After all, Huang Shang was a senior, and he bore no enmity toward Song Qingshu. Moreover, the Nine Yin Scripture that Zhou Zhiruo practiced could also be considered his legacy. Therefore, despite having the chance to strike a vital point, Song Qingshu chose instead to aim for the shoulder…an inconsequential area.
Yet his cultivation was now extraordinary. Though this punch had no flashy name, a faint glow of fist energy shimmered before his knuckles. Even someone of Huang Shang’s caliber, if struck, would likely lose the ability to fight.
“Big Brother Song is amazing!” Li Yuanzhi’s eyes sparkled with adoration. Young maidens’ hearts were always poetic…of course they wanted their beloved to be as formidable as possible.
Chen Yuanyuan and Ah Ke clutched each other’s hands, clearly tense. They’d felt an inexplicable worry when Song Qingshu was in danger earlier, and now they were even more worried seeing Huang Shang in peril…after all, if Song Qingshu won, who knew what fate awaited them?
But their eyes soon widened in shock. Huang Shang’s arm suddenly retracted several inches into his body, narrowly evading Song Qingshu’s seemingly surefire strike.
“Muscle Shrinking and Bone Contracting Technique?” Having studied the Nine Yin Scripture, Song Qingshu naturally knew of this technique…he’d always found it rather useless, never imagining it could be used so marvelously.
In the instant he was distracted, Huang Shang’s retracted arm shot back out. Song Qingshu’s expression changed as he hurriedly shifted several feet sideways…but he was still grazed by the five fingers at his elbow. His arm went numb, and all his internal power momentarily vanished.
“Strumming the Five Strings!” Song Qingshu instantly recognized this technique from the Nine Yin Scripture, but he had no time to ponder…his priority was dealing with Huang Shang’s follow-up assault.
Though the loss of power lasted only an instant, for an expert of Huang Shang’s level, that instant was more than enough.
Seeing no way to evade, a strange light flickered in Song Qingshu’s eyes. Within his pupils, the faint image of a figure wielding a sword seemed ready to burst forth.
Huang Shang felt a sudden palpitation, sensing a change in the surrounding air that no longer obeyed his field. His grandmaster’s instinct made him raise his hand, and from his sleeve shot a pitch-black whip that coiled around a distant beam. He yanked hard, catapulting himself backward several zhang. His cloak billowed without wind, swelling several times over as his palms slowly rose. The air around him visibly twisted, light itself warping. The women nearby glanced at it briefly and felt nauseated, quickly shutting their eyes in fright.
Seeing Huang Shang so cautious, Song Qingshu smiled slightly. The golden figure in his eyes faded as he tapped his toe and appeared behind Chen Yuanyuan and Ah Ke. Looking at Huang Shang, he said, “Senior, we have no deep enmity…why fight to the death? How about we call it a draw?”
Hearing his voice so close, Ah Ke and Chen Yuanyuan realized Song Qingshu was right beside them, their faces draining of color. Ah Ke instinctively struck behind her, but the moment she raised her hand, all her strength vanished and her arm drooped limply.
“Disobedient w0men don’t win men’s favor,” Song Qingshu whispered in her ear. His warm breath sent a flush across Ah Ke’s pretty face, while Li Yuanzhi in the distance pouted jealously.
The air around Huang Shang gradually stilled, the black cloak once again visible. His voice was heavy with gravity: “What technique was that just now?”
“One that shouldn’t exist in this world,” Song Qingshu said with double meaning. Sword Twenty-Three…from its name, it was a technique from the Feng Yun world, indeed not of this world.
Huang Shang was about to ask more when he frowned and fell silent. The palace doors burst open, and a flood of guards poured in…their prolonged battle had finally alerted the palace’s defenses.
“Audacious! Breaking into the forbidden palace…seize them all!” Seeing the situation, the lead guard captain was both shocked and furious. With a wave, the guards surrounded Song Qingshu and Huang Shang.
Song Qingshu couldn’t help but laugh. Huang Shang’s identity was mysterious; it seemed very few in the palace knew who he was. This was like the Dragon King’s temple being flooded…they were both caught. Earlier he’d acted like a cop catching a thief, and now he was a thief alongside him. *Let’s see how you handle this.*
His smile soon froze, however, as Huang Shang produced a golden token. The guards all went pale at the sight and knelt in unison.
“Seize this man!” Huang Shang pointed across the room, and suddenly all eyes were on Song Qingshu.
“Come on, Old Huang, that’s not fair. Weren’t we doing one-on-one? What happened to the duel?” Song Qingshu said glumly. Though the imperial guards weren’t top-tier martial artists, many could have led small sects in the martial world. Individually they were manageable, but together they were like ants overwhelming an elephant…especially with Huang Shang lurking nearby.
“Man follows earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows nature. As long as I can subdue you, why should I duel you alone?” Huang Shang’s cold voice came from beneath his cloak.
Song Qingshu was momentarily speechless, remembering that Huang Shang had reached the realm of transcending emotions. Trying to bind him with worldly moral codes was wishful thinking.
“Consort Wu and her mother are in my hands. If you don’t want to harm them, stay back.” Since Huang Shang was immune to both soft and hard approaches, Song Qingshu had to target the ordinary guards.
The guards indeed halted. Unlike Huang Shang, they knew that Consort Wu was deeply favored…if anything happened to her, they’d be in deep trouble. They all hesitated.
“Release Consort Wu at once!”
“This is a crime punishable by execution of nine clans!”
“Release the consort, and you may receive leniency!”
The guards’ voices clamored chaotically. Song Qingshu chuckled: “I’m not three years old…why would I listen to that?”
Suddenly his expression shifted, and he spun around. Huang Shang was swooping toward him like a great eagle.
Song Qingshu frowned. Surrounded as he was, he didn’t want to waste energy on a direct confrontation with Huang Shang. He grabbed Chen Yuanyuan’s shoulder and used her as a shield, planning to use this human barrier to avoid Huang Shang while making his escape.
But to his surprise, even with Chen Yuanyuan between them, Huang Shang showed no sign of stopping. His Great Demon Subduing Fist still came crashing forward. Before everyone’s horrified eyes, the fist struck Chen Yuanyuan squarely.
Chen Yuanyuan coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body slumping into Song Qingshu. Instantly, a strange, twisting fist energy transferred from her body into his.
“Striking the Mountain Through the Ox!” Song Qingshu immediately understood Huang Shang’s tactic. He’d had enough time to dodge, but if he did, the fist energy trapped within Chen Yuanyuan would have nowhere to go…the peerless beauty would be dead on the spot.
Gritting his teeth, he filled his chest with yielding energy and pulled Chen Yuanyuan into his arms, using his body to absorb and dissolve the spiraling, violent fist energy inside her.
Though he’d prepared himself, this was essentially taking a full-force blow from Huang Shang’s Great Demon Subduing Fist. Song Qingshu felt a tremendous force hit his chest, tasted sweetness in his throat, and nearly blacked out.