Chapter 57: Li Changsheng, Holding Up the Sky with One Hand

I remained silent, my eyelids lowered, gathering strength. In this situation, I could no longer afford to contemplate anything else. First and foremost: survive.

“I’ll return your weapon to you. I’ll fight barehanded, without any magical implements. Even so, you won’t possibly withstand ten moves from me, but at least I’ll grant you a sliver of hope,” Shangguan Qinghong said, and truly had the Blood Fiend Blade handed back to me.

The moment the blade touched my palm, I abruptly raised my eyes; murderous energy surged from my body, and with a resonant hum, the Blood Fiend Blade flashed crimson, slashing directly toward Shangguan Qinghong’s throat.

This attack caught many off guard; nobody expected that, in such dire straits, I would still initiate an assault.

Shangguan Qinghong frowned, making no attempt to dodge. As a mid-tier, peak-level Yin-Yang Master, evading would be an insult to himself.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and formed a seal; a ghostly light flickered in the air. My deadly strike was instantly deflected, grazing his shoulder instead.

As we brushed past each other, my fingers shot out like a spear, lightning-quick, aiming for Shangguan Qinghong’s waist.

The Nether Finger—Yellow Springs Road. Not a pure spell, but a move from the Grand Nether Yin-Yang Arts. Other than blade techniques, finger techniques were what I had practiced the most.

Simple and brutal—a single touch determines life and death.

I hit my target!

But immediately, a massive force rebounded, my finger flooded with pain.

Bang!

Shangguan Qinghong struck my chest with his palm. I felt as if hammered by iron, my organs spasming violently. Blood spewed from my mouth as I was thrown backwards.

Shangguan Qinghong’s expression soured. He admitted his carelessness—he’d actually been hit by my Nether Finger at the waist, now left with a throbbing ache.

“First move,” Shangguan Qinghong announced.

Seeing me stagger upright, he stepped forward, his figure flickering like a phantom. His hands spun in the air, and my body, as if compelled, floated upward.

Boom!

Between his palms, power condensed into a pillar and smashed into my abdomen.

“Second move.”

My body crashed against a wire fence, blood flooding from my nose and mouth.

Damn, it hurt like hell.

My head spun, my body nearly in shambles, yet some unyielding force within drove me to stand.

The moment I was upright, I was sent flying again.

“Third move.” “Fourth move.”

…

“Seventh move.” “Eighth move.”

The whole arena was silent; in many eyes, shock and awe mingled.

I was covered in blood, barely recognizable. Relying on an indescribable instinct for danger, I always managed to avoid fatal spots.

Even so, in my condition, no one should be able to stand—internal organs ruptured, half my ribs broken, face and head smeared with blood.

Now, I lay on the ground, motionless.

Not far away, Huo Sirui watched me with a complex gaze—the man she had once deemed sinister, venomous, despicable, unworthy even of a thousand deaths.

Yet now, her heart trembled.

What manner of man was this? Wounded so terribly, yet rising again and again. Each time, everyone thought he could no longer stand, but he wobbled upright just the same.

His knees and spine seemed forged of steel, unbreakable no matter how great the pressure.

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She was deeply shaken, and felt an odd admiration.

At this moment, she found herself hoping he would stand once more.

My finger twitched, my battered body trembling as I crawled upright yet again.

Huo Sirui pressed a hand to her mouth, unable to explain why she nearly screamed, or why her eyes stung.

On the other side, Director Zhou’s otherwise expressionless hand, folded behind his back, trembled slightly.

“Director Zhou…” the bald man muttered in a low voice.

“Wait a bit longer, just a little longer. He’ll come,” Director Zhou whispered.

Meanwhile, Huo Mingxi suppressed his shock. This man had to die. Just now, he’d felt fear—true fear. If this man lived, he would become the Huo family’s greatest threat. He absolutely could not be allowed to grow stronger.

Coughing violently, Huo Mingxi fixed a piercing stare on Shangguan Qinghong, warning him that the final move must be fatal.

Shangguan Qinghong gritted his teeth, gave a low shout.

His hands formed eighteen seals in an instant, each leaving a lingering afterimage.

“The Eighteenfold King’s Seal—this is the secret guardian seal of the southwestern sect. How did Shangguan Qinghong learn it?”

“The King’s Seal, unmatched in power—eighteen layers stacked, its might is incredible.”

“That Qin fellow is doomed.”

The seals completed, Shangguan Qinghong surged forward, aiming to strike me.

At that moment, Director Zhou’s eyes lifted, and the hand behind his back suddenly glowed with a ghostly light.

“Who dares harm my disciple?” Suddenly, a distant, aged voice thundered across the arena.

Shangguan Qinghong’s charging body froze mid-air, and the Eighteenfold King’s Seal he was about to unleash seemed to halt in place.

Boom!

The seal rebounded, Shangguan Qinghong spat blood and was flung backward, crashing heavily to the ground, his face filled with terror.

Director Zhou relaxed, the glow fading from his hand. A faint smile touched his lips. That old man had finally arrived!

The iron gate was kicked open with a thunderous crash, as if it were paper. An aged, stooped figure appeared, shuffling step by step.

Everyone felt a heavy weight press upon them, hardly daring to breathe. This seemingly ordinary old man exerted a powerful psychological pressure.

“You… you are…” Huo Mingxi pointed at the elder, stunned.

Old Li stepped up to Huo Mingxi and slapped him across the face.

Slap!

The sound was crisp, leaving all present dumbfounded.

“You’re one of the Huo family’s brats? Daring to point a finger at me? Back then, even your grandfather had to show me respect,” Old Li said coldly.

He then looked at my still-standing, barely conscious form, sighed softly, and came over to support me.

“I’m taking him away. Anyone have any objections?” Old Li swept his gaze around. Though his eyes were cloudy, his bearing was imperial.

No one uttered a sound, nor dared to.

“This debt will be left for him to settle himself,” Old Li declared. With a single hand, he lifted me and vanished swiftly from sight.

All remained standing, as if turned to stone.

That was the legendary master Li Changsheng, who once held up the sky with a single hand! They said his core had been crippled…

…

I have no idea how much time passed before I opened my eyes. I found myself naked, soaking in a huge medicinal vat, deep within a natural cave.

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Inside the cave were a stone bed, a stone table and chairs, and various implements hung along the walls.

I checked my body—still aching, but that was good. If I felt nothing, that would be far worse.

I rose, grabbed a robe nearby, and draped it over my shoulders as I walked toward the entrance.

The moment I stepped outside, a refreshing breeze swept over me. The breathtaking scenery left me stunned.

The cave was high atop a mountain; below lay a lush forest, and not far off, a lake like a giant mirror. Water birds dove from the sky to fish.

“You’re awake.” An elderly voice sounded nearby.

I turned to see Old Li carrying a basket, likely filled with freshly picked herbs.

“Old Li, thank you. But who are you, really?” I asked.

Old Li looked at me, laughed heartily, and said, “Doesn’t matter who I am. Just an old man about to return to the earth. Come inside with me.”

I followed him back into the cave. He looked me over and said, “Your injuries are no longer serious. Are you feeling resentful now?”

I was silent for a while, instinctively searching my pocket for cigarettes.

Old Li tossed me a pack; I lit one, the smoke curling around us. I spoke quietly, “I will avenge this.”

“Vengeance for grievances, justice for wrongs—naturally. But how will you do it? The Huo family’s foundation runs deep, ties to both military and political realms. You, a third-tier Yin-Yang Master—how will you get revenge?” Old Li chuckled.

“I won’t remain a third-tier forever. One day, it will happen,” I replied coldly.

“Why not say one day, the Huo family will all die off on their own?” Old Li sneered.

I said nothing, finishing my cigarette in a single drag.

“Are you planning to leave the Ninth Bureau?” Old Li asked.

“Yes. The Ninth Bureau as it is now is unworthy of my service,” I replied.

Old Li suddenly turned toward the cave entrance and called out, “Zhou the rascal, you hear that?”

Director Zhou entered from outside.

My expression chilled. “Director Zhou, you once boasted about the Ninth Bureau like it was heaven, yet I, one of its heroes, was falsely accused and wronged. You watched from the sidelines. Damn you.”

Director Zhou gave a bitter smile. “Qin Feng, it’s complicated.”

“If it’s so complicated, don’t bother. The Ninth Bureau is beyond me,” I said with resentment. This was something I could not let go.

Director Zhou sighed deeply. “Come with me to a place. If you still wish to leave afterward, I’ll say nothing more.”

I glanced at Old Li, who nodded solemnly.

The place Director Zhou spoke of was just beyond the mountain.

I followed him and was stunned. The mountainside was crowded with tombstones.

“These belong to the heroic souls who died serving the Ninth Bureau. Many left only a stone; their bodies were never recovered,” Director Zhou said hoarsely.

I opened my mouth, shocked. So many had died? There was no news of any war. Even if there had been, it should have been soldiers who died, not the special personnel of the Ninth Bureau.

“The Netherworld invades, the apocalypse descends! That’s the slogan shouted by all the major evil cults,” Director Zhou said.

“What does it mean?” I asked.

“It’s the truth. The Wushan Zhangjia Village case, the Xiushan incident—all are deeply linked to the Netherworld. This world is not as peaceful as you imagine. Behind the peace, many have given their lives,” Director Zhou said gravely.

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