Ultimate Village Doctor

Chapter Six Hundred and Forty-Four As soon as Qiu Zhen had spoken, he drifted forward, sweeping away the ferocious and domineering momentum he had displayed earlier. With a wave of his hand, as if playfully teasing a lover, he sent a palm strike toward Long Xiaoshan. Long Xiaoshan faced this seemingly light strike with an expression even more solemn than before. He brought his palms together and reached toward Qiu Zhen's incoming palm. Qiu Zhen's palm danced through the air like a butterfly flitting through flowers, instantly creating multiple afterimages, as if thousands of butterflies were fluttering through the flower beds. Long Xiaoshan had already deployed his Heavenly Eye to capture Qiu Zhen's palm movement, but Qiu Zhen's palm was too fast, and none of his strikes were feigned. As a Grandmaster Stronghold, he could solidify his Inner Strength into a forceful energy, releasing it externally, fully capable of striking hundreds of times simultaneously. Even if Long Xiaoshan's eyes could keep up, his palms were still a step slower. After several breaths, the light palm strike slipped through Long Xiaoshan's blockade. It imprinted on Long Xiaoshan's chest. Bang! Long Xiaoshan's body violently shook. His chest seemed unharmed, but his back suddenly protruded an intricately detailed palm print. Long Xiaoshan staggered backward, each step creating a deep indent in the stone until he reached the edge of the Unihorn Stone Arena and barely managed to stop. His throat turned sweet, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Meanwhile, the golden radiance of his body dulled, appearing like a candle flame in a storm, seemingly on the verge of being extinguished at any moment. This palm transformed strength into softness and directly penetrated Long Xiaoshan's impregnable defense, injuring his internal organs. Seeing Qiu Zhen's palm strike causing Long Xiaoshan to vomit blood, the people from the Iron Palm Gang all cheered. "A Grandmaster is indeed a Grandmaster, each one a living legend of our era. How could a mere youngster hope to withstand one?" "Indeed, without reaching the Grandmaster level, one can never comprehend a Grandmaster's strength. It is good for a young person to have competitive spirit, but failing to recognize the gap and blindly challenging a Grandmaster is undoubtedly seeking death." "What a pity. In truth, Long Xiaoshan's strength and talent could be deemed demonic—it wouldn't be an exaggeration. At such a young age, he managed to cultivate the Buddhist Golden Body and achieve Martial Dao Tongxuan. I'm afraid that below the level of Grandmaster, he has no rivals. Give him a few more years, and he might well be able to challenge a Grandmaster." "What's the use of saying these things? In our Hidden Sect, the number of talented individuals who have died over the years is as countless as the sands of the Ganges. Talent does not necessarily make one the final victor; those who live longer are the real winners. Talented ones who die are just a mound of yellow earth; there's nothing more to say about it." The crowd discussed among themselves. There were those who felt pity for Long Xiaoshan, those who mocked him, and those who merely watched; not a single person believed that Long Xiaoshan would survive. A Grandmaster cannot be insulted. Since he challenged a Grandmaster and affronted the Grandmaster's dignity, he had to be ready to face death, especially since Long Xiaoshan had also killed so many Elders of the Iron Palm Gang. "Sister Rakshasa, this bastard is definitely dead," Yellow Spring Pursuing Moon said excitedly. She had no desire to be betrothed to Long Xiaoshan, no intention of doing laundry or cooking for him. She wished Qiu Zhen would kill Long Xiaoshan immediately. Rakshasa Lady looked at Long Xiaoshan standing on the edge of the arena and silently sighed. Although Long Xiaoshan was hateful, his medical skills were astonishing, and his talent in the Martial Dao was incredible. To be honest, in all her years with the Hidden Sect, she had never seen a genius like Long Xiaoshan, so monstrously gifted. His death right before her eyes was ultimately a lamentable affair. It was not about personal likes or dislikes, but a mere sigh for the fall of a genius. Atop the Unihorn Stone, after injuring Long Xiaoshan with one palm, Qiu Zhen spoke indifferently, "Your strength truly surprised me. If I had not had a breakthrough yesterday, at most I could have fought you to a standstill. Without reaching the Earth Level, one can never know the terror of a Grandmaster. Frankly, I should be thanking you. Without your challenge, I might not have taken that step forward. Dying at the hands of a Grandmaster should not bring you shame." Longevity Art True Qi swiftly circulated within Long Xiaoshan's body, nourishing his injured organs. Qiu Zhen's palm had indeed inflicted serious injuries on him. However, his Longevity Art True Qi was no trifling matter; with the Sixth Layer of Qi Drawing protecting his organs, the injuries he sustained were not irreversible. Facing Qiu Zhen's arrogant words, he wiped a trace of fresh blood from the corner of his mouth and said with a faint smile, "Is that so? I've never killed a Grandmaster before, but today, I would indeed like to try." Qiu Zhen's face changed, not expecting that even now, Long Xiaoshan would dare to utter such bold words. A Grandmaster must not be insulted; this was an iron law for the Hidden Sect. Every Grandmaster was like a dragon from the heavens, and as dragons, they possessed their own majesty; to offend one was to court death! "The ignorant know no fear, so be it, meet your death!" Qiu Zhen stopped wasting words and lunged at Long Xiaoshan to kill him. Long Xiaoshan formed a hand seal and said, "Formation, Activate!" A large expanse of fog rose on the Unihorn Stone, instantly engulfing Long Xiaoshan's figure. Qiu Zhen struck out with a palm, and the fog billowed and roared as though a hurricane had swept through, tearing apart the mist, but where Long Xiaoshan had been standing was now empty. Qiu Zhen's palm struck nothing but air. He furrowed his brow, then quickly realized something. Long Xiaoshan was not only a Martial Dao powerhouse; his most worrisome feature was his identity as a Spirit Master, something he had not used during their recent combat, relying solely on Fist Intent and Golden Body. Now, Long Xiaoshan had finally used it. While retreating just before, he had already embedded Formation Talismans into the surroundings. Instantly, he had set up a Maze Trace Formation. Qiu Zhen might be a Grandmaster of Martial Dao Tongxuan, but the mysteries of formation were not something a Grandmaster could simply break through with words. In the confined space of the Single-Horned Stone Arena with fog swirling all around, Long Xiaoshan's whereabouts were completely obscured. Qiu Zhen, frowning, used the Grandmaster's powerful sensing abilities to try to detect Long Xiaoshan's presence; however, Long Xiaoshan's formation was anything but ordinary. Qiu Zhen could not sense any trace of Long Xiaoshan. He scoffed coldly, then suddenly let out a long howl, his palms thrusting forth like a landslide or tsunami, with ferocious palm winds akin to a force-12 gale tearing through the fog. Since Qiu Zhen couldn't break through the formation by sight, he simply decided not to look and attempted to break the formation with brute force. A Grandmaster is like a dragon, how could he be trapped by a mere formation? The violent palm winds shredded through the fog, causing the formation to tremble incessantly, and the energy of the Jade Talisman was rapidly depleting. All of a sudden, a blinding blade light gleamed forth, like a scorching sun devouring heatwaves, it slashed towards Qiu Zhen's back. Although Qiu Zhen was unable to find Long Xiaoshan within the hidden formation, the moment an attack was launched, Qiu Zhen instantly detected it. The reaction of a Grandmaster was incredibly fast. He almost instantly turned his head and chopped at the blade light with his palm. Clang! The Flame Blade struck Qiu Zhen's hand, ringing out like metal on metal, and a violent sound ensued. Below a Supreme Magical Instrument, a bloodstain appeared on Qiu Zhen's palm, but his martial prowess was concentrated in his iron palms. Although it left a bloodstain, it had no effect on Qiu Zhen's strength. Instead, it angered him, and his palms struck out like a storm. After parrying several strikes with his Flame Blade, Long Xiaoshan felt his arms go numb; he quickly formed a hand seal, using the power of the formation to escape.