Old Demon Peng Da of the Western Hills flushed with rage, bellowing:"Taking advantage of me unprepared? This old demon refuses to accept it! Let's fight again!"
Liu Yun arched her brows and said coldly:"No matter—be on your guard!"
Even before her words faded, the sound of fluttering robes swept the air. Liu Yun's figure shot forth like lightning, swift as an arrow loosed from the string, closing in at once. Ghostlike and elusive, she thrust a palm toward Peng Da's chest, striking without hesitation.
Peng Da, shocked, hastily gathered his inner force. With a sudden shout, he unleashed "Spirit Snake Emerges from the Cave," his palms darting like writhing serpents to block her onslaught. Their palms collided—qi clashed and fists and palms intertwined, flashing like lightning, thundering like a storm. The battle surged like a tempest, unstoppable.
Step by step, Liu Yun pressed the attack. Her palms were exquisite, each strike concealing subtle changes, every blow razor-sharp. Peng Da countered with all his strength, his palms whipping up a chill wind like venomous snakes flicking their tongues, defending flawlessly.
Suddenly, Peng Da roared, his body spinning, palms turning into claws, a vicious grab aimed straight at Liu Yun's shoulder and delicate face!
Liu Yun, unfazed, shifted into Seven-Star Steps, her body pivoting lightly. With a clear cry, her palms transformed—she executed the Wuji Palm techniques "How Far Apart" and "What Distance Apart?"
Palm shadows flew, qi currents surged like rushing rivers, spreading like mercury spilled across the ground, sealing off Peng Da's attack in an instant. Yin and yang interwove, strikes crashing down like mountains and seas. Peng Da, sensing disaster, dodged frantically, his back soaked with cold sweat, beads dripping like rain—he was barely holding on.
At the climax of their clash, Liu Yun suddenly flashed forward, her right palm bursting out. With a sharp shout—"Take this!"
A thunderous crash rang out. Her palm struck Peng Da squarely in the chest! Inner force erupted like a raging torrent. He groaned, stumbling back several steps, coughing blood into the air.
Yet Liu Yun, seeing his age, restrained herself. That single palm was punishment enough to leave him unable to fight further. She withdrew gracefully, smiling coldly:"Consider this a warning. Persist in your folly, and don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Just then, two sharp shouts split the air. Two figures streaked in like the wind. The onlookers recognized them immediately—the Twin Ghosts of Yin Mountain, one black-faced, one white-faced. Striking together, they lunged at Liu Yun.
She shifted swiftly, making their first strike fall into emptiness. Spinning back, they attacked again—four palms clashed with a crash like thunder, all three staggering apart.
Liu Yun frowned, raising her chin in disdain:"Two against one? Hah! Do you think this girl is afraid?"
The Twin Ghosts—black-faced Cui Ming and white-faced Duan Hun—replied grimly. Cui Ming barked:"We Yin Mountain Ghosts always fight together!"
Liu Yun inhaled deeply, her qi surging. She laughed boldly:"In the Hall of Yama, Twin Ghosts of Yin Mountain, enough chatter! Strike now—your retribution will follow!"
Enraged, the twins gave a piercing whistle. Their bodies whirled into motion, unleashing their famed art, 'Yin-Yang Double Rotation.' Rooted in the mysteries of yin-yang and the five elements, they launched the move 'Ghosts Make the Gods Err.' Their palms alternated, weaving in and out with dazzling footwork.
Liu Yun, poised on Seven-Star Steps, countered with Wuji Palm once more, the twin moves "How Far Apart" and "What Distance Apart?" Palms clashed, qi stormed. Liu Yun marveled secretly at their seamless coordination—unlike anything she'd faced before. She resolved to observe, not rush.
For fifty exchanges they battled. At last, Liu Yun discerned the pattern: black-faced Cui Ming embodied yang, moving through water, wood, and earth; white-faced Duan Hun embodied yin, flowing through fire and metal. Their footwork cycled—water-fire-metal-wood-earth—each attack alternating with the other. To ordinary martial artists, this was unbreakable.
But Liu Yun, daughter of the Heavenly Reverence Sect Master, versed in yin-yang and five elements from childhood, had already unraveled their secret.
White-faced Duan Hun sneered:"This Yin-Yang Double Rotation is no common art. Frightened yet, demoness?"
Liu Yun spun lightly back, laughing aloud:"Stop boasting like a peddler hawking melons. Believe it or not, within ten moves I'll defeat you both!"
The Twin Ghosts, incredulous, shouted:"Then prove it!"
Once more they leapt to attack. Liu Yun let them make a few moves, then seized her chance. Cui Ming's palm struck from the side—she slid aside perfectly, countering with a precise strike.
"Take this!"
A crash—and the black-faced ghost collapsed to the ground. At that instant, Duan Hun struck from behind. Without even looking, Liu Yun spun, her left palm surging forth.
"Take this!"
Another crash—and the white-faced ghost was sent sprawling. Both lay groaning on the ground, utterly baffled. Their once-unassailable art had been seen through and broken with ease.
Just then, the sound of steel slicing air resounded. Two figures landed nearby. A single flash of light—then silence. Wu Tong sheathed his saber in one smooth, unbroken motion, his posture calm and elegant.
Standing tall on the ridge, robes fluttering, Wu Tong's voice rang out like thunder:"An open warrior does not strike from the shadows! A true master does not launch hidden attacks!"
A cold voice answered:"And who might you be?"
The newcomer was the famed Snow Saber King of the Western Regions, Hu Tian—thin, aloof, his face expressionless, pride radiating from his solitude.
Wu Tong replied firmly:"I am Wu Tong, Hall Master of the Loyal Brotherhood."
Hu Tian sneered:"The dead need not speak. Draw your blade!"