Elder Ge gathered his qi and focused his mind, beginning to prepare his killing move. Without a doubt, Elder Ge was genuinely angry this time, so he had no intention of going easy with this exchange.
He might not necessarily unleash a full hundred percent of his power — his absolute trump card — but there was no question this would be a lethal technique.
"Young Master Zhen, think carefully. Fists and feet have no eyes." Elder Ge seemed to be warning Jiang Chen, and threatening him at the same time.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Go ahead."
Jiang Chen quietly circulated his Divine Demon Golden Body. He was now at the ninth level of the Divine Dao, and his Golden Body had long been cultivated to its ultimate state. His physical defenses could withstand a full-force blow even against a ninth-level Divine Dao cultivator, let alone someone like Elder Ge, who was merely an ordinary seventh-level Divine Dao practitioner.
Nothing about Jiang Chen's nonchalant expression escaped Elder Ge's notice, and it infuriated him the most. Gritting his teeth, Elder Ge's body abruptly transformed into a ball of brilliant light. A powerful surge of Divine Dao energy coalesced before his fist, condensing into a phantom shape that hurtled forward like a starving tiger lunging at its prey.
When Han Shuang saw Elder Ge use this particular move, her slender brows furrowed slightly.
Clearly, she was somewhat displeased that Elder Ge would resort to such a devastating technique in what was supposed to be an internal spar.
However, Jiang Chen's expression didn't so much as flicker. When Elder Ge's fist came crashing toward him, Jiang Chen didn't even bother to lift an eyelid.
Elder Ge's fury surged even hotter. As his fist closed in, he added another ounce of force and hammered it down with vicious intent.
At that precise moment, Jiang Chen casually raised one arm. His finger traced a gentle circle in the air, and a golden arc spiraled outward like a vortex, rippling outward ring by ring.
BOOM!
The fist energy slammed into the vortex and was instantly devoured, as though some irresistible force had swallowed it whole. All the tempestuous power of the attack vanished without a trace, consumed clean.
Jiang Chen's finger gently lowered back to his side.
From beginning to end, Jiang Chen hadn't moved a single step. He hadn't even shifted his upper body. He had simply drawn a small golden circle with one finger.
Elder Ge stood frozen in place, his eyes still full of bewilderment. How had his punch seemingly been intercepted and swallowed out of nowhere?
It was as though he had punched into the void — and then, there was simply nothing after that.
Jiang Huan suddenly let out an odd chuckle. "That punch was awfully gentle, Elder Ge. Almost looked like you were going easy on him."
Elder Ge's face flushed even redder. He absolutely had not been holding back. Not only had he not gone easy, he had even added a final burst of power at the end — anyone with eyes could see that.
And yet, despite all of that, he hadn't even managed to land a blow on his opponent. The young man had simply moved a finger and instantly devoured his entire attack.
What kind of terrifying Divine Ability was this?
Elder Ge felt sullen and vexed. His face burned with humiliation as he stood rooted in place, unsure whether to press forward or retreat.
The other short-statured elder wore a look of suspicion as well. He had suspected Elder Ge might have been pulling his punches, but there was clearly no motivation for Elder Ge to do so.
If he genuinely hadn't been holding back, then how could the fight have turned out like this? Could it be that this young man was already powerful enough to destroy an opponent's attack with a single finger?
That seemed utterly impossible as well!
If he possessed such a formidable Divine Ability, how had he ended up joining the Evil Star Sect? With abilities like that, wouldn't he have no trouble finding a place in any of the larger sects?
Could it be that he had taken a fancy to Sect Master Han Shuang? That was even more absurd. No matter how enchanting Young Mistress Han might be, she was ultimately an ill-omened widow whose fiancé had died before the wedding. While one couldn't exactly say she had brought about his death, the auspices were terrible.
So they went back and forth in their minds, and the whole affair struck them as deeply peculiar.