Chapter 164: A Strike of Heaven and Man!

Chapter 164: A Strike of Heaven and Man!

It wasn't that Su Mo wanted to make a grand entrance.

Nor did he intend to appear when Yang Yizhi was in dire straits, showcasing himself as a savior with a majestic presence.

In fact, from the very beginning, Su Mo felt that this situation was far from over.

On one hand, there was the deputy palace master of Paradise Palace, whose appearance was unknown but whose martial arts were bizarre. Despite this, Yang Yizhi and the others could still hold their own against him.

On the other hand, Su Mo sensed that Yang Yizhi had not exerted his full strength, as if he was waiting for something.

This feeling grew stronger after Gu Biyuan was captured.

Thus, Su Mo held back, waiting to see how things would develop.

Of course, if the situation had ended here, it would have been the perfect time for Su Mo to reveal himself.

He could then seize Yang Yizhi and have a proper talk.

If there were any further developments, remaining hidden would be the best course of action to prepare for any contingencies.

The final outcome was exactly as Su Mo had anticipated.

There was indeed more to come.

The Tianzi Sect's sect leader, who had emerged from the pit in the ancestral hall, had already displayed his martial prowess to the fullest with a single flying stone.

And Ling Hongxia, who had remained hidden all along, suddenly made her move, which was completely unexpected by Su Mo.

At this point, he finally confirmed that his earlier suspicions were not unfounded.

Yang Yizhi had additional plans in this game.

Now, Su Mo understood these plans.

Among the Three Absolute Sects, the Tianzi Sect's sect leader was a mysterious figure, always elusive and never fully revealed.

This person was naturally suspicious and possessed great strategic acumen.

Yang Yizhi and Yu Lingxin used the 'Secret Treasury' as bait, employing various means to isolate the 'Tian Sect Leader' from the Secret Treasury, and then attempted to capture him with a sudden attack.

But the biggest question was...

Was this person really the Tian Sect Leader?

During the confrontation, Su Mo had noticed a detail.

When Gu Biyuan faced the combined attacks of Yang Yizhi and Yu Lingxin, she said something.

"Can you really kill me?"

Under those circumstances, this statement was entirely reasonable.

However, after she said it, both Yu Lingxin and Yang Yizhi's expressions changed.

Although the distance was too great for Su Mo to accurately read their expressions, he realized something important.

This statement revealed a fact!

Gu Biyuan was not the Tian Sect Leader.

The conclusion was simple: Gu Biyuan's behavior was vastly different from that of the cunning and calculating Tian Sect Leader.

Who was the Tian Sect Leader?

A person of great intellect and strategy, far superior to others.

If Yang Yizhi and Yu Lingxin had gone to such lengths just to kill him, why isolate him from the Secret Treasury?

Wouldn't it have been better to let him enter and then blow him up?

Especially at that moment, the thunderfire bombs inside the Secret Treasury had already detonated.

If Gu Biyuan were truly the Tian Sect Leader, she would certainly have considered this.

So, when she said those words, Su Mo knew that there was something amiss with Gu Biyuan's identity.

Before this, Yu Lingxin and Yang Yizhi must have considered all possibilities.

They had devised intricate plans and calculated every detail; how could they have overlooked this?

That was why Ling Hongxia was hidden nearby, ready to strike at the critical moment.

What they hadn't anticipated was that Ling Hongxia's well-prepared strike would be so easily thwarted.

The martial arts of the Tian Sect Leader far exceeded their expectations.

"Xiao Mo... you..."

Yang Yizhi could hardly believe his eyes. He had been extremely cautious and attentive.

How... did this happen?

Now that Su Mo was here, it meant...

Thinking this, he suddenly turned around and, sure enough, saw a figure charging into the group of black-robed figures, his long spear gleaming coldly, a hidden dragon occasionally revealing its claws, piercing through the throats of the black-robed men.

"Yun'er..."

Yang Yizhi's eyes were momentarily filled with a thousand complexities.

"Uncle Yang, please wait a moment."

Su Mo's voice sounded in his ear again, and Yang Yizhi snapped back to reality, hurriedly saying, "Xiao Mo, don't be careless. I know you are skilled, but this person is unfathomable."

"The head of the Tianzi Sect is naturally unfathomable."

Su Mo smiled and looked at the head of the Tianzi Sect, "But speaking of which, this is our third meeting, right? Including the one you don't know about, it should be the fourth."

The face of the Heavenly Gate Master was cold as ice, but he gently shook his head:

"You are wrong. This is the first time we have met. In the past, I only heard of Chief Su."

"Oh?"

Su Mo looked at him thoughtfully, "So, the one I saw before was really the head of the Renzi Sect?"

"It was him."

"Then what about you?"

"It's me."

Clearly, it was the same body, one 'him' and one 'me.'

Su Mo raised an eyebrow, "Dissociative identity disorder?"

"Hmm?"

Upon pondering these four words, the Heavenly Gate Master's eyes lit up, "An interesting theory, barely qualifies."

"Barely qualifies?"

Su Mo shook his head, "Your Excellency has confused me. If it is, then it is; if not, then it isn't. Where does 'barely' come from?"

"Do you have to say so much before we engage?"

The Heavenly Gate Master gently shook his head, "I heard that within Profound Theory Valley, the three major commanders of the Youquan Cult used all their strength but were still killed by your single sword strike.

"But you shouldn't think that I am of the same caliber as them, and thus feel so confident."

Su Mo quickly waved his hands, "Master of the Heavenly Gate, you misunderstand. Since I entered the martial world, I have never underestimated any opponent. I dare not be overconfident when facing anyone.

"Especially someone of your caliber.

"But such a great master is hard to find, so I want to understand more.

"After all, if I accidentally kill you, I won't have the chance to learn more."

"Arrogant!"

The Heavenly Gate Master suddenly looked at Su Mo, his eyes flashing.

He clasped his hands together and slashed downward through the air.

Buzz!!!

At this moment, they were more than ten feet apart, but with this slash, Su Mo felt the air around him being completely swept away.

A fierce blade aura rose from the hands of the Heavenly Gate Master, spanning several yards, and a towering blade descended suddenly!

Others didn't know what this move was, but Feng Baichuan, who was fighting the people of the Three Absolute Sect, changed his expression and blurted out:

"Heavenly Unparalleled Blade!?"

The move the Heavenly Gate Master used was indeed the ultimate technique of the Heavenly Blade Sect, the Heavenly Unparalleled Blade!

It was said that in ancient times, the founding ancestor of the Heavenly Blade Sect once used this blade technique to strike heaven, cutting through a thousand miles of cloud sea with a single blow.

This move also carved out three hundred years of glory and fame for the Heavenly Blade Sect.

But no one expected that this blade technique would be used by the head of the Tianzi Sect at this moment.

Although this blade was far less powerful than the one used by the founding ancestor of the Heavenly Blade Sect, it was still astonishing!

Even before the energy reached, the ground was already trembling, and the sharp edge of the blade faintly drew a line on the ground. Su Mo stood right on this line, looking up.

"Xiao Mo!!!!"

Yang Yizhi and the others were momentarily enraged and heartbroken.

Seeing Su Mo not moving, they thought he had been overwhelmed by the blade's aura and could only close their eyes and wait for death.

They wanted to rush forward to help, but it was too late.

Just as they were in despair, they saw Su Mo lightly raise his hand and sweep his fingers.

Rustle!

The sky full of blade energy shattered into fragments, not even touching a single hair on Su Mo's head.

He looked up at the head of the Tianzi Sect:

"Master of the Heavenly Gate, your martial arts are formidable. I could see that much just by observing.

"The Heavenly Unparalleled Blade is the supreme technique of the Heavenly Blade Sect. Your Excellency's imitation of the Three Thousand Red Dust Path is merely superficial."

"Very well, since the Heavenly Gate Master is unwilling to display the sect's ultimate techniques, I shall have to... throw out a brick to draw out jade!"

The moment Su Mo finished speaking, he was already in front of the Heavenly Gate Master.

With a raised hand, a palm strike was already heading straight for him.

The Heavenly Gate Master’s eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of light flashing in them. He suddenly thrust his palm forward, and multiple palm shadows appeared.

In an instant, Su Mo felt as if his palm had struck into a swamp.

Though it was just a fleeting moment, Su Mo truly experienced what it meant to make no progress at all.

This move was far from ordinary; it was the signature technique of the renowned Qiwu Manor in East City, known as "Thousand Entangling Threads."

Though there were no actual threads in his palm, the internal energy and unique technique created threads that could stop an enemy at arm's length.

As the palm wind paused momentarily, the Heavenly Gate Master pointed a single finger directly at Su Mo’s palm.

The technique used to break through the air was something Su Mo had never seen before, combined with this person’s formidable internal energy, a sharp whistling sound could be heard in the air.

Suddenly!

When the fingertip touched the palm, a metallic clink echoed.

Clearly made of flesh and blood, the two points of contact produced a sound like metal clashing.

Before this sound rang out, the Heavenly Gate Master’s eyes remained cold and detached, as if he were not of this world.

After the finger landed, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his eyes widened in shock.

He felt that what his fingertip touched was not a human hand at all.

It was like touching metal, or a mountain, unbreakable by anything!

With a crack, he shifted his stance, and the Heavenly Gate Master abruptly retreated.

Looking down, he saw that one of his fingers had been twisted backward, broken!

"What kind of defensive martial art is this?"

The Heavenly Gate Master asked instinctively, his face filled with doubt and surprise.

But then he heard Su Mo laugh heartily: "A mere trifle, not worth mentioning. Heavenly Gate Master, take my punch!"

A single fist shot out, and in an instant, the sky was filled with fist shadows.

The Heavenly Gate Master took a deep breath, casually reset his broken finger, and took a step back, his eyes fixed on Su Mo’s punch.

Then he stepped forward abruptly and thrust out a fist as well.

In an instant, the air was filled with fist shadows.

As they approached each other, the myriad fist shadows converged into a single point.

The two fists collided with a thunderous boom.

Centered around the two fists, the immense internal energy erupted with a deafening roar, sending gale-force winds radiating outward in all directions.

Wherever they passed, the ground exploded, forming one crater after another.

Sand and stones flew everywhere, carried by powerful forces. A slight misstep and being hit by these flying rocks would mean certain death.

For a moment, whether it was Yang Yizhi, Yu Lingxin, the Qilin Swordsman, Ling Hongxia, or Liu Mo, Feng Baichuan, and Fu Hanyuan, who had already killed all the black-clad men, everyone had to use their skills to dodge the flying rocks.

Yang Xiaoyun, while dodging, also deflected the stones that were about to hit the members of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

Zhen Xiaoxiao, meanwhile, swung her one-legged bronze man in a tight, impenetrable dance.

After enduring the initial wave, she ran away and stood at a distance, shading her eyes to watch.

Just as she looked up, she saw the Heavenly Gate Master flying backward in a perfect parabolic arc.

His internal organs were injured, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

But he took a deep breath, brought his palms together with the fingertips facing each other, moving like flowing clouds, and returned in an impossible posture, heading straight for Su Mo.

Before reaching him, his palms changed, one above and one below.

Their palms faced each other from a distance, layers of internal energy converging rapidly.

At this moment, the Heavenly Gate Master’s face split into two completely different expressions.

One side was cold and stern, like the heavens, while the other side was playful, mocking the world.

As the two palms approached, they suddenly pushed forward, using a technique that had never been mastered in the history of the Three Absolute Sects—“Heavenly Strike!”

The Three Absolute Sects had three branches: Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Each branch had its own set of martial arts, corresponding to the three talents of heaven, earth, and man.

The Heavenly Gate Master himself practiced a martial art called “Qianqing Wuding Fa,” not the “Three Thousand Red Dust Paths,” which was the ultimate technique of the Man Branch.

Qianqing Wuding Fa means “Heavenly Clarity Without Fixed Form.”

It has three ultimate techniques passed down: “Flowing Cloud Palm,” “Heavenly Will Finger,” and “Radiant Fist.”

With these three supreme martial arts, the Boundless Law of Pure Heaven is performed, transforming endlessly and formlessly.

They are, in themselves, the pinnacle of martial arts.

However, there is another legend beyond this.

It is said that the ultimate art within the Three Supreme Gates requires the unification of the Three Talents.

That is, the integration of Heaven, Earth, and Man into one.

In other words, to merge the Boundless Law of Pure Heaven, the Absorbing Kun Technique, and the Three Thousand Red Dust Paths into one, thereby becoming the embodiment of Heaven, Earth, and Man, capable of manifesting all things, with the universe contained within oneself, and immense power in every gesture.

However, this technique has been lost over time.

Some even dismiss it as merely a legend passed down by predecessors.

There was once a senior of the Three Supreme Gates who attempted to unify the three, but ended up dying from internal explosion.

The root cause was that the three martial arts were not mutually complementary or antagonistic.

The flow of energy through the meridians often encountered obstacles; one would move left, another right, and another forward... making it impossible for them to proceed in unison, thus they had to diverge.

Ultimately, the internal energy went awry, leading to an explosive death.

The current leader of Heavenly Gate, ambitious and exceptionally talented, read through the three divine techniques and came up with a unique approach.

He believed that even if there were conflicting points in the flow of energy within the meridians, it would not truly harm the body.

The real issue lay in control, where the internal energy could easily go astray.

Running three types of internal energy simultaneously was like walking a tightrope on a thousand-foot cliff; the slightest misstep could lead to disaster.

But with two, it was relatively simpler.

If one could use the technique of dual focus to manage two streams of internal energy separately, allowing them to flow without interference, it might truly achieve a divine level of martial arts.

After extensive deliberation, he finally put his theory into practice.

Despite several risks of losing control, he managed to accomplish this incredible feat.

Once this technique was perfected, the leader of Heavenly Gate's martial arts greatly advanced.

Especially effective was the ability to effortlessly borrow the opponent's martial arts and unleash them using the Boundless Law of Pure Heaven.

Truly achieving formlessness and intangibility, every gesture became the will of heaven!

Just as the leader of Heavenly Gate was ambitiously planning to integrate the Absorbing Kun Technique into his system, an unexpected problem arose.

While using dual focus, the part of his mind that was split off gradually formed a true... another self.

This other self had a completely different personality and even developed its own intelligence, often complaining to him in his mind.

Worse yet, this fellow was a chatterbox, constantly nagging in his head, causing the leader of Heavenly Gate great distress.

Over time, this other self rapidly grew.

Though his character became increasingly twisted, he sometimes took control of the body.

During such times, the leader of Heavenly Gate found himself relegated to the deepest recesses of his body, able to perceive everything externally but unable to interfere or even see.

Initially, this situation occurred only occasionally, but it gradually became more frequent.

Finally, the leader of Heavenly Gate communicated with his other self, intimidating and bullying him, threatening to extinguish him if he did not comply.

This allowed him to regain control and establish a specific coexistence.

However, over time, he began to have different thoughts. This other self, proficient in the Three Thousand Red Dust Paths, was indeed exceptional.

Why not let him take charge of the Human Gate?

Since he rarely appeared in public, he immediately killed the original leader of the Human Gate and took his place.

From then on, the leader of Tianzi Sect became even more mysterious and unpredictable.

And within the Three Supreme Gates, there emerged a nagging leader of the Human Gate!

Thanks to his perception while in retreat within his body, the leader of Tianzi Sect could still control the entire Three Supreme Gates and step out to oversee everything at critical moments.

But during this retreat, he continuously researched the unification of the Three Talents.

The problem was, just the unification of Heaven and Man had already given birth to the leader of the Human Gate. What would happen if he added another?

Determined to delve deeper into the Three Thousand Red Dust Paths and the Boundless Law of Pure Heaven, he eventually merged the two techniques, combining them with Liuyun Palm, Heavenly Will Finger, Bright Fist, and various moves stolen from other sects.

Refining and purifying, he ultimately achieved this unprecedented supreme martial art!

This supreme martial art required both personalities to perform simultaneously, activating the Boundless Law of Pure Heaven and the Three Thousand Red Dust Paths.

When executed, it embodies the formlessness of Heaven and the intangibility of Man, hence it is called "Heaven-Man Strike"!

Since its creation, this technique has never been used in twenty years.

Until now, facing Su Mo, an unprecedented enemy, it has finally been brought forth.

At this moment, striking from mid-air, before reaching its target, it already stirs up a fierce wind, with formless true energy swirling like silk, arriving at Su Mo in an instant.

Su Mo raises his fist to meet it, but sees the leader of Heavenly Gate's hands shifting between reality and illusion, formless and unpredictable.

This Heaven-Man Strike, in its infinite variations, nearly reaches the realm of the boundless!

Startled, both palms had already landed on his chest.

Buzz!!!

As the two palms struck Su Mo’s chest, a sound like that of a great bell resounded.

The buzzing sound spread across the vast wilderness, and all who heard it felt a thunderous boom in their minds!

Fortunately, this sound was not directed at them; otherwise, it would have been impossible to withstand.

With both palms unleashed, an overwhelming surge of inner strength erupted from his entire body. Even Su Mo could only retreat under this blow!

Retreating twenty-three zhang, thunderclaps echoed in his wake.

When Su Mo finally steadied himself, a powerful gust of wind suddenly burst from his back, sweeping over the low cliff behind him, accompanied by continuous explosions.

Even just the aftermath of the attack was overwhelmingly strong.

On the face of the Heavenly Gate’s leader, which was half cold and half mocking, a twisted smile appeared:

“Die.”

But Su Mo, with his brows lowered, suddenly looked up, a hint of disdain curling at the corner of his mouth:

“Is that all?”