Of course, the reason for seeking a swift resolution also lies in the objective fact that the whirlwind on this side had been obliterated by the majestic power of his sword.

With the whirlwind gone, he couldn't leverage its force mid-air, and gathering wind again needed time. The masked man below acted decisively, giving him no opportunity. Time was running out, and summoning lightning from the void would be useless—his opponent wasn't afraid of lightning at all.

Without leveraging external forces, he had no ability to suspend himself mid-air or evade to the left or right. His cultivation realm wasn't high enough to perform such feats.

He was falling while the masked man was charging toward him. There was no way to avoid a confrontation—he could only face it head-on or seek an outright reckoning.

In truth, his close-range combat skills were formidable, so he had no fear.

Before the light from the enormous fragmented column of radiance completely vanished, the disciples of Yanbao Sect and Xu and You both saw a figure charging upward within the column.

What? Not dead yet?

The crowd was stunned. If they hadn't caught the absence of the thunderous sound of lightning striking its target, and hadn't witnessed Li Hongjiu's sword-wielding descent to confront his opponent, they might have thought they were mistaken.

How was this possible?

They wanted to confirm what they saw, but the light and shadow within the column disappeared. Fragmented clouds of mist obscured their vision, and the lighting in the Land of Wuming was already poor.

BANG! A deafening explosion echoed out of the fragmented cloud mist.

The sound of the clash confirmed that the masked man was indeed alive.

In the instant of close-quarter combat, Li Hongjiu finally understood the source of the explosive noises he had heard before. As his sword collided with the opponent's blade, he felt the explosive force transmitted from the opponent's blade.

The explosion wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, but the burst managed to dampen and cushion much of his offensive force.

This surprised him, but the clash also allowed him to confirm that his opponent's cultivation wasn't particularly high.

Yet there was no time to deliberate. As the two exchanged blows, his cultivation was superior, and his reflexes faster. When their blades vibrated apart, he found an opening to strike the opponent's chest with a palm.

Unexpectedly, the opponent neither blocked nor dodged, reacting instead with a palm strike aimed at his chest.

Li Hongjiu was slightly astonished. With his superior cultivation, his palm strike would undoubtedly inflict grave consequences on his opponent. Since he struck first, his palm would land before his opponent's, its force shaking the opponent back before their strike could reach him.

He realized Shi Chun's palm likely contained some intrigue.

But in the fleeting moment of their exchange, there was no time to second-guess, nor did he intend to pull back. His understanding of his own cultivation technique endowed him with confidence—even taking a direct hit wouldn't harm him.

Not even if someone at the Small Success Realm of Human Immortal struck him!

BANG! His palm struck the masked man's chest squarely, immediately revealing the mystery. His opponent carried an explosive protective force on their body which absorbed the formidable power of his attack.

Even so, based on their blades' clash, his palm strike should've been sufficient to knock the masked man away, preventing their strike from landing on him.

Yet the result was he struck the masked man's chest, but the remaining force didn't generate the anticipated repulsion—or at least not the expected level of impact. The shockwave's strength fell short, and thus its repelling force slowed.

Stunned, he wondered: Had the opponent been acting all along? Was Shi Chun hiding their cultivation from the start?

Shi Chun's eyes flashed with malice. Trading palm strike for palm strike, this was the moment they had been waiting for.

Indeed, Shi Chun's cultivation was an entire realm weaker. But with Demon Power Protection layered beneath their Treasure Robe, the double defense allowed them to endure Li Hongjiu's strike.

What mattered was landing a single palm strike in return. Their palm, imbued with 'Demon Dispel Hand,' had been tested countless times, rarely failing—it was a near-certainty of fatality unless the opponent wore specialty treasure armor like Mulan Qingqing's.

This was Shi Chun's ultimate technique!

As anticipated, their palm landed solidly on Li Hongjiu's chest.

The two figures finally separated.

One with head down and feet up, the other feet down and head up; as they parted, their figures passed each other.

Almost simultaneously, the stilled winds gave way to external gusts. When the surrounding winds swept in, the fragmented mist-like clouds tore apart, exposing the two figures as they crossed paths.

Sure enough, the masked man was alive, leaving the Yanbao Sect disciples aghast. They desperately wanted to uncover the man's identity—how could someone more powerful than their junior uncle enter the domain?

Even they began to suspect interference from one of the sect elders guarding the exit.

Xu and You, meanwhile, looked utterly shocked yet exhilarated. Despite being charred black by lightning earlier, their excitement couldn't be hidden.

Strong—the one above really sent someone too strong!

The combatants split—one falling to earth, while the other surged upward.

Shi Chun sneered as he turned mid-air, using Cloud Stepping Boots to flip head-forward and pursue his opponent, blade swinging downward.

If you've been hit by my 'Demon Dispel Hand,' you think you can escape?

He clearly felt his strike penetrate his opponent's defenses, its energy embedding itself inside their body.

In the Divine Fire Domain, encountering a foe like this, he wouldn't grant any reprieve. Against an oddly powerful adversary, who knew what recovery might bring? Eliminating threats at their weakest point was the most prudent choice.

The obvious pursuit underscored one thing—the masked man had no fear of Li Hongjiu.

This scene left the onlooking Yanbao Sect disciples filled with dread. Surely their junior uncle, so skilled, wouldn't lose to this man?

Xu and You stared wide-eyed, holding their breath.

Li Hongjiu landed first, twisting mid-air to touch down. A quick spin brought his blade upward, clashing against Shi Chun's ferocious pursuit slash—BOOM. The blade strike reverberated loudly.

Almost identically to before, Li Hongjiu fired a palm upward while Shi Chun sent a palm crashing down.

Their opposing paths converged, creating a straight line as their strikes collided.

BANG! Another resounding impact.

Li Hongjiu stood firm, unmoving, his robe fluttering.

Shi Chun, propelled backward in a spin, landed and staggered two steps, staring at Li Hongjiu with disbelief—as though he had seen a ghost.

Li Hongjiu grinned brilliantly: "Interesting. This trip to the Divine Fire Domain wasn't wasted. Don't go, let's play for a while."

Run he did—Shi Chun, looking as though he'd seen a ghost, immediately turned and fled.

The desperation and ferocity from before vanished entirely. Seeing the lull in the wind, he bolted like his life depended on it.

This shift in attitude stemmed entirely from that previous palm exchange.

Because Shi Chun had been shocked to realize Li Hongjiu also possessed 'Bath Demon Skill.' In their palm exchange, Li Hongjiu's counterattack revealed that he could wield 'Demon Dispel Hand.'

Shi Chun had cultivated 'Demon Dispel Hand' for years and knew it too well—there was no mistaking it. The mastery on display left him reeling.

That one blow caught him off guard, forcing him to stagger on landing and rely on Bath Demon Skill to dissipate the residual force.

No wonder Li Hongjiu could remain unaffected by his 'Demon Dispel Hand,' even coming back to press him further—this was unlike anything he'd seen before. It turned out Li Hongjiu had also cultivated the technique.

With weaker cultivation than his opponent, and their skills now revealed to be identical, the odds were stacked against Shi Chun. How could he possibly hope to win, especially with reinforcements from other sects potentially arriving soon?

Yet Shi Chun's greatest fear wasn't the arrival of other factions—it was revealing his secrets. Now that Li Hongjiu knew he was proficient in Demon Skill, he might eliminate Shi Chun to keep the secret buried.

If the opponent stopped concealing their true power and moved to kill outright, there would be no escape.

This treacherous tiger, hiding beneath a smiling facade, was far too sinister. Shi Chun dared not linger even for an instant; his only thought was to flee.

And so, carrying a heart full of fear and disbelief, Shi Chun fled in a panic.

Hidden in the shadows, Xu and You were baffled, unable to understand what had just happened. How had the fierce and domineering figure from moments ago turned tail so suddenly?

The two did not idle. Using the terrain as cover, they swiftly chased after Shi Chun's escape route.

Li Hongjiu, standing quietly with his sword and bare arm, did not pursue. Watching the fleeing figure, his smile faded, replaced with a somber expression, and he raised his fingers to summon wind and cast spells.

Predictably, the wind grew more aggressive, blocking Shi Chun's escape route further. Sensing the resistance, Shi Chun redoubled his efforts, pushing himself to the limits to flee.

The disciples of Yanbao Sect landed beside Li Hongjiu.

Glancing at their solemn junior uncle, Guang Haoyou waved and shouted, "Chase!"

Just as he spoke, Li Hongjiu lifted his sword horizontally, clearly signaling restraint. His soft voice followed: "Don't pursue him; you won't be his match."

The sound was so faint it was almost inaudible.

The disciples exchanged looks, wondering—it wasn't as though their junior uncle couldn't beat the masked man, seeing as he had just sent him fleeing. Why couldn't they simply track him as spies?

Li Hongjiu offered no explanation. Only when he sensed Shi Chun had fled far enough did he lower his casting hand. His gaze swept around before walking toward a smooth, waist-high stone pedestal nearby.

Standing before it, he raised his empty palm to the sky, slowly lifting it to chest height. After a moment of silence, he suddenly slapped the stone sharply, yet it made no sound.

As he withdrew his palm, his body trembled slightly, emitting a muffled grunt, and blood suddenly gushed from his mouth.

The wind carried the blood away as the Yanbao Sect disciples erupted in cries of concern, "Junior Uncle…"

They swarmed toward him; even the dullest among them understood now why their junior uncle had barred pursuit—he had been injured by the masked man and had only been pretending to be unaffected earlier. Evidently, he had no strength left to engage him.

What perplexed them, however, was why the masked man had fled in panic. If the masked man was injured, why wouldn't their junior uncle permit them to track him?

Li Hongjiu took out an Ice Sheep to recover his breath, gesturing weakly with his hand to signal he was fine and motioning for them to step back.

When the crowd dispersed from the pedestal, he swung his sword in a flash, cleaving off a section of the stone before sheathing the weapon. Flipping his hand, he retrieved a Sandal Gold Illumination, using it to closely inspect the smooth-cut surface of the stone pedestal.

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