Chapter 1842: Physical Suppression

Huff…huff…

Amidst the chaotic waves of energy, the Sky Flipping Palm had already slammed heavily on Yun Xiao’s true form. Yet, when everything cleared away, the image of the young man seemed unchanged, as if he hadn’t received even a single hit.

Aside from Fan Yulin’s awareness, the Emperor Palace Elders also belatedly sensed Yun Xiao’s current cultivation level, collectively drawing a sharp breath.

For now, Yun Xiao had pushed his Meridian Qi cultivation to the level of Half-step Holy Rank after activating the power of eleven Ancestor Veins, a leap that made him more than twice as formidable as his previous Heavenly Realm Peak.

Activating the power of the eleven Ancestor Veins didn’t disappoint Yun Xiao. He never expected to use it to break through to the true Holy Rank Hua Xuan Realm Early Stage; that would be too far-fetched.

The Half-step Holy Rank, lying between the Heavenly Rank and the Holy Vein Three Realms, is fundamentally different from something like the Half-step Lingyun Realm or Half-step Heavenly Realm; it can almost be considered a separate Great Realm.

Any cultivator at the Heavenly Realm Peak must first reach the Half-step Holy Rank before attempting to step into the true Holy Vein Three Realms.

Of course, for Yun Xiao, the Half-step Holy Rank was just a process. While other cultivators needed to understand the realm and sense the Heavenly Dao, he, reborn, only needed to accumulate power.

But at this moment, achieving the Half-step Holy Rank, Yun Xiao’s combat power was incomparable to his previous Heavenly Realm Peak. He genuinely had the confidence to directly confront Fan Yulin, who was at the Hua Xuan Realm Early Stage.

Thus, having reached the Half-step Holy Rank, Yun Xiao withstood the Sky Flipping Palm, a Holy Rank Low-Level Meridian Technique, without a scratch, as if merely being brushed by a gentle breeze.

“Hmph, so what if you break into the Half-step Holy Rank, you’ll still die!”

Recovering from his brief shock, Fan Yulin’s face darkened as he took a deep breath and let out a cold snort, which reassured the Emperor Palace Elders listening.

The young man’s abundant and mysterious methods were too uncanny and now having reached the Half-step Holy Rank, they believed that even if the Lord Supervisor acted, he might not be this young man’s match.

“It’s a good thing we have Master Steward here, otherwise the entire Red Rock Emperor Palace would have been destroyed today!”

An Emperor Palace Elder patted his chest, resonating with the surrounding elders, placing all their hopes on Fan Yulin, who was genuinely a Holy Rank Hua Xuan Realm Early Stage expert.

“Hehe, is that so?”

Just as the elders felt confident in Fan Yulin, and as he was preparing for a more formidable attack, a light chuckle suddenly reached his ears, as if the source was close by.

“Not good!”

Recognizing the somewhat familiar voice to be Yun Xiao’s, Fan Yulin was taken aback. His face subtly changed as he instinctively evaded to the side.

Even Fan Yulin, at the Hua Xuan Realm Early Stage, hadn’t detected how Yun Xiao had approached, and if Yun Xiao used any technique at such close proximity, it could be extremely troublesome.

Decisive, Fan Yulin didn’t take time to sense Yun Xiao’s position but instead moved three feet to his left.

“Tsk tsk, it seems everyone in the Emperor Canglong Palace knows the Zombie Body Technique!”

Seeing Fan Yulin’s move, Yun Xiao couldn’t help but marvel. But he was prepared for the old fellow’s reaction. In a flash of black light, the blunt-looking edge of the Dragon Taming Sword slashed toward Fan Yulin’s throat.

Clearly, Yun Xiao had used the Shadow Clone Meridian Techniques to relocate his true form behind Fan Yulin, confident that he was unrivaled in close combat rather than purely relying on Meridian Qi.

Fan Yulin’s reaction was within Yun Xiao’s expectations. The slash seamlessly connected with his previous attack, as smooth as flowing clouds, a delightful sight.

“This wooden sword is peculiar!”

Having just dodged an attack using the Zombie Body Technique, Fan Yulin saw a streak of black light slicing toward his throat, making his heart jolt, deciding against meeting it head-on.

If Yun Xiao hadn’t previously displayed mysterious and formidable methods, Fan Yulin might not have been wary of the wooden sword. But now, he couldn’t underestimate Yun Xiao’s techniques.

The wooden sword appeared blunt, like a child’s toy, but wielded by a Half-step Holy Rank genius, it was anything but ordinary.

This Emperor Palace Inspection Hall Steward showcased outstanding reflexes and speed. Using the Zombie Body Technique once again, the Dragon Taming Sword’s tip barely skimmed past his throat without harming him.

“Heh, quick reflexes, but it’s enough!”

Not surprised that the slash missed, Yun Xiao knew well that if a Hua Xuan Realm Early Stage expert were so easily defeated, the Holy Rank experts of the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud wouldn’t be so rare.

Yun Xiao unleashed his Shadow Clone attack, then slashed with his sword, not expecting these two simple moves to kill the Emperor Palace Steward of the early stage Hua Xuan Realm.

His greatest strength had always been close combat; the power of his physical body, comparable to that of a Holy Demon, was his unrivaled weapon when facing human cultivators. Using his strengths against the enemy’s weaknesses was precisely what he should do at this moment.

With Yun Xiao’s strike and slash, he closed the distance between himself and Fan Yulin. Yet, this Emperor Palace Steward still hadn’t realized the significance of this.

After all, Fan Yulin had never witnessed the power of Yun Xiao’s physical body. During the previous process of killing two Great Elders, Yun Xiao hadn’t even touched those two Emperor Palace Elders.

“Take my palm!”

Just as Fan Yulin retreated to avoid the slash of the Dragon Taming Sword, the coarse-clothed youth already approached him like a shadow, slapping with his slightly pale hand, seemingly without much force behind it.

“Overestimating yourself!”

Seeing that the opponent abandoned the use of that strange wooden sword to attack with his bare hand instead, Fan Yulin sneered coldly.

Though Fan Yulin did not excel in physical strength, his higher Meridian Qi cultivation made him extremely confident when facing Lower Rankers.

With the enhancement of Meridian Qi, even an ordinary physical body could unleash extremely formidable attack power. Unaware of Yun Xiao’s physical strength, Fan Yulin held such confidence.

Since Yun Xiao didn’t use the sharp wooden sword to attack, what did Fan Yulin have to fear? His meridian Qi surged all over him, extending one palm back to meet Yun Xiao’s right palm.

In Fan Yulin’s palm, there lay his early stage Holy Rank Meridian Qi. If an ordinary Half-step Holy Rank Cultivator suffered it, they could instantly die with broken tendons and bones, at least losing their right arm for sure.

Seeing Fan Yulin choose not to dodge but to face him head-on, a peculiar wave crossed Yun Xiao’s eyes as he mused silently that ignorance truly breeds fearlessness.

Bang!

Amid the spectators’ varied glances, Yun Xiao and Fan Yulin’s palms fiercely collided, producing a loud explosion, with energy radiating outwards, causing several Emperor Palace Elders to retreat a few steps in shock.

“Not good!”

Compared to bewildered onlookers who hadn’t yet grasped the situation, Fan Yulin, as the party involved, sensed a surging, overwhelming force at the moment their palms touched, stripping him of any courage to withstand.

Yet once their palms were interlocked, Yun Xiao’s magnificent power unleashed, even with the fastest reaction, Fan Yulin couldn’t perform any action.

Whoosh…

Thus, in the blink of an eye, numerous observing Emperor Palace Elders saw the dignified early stage Hua Xuan Realm Expert, Fan Yulin from the Emperor Palace Headquarters Inspection Hall, being pushed back three steps by the coarse-clothed youth’s palm strike.

“This…”

Witnessing this scene left everyone dumbfounded. Was this not the superior of the Holy Vein Three Realms? How did he fall under the palm strength of a mere youth?

Despite the tumultuous waves in his heart, Fan Yulin never expected this outcome, that his early stage Hua Xuan Realm Meridian Qi-infused palm couldn’t match Yun Xiao’s pure physical strength.

Though sensing clearly that Yun Xiao hadn’t enhanced his Half-step Holy Rank Meridian Qi earlier, yet relied solely on his physical strength, just such power alone rendered Fan Yulin unable to maintain his stance, retreating three steps—a formidable terror indeed.

“Again!”

Yun Xiao harbored no further thoughts; having closed the distance, he couldn’t allow Fan Yulin to escape his physical attack range. With a resounding shout, he advanced again toward Fan Yulin.

Bam bam bam!

In subsequent maneuvers, spectators only heard the sound of physical blows continuously exchanged, then noticed a reality: Fan Yulin, the Emperor Palace Steward, was being suppressed in combat by the coarse-clothed youth.

This was the powerful early stage Holy Vein Hua Xuan Realm, an entity they viewed with awe, looking up to perpetually.

These Emperor Palace Elders weren’t fools; through dozens of exchanges, they clearly perceived the youth’s incredibly mighty physical strength—far beyond ordinary.

At this moment, they harbored an alarming suspicion that the early stage Steward Master might genuinely lose to Yun Xiao.