Not to mention the turmoil in Master Zhishēng’s mind, let’s talk about Li Miao.
Yang Tianyi’s words revealed two pieces of information.
First, the Yang Family had already put aside their hatred for Ji Tianrui and were cooperating with him to attack Shuntian Prefecture.
Second, the Yang Family’s grudge against the Great Shuo imperial family, the Zhu family, was far deeper than their enmity with Ji Tianrui.
Rumors in the Central Plains claimed that the founding emperor of Great Shuo had relied on the Ming Cult’s power to rise. There were even theories that he himself originated from the Ming Cult. And since the founding of Great Shuo, almost all Ming Cult leaders had the surname Yang family.
The only Celestials Li Miao had seen after entering the Central Plains were from the imperial court and the Ming Cult.
If these things were connected… it became interesting.
Li Miao looked at Yang Tianyi and said calmly,
“Is there anything else you want to say?”
“No.”
Yang Tianyi shook his head, his hands forming claws like ten steel hooks. One hand was raised to his chest, the other pressed to his waist, his feet spread wide, and his tiger-like eyes fixed on Li Miao.
“I am ready to fight Lord Li to the death.”
Before his voice faded, a series of crisp sounds emanated from his body. His already tall, larger-than-normal figure suddenly grew several more inches, and veins bulged on his arms!
Master Zhishēng, standing nearby, paled in horror.
What… was this!?
A pinnacle… no, not a pinnacle. These bones, this power, far exceeded a pinnacle!
It was simply inhuman!
“Lord Li!—”
Master Zhishēng suddenly spoke, but his words were cut short as his pupils constricted!
Yang Tianyi’s massive body had already reached him!
“!!!”
It was too late to flee or dodge now!
Master Zhishēng released his sword, abandoning it, and raised his hands into palms.
Yang Tianyi’s claw aimed for his face.
Master Zhishēng’s palm angled upward, horizontally blocking Yang Tianyi’s arm.
“Four ounces… move a thousand pounds!”
The reason he abandoned his sword was that he understood the disparity between them. In a desperate bid for survival, he attempted to use the essence of Tai Chi, with its principles of overcoming hardness with softness and redirecting force, to bridge the gap between them.
But the moment their arms collided, he understood.
He was wrong.
To move a thousand pounds with four ounces, the prerequisite was to have four ounces.
And the opponent, how could he be just a thousand pounds!
The Tai Chi energy had barely reached his arm, attempting to stick to the opponent’s arm, when it was already suppressed by immense power.
That giant claw had already reached his face!
“It’s over.”
Master Zhishēng watched wide-eyed as Yang Tianyi’s claw came closer and closer to his face.
In an instant, he resigned himself to death.
He actually raised one foot, suddenly striking at Yang Tianyi’s groin.
With power rising from the ground, as he raised his leg, the strength in his arm loosened, and Yang Tianyi’s claw descended even faster.
“Even if this poor Daoist dies, I’ll give you a hard blow!”
“Lord Li, this poor Daoist can only do so much!”
Yang Tianyi paid no attention to Master Zhishēng’s dying struggles. He didn’t even look at Master Zhishēng, his eyes fixed intently on Li Miao.
Killing Master Zhishēng was to force Li Miao to save him.
If he saved someone else, he would expose a flaw!
He knew he was no match for Li Miao, but the Yang Family would never sit idly by!
Just at this moment of life and death.
“Heh.”
Li Miao let out a light laugh.
With a flash, he appeared behind Master Zhishēng. Not only did he not save him, but he raised a palm and struck Master Zhishēng’s back.
Master Zhishēng was already waiting for death when he suddenly felt a palm strike his back.
A surge of profound and vigorous true qi, indescribably potent, flowed into his heart meridian and extended all the way to his arm.
Li Miao’s smiling voice came from behind him.
“Daoist priest, punch him!”
The true qi circulated within his body on its own, following the exact trajectory of Tai Chi’s true qi circulation.
Having practiced Tai Chi for many years, Master Zhishēng was intimately familiar with this move. Almost instinctively, the foot he had raised to strike Yang Tianyi’s lower body suddenly stomped the ground, and the arm he used to block Yang Tianyi’s arm traced a small circle.
“I can deflect it!”
Master Zhishēng’s attempt actually managed to deflect Yang Tianyi’s claw, which had been unshakeable moments before, to the side!
Master Zhishēng pulled his right hand to his waist, clenching it into a fist.
The supremely Yang family and rigid true qi seemed to understand his intention and began to circulate on its own.
His left palm swept away Yang Tianyi’s arm.
His body rotated.
His right fist struck out violently!
“Advancing… Step, Parry, and Punch!”
Unlike what ordinary martial artists believed, Tai Chi was not merely a simple martial art that overcame hardness with softness.
The balance of Yin and Yang family was the essence of Tai Chi. If it needed to be soft, it was as gentle as water; but if it needed to be hard, it could be as strong as a mountain!
This punch landed directly on Yang Tianyi’s chest!
Bang!!!
Yang Tianyi flew backward, crashing directly into the group of Ming Cult disciples. For a moment, blood and flesh splattered, and bones snapped, as he directly crushed several people to death!
Master Zhishēng had not yet recovered when he heard Li Miao speak again from behind him.
“Daoist priest, there’s more.”
Master Zhishēng was startled, and then heard a sharp whistling sound from his side.
He looked sideways and saw a cold, gleaming short sword already at his waist, angled upwards, encompassing both him and Li Miao.
Normally, Master Zhishēng would never have had time to block it.
But at this moment, he felt an unparalleled confidence.
The right fist that had just sent Yang Tianyi flying suddenly pulled down, striking at the arm holding the short sword.
Unexpectedly, the short sword swiftly changed its move, its blade suddenly twisting, now aimed directly at his palm.
No matter how profound the true qi in Master Zhishēng’s body was, he was still flesh and blood, absolutely unable to contend with a short sword.
Master Zhishēng hastily changed his move, but the short sword also suddenly twisted, following him like a shadow, still aiming for his fist.
This person’s movements, just like Yang Tianyi’s physique, were at an inhuman level, far exceeding a pinnacle!
Master Zhishēng couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
Was his pinnacle fake?
Why did everyone treat him like a child to be beaten!
What kind of pinnacle was his pinnacle!
His head!?
Just as Master Zhishēng was sweating profusely from anxiety, Li Miao’s voice came from behind him again.
“Don’t mind him, slap his face.”
“Good!”
Master Zhishēng knew that he, a pinnacle master, had completely lost the right to be considered “human” in this fight.
He simply treated himself as Li Miao’s “weapon,” and without hesitation, he swung a “Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail” at the sword-wielder’s face!
The man, however, grinned ferociously.
He merely tilted his head slightly, and the short sword in his hand flashed instantly.
When it reappeared, it was already at Li Miao’s chest.
“Lord Li, you are too arrogant! You actually only use this old pinnacle master to fight us!”
“You might be incredibly talented, perhaps the only prodigy of this era who can cultivate the three paths into one on your own. Perhaps one day, you truly can cultivate to become an ‘Immortal’ like Sanfeng Zhenren!”
“But at this moment, you are still flesh and blood just like me!”
The sword’s edge reflected the moonlight, glowing with a faint blue hue, clearly indicating it was poisoned.
This person intended to take advantage of Li Miao’s true qi being linked to Master Zhishēng, unable to be withdrawn in time, and attempt to achieve success with a single sword strike!
Just as he was full of complacency, thinking that the nemesis who even Ji Tianrui treated with caution was about to die by his hand.
Master Zhishēng’s palm blurred.
When it reappeared, it was already pressed against his face.
With a loud “Slap!”, he spun in mid-air like a top, turning several times from the force of the slap.
This was no ordinary slap.
This was a direct Wudang lineage, imbued with the perfected “"Jiezi"” true qi, an incredibly profound, hard-and-soft, Yin-and-Yang family integrated slap!
Thump, thump, thump, thump—
He plunged his sword into the ground, barely managing to dissipate the force, and stumbled backward repeatedly.
“Pfft.”
A mouthful of fresh blood splattered on the ground, bringing out half a mouthful of broken teeth.
Looking at his face, the right side of his cheekbone was already shattered, his eyeball protruded from its socket, and his right eye was clearly blind.
Li Miao leisurely withdrew his hand from Master Zhishēng’s back, patted Master Zhishēng’s shoulder, and walked in front of him, surveying the assassin who had just received a “Wudang lineage slap.”
Over there, Yang Tianyi had also recovered, raising his hand to toss aside the corpses of Ming Cult disciples pressing down on him, spitting out a mouthful of clotted blood, and walking to the assassin’s side, facing Li Miao.
“One Vajra, one "Jiezi".”
“Your Ming Cult truly has many talents. How many more Celestials do you have?”
The assassin’s face was ruined, and he could no longer speak.
Yang Tianyi, however, had no intention of hiding anything and answered directly.
There is not a single mistake in the content!
“Excluding the two of us, there are probably four or five more.”
“Oh? So many?”
Li Miao twirled his fingers.
“How come only your Ming Cult has so many, while Shaolin and Wudang have none? Even though you are the ones who haven’t produced any Immortals.”
Yang Tianyi snorted coldly.
“They’re just cowards. They must have hidden a few Celestials too, but they just don’t dare to be discovered by the Zhu family. Hiding their heads and tails, they’ve completely shamed Sanfeng Zhenren and Damo!”
“When we attacked Shaolin, we originally intended to force Shaolin to bring out a few old geezers. If the Zhu family found out, then they would also become ‘rebels’ like our Ming Cult.”
“But who would have thought that even though Xing Chi died, those old bald donkeys could actually endure and not make a move!”
Yang Tianyi smiled ferociously at this point.
“However, it doesn’t matter, it’s not a big deal.”
“Hide, all of you! Hide!”
“If no one dares to be the first bird, then our Ming Cult will be!”
“The Zhu family’s facade, our Yang Family will shatter!”
“I—”
“Alright, alright.”
Li Miao waved his hand impatiently.
“I just asked one more question, and you’re getting all worked up.”
“It’s just me and Daoist Master Zhishēng here. Who are you speaking so passionately to?”
Yang Tianyi was choked by Li Miao’s words, first showing a hint of anger on his face, then looking sternly at Li Miao.
“Lord Li, I know you came to kill me, yet I have been frank with you and told you so much. Have you still not understood?”
“Celestials have not appeared for a long time because the Zhu family does not allow it!”
“Our Ming Cult helped him establish control over the Central Plains, performing great deeds, but instead, he branded us as rebels!”
“Lord Li, as long as you don’t cripple your own martial arts, or grovel on the ground like a dog for the Zhu family, sooner or later, you too will inexplicably become a ‘rebel’!”
“The Zhu family is definitely not a wise ruler! Lord Li, why not abandon the darkness and turn to the light, join us in going to Shuntian Prefecture, and accomplish great things! At that time, we might even be able to carve out a territory, or even re-establish the order of this world!”
Yang Tianyi spoke for a long time, finally getting to the point.
He actually harbored the thought of persuading Li Miao to join their side.
Li Miao had not yet spoken, but Master Zhishēng on the side was already sweating profusely.
Were these words for a young man like him, barely seventy years old, to hear?
Was it still too late to say he was deaf now?
If Li Miao were truly persuaded to the other side, then he would truly have no way out.
“Lord Li…”
Master Zhishēng whispered, lowering his voice.
Li Miao waved his hand: “Daoist priest, don’t worry.”
Then he turned to look at Yang Tianyi, smiling.
“No wonder Ji Tianrui treated you as a disposable pawn, sending you to delay me.”
“Turns out you’re an idiot.”
“I hold a fifth-rank official position, and in a couple of days, I’ll be a fourth-rank Lord Commissioner. If I don’t want to go to work, I sleep. If I’m short on silver, I just take it from the Commander’s private treasury. After I kill someone, the Commander cleans up my mess.”
“I wake up at noon every day, the Baihu dresses me, and the Great Shaman serves me tea. I only work four hours a day before going home to sleep.”
“The Five Peaks Sect Leaders are my subordinates, the Shaolin Abbot is my friend, and the Great Shuo princess is my confidante.”
“How crazy would I have to be… to go be a rebel with you all?”
After Li Miao finished speaking, he spread his hands.
Master Zhishēng, standing nearby, felt his eyebrows twitch.
You’re not just a Baihu… even the Emperor himself isn’t as comfortable as you, right?
Yang Tianyi, on the other side, was filled with burning rage upon hearing this, and suddenly blurted out,
“Lord Li knows I’m not talking about these things with you!”
“Looking at Lord Li’s actions in Tai’an that day, you are clearly not a pedantic person, nor are you one who strictly adheres to rules. Why use these words to put me off!”
“You damn well know about the Tai’an incident?”
Li Miao’s hand dropped.
His face was shrouded in shadow, his expression unclear.
Master Zhishēng, however, suddenly felt a chill envelop him, freezing his nerves.
It was an incredibly cold… and incredibly pure, killing intent.
“I am indeed not some great benevolent person.”
“But all the bad people in the world know that the more of their kind die, the more good people there are, and the more comfortable life becomes.”
“I don’t care who sits on the throne, and this world can’t really be called a golden age… but I know that if you, the Ming Cult, a bunch of beasts who massacre cities, were to take power.”
“This official’s life would not be comfortable either.”
Li Miao stepped forward, slowly approaching Yang Tianyi and the Celestial assassin.
Yang Tianyi was startled, actually taking half a step back.
He had hundreds of lives on his hands… yet he was also shocked by the killing intent emanating from Li Miao, feeling as if the entire world had frozen, and sweat seeped from his palms.
Li Miao slowly approached, speaking in a calm voice.
“The world belongs to those with ‘virtue’.”
“I am not virtuous, and I cannot create a virtuous person.”
As he spoke, Li Miao had already reached Yang Tianyi’s front.
“But I also don’t mind casually crushing worthless beasts like Ji Tianrui, like the Ming Cult, like you all, into dregs.”
“Crushed… into… dregs.”
Pfft.
“Ugh!”
Blood splattered, Yang Tianyi swiftly retreated, crying out in pain. A large gash had opened across his chest and abdomen, and his writhing internal organs were faintly visible.
The Celestial assassin took advantage of Li Miao’s attack, and the short sword in his hand vanished instantly, reappearing chillingly close to Li Miao’s chest.
White Rainbow Piercing the Sun!
Li Miao raised his hand into a fist, smashing it down on the Celestial assassin’s head.
The fist arrived before the sword.
Bang!
The Celestial assassin was struck on the shoulder, and his entire body suddenly sank by a section.
Dirt splattered, and his lower legs were directly driven into the ground.
He tried to resist, stabbing the short sword in his hand towards Li Miao’s chest, but it was grabbed by a palm, his wrist snapped, and the short sword fell powerlessly.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Li Miao seemed to be hammering nails, punching his shoulder repeatedly.
He raised his hand to block, but even his arm was broken.
His legs gave way, his head tilted, his true qi dissipated, and he lost all signs of life.
But Li Miao continued to smash.
By the time Yang Tianyi had used his healing technique to roughly seal his wound and looked up.
He saw Li Miao, who was smiling chillingly at him under the moonlight.
And in front of Li Miao, a small tree of flesh and blood planted in the ground.