Chapter 41: Suppression by Palm Strike

“Your Excellency, what are your intentions in sneaking in and out of my Zhenwu Sect in the dead of night?”

The voice was calm, yet it exploded in Qin Yun's ears like a clap of thunder.

Qin Yun's pupils shrank violently.

As he looked at the unfamiliar middle-aged Taoist turning around, waves of shock surged in his heart.

"When did a powerhouse like this appear within our Zhenwu Sect?"

"I can't see through him—I can't see through him at all!"

Qin Yun instantly became solemn.

Within the Zhenwu Sect, his master, Taoist Longshan, was the absolute strongest. As for his other senior brothers and sisters, even the Eldest Senior Brother and the Fifth Senior Brother, he believed he could trade a few moves with them.

But this person before him was someone he had never seen.

That faint, intangible sense of pressure was no illusion.

Qin Yun said coldly, "You are not of the Zhenwu Sect. You are not among Taoist Longshan or the Nine Sons of Zhenwu. Who are you?"

His words were laced with testing.

Opposite him, Ning Qi let out a soft, involuntary laugh.

This middle-aged Taoist was, of course, his disguise.

In truth, he had already been observing this man in black from the shadows. The man's aura carried a trace of something eerie; Ning Qi had originally intended to strike and suppress him directly, but he noticed that the man in black seemed very familiar with the situation within the Zhenwu Sect, which is why he had revealed himself.

Hearing the man in black's words, Ning Qi became even more certain.

This person indeed knew the Zhenwu Sect like the back of his hand.

He even felt the urge to capture him.

If an enemy were to silently infiltrate the Zhenwu Sect, the consequences would be grave.

Ning Qi said indifferently, "The foundations of my Zhenwu Sect are not for you to know. Since you have come uninvited today, you shall stay."

Qin Yun's body shuddered.

A heavy sense of crisis surged in his heart, but simultaneously, an inexplicable emotion rose within him.

"This Taoist... is a hidden powerhouse of our Zhenwu Sect. He only appeared just as I was approaching Junior Brother's residence. Does that mean he has been protecting Junior Brother in the shadows all along?"

At this thought, Qin Yun felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

He wanted to know exactly what realm Ning Qi had reached to deserve such treatment from his master.

A sudden surge of jealousy and malice erupted within him.

Black Qi abruptly rose from Qin Yun's skin, and his eyes turned pitch black.

"Then let me test this so-called 'foundation' of your Zhenwu Sect!"

He let out a low, cold sneer.

His figure shot forward like a bolt of lightning toward Ning Qi. He carried no weapon, but his fists were wreathed in a faint black mist, brimming with murderous intent.

"Such heavy baleful aura."

"Could this person be from a Demonic Sect?"

The thought surfaced in Ning Qi's mind. He had heard Ye Qinghe and others mention that the martial arts practiced by those from Demonic Sects were often like this.

To give internal energy such specific characteristics, this person was at least at the Great Success stage of Internal Energy.

However, Ning Qi did not panic.

As long as it wasn't the Astral Yuan Realm, he had nothing to fear.

He felt no sense of crisis from the man before him; he even had enough surplus strength to observe the man's moves.

Qin Yun drew closer.

Seeing the middle-aged Taoist standing still as if paralyzed by fear, Qin Yun couldn't help but sneer. But in the next instant, he froze, and a chill ran through his entire body.

Ning Qi finally moved.

He struck with superior speed, merely extending his right palm slightly.

It was like the strike of a true dragon's claw, imbued with infinite power.

Ning Qi's physical body and internal energy erupted simultaneously.

Qin Yun's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't even sensed the fluctuation of internal energy, yet he vaguely heard a terrifying roar. The palm strike felt as if it intended to suppress the entire world; within that palm, he saw towering mountains and divine elephants treading upon the heavens.

He had almost no power to resist.

Qin Yun was sent flying by a single palm strike.

With a dull thud, he was thrown backward, the sound of breaking bones incredibly distinct.

Two vastly different thoughts rose in their minds.

"So weak?"

Ning Qi was stunned. Had he not restrained his strength at the critical moment, he would have likely killed the man with that single strike.

Meanwhile, Qin Yun was in disbelief.

"So strong?"

"The Astral Yuan Realm! With such terrifying strength, this person is definitely an Astral Yuan Realm powerhouse!"

He never imagined that besides his master, Taoist Longshan, there was a second Astral Yuan Realm expert in the Zhenwu Sect.

No wonder he dared to call himself the sect's foundation.

At this moment, his heart was filled with immense bitterness.

An Astral Yuan Realm expert was guarding his Junior Brother...

But that palm strike had also dispersed much of his jealousy and malice, gradually bringing him back to his senses. He realized the stupidity of his actions—that he had actually tried to stage a night raid on his Junior Brother just to probe his true cultivation.

But it was too late for regrets.

Looking at the approaching middle-aged Taoist, Qin Yun knew he was no match. If he were captured, he would have no face to face his master or his fellow disciples.

Gritting his teeth, he reached into his robes, pulled out two black spheres, and hurled them at Ning Qi.

Ning Qi instinctively dodged.

*Bang!*

With a muffled explosion, the black spheres burst, enveloping the area in a thick white smoke. A warning bell rang in Ning Qi's mind; he knew the man was trying to escape.

With a light step, he instantly pierced through the smoke.

Ning Qi looked into the distance; the man in black had already covered a significant distance.

But it didn't matter. With the speed of his Ethereal Drifting Dragon Steps, catching the man would be effortless.

However.

After chasing for only a few breaths, Ning Qi stopped in his tracks.

A complex expression rose in his eyes as he recognized the man's identity.

Once the malice had temporarily receded and the black Qi retreated into his body, Qin Yun's internal energy characteristics became quite distinct. Especially since he was fleeing at full speed without regard for concealing his movement technique, Ning Qi saw him clearly.

"It's the Eighth Senior Brother..."

"How could it be? Is he... here to find me?"

Looking at Qin Yun's attire and combining it with what he had learned today regarding the theory of Inner Demons, Ning Qi speculated that Qin Yun might have been driven by an inner demon, attempting to probe his true strength.

He had simply been suppressed by a single palm.

He felt somewhat relieved that he had held back; otherwise, if he had killed Qin Yun, he would never be able to live with himself. Although Qin Yun had intended to sneak in at night, he ultimately lacked true killing intent.

With injuries like these, he would recover after some rest.

"When an inner demon rises, one might not even know what they are doing. Eighth Senior Brother is trapped within his own obsession. He wants the Zhenwu Sect to prosper under his hands; he can accept that the sect has geniuses, but he cannot accept anyone more talented than himself."

Ning Qi sighed, having deduced the cause and effect.

He was somewhat unsure of how to handle this. Qin Yun posed no threat to him, but Qin Yun's own state was dangerous.

After a moment, he made a decision.

At the very least, he had to inform Taoist Longshan of tonight's events to see if there was a way to resolve Qin Yun's inner demon.

Ning Qi shifted his form, returning to his original appearance.

As patrolling disciples rushed over at the sound, Ning Qi simply smiled and explained that he had been experimenting with martial arts and the commotion was a bit loud.

...

Meanwhile, Qin Yun.

Having sensed that the mysterious middle-aged Taoist behind him was no longer pursuing, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

"Why did he stop chasing me?"

Qin Yun wondered.

"Perhaps it is his duty; he cannot leave that area at will?"

Yet, he could never have imagined that the "foundation" of the Zhenwu Sect who suppressed him with a single palm was Ning Qi.

But immediately after, his heart was filled with endless remorse.

"I... was I influenced by that technique again?"

"How could I do something so despicable to Little Jiu? I am a disgrace as an elder brother."

Qin Yun felt immense agony. After obtaining that incomplete manual, he had been affected by it before. He had originally thought it was a technique to suppress inner demons, but he hadn't expected it to be a bizarre secret art that used inner demons as seeds—a path that led only into darkness. The more one practiced, the stronger the inner demon became, though this fragment allowed one to barely maintain their original intentions.

If he did not stop practicing, the inner demon would rebound and spiral out of control completely.

"I am no longer fit to stay in the Zhenwu Sect. If I lose control again and hurt Little Jiu or anyone else, I will never forgive myself."

Qin Yun let out a long sigh.

His body was in intense pain; some bones were shattered, and his internal organs were bleeding.

But the remorse and agony in his heart were even greater.

After returning to his quarters to tend to his wounds, Qin Yun looked toward the direction of Mingwu Pavilion, kowtowed heavily, and wept profusely.

Then, taking advantage of the deep night, he descended the mountain.

He no longer had the face to face his sect.