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

They employed three tactics simultaneously: head-on confrontation, flanking attacks, and aggressive compression.

Chen Zhan, surrounded by three people, lightly shuffled his body in place.

Bagua Step.

With small movements, he stepped out in an arc and began to spin in the center of the triangle formation, moving along an invisible arc, his body shifting left and right, forward and backward. The three men's fists chased after him, but each punch missed its mark.

His body moved like an eel, weaving through the gaps between the three gusts of wind. Each dodge was just right, never too much or too little, always only half an inch off.

Wang Wu punched him in the face, but he turned his head and the force of the punch grazed his ear.

Guo Yunshen threw a powerful punch at his ribs, but he twisted his waist and the fist slid past his ribs.

Zhang Dianhua delivered a powerful punch to his chest. He took a half step back, his fist grazing his clothes, tearing a hole in the fabric from the force of the blow.

All three punches missed.

Then Chen Zhan made his move, throwing a straight right punch with the style of Taizu Changquan, the Golden Luan style, a punch that could shake the world and shatter mountains and split the earth, aimed straight for Wang Wu's chest.

Wang Wu crossed his arms to block, but the fist struck his forearm. The force traveled through his arm bone into his chest, causing Wang Wu to slide back two steps, leaving two deep grooves on the gold bricks beneath his feet.

With his left palm slapping horizontally, he used the Pushing Mountain Palm technique of Baguazhang to strike Zhang Dianhua's shoulder.

Zhang Dianhua dodged to the side, and the palm strike landed on the large sandalwood table behind him, breaking it in two. Bowls, plates, and cups clattered all over the floor.

He turned around and threw a punch, a powerful blow, at Guo Yunshen.

Guo Yunshen also met the attack with a Bengquan (a type of punch).

The two powerful punches collided in mid-air.

boom!
The shockwave shattered the few remaining intact window frames in the hall, sending the wooden frames and paper windows flying out. The sunlight outside mingled with the dust inside, filling the beams of light with flying debris.

Guo Yunshen took seven or eight steps back, almost falling out of the door, while Chen Zhan only took one step back.

He single-handedly forced three people to retreat.

He looked at Chen Zhan incredulously and said, "It's only been a few days, and you've already advanced another step? Are you trying to become an immortal or an ancestor?"

At this point, all three of them realized one thing.

Compared to when Chen Zhan first arrived in the capital, he has taken another step forward. Not only has his fighting power changed, but his temperament has also undergone a transformation.

It turns out that although his boxing skills were extraordinary, he was still in the mortal realm, and there was still a slight flaw in his fists and palms.

Now it's completely different. Every movement is seamless and perfectly coordinated. The dodge is just half an inch wide, and the timing of the punch is exactly when the opponent's old strength is exhausted and new strength has not yet been generated. The movement route is just right to pass through the gap in the three people's attack.

It wasn't a fight, it was more like a game of chess, with every move landing precisely in the most accurate position.

The three of them exchanged a glance.

They didn't speak, but the meaning was the same: they couldn't hold back any longer.

All three of them unleashed their full power simultaneously.

The air inside the hall seemed to be sucked out for a moment as three auras of the Core Formation Realm pressed down simultaneously. The shockwaves collided and overturned all the remaining furnishings in the hall—tables and chairs were broken, curtains were torn, the lamp holders of the eternal lamps fell over, oil was spilled on the ground, and flames licked the gold bricks and spread outwards.

Chen Zhan also went to greet him.

Wang Wu's hands gripped his shoulders, but he didn't break free. Instead, he took a step forward and pressed himself into Wang Wu's arms. He then reached his hands up from under Wang Wu's armpits and hooked them around Wang Wu's back. With a sudden drop in his waist and hips, he executed a back throw.

Stick, stick, snap, hit.

Using Bajiquan's close-quarters techniques, Wang Wu's body was flipped over, from above his head to behind him, and he crashed to the ground.

One of the gold bricks shattered, and dust rose up.

At the same moment Wang Wu fell to the ground, Chen Zhan had already turned around, and his right elbow swept across, striking Guo Yunshen in the chest as he charged in front of him.

Guo Yunshen groaned, bent over, and retreated hastily.

Zhang Dianhua's barrage of punches arrived, three punches came flying at Chen Zhan, but instead of retreating, Chen Zhan advanced, his left hand reaching out and his five fingers gripping Zhang Dianhua's right fist.

The two hands were locked in a struggle.

Zhang Dianhua's fist was gripped in Chen Zhan's palm. The force surged outward from the fist as he tried to break free, but Chen Zhan's five fingers held his fist like an iron hoop, remaining motionless.

Zhang Dianhua's left fist came flying at Chen Zhan, who dodged it by tilting his head, while simultaneously striking Zhang Dianhua in the abdomen with his right fist.

One punch.

Zhang Dianhua's body bent like a shrimp, flying three steps backward and crashing into a broken beam, which then shattered into another piece.

Wang Wu rolled over and got up from the ground, his face covered in ash and blood, and threw another punch.

Guo Yunshen had also adjusted, and he unleashed his Bengquan (a powerful punch) once more.

Both punches arrived at the same time.

Chen Zhan took a step forward, his body passing through the gap between the two fists. He slapped Wang Wu's lower back with his left hand and Guo Yunshen's back with his right, exerting force with both palms at the same time.

Both of them stumbled forward at the same time.

Chen Zhan turned around and was already standing behind the three people.

He attacked from the front and then from behind, breaking through the triangular formation of three people all by himself. If he wanted to break out now, even the three of them couldn't stop him.

The interior of the hall was in a terrible state.

All the furniture was broken, four beams and pillars were broken, three walls were cracked, most of the gold bricks were broken, the ground was pitted and uneven, and there were broken bricks, broken wood, broken arrows and broken tiles everywhere. The roof leaked light, and sunlight shone in through the cracks, shining on the ruins all over the ground.

The damage inside the hall after the four of them fought for so long was worse than if it had been hit by a barrage of artillery fire.

The three people turned around to face Chen Zhan.

Wang Wu was panting heavily, blood at the corner of his mouth, and his left shoulder was slapped, leaving his entire arm numb.

Guo Yunshen's face turned ashen. He had been struck on the back, his blood and qi were churning, and he felt so suffocated that he couldn't breathe.

Zhang Dianhua suffered the worst, taking a punch to the abdomen. He's still bent over with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Chen Zhan showed mercy, otherwise he would have been punched right through the abdomen.

All three were injured.

Chen Zhan stood opposite them, covered in blood, his clothes torn in several places, but the blood was all from others, and he was almost unharmed.

The three people looked at him with different expressions.

If they fight again, they will probably die here, but if they fail to capture Chen Zhan, all three of them will also die.

Dilemma.

Moreover, Chen Zhan's kung fu was already incredibly advanced, and he clearly held back at the end, not killing them; otherwise, the three of them probably wouldn't have been able to get up.

"Alas, it still wasn't enough. I'm afraid the three of you can't defeat me," Chen Zhan said calmly.

These words were spoken calmly, without sarcasm or pride.

The three people fell silent upon hearing this.

Wang Wu straightened up, supporting himself on his knees. His left shoulder was still numb. He looked at Chen Zhan, his lips moved a few times, and finally he sighed, a long sigh squeezed out from the deepest part of his chest.

"Brother Chen, what are your plans next?"

Chen Zhan did not answer immediately. His gaze shifted from Wang Wu to Guo Yunshen, then to Zhang Dianhua, and finally to the outside of the palace gate.

Outside the palace gate, sunlight streamed in through the broken door frame, golden beams piercing the dusty air, revealing the dark mass of soldiers and the gleam of their weapons.

Thousands of people surrounded Chuxiu Palace, forming an impenetrable barrier.

"Killing her puts one weight on my mind." Chen Zhan withdrew his gaze, his voice calm. "As for what comes after, there is nothing to come after."

Wang Wu frowned: "You want to die here?"

"Death?" Chen Zhan chuckled. "It's not that easy to die."

Guo Yun Shen spoke, his voice hoarse, panting as he spoke from the blow to his back.

"So how do you plan to leave? There are thousands of Imperial Guards outside. Even if you can defeat them, you won't be able to escape the Forbidden City. And even if you do escape, the world is vast. Once your image is painted, there will be people chasing you everywhere. Where will you hide?"

Chen Zhan glanced at him: "I won't hide it." All three of them were stunned.

Chen Zhan's tone remained calm, as if he were talking about something he had been thinking about for a long time.

"From this day forward, Chen Zhan will no longer exist in this world."

Wang Wu didn't understand and frowned as he looked at him.

Guo Yunshen understood, and his eyelids twitched.

Chen Zhan raised his hand and pointed to his face.

His face was covered in blood and grime, making it impossible to discern his features. From the moment he entered the palace until now, he had first used a bone-changing technique to transform himself into a mute, and later into the face of a middle-aged eunuch. As he fought his way through, his face was covered in layers of blood, and no one had ever seen what he originally looked like.

None of the thousands of soldiers surrounding the palace knew what Chen Zhan looked like.

"You all know my skill in disguise."

"From beginning to end, no one in the palace has ever seen my true face. Find a similar corpse, take it and tell them the assassin has been killed."

Wang Wu realized what was happening and his eyes widened.

"You mean...faking death?"

"Um."

Zhang Dianhua straightened up, clutching his stomach, his expression a complex mix of emotions.

"Brother Chen, this... this can't be kept secret?"

Whether you can keep this a secret or not depends on the three of you.

Chen Zhan looked at them. "You brought the body back. The people in the palace don't recognize my face, and neither does the commander of the Imperial Guards. He only knows that the assassin was dressed as a eunuch and covered in blood. You handed over a corpse dressed as a eunuch, disfigured. Who can tell the difference?"

"The traitor who murdered the empress has been executed; the matter is now closed."

The three people fell silent.

The sounds of soldiers moving about came from outside the palace; armor plates clattered, and footsteps were rapid. The commander of the Imperial Guards was waiting outside for the result, but he wouldn't have to wait long.

Wang Wu spoke first.

"Brother Chen, you've even thought of our escape route?"

Chen Zhan didn't answer directly, only saying, "You were forced in. If you can't take me down, those people outside won't let you off. Brother Tan too; he blocked the rain of arrows, and the Imperial Guard commander remembers it. Today, it's all or nothing."

"I don't want you to die with me."

After these words were spoken, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Wang Wu's Adam's apple bobbed, his lips tightened, and his eyes reddened slightly.

"Okay." Wang Wu's voice was hoarse. "We'll do it your way."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "But those who died in the palace were all eunuchs and palace maids; there's no one... to report back to."

"So I'm going to fight my way out."

Chen Zhan turned around and faced the palace gate.

The sunlight outside the palace gate was blinding, and the golden light shone on his blood-stained body.

He took two steps, then stopped and looked back at the three people.

"A few people."

"Um?"

Take care from now on.

Wang Wu gritted his teeth, nodded, and couldn't say a word.

Chen Zhan stopped looking, turned around, took a deep breath, and felt the blood and qi in his dantian surge, filling his limbs and bones.

The body feels as light as if it has no weight, and every muscle and every bone obeys the command of the mind; the thought is the body's manifestation.

"Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles!"

He let out a long howl.

The whistling sound burst forth from his chest, not rising upwards, but exploding in all directions.

The whistling sound passed through the main hall, through the palace gate, and into the courtyard of Chuxiu Palace, striking everyone's ears like a thunderbolt.

The soldiers outside the hall were so shocked by the whistle that their faces turned pale. Several of them in the front row even took a half step back, gripping their swords and spears tightly.

Before the whistle had even faded, the person had already rushed out.

Chen Zhan's figure shot out from the palace gate with a roar, his feet stepping on the broken threshold. With one stride, he was already at the top of the steps.

The second step landed in the middle of the steps, and the gold brick shattered. The third step landed on the bottom step, and the whole person rushed into the courtyard like a cannonball.

The imperial guards in the courtyard realized what was happening.

"Stop him! Stop him!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards roared, drew his sword from his waist, and pointed it at Chen Zhan.

The soldiers in the front row, spears in hand, charged forward, their tips pointing at the blood-soaked figure.

Chen Zhan charged into the gunfire.

He threw out his right fist.

Taizu Changquan, Jinluanjia.

He punched the first soldier in the chest, denting his armor and sending him flying backward, crashing into three or four soldiers behind him. A string of men fell to the ground.

He slapped his left palm horizontally onto the spears of the second rank of soldiers, breaking several spears in half, their tips flying off and embedding themselves in the ground.

The gun formation broke through.

Chen Zhan rushed through the opening and plunged headlong into the crowd of Imperial Guards.

The movements of the Embracing the Core Realm cultivator unfolded in the crowd. The Bagua Steps were even more agile in the dense crowd. His body moved back and forth among the soldiers, stepping into the gaps between people with each step, brushing past the armor plates, as slippery as an eel.

The punches never stop.

A punch to the left, a punch to the right, each punch carrying the power of the Core Formation Realm. When it hits an iron armor, the armor shatters; when it hits a person, the person flies away.

He only needed to charge forward, and those blocking his way were swept aside by the force of his punches, plowing a path through the crowd like a plow.

The Imperial Guards' formation was disrupted.

This formation, with thousands of people surrounding one person, is more than enough to deal with ordinary assassins, but against martial artists at the Core Formation stage, soldiers are no different from paper.

There were too many people, which only made things worse. People in front were knocked away and crashed into those behind them, and those behind were knocked down and blocked the way for those behind them. Long spears could not be used effectively in the dense crowd, and when swords and knives came at you, the people next to you were also swaying, so there was no way to coordinate.

Chen Zhan charged through the crowd and fought his way out of the courtyard gate of Chuxiu Palace.

Outside the courtyard gate was an even larger open space, where there were even more soldiers, lined up layer by layer, their armor plates gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

With a calm and focused mind, one can perceive who is raising a knife, who is thrusting a spear, and who is bending a bow—all are clearly understood.

His body had already dodged before the attack arrived, leaving an afterimage where the blades and spears would have struck, and he was already three steps away.

He charged through thousands of imperial guards from the gate of Chuxiu Palace to Yuehua Gate, a distance of just over a hundred steps, leaving behind a trail of fallen soldiers and shattered armor plates.

Behind them, Wang Wu, Guo Yunshen, and Zhang Dianhua chased after them from Chuxiu Palace.

Upon seeing Chen Zhan's figure, they ran after him frantically, but could only watch him grow further and further away.

Chen Zhan single-handedly broke through the encirclement, and even the palace experts could not catch up with him. He rushed out of the palace and ran all the way, with countless pursuers behind him who could not keep up with his speed at all.

He even left coded messages along the way to guide Wang Wu and his two companions.

They rushed deep into the western mountains and then stopped running, waiting for the others to arrive. (End of Chapter)