Chapter 41: A Palm to Suppress |
“What’s your purpose sneaking into my Zhenwu Sect in the middle of the night?”
The voice was calm, yet it exploded in Qin Yun’s ears like a thunderclap.
Qin Yun’s pupils shrank sharply.
He looked at the unfamiliar middle-aged Daoist who had turned around, and a storm surged in his heart.
“When did our Zhenwu Sect gain such a powerful figure?”
“I can’t see through him, not at all!”
Qin Yun instantly became solemn.
Within the Zhenwu Sect, his Master Daoist Longshan was unquestionably the strongest. As for the other senior brothers and sisters, even the Senior Brother and Fifth Senior Brother, he thought he could at least hold his own for a few moves.
But the man before him—he had never seen before.
Qin Yun said coldly:
“You’re not from Zhenwu Sect. Daoist Longshan and the Nine Sons of Zhenwu don’t include you. Who are you?”
His tone carried a hint of probing.
On the other side, Ning Qi chuckled.
This middle-aged Daoist was, of course, him in disguise.
In fact, he had already observed this black-clad man in secret. His aura carried a strange, sinister air. Ning Qi originally intended to subdue him immediately, but then noticed that this man seemed to know the Zhenwu Sect quite well, which made him choose to reveal himself.
Upon hearing the black-clad man’s words, Ning Qi was even more convinced.
The man before him clearly had a thorough understanding of the Zhenwu Sect.
It made him decide to capture this person.
If an enemy had quietly infiltrated the Zhenwu Sect, the consequences could be dire.
Ning Qi said calmly:
“The foundation of our Zhenwu Sect is not something you can fathom. Since you’ve come uninvited tonight, you’ll have to stay.”
Qin Yun’s body trembled.
A strong sense of danger surged in his heart, but at the same time, an inexplicable emotion also rose within him.
“This Daoist… is a hidden powerhouse of our Zhenwu Sect, and he appeared just as I approached Little Junior Brother’s place. Doesn’t that mean he’s been protecting Little Junior Brother all along?”
At that thought—
Qin Yun felt incredibly bitter inside.
He wanted to know just how far Ning Qi had progressed to be treated like this by their Master.
A surge of jealous malice erupted violently in his heart.
Black mist suddenly rose from Qin Yun’s body, and his eyes turned pitch-black.
“Then let me test this so-called foundation of the Zhenwu Sect!”
He let out a low, sinister chuckle.
His figure shot toward Ning Qi like a bolt of lightning. He wasn’t carrying any weapon, but a faint black mist coiled around both his fists, radiating a fierce killing aura.
“Such heavy killing intent.”
“Could this man be from the Demonic Sect?”
The thought crossed Ning Qi’s mind. He’d heard Ye Qinghe and the others mention that martial arts from the Demonic Sect often carried such traits.
Being able to imbue internal energy with characteristics like this, the man was at least at the peak of Internal Energy cultivation.
But Ning Qi didn’t panic.
As long as the opponent wasn’t in the Qi Origin Realm, he had no fear.
He didn’t sense any real threat from this person, and even had the leisure to study the black-clad man’s moves.
Qin Yun drew ever closer.
He saw the middle-aged Daoist standing frozen like he’d been scared stiff, and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. But in the next moment, he was stunned—and then filled with dread.
Ning Qi finally moved.
He launched second but struck first, simply extending his right palm slightly.
It was like a true dragon stretching out its claw, full of boundless power.
Ning Qi’s physical body and internal energy exploded in unison.
Qin Yun’s eyes widened uncontrollably. He hadn’t even sensed any internal energy fluctuations, yet he faintly heard a terrifying rumble. That palm came down like it could suppress the entire world. In that palm, he saw towering mountains and a divine elephant stepping across the sky.
He had almost no power to resist.
Qin Yun was sent flying with a single slap.
With a muffled bang, his body was thrown backward, the sound of bones breaking clearly audible.
Two completely different thoughts rose in the two men’s minds.
“So weak?”
Ning Qi was stunned. If he hadn’t held back at the last moment, he probably would’ve killed the man with one slap.
But Qin Yun was in utter disbelief.
“So strong?”
“Qi Origin Realm! With such terrifying strength, this man is definitely a Qi Origin Realm expert!”
He never expected that aside from his Master Daoist Longshan, there was a second Qi Origin Realm powerhouse in the Zhenwu Sect.
No wonder he dared to call himself the foundation of Zhenwu Sect.
At this moment, bitterness filled his heart even more.
A Qi Origin Realm expert was guarding Little Junior Brother…
But that slap also scattered much of his jealous malice, and he gradually regained clarity. He only now realized what a foolish thing he had done—trying to feign a night attack on Little Junior Brother just to test his true strength.
But it was too late for regrets.
As the middle-aged Daoist slowly approached, Qin Yun knew he was no match. If he was captured, he wouldn’t be able to face Master or his fellow disciples.
He gritted his teeth.
Reaching into his robe, he pulled out two black spheres and flung them at Ning Qi.
Ning Qi instinctively dodged.
Boom!
A muffled sound—black spheres exploded, unleashing thick white smoke that blanketed the area. Ning Qi’s heart was filled with warning—he knew the man was trying to flee.
He tapped his foot lightly and dashed through the smoke in an instant.
Ning Qi looked ahead. The black-clad man had already gotten quite far.
But it didn’t matter. With his ethereal Dragon Step, catching up was child’s play.
However—
Ning Qi only pursued for a few breaths before stopping in place.
A complex look rose in his eyes—he’d recognized the man’s identity.
With the malice temporarily receding, the black mist withdrew into the man’s body. Qin Yun’s internal energy signature became evident, especially since he was fleeing at full speed and not hiding his movement. Ning Qi could see it clearly.
“It’s Eighth Senior Brother…”
“How could this be? Was he here to find me…”
Looking at Qin Yun’s outfit, and recalling all he had seen today about inner demons—
Ning Qi guessed that Qin Yun had perhaps been driven by inner demons, coming to test his true strength.
Only to be suppressed by a single slap.
He felt a bit relieved. Thank goodness he’d held back. If he had killed Qin Yun with that one strike, it would’ve haunted him forever. Though Qin Yun had thoughts of sneaking around at night, he ultimately hadn’t come with killing intent.
With injuries like that, a bit of rest would be enough to recover.
“When the inner demon awakens, even the person themselves may not know what they’re doing. Eighth Senior Brother is trapped in his own obsession. He wants the Zhenwu Sect to thrive under his watch. He can accept that it has geniuses—but not ones more talented than himself.”
Ning Qi sighed, already having pieced together the whole situation.
He wasn’t sure how to handle it. Qin Yun wasn’t a threat to him, but like this, Qin Yun might be a danger to himself.
A moment later, he made up his mind.
At the very least, he had to inform Daoist Longshan of tonight’s events, to see if something could be done about Qin Yun’s inner demons.
Ning Qi altered his appearance and returned to his true face.
A patrolling disciple had come over at the sound, and Ning Qi simply smiled and said he had made too much noise experimenting with martial arts.
…
At this time, Qin Yun—
After sensing that the mysterious middle-aged Daoist hadn’t pursued him, quietly let out a breath of relief.
“Why didn’t he chase me?”
Qin Yun was puzzled.
“Maybe it’s because of his duty—he can’t leave that area?”
But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine that the man who had subdued him with a single palm was Ning Qi.
Then, endless remorse surged in his heart.
“I… I was affected by that technique again?”
“How could I do something so vile to Little Nine? I’m unworthy as a brother.”
Qin Yun was in unbearable pain. After obtaining that fragmented scroll, he’d been influenced once before. He had thought it was a technique to suppress inner demons, but it turned out to be a sinister art that used inner demons as seeds—a dark path that grew stronger with more obsession. With this fragment, he could barely maintain some of his original will.
If he stopped cultivating it, the inner demon would rebound and spiral out of control.
“I’m not fit to stay in Zhenwu Sect anymore. If I lose control again and hurt Little Nine or anyone else, I’ll never forgive myself.”
Qin Yun let out a long sigh.
His whole body ached. Some bones had shattered, and his organs were bleeding.
But the remorse and anguish in his heart were even worse.
After returning to his quarters and handling everything, Qin Yun gazed in the direction of Mingwu Pavilion, bowed his head heavily, and wept.
Then, under the cover of night, he descended the mountain.
He no longer had the face to stay in the sect.
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