Above Lu Qing's head, the gray-robed old monk radiated a brilliant golden light.
A huge Buddha shadow appeared behind him.
The gray-robed old monk, with a cold expression, stood on the golden boat and slammed his palm down.
As this palm strike was unleashed, the Buddha shadow behind the old monk with the gray cannon also extended a giant palm, pressing down on Lu Qing from below.
As this palm strike was unleashed, it seemed as if chanting hymns resounded throughout the heavens and earth, and golden runes swirled around the giant palm of the Buddha figure.
Carrying an overwhelming force, it pressed down on Lu Qing.
It turns out that the gray-robed old monk, who seemed to have been forced to fall from the sky by the arrow formation, was caught by Lu Qing using the power of the earth's magnetic veins, thus successfully scheming against him.
In reality, it was something he did on purpose, wanting to lower Lu Qing's guard so that he could deliver a fatal blow at close range.
"Indeed, no Foundation Establishment stage expert should be underestimated."
Lu Qing felt the power of the giant palm of the Buddha's shadow and sighed inwardly.
This old monk with the gray cannon clearly had a trump card up his sleeve, but he had only used that golden shuttle magic weapon against his enemies.
Even when surrounded by his arrows, he deliberately showed weakness and pretended to be forced to surrender.
It seemed like they had fallen into his trap, but in reality, they were turning the tables on him and plotting against him.
They waited until he got close before unleashing their killing move.
The giant Buddha's palm covered a considerable area, spanning more than ten zhang above Lu Qing's head.
It is not only very fast, but also extremely powerful.
Before the giant hand had even fully landed, its powerful suppressive force bound Lu Qing, making his body sluggish and hindering his ability to dodge.
Subtly, it seemed they intended to turn the tables and completely destroy Lu Qing, along with his domain.
"It seems we need to get serious."
Looking at the enormous Buddha's palm so close to him, Lu Qing's expression hardened, and a radiant light shone from his body.
boom!
The next moment, the Buddha's palm was already positioned where Lu Qing was.
A cloud of dust rose up, and the ground within a radius of more than ten feet was dented by the force of the palm strike.
From high above, a giant palm print suddenly appears on the plain, creating a striking visual impact.
This palm strike was so powerful and terrifying that it could make any cultivator at the Innate Realm change color and tremble with fear.
"Um?"
However, seeing the terrifying destructive power of his move, the gray-robed old monk showed no pride; instead, his expression changed.
Because he sensed that the earth vein magnetic force binding him had not completely disappeared.
It still lingers around him, making it difficult for him to move around.
He stared intently down below, and suddenly, his pupils disappeared.
Suddenly, the smoke and dust below trembled and exploded in all directions.
A figure radiating white light burst forth from the smoke and dust, flying rapidly toward the gray-robed old monk.
The gray-robed old monk was greatly alarmed. Without thinking, he activated his mind and struck out with a palm.
At the same time, the Buddha shadow behind him stirred up endless gales and once again struck Lu Qing in the air with a palm!
Faced with the golden light and the enormous Buddha's palm slamming towards him, Lu Qing remained calm, showing no sign of panic.
Even the sword and bow in his hand had been stored away in his Qiankun Qi Bag at some point.
A gentle breeze wafted around him, causing him to accelerate once more.
With his right hand clenched into a fist, he neither dodged nor evaded, but directly met the Buddha's palm with a punch!
roar!
As Lu Qing unleashed his punch, a tiger's roar resounded through the sky. In a daze, the gray-robed old monk seemed to see an ancient giant tiger emerge from Lu Qing's body.
The old monk was even more shocked. He knew that it was Lu Qing's fist intent that was too fierce, interfering with his mind and causing the illusion to appear.
Boom!
A fist and a palm collided in mid-air, creating another whirlwind. High above, the air was once again blasted into layers of white mist, whipping up a violent gale.
If it were on the ground, there would probably be another sandstorm, with grass flying and trees falling.
Seeing the vast difference in size, Lu Qing looked like an insect in front of the Buddha's palm, which was more than ten feet wide, as if he were doing a futile effort to shake a tree.
But the reality was quite different from what was seen. Under Lu Qing's punch, the huge Buddha's palm, which looked like glass, developed cracks centered on the fist. The cracks spread rapidly throughout the palm and even the arm.
Ultimately, it shattered completely.
"How is this possible?!"
Upon seeing the Buddha's palm shatter, the gray-robed old monk's eyes revealed an expression of disbelief.
He couldn't believe that the Buddha's Dharma form he had created using the treasure within his body could be so easily defeated.
Lu Qing shattered the Buddha's arm with a single punch without stopping.
A gentle breeze emanated from his body, and he descended several feet, dissipating the force of the recoil, before surging upwards again, heading straight for the gray-robed old monk.
There is only one chance. With that golden boat, as long as the opponent stays high in the sky, they can attack or defend, making them virtually invincible.
Having finally gotten close to the other person, he couldn't let this golden opportunity slip by.
He had already seen that the arm of the Buddha phantom that he had shattered was slowly recovering, so he had to finish the battle quickly.
Using the power of the talisman, Lu Qing also gained a brief period of flight. He quickly approached the gray-robed old monk and threw another punch.
Having already witnessed the power of Lu Qing's fists, the old monk with the gray cannon dared not take them head-on.
But as before, he turned the tables, deliberately entering Lu Qing's territory to lower his guard and unleash his killing move.
At this moment, however, he was trapped in Lu Qing's domain and bound by the earth vein's magnetic force, which greatly reduced his speed.
They wanted to retreat, but it was too late.
Left with no other choice, he made a hand seal, urging the other arm of the Buddha image to continue striking Lu Qing with a palm.
But this time, unsurprisingly, with the clash of fists and palms, the other arm of the Buddha image was also shattered by Lu Qing's punch.
A gentle breeze appeared, and Lu Qing once again stood before the gray-robed old monk, unleashing another punch.
This time, the gray-robed old monk had no way to deal with it.
He had no choice but to muster his spiritual energy and unleash a palm strike to meet Lu Qing's fist.
But even his strongest techniques couldn't stop Lu Qing's fist.
Although the gray-robed old monk's physical body was also exceptionally well-trained, how could he possibly be a match for Lu Qing?
Under Lu Qing's unparalleled fist force, his arm immediately shattered, and he coughed up blood, detaching from the golden boat and flying backward.
"A great opportunity!"
Lu Qing had long coveted that golden boat, and immediately forgot about the enemy's pursuit. He grabbed the boat with one hand and focused his mind on taking it away.
Just then, the gray-robed old monk was seriously injured. In addition to the violent power of Lu Qing's punch, the fist intent condensed above all else was also vast.
The gray-robed old monk was struck by the force of the fist, his mind almost collapsing, and he could no longer care about controlling the golden boat.
Therefore, Lu Qing easily put the small boat into his Qiankun Qi Bag.
Then, seeing the gray-robed old monk still in the air, a gentle breeze swirled around him, and he chased after him again.
It may seem complicated, but in reality, from Lu Qing blasting the gray-robed old monk off the golden boat to seizing the boat, everything happened in the blink of an eye.
When Lu Qing arrived in front of the gray-robed old monk, the monk had not yet landed on the ground.
Meeting the gray-robed old monk's terrified gaze, Lu Qing remained expressionless and unleashed another powerful punch, striking the monk's chest.
Bang!
Lu Qing didn't hold back with this punch. His fist landed in the gray-robed old monk's chest, and the force of the punch instantly tore the old monk's body apart.
However, being a Foundation Establishment stage expert, his physical strength far surpasses that of an Innate stage expert.
Despite enduring Lu Qing's terrifying punch, the gray-robed old monk was still not completely blasted apart.
His chest was ripped open, running from front to back, and he slammed into the ground, creating a large crater.
Lu Qing also floated down beside the pit, looking calmly at the gray-robed old monk who was barely breathing.
The opponent took a hit from him when he activated his physical body's protective aura. Although his physical body was not completely destroyed, he was clearly beyond saving.
"Your body radiates a precious light; you're actually a body cultivator!"
The gray-robed old monk was still conscious. He looked at the white light emanating from Lu Qing's body and suddenly realized what was happening.
According to the records left by the ancestors of Suspended Mountain, the Body Cultivation lineage is extremely terrifying.
Despite its many flaws, in terms of combat power, it ranks among the top three among various cultivation schools.
Especially in close combat, he is practically invincible.
He had actually been outmaneuvered by a body cultivator who had reached the realm of radiant light; he had no reason to complain about losing this battle.
"However, there is one thing I still don't understand: what grudge do you hold against my Suspended Mountain sect? Why did you slaughter the disciples of my Suspended Mountain sect?"
Knowing he was doomed, the gray-robed old monk stared at the ghost mask on Lu Qing's face and asked the question that had been nagging at him.
However, Lu Qing did not get what he wanted.
He simply said expressionlessly, "Go to hell and figure that out!"
After saying that, he threw another punch. The old monk in gray robes was already seriously injured and on the verge of death under the rampaging force of the punch, and he was unable to muster any spiritual power to defend himself.
In a moment of terror, he was shattered by Lu Qing's punch and turned into a bloody mist.
Just as the gray-robed old monk's body exploded, a gray light flew out from the blood mist and rushed straight towards Lu Qing's brow.
The speed was so fast that it caught everyone off guard.
But the next moment, just as the gray light was about to rush into Lu Qing's brow, a phantom of a golden robe appeared on Lu Qing's body, completely protecting him.
The gray light crashed into the illusory image of the robe, immediately sizzling and producing plumes of gray smoke from the heat.
"Ah! The power of merit, this is impossible!"
The gray-haired old monk's angry shout had barely rang out when the gray light was completely extinguished by the heat, and the voice vanished completely.
It turned out that the gray light was the manifestation of the spirit of the old monk in the gray robe.
His name already seemed doomed, yet he still refused to give up.
On his deathbed, he unleashed a secret technique of the divine soul, attempting a desperate last stand to invade Lu Qing's brow acupoint.
If he could defeat Lu Qing's soul, that would be ideal. He could then usurp Lu Qing's body and gain a powerful physical cultivation form.
Even if he couldn't possess Lu Qing's body, as long as he could severely damage Lu Qing's soul, he could temporarily block a major enemy for Suspended Mountain, and leave his own soul aura on the enemy, making it easier for them to track and kill him in the future.
Unexpectedly, Lu Qing possessed a robe of merit that could block all attacks on the soul.
This meant that the old monk in the gray robe had no chance of succeeding, as his soul was scorched and annihilated by the robe of merit.
"These old fogies really have a lot of tricks up their sleeves."
Lu Qing touched his brow, sighing with emotion.
The attack on his soul was so fast that he almost didn't have time to react.
However, even if the gray-robed old monk were to invade his brow acupoint, he would not panic.
On the contrary, he felt that if the gray-robed old monk saw what was inside his brow, he would probably be the first to be scared to death.
With the Earth Spirit Orb and the Divine Soul Talisman providing multiple layers of protection, Lu Qing didn't believe that anyone below the Golden Core stage could harm him with their divine soul attack.
After deflecting the gray-robed old monk's final attack, Lu Qing's gaze fell on the pit.
Because he saw that even after the gray-robed old monk's body was blasted into a bloody mist by his punch, something was still preserved.
It was a bead with a faint golden luster, floating in mid-air.
Lu Qing could tell that this must be a rare treasure refined by the old monk in gray robes.
He was about to use his supernatural abilities to investigate when suddenly his expression changed, and he looked up towards the direction of the Lingshan Mountain Range.
His keen intuition told him that there seemed to be another powerful aura approaching from that direction.
Moreover, this aura subtly gave him a sense of crisis.
Sensing this, Lu Qing did not hesitate. He flashed into the pit, grabbed the golden bead, and put it into his Qiankun Qi Bag.
"Xiao Li, come here!"
Xiao Li, who had been hiding nearby to protect Lu Qing, suddenly appeared from the air and jumped into Lu Qing's arms.
Holding Xiao Li in his arms, Lu Qing's body glowed with a blue light, transforming into a streak of light that disappeared into the distance.
This time, he held nothing back and unleashed the full power of the talisman.
At the same time, he circulated his spiritual energy throughout his body, and with one step, he was already dozens of feet away. With another step, he was dozens of feet away again.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the distance.
A few dozen breaths later, a figure appeared at the place where Lu Qing and the gray-robed old monk were fighting.
After observing for a few moments with a solemn expression, his face suddenly changed, and he appeared in the pit where the gray-robed old monk had fallen.
His face turned ashen as he looked at the bloodstains on the ground.
He sensed that Elder Kurong's soul aura seemed to have completely vanished right here.
...
After leaving the battlefield, Lu Qing used his spiritual talismans and movement techniques to their fullest extent, transforming into a stream of light and departing.
After running for hundreds of miles, and sensing that no one was chasing them, they fled into a deep mountain and found a cave to hide in temporarily.
Possessing a magical artifact allows one to conceal the secrets of heaven and make calculations, in addition to the ability of divine soul talismans to hide one's aura.
He believed that if he wanted to hide, almost no one in the world would be able to find his whereabouts.
After spending half an hour quietly in the cave, confirming that no one was chasing after him, Lu Qing finally relaxed.
Just now, he sensed a dangerous aura from the direction of the Lingshan Mountain Range.
Although the aura wasn't strong, Lu Qing didn't want to take the risk at the moment.
After all, he is currently in the shadows, while the Suspended Mountain is in the light.
If he doesn't want to, the other party simply can't find his whereabouts.
If that's the case, why take the risk unnecessarily?
Judging from the gray-robed old monk's demeanor, it's clear that the Hanging Mountain possesses profound cultural heritage and numerous magical treasures.
Even for him, killing him would require using many trump cards.
If the newcomer is even more powerful than the gray-robed old monk, he might not be able to escape so easily.
If he gets bogged down in a tough battle and the enemy sends reinforcements, he might just capsize in a ditch.
His most important purpose in coming to Xizhou was to cause trouble for Xuankong Mountain, not to fight them to the death.
It's best to stay hidden for now.
In any case, he had already gained a lot from the battle with the gray-robed old monk.
It's not too late to seek trouble with Suspended Mountain after we've digested this battle.
Thinking of this, Lu Qing took out a stack of jade talismans, flicked them into the ground, and set up a simple array to conceal his aura.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he took out a small golden boat from the Qiankun Qi Bag.
