Chapter 159: Palm Techniques of Heaven and Earth

However, this man was different. He was at the late stage of the Qi-Pulse Realm, and furthermore, he was Meng Kuo, the Young Sect Master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. She could not afford to kill him, as doing so would bring disaster upon her family.

Although her father, the Prince of the Northern Suppressing Territory, possessed formidable strength, he fell far short compared to the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. Even though the military was powerful, that was the strength of the kingdom. If they were to fight the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, not only would both sides suffer heavy losses, but they would also face severe punishment from the kingdom.

When all was said and done, the Prince of the Eastern Suppressing Territory, the Prince of the Southern Suppressing Territory, the Prince of the Western Suppressing Territory, and the Prince of the Northern Suppressing Territory were merely high-ranking military officials. It was only because of their absolute loyalty to the kingdom and their illustrious military achievements that they had been enfeoffed. Their authority was vast, yet at the same time, weak.

Within the military, their authority was second only to the Emperor and the Grand Marshal!

Each of them commanded two million soldiers of the kingdom, guarding the four borders. If they were to mobilize their troops and march against the four major sects, the four major sects would undoubtedly suffer catastrophic losses.

However, there was a catch. The four major sects had a long and deep-rooted history within the kingdom, second only to the Heavenly Book Academy. Even the other four great academies were founded hundreds of years later than them. The networks and influences they had cultivated were intricate, and they possessed countless martial arts experts.

Mobilizing their troops would allow for a fight, but doing so without authorization was a grave crime. At the very least, it meant imprisonment; at worst, it was the crime of treason, punishable by the execution of all nine familial relations.

If the Zhao family had to rely solely on its own strength, it would be impossible to contend with them!

Therefore, she would not make a move against Meng Kuo. Even though, under Fan's guidance, she possessed the absolute confidence to slay him.

Upon hearing the words of Long Xinlan and Zhao Muxia, both Du Tianqi and Meng Kuo experienced slight changes in their expressions before breaking into smiles.

Du Tianqi chuckled and said, "Xinlan, you cannot say it like that. As far as I know, you were also opposed to this marriage. Now that so many of my brothers are here, please do not deliberately cause me to lose face. After all, I still command some prestige within the soaring Heaven Sect!"

With that, he laughed aloud, displaying an air of magnanimity.

"Precisely. Muxia, do not speak out of anger. How could someone in the Qi-Gathering Realm possibly compare to me, who is in the late stage of the Qi-Pulse Realm? Leaving aside our respective backgrounds, in terms of personal cultivation alone, I can use just a single hand to suppress him into utter helplessness!"

Meng Kuo also said with a hint of arrogance. This time, had their Heaven and Earth Pavilion not failed to secure enough quotas, he would have already entered the secret realm by now. This demonstrated his exceptional talent within the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, which stemmed from far more than merely his status as the Young Sect Master.

At the late stage of the Qi-Pulse Realm, aside from those in the ultimate eight tiers of the Qi-Pulse realm, very few in the same realm could rival him. He refused to believe he would be inferior to Li Changfeng, who came from an insignificant minor family.

"Suppress me into utter helplessness with a single hand?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out with playful skepticism from afar. "How about this? I will let you use one hand, and let's see if you are the one left helplessly unable to fight back."

The sudden appearance of these words instantly caused Long Xinlan and Zhao Muxia, who had been preparing to retort, to look over. When they saw Lin Fan and the others walking toward them, both of them smiled and relaxed visibly.

Zhao Muxia was powerful enough to defeat Meng Kuo, but she had too many misgivings and could not take action. Furthermore, even if she beat Meng Kuo, she would still be powerless to drive Du Tianqi away.

As for Long Xinlan, she had no such restraints at the moment, but after all, she was only at the early stage of the Meridian-Opening Realm. Her strength could not match Du Tianqi, who was at the late stage of the Meridian-Opening Realm, leaving her able only to exchange verbal jabs without the power to fight back.

Seeing Lin Fan and the others arrive, the two women naturally felt immensely relieved. There was no doubt that Li Changfeng could easily triumph over Meng Kuo. Back when people had challenged Lin Fan, Xiao Beihan, Li Changfeng, and the others had already defeated countless late-stage Qi-Pulse Realm opponents.

Furthermore, they both knew that Xiao Beihan and the others had entered the fifth level of the Clarity Tower. For two months and ten days, aided by a tenfold time dilation, it was equivalent to a year and ten months of cultivation for an ordinary person.

Given their genius aptitude, they would undoubtedly become even more formidable. Subduing Meng Kuo would pose no problem whatsoever.

As for Du Tianqi, who was at the late stage of the Meridian-Opening Realm, there was even less need to worry. Two months ago, Brother Fan had smashed through the Heavenly Dynasty Assembly. The combined might of the Meridian-Opening experts there was enough to give even ordinary Flow-State experts headaches, yet Brother Fan's clothes had not even been ruffled.

Ever since that moment, whenever the Heavenly Book Academy mentioned Lin Fan, they placed him on the same level as the most powerful students, such as Liu Qi.

Moreover, rumors were circulating that if Lin Fan had not been in closed-door cultivation, a spot within the secret realm this time would undoubtedly have belonged to him!

Du Tianqi, Meng Kuo, and the others naturally noticed Lin Fan and those behind him. Their eyes narrowed slightly, and glancing at the expressions of Long Xinlan and Zhao Muxia, they demanded, "Make us unable to fight back? Who do you think you are?"

Hearing this, Lin Fan remained silent, merely looking at Du Tianqi and Meng Kuo with a calm expression. One was at the late stage of the Meridian-Opening Realm, and the other at the late stage of the Qi-Pulse Realm. He did not even deign to acknowledge them, nor was there any need for him to make a move; Xiao Beihan and Li Changfeng could naturally resolve the matter.

Li Changfeng stepped out from behind Lin Fan, looking down at Meng Kuo as he said, "I am the Li Changfeng who is supposed to let you use one hand, and those words came from me as well. Now, I will let you use one hand. If you can even touch the hem of my garment, I will consider you the winner."

By this time, Li Changfeng had already advanced to the Meridian-Opening Realm, radiating an extraordinary demeanor. Cultivating the Imperial Dao had endowed him with a palpable aura of majesty and oppression. It was akin to an emperor looking down from above, leaving Meng Kuo momentarily speechless in response.

Who was Meng Kuo? He was the Young Sect Master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, an existence who could walk sideways without hindrance even in the Ice Snow Kingdom. Whom had he ever feared?

He even dared to provoke Liu Qi, the strongest expert of the Heavenly Book Academy!

Yet at the very moment Li Changfeng cast his gaze upon him, his heart actually began to tremble, and an unbidden trace of fear arose from nowhere.

"You are Li Changfeng?"

Suspicion and uncertainty flickered in his eyes as he questioned Li Changfeng. Logically speaking, Li Changfeng was merely in the Qi-Gathering Realm and could not possibly exert such overwhelming pressure upon him. He found it difficult to believe.

"It is the absolute truth!"

Li Changfeng took a step forward, strode past Meng Kuo, took hold of Zhao Muxia's delicate, snow-white hand, and offered a gentle smile to Princess Muxia. "Next time you encounter such people, pay them no mind. Come directly to me, and I will resolve it for you!"

"Mm!"

Princess Muxia's cheeks flushed red with shyness, yet her eyes shone brightly, as if she were silently proclaiming to the entire world that this was her man.

"You—!"

Though he had previously harbored doubts about Li Changfeng's identity, upon seeing Zhao Muxia—who had never once shown him a pleasant expression—behave in such a tender and bashful manner toward this man, Meng Kuo's doubts vanished instantly. His face flushed crimson, and his eyes blazed with anger.

Just as he was about to speak, he was abruptly interrupted by Li Changfeng, who looked down at him and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to make me use only one hand? Now I am letting you use one hand. Do you dare to fight?"

"What is there that I wouldn't dare?"

Meng Kuo roared, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Li Changfeng's hand holding Muxia's.

Although the pressure emanating from Li Changfeng upon his arrival had been immense, intelligence reports had clearly stated that Li Changfeng was only in the Qi-Gathering Realm. No matter how fast Li Changfeng's cultivation speed was, he refused to believe that Li Changfeng could have caught up to his own cultivation level in such a short span of time.

Besides, if his cultivation truly were that powerful, why would he pass up the competition for the secret realm?

The opportunities within were countless and enough to make anyone green with envy. Even he had wanted to enter; if not for the limited quotas, he wouldn't have been left outside.

Li Changfeng hailed from a minor family. If his strength were sufficient, he naturally wouldn't have let go of such a chance to rise to prominence. The oppressive aura from earlier must surely have originated from some secret treasure in his possession. In an actual battle relying on true strength, what did he have to fear?

Now, Li Changfeng was acting intimately with Zhao Muxia while treating him with contempt. Zhao Muxia was already viewed by him as a prize in the palm of his hand—how could he not be furious?

"You dare? If you dare, then strike! I am giving you the advantage of one hand!"

Li Changfeng calmly questioned him, while simultaneously placing his left hand—which held Zhao Muxia's—behind his back, extending his right hand to point toward Meng Kuo from a distance. "If you can touch the hem of my garment, you win. If you cannot touch it, get lost as far away as you can. Do you understand?"

"You go too far!"

Meng Kuo gnashed his teeth in hatred. Li Changfeng had repeatedly mocked him with his words, and now he was actually offering to fight with one hand behind his back. Enraged beyond measure, he felt his anger flare to the heavens—how could a mere cultivator in the Qi-Gathering Realm dare to be so insolent?

Uttering a furious roar, he lunged straight at Li Changfeng!

A fierce wind whipped up, followed by a muffled thud from the ground as the adamantine stone flooring shattered into a deep crater beneath his explosive step. He unleashed the supreme martial art of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion: the Heaven and Earth Palm Technique.

"Palm Peak Like a Mountain!"

With this strike, Meng Kuo held nothing back, directly employing the ultimate technique of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. In an instant, gale-force winds rose, dark clouds gathered, and spiritual energy surged like churning waves, carrying the overwhelming momentum of a full-strength strike from a Meridian-Opening expert.

Ordinarily, his cultivation level would not have been sufficient to touch upon the Heaven and Earth Palm Technique. However, being the Young Sect Master, he had naturally been allowed to study it early on. Although he had only mastered the first stance, it multiplied his combat prowess manifold!