Chapter 096
Chapter 96: The Gap
At these words, Li Yuan Ling stood frozen in place.
Suddenly, she felt Li Mu Sheng’s words were oddly familiar, precisely the promise she’d earnestly assured him of before their journey to Floating Boat City. The sensation was as if a thrown boomerang had returned, hitting her squarely on the head.
Yet, Li Yuan Ling didn’t even have time to feel embarrassed.
All of a sudden, the bronze rings floating above the wooden boat shattered soundlessly, dissolving into fine copper powder drifting softly downward.
Startled, Li Yuan Ling lifted her head. Before she could react, a firm hand grasped her by the collar at the back of her neck. Immediately, the entire scene of the Underground Palace blurred swiftly around her. When she could clearly see again, she found herself standing on the black iron ship that had previously hovered above their heads.
Li Yuan Ling glanced around in bewilderment and saw two figures standing directly before her, both radiating terrifying martial auras, their eyes fixed sharply upon her and Li Mu Sheng. The intimidating aura surrounding them made it clear—they were martial experts of the Heavenly Union realm.
“Who would have thought it was you!”
The elderly man in the gray robe, Sheng Shi An, stared at Li Mu Sheng with blood-red light surging in his eyes, disbelief etched deeply on his face.
Previously, he had thought these two were supported secretly by a formidable master, never suspecting for an instant that Li Mu Sheng himself was that hidden expert!
A martial master of the Heavenly Union realm at such a youthful age shattered everything Sheng Shi An had known. He had roamed the Martial World for most of his life, seeing countless geniuses, yet someone like Li Mu Sheng—he had never even heard of before!
At that moment, Li Mu Sheng briefly swept his gaze across Sheng Shi An and Tu Yao, showing no interest in meaningless conversation. Instead, he spoke directly, cutting straight to the point:
“You two must be the ones in charge of Floating Boat City. Excellent. Hand over the Qilin blood so that I may examine it.”
Tu Yao narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this, exchanging a glance with Sheng Shi An.
“How strong do you believe he is, Elder Sheng?”
Bloodlight visibly deepened in Sheng Shi An’s eyes. Qi from the surroundings continued to flow relentlessly into his body. Darksteel chains rattled as they writhed around him, his aura rising steadily, seemingly boundless as long as Qi continued flowing from heaven and earth.
“I have yet to see him use martial techniques, so I don’t know what style he’s trained in,” Sheng Shi An replied gravely, “but the movement skill he demonstrated was extraordinary—perhaps no weaker than Fairy Ling Bo’s Ripple Step.”
“Moreover,” Sheng Shi An continued, “from how he shattered my bronze rings by manipulating heaven-and-earth Qi, he clearly possesses powerful Qi-manipulation techniques that we cannot underestimate.”
Tu Yao’s expression shifted slightly.
The distinction between the Acquired and Innate stages lay in a martial artist’s ability to draw in heaven-and-earth Qi, storing it within their meridians and dantian. The leap from Innate to Heavenly Union was greater still; it involved comprehending harmony between oneself and the heavens, using one’s own martial Qi to command external heaven-and-earth Qi.
A Heavenly Union master could harness boundless Qi, commanding vast power, far surpassing a Great Martial Grandmaster. If Li Mu Sheng truly possessed such profound Qi techniques, his threat could be unimaginably greater.
Considering this, Tu Yao wisely chose caution, immediately advising Sheng Shi An:
“We can chase the escapees later. Elder Sheng, it would be best for both of us to act together and capture this man swiftly to avoid complications.”
Sheng Shi An nodded slowly, his gaze flaring with blood-red madness that seemed ready to burst forth, his voice dripping with a sinister hunger:
“I’ve never seen a martial genius this astounding. Capturing him will reveal just what secrets lie hidden within him!”
As his words faded, Sheng Shi An seemed to release some internal restraint, and martial Qi erupted violently around him. The darksteel chains that wrapped him instantly snapped, replaced by horrifying blood-red chains emerging directly from beneath his skin, writhing eerily across his entire body. Blood-colored light surged upward in terrifying waves.
In an instant, overwhelming blood energy exploded from Sheng Shi An, creating a fearsome blood-colored tempest. The immense black iron ship beneath their feet shattered under the force, crashing toward the palace below.
“Elder Sheng, don’t!” Tu Yao’s face turned deathly pale. He tried desperately to intervene, but it was already too late.
The blood-colored tempest surged outward, pulverizing every stone and iron chain it touched into powder instantly. Even the mighty iron ship broke apart piece by piece, crumbling rapidly and falling from the air.
Sheng Shi An himself, cloaked in swirling blood-flames, hovered silently, radiating a sinister and terrifying aura. The hanging stalactites in the Karst Cave shattered instantly, becoming dust that scattered gently downward.
“Demon Blood Hand Seal!”
Boom!
The entire underground space trembled violently. A massive hand, several yards wide, formed from blood-red light and powerful Qi, appeared silently above Li Mu Sheng and Li Yuan Ling’s heads. The giant palm struck down ferociously, filled with ruthless killing intent.
Standing beside Li Mu Sheng, Li Yuan Ling was filled with absolute terror!
She felt clearly as if the very space around her had been grasped by an invisible hand. Her body was bound, frozen like sealed wax, unable to breathe or move. She could only wait helplessly as the terrifying blood hand descended upon them.
Yet Li Mu Sheng appeared utterly unconcerned.
Calmly, he gazed at Sheng Shi An, who resembled a blood-demon emerging into the world, and slowly shook his head, speaking softly:
“You guessed correctly. My martial dao cultivation truly is of the Heavenly Union realm, however…”
“What you may not yet know is that, between one Heavenly Union and another, the gap can sometimes be beyond imagination.”
As he finished speaking, Li Yuan Ling again felt her collar grasped, scenery vanishing swiftly around her.
Suddenly, she realized they were already suspended high in midair.
Only a foot away before her floated Sheng Shi An, wrapped in blood flames. Yet, in the blink of an eye, those flames receded like retreating tides. The crimson glow faded from his eyes instantly, and the blood-colored tempest around them disappeared silently without a trace.
The entire underground chamber returned swiftly to tranquility.
Li Yuan Ling tilted her head gently to the side. Even the colossal blood hand previously descending upon them had mysteriously vanished without a single trace.