"How is that possible?"
The sneer on Guo Tao's face vanished, replaced by utter disbelief.
That finger strike had contained the Martial Arts Realm of the Mortal-Level Martial Skill, the Azure Commander Finger. A single poke could blast a hole clean through Hundred-linked Refined Steel.
Let alone a simple punch from a new disciple whose cultivation was far beneath his own!
Before they had truly clashed, Guo Tao had been utterly confident. He'd believed this one finger strike would shatter the arrogant boy's hands and send him tumbling off the stage.
But the mont his finger truly collided with Hong Yu's fist, Guo Tao's expression changed.
He realized he hadn't struck a fist of flesh and blood, but an impregnable wall of iron forged entirely from Profound Steel!
A steady, heavy, terrifying power!
That was the first thought that flashed through Guo Tao's mind.
And then...
BOOM!
The force of the punch billowed out. A power that raged like a tempestuous sea and erupted like a geyser utterly crushed his Azure Commander Finger.
BANG!
Guo Tao's body jolted. His previously unstoppable finger was bent back at a ninety-degree angle by Hong Yu's punch. An imnse power surged up from his fingertip, making his entire arm tremble. A line of cold sweat dripped down his forehead. 'This kid's power is imnse. I absolutely can't lose, or the humiliation will be unbearable.'
"Junior Brother, you have so strength! Now, try and take a real Azure Commander Finger from !"
Guo Tao gave a sinister smile.
He abruptly retracted his right hand. At the sa ti, his left hand sliced through the air, his finger striking at the empty space.
The Power of Primordial Spirit coiled around his fingertip.
A faint radiance seed to form an azure sky. The ethereal Finger Light was dazzling, and the light of seven stars converged into a single line as he abruptly jabbed forward.
The true aning of the Azure Commander Finger was Seven Stars Unity!
According to rumor, reaching the realm of Seven Stars Unity made it comparable to a Mortal Level Middle Grade Martial Skill!
Guo Tao had clearly reached that level.
"Look, Senior Brother Guo is using the Azure Commander Finger!"
"I've seen the power of Senior Brother Guo's Azure Commander Finger before! It can definitely one-shot an expert at the Early-stage Earth Soul Realm!"
"That kid is only at the Half-Step Earth Soul Realm. This attack will be more than enough to cripple him."
"The guy doesn't know his own limits. He's just asking for humiliation!"
In the crowd...
The few new disciples who had followed Hong Yu exchanged worried glances. "Guo Tao is so strong... can Brother Hong win?"
"I doubt it!"
"No matter what, Brother Hong saved us. We were already in the wrong for betraying him under duress earlier. If Brother Hong is defeated, we have to be the first ones to rescue him!"
The group nodded to each other, nerves stretched taut, ready to rescue Hong Yu the mont he was seriously injured.
"The Azure Commander Finger?"
Hong Yu's gaze sharpened, and a smirk played on his lips. "A Mortal-Level Martial Skill? Is that all?"
"Arrogant!"
Guo Tao's brow twitched, and the power of his attack intensified.
But he soon discovered in despair that no matter how he channeled the power of his Azure Commander Finger, it was completely swallowed by Hong Yu's seemingly ordinary punch, vanishing without a trace like a stone dropped into the ocean.
'How can this be?'
Just as Guo Tao's face paled in horror, Hong Yu put more force into his punch.
BANG!
The fist flashed forward.
It seed ordinary, but it contained a profound mystery. With a single strike, it shattered the Finger Light ford by the seven stars, scattering it into a shower of sparks.
And then...
The punch broke through all resistance, arriving right in front of Guo Tao.
"No—"
Guo Tao tried to retreat explosively.
But how could his speed possibly match Hong Yu's?
Activating the Seven-Star Step, his footwork was like a shooting star. His body surged forward like a bolt of lightning, catching up to Guo Tao in the blink of an eye.
The wind from the punch washed over his face, stinging like the edge of a blade.
BANG!
The punch landed squarely on Guo Tao's nose, sending him flying.
Two streams of blood gushed from his nostrils, painting two graceful arcs in the air as he was thrown backward.
Of course, there was more to the punch's power than just that!
If Hong Yu had wished, that single punch would have been enough to explode Guo Tao's head.
But now was clearly not the ti for that...
THUD!
Guo Tao's head slamd heavily onto the ground. The imnse force of the impact made his head bounce, jarring violently three tis before it finally ca to rest.
...
Silence.
The entire Martial Arts Arena fell terrifyingly silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
Then, the dead silence erupted into a thunderous uproar...
"Holy shit! The fifth-ranked on the Earth List was knocked out by one punch just like that?"
"Pinch . I must still be dreaming!"
"Senior Brother Guo must have just been careless. Otherwise, how could a re new disciple possibly defeat him?"
"Careless? Didn't you see him use the Azure Commander Finger? It's obvious that new disciple's strength is far greater than Senior Brother Guo's!"
Tens of thousands of people broke into discussion. For a mont, the Martial Arts Arena was as noisy as a night market, with endless speculation about Hong Yu's identity.
Finally, soone recognized him. "I know him! That's Hong Yu! He's one of the new disciples!"
"What? He's the Hong Yu who defeated Chen Xing?"
"My god, with that kind of strength, he's more than qualified to enter the Inner Sect directly. Why is he still in the Outer Sect?"
Hong Yu paid no attention to the clamorous discussions below the stage.
He squatted down, resting his hands on his knees, his indifferent gaze fixed on Guo Tao. "Senior Brother Guo, you're a little too slow, aren't you?"
"You..."
The pain from his broken nose was unbearable. He wanted to spit out a threat, but blood ran down his throat, forcing him into a violent coughing fit.
The smile on Hong Yu's face faded. He slowly reached out, grabbed Guo Tao by the neck, and lifted him effortlessly into the air.
"Gah... ack... ack..."
Guo Tao's feet dangled off the ground. With his neck in a vice grip, he struggled painfully. "Let down! If you don't, I'll make you wish you were dead!"
A cold, sinister smile played on Hong Yu's lips. "Guo Tao, at this point, do you really think threats are going to work on ?" A chilling glint flashed in his eyes as his fingers tightened their grip.
"Who the hell are you? I don't rember ever offending you..." Guo Tao choked out in pain.
"Then do you rember Liu Liyun and Gao Zijie?"
Hong Yu said flatly.
"Liu Liyun? Gao Zijie?"
Guo Tao froze, then a look of horror dawned in his eyes. "You... You're Hong Yu?"
Hong Yu nodded. "So you're not completely stupid. I'm going to ask you a question, and you're going to answer it honestly. Got it?"
"What... what do you want to ask?"
Guo Tao struggled to say.
All his previous arrogance had vanished. Staring into Hong Yu's fierce, resolute eyes, he lost all will to resist.
Hong Yu asked, "Who tortured Liu Liyun and Gao Zijie like that?"
"I... I can't say."
"Not talking?"
His eyes narrowed, and his fingers tightened once more.
A sickening CRACKLE ca from Guo Tao's neck. The pain was unbearable. He imdiately shrieked, "I'll talk! I'll talk!" Seeing Hong Yu's grip loosen slightly, he took a great gasp of air. "It was Hong Lingtong of the Heaven and Earth Alliance! He did it all!"
"Hong Lingtong?"
Hong Yu frowned.
How could he not recognize that familiar na?
One of the four greatest geniuses of the Hong Family. Hong Lingtong, third-ranked of the Four Kings, with strength surpassing even Hong Long's!
'I never would have guessed it was him!'
Hong Yu snorted. "Who else?"
"A few other experts from the Heaven and Earth Alliance... Th-they did all of it! It had nothing to do with !" Guo Tao pleaded.
Hong Yu: "Is that so? Then why did I hear that you were directly involved in the injuries Liu Liyun and Gao Zijie sustained?"
"I... I didn't..."
Before he could finish, Hong Yu's grip tightened again.
This ti, Guo Tao didn't dare lie. Hong Yu's sharp, decisive thods made him feel the threat of death. He blurted out, "I was forced to! Hong Lingtong ordered to interrogate them, to force them to sign and fingerprint the statent. But the two of them were just too stubborn, so I had to use so minor disciplinary asures."
"Minor disciplinary asures?"
Hong Yu's eyes narrowed, his voice turning bone-chillingly cold. "Your 'minor disciplinary asures' involved breaking their arms and legs, shattering half their ribs, rupturing their internal organs with heavy weapons, and torturing them with cuts and burns until there wasn't an inch of unhard skin left on their bodies? That's what you call 'minor disciplinary asures'?"
The mory of Gao Zijie's and Liu Liyun's horrific condition made anger surge through Hong Yu like a sea of fire. His body trembled slightly, and the force in his hand grew stronger still.
How imnse was Hong Yu's strength?
This squeeze nearly snapped his neck.
"No! It wasn't ! I only broke their arms and legs! The people from the Heaven and Earth Alliance did the rest! Every debt has its debtor; you should go after them..."
Guo Tao scread in agony.
He felt the aura of death wash over him, the Death God's scythe resting on his neck. If Hong Yu's mood shifted even slightly, if his grip tightened just a fraction more, he would be sent to the Yellow Springs. How could Guo Tao not be terrified?
"'Only' broke their arms and legs? Ha, hahaha, HAHAHAHA..."
Hong Yu suddenly burst into wild laughter. The sound seed to pierce the heavens, echoing over the Martial Arts Arena. "A fine 'every debt has its debtor,' indeed. Don't you worry, I'll get to Hong Lingtong and the Heaven and Earth Alliance eventually. But for now... I'll be collecting a little interest from you."
Hong Yu suddenly raised his other hand, reaching for Guo Tao's arms and legs.
"No! Brother, save !"
Guo Tao's face was a mask of terror as he let out a frantic roar.
At that very instant...
A voice like a thunderclap bood from outside the Martial Arts Arena. The newcor shot forward like a ferocious Desolate Beast, wreathed in crackling lightning. His roar contained boundless rage, and a piercing aura locked onto Hong Yu. "Insolent brat! If you dare harm a single hair on my brother's head, I will make sure your corpse is left in pieces!"
With another roar, the man landed like a thunderbolt, touching down with a BOOM right in front of Hong Yu.
It was the number one disciple of the Outer Sect, the top of the Earth List—Guo Fei!
Guo Fei stood tall like a Thunder Giant Beast, his vast and imposing aura bearing down on Hong Yu. If Hong Yu dared to harm Guo Tao, he would unleash a fatal attack without a mont's hesitation.
Hong Yu shot a sidelong, playful glance at the man ranked first on the Earth List, but he didn't pause for even a second.
His free hand moved with the speed of lightning. Before even Guo Fei could react, a series of sickening CRACKS echoed out as Hong Yu shattered both of Guo Tao's arms and legs.
Tossing the screaming Guo Tao aside, Hong Yu placed his hands at his sides and stared fearlessly at the thunderously enraged Guo Fei. His cold voice rang out, as sharp and resolute as steel...
"Anyone who harms my brothers will be put to death, no matter how far they run!"
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