Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

The knife was held to his neck, and the sound traveled hundreds of feet.

No matter what, Chen Luo is impervious to reason. Now that he's right next door, everyone in the country is an enemy, and no amount of threats will work.

No one responded.

The soldiers outside the hall dared not respond, Wang Wu did not know how to respond, and Tan Sitong opened his mouth but did not say anything.

There was a brief silence.

Chen Zhan withdrew his gaze and stopped looking outside the hall.

He looked down at the old witch in front of him.

The old hag had her face tilted back, a knife to her neck, her face splattered with the old eunuch's blood, and her eyes fixed on him with such intense hatred that it seemed to overflow from their sockets.

His lips moved, as if he was about to say something.

Chen Zhan didn't give her a chance to finish, nor was he interested in knowing. He only knew that he acted according to his own whims and desires, and everything was entirely up to his heart.

A flash of light appeared.

The blade sliced ​​across the skin of her neck from left to right. The thin layer of flesh offered almost no resistance. As the blade cut in, the old hag's mouth was still open, her eyes were still wide open, and Chen Zhan's blood-stained face was reflected in her pupils.

His head was severed.

The blood gushing from the severed neck did not spurt out; due to his advanced age, the blood seeped out from the cut, flowing down the purplish-red collar and staining the dark gold longevity pattern a deep brown.

He leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down.

Her head rolled on the gold bricks, her hair came undone, her jade hairpin broke in two, and a few strands of gray hair were scattered on the ground, stained with blood and stuck in the cracks between the bricks.

Those eyes were still open, staring at the ceiling, hatred frozen deep within their pupils, and they would not move again.

died.

The hall fell silent.

The entire Chuxiu Palace fell silent.

The silence that moment was as if something had broken off from the world; the sound of the breaking was so loud that nothing could be heard at all.

And in that very instant.

Chen Zhan's divine will surged forth, his mind became clear, and in the darkness, a coolness permeated his soul from head to toe, making his mind clear and his thoughts unobstructed.

He couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, entering a state of tranquility and stillness.

The five senses of the Embracing Elixir Realm are already the limit of ordinary people. The hearing can dissect the complexities of noise, the vision can see the fine details in the dim light, and the touch can perceive the changes in airflow within three feet.

Now, the scope has expanded.

It's not three feet, it's the entire hall.

He could feel the breathing, heartbeat, blood flow, and muscle tension of everyone in the hall. He didn't need to listen, see, or smell; he knew even with his eyes closed.

The Imperial Guards, standing further away outside the palace, their positions, breathing rhythms, and the angle at which their bowstrings were drawn, were also faintly visible on the edge of his perception.

"Is this the state of perfect sincerity that is divinely enlightened?"

The so-called ultimate skill in martial arts is not merely about the technique itself, but about the state of mind, the path of utmost sincerity, and the ability to foresee the future.

He had already reached the pinnacle of martial arts, but he could never quite touch the final level.

Now that he had killed the old hag, his mind was clear, and he immediately broke through this barrier.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Two breaths.

Then, all the voices rushed back at once.

"The Empress Dowager—! The Empress Dowager has passed away—!"

No one knows who shouted it, but their voice was hoarse. The sound came from inside the hall, through the main hall, through the hall gate, and into the ears of everyone in the courtyard.

The courtyard of Chuxiu Palace was completely in an uproar.

The sounds of wailing, screaming, soldiers' roars, the clanging of armor plates, and the drawing of swords all merged together, flooding the entire courtyard like a burst dam.

The Imperial Guard Commander stood in the center of the courtyard, his face deathly pale, then turning ashen, and finally purplish-red.

His hands were shaking.

The Empress Dowager died while he was on duty, in the Chuxiu Palace, right under the noses of the Imperial Guards.

Even if he were to commit suicide now to atone for his sins, it wouldn't be enough, not even for his entire family.

The only thing I could do was kill the murderer.

"Release the arrows!"

The voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, hoarse and violent.

"Shoot the arrows! Kill him!"

Outside the palace gate, three rows of archers were already in formation, their longbows fully drawn, arrows pointed towards the main hall of Chuxiu Palace.

They didn't care whether there were still eunuchs and palace maids in the palace.

Swish swish swish——

The sound of arrows piercing the air was continuous, as dense as the sound of rain hitting tiles. Dozens of arrows were shot out at the same time, passing through the palace gate and embedding themselves inside.

Arrows were embedded in the rosewood table, in the satin of the screen, in the beams and pillars, and in the gold-brick floor.

The shattered screen frame was riddled with arrows, and the satin embroidered with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix was pierced with more than a dozen holes, with strips of cloth hanging from the arrow shafts.

Standing in his bedroom, Chen Zhan, with his keen senses, immediately perceived the dangers all around him.

He took a few steps outside, twirled his sword in his hand, held the blade horizontally in front of him, stepped through the passageway, passed through the moon gate, and entered the main hall.

Arrows came flying at us.

With a swing of his sword, a curtain of blades unfolded before him. Clang, clang, clang, the arrows struck the blade and bounced off, the sounds of the iron arrowheads colliding with the steel blade forming a dense, continuous series.

Occasionally, a few arrows would slip through the gaps in the blade barrier, but he would dodge them by sidestepping, as if he could predict their movements.

Before the second volley of arrows was even fired, he already knew from which angle it would come.

It wasn't that I heard the sound of the bowstring, nor did I see the archer's movements; rather, it was a perception through the mind, a divine understanding.

The thought popped into my head before the arrow had even left the bowstring.

Whoosh whoosh—

The second volley of arrows arrived, but Chen Zhan had already moved half a step to the left. The entire rain of arrows passed three feet to his right and embedded themselves in the wall behind him, without a single one hitting him.

As long as you know where the arrow is going, you don't need to be there.

Tan Sitong rushed out from outside the palace gate.

A scholar, dressed in a blue robe and unarmed, charged straight in front of the archers' ranks, spreading his arms to block the archers from the palace gate.

"Stop! Don't shoot anymore!"

The sound was clear and bright, penetrating the noise in the courtyard.

"Arrows won't kill him! There are still people alive in the palace. Are you going to shoot everyone in the Empress Dowager's palace to death?"

The archers hesitated for a moment, their bowstrings still drawn taut, arrows aimed at Tan Sitong's chest.

The commander of the Imperial Guards turned to look at Tan Sitong, his eyes red as if they were about to bleed.

"Get out of here!"

Tan Sitong remained motionless, standing still, his legs trembling, but he stood very straight.

"Arrows are useless. If we could kill him, would he have gotten this far? Let them go, let them capture and kill this thief!"

Tan Sitong turned his head to look at Wang Wu and the other two.

The Imperial Guard commander stared at him for a moment, then looked towards the palace gate. Two volleys of arrows were fired, piercing the walls and the ground, but the blood-soaked man kept dodging, and not a single arrow pierced his body.

He gritted his teeth.

"Put the bow away."

The archer loosened his bowstring and returned the arrow to his quiver.

The Imperial Guard Commander turned around, his gaze falling on Wang Wu, then sweeping over Guo Yunshen and Zhang Dianhua.

"You three." The voice growled from deep within his throat:
"The Empress Dowager is dead, dead right before your eyes. I don't care who this man is. I don't care what your relationship with him is. Now, go in and seize him, dead or alive."

"Can't take them down, and can't kill them either—"

His eyelids lifted slightly.

"The three of you will die with him, along with your entire families."

The soldiers in the courtyard, brandishing swords and spears, surrounded Wang Wu and his two companions.

Wang Wu stood still, his expression changing several times.

Anxiety, pain, struggle, and helplessness were all suppressed in the end, leaving only a pale face.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again.

"Let's go."

Guo Yunshen didn't say much. He took a step forward with his short, stocky body, as straight as an iron stake.

Zhang Dianhua didn't say much, his lean figure following beside Guo Yunshen, his hand pulled out of his sleeve.

Three people walked from the courtyard toward the palace gate.

Stepping up the steps, stepping over the arrows and broken wood scattered on the ground, we entered the main hall of Chuxiu Palace.

The hall was in a mess.

The screen was shattered, the large table was askew, teacups were broken all over the floor, arrows were embedded in the walls and beams, and blood was everywhere.

Chen Zhan stood in the center of the main hall.

He saw Wang Wu and the other two.

The moment they stepped through the palace gates, Chen Zhan already guessed what the three people were going to do.

Chen Zhan twirled the sword in his hand.

Then he loosened his grip, and the knife fell onto the gold brick with a clang that echoed through the hall.

"Since the three of you are friends and have not brought any weapons, I, Chen, will not need to either."

Wang Wu sighed, "Brother Chen, this has come to this, neither of us wanted it. Alas."

Guo Yunshen also sighed. He greatly admired Chen Zhan, but he couldn't understand why Chen Zhan would choose this path. It was a completely unwise and illogical act.

Killing "her" won't solve anything.

This will only lead you down a dead end.

Chen Zhan nodded: "It is not my wish, but I have no choice. This era is really not suitable for me, nor for you all. I can only watch as China sinks and the great building collapses. Even if you have cultivated your fists to this level, there is no way to avoid it."

Wang Wu asked in bewilderment, "Why is it like this? The reform is imminent, and Brother Tan has already seen initial results. I believe that before long, everything will be completely new and transformed."

Chen Zhan smiled, looked at Wang Wu, and shook his head: "Brother Wang is really optimistic. Not to mention the many obstacles to reform, go to Tianjin and see the foreign concessions, and you will understand that as long as the imperial system exists, it will weaken. Do you think it's possible for emperors and generals to give up their power?"

"The great changes in the Divine Continent are still a long way off. Perhaps I can push things forward, or perhaps Brother Wang and Brother Tan can implement reforms. Even if they fail, they will still be valuable experiences. But we still need to wait, and many more years will pass."

"Unfortunately, Mr. Chen didn't want to wait any longer, nor was he willing to wait any longer."

"We stormed the Golden Palace, took the emperor's head, and now we're gone forever; there's no need to worry about it."

"Come on, let's have a good fight. The three of you working together should give me a good time, right?"

Chen Zhan said a lot, but it was just a sigh; he didn't try to persuade the three of them. The limitations of the era were too great, and it wasn't their problem.

Wang Wu saw his action and frowned slightly.

On the one hand, he was somewhat displeased by Chen Zhan's arrogant tone, and on the other hand, he was still processing what Chen Zhan had just said.

On the other side, Guo Yunshen had already assumed the Xingyi stance. Once the San Ti Shi was unleashed, his entire aura changed. He was no longer the taciturn, short, stocky old man, but had become a powder keg that could explode at any moment.

Zhang Dianhua stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, waist and hips lowered, hands clenched into fists and raised to his sides with palms facing up and elbows pointing outwards.

The frame of the Sanhuang Paochui (a type of hammer).

The force is like a hammer blow, following an extremely fierce and brutal path; wherever the fist lands, bones shatter and tendons break.

Wang Wu's style is the simplest.

There are no fancy starting stances; you simply stand forward, plant your feet firmly, raise both fists, with your left fist guarding your chin and your right fist resting on your chest.

Three people, three different attitudes, three different approaches, surrounded Chen Zhan in the middle.

Zhang Dianhua on the left, Guo Yunshen on the right, and Wang Wu in the front.

Chen Zhan stood in the center of the triangle, looked around, and a smile appeared on his face.

From the moment he entered the palace until now, he has killed his way through the eunuchs, assassins, Cui Heng, and the old witch; none of them could withstand three moves from him.

Every strike was a crushing blow, every punch a swift kill; the killing was exhilarating, but not satisfying.

Now, three cultivators at the Core Formation stage stood before them.

He already possessed enough luck to transcend realms, but the opportunity to face three opponents at once—the three strongest at the time—was one that he couldn't miss.

Wang Wu moved swiftly, charging forward head-on.

His right fist was aimed straight at Chen Zhan's face. The punch was fueled by the blood and qi of the Core Formation Realm. Before the fist even arrived, the air in the hall exploded. Broken bricks and arrows on the ground were swept up by the fist and flew to both sides.

This punch felt like a giant iron hammer coming straight at you.

Chen Zhan turned to the side, his body shifting half a foot, and Wang Wu's fist grazed past his ear, the wind from the punch sending his hair flying.

His movements were slow, even composed, as if he already knew where the punch would land and only needed to move just enough distance.

Wang Wu's punch missed its mark, but the force of his punch continued, and the wind from his punch struck the nanmu wood pillar behind him.

boom!
The thick beam burst open from the middle, splintering wood and causing the upper half to tilt and crash to the ground, shattering a piece of gold brick.

One punch shattered the pillar.

A fist from someone at the Core Formation Realm makes no difference whether it hits a person or a piece of wood.

Guo Yunshen simultaneously unleashed a powerful punch.

He took a half-step forward, and his fist came out in a straight line from his side, traveling the shortest distance and the fastest speed, aiming at Chen Zhan's lower back.

A punch thrown out is like a nail driven into a wooden board—straight, penetrating, and ruthless.

Chen Zhan did not turn around.

He twisted his body to the side, stepping out in the arc of the Bagua Step, and Guo Yunshen's Bengquan passed through his waist.

The force of the punch landed on the wall three steps away. The blue brick wall cracked as if it had been struck by an invisible iron pestle. The cracks spread outwards from the point of impact, forming a spiderweb pattern, and broken bricks fell down in a flurry.

A single punch can split a wall.

Zhang Dianhua followed closely behind.

Cannonball.

The fist swung out from the side of his ribs in an arc, sweeping upwards and striking Chen Zhan's right ribs.

When the fist struck, a muffled thud resounded in the air, like a cannonball exploding in mid-air.

Chen Zhan thrust his right elbow forward, the tip of which struck Zhang Dianhua's fist.

boom!
The two forces at the Core Formation Realm collided, and shockwaves exploded outwards from the point of impact. The golden bricks beneath their feet cracked with radial patterns centered on the two figures, and broken bricks flew up and hit the walls with a crackling sound.

Both of them took half a step back at the same time.

The three moves were completed in less than two breaths.

Inside the hall, there was a broken pillar, a cracked wall, and a pile of broken bricks.

Four cultivators at the Core Formation stage fighting inside the room is no different from four cannonballs exploding inside the room.

The second round has begun.

Faster than the first round.

Wang Wu stopped charging forward with a single punch and began alternating between left and right, throwing punch after punch without giving any pause. Each punch carried the power to shatter stone. Wherever the wind from his punches swept, arrows embedded in the walls were knocked off and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Guo Yunshen changed his fighting style, no longer using only the Bengquan (崩拳), but also using Zuanquan (钻拳) and Hengquan (横拳) in turn. He alternated between the three types of punches, with the rhythm sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and the angle sometimes left and sometimes right, specifically looking for the openings in Chen Zhan's response to Wang Wu.

Zhang Dianhua pressed in from the other side, unleashing a barrage of cannonball punches, one after another, bang, bang, bang, like a machine gun. Each punch carried the weight of his entire body as he slammed forward, regardless of whether it hit or not, his aim was to suffocate the space.

Surrounded on three sides. (End of Chapter)