Peony and Orchid's eyes flashed with cold light. In the same instant, both leapt into the air, their toes barely touching the ground before springing upward once more, weaving past one another in swift, intersecting footwork. With a sharp cry, their fists came crashing down.
Ling Xian'er tilted her shoulder ever so slightly, sweeping her left palm outward while pushing with her right. The shock of her palm force sent both attackers stumbling aside. Their forms shifted immediately—retreating a step, tapping the ground lightly, then soaring forward once more.
Peony attacked high, Orchid low, pressing fiercely with several rapid strikes. Ling Xian'er guarded tightly, refusing to rush, her palms issuing measured bursts of force.
In that moment, Peony abruptly switched to a low attack, Orchid to a high one. The pair, fully aware of Ling Xian'er's superior skill, now committed everything they had—there was no need for words.
Suddenly, Peony unleashed a vicious claw strike while Orchid darted forward with finger techniques aimed at vital acupoints. Their coordinated assault proved unexpectedly effective, briefly forcing Ling Xian'er back.
Yet her mastery far exceeded theirs—not merely by a margin, but by an entire realm. Her palm techniques were profound, her internal energy deep and steady. The two struck with all their might, hoping to humiliate her in a single burst.
But when their fierce blows landed—
Ling Xian'er had vanished.
The fist wind rippled through empty air.
Taking advantage of the momentum, she floated upward, rising like a wisp of cloud. Mid-air, she let out a sharp cry. Her left palm descended like thunder, packed with immense internal force—so potent that even a glancing brush of palm wind would injure those of weaker cultivation.
Peony and Orchid barely blocked the blow, their arms trembling.
Ling Xian'er followed immediately with "Feathered Ascension," her strikes cascading like mercury spilling from a dish—unbroken, smooth, overwhelming. The two were driven back step after step, unable to mount any defense.
Just as Ling Xian'er felt triumph surge within her—
a sudden wind swept across the field.
A piercing whine tore through the air. A shadow flashed in, ghostlike, gliding with eerie speed. In a spark of contact—here one moment, gone the next—the newcomer clashed in midair.
Bang!
The two combatants were blasted apart, flung in opposite directions.
The one who intervened was none other than the Western Holy Mother, Chen Jinfeng.
Ling Xian'er laughed lightly:
"So the Western Holy Mother finally steps onto the stage! Sister—your turn!"
Liu Yun tapped the ground and drifted into the arena like a swallow.
Chen Jinfeng felt a jolt of fear—she knew this young woman possessed terrifying skill. Her eyes flickered.
"Liu Yun," she said, voice low, "must we truly fight to the death?"
Liu Yun replied coldly:
"Your vile cult deserves annihilation. If you have any last words, speak them now!"
Chen Jinfeng suddenly smiled. Her gaze locked onto Liu Yun, unblinking. Her tone shifted, becoming soft and melodious:
"Two young ladies, the Western Sacred Sect is supreme, established by Heaven itself. Today, fate guides you here. You are blessed with divine affinity—why not join us at once? With enlightenment bestowed, fortune shall unfold. Hear now Heaven's decree…"
At that moment, Wu Tong noticed the sisters' eyes turning dazed and unfocused. Alarmed, he shouted:
"What foul witchcraft! You dare employ a Soul-Shifting Art!?"
Before the echo faded, his body shot forward like lightning.
As he moved, Ling Xian'er gritted her teeth and murmured:
"No wonder that sudden drowsiness struck… I have long heard of this soul-shifting sorcery. Sister, sit and regulate your breath at once!"
The Western Holy Mother's spellwork was truly perilous. The two women immediately dropped into a seated stance, crossing their legs and circulating their internal energy to clear their minds.
Meanwhile, Wu Tong's palm blasted forth.
Chen Jinfeng, seeing her enchantment about to succeed only to be exposed, flew into rage. Wu Tong advanced like an arrow, yet she was no ordinary opponent—her footwork shifted, and she struck out with a palm of her own.
Wu Tong twisted aside, spun, and countered with "Fist Within the Palm," his strike whipping forward with explosive force.
The two moved with breathtaking speed, exchanging several furious blows.
Chen Jinfeng's internal strength surged—she unleashed a powerful palm strike. Wu Tong met it head-on, fearless.
Boom!
Their energies collided, sending both figures drifting backward before landing lightly apart.
Wu Tong declared:
"Demons and deviants—any righteous soul must cut them down!"
Chen Jinfeng hissed:
"So you truly intend to exterminate us all?"
Wu Tong replied:
"The ringleader must never be spared. Release a tiger back to the mountain, and calamity will surely follow!"
By now, Ling Xian'er and Liu Yun had purged the haze from their minds, their true qi circulating smoothly once more. They rose to their feet.
Liu Yun called out:
"Brother Tong, let wickedness be punished by the wicked! We cannot allow this serpent to escape—leave this venomous woman to me!"
Chen Jinfeng snarled:
"What skill do you possess to boast so wildly?"
Liu Yun taunted:
"Not nearly as marvelous as your 'Soul-Shifting Art'! Compared to the exalted Western Holy Mother, I am but a humble mortal girl!"
Chen Jinfeng exploded in fury:
"Sharp-tongued wench—take a few of my palms!"
She tapped the ground and shot forward, body gliding horizontally through the air like a swooping hawk. Her speed was astonishing.
A palm whistled toward Liu Yun.
Though prepared, Liu Yun still felt the cutting wind and shivered inwardly.
"Good!" she thought.
She shifted her stance, answering with several lightning-fast palms of her own. Chen Jinfeng slipped past the first, then unleashed a flurry of blows.
With a vicious smile she cried:
"Let me show you the Ninefold Heaven-Shattering Palm!"
Liu Yun focused, expression solemn.
Chen Jinfeng's internal force surged—her sleeves snapping as a fierce palm roared forth, fast as lightning.
Knowing the Holy Mother was gambling everything, Liu Yun drew upon the Infinite Palm of the Nine Profound Scripture and executed "Return to the Primordial Void."
Palm winds clashed, howling.
The two forces met—
and the entire valley thundered with a deafening boom…