Chapter 68: A Shocking Battle in the City (Part 4)

This powerful slap directly stunned Xuanyu, and everyone else present was equally dumbfounded. They had expected to see Yun Che suffer a miserable defeat or even severe injuries within a few moves at Xuanyu's hands. No one anticipated that their first encounter would be Yun Che delivering a brutal slap to Xuanyu's face, and the sound was incredibly loud!

Everyone from the Seven Sects was stunned. The disciples and elders of New Moon Profound Palace also gaped collectively, their minds freezing for a moment, unable to process what had just happened. It wasn't until Yun Che calmly uttered the words "First move" that they snapped out of their daze, convinced that it had truly happened, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Li Hao and Xia Yuanba had suffered crushing defeats. Xuanyu had constantly taunted and provoked them, filling the disciples and elders of New Moon Profound Palace with suppressed anger and humiliation. They had no way to regain their dignity. But Yun Che's forceful slap brought a wave of satisfaction that spread through their entire bodies, exhilarating them to the bone. An indescribable sense of relief and comfort enveloped them. If it weren't for the occasion, they would have cheered aloud.

Everyone from the Seven Sects, especially those from Profound Heart Sect, exchanged bewildered glances. Xuanyu, a dignified second-level Spirit Profound practitioner who possessed his sect's profound arts and skills, had actually been brutally slapped in the face on their first encounter by a first-level Spirit Profound practitioner with no visible profound aura... Was this a joke?

"Was that... a movement profound skill? Elder Sikong, did you clearly see his movements?" an elder from New Moon Profound Palace whispered.

"Not at all! I've never even seen the movement skill he just used," Sikong Han also spoke softly, his gaze towards Yun Che now entirely different from before.

Xuanyu struggled awkwardly to his feet. His entire right cheek was swollen, red like a monkey's backside. After boasting so loudly just moments ago, only to be slapped in such a public setting, Xuanyu had never experienced such humiliation in his life. He glared fiercely at Yun Che, his eyes filled with venomous malice. Yet, he managed to maintain a semblance of composure, forcing a smile as he said, "Good, very good! I deliberately left an opening for you, hoping you could last a few more moves and avoid looking too pathetic. But you're so ungrateful. Prepare to face the consequences of my wrath!"

Yun Che shook his right hand, glanced at him indifferently, and scoffed, "Idiot!"

"You... you're asking for death!" Xuanyu completely erupted in rage. With a low roar, he raised his hands and charged at Yun Che. Purple light flickered on both his left and right palms, then he unleashed both fists, striking Yun Che from left and right. Under the Purple Sun Art, Xuanyu's hands held the force of a thousand pounds.

"Junior Brother Yun, be careful!" Lan Xueruo instinctively cried out in alarm. Seated in the front row, she could clearly feel the immense power gathering in Xuanyu's hands. The hearts of the New Moon Profound Palace disciples and elders also clenched. After all, Xuanyu's strength was undeniable. That first encounter was likely just due to his momentary underestimation and carelessness. Now that Xuanyu was enraged, could Yun Che possibly contend with him?

"Die!" Xuanyu's eyes gleamed with malice. The recent humiliation had ignited a killing intent toward Yun Che within him. Of course, he wouldn't dare actually kill someone within the New Moon Profound Palace, but he was confident this punch would cripple Yun Che for life!

Under the tremendous force, Yun Che seemed to be suppressed, unable to move, not even assuming a defensive posture. Xuanyu's fists effortlessly struck Yun Che's chest, and then... passed straight through!

Wha... what?!

Xuanyu's eyes widened instantly. His body, driven by inertia, leaned forward. Just then, a sharp whooshing sound cut through the air from his left...

Another clear, impossibly loud slap echoed through the hall. Xuanyu's body flew up again, spun four times spectacularly in mid-air, and landed with his chin hitting the ground in a painful, face-first fall. His left cheek also swelled high, turning blood-red.

"Second move," Yun Che lightly blew on the back of his left hand, saying calmly.

All the New Moon Profound Palace disciples' eyes widened, and two words simultaneously rang out in their minds: "Holy moly!"

If the first time could be attributed to carelessness, luck, or coincidence, then this second time absolutely could not be explained away by those words.

Li Hao, who had been defeated by Xuanyu, hadn't left; he was being treated for his injuries at the back. He watched with wide eyes as Xuanyu was slapped airborne again, his entire face flushed with excitement. He was so thrilled that he no longer felt the severe pain in his body. From his mouth came an uncontrollable shout: "Serves him right! That was incredibly satisfying! So gratifying!"

"Heh heh!" The senior brother treating him, Li Haoran (who was Li Hao's cousin), chuckled upon hearing Li Hao's words. He slowly remarked, "Haozi, your understanding is clearly lacking. Junior Brother Yun didn't just hit well, or satisfyingly, or gratifyingly; he hit with incredible finesse! Look at Xuanyu's face: the first slap made his right cheek look like a monkey's backside, and the second slap made his left cheek look like a monkey's backside. What's more, the color, the swollen shape, the position, and the height are almost identical to his right cheek – a perfect symmetry! Look at Xuanyu's face now, it suddenly looks much more balanced, doesn't it? These aren't just two simple slaps; they're a perfect art of slapping. It requires extremely high precision in force, position, and angle. It's certainly not something an ordinary person could pull off. Simply marvelous, simply marvelous!"

"Pfft..."

Li Haoran's voice was not soft. Most of the people in the hall heard him clearly. Many immediately burst into silent laughter or collapsed in amusement. Some Profound Palace disciples clutched their stomachs, struggling to suppress loud laughter, and gave Li Haoran a thumbs-up.

"Ha... haha..." Although his internal organs throbbed with pain every time he laughed, Li Hao laughed with exceptional delight: "Heh, Cousin's understanding is truly superior... No matter whether Junior Brother Yun ultimately wins or loses, I've decided to be his friend!"

Xuanyu once again struggled to his feet in a state of utter disarray, forcibly swallowing three teeth mixed with bloody saliva. He glared at Yun Che with wide eyes, wishing his gaze could tear him apart. At the same time, a tremor ran through his heart... *How did he appear to my left just now? His body was clearly still in its original spot! Both times, I clearly hit him, so why did my attacks miss? Could there be something wrong with my eyes?*

*Or was it a movement profound skill? But how could there be such a movement profound skill?!*

Jasmine had told Yun Che that as long as one mastered the first level of "Star God's Broken Shadow," they would be invincible against two opponents of the same rank. If they mastered the third level, they could retreat unscathed even when facing opponents five levels higher. "Star God's Broken Shadow" had a total of eight levels. Jasmine had currently cultivated it to the sixth level, capable of creating six indistinguishable illusions. Yun Che had now mastered the first level, allowing him to create one illusion. However, even though it was only the first level, this was ultimately a movement profound skill from Jasmine! How could ordinary movement profound skills compare? Not to mention Xuanyu, who was merely in the Spirit Profound Realm, even the Palace Masters and elders in the hall, who were strong enough to be in the Spiritual Profound Realm or Earth Profound Realm, had barely perceived Yun Che's movement skill. The shock in their hearts far surpassed that of the younger disciples.

"How do your teeth taste?" Yun Che narrowed his eyes, mocking mercilessly.

"Heh... heh heh..." Xuanyu wiped the corner of his mouth, but then he smiled: "Yun Che, you're the first person who's managed to make me this pathetic. Therefore, you will die a very, very miserable death..."

Xuanyu hadn't even finished his harsh words when he suddenly saw Yun Che's figure flicker and rush towards him. His gaze hardened. He abruptly swung his arms forward in a semi-circle. This time, he had learned his lesson. He directly enveloped the front, left, and right directions with his Purple Sun Art. No matter where Yun Che suddenly moved, if he touched Xuanyu's Purple Sun Profound Qi, he would instantly suffer a powerful counterattack. He was confident that a single move... just one move, would be enough to smash Yun Che so hard he wouldn't be able to get up from the ground.

Yun Che's figure vanished as before, just as it touched the Purple Sun Profound Qi in front of Xuanyu. Xuanyu's expression darkened. He immediately focused his attention on his left and right... But this time, the strong gust of wind howled down from above.

Wham!!

Yun Che, having used Broken Shadow to appear from above, delivered a vicious kick to Xuanyu's right eye, sending his body flipping backward in place, landing on his chin once more. A bloody tooth flew directly out. When Yun Che's foot landed, it nearly stepped on Xuanyu's head. He casually glanced down and said, "Third move!"

"You bastard... Argh!!"

Wham!!

Just as Xuanyu was about to get up, Yun Che suddenly, without warning, launched a kick, striking Xuanyu's left eye. This sent his half-risen body into another spectacular backflip, and both his eyes instantly turned into "panda eyes."

"Didn't your master teach you to concentrate at all times... Fourth move!"

"Ughhh... I'll kill you!!"

His entire face was swollen and disfigured, both eye sockets bruised black and blue. Xuanyu's previously rather dashing face now looked utterly grotesque, more miserable than words could describe. As he stood up, his already terrifying face was now contorted with ferocity. All his profound energy erupted wildly, as if he had gone completely insane.

"Purple Sun Myriad Illusions Hand!!"

Xuanyu roared hoarsely, and charged at Yun Che, both his arms almost completely purple under the effect of the Purple Sun Art.

"That's one of Profound Heart Sect's ultimate moves... Purple Sun Myriad Illusions Hand! Yun Che, be careful!" Sikong Han instantly stood up and cried out in alarm.

Xuanyu's arms rapidly swung, conjuring countless purple afterimages, wildly enveloping Yun Che's entire body. Yun Che did not retreat or evade. He narrowed his eyes to slits, extended his right arm, weaved through the layers of purple light, and struck Xuanyu's elbow with a neither light nor heavy blow.

"The Profound Heart Sect's Purple Sun Art condenses energy through the three meridians in the left and right arms: Purple Sun, Symbol Center, and Heaven's Pond. With the Purple Sun meridian as its core, if you strike that meridian, the Purple Sun Art will directly dissipate, and his entire profound energy will be temporarily thrown into disarray. Additionally, when the Purple Sun Art is activated, the protective profound energy in the area two inches above his chest, connecting to the Purple Sun meridian, will be entirely channeled into that meridian, leaving him completely defenseless!"

These were the words Jasmine had just told him.

The spot Yun Che heavily struck was precisely Xuanyu's Purple Sun meridian.

Instantly, Xuanyu's entire arm went numb. All the purple aura vanished in an instant. His profound energy fell into complete disarray, causing Xuanyu's body to momentarily stiffen. In that brief moment, Yun Che lunged forward, smashing his elbow fiercely into the upper part of Xuanyu's chest.

Crack!!

Xuanyu's breastbone instantly shattered and dislocated. He flew out like a fallen leaf in the wind, spewing a gush of blood as he sailed backward, then dropped to the ground like a sandbag, convulsing twice before becoming unable to stand up again.

"Fifth move... Tsk tsk, this Elder Brother Xuanyu from Profound Heart Sect truly keeps his word. He said he'd let me win in five moves, and indeed, I won in exactly five moves, not one more, not one less. Brother Xuanyu's integrity in keeping promises is truly admirable."

"You..." Xuanyu stretched out a hand, pointing at Yun Che, his entire body trembling. But he only managed to utter "you" before his eyes rolled back, his head lolled to the side, and he passed out cold. It was unclear whether he fainted from his injuries or from sheer rage.

"Xuanyu!"

All the Profound Heart Sect disciples were shocked. Two rushed forward, helped Xuanyu's fallen body up, and fed him three pills in quick succession. One of them looked up, glaring angrily at Yun Che, and snarled, "This was a sparring match between peers, yet you struck so brutally! If anything happens to Xuanyu, my Profound Heart Sect will not let you off!"

"Heh, I don't understand what you're saying," Yun Che said with a cold laugh: "While it's true it was a sparring match, swords and blades have no eyes, and punches and kicks are hard to hold back. It's common for people to get seriously injured or even die in sparring matches when they can't hold back. A few injuries are perfectly normal. How was I to know that your Profound Heart Sect disciples are so fragile, breaking bones and spitting blood after only five moves? Instead of blaming your own useless disciples, you're turning around and blaming me?"

Yun Che returned the mocking and arrogant words Xuanyu had spoken after injuring Li Hao and Xia Yuanba, word for word... He returned not just a string of words, but also a resounding slap.

***

1. Yesterday, the minimum temperature was still above ten degrees Celsius; today, it plummeted to two degrees Celsius. I clearly fell ill after going out, feeling groggy and having a headache all day. I really couldn't write anymore today, so there's only one chapter. I'll make up for it with three chapters tomorrow... If I'm still not recovered tomorrow, then the day after.2. Missing Person Notice: Student "Blood in the Rain," you're the only one who hasn't reported your three measurements! Please add Judge Little Seven Monarch's QQ at 876138691 and report your measurements!! Hmm... for the Xing Clan custom T-shirt...