Although Darius was inwardly afraid, he had been hired for a handsome sum of money today. How could he possibly show weakness? How could he suffer the humiliation of being branded as inferior to his opponent? There was absolutely no chance of Darius backing down!
Darius said, "Your internal power may be formidable, but when it comes to martial techniques, you may not necessarily be my equal. Besides, I have yet to reveal the superior arts of my school. How could I possibly concede defeat now? You insolent brat, don't get carried away. Take this!"
He secretly summoned his qi, his body swaying as he strode forward and struck with his palm. The force behind the blow was deep, powerful, and fierce as he attacked straight through the center.
Darius was arrogant—but Lu Rou was even more so.
As Darius's palm came crashing toward him, Lu Rou did not move an inch. Instead, he merely raised his right leg and turned his body slightly, then brought his palm upright before his chest to intercept and counter the attack. His feet had not shifted even half an inch.
The martial artists watching from the sidelines were stunned. But the most astonished of all was Darius himself.
When he had launched his first palm strike, seeing that his opponent was so young, he had not expected the young man to possess such tremendous palm power. He had suffered a silent setback.
This time, however, Darius had used the signature technique of his school.
Suddenly, he shouted, "Good, brat! You've got some skill! But we still don't know who will have the last laugh, so what are you so pleased about?"
Darius sprang forward with both feet and charged at Lu Rou like a whirlwind. His arms shook and swept outward as he unleashed every ounce of his power. The force was like mountains collapsing and seas surging, astonishing in its might.
Just as Darius had said, it was still impossible to tell who would emerge victorious. Having said his piece, Darius fought with everything he had, pressing his attack relentlessly.
But if Darius's attacks were fast, Lu Rou was faster still.
Lu Rou swept his right palm upward and outward, effortlessly deflecting each attack. Darius launched another palm strike, only to have Lu Rou seize the initiative once again. His qi began to waver, and the force behind his palm had already begun to weaken.
Lu Rou raised his palm before his chest, drawing with his left hand to lure Darius in, then suddenly thrust his right palm forward.
Bang!
The blow struck Darius squarely.
He was sent staggering five or six steps backward. The qi he had been desperately suppressing could no longer contain the blood surging through his chest.
"Ugh!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Just then, three figures came rushing toward them.
Six palms descended like a storm from the heavens.
Lu Rou was startled. He immediately moved to meet their attacks, channeling his inner power through both arms. In an instant, the four men exchanged a furious series of blows, each testing the other's palm strength.
Lu Rou gently withdrew and redirected the incoming force. Not only did he neutralize the palm power as though it had vanished into thin air, he also rebounded an invisible force outward.
The three attackers were all visibly shaken.
Lu Rou said, "Since the three heroes have stepped into the arena to offer me their instruction, may I ask your names?"
The three men immediately withdrew their palm force and stepped back.
"We are the Three Eagles of Tianshan—Baili Tian, Baili Yun, and Baili Feng."
Just then, Tan Wei stepped out from the crowd once again. She raised a hand and theatrically rubbed her cheek, shouting:
"How shameful! How shameful! Three of you ganging up on one man—what kind of heroes does that make you?"
To the Three Eagles of Tianshan, however, these words were an enormous insult.
Baili Feng flew into a rage.
"You little brat! What's it got to do with you? And what skills do you have?"
Tan Wei was displeased by his words. She raised her delicate eyebrows and said:
"Chief Lu, take a short rest. Leave these three to me!"
Then she strode forward proudly.
"The Three Eagles of Tianshan? What's so impressive about you? I'll be happy to learn a few moves from you!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she spread both palms apart.
Her figure flashed.
A fierce burst of palm force erupted as she darted forward like a swimming fish.
The Three Eagles each exchanged several blows with her, only to be shaken backward several steps by the force of her palms.
Tan Wei suddenly came to a halt. She planted both hands on her waist and burst into laughter.
"Here I am! What are you going to do about it?"
The Three Eagles of Tianshan—Baili Tian, Baili Yun, and Baili Feng—were brothers by blood. They had roamed the regions north and south of the Tianshan Mountains for years, and their martial prowess was by no means weak in the jianghu.
Yet they had never imagined that this young woman would actually do exactly what she said she would.
They had been completely unprepared.
Their pride and reputation had been utterly shattered.
Never before had the Three Eagles of Tianshan suffered such a humiliating defeat.
The insult was simply too much for the three brothers to bear. Deep in their hearts, an intense hatred toward the young woman before them had already taken root.
Baili Tian said, "For one so young to possess such power, no wonder you're so arrogant! You only caught the three of us off guard just now. There's nothing worth boasting about!"
Even now, Baili Tian was shamelessly trying to claim a verbal victory.
Tan Wei couldn't help wondering, Where does this man get his confidence?
She could not figure out what lay behind his arrogance. Her almond-shaped eyes turned slightly, and then she smiled sweetly.
"In that case, I cannot bully the weak or fear the strong. I'll give the three of you the first move!"
Her words immediately ignited the fury of the Three Eagles of Tianshan and stirred their sense of brotherhood.
Baili Tian, Baili Yun, and Baili Feng exchanged a furious glance.
Suddenly, their eyes flashed with murderous intensity.
"Take this!"
The moment the words left their mouths, their bodies moved.
With a thunderous shout, all three charged forward, throwing punches and palms in rapid succession.
As their fists and palms collided with Tan Wei's, everyone watching thought that the young woman was in serious trouble.
After all, in the martial world, there were very few people capable of withstanding an assault from the Three Eagles of Tianshan.
Tan Wei's body moved with astonishing agility. She retreated four or five steps in succession.
But at that very moment, she suddenly twisted her wrist.
Instead of retreating any farther, she surged forward like an arrow released from the bow.
Her slender hands shot out, meeting their attacks head-on.
Fists and palms tore through the air with incredible speed. One palm strike followed another, hurtling forward in rapid succession.
In an instant, fists and palms filled the sky.
Their figures wheeled and shifted at blinding speed, while the sound of sleeves slicing through the air rang out without pause.
The palm forces of all four fighters surged like waves upon waves, layer upon layer, seemingly endless.
Their techniques were fierce and their battle was extraordinarily intense.
Every palm strike split the air with a sharp whistle, the sounds echoing continuously across the square.
Suddenly—
Pa! Pa! Pa!
Three sharp impacts rang out.
The bodies of the Three Eagles of Tianshan suddenly staggered.
At last, they could no longer maintain their footing and were forced backward another four or five steps.
All three opened their mouths and spat out mouthfuls of blood.
Clearly, they had suffered serious injuries.
Far away, the eastern sky was still shrouded in a hazy darkness. Yet faintly, a pale yellow sun began to emerge over the horizon.
Then, thread by thread, sunlight slipped through the cracks in the darkness.
It seemed as though all creation were slowly awakening from its dream.
Golden sunlight slanted across the square before the Sacred Fire Hall of the Fire-Worshipping Sect.
A few wisps of cloud appeared in the sky, while a gentle breeze drifted across the grounds.
For King Marpa, this was destined to be a day of sorrow.
Yet at the same time, the hearts of the martial heroes from the Central Plains were already ablaze with excitement.
As dawn remained shrouded in mist, a figure suddenly flashed into the arena.
It was none other than Li Jian, the newly appointed Chief of Zhongyi Hall.
Li Jian stepped forward boldly, standing tall and imposing. His expression became stern as he raised his voice:
"You have invaded our Fire-Worshipping Sect's Sacred Fire Hall today. What exactly are you after?"
Although King Marpa had come to confront the Fire-Worshipping Sect this time, his true objective was the strategic location of the Sacred Fire Hall, which stood at a vital mountain pass on the northern outskirts of Lingwu City.
He now strode forward.
His earlier defeat had done nothing to diminish his courage. Instead, he merely gave a cold laugh.
"We have come under the orders of the King of Tibet to seize this place. Do not resist us. Before long, the Tibetan army will arrive. You may well end up lying here as corpses.
"So you'd better leave while you still can.
"If you withdraw now, we will not harm a single hair on your heads. You are all free to leave."