"Vast Heavenly Might... descend!"
At this moment, Gu Taiyi hovered in the air, channeling all the gathered celestial and earthly forces into his right palm.
As the palm print rose, all beings passed.
Ye Ming looked up at the divine giant palm descending upon him, carrying the imperial might of the heavens.
To this, he made no move.
He let the giant palm fall.
"Is Old Demon Ye scared senseless! He's not running or blocking!"
"He must be! That palm print is too terrifying. Who can muster the will to resist such power?"
"Alas! Old Demon Ye is likely to perish."
"This is the price of arrogance; he deserves this!"
"Forget it! It's over!"
"..."
Watching the scene unfold on the screen, all viewers, including the vast majority present, believed Ye Ming would perish.
But in the next second, as Gu Taiyi's condensed palm print was about to strike Ye Ming, a bizarre scene occurred.
"Disperse!"
A voice that resonated through the heavens suddenly appeared in the air. With rolling sonic waves, it directly suppressed the golden palm print.
Moments later, the palm print began to crack and dissipate.
After a gentle breeze, no trace remained.
This all happened in less than three seconds.
Gu Taiyi's strike, which had gathered the might of heaven and earth, was so easily neutralized.
Almost no one understood what had happened.
Including Gu Taiyi himself, he was bewildered.
"How... how is this possible!"
He stared at the young man before him, who remained as calm as ever, his mind a blank slate.
This blow!
It was far from ordinary!
"Wha... what happened! How did the giant palm disappear?"
"Did President Gu hold back, not intending to kill Old Demon Ye!"
"No... that's not right! Look at President Gu's expression, it's..."
"Damn it! Could Old Demon Ye really be stronger than President Gu!"
"Nonsense! You're spouting lies! President Gu is the foremost master of ancient martial arts, Old Demon Ye must have used sorcery, that's for sure!"
"..."
Such a result was not only unacceptable to Gu Taiyi but also incomprehensible to all the spectators.
It was truly... too bizarre.
"Brother Ming is so cool!"
Yan Yinluo's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the handsome figure on the screen.
"Isn't that obvious? Would the man our sisters chose be subpar?" Nangong Qianyu said proudly.
"I wonder who was worrying so much earlier and didn't dare to watch!" Ji Hongying chuckled, her lips pursed.
"I... I just didn't want to see Ye Ming act too harshly and the scene be too bloody! It wasn't what you thought!"
To this, Miss Qianyu vehemently defended herself.
Du Yuemian smiled and said nothing.
Her gaze never left the screen, starlight swirling in her eyes, akin to constellations.
...
"President Gu! You still have two chances!"
Ye Ming spoke to the somewhat dazed elder not far away, his expression unchanged.
It seemed he had not even registered what had just happened.
To him, it was insignificant.
"Ye Ming! It seems what those people said is true; we are not of the same kind!" Gu Taiyi, after a brief period of turmoil, gradually calmed down.
Those people?
Who was he referring to?
"Oh! It seems you know quite a bit!"
Regarding the "those people" Gu Taiyi mentioned, Ye Ming seemed to have a guess and smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, the recent actions of the Ancient Martial Arts Association were not decided by you!"
"Come, let me see if the strength those people have given you can surprise me even slightly!"
Ye Ming extended his hand again, signaling Gu Taiyi to attack.
Before this battle began, he had already surmised.
He was not facing Gu Taiyi alone, but an unknown force.
And Gu Taiyi was merely a figurehead pushed to the forefront.
Therefore, he wanted to see the extent of what the people behind Gu Taiyi could achieve.
"Very well! As you wish!"
Gu Taiyi waved his large hand, pointed to the sky, and roared, "Come!"
As his voice fell, golden light emanated from his fingertips, floating in the void.
Then, a dark gleam streaked across the air, and an ancient sword, completely shrouded in black energy, appeared beside Gu Taiyi.
"Hmm?"
Ye Ming's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at the ancient sword.
He felt an ominous presence emanating from the energy entwined around the sword, and a sense of familiarity.
This was rather strange.
"Where have I seen this before?"
Ye Ming racked his brain.
Staring at the ominous energy, Ye Ming's pupils suddenly widened; he remembered.
"Du Guidao's wound!"
That's right!
It was when he was removing the hidden injuries for Du Guidao that he had seen such an ominous aura.
And the source of this ominous aura came from – the battle at Tianshou.
This meant that the ancient sword in Gu Taiyi's hand likely originated from the Tianshou region.
Calculating the time, he recalled Zhong Wuhen mentioning the reappearance of the Enlightenment Bodhi Tree in Tianshou, which seemed to be imminent.
The day after tomorrow was the date mentioned in the news.
Was this... a coincidence?
...
"President Gu! Using such an evil sword will do you no good!" Ye Ming smiled and said, "Why don't you let me help you purify it?"
Purify?
Since when was Young Master Ye so benevolent?
"You don't need to worry about that!"
Gu Taiyi gripped the ancient sword, his face instantly turning somewhat ferocious, with parts of it even contorting. Yet, his eyes remained clear.
"Fight!"
With a roar, Gu Taiyi vanished from his spot, merging with the surrounding air. However, such a technique was, in Ye Ming's eyes, no different from being in the open.
Bang!
To Ye Ming's left, Gu Taiyi lunged with his sword. Accompanied by a black sword energy, wherever it passed, the air decayed, and space began to warp.
"Useless!"
Ye Ming used his finger as a blade, slicing through the air. That black sword energy was directly erased.
But immediately after, Gu Taiyi attacked from above, swinging his sword down violently.
Clang!
With a metallic clang, Ye Ming's finger directly met the black sword. Where they clashed, space seemed to tear apart, creating a visible vacuum.
Bang!
Failing with one strike, Gu Taiyi renewed his assault, his position shifting instantly. He disappeared from the air once more and attacked from behind Ye Ming.
Thus, Ye Ming, with his finger as a blade, engaged in a fierce aerial battle with Gu Taiyi. Their figures constantly shifted, and the energy scattered in the air exploded like dark thunder.
Muffled!
Oppressive!
Simultaneously, it made the onlookers' blood boil.
Watching the figures clashing back and forth in the air, their fists clenched involuntarily.
Although such a battle defied their understanding of the world, it did not hinder the burning passion in their hearts.
At this moment, the vast majority had not yet realized. A seed had been planted in their hearts.
A seed named "Heart of the Strong."