Chapter 789: Do You Understand Me?
Ye Zhen sailed through the air. He was engulfed in flames. Under the enhancement of the talismans, his palms were like red hot blades.
‘The talismans mimic karmic fire?! Ye Zhen’s aura has suddenly intensified! He can reach the Ten-leaf stage at any moment!’ Sikong Beichen was slightly stunned. He pushed away from the ground and shot into the sky. He increased the size of his Ten-leaf lotus.
The disciples of the Sky Martial Court and the Flying Star House and the defected Cloud Mountain disciples were stunned.
“Brother Lu, I’ll clear the stage for you!” Sikong Beichen spread his arms like a giant crane extending its wings.
The Cloud Mountain’s pillar of light morphed into energy swords that rained down at this moment.
Those from the Sky Martial Court and the Flying Star House had to defend themselves from the raining energy swords. They had no time to launch a sneak attack on Lu Zhou at all and could only activate their protective energy shields.
At this moment, Ye Zhen’s attacks were almost upon Lu Zhou. When the red-hot palm blades were a hairbreadth away, he raised his bare hand. There was no flashy technique at all.
Bam!
As soon as the fire palms struck Lu Zhou’s palm, golden flames burst forth.
It became a contest of karmic power.
The Sky Martial Court’s chief instructor who was lying limply on the ground pressed a hand to his chest and held the trident with his other hand. His eyes were filled with contempt as he watched the scene.
Ye Zhen’s attack landed true. He smiled. “I’m certain you’re just a Nine-leaf cultivator.”
“Oh?” Lu Zhou’s other hand was still on his back. His expression remained calm.
Ye Zhen hovered in the air and joined his palms together. The karmic fire wrapped around the fire palms and pushed against Lu Zhou’s palm.
“I could’ve reached the Ten-leaf stage 200 years ago... Do you know why I’ve been painstakingly suppressing my realm?” Ye Zhen said contemptuously.
“What does it have to do with me?” Lu Zhou was also boosting his karmic fire. Ever since he cultivated the karmic fire, he had never put it to full use before. This was a good chance for him to put it to the test.
The golden flames and red flames burned each other. They were evenly matched.
The red flames showed the potential to burn brighter; it must be due to the talismans. Every time a talisman flew out, the red lotus karmic fire would intensify slightly.
Ye Zhen maintained his karmic fire and said, “It’s because, at the Ten-leaf stage, there won’t be many who could replenish my Nine Infants.”
“You gain one life with every cultivator you devour, and yet, you merely have six lives. Looks like your Nine Infants avatar isn’t without its limitations,” Lu Zhou said.
“Indeed... However...” The flames around Ye Zhen’s body intensified. He said in a dark tone, “It doesn’t matter!”
Ye Zhen’s Nine Infants avatar appeared again. The Primal Qi and karmic fire suddenly grew stronger. His cultivation base improved. The red lotus under the Nine Infants avatar began to spin quickly.
“Leaf sprouting?”
Sikong Beichen, Yu Zhenghai, Yu Shangrong, and Nie Qingyun were stunned. They were all outstanding cultivators, but they finally realized there was someone more powerful than themselves when they saw Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen was going to sprout his leaf in front of Lu Zhou. Who would dare do this in the golden lotus domain?
Lu Zhou glanced at his golden lotus and said indifferently, “Young man, do you understand me?
“I don’t have to. I’m certain you’re only a Nine-leaf cultivator based on this palm strike.”
The karmic fire and talismans barred Lu Zhou’s way.
The members of the Sky Martial Court and the Flying Star House hovered at the sides. They looked at this scene incredulously.
Sikong Beichen was extremely terrified... He knew Lu Zhou’s strength well. He could kill the Ten-leaf Chen Beizheng with a single palm strike. However, the Nine-leaf Ye Zhen was capable of standing up against Lu Zhou for so long.
“Brother Lu, I’ll help you!” Sikong Beichen retracted the energy swords in the sky and looked behind himself. “I’ll leave this to the four of you.”
Yu Zhenghai, Yu Shangrong, Yao Qingquan, and Zhao Jianghe formed four walls. This was Cloud Mountain with numerous cultivators present. They had to be on their guards against any possible attackers.
“No need.” Lu Zhou projected his voice.
Little Yuan’er looked up and said, “Just sit back and enjoy the show. My master is just toying with him...” Then, she lifted her hands and began counting her fingers. “Six lives... This means that six palm strikes are needed...”
“...”
Ye Zhen’s red lotus spun more quickly than before.
This leaf-sprouting method was similar to the golden lotus cultivators when they were approaching the Nine-leaf stage.
Lu Zhou looked at it for a few moments.
The red lotus’s leaves enlarged and covered the ground.
Ye Zhen said gruffly, “Back.”
The strength behind his joined fire palms increased several folds.
Lu Zhou pushed away from the ground and flew backward.
Ye Zhen advanced with his avatar. “Back again!”
The force of his palms pushed Lu Zhou backward again.
The others exclaimed in shock as they witnessed this.
Nie Qingyun looked on and shook his head. He said, “Old fiend Sikong, is this what you call a Birth Chart?”
Sikong Beichen said, “Be patient.”
Nie Qingyun did not see Lu Zhou kill Chen Beizheng with a single palm strike like he did. Nie Qingyun’s understanding of Lu Zhou was close to nothing.
At this moment, Lu Zhou was being pushed back to the edges of the cloud platform by the red lotus karmic fire. If he retreated any further, he would be out of the Grand Cloud Mountain Formation. At this moment, Lu Zhou stomped his feet, cracking the ground.
Bam!
With a single palm, he pushed back against Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen increased his input of Primal Qi. His karmic fire rose to the height of 10 feet. “Move back!”
Lu Zhou did not budge. He was keeping an eye on the method of leaf-sprouting in the red lotus domain.
At this moment, Ye Zhen felt that something was amiss. He increased the amount of energy in his palms.
Buzz!
Ye Zhen’s karmic fire was beginning to suppress the golden flames.
With a buzz, Ye Zhen’s avatar grew taller by 10 feet. The six heads bared their bloodied fangs at Lu Zhou.
The others were shocked to see this. A moving avatar was already out of the ordinary, and yet, Ye Zhen was using the avatar to devour another living person. He suddenly had six other ways to attack!
The Cloud Mountain disciples covered their eyes. They could not bear to witness this gory scene.
Ye Zhen asked disdainfully, “Is that all?”
Swoosh!
The six heads were about to move in when Lu Zhou spread his fingers. A round golden shield was erected before himself. The energy seal bore the pattern of the Taiji diagram.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
The attacks from the six heads were kept at bay.
“You’ve done all you can, while I haven’t done anything yet,” Lu Zhou said expressionlessly.
“Hm?” Ye Zheng’s heart sank.
In truth, Lu Zhou felt that he could fight against Ye Zhen for a while if he relied solely on his Nine-leaf karmic flame powers. The problem was, Ye Zhen was becoming more valiant as he fought. If Ye Zhen was allowed to sprout the leaf, it would be difficult to deal with him. He could not exactly afford more Deadly Strike Cards.
Therefore, Lu Zhou’s fingers shone with blue light again.
The power of past lives.
Bam!
Ye Zhen flipped in the air and recoiled. His Nine Infants avatar reeled back as well.
Lu Zhou shot into the air. He looked down at Ye Zhen as he dove. He launched another blue palm seal.
Daoist Nine Cuts Hand Seal!
The scene atop the Flying Star House was reenacted.
Ye Zhen was greatly shaken. ‘What’s happening?’ He looked at his red lotus and forced himself to stabilize. He was now at the crucial stage of the leaf-sprouting process. He had to endure this. He quickly joined his palms together again, and karmic fire burst forth.
At the same time, talismans flew in the air.
Lu Zhou’s Daoist Nine Cuts Hand Seals sailed over.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Lu Zhou destroyed the talismans with his first three palm strikes, the next three palm strikes extinguished Ye Zhen’s karmic fire, and the final three palm strikes hit Ye Zhen!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Ye Zhen’s eyes were bloodshot. He spat out blood as he slid backward. He shouted, “What are you waiting for?!”
The chief instructor, Chen Fangluo, hurriedly led three others from the Sky Martial Court and the four remaining Flying Star House elders before they dove toward Lu Zhou. All of them unleashed their most powerful techniques.
‘Desolate-grade weapon?’ Lu Zhou glanced at the trident and the black runes on its tip. ‘Should I use the Peak Trial Card now?’
In the end, Lu Zhou dismissed that idea. He descended before he tossed out seven Thunderblast Cards.
The Thunderblast Cards shot out like poker cards.
Shocking lightning bolts appeared again.
Chen Fangluo frowned. “Again?” He raised his trident to deflect the lightning bolt.
Boom!
The lightning bolt struck Chen Fangluo.
The other six were unlucky and were struck to the ground. Three of them were heavily injured while the other three were only superficially injured.
“Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 4,000 merit points. Domain extra: 1,000 merit points.”
“Ding! Will you retrieve the desolate-grade weapon, Cold Wind Trident?”
“Retrieve.”
‘How lucky!’ Lu Zhou thought himself
“Chief instructor Chen!” The others exclaimed in shock.
Chen Fangluo’s cultivation base was more profound than the others. Why was he killed while the others were only injured?
Ye Zhen was confused. They were both Nine-leaf cultivators, and yet, the difference between them was huge.
Ye Zhen did not unleash any shocking techniques.
‘Chief instructor Chen isn’t weaker than Ye Zhen, but why is he killed with a single strike?’
Lu Zhou shook his head. ‘He’s merely unlucky.’
Lu Zhou landed and said calmly, “Fragile.”
“...”
The others shivered despite the temperature.
Nobody in the Sky Martial Court dared to make a move now. Who would dare provoke him now?
Ye Zhen widened his eyes in disbelief. His rational mind spurred him to flee, and he hastily fled toward the 12 main peaks.
Lu Zhou had two more Thunderblast Cards. He calmly pushed his palm out.
A Thunderblast Card hit Ye Zhen.
Boom!
Ye Zhen was struck down. He spat out blood again.
Sikong Beichen nodded. “Old man Nie, are you satisfied now?”
“If he’s truly a Ten-leaf cultivator, it’s not surprising for him to be capable of pulling this off.”
“Why didn’t you kill Ye Zhen, then? How come you didn’t do it?” Sikong Beichen jibed.
“...”
Whizz!
The avatar grew taller by another 10 feet.
Lu Zhou could feel he had already used one-third of his extraordinary power. If this went on, he would need to use the Peak Trial Card. After unleashing his grand technique, he closed in Ye Zhen. “Your leaf-sprouting process should stop now.”
Ye Zhen suddenly shouted, “You fell for it! Self-destruct!”
One of the avatar’s heads suddenly lowered. The other heads shrunk backward and clumped together.
Primal Qi gathered.
The cultivators in the area retreated immediately.
Lu Zhou was the only person before the Nine Infants avatar; he stood unflinchingly before the great blast of destructive energy. Not even a Ten-leaf cultivator would dare take the blow from a Nine-leaf karmic fire user’s self-destruct energy.
Lu Zhou flipped his palm and shattered an Impeccable Card.
A 150-foot Golden Buddha Body emerged before him.
Boom!
The energy was kept at bay by Lu Zhou.
“Golden Buddha Body! That’s only a Nine-leaf stage... How can he still remain standing?” someone exclaimed. His eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of their sockets.
Sikong Beichen was thoroughly impressed. He said, “See that? Brother Lu has been suppressing his cultivation base on purpose. He’s crushing Ye Zhen with his Nine-leaf stage.”
“...”
“You won’t understand even if I explained it to you... I wonder if you ever observed a cat that caught a mouse. Usually, the cat won’t kill its prize immediately. Instead, it would toy with it for a bit,” Sikong Beichen said.
“...”
Sikong Beichen’s words were rather convincing. The others were beginning to view this fight in that light.
After Ye Zhen self-destructed, the energy gradually subsided.
Ten seconds later, Lu Zhou’s Golden Buddha Body faded away as well.
“Only five heads are left. He’s lost one life,” someone said.
When his vision cleared, Ye Zhen saw Lu Zhou standing there calmly, stroking his beard as he advanced toward him as though nothing had happened. At this moment, he finally felt flustered. “You...”
After all these years in the red lotus domain, this was the first time Ye Zhen felt flustered. He sacrificed a life, but he did not even manage to injure Lu Zhou!
Ye Zhen grunted and spat out a mouthful of blood. This was the price he had to pay for self-destructing.
Lu Zhou said calmly, “You can self-destruct again... You have five more lives.”
“Who are you?”
“Isn’t it too late for that now?” Lu Zhou stepped closer.
The cultivators around them, including the disciples of Cloud Mountain, the Sky Martial Court, and the Flying Star House looked on silently as the old man slowly advanced to his opponent.
There was no wave of Primal Qi, and yet his movements seemed to tug on their heartstrings.
‘He’s too powerful!’
Ye Zhen’s self-confidence was completely destroyed by Lu Zhou’s shocking performance.
Ye Zhen recalled Lu Zhou’s calm question directed to himself before the fight began. “Do you understand me?”
The answer was clear. He did not.