Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Hong Zhentian arrived at the front of the line. He looked around, and an ominous premonition arose from the bottom of his heart.

He is over seventy years old, and even top martial arts masters cannot escape the ravages of time.

As people get older, their physical strength and vitality gradually weaken, making it increasingly difficult for them to do things effectively. Hong Zhentian's skills have stagnated for ten years, and in the last two years, there has been a subtle trend of decline.

He had prepared for the worst for this escort mission.

Leaping into the air, Hong Zhentian stood atop a towering cliff in the wilderness, intently surveying this desolate land that had already left the city's borders.

"Come out, everyone."

Following the direction of Hong Zhentian's shout, dozens of dark figures suddenly emerged from behind the narrow pass.

The faces of these people were all covered by a dark cloak, and Hong Zhentian had noticed their presence long ago.

As a veteran of escorting goods for decades, he had already noticed through careful observation along the way that the cargo in these vehicles had been replaced with empty boxes.

The rules of the escort agency are that they must carefully check the goods before accepting them, such as clarifying the origin of the goods and the situation of the owner.

Once the caravan is on its way, the escort agency will no longer concern itself with the condition of the goods, leaving all the packing work to the owner, thus avoiding many unnecessary disputes.

When the goods were initially received and inspected, the host family was ambiguous about the situation and even switched to empty goods before departure, making their intentions clear.

Hong Zhentian looked down at the dozens of men in black before him and asked, "Which escort agency are you from?"

Hongtian Escort Agency has been deeply rooted in the industry for many years, and after his breakthrough in skill, it has gradually become the leading escort agency in the current dynasty. However, there are always a few old-established escort agencies under it that often cause trouble, especially in the last two years.

In his view, this conspiracy could only have been set up by his peers.

Seeing that these people remained silent, Hong Zhentian didn't bother to waste words with them.

The powerful and solid martial arts energy emanated outwards, its immense force causing the thick earth beneath his feet to tremble slightly, and loose stones to roll down.

With a single move, Hong Zhentian unleashed the swirling wind in his palm, which instantly expanded to six inches in size. He then flipped his wrist, channeling his power, and struck the robbers.

The mere force of the palm strike sent several of the weaker opponents tumbling off the cliff, while the others leaped away to other places.

The power of the Flood Heaven Palm is not limited to this; a cliff has been leveled to the ground!

Hongtian Escort Agency was experienced in dealing with this situation. Everyone rushed forward and pounced on the scattered bandits, leaving only two or three people to guard the goods.

On the other hand, the opposing team was a hastily assembled group with a clear lack of coordination, and in the chaotic battle, they could only fight for themselves.

For a time, on the desolate land shrouded in night, the sounds of fists clashing and explosive forces colliding were incessant.

Hong Zhentian stood on high ground, and there were several second-rate martial artists who were oblivious to their own mortality, all of whom he dealt with easily.

This farce quickly took a one-sided turn.

Hong Zhentian looked up at the sky, a smile appearing on his aged yet radiant face.

Through a cloud obscuring the moon, a figure can be seen in the sky if you look closely!

In the night, a figure imitated Hong Zhentian, releasing his own martial arts true energy, instantly dispelling the clouds and mist.

Clad in black armor, which shone with a dazzling metallic light under the moonlight, he threw down the sword from his waist as he descended from the sky. The long sword, still in its scabbard, fell rapidly to the ground.

The longsword, imbued with martial arts energy and the brilliant moonlight, fell onto the vast yellow earth, creating a crack several meters deep and nine thousand meters long!

The chaotic battle on the ground was instantly ended by this sword energy. Those who survived and had not yet fallen into unconsciousness lay prostrate in the crack, leaving only Hong Zhentian standing proudly on the cliff.

The man landed, drew his sword, and stood facing Hong Zhentian.

"It turns out an old friend is here to be the grand finale."

The old friend Hong Zhentian mentioned was a swordsman assassin named Fu Tianliu, whom he encountered when he was young and roamed the thirteen states of the world.

His eyes, which were already somewhat cloudy, revealed a hint of complexity. He really hadn't expected that Fu Tianliu would actually be ahead of him and had already stepped into the half-step top level.

Those who are halfway to the pinnacle can open seas and move mountains, and manipulate celestial phenomena with their true energy...

"Chief镖头 (chief镖师) has been hired by someone for a high price."

"If you take someone's money, you should do their bidding, shouldn't you?"

Fu Tianliu leaped in front of Hong Zhentian, swung his sword, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

The sword was aimed straight at Hong Zhentian's neck. In his haste, he could only catch the blade with his bare hands and his own strength, and was forced back half a step by its momentum.

When old friends meet, there's no need for excessive probing.

Hong Zhentian first shattered the cliff below with a palm strike, then used the momentum of the falling rocks to step behind Fu Tianliu.

Fu Tianliu remained calm and composed, channeling his inner energy to stand in mid-air.

He maneuvered his blade, blocking the raging palm strike aimed at his face.

When the two powerful energies collided, Hong Zhentian was slightly outmatched and was blown more than ten meters away by the blast.

Fu Tianliu seized the opportunity to leap into the air, becoming one with the bright moon.

His entire body was bathed in moonlight, his true energy spreading around him as he manipulated his longsword to circle the moon's outline.

A glint of cold light, like the projection of the bright moon hanging high in the sky, was where Fu Tianliu concentrated all his true energy.

Hong Zhentian also concentrated his true energy, and the whirlwind in his palm expanded to a diameter of half a meter. The terrifying suction force blew away the surrounding rubble, forming a protective wall for himself.

Of course, if he couldn't withstand Fu Tianliu's attack, these flying pebbles would become his own coffin lid.

……

As the sword tip fell, Hong Tian struck out with his palm towards the sky. He was nearly half a step into the top level. How did he compare to a true half-step top-level martial artist?

Even though Hong Zhentian is in his seventies, he still wants to experience it firsthand. If he dies on this trip, he will have no regrets!

He resolutely lowered his arms, his gaze fixed firmly on the center of the clash between the two martial arts techniques.

An explosion was imminent, it spread, and spread again.

Within a radius of dozens of miles, this entire barren yellow earth was almost entirely affected by the aftershocks of the true energy explosion, causing considerable tremors.

Yellow sand filled the sky, earth and stones flew everywhere, and a rumbling sound broke the silence of day and night.

After a long while, the collision of the two streams of true energy gradually subsided. Hong Zhentian was buried in a handful of soil and stones, his breath growing weaker and weaker...

In contrast, Fu Tianliu descended from the moonlight, standing beside Hong Zhentian with his long sword in hand.

As a professional assassin, his master demanded that he be found alive or dead, so his mission was to bring back Hong Zhentian's head to deliver the message.

So he raised his sword again, brushed aside the rubble, and aimed at Hong Zhentian's neck once more.

His sword is very sharp; just bear with it for a moment, it won't be long...

"Boom!"

Just as the blade was about to slice through Hong Zhentian's neck, a muffled thud exploded in the sky.

Ye Xuan summoned thunderclouds from a hundred miles away, bringing them down here!

"Who!" Fu Tianliu stared at the calm night sky, but a thunderous roar suddenly erupted.

Having reached the pinnacle of martial arts, he instantly noticed a powerful force at the center of the thunderous sound.

However, there was no response in mid-air, but several more thunderclaps rang out.

The first blow struck Fu Tianliu's longsword squarely, forcing him to distance himself from Hong Zhentian.

The second strike landed precisely in front of Fu Tianliu's feet, just a hair's breadth away from allowing him to begin cultivating that supremely Yin divine skill.

Faced with the third strike, Fu Tianliu panicked and flashed backward dozens of meters, dodging the lightning while unleashing his martial arts true energy.

He recognized it as a lightning bolt, which meant someone must be lying in ambush nearby.

What puzzled him was, where were the people?

He released his true energy for ten miles, but couldn't find a single person. In his memory, the user of this lightning-summoning finger technique should not have exceeded this distance.

"Could it be the work of Heaven itself?"

But in this martial arts world, there is no such thing as the Heavenly Way. He killed countless people, yet he never suffered divine retribution.

Ye Xuan watched from the air as this martial arts master, who was halfway to the top, was now jumping around anxiously like a grasshopper touching water.

He repeated Fu Tianliu's words:

"Since I was taught martial arts by Hong Tianzhang, shouldn't I lend a hand?"

Upon discovering that Hong Zhentian was still alive, Ye Xuan repeatedly used the Lightning Finger to drive Fu Tianliu, who remained in a daze, out of the wasteland, and his consciousness returned to Dongting Lake.

He adheres to his consistent principle of doing good deeds anonymously.