"Boom!!!"
The speed at which Gang Qi pierces the air is inherently faster than the human body, and with the difference in foundation, that Gang Qi Grandmaster had not even flown ten feet before the Dragon Subduing Palm Shadow launched by Shen Hex caught up with him. With a thunderous explosion, the Gang Qi dissipated violently, and blood splattered as it blasted the Martial Sect's body apart.
Among Grandmasters, there are levels. Compared to Fang Zheng, who had achieved Great Success in the Yi Jing Divine Skill, this man was more than just a tier weaker, whether in attack, defense, speed, or skill.
But what was surprising was that despite being struck by the same Dragon Subduing Palm Shadow, the powerful Fang Zheng left no bones behind, while this man only had his clothes torn apart, although blood spurted, he didn't explode and die, ending up much better.
Why is this?
"He has exhausted his strength!?"
"That kind of Divine Skill and Technique, cannot be continuously performed!"
"He's only a Grandmaster and has not entered the Heavenly Gang Returning Yuan Realm."
"We mustn't give him time to relax his meridians and recover his Gang Qi, otherwise we'll all die under his Demon Skill!"
"To scatter means certain death, to escape means inevitable demise; if we seek to live, we must join forces and make a desperate stand against him!"
"Together, we must break his Demon Skill, to avenge Master Fang Zheng!"
"Kill!!!"
The Gang Qi Grandmasters, none of whom were simple characters, immediately discerned the nuances behind the two palm strikes. Lei Sanjue unleashed a furious roar, utilizing the Three Extremes Gang Qi, and charged at Shen Hex with a single direct palm, intending to become the second Fang Zheng to lead everyone in besieging Shen Hex.
This was not because Lei Sanjue didn't understand the principle of the bird that sticks its head out gets shot, but because he knew more clearly that in the current situation, if no one stood out to unite the scattered forces, they would surely be picked off one by one by this Martial Madman, and he would definitely die.
To scatter means certain death, to escape means inevitable demise!
If we seek to live, we must join forces and make a desperate stand!
This was a truth Lei Sanjue understood, and other Grandmasters were also clear about it. They immediately joined forces with him, together assaulting and trying to annihilate Shen Hex.
In the path of Martial Dao, there is a distinction between cultivation techniques and skills. The former, like Yi Jing Divine Skill, involves cultivating True Gang and nurturing the Cultivation Body; the latter, like Thousand-Handed Buddha Palm, hones skills to fight against powerful enemies. The relationship between these is like bow and arrow, crossbow and bolt, complementing each other, both indispensable.
But whether cultivation techniques or skills, they all require being cultivated and exhibited by the human body. The flesh and blood body is not an iron or steel machine; even iron and steel, when overused, will wear out.
So, when a Martial Artist performs martial arts, there must be a recovery process, and they cannot continuously launch high-intensity, high-power killing techniques, which would cause severe harm to the body, even fracturing the meridians and destroying martial arts completely.
Now, everyone aimed to exploit this point, using their numerical advantage to defeat Shen Hex.
The Dragon Subduing Palm Skill is indeed terrifying, even somewhat exceeding what one could comprehend, but he is, after all, a flesh and blood body, not a Golden Jade Body. Such remarkable martial arts, how many times can he perform them, how long can his Gang Qi and body support him?
The opportunity for victory lies here!
"Bang!!!"
Lei Sanjue leaped and delivered a palm strike with all his might.
He was a celebrated senior of the Beggar Gang, nicknamed Three Extremes Divine Beggar, having mastered three ultimate skills: the town's secret skill of the Dragon Subduing Palm from the Beggar Gang, the Vajra Body, and the Golden Bell Shield from Shaolin.
These three are not ordinary Inner Strengths but Horizontal Training Techniques honed from the outside in, making his physical body incomparably strong, and his Gang Qi even more vigorous, with power second only to Fang Zheng among them.
Now, he came full of hate, launching the Dragon Subduing Palm with a life-risking vigor, already showing signs of Transcendent Limit-Breaking.
However, Shen Hex showed no fear, responding with a palm strike of his own. Yet, he did not conjure the True Dragon Shadow again, instead combining Gang Qi with his physical palm, confronting the enemy with his fleshly body and Cultivation Body.
"Bang!!!"
Their palms clashed, like tidal waves against a shore, as if the earth shattered and mountains collapsed.
Shen Hex stood firm and unmoving.
Lei Sanjue, resembling a flying fish, also remained suspended in mid-air, all his power supported on his palm.
Such a situation, if it were a duel between just the two of them, would certainly lead to a stalemate for a time.
But this was not a duel between two people; just as Shen Hex's palm confronted Lei Sanjue, attacks came from all directions, with Sword Qi and Saber Gang, Shadow Boxing Palm Skills landing solidly on him, many targeting vital points, even life-threatening areas of the body.
Over ten Grandmasters, more than ten killing techniques—with the human body of flesh and blood, even iron and steel would be crushed and shattered.
But...
Shen Hex did not move, standing firm.
Over ten strands of Gang Qi, more than ten killing techniques, whether blade or sword or fists and feet, failed to shake his body, not a tear in his garments visible.
Because around his body, there was a layer of Gang Qi surrounding him, resembling a Tuo Dragon, up to three feet thick, defending against all the killing techniques landing there with Gang Qi.
"This is..."
"Gang Qi protective aura?"
"How is that possible!?"
Upon seeing this situation, all the Grandmasters exclaimed in astonishment.
Gang Qi protective aura is not unusual; it's a basic application of Gang Qi, and all the Grandmasters present could perform it, capable of resisting ordinary weapons and even weathering several waves of arrow strikes.
But this protective Gang Qi, three feet thick...
What the hell is that?
Just know that even the Great Success Yi Jing Divine Skill of Fang Zheng, when performing a technique like the Golden Bell Shield, would only manifest a Qi shield about seven to eight inches thick, difficult to reach even a foot.
Yet he...
Three feet thick protective Gang Qi?
Never mind the external protective Gang Qi—even the Dantian Qi Sea of an average Grandmaster might not even reach three feet.
What on earth is he?!
All the Grandmasters were shocked beyond measure, but Shen Hex remained calm as ever.
Three feet of protective Gang Qi, no martial arts in this world could cultivate such a thing.
But what he cultivated was not martial arts of this world, but the Xingyi Fist Skill of the Human Empire of this universe civilization.
Xingyi—Tuo Dragon Armor!
Even three feet of Gang Qi is not the limit of this skill; some Tier Two Martial Artists with powerful professions can condense Tuo Dragon Armor up to nine feet thick, able to withstand the Gang Yuan of Tier Three Martial Artists without issue.
Shen Hex, although lacking such a powerful profession, through over two decades of arduous practice, coupled with the high-level world's overwhelming advantage over a lower-level one, can easily defend against Gang Qi from martial artists of the same tier.
Not only defend, as Shen Hex maneuvered his Gang Qi, performing yet another powerful move of Xingyi.
Turtle and Snake Race!
The Gang Qi within split into yin and yang, hard and soft intertwining, resembling a turtle and snake vying, forming a vortex in the Dantian Qi Sea, swallowing external forces.
"Gurgle~ Gurgle!"
Strange noises followed by terrifying suction acted upon everyone present.
"This is...?"
"Not good!!!"
"Absorption Technique!?"
Everyone's expressions changed drastically, horrified beyond words, hurriedly gathering their Gang Qi, attempting to retract their swords, fists, and palms.
But the horrifying suction from the three-foot-thick Tuo Dragon Armor was overwhelming, and their proud Gang Qi, before it, was like a snake encountering a True Dragon, a cat facing a tiger, unable to resist, let alone let go.
In an instant, the Gang Qi within their bodies was swallowed up by fifty to sixty percent, leaving the faces of all the Grandmasters ghostly pale, with their eyes filled with indescribable terror.
But Shen Hex paid no heed, channeling the Gang Qi absorbed by Turtle and Snake Race together with his own, instantly unleashing golden light, echoing all around, with eight dragon shadows roaring into existence.
Xingyi—Dragon Subduing Skill!
"Boom!!!"
Eight dragons emerged at once, shocking all directions, with thunderous explosions wherever they passed, over ten figures flying helter-skelter, swallowed by the dazzling golden light, flesh and blood scattering like rain, dust waves rolling like tides, impacting the entire martial field and the entire Middle Finger Peak, an apocalyptic scene of mountains crumbling and ground splitting.