Chapter 034
Chapter 34: The Powerful Armored Guard
The moment the armored guard spoke, Pacification Commissioner Yu Jin and the four grand eunuchs swiftly moved like heavenly thunder without hesitation.
Their feet stirred up gusts of wind, leaving only faint shadows in the great hall. Together they leaped from different directions, fiercely rushing toward the armored guard wrapped in swirling black mist.
The deafening roar of wind and thunder erupted as Yu Jin’s right palm visibly expanded, becoming as large as a palm-leaf fan. Martial Qi gathered around his hand, forming a radiant palm seal glowing with turquoise light. With a force heavy as a mountain, he slammed it down upon the armored guard.
At the same time, the four grand eunuchs, including An Quan, unleashed their icy Kui Yin Qi. With fists, palms, fingers, and claws formed by their Qi, each aimed for the guard’s vital points. Instantly, the temperature in the hall dropped sharply, as if plunging into an icy cavern.
Clearly, once the armored guard revealed his true strength, Yu Jin and the others sensed a great threat. Thus, they held nothing back, deciding immediately to strike together. They intended to capture the guard quickly, then interrogate him about his accomplices.
However, despite facing the five masters of the Heavenly Brocade Guard, the armored guard remained utterly calm. He stood still in place without any intention of fleeing, his face, shrouded by dark mist, curling into a mocking smile.
In the next instant, the phantom iron chains formed from dark mist rattled loudly and surged forward, striking out like whips. Instead of retreating, they advanced, swiftly entangling Yu Jin and the four eunuchs as they approached.
“Careful, do not touch the Bei Qi Dark Qi!”
Yu Jin shouted in warning. The martial Qi within him surged forth, forming a protective turquoise barrier around his body. Yet his palm continued downward without pause, fiercely slamming onto the armored guard’s head.
At the same time, the four eunuchs similarly maintained protective Qi shields while striking the armored guard’s critical points from four different directions with their Kui Yin Qi.
Yet, unexpectedly, their combined attacks sank into the armored guard’s body like stones dropping silently into a vast sea, leaving no trace. The armored guard still stood unmoving. Only the blue bricks beneath his feet had crumbled into powder, sinking half a foot into the ground, while he himself showed not even the slightest injury. The mocking expression on his face deepened.
Shocked and frightened, Yu Jin and the eunuchs hastily tried to retreat. But the black mist chains had already wrapped tightly around their protective Qi barriers, trapping them and making escape impossible.
Immediately afterward, the armored guard unleashed five rapid punches. The protective Qi surrounding Yu Jin and his companions shattered completely, scattering into nothingness.
Alarmed, Yu Jin and the others quickly circulated their Qi again for defense.
Nearby, Gong Li Shan saw this and suddenly grew very serious.
“This man’s Bei Qi Dark Qi is exceedingly fierce. Though he hasn’t truly reached the Great Grandmaster realm, the strength of his Qi rivals that of a Great Martial Grandmaster.”
Ji Fei Yun furrowed his brows. “Then what should we do now?”
Without hesitation, Gong Li Shan replied, “We must join the battle. Otherwise, the five of them will be worn down by his Bei Qi Dark Qi.”
Saying this, he immediately rushed forward, calling out to the other masters in the hall who had attained the Innate Stage. “Everyone, strike together! We must drain his strength!”
Hearing Gong Li Shan’s command, the guards and little eunuchs in the hall promptly moved, charging fiercely toward the armored guard.
But Yu Jin and his companions had barely reformed their protective Qi when it was again destroyed by another of the armored guard’s powerful punches.
“You can’t even hurt me while I’m standing still. Why bother coming to your deaths?”
The young armored guard sneered. Turning swiftly, he exchanged blows with Gong Li Shan, who had just arrived.
A tremendous boom rang out as their Qi collided, shattering windows and door frames around them. Gong Li Shan, clearly overwhelmed, flew backward. Only after several yards did he barely manage to steady himself in midair.
Crack!
At that moment, jagged fissures spread from beneath the armored guard’s feet, swiftly extending outward across the floor.
With a loud burst, the tiles exploded, scattering fragments in every direction. The Heavenly Brocade Guard and the little eunuchs, before they could even approach, were struck by these flying tiles as if by deadly arrows. The powerful force hurled them away, and cries of agony filled the hall. Many coughed up dark blood, injured severely from within.
Seeing this, Ji Fei Yun, who had prepared to join the fight, swiftly halted. Instead, he flashed beside Gong Li Shan and urgently said, “This person is far too powerful. He must be a Great Martial Grandmaster. We cannot defeat him. Our only choice now is to call for help.”
Ji Fei Yun flicked his sleeve. A bamboo tube flew out through a shattered window, releasing a bright red smoke signal into the sky.
The armored guard glanced at it and gave a cold laugh.
“It seems I must hurry before your Six Gates reinforcements arrive.”
The instant he finished speaking, the armored guard suddenly unleashed another fierce punch, stronger than ever, violently knocking Yu Jin and the others away. The shadowy iron chains quickly penetrated their bodies like creeping venom.
In a flash, the armored guard stomped forward, launching himself like a cannonball toward Gong Li Shan and Ji Fei Yun. His fists, wrapped in surging darkness, shot forth. The two men barely managed to raise their arms in defense, but their resistance was futile. Both were flung backward helplessly.
The armored guard’s black Qi surged around him as he moved again, appearing beside Ji Fei Yun and Gong Li Shan in midair, readying another fierce punch aimed at their heads.
Ji Fei Yun and Gong Li Shan stared, terrified, convinced their end had come.
At that very instant, a gray-robed elder appeared like a ghost behind the armored guard, silently thrusting out a sword with lethal precision.
The sword moved with lightning speed, unavoidable and deadly. For the first time, panic flashed across the armored guard’s face. He hastily moved sideways, channeling all his Qi to dodge.
In the next moment, blood splashed vividly into the air as the armored guard’s entire arm flew away, cleanly severed by the elder’s blade.
“You seek death!” the armored guard roared with fury. His Bei Qi Dark Qi surged madly, gathering into his remaining arm. He twisted around, striking with incredible force at the gray-robed elder.
A terrifying phantom of a ferocious black tiger formed from the surging dark Qi, roaring forth to devour everything in its path.
Unwilling to touch the sinister Qi, the elder met the tiger phantom with an open palm and swiftly retreated, borrowing the force of the impact.
Yet suddenly his brow tightened in surprise—the armored guard had used that instant to retreat even faster.
Quickly, the gray-robed elder halted, but in that brief moment, the armored guard had already vanished without a trace.