“Whoosh—”
Ye Qiu’s fist slammed ferociously into the flying dagger. The dagger shattered instantly, yet a sharp pain immediately shot through his fist.
Lowering his head, Ye Qiu saw a bloody cut on his knuckles.
“Hmm?”
A trace of surprise flashed across his eyes. He had never imagined that a mere flying dagger could actually wound him.
When he had struck the dagger moments ago, he had clearly felt an immense force behind it.
“When did Yao Meng’s power grow this strong?”
Ye Qiu was puzzled.
He had previously clashed with Yao Meng while protecting the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, so he knew her strength very well. Yet the power in that single dagger far exceeded anything she had shown before.
Ye Qiu raised his fist, glanced at the wound, circulated his divine light, and the cut healed in an instant.
Then he looked into the distance.
“Swish!”
A blurred figure, shrouded in radiance, sped towards the golden coffin.
Incredibly fast!
Clearly, the newcomer was after the golden coffin.
Without a word, Ye Qiu stepped in front of the coffin, shielding it behind him, and spoke coldly to the blurred silhouette, “Stop right there! Take one more step, and I’ll have your head.”
The blurred figure halted. The light enveloping it dispersed, revealing her true appearance.
Yao Meng!
“It really is you!” Ye Qiu exclaimed in surprise, probing, “How has your strength increased so much?”
Yao Meng showed no reaction.
“Looks like you’ve had some kind of fortuitous encounter,” Ye Qiu continued to test her.
Still no response. She didn’t even glance at him.
Ye Qiu grew angry. “Damn it, are you deaf? I’m talking to you!”
This time, Yao Meng finally reacted.
“Hiss…” She suddenly bared her teeth at Ye Qiu, her expression utterly ferocious.
Ye Qiu was stunned. “Have you gone mad?”
Then he saw her twist her neck with a series of chilling “crack” sounds that made one’s hair stand on end.
“What the hell is this woman doing?”
Ye Qiu felt something was seriously wrong. Yao Meng seemed not to hear him at all and was behaving in a bizarre manner. It was far too abnormal.
He studied her carefully and grew increasingly uneasy.
“Wooden expression, vacant eyes… her consciousness seems to have gone wrong.”
At that moment, Yao Meng threw her head back and let out a howl.
“Ah—”
Soon, she fixed her gaze on Ye Qiu.
Her eyes had turned crimson, like fresh blood or the rage of a wild beast.
“Boom!”
Yao Meng lunged at Ye Qiu, murderous intent flooding the heavens.
“Courting death.” Ye Qiu snorted coldly.
He was invincible amongst his peers. Even with the strange changes in Yao Meng, he felt no fear. His presence became that of an unsheathed divine sword, awe-inspiring and majestic. Clenching his fist, he charged straight at her.
In the blink of an eye, the two collided violently.
“Boom!”
Yao Meng was sent flying by Ye Qiu’s punch, crashing a hundred metres away and smashing a huge crater into the ground.
“Overestimating yourself…”
Before Ye Qiu could finish, his brows furrowed. “Eh?”
Yao Meng crawled out of the pit, glaring at him with ferocious hatred.
“I didn’t expect you to be this resilient.”
Ye Qiu was genuinely surprised. The punch he had just thrown carried tremendous force. In his view, even if it didn’t gravely injure Yao Meng, she shouldn’t have been able to get back up so quickly.
“Ye Changsheng, be careful. This woman is rather strange,” the little white fox warned from within Ye Qiu’s arms.
“No need to tell me, I already noticed,” Ye Qiu replied. As the words left his mouth, he saw Yao Meng’s skin take on a pale golden hue.
Her neck, the backs of her hands… all exposed skin turned pale gold.
As her skin changed, her battle power soared rapidly, a terrifying aura erupting like a volcano.
In an instant, Yao Meng seemed transformed, several times stronger than before.
“Swish!”
Like a sharp arrow, Ye Qiu struck first. With lightning speed, his fist smashed into Yao Meng’s body.
“Clang!”
The punch landed squarely, yet it felt as though he had struck solid iron. Yao Meng remained completely unharmed.
“Hmm?”
Ye Qiu’s eyes narrowed.
“Hum!” Brilliant golden light suddenly burst from Yao Meng’s body, making her look like a living Buddha.
“Heh heh…” Yao Meng grinned, both hands striking out together, carrying enormous power as they slammed towards Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu did not hesitate and instantly retreated a hundred metres.
“Indestructible Vajra Body!” The little white fox recognised it immediately, exclaiming in shock, “How did this stinking woman learn a Buddhist divine ability?”
A cold glint flashed in Ye Qiu’s eyes. “Little fox, are you sure?”
“What, you doubt my judgement?” the little white fox huffed with the air of an elder. “Ye Changsheng, I’ve seen far more of the world than you. I’ve eaten more salt than the roads you’ve walked. I’m absolutely certain. The ability this stinking woman is using is a Buddhist divine power.”
“She’s the Saintess of the Chaos Holy Land. How can she wield Buddhist divine abilities?”
“Could she have had some extraordinary encounter?”
Speaking of Buddhism, one name instantly sprang to Ye Qiu’s mind: Wu Hua.
“Little fox, do the monks of Mount Ling’s Great Thunderclap Temple also know this ability?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Nonsense. This technique was created by the sacred monk of Mount Ling. Do you think the Great Thunderclap Temple would know it or not?” the little white fox replied. “Moreover, it is a secret transmission of the Great Thunderclap Temple, passed only to insiders, never outsiders.”
Ye Qiu grew even more puzzled.
If this ability was a closely guarded secret of the Great Thunderclap Temple, why would Wu Hua teach it to Yao Meng?
Could Wu Hua and this woman be secretly involved?
Though her looks were average, she did have an impressive figure, especially those Audi headlights…
Or had the Great Thunderclap Temple already formed a hidden alliance with the Chaos Holy Land?
Regardless, since Yao Meng had appeared, Wu Hua couldn’t be far away.
“Wu Hua, oh Wu Hua. I let you escape last time. I never expected you’d dare return. Since you have, I’ll make sure you stay here forever.”
With that thought, Ye Qiu looked at Yao Meng.
“You think the Indestructible Vajra Body lets you rival me? How naive. With your meager cultivation, you cannot threaten me at all.”
As he finished speaking, Ye Qiu brought together the index and middle fingers of his right hand, forming a sword finger.
He raised it, and the power within his body surged like a raging river, pouring rapidly into the sword finger.
At once, a shrill sword cry rang out from it, its edge dazzling.
Yao Meng seemed to sense danger. Her eyes grew even redder. Stamping hard on the ground, she shot into the air like a soaring wild goose, spinning rapidly. Countless flying daggers streaked towards Ye Qiu like rainbows, whistling with killing intent.
Yet before the daggers could even near him, Ye Qiu’s figure abruptly vanished from where he stood.
The next instant, he appeared out of thin air and pierced Yao Meng’s forehead with a single finger.
