Though narrowly avoiding a punch, Zhao Ya didn’t panic. Instead, he quickly changed his move and launched another punch.
This punch was aimed directly at Yu Zhang’s face.
Yu Zhang was nearly driven mad with anger, feeling utterly humiliated.
He was, after all, a dignified elder of the Azure Dragon Temple. By rights, dealing with a mere disciple should have been a simple task.
Unexpectedly, not only did this palm strike fail, but it also allowed Zhao Ya to get close, forcing Yu Zhang to retreat and dodge.
This naturally filled Yu Zhang with shame.
So, facing the punch that was headed for his face, Yu Zhang didn’t hold back; instead, he raised his palm to meet it head-on.
Yu Zhang’s thought was simple: first shatter Zhao Ya’s fist with one palm, then kill him.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, a flash of black light passed through Zhao Ya’s eyes, and his figure slightly grew larger.
It was precisely the combination of the Mountain Demon Body and Ghostly Eye — two major Breaking Realm talents.
Although Zhao Ya had scarcely used these two talents since entering Beyond the World, it didn’t mean he abandoned them.
Quite the contrary, Zhao Ya often practiced them to deepen his control over these talents.
Now, when activating the Mountain Demon Body, his figure only slightly expanded, no longer bursting his clothes like before — a clear sign of improvement.
Empowered by the two Breaking Realm talents, Zhao Ya’s strength surged again, and he launched a direct attack on Yu Zhang.
Thud!
A loud, muffled bang followed by an invisible ripple exploded where their fist and palm met, quickly spreading outward.
The tiles of several nearby houses were overturned and shattered by the ripple.
Then Zhao Ya was seen flying backward, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood while still in mid-air.
In contrast, though Yu Zhang’s figure swayed, he did not retreat; yet his face appeared heavy with concern.
The recent exchange with Zhao Ya’s punch had indeed shaken him greatly.
He couldn’t understand how Zhao Ya, merely in the Fifth Realm, could unleash such formidable power.
However, these doubts quickly transformed into intense killing intent.
The more extraordinary Zhao Ya’s talents, the more he couldn’t be allowed to live.
Therefore, as Zhao Ya was still staggering upon landing, Yu Zhang had already charged forward, determined to finish him off quickly.
A glimmer of resolve flashed in Zhao Ya’s eyes, while his left hand subtly readied the Hand Crossbow hidden in his sleeve.
The reason Zhao Ya hadn’t used the Hand Crossbow earlier was to avoid revealing his trump card in front of these elders.
He wasn’t sure the Hand Crossbow could be effective in one shot.
Failure would produce counterproductive results.
Even now, Zhao Ya didn’t deploy it immediately but waited for the right moment....
Indeed.
Just as Yu Zhang reached the halfway point with his palm raised, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air and swiftly struck with a palm.
Under the collision of two palms, the once-overbearing Yu Zhang was directly thrown back.
When he barely steadied himself, his face turned extremely ugly upon seeing who the newcomer was.
"Shen Yunshen, why did you suddenly come here to meddle in my business?"
Indeed.
The newcomer was none other than Elder Shen from the Contribution Department.
Ignoring Yu Zhang’s words, he first looked back at Zhao Ya with some concern and asked.
"How are you? Are your injuries severe?"
"What do you think? If you came a moment later, you probably wouldn’t see me." Zhao Ya grimaced, but internally he sighed with relief.
Despite seemingly being defeated and vomiting blood after clashing with Yu Zhang, Zhao Ya was actually faking most of it.
In reality, he wasn’t seriously injured.
Although Yu Zhang’s Palm Power was mighty, and the Azure Dragon True Power was mysterious, constantly tearing at someone’s organs, causing severe internal injuries.
Zhao Ya was unscathed.
As the Azure Dragon True Power tried to wreak havoc, his Organ Talent activated, easily breaking down the invasive power.
Thus, Zhao Ya didn’t suffer any internal damage.
The blood he spat was from biting his own lip on purpose.
The reason for this act was, of course, to show Shen Yunshen how hard his sect mission had been, hoping for some tangible reward.
Although Zhao Ya’s strength hadn’t reached the point of sensing Shen Yunshen’s presence.
Yet Zhao Ya knew, with Yu Zhang and the elders acting at night, such commotion would definitely alarm the Great Elder and Shen Yunshen.
They were likely watching from the shadows.
This was Zhao Ya’s greatest assurance.
Otherwise, with his character, he would never take such a risk to openly confront Yu Zhang, someone at the top of the Meridian Opening strength.
Now Shen Yunshen’s arrival justified Zhao Ya’s previous efforts.
Shen Yunshen chuckled at Zhao Ya’s words, "Don’t worry, since I promised to keep you safe, I won’t let anything happen to you."
"Then what about this mess?" Zhao Ya retorted.
"Uh... that was just a small oversight; rest assured, I’ll give you a satisfactory response." Shen Yunshen awkwardly replied.
Afterward, he turned with a playful look toward Yu Zhang, whose expression continually shifted.
"You said I was meddling, right? Today, I’m telling you, I insist on meddling in this matter."
Yu Zhang was frightened and shocked.
He feared Shen Yunshen immensely.
Once, Shen Yunshen was considered the most talented, second only to an unspeakable forbidden presence.
Along with years of dedicated cultivation, he was considerably stronger than Yu Zhang.
With his sudden appearance here....
Could it be at the Great Elder’s behest?
Yu Zhang suddenly realized this was a trap set for him.
From Zhao Ya’s investigation in Nandian Town, their target had always been him.
Creeping with fear, Yu Zhang felt compelled to withdraw and, forcing a smile, said.
"Elder Shen, it’s a misunderstanding. I misspoke earlier; since Zhao Ya is with you, I apologize to him and will take my leave."
After speaking, Yu Zhang attempted to leave.
But how could Shen Yunshen let him go, swiftly blocking the way of Yu Zhang and the elders?
"Leave? Do you think you can just leave?"
"Shen Yunshen, don’t bully me too much!" Yu Zhang roared.
Shen Yunshen chuckled slyly, "Funny, bullying is my favorite pastime."
"All together now, if we don’t kill him, none of us will leave unharmed." Yu Zhang shouted, charging first.
The elders looked at each other but didn’t respond; instead, they stepped back, saying.
"Elder Shen, we weren’t informed; we were deceived by him."
"Yes, what he did has nothing to do with us."
Yu Zhang was furious, "You ungrateful wretches...."
Before Yu Zhang could finish, Shen Yunshen seized the opportunity, knocking him to the ground with a punch, and then stepped on his head.
"Don’t move, or I’ll kill you."
After saying this, he turned to Zhao Ya.
"Come, come, punch this guy a few times to vent."
Zhao Ya rolled his eyes at this, "Forget it; if I have to fight, it’ll be fair in the open. Words are useless; I’ve done so much for the Azure Dragon Temple; surely, I deserve some real reward."
"No problem, what do you want?"
"Start with a hundred thousand sect contribution points; I’ll think of the rest later." Zhao Ya said calmly.
Shen Yunshen’s smile froze, "You think sect contribution points are like cabbages in the field? You can’t just ask for a hundred thousand."
"Think that’s too much? How about ten thousand?"
"Impossible, I’ll give you at most one thousand."
"Five thousand."
"Fifteen hundred."
"Three thousand!"
"Two thousand!"
"Deal." Zhao Ya said, knowing when to stop.
Shen Yunshen looked at Zhao Ya curiously.
"Why do you sound full of vigor, like you’re not injured at all?"
"Who said that? It’s that last burst of energy; I can barely stand."
Finishing, Zhao Ya sat on the ground, groaning and moaning.
Shen Yunshen, slightly amused, decided not to pursue it and instead looked down at Yu Zhang.
"Yu Zhang, as an instructor elder, how could you stoop to such disgraceful actions?"