Chapter 83: Heaven Ranking Grandmaster

The young man held two fingers together, their tips flickering with faint, elusive threads of light, like cold stars twinkling in the dark night. This seemingly effortless finger strike, in reality, contained infinite profundity. As the finger force shot out, the air seemed to be torn and twisted by an invisible power, emitting a sizzling sound. A sharp finger thrust, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, streaked through the void like lightning, aiming directly for A Qi's chest.

This strike, though not intended to kill, aimed to injure.

"Hmph!" Gu Mo snorted coldly, swiftly raising his right palm. In its center, an invisible giant dragon seemed to roar and writhe, its thunderous sound echoing throughout the entire area. The formidable palm force caused the surrounding air to vibrate intensely, forming visible waves of qi.

In an instant, profound internal energy surged like a tidal wave upon Gu Mo's right palm, its sound shaking the four directions. This palm strike, imbued with boundless power, shot swiftly towards the finger force.

A tremendous "boom" resounded, like a sudden clap of thunder, shaking the soul.

The moment the finger force and palm power met, they violently collided in mid-air, erupting in an extremely dazzling light.

The young man, confident in his exquisite finger techniques, seemed as fragile as withered flowers and fallen leaves under Gu Mo's fierce and unparalleled palm force. His strike was instantly and mercilessly crushed. His fingers bent, and he continuously retreated. Simultaneously, his chest tightened, and a mouthful of stale blood choked his throat.

However, Gu Mo's formidable palm force, its momentum undiminished, surged towards the young man with an unstoppable, overwhelming aura. Wherever the palm force passed, the dust on the ground was stirred by its powerful qi and surged upwards, resembling a winding, roaring yellow dragon, its presence terrifying.

However, the young man was quite remarkable. Even in such a situation, facing Gu Mo's terrifying palm strike, despite being severely wounded, he remained calm and composed, his expression unchanged. His demeanor was truly extraordinary.

As Gu Mo's palm strike reached, in an instant, the palm wind, imbued with the force of a storm, surged forth, roaring as it lunged. Wherever the palm wind passed, the air was instantly compressed, emitting a sharp whistle, as if space itself was warped by this power.

Just in that flash of lightning, at that critical moment, a figure, like a ghost of the night, shot out like lightning from behind the young man. This person was none other than the elder who had been hidden behind him all along.

The elder's expression was solemn, his lips pressed tightly, the wrinkles on his face as deep as if carved by a knife. Without a moment's hesitation, he supported the young man's back with one hand, steadying his retreating figure. With his other hand, he channeled all his power and unhesitatingly struck a palm towards Gu Mo.

"Boom!"

This time, the two men's palm forces collided, emitting a colossal roar as if heaven and earth were splitting apart. Powerful energy fluctuations burst forth like a violent explosion. The surrounding crowd felt a roaring in their ears, as if struck by a heavy hammer, the pain almost making them faint. At the same time, a fierce gust of wind swept outwards from the two men. For a moment, dust filled the air, like a thick curtain, completely obscuring their figures. The elder, supporting the young man with one hand, only retreated a few steps, appearing unruffled and calm.

This greatly excited Gu Mo. It was rare to encounter someone who could directly withstand his Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. He immediately shouted, "Excellent skill! Again!"

In the blink of an eye, Gu Mo was before the elder. He spread his arms like two flood dragons emerging from the sea, and with overwhelming power, launched both palms simultaneously towards the elder. His right palm was fiercely unparalleled, its sharp wind whistling as if to tear the air. His left palm, however, was soft yet concealed immense power, like an undercurrent. This was "Twin Dragons Fetching Water" from the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms – one firm, one soft, complementing each other, making it impossible to defend against.

Seeing this, the elder neither dodged nor retreated, his expression solemn. His true qi rapidly circulated throughout his body, and a visible layer of faint golden light appeared on his skin. He let out a loud shout, his voice like a great bell. His left palm fiercely met Gu Mo's right palm. In an instant, the two palms heavily collided, emitting a thunderous boom, like a bolt from the clear sky.

From this collision, powerful energy fluctuations surged outwards, sweeping up surrounding sand and stones, sending them flying everywhere. Gu Mo felt a tremendous force emanating from the opponent's palm, giving him the thrill of an evenly matched battle. Meanwhile, the elder's body swayed slightly, and his feet ploughed two shallow furrows in the ground.

Gu Mo was somewhat surprised. He had just used "Twin Dragons Fetching Water" from the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Although it wasn't the most violent move, it was still a supreme forceful palm technique from the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms, no matter how gentle. Furthermore, he possessed the Nine Yang Divine Art and the Bright Jade Skill. Yet, his opponent had received this palm strike so easily. The depth of this elder's internal energy was the strongest he had encountered since his debut, and he was the only person capable of directly matching him in a head-on confrontation.

"Young man," the elder remarked, "what profound internal energy, what exquisite palm techniques! The younger generation is indeed formidable. Give you another ten years, and you might even surpass me." The elder calmly floated down, his feet landing steadily on the ground. The stirred dust merely floated gently before quickly dissipating.

"Elder," Gu Mo said, "I thoroughly enjoyed our exchange. I still have six palm techniques stronger than that last one. I hope you will guide me further!"

Gu Mo prepared to strike again. The elder's pupils constricted, and he hastily raised his hands, preparing to meet the attack. However, just then, Yan San Niang stood up and shouted, "Elder Meng, stop!"

"Bai Jingqi, what are you trying to do?"

Only then did Yan San Niang have a chance to speak. The young man's attack, followed by Gu Mo and the elder's palm clash, all happened in the blink of an eye, leaving Yan San Niang no time to intervene. Yan San Niang pointed at the young man and rebuked him, "Bai Jingqi, let me tell you, my surname is Yan, not Bai. I am not part of your Bai family, and I owe your Bai family nothing. Get out now! You are not welcome here. If you dare to attack my friend again, I won't hold back!"

The young man, named Bai Jingqi, circulated his internal energy to regulate his breathing, spitting out the stale blood that had choked his throat. His face instantly turned pale. He gave Gu Mo a thumbs-up and said, "Not bad. To defeat me with one palm and hold your own against Elder Meng, you truly live up to your reputation as the famous Blind Gu. However, regarding today's matter..."

"Second Young Master!" the elder behind Bai Jingqi suddenly interjected, "This is Third Miss's territory. Let's show her some respect!"

Bai Jingqi paused, then slowly said, "Very well." He looked at Yan San Niang and said, "Third Sister, you know who Elder Meng is. If it weren't for your sake, this Peerless Mountain Villa of yours would be drenched in blood today. Today, I've given you face. Next time, I hope you'll give me face too, and not make me come here for nothing."

With that, Bai Jingqi turned and left directly. The elder surnamed Meng followed him, always remaining one step behind Bai Jingqi, clearly demonstrating their respective ranks.

Gu Mo sensed the two moving further away. He sighed, "What a pity! If I had known that elder's skill was so impressive, I would have used my full power just now!"

A Qi, slumped on the ground, was full of surprise and said, "Great Hero Gu, you were holding back just now?"

"Yes, I didn't use my strongest palm technique, and I only exerted about eighty percent of my power," Gu Mo said. "My palm technique is too fierce. Unless I intend to kill, I usually hold back. Very few people can withstand my full power."

A Qi said, "Then you absolutely didn't need to hold back. That man just now was Meng Qingkong, known in the martial world as the Hermit of the Woods. You must have heard of him; he's one of the top ten masters on the Yunzhou Martial World Heavenly Rankings!"