Chapter Ninety-Three: The Sage’s Boundless Finger

“No, no. This matter has indeed put me in a difficult position, so for the moment I do not know how I should decide.” Chen Ping shook his head and said.

“Since Brother Chen is unwilling to take part in this, then very well, I shall shoulder it myself. Brother, why not have a contest between us? So long as you can defeat me, then everything Wang Hai left behind is yours to take. But if you cannot defeat me, then Wang Hai’s belongings must be handed over to Brother Chen and me, so that the two of us may decide what is to be done with them.” Seeing that Chen Ping was speaking evasively, Liao Hui naturally understood that Chen Ping did not wish to clash head-on with Yang Xiao. After all, since Yang Xiao had been able to kill Wang Hai, it was clear that his abilities were by no means ordinary. If they were to oppose him forcefully, perhaps even the two of them together might not be a match for him. But if they joined forces, that would somewhat damage the image of the righteous path. Two men ganging up on one, even if they won, would surely invite ridicule from others. What was more, both of them were at a higher level of cultivation than their opponent. If two fought one, they would truly have no face left before others in the future.

Of course, Liao Hui harbored other intentions as well. He knew full well that Wang Hai was powerful, but since he had not personally witnessed the actual battle between Yang Xiao and Wang Hai, he still had some doubts about whether Yang Xiao had truly killed Wang Hai. Moreover, Yang Xiao’s cultivation was not very high, and was even below his own. How could that possibly make him believe that Yang Xiao really had the ability to slay Wang Hai? Still, to guard against the unexpected, he did not wish to become Yang Xiao’s enemy alone. So when Chen Ping expressed such an ambiguous and neutral stance, Liao Hui had no choice but to propose challenging Yang Xiao by himself. In this way, he would not form a mortal enmity with Yang Xiao, and could also test Yang Xiao’s true skill. If Yang Xiao could really withstand his attack, then letting Yang Xiao leave would not be impossible. But if Yang Xiao could not withstand it, then at that point he would simply have to hand over everything Wang Hai had left behind.

When Yang Xiao saw that both Liao Hui and Chen Ping had made their positions clear, the troubling situation he had feared seemed unlikely to arise for the moment. Still, if Liao Hui and Chen Ping truly intended to join forces against him, then Yang Xiao would have no choice but to find a way to settle the matter. If it really came to that, he feared he would be unable to remain in the central region of the Yao Kingdom, and would have to return to the Giant Spirit Sect, or else travel to another nearby country. After all, if he killed cultivators of the Five Sects, it would surely draw the pursuit of the higher-ranking experts of those sects, and that would be extremely unfavorable to him.

Fortunately, it seemed Liao Hui and Chen Ping were not the sort of utterly vicious men who would stop at nothing. At the very least, they still had some regard for the face of the Five Sects. If they were to seize his possessions by force together, then they would be no different from demonic cultivators.

Since the other side had given him a way down from the high platform, Yang Xiao naturally accepted it. “Very well. Since Brother Liao intends to proceed this way, then I would naturally be honored to learn from you.”

Seeing Liao Hui’s attitude, Chen Ping also chimed in. “Good. This method is excellent. I shall act as the mediator. If Brother Liao wins this contest, then this brother must hand Wang Hai’s belongings over to the two of us for disposal. But if this brother wins, then Wang Hai’s belongings may of course be taken away safely by him. Even if Brother Liao and I were to return and suffer punishment from our master, we would accept it gladly.”

Chen Ping was naturally also making his own calculations. He was not entirely convinced that Yang Xiao had killed Wang Hai, but he also did not dare take too great a risk by truly opposing Yang Xiao. Thus he simply assumed the role of mediator, intending to see whether Yang Xiao or Liao Hui was the stronger, before making his decision. If Liao Hui won, then he could share Wang Hai’s wealth evenly with him. But if Yang Xiao won, then he would simply let Yang Xiao leave. As for the matter of being punished by their sect master, that was pure fabrication. Even if he and Liao Hui returned and reported Wang Hai’s death to their master, their master would probably not care much about the items on Wang Hai’s body. There was no way their master would ask them about Wang Hai’s wealth. Even if he did, they had plenty of excuses to gloss over it. How could they really be punished over such a matter upon returning?

Liao Hui glanced at Chen Ping and naturally understood his intentions as well. It had to be said that Chen Ping truly was an old fox. He wanted Liao Hui to confront Yang Xiao, but when it came time to divide the spoils, he wanted a share too. Still, at this point Liao Hui could not lay everything bare. After all, with Chen Ping watching from the side, he could also be considered a source of support. If he were no match for Yang Xiao and Yang Xiao insisted on killing him, then he would naturally have to rely on Chen Ping’s help. So although Liao Hui would suffer a small loss this time, he could only endure it.

“Since you agree, brother, then take my first move.” As Liao Hui spoke, spiritual energy suddenly surged outward from his body. His way of using spiritual energy was somewhat different from that of other cultivators. Most of the spiritual energy around him gathered directly above his head, finally forming a solemn and elegant saintly figure. Although the face of this image was not especially clear, the aura surrounding it was extraordinary, as though it were the ruler of heaven and earth, standing lofty and proud between the skies and the land.

“Brother Liao Hui’s Sage-Image Qigong is indeed formidable. To have reached such a level is truly eye-opening.” Chen Ping seemed to be deliberately naming Liao Hui’s technique, and perhaps also praising him to the utmost. This only made Liao Hui even more pleased. He nodded at Chen Ping, then began to fully channel his Sage-Image Qigong.

“So this is called Sage-Image Qigong,” Yang Xiao said in sudden realization. “However, this art does bear some resemblance to Giant Spirit Skill. Both condense a huge statue, but the statue formed by Sage-Image Skill is more solemn and grave, like a true sage, whereas the statue formed by Giant Spirit Skill is merely a magnified likeness of the caster. I wonder whether there is any connection between these two qigong arts?”

“Finger of the Boundless Sage!” Liao Hui shouted loudly. Then the saintly statue above his head seemed to come alive in an instant. It extended its right hand, raised its index finger, and pressed it down toward Yang Xiao. The force behind that finger was truly terrifying, so much so that the currents of air around it were instantly reduced to nothing.

It was as though the finger had received some mysterious blessing, surpassing Liao Hui’s own level of strength, as if some real sage truly existed in the dark void, transmitting a portion of energy through space. This energy was indeed not something an ordinary cultivator could resist.

A single strike of qigong from Liao Hui had actually reached such a level, and although the finger appeared to descend slowly, in truth it arrived at Yang Xiao’s head with astonishing speed.

If that finger were to press down, there was no doubt that even if Yang Xiao had cultivated the Ninefold Golden Body, he would still suffer some injuries.