Chapter 180: One Punch

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Hmph, interesting.”

In the air, Gu Zhanlin commented as he looked at the scene.

The next second——

Swish! Swish!

Huge waves of almost materialized true energy converted from true essence surged out of Gu Zhanlin’s body and enveloped his arms.

His true energy twisted and curled like a snake, coiling and snarling.

Buzz! Buzz!

The air vibrated.

Gu Zhanlin spread his arms wide, palms down, and the true energy on his arms spun rapidly.

As it spun, wisps of worldly energy converged on his hands.

Invisible force gushed out, stirring up ripples in the air.

At some point——

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A sudden explosion took place.

Gu Zhanlin slammed his hands down, producing palm imprints without stopping.

Roar!

In the empty space behind his head, the gigantic gray leopard roared at the sky.

A terrifying aura filled the air. Amidst the deafening booms, palm imprints formed from true energy transformed into hideous leopard heads.

These leopard heads looked exactly like the giant gray leopard. They opened their bloody mouths and charged forward endlessly, crashing into the flat ground.

Bam!

There was a loud bang in the valley.

The oval-shaped barrier that covered the ground rippled.

As leopard heads charged relentlessly, more and more ripples formed on the barrier.

However, no matter how many palm imprints Gu Zhanlin unleashed and slammed on it, the barrier remained impenetrable.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

A dull sound reverberated through the valley.

The oval-shaped barrier was full of ripples, but Gu Zhanlin did not have much true essence left.

He had advanced to the third-grade for less than a year, and the amount of true essence he had in his dantian was limited.

He had thought that a seal that had existed for 400 years could be easily broken.

Who would have thought that the power from expending more than half of his true essence couldn’t even break through the outermost layer of the seal?

Five minutes had passed.

Yet, the seal remained! Even though no one mocked him, Gu Zhanlin’s face was burning.

The slap to his face had come too quickly, putting him in an awkward position.

What do I do?

In the air, Gu Zhanlin was momentarily shocked, embarrassed, and angry.

He still had an ultimate move he had yet to unleash, which was to control his Martial Art True Intent to carry out a bombardment.

This was his strongest move.

It would be fine if he managed to break the seal with this move, but he would be even more embarrassed if the seal remained unbroken!

He was stuck in a dilemma.

For a moment, Gu Zhanlin was troubled.

“What’s wrong?

On the slope, Yu Qi, Li Chunzhen, Xiong Qifan, and the rest stared at Gu Zhanlin who was in the air. They were confused by his sudden stillness.

“Is Commander Gu preparing a powerful move?” Li Chunzhen wondered.

“I think… he is?” asked Xiong Qifan uncertainly.

Yu Qi opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He could tell that Gu Zhanlin did not have enough strength left, but he couldn’t be certain

After all, this was a third-grade big shot who could manipulate the power of the universe with his true essence. Compared to fourth-grade or fifth-grade martial artists, he was tens of times stronger.

Even if breaking a seal that had existed for more than 400 years was difficult, it wouldn’t be too difficult for him.

With this in mind, Yu Qi pushed aside his doubts.

There was no mistaking it, Commander Gu was preparing for his ultimate move!

Preparing a powerful move! More like feeling troubled. Su Jingxing looked at Gu Zhanlin in the air and smiled inwardly.

Yu Qi couldn’t be certain, but Su Jingxing could.

Gu Zhanlin does not have much true essence left! This commander of the Changyang Prefecture Army has just advanced to the third-grade. Clearly, he does not have much true essence.

If he had failed to break the seal immediately, it would only get more tricky later on

Unless he uses a spirit weapon or his Martial Art True Intent to strike it.

Which one will Gu Zhanlin choose?

“Damn it!”

Gu Zhanlin gritted his teeth, inwardly frustrated.

If I can’t break the seal, I will be utterly humiliated.

But what if someone else also fails to break it? Gu Zhanlin’s eyes twinkled. If even Jiang Ziya, whom he couldn’t see through, had failed, then he couldn’t be blamed alone for this, could he?

If I’m going to be embarrassed, let’s be embarrassed together! At this thought, Gu Zhanlin’s body shuddered. He retracted his aura and flew back to the small slope. “What’s the matter, Commander Gu?” Li Chunzhen went up to him and asked curiously, “Is there a problem? There can be no mistake about the sealing location. It’s this place.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the seal; I’m just not strong enough,” said Gu Zhanlin with an embarrassed look on his face. He sighed. “I didn’t expect the self-imposed seal left by the Flying Lion army to be so defensive. Even with the power I possess, I couldn’t break through it.”

“Huh? Li Chunzhen gaped. The others were equally shocked and in disbelief. Even Xiong Qifan and Du kexin found it hard to believe. Gu Zhanlin actually admitted defeat and admitted that he couldn’t break the seal?

He was a third-grade martial artist. A third-grade big shot couldn’t break a seal that had existed for more than 400 years. Was the seal left by the Flying Lion army really that powerful?

Yu Qi opened his mouth, but swallowed his words again. Su Jingxing remained silent. Deep down, he was a little surprised at how quickly Gu Zhanlin admitted defeat.

To think that a third-grade big shot like him, a commander of the Prefecture Army, would personally admit to not being able to break the seal and eating his own words.

Mm, he’s thick-skinned!

“If even you can’t break the seal, Commander Gu… how about we call it quits?”

Li Chunzhen drew a deep breath and asked hesitantly.

“No.”

Gu Zhanlin turned his head to look at Su Jingxing “Just because I can’t break it doesn’t mean others can’t either. Why don’t you give it a try, Brother Jiang? Perhaps you can break the seal? As soon as he said this, Li Chunzhen, Yu Qi, Xiong Qifan, and the others all turned their heads to look at Su Jingxing. “Will Senior Jiang intervene?” asked Du Kexin, feeling a little excited. “Senior Jiang, why don’t you give it a try too?”

“In any case, you are already here. You can give it a try, Senior Jiang,” echoed Li

Chunzhen with a cough. “Right, right. Since you’re already here, you might as well make an attempt,” Xiong Qifan couldn’t help but join in.

The others remained silent, but their eyes shone with anticipation.

If Su Jingxing succeeded while Gu Zhanlin’s hadn’t, he would have achieved his goal for the day as well.

If Su Jingxing succeeded, Gu Zhanlin would more or less be embarrassed.

However, Gu Zhanlin was the one who initiated this request.

If Gu Zhanlin himself did not mind, what else could they say?

“I can give it a try.”

Su Jingxing thought quickly and said calmly, “But if I succeed, I hope you guys can settle the aftermath.”

“Don’t worry, we promise we won’t tell anyone,” said Gu Zhanlin, patting his chest.

“That’s right. Anyone who spills will die a horrible death.” “Rest assured, Senior Jiang.”

The others quickly followed suit to give their promise.

Su Jingxing kept quiet but sneered coldly in his heart.

Promise?

What is the use of such assurances?

Su Jingxing agreed to help because he could sense Gu Zhanlin harbored malicious intentions.

This guy wanted to drag him down with him. If Su Jingxing did not agree, Gu Zhanlin would definitely be filled with

animosity.

But if he agreed to it and broke the seal, Gu Zhanlin would also feel jealous.

There was no helping it, one failed while the other succeeded.

Anyone would have some thoughts about that. In a sense, Gu Zhanlin would always have his eyes on Su Jingxing, no matter the choice he made.

In that case, he might as well give it a try. After all, he was using the alias “Jiang Ziya”

If Gu Zhanlin wanted to hold a grudge, he can go after Jiang Ziya!

The commander of the Prefecture Army, and a third-grade big shot at that, but he’s more narrow-minded than anyone else.

Su Jingxing complained internally, but did not let out his aura reveal anything

He would know how powerful the Flying Lion army’s seal was once he tried it. This was also a chance to test the power unleashed using 500 years of cultivation.

With this in mind.

Swoosh!

Su Jingxing leaped into the air, and in a flash, he was a hundred meters above the ground.

His speed was several times faster than Gu Zhanlin’s, causing Xiong Qifan, Li Chunzhen, and the others to widen their eyes in shock.

Meanwhile, Gu Zhanlin narrowed his eyes and stared without blinking.

Buzz

The air vibrated.

Su Jingxing mobilized 500 years of his true energy cultivation and circulated it fully.

A formless and terrifying aura stirred the air, producing circles of ripples.

He clearly hadn’t released any Martial Art True Intent, but seemed more powerful than if he had done so.

In the eyes of the crowd, Su Jingxing’s aura was even stronger than Gu Zhanlin’s. In one use, he had channeled all 500 years of tempered Heaven Trampling True Energy

The pressure exuded from his profound cultivation was enough to move anyone.

Boom!

To prevent any leaks, Su Jingxing gathered his strength and threw a decisive punch at the ground.

Driven by 500 years of true energy cultivation, the power of the Hundred Steps Reigning Fist kept stacking, stacking, and stacking.

As soon as the explosive power was released, it released a deafening bang.

Boom!

An earth-shattering clap erupted.

Explosions resounded through the air as the worldly energy surged violently.

The silvery-black fist imprint that fell from a hundred meters in the sky was like a meteor crashing to the ground. It carried with it a torrential force, tearing through all obstacles as it landed on the oval-shaped barrier.

In that instant

Bang!

An earth-shattering boom erupted in all directions. It rushed out of the valley and reverberated across more than ten mountain peaks.

Under everyone’s watch, the oval-shaped barrier only lasted for half a second before a massive rift appeared with a cracking sound.

With a loud bang, it shattered into countless pieces that danced in the air before dissipating.

The flora-covered ground quaked, split, and crumbled.

It wasn’t a figurative description. The ground really crumbled. In front of everyone’s eyes, an area that was half the size of a football field cracked into pieces. Boom! Boom!

Accompanied by the loud sound of shattering, chunks of earth kept shaking and breaking apart.

From the size of a house to the size of a car, then to the size of a table and a basin.

In the end, it completely turned into dust that filled the sky.

A shimmering lake appeared before everyone’s eyes as the flat ground crumbled! Beneath the seal was actually a lake.

The lake was about five meters beneath the ground.

At this moment, the five-meter thick layer of soil had been blasted apart by Su Jingxing’s punch, exposing the lake below to the air.

This shocking scene stunned everyone present.

Even Gu Zhanlin could not help but stare.

One punch!

That’s right, what shocked Gu Zhanlin wasn’t the fact that there was a lake beneath the seal.

Rather, it was the fact that Su Jingxing had broken the seal with a single punch. Even an area five meters thick and half the size of a football field had crumbled. The force was so powerful that he couldn’t help but shiver.

He was too strong!

Gu Zhanlin knew very well that he wouldn’t be able to take Su Jingxing’s punch, and neither would he dare to.

Even if he were to use his Martial Art True Intent and execute the strongest move, he wouldn’t be a match.

Old monster! A thought popped up in Gu Zhanlin’s mind.

It was about Jiang Ziya.

There were strong and weak martial artists among third-grade martial artists, and a massive gap between them whereby the strong ones were a dozen times stronger wasn’t rare.

Clearly, Jiang Ziya was one of them.

A peak third-grade, or even second-grade martial artist!

Gu Zhanlin shuddered at the thought.

How dared he provoke a peak third-grade, or even a second-grade existence! He should have thought of it sooner. An old monster who had lived in seclusion in the woods for decades must not be provoked!

Over the past year, he had unknowingly become more and more complacent with the compliments from others.

Now that he had offended a peak third-grade, or even a second-grade old monster, what was he to do next?

Achill ran down Gu Zhanlin’s spine. He stood rooted to the ground, his mind in a daze.

Cheers erupted after the initial shock for the crowd.

“Great!”

“Impressive! Absolutely incredible!”

“You sure are something, Senior Jiang!”

“One punch, and he broke the seal with just one punch. How did Senior Jiang do

“Heh, he’s a third-grade big shot. How did he do it? You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.” “That’s true, but why would Commander Gu…”

“Shut up!”

The crowd cheered and cheered.

They stood on the small slope, gazing at the lake that had appeared before them. They cheered for Su Jingxing from the bottom of their hearts.

The exposed lake was not stagnant water.

At the far end, there was an exit for underground water that was gushing out non-stop

Less than ten meters to the right of where they were standing, there was a hole where water was slowly flowing out.

Even so, the lake was covered in a thin layer of mist.

The layer of mist was impenetrable by the wind, covering the entire lake like layers of gauze.

It allowed one to see the surface of the lake, but not the bottom.

“An array formation!” Yu Qi stared at it and exclaimed in surprise, “This is the array formation below. It’s not connected to the seal above.”

“That is indeed the case.”

Xiong Qifan drew a deep breath, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Before the Flying Lion army sealed themselves, they even added an array formation!”

“Previously, I thought that this array formation was connected to the seal and that if we looked closely from the outside, we would be able to see it.”

“In the end, we had to break through the seal to find out that the array formation above was nothing but a distraction!” “More than that,” said Su Jingxing in his deep, aged voice. “This array formation not only covers the surface of the lake, but also the entire valley. It is even connected to the surrounding mountains!’ Su Jingxing focused his gaze and tried to peer through the mist into the depths of the lake.

There, faintly discernible figures stood in the lake like stone pillars. For thousands of years, they had been silent and unmoving!