Serenity Peak. Martial World Sharang.
As the dusk descended, the sky remained as bleak as ever.
The surviving citizens of Serenity Peak had essentially lost track of time since the existence of the Devil’s Den, trapping them within a gray fog domain that obscured sunlight.
Step. Step. Step.
A lone martial artist made her way through the crowd.
At this juncture, Lin Sahu emerged, standing before the imposing gates of Everwood Palace. The martial artists surrounding her erupted into cheers, simultaneously lambasting the palace owner for his “selfish” hoarding of food supplies.
The crowd clamored to plunder Everwood Palace, cloaking their intentions under the guise of “fighting inequality” and “seeking justice for the needy.”
It seemed some individuals were adept at concocting any bullshittery to justify their actions.
“Silence,” the elderly yet robust Lin Sahu commanded, her voice resonating with qi-energy to reach all ears.
“People of Serenity Peak, the tree devils prowling the danger zones are not our only enemies. Tyrants like Aksai Everwood, who hide behind fortified walls and endanger lives for their own gain, are also our foes.
Remember, Aksai Everwood is not one of us. He arrived in Serenity Peak and engaged in nefarious activities with his wealth. He does not belong here.
Today, we shall overthrow this tyrant and seize everything he possesses.
Of course, my Temple of Guardian will ensure fair distribution of these resources to all. So please support us,” Lin Sahu declared with “unwavering” resolve, standing tall in contrast to her usual slightly stooped posture.
“Madam Lin Sahu, we support you!” cried a martial artist from the Temple of Guardian.
“Aksai Everwood is an outsider who only knows how to bully the locals of this city. Kill him!”
Shouted another random citizen of Serenity Peak who had come to watch the battle unfold between the two forces. He merely sought to stoke the flames and watch the show from the sidelines. This individual had developed a peculiar habit of finding entertainment in observing people battle each other since the creation of the Devil’s Den. There were a lot of people like him in the crowd.
“Haaaaa!” Lin Sahu cried as she channeled her qi throughout her body, momentarily disregarding her status as an old lady as she infused her entire being with qi energy.
Stepping forward, the ground cracked beneath her feet. In the next moment, she was seen striking Everwood Palace’s main gate with her bare hands, coated in a bronze-colored aura.
With a Guardian’s Qi Palm Strike!
Swoosh. Zoom. Boom.
The giant main doors of the palace were blasted away as Lin Sahu struck them with her qi-based attack, drawing upon her years of martial arts practice.
The attack exposed the inner area of the palace. Having visited Aksai’s palace numerous times during her employment twelve years ago, Lin Sahu acted as a guide, leading the martial artists accompanying her into Aksai’s domain without fear in her eyes or actions.
“Hm? I thought the rebels would join us in taking down Everwood Palace. Where are they?”
Lin Sahu muttered under her breath as she walked ahead, venturing deeper into Aksai’s territory. Although she had employed strategies to sow discord and minimize bloodshed on her side, she didn’t expect to encounter any resistance from the people of Everwood Palace.
Based on the intel she had obtained from spies within Everwood Palace, Lin Sahu had learned that Aksai had practically vanished from the scene, disappearing without letting anyone know his whereabouts.
This presented the perfect opportunity for her to strike Everwood Palace. At least, that’s what she had thought when initiating the conflict.
Soon, Lin Sahu and the jeering crowd behind her reached the main garden of the palace, which could be considered the heart of the palace estate.
There, she saw a large group of martial artists and some peculiar entities waiting for her, with one man in a wooden mask standing calmly amidst them, his hands behind his back.
‘Is… Is that Aksai Everwood? The brat I trained twelve years ago?’
Lin Sahu thought to herself, her attention involuntarily drawn to Aksai. However, in the next moment, she realized something and immediately stopped in her tracks.
‘Something’s not right,’ she concluded grimly upon seeing the confidence level of the Everwood Palace guards.
However, it was too late.
Before Lin Sahu and her allies could retreat to where they had come from, Aksai’s underlings surrounded the group. In the next moment, a brutal fight broke out between the two groups.
“Hmm. You have gotten old, Lin Sahu,” Aksai said casually while removing his wooden mask, revealing his timeless handsome features. While the two groups fought, the two leaders were left alone in the center.
“And you look like someone who hasn’t aged at all. I knew there was something wrong about you the first time I saw you,” Lin Sahu said coldly, meeting Aksai’s gaze. “You must be wondering why I decided to attack you, right?” she asked, her eyes fixed on Aksai.
“I don’t,” Aksai shook his head as he stepped forward. “Whatever reasons you may have to make a move against me, you can take them with you to your grave for all I care,” he said before employing his movement-based martial arts.
[ Qi Flow Arts ]
“Hah!”
Lin Sahu cried as she faced Aksai’s charge head-on. In the next moment, a fight between two leaders broke out.
Fists flew and qi energy crackled in the air. Both Aksai and Lin Sahu were masters of Guardian’s Qi, but Aksai had an edge due to his “heretical” martial arts practices.
He struck hard and fast, aiming for Lin Sahu’s weak spots with precise Palm strikes. He broke her front and back ribs. He got behind her and almost broke her pelvis by kicking her in the a**, literally and figuratively speaking.
With Qi Flow Arts and other martial arts supporting Aksai’s movements, he didn’t have trouble finding weak spots in a defense specialist’s defense. Whenever he couldn’t find the weaknesses to exploit, he just created them with his move.
This was the power of practicing so many martial arts together. Lin Sahu was clearly better at using Guardian’s Qi than Aksai.
After all, she had studied the Martial Intent of the Guardian’s Qi whereas Aksai was kept away from it, which prevented him from unlocking the mastery level of the martial arts.
However, using the Guardian’s Qi to attack and defend was all Lin Sahu could do. She didn’t have any other options like Aksai.
Lin Sahu tried to defend, but Aksai’s relentless assault kept her on the back foot.
With each blow, he closed in, using his agility and muscle power to overwhelm her. He didn’t give her a chance to retreat, mixing in moves from mixed martial arts to keep her off balance.
Lin Sahu’s bones were shattered. Her flesh was mangled. And her face looked like it had been hit by a moving vehicle. She cried and tried to run away from the battlefield. But Aksai wasn’t kind enough to let his enemies go after barging into his domain like they owned the place.
Within just a minute or two, Aksai’s speed and ferocity won out. With a final strike, he brought Lin Sahu to her knees, ending the battle in a flurry of motion and qi energy.
While Lin Sahu knelt, Aksai seized both her hands and pulled them toward him. He pressed his right foot against her face, ignoring her pleas.
With a talisman, he created a wind-element layer behind Lin Sahu’s head, preventing her from tilting it backward.
In one swift motion, Aksai yanked her hands so hard that her arms dislocated and came out from the shoulder joints, while simultaneously driving his bronze-qi-coated foot through her face, crushing her frontal skull.
The many battles around Aksai seemed to come to an abrupt halt when both sides of the martial artists realized the brutal manner in which Aksai had killed off one of Serenity Peak’s strongest and most well-reputed martial artists.