Chapter 264 - 225: Grand (Part 2)

Meng Dongtai spoke calmly, his voice seeming to come from all directions. It was a voice that inspired absolute confidence—as if anything he set out to do, he could accomplish without fail.

A soaring dragon in the heavens, his every word a solemn vow.

Meanwhile.

Outside the pavilion, at the back of the waiting crowd, a man in what appeared to be a disguise was led by two guards into the courtyard. He looked like some newly arrived dignitary.

However, once inside the courtyard, this man did not wait tremulously like the other Jinmen dignitaries. Instead, he took a sudden stride, and in an instant, as if using the Shrinking Inches technique, his form appeared before the pavilion entrance.

’What the—?’

The various Jinmen dignitaries waiting in the courtyard for an audience with the great man were all stunned for a moment, unable to process what had just happened.

They had come to see the man inside the pavilion as a figure akin to the Immortal Gods. In their minds, no one would be foolish enough to charge into the headquarters alone and attack such a person in plain sight. It was no different from seeking death, which was why they were all slow to react.

"Who goes there!"

It was the two guards stationed outside the pavilion entrance who reacted instantly, letting out a sharp cry.

BOOM!!

Their figures swelled as points of starlight seemed to flicker within them. They were using a Martial Art from the Beidou Sect’s Secret Transmission, but the stars that lit up inside them numbered not seven, but three. Clearly, they had not received the Beidou Sect’s complete True Inheritance.

Even so, both men had reached the realm of Five Qi Tongxuan, making them every bit the equal of a First-class Armor Arena expert from the Jinmen Martial Arts Arena. Without such skill, how could they possibly serve as the personal guards of a master at the Harmony level?

The two men attacked simultaneously. A fierce wind howled as their attacks, both firm and overwhelmingly furious, burst forth with explosive Physical Ability, their bodies seeming to glow with a faint light.

The next moment, they saw the intruder slowly sweep his hands out. The movement looked deceptively casual, utterly without flourish.

Yet, despite the Technique’s simplicity, the two men found themselves completely unable to evade. Even their own Palm Techniques froze in mid-air as if suddenly trapped in amber. They could only watch helplessly as the intruder’s hands struck them.

A pressure of pure presence, a field that shattered the spirit.

BOOM!!

In an instant, the two men were sent flying like swatted flies. They hurtled more than ten meters through the air before crashing into the opposite courtyard walls. Their chests were caved in, their status unknown.

As if he had just done something utterly trivial, the man strode forward and gave a light push with both hands. The ornate, intricately carved wooden door instantly exploded into a shower of splinters, revealing the scene inside.

At that moment, the few highest-ranking Jinmen officials standing to one side looked on in shock. They jerked their heads toward the entrance, momentarily forgetting even to shield themselves from the cloud of debris rushing toward them.

Yue Shu, who stood behind Meng Dongtai, was equally stunned as he stared at the entrance. He had just mentioned the possibility of an attack, but he never imagined it would happen so soon. And this was no assassination, no joint assault—it was a single man, brazenly storming their headquarters by smashing right through the front door.

So open, so blatant. What kind of confidence—what kind of audacity—was this?

All he wanted now was a clear look at the intruder.

’Is it one of the generals from the National Salvation Association?’

CRACK! SNAP!

A series of sharp snaps rang out. Yue Shu looked over and saw the intruder’s form shift. Several Silver Needles shot out from his face as his features rearranged themselves. The light from within the room illuminated his true appearance.

It was...

Seeing that familiar face, Yue Shu’s pupils contracted violently. His body trembled, and he looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

Zhao... Zhao Xuanqi?!

’How is this possible?! It’s really him?! How could he dare?!!’

Meanwhile, Azure Dragon Star Meng Dongtai remained perfectly still in his chair. He had sensed something the moment Zhao Xuanqi made his move, but it was only when Zhao Xuanqi revealed his true face that a flicker of change crossed Meng Dongtai’s expression.

Zhao Xuan had made a huge name for himself in the martial world. Information and images of him had long been circulated among the major Warlords. As one of the primary targets of the current operation, Meng Dongtai certainly recognized the face.

Yet, he had never imagined that the one who would dare to attack him so openly would be Zhao Xuanqi.

"Azure Dragon Star Meng Dongtai, the Beidou Army has crossed me time and again. Today, I’ll start by collecting some interest from you," Zhao Xuanqi said to Meng Dongtai, his expression serene.

The next moment.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

A series of muffled thuds, like a powerful heartbeat, echoed from within his body. His temples bulged prominently, and a silver light glinted in his eyes.

ROAR!!

The Qilin manifested, and an auspicious Qi radiated outward.

Transformation Secret Skill.

Qilin Holy Might!

With a great roar that shook the very soul, a power instantly enveloped a thirty-meter radius. Out in the courtyard, the eyes of the Jinmen dignitaries, none of whom had any Martial Arts Cultivation, rolled back in their heads as they collapsed to the ground in unison.

Inside the room, several of the highest-ranking officials collapsed to the floor, their bodies convulsing. Even an expert like Yue Shu was instantly driven back several steps by the terrifying pressure, stumbling until his back hit the wall, his face pale.

’Not long ago, I could fight Zhao Xuanqi head-on,’ Yue Shu thought in horror. ’But now, I can’t even withstand the pressure of his aura? What realm has he reached?!’

"The Harmony realm?! No wonder you dared to come alone. To cross that heavenly chasm at such a young age... if you were given time, your future would be limitless. But you came to the wrong place. With potential like yours, I cannot let you live!"

Meng Dongtai shot to his feet. With a single shudder of his body, his Gang Qi erupted, and the surrounding table and chairs instantly disintegrated into powder.

A mysterious blue light flickered, enveloping the area like a vast, starry sky. Within him, the Seven-Star Life Palace erupted, unleashing starlight so intense it was difficult to look at.

An intense killing intent seemed to freeze the very air.

In that moment, his presence seemed to tower infinitely high. Seven stars flickered as the Power of the Beidou descended upon him, causing his aura to skyrocket.

In the heavens, the Beidou is supreme. On the earth, Mount Tai is most revered. Among mortals, the true dragon is most noble!

Meng Dongtai’s name itself held meaning: Dongtai, for the Eastern Peak, Mount Tai. He cultivated the Secret Transmission of the Beidou and condensed an Intent of invincibility.

That was why Meng Dongtai was known as the Azure Dragon Star!

’Beneath the starry sky, I am supreme. I control life and death. Those who obey me shall flourish; those who defy me shall die!’

As his terrifying aura spread, it actually managed to force back Zhao Xuanqi’s auspicious light.

The Eight Kings and Sixteen Generals, the top-tier fighting force among the Warlords of the Divine Land, had not earned their reputations for nothing. The sheer force of his presence was so strong it could repel the Qilin Holy Might—a feat even Zhao Xuanqi found remarkable!

A one-man army!

WHOOSH!!

In a flash, Meng Dongtai took a single step. His figure flickered erratically, seeming to instantly multiply into seven ghostly apparitions.

This was the result of his Spirit and aura affecting the senses, combined with an explosive burst of Technique and Physical Ability.

Seven-Star Step, Star Constellation Body.

In the blink of an eye, Meng Dongtai was before him, striking out with his palm.

It was completely silent. There was no sonic boom, no eruption of Gang Qi, no terrifying display of power.

And that was precisely what made it so terrifying.

From something to nothing, the greatest sound is silence—this was a display of true mastery!

The palm strike arrived without any apparent force, yet the stone doorframe and lintel around Zhao Xuanqi silently crumbled into dust.

This was clearly a terrifying punch using Dark Force—its control was so refined that the Force Release spread like a net, conducted through the air itself to silently and invisibly claim a life!

This palm strike, having reached the apex of Firmness, then transformed into softness. It was a perfect union of Yin and Yang, a manifestation of the principle that extremes beget their opposites.

This Technique was called Celestial Annihilation.

When Heaven decrees a person’s death, it happens silently, just as when the Yama Monarch strikes a name from the Book of Life and Death. To be struck by this technique meant the Dark Force would invade the body, causing instant death. The corpse would remain perfectly intact, as if merely asleep—as if one’s fated time was up and they had been reclaimed by the world.

Meng Dongtai had unleashed his true power from the very first move.

A master at the Harmony level had countless tricks up their sleeve. If they sensed danger and decided to flee, stopping them would be incredibly difficult. The only surefire way to prevent their escape was to injure them quickly, depleting their Physical Ability and leaving them with no way out.

Even though Zhao Xuanqi had likely just entered the Harmony realm, Meng Dongtai was taking no chances.

"A fine move, Heavenly Dao’s Destruction of People. Formless and intangible, as ephemeral as the Great Dao itself. A pity that you are not the Celestial Dao, and I am no mortal!!"

A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Xuanqi’s eyes. In the heat of battle, where a thousand things happened in an instant, there was no time for words. This was a message transmitted through the clash of their wills, his Spirit surging as he communicated via the Heart-Sealing Heart technique.

In that instant, all Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Acupoints burst open. He, too, was holding nothing back.

He hadn’t come here to spar; he had come to kill. He had no intention of giving his opponent the chance to gauge his true strength and flee.

This battle would be over in a flash!

This time, the eruption from his acupoints was completely different than before.

Terrifying reserves of nourishment and Qi and Blood surged forth. Under the control of his will, new channels for Qi and Blood actually formed between the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Acupoints, shattering the body’s innate circulatory pathways.

Dragon Gate Secret Technique, the Third Gate.

Dragon Blood!!