Jingzhou Prison.
The imperial court and the martial world did not interfere with each other, so the prisons of the court had nothing to do with those in the martial world. Naturally, they were not particularly sturdy, built only to hold ordinary people. At night, even the prison in Jingzhou City was guarded by just a couple dozen men.
"Whoosh!"
Near the guard post, a faint sound drew the attention of a few guards. Then a gust of wind blew, forcing them to instinctively shut their eyes. When they opened them again, nothing had changed, as if nothing had happened.
"Damn, that's eerie. Where did that wind come from?"
Deep within the prison, in a seemingly ordinary cell, two people were present. One had iron hooks piercing through his collarbones, with long hair and a beard that looked like they hadn't been tended to in years. He sat cross-legged, eyes tightly shut, his breathing barely audible, like a corpse. Only occasionally, a faint, barely noticeable white light flickered across his face, hidden by his hair and beard. The other person lay far away, curled up, fast asleep. His body bore obvious scars and bloodstains from brutal torture, and his honest-looking face carried a hint of stubbornness and worry.
This cell seemed isolated; the cells on either side held no other prisoners. So it was extremely quiet, with only the breathing of the sleeping man.
Suddenly, the cross-legged man snapped his eyes open, a sharp gleam flashing through them. Then, a stream of energy, faintly shimmering with golden light, shot straight toward the sleeping man. The cross-legged man raised an eyebrow, his hand twitching slightly before lowering again. The next moment, the energy struck the sleeping man's nape. Already sound asleep, his head lolled to the side, and he fell unconscious without a sound.
"Good eyesight, to see that I wasn't killing him."
A steady, hearty voice tinged with admiration echoed slowly through the silent cell. Footsteps followed. A tall figure, blending with the dim prison environment, approached the cross-legged man.
"Whether you kill him or not, what's that to me?" the cross-legged man said calmly, his expression unchanged.
"Heh, the once chivalrous Ding Dian has now learned to let an innocent man die without lifting a finger?" the tall figure said with a light laugh, a hint of disbelief in his tone.
The cross-legged man turned his head, his barely discernible face revealing eyes like stars as he stared back, like a waking tiger. "Hmph, so you've come for me after all."
There was no surprise in his words.
"That's right, I have come for you." Li Daoqiang nodded, making no attempt to hide it. His eyes appraised Ding Dian, and beneath that unkempt exterior, his keen instincts faintly sensed a hint of danger.
"Hahaha." Ding Dian laughed heartily, his hair and beard stirring, a glint of light flashing in his eyes as killing intent coalesced. "Fine, since you've found me here, let's get to it."
With that, he rose abruptly, like a tiger standing up. The iron hooks on his shoulders seemed like mere toys, utterly useless.
"It's too cramped here. Let's go outside." Li Daoqiang said, a note of anticipation in his voice.
Ding Dian gave the man before him a long, hard look, a flicker of gravity crossing his face. "Fine."
Li Daoqiang smiled, turned, and vanished. The next moment, the cell door opened, and Ding Dian's figure also disappeared. The prison remained quiet, as if the conversation had never happened, and the guards heard nothing at all.
In the dark night, on the streets of Jingzhou City, two figures moved like the wind, one after the other, heading out of the city. At the city wall, with a single leap, they crossed the several-zhang-high wall as if it were flat ground. Once outside the city, their speed abruptly increased. The figure in front emitted a golden light, striding with the vigor of a dragon or tiger. The one behind glowed with a soft white light, both gentle and as tough as steel, moving just as fast. In no time, they had covered ten li.
Under the pitch-black night, only two streaks of light flickered across the dark earth. Suddenly, both lights stopped.
"This distance is enough." Li Daoqiang turned around, smiling lightly.
Ding Dian glanced around, sneering, "Who else is there? Call them all out."
"There's no one around, just you and me." Li Daoqiang said flatly.
"No one? Then today, you're dead for sure." Ding Dian said, continuing to focus all his senses. Though he couldn't detect any ambush, he didn't trust the man before him. Someone who could find him in prison for the treasure and the divine art must have considerable influence. He couldn't afford to be careless.
Li Daoqiang knew the other would misunderstand him and wasn't in a hurry to explain. His eyes blazed with battle intent, and he laughed, "Good. If you can kill me, you won't have killed the wrong person. I'm not a good man."
Ding Dian was momentarily taken aback. It was the first time he'd heard someone describe themselves that way. But he still didn't let his guard down, keeping his eyes fixed on the opponent.
"Come on. I've long heard of the wonders of the Divine Illumination Sutra. I haven't met a worthy opponent in a long time. I've been looking forward to this fight." Li Daoqiang's battle intent surged as he spoke, golden flames suddenly igniting around him. A fierce, overwhelming aura crashed down toward Ding Dian.
Ding Dian's expression tightened, and a brilliant white light burst from him, soft yet incredibly resilient, unyielding. He set aside his doubts; just from this aura, he knew he faced a formidable enemy, one unlike any he'd encountered before.
Without further words, Li Daoqiang's eyes narrowed, and he struck. He charged forward with large strides, not fast, but the unstoppable momentum grew even more intense. Ding Dian was startled, feeling as if he had no way to counter the approaching foe. The opponent's footwork and shifting movements seemed perfectly coordinated, leaving him no room to dodge. To evade would invite a follow-up blow. It felt like no matter what he did, he'd face a thunderous strike. This was unprecedented for him. Though his combat experience was limited, he was certain this was extraordinary.
Frowning, with no time to overthink, he snorted, channeled his true qi to its peak, and threw a punch straight ahead. Since he couldn't avoid it, he wouldn't. He had plenty of confidence in his current strength.
Li Daoqiang's eyes lit up with anticipation, and he met the punch with a palm strike. Even though he instinctively had several more efficient ways to respond, testing his strength against Ding Dian was one of his goals. He pushed the eighth layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art to its limit, and suddenly, the roars of dragons and elephants rang out.
In an instant, fist and palm collided.
"Boom!"
A thunderous sound shook the area for several li. Golden and white light blazed like a great fire, burning away the darkness. The clash of power and controlled innate qi was like two lakes crashing together, sending chaotic currents of air scattering in all directions. Amid the deafening noise, Ding Dian was thrown back like he'd been hit by a cart, retreating several zhang before steadying himself. A flush rose to his face as he stared in shock at his opponent. Li Daoqiang also stepped back, but only a few paces before regaining his footing. He looked at Ding Dian with admiration.
"Impressive skill!"
Ding Dian couldn't help but praise him. His wariness reached its peak, mixed with intense curiosity. He had already reached the peak of the innate realm, just one step away from mastering the Divine Illumination Sutra and achieving the master realm. Yet, his inner strength was inferior to his opponent's. Who was this young man? Was he really after the treasure and the Divine Illumination Sutra?
"You're not bad either." Li Daoqiang said with a light smile, his battle intent fading slightly. After that exchange, he had finally struck a blow and gained a better understanding of his own strength. The eighth layer of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art, known as one of the hardest divine arts to cultivate, lived up to its reputation. Its power was astonishing. The eighth layer corresponded to the peak of the innate realm. As expected, Ding Dian's Divine Illumination Sutra had also reached that level. But his inner strength was clearly a notch below. The Divine Illumination Sutra was also a divine art, of course. Each divine art had its own strengths. In terms of raw power, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art, as he'd tested, was clearly superior. But for healing and recovery, he admitted the Divine Illumination Sutra was better.
With this palm strike, he had confirmed the power of his art. Now, it was time for a real fight. His aura grew fiercer, the dragon and elephant roars clearer, and he shouted, "Again!"
Ding Dian set aside his thoughts, unafraid. "Fine."
He clenched his fists, throwing a punch so fast it left no trace. A fist imprint shot out, a flash of white light reaching Li Daoqiang in an instant. Without panic, Li Daoqiang didn't meet it head-on, as if he'd anticipated it. He stepped forward to the left, dodging the punch with uncanny precision, then lunged at Ding Dian.
Startled, Ding Dian threw another punch. Li Daoqiang calmly swept his right hand, golden light flickering, and sidestepped, letting the fist imprint pass. Ding Dian's eyes widened. Dodging his punches was one thing, but doing so with such effortless grace was beyond his imagination. The finesse made him marvel. But he had no time to dwell on it, as a palm came crashing down at his head.
He retreated swiftly, throwing a punch at the same time. In that brief moment, he realized his experience was inferior. He couldn't let the opponent get close. Even if his inner strength was slightly weaker, the Divine Illumination Sutra's recovery and endurance gave him confidence.
Li Daoqiang saw through his plan and smiled proudly, accelerating. Terrifying force drove his steps, splitting the air and cracking the ground beneath. His figure surged, and just as his palm was about to meet the punch, he sidestepped it again in a flash. The miraculous move left Ding Dian marveling once more. But he couldn't dwell on it, as the opponent was too fast. Another palm came at him.
The same feeling from their first exchange returned—unavoidable, impossible to evade. Gritting his teeth, he met it head-on.
"Boom!"
The second clash of fist and palm shook the night again. Air currents splattered for dozens of zhang, and deep cracks spread across the ground. Ding Dian was knocked back, his eyes widening. The opponent hadn't retreated a step and was charging again with even greater ferocity, another palm descending.
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