was leaping through the air, his fingers descending. In Fu Juemin’s eyes, however, all he could see was a single, cold star shooting down from a field of deep, Profound darkness.

An overwhelming sense of danger washed over him. The hairs on Fu Juemin’s back stood on end, his heart filled with dread. And yet, a strange excitement and anticipation also sent a shudder through his entire body.

’An opponent like this... he is worthy of dying to my self-created Demon Martial Arts. He is qualified to be the very nourishment I need to perfect them!’

In that critical instant, Fu Juemin brought his palms together, instantly forming the Fundamental Seal!

He formed this seal right before his face, perfectly blocking the descending "cold star"!

CLANG—

Finger met palm, producing a harsh, grating sound like scraping metal.

A blast of force scraped past Fu Juemin’s face, slicing right through his Protective Qi Membrane—which was nearly half a foot thick with his Five Phases Unleashed—and leaving a faint red line across his cheek.

The residual Finger Force continued unabated, striking the ground at his feet. A large bluestone paver shattered instantly, a small hole just two fingers wide punched through its center.

To think a single finger could wield such terrifying power!

Fu Juemin had no time to dwell on this. The very instant he used the Fundamental Seal to deflect Yu Zhonggui’s "Guanghan Flying Star," he released the seal and struck.

Moon Grasp!

Controlling Cranes!

Moon Grasp with his left hand, Controlling Cranes with his right. Empowered by the Snake Demon Soul and the Guardian Demon Soul, these two grappling techniques took on countless bizarre and sinister variations, making them several times more powerful than when he had seized the silver-clad elder from afar.

The two techniques merged. Two currents of Vitality—similar, yet with subtly different, intricate variations—coiled like two invisible, giant pythons. They stirred a terrifying expanse of dark, distorted air as they lunged toward the approaching Yu Zhonggui!

But Fu Juemin’s seemingly inescapable grasp, which closed around Yu Zhonggui, clenched on nothing but empty air!

The man’s body seemed completely unaffected by the force. His form, clad in the Profound Robe, blurred in Fu Juemin’s vision. He had effortlessly broken free from the two currents of Vitality, drifting away as if weightless.

"Toad Palace Jade Void Step... Surprised?"

Clad in his Purple Toad Embracing Moon Profound Robe, Yu Zhonggui stood ten paces from Fu Juemin. He fixed him with a superior, disdainful, and indifferent gaze, speaking coolly, "Yes. You should be."

He walked toward Fu Juemin, step by step. With every stride, his form seemed to grow a little more illusory in the moonlight.

"People from your martial sects spend all day wallowing in the mud, killing each other over a few Secret Manuals and some paltry silver coins and Elixirs. How could you possibly comprehend the profound heritage of my Toad Palace?"

Gradually, it seemed as though several images of Yu Zhonggui had appeared.

Fu Juemin narrowed his eyes, even activating his Yao Ling. For a moment, however, he still found it impossible to distinguish the real man from the illusions. It seemed as if every Yu Zhonggui before him was speaking, their voices overlapping.

"In his time, the Late Emperor Qianming held dominion over the world and devoted himself to the Martial Dao. The quintessence of all the world’s Martial Arts was gathered within the palace walls long ago."

"Every one of us Toad Palace guards is a ’Natural Martial Talent,’ chosen as one in ten thousand. From childhood, we practice the finest Martial Arts, use the best Medicated Baths, and consume the rarest of tonics..."

"How can the likes of you compare to us? How could you possibly compete?"

By the time he had completed his ten steps, the images of Yu Zhonggui before Fu Juemin had multiplied into dozens of flickering phantoms. Then, all at once, these dozens of figures lunged at Fu Juemin, all using the same Finger Technique as before.

In that instant, Fu Juemin felt dozens of cold stars striking at him from all directions, targeting the vital points all over his body and enveloping him in a bone-chilling cold.

And Yu Zhonggui’s voice, cold and dripping with utter contempt, continued to drift on the night wind.

"Demon Elephant Ji Shaotong? What a grand title!"

"You possess an abundance of potent Vitality, but your methods of wielding it are so crude they’re an eyesore. You can’t even control nine-tenths of it, letting it dissipate uselessly into the air."

"All that bluster is only good for scaring fools..."

"Low-life ruffians from the martial world, nothing but fame-hungry charlatans... Hmph."

Yu Zhonggui unleashed his Body Technique and Finger Technique to their fullest. In an instant, dozens of ’cold stars’ rained down. The Finger Strength Gang Wind trailing each ’star’ was like dozens of invisible pillars of air, stirring the very atmosphere across the entire dam.

In the blink of an eye, a howling hurricane formed, its power staggering!

Caught within this terrifying Finger Strength Gang Wind, Fu Juemin’s Qi Membrane trembled violently like a thin tarp. His gaze turned cold as he fiercely unleashed two Seal Techniques at the descending ’cold stars’ around him.

BOOM!—

......

BOOM! BOOM!

On the riverbank dam, the sudden, howling gale nearly drowned out the sound of the rushing river.

An invisible yet palpable pressure radiated outward, forcing the onlookers to retreat again and again.

Tang Jing darted out, moving nimbly to Li Huaisuang’s side. She grabbed her and pulled her back, shielding her....

At that moment, however, no one paid her any mind. All eyes were completely captivated by the battle—or more precisely, they were fixed upon the lone figure of the man in the Profound Robe, bathed in the brilliant moonlight.

If Fu Juemin withstanding the fiery explosion without a scratch had been shocking, then the power now being displayed by Toad Palace’s "Imperial Second Grade," Yu Zhonggui, was simply horrifying.