Be a proper Taoist priest in The Condor Heroes

Chapter 78 Fierce Battle in the Dilapidated Temple

Ouyang Feng smashed through the dilapidated temple door, splintering wood as the sinister internal energy of his Toad Stance reached its peak. Like a raging beast, he charged straight at Su Yan. Seeing this, Su Yan no longer concealed himself. He shielded Su Ye behind him, his sword intent receding. He raised his hand to indicate that he meant no harm, stepped forward, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Senior, please calm down. I am not a thief, but Su Yan, a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect."

Su Yan spoke calmly, attempting to untangle the complexities.

"This boy's name is Liu Jingyuan. He is a complete stranger to you, senior, and is not your son. You..."

He had intended to reason with the insane Ouyang Feng and make him see reality, but the words "Quanzhen Sect" were like a poisonous thorn piercing Ouyang Feng's heart.

The old man's originally cloudy eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, and his mad mind was instantly overwhelmed by years of hatred. He stared intently at Su Yan, his body trembling violently, and he let out a shrill roar, completely ignoring any explanation.

"Wang Chongyang! You are Wang Chongyang!"

Ouyang Feng's beard and hair stood on end, making him look like a madman. His obsession with being trapped on Mount Hua for decades and defeated by Wang Chongyang had completely erupted.

"You stole my Nine Yin Manual, I'll kill you!"

Before he finished speaking, Ouyang Feng bent his knees slightly and lowered his body, arching his back like a toad gathering strength. He flipped both palms and unleashed the peak power of the Toad Skill!

The palm strike, carrying a chilling poison and unparalleled internal force, slammed into Su Yan's chest. The air was compressed by the palm force, causing it to explode. The venomous energy wave swept around, even causing the weeds on the ground to wither instantly.

Su Yan's expression hardened, and his footwork changed swiftly. His figure floated out diagonally like a willow catkin, and at the same time, his right palm thrust out, effortlessly executing the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top Palm Technique.

Once this palm technique is mastered, its power reaches an astonishing level, yet it always contains the force within the palm. It appears to be wielded with ease, but in reality, the loss of internal energy is minimal.

What's even more amazing is that the moment the palm strike is delivered, it transforms into an extremely condensed force that penetrates directly into the enemy's body. In addition, it can also form layers upon layers of residual force in the opponent's meridians, like waves crashing on the shore, continuous and unending.

This exquisite application, though said to be something Su Yan comprehended on his own, was actually something he was able to achieve with the help of the system after mastering the palm technique. Looking at the Quanzhen Sect, only the sect leader, Master Uncle Ma Yu, had mastered the palm technique, but even Ma Yu had never comprehended such a way of channeling energy.

With a muffled "boom," the powerful force of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top Palm accurately struck Ouyang Feng's Toad Palm. Su Yan took the opportunity to step back half a step to dissipate the remaining force, feeling only a slight numbness in his palm. Meanwhile, Ouyang Feng's body was already entangled by the residual force, and his body swayed involuntarily.

He secretly praised it in his heart.

"The aftereffects of this palm technique are indeed extraordinary; even when directly confronting the Toad Stance, it doesn't suffer a disadvantage."

Before he could regain his footing, Ouyang Feng had already closed in, his right hand suddenly changing from a fist to a claw, his moves suddenly becoming cunning and subtle, the Serpent Fist technique like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, winding its way towards Su Yan's vulnerable ribs.

Su Yan remained calm and composed, his left fist condensing into frost, and he instantly unleashed the Frost-Treading Ice-Breaking Fist Technique.

This fist's chilling power is entirely contained within the fist's tip, preventing unnecessary leakage and self-inflicted damage. Furthermore, upon striking the opponent, it allows the biting cold energy to penetrate the body through the meridians, hindering the opponent's internal energy circulation.

With a crisp clang, fists and claws clashed, and a chilling force instantly spread through Ouyang Feng's meridians, causing his movements to falter slightly. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Yan spun around, his right palm changing again, and the Heart-Shattering Palm was silently unleashed.

This palm technique is extremely refined. The palm force appears gentle, yet it can penetrate layers of protective internal energy and strike directly at the internal organs. Moreover, it leaves a hidden force in the body after the strike, which will cause shock damage later, making it impossible for the opponent to defend against.

This is the wonderful application of "penetrating the internal organs with force and causing injury with hidden force".

Ouyang Feng realized something was wrong and hurriedly gathered his energy to parry with his palm. He hastily used his Toad Stance internal energy to protect himself. With a muffled "bang," the force of the Heart-Shattering Palm made his blood surge and he staggered back two steps.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Su Yan leaped up, his internal energy surging, and unleashed the Great Subduing Demon Fist.

This fist is incredibly powerful, yet unlike ordinary powerful martial arts, it does not consume a lot of energy. The fist's power also carries its own blood and qi, which is specifically designed to counter insidious and strange martial arts. In addition to its power, it is also condensed and profound.

"You mad thief, stop your insolence!"

Before Su Yan's shout had even finished, the wind from the punch had already arrived. Ouyang Feng roared and pushed forward with both palms to meet the fierce punch head-on. The ground beneath his feet instantly cracked in several places.

After more than a hundred rounds of fierce fighting, Su Yan became increasingly composed.

He discovered that although Ouyang Feng was insane, his moves contained profound martial arts principles. The Toad Stance was powerful, the Snake Fist was unpredictable, and the Bone-Piercing Acupoint Strike was insidious and seamlessly connected. However, his power was always somewhat sluggish when he was insane.

Su Yan no longer passively defended, but instead flexibly switched his skills according to the opponent's moves.

He wielded all kinds of martial arts with ease, which allowed him to remain undeterred even in prolonged battles, and his every move directly targeted Ouyang Feng's weaknesses.

During the battle, Su Yan gradually gained some insights.

"Martial arts have no boundaries. There is no need to be bound by a single move. Only by adapting to the situation in battle can you unleash its full power."

This realization made his moves flow more smoothly and his internal energy circulation more precise. The awkwardness he felt when he first broke through to the Five Greats gradually faded away.

Suddenly, Ouyang Feng roared, his palms surging with poisonous energy, pushing his Toad Stance to its limit, aiming to defeat his enemy in one strike. Su Yan's eyes sharpened; instead of retreating, he advanced, his right hand forming a claw, unleashing the Crushing Divine Claw!

This perfected claw technique is the most unique. Not only is it extremely powerful, but it also consumes very little energy, far surpassing other martial arts of the same level. Moreover, its claw force is as condensed as steel, capable of breaking through armor and defenses. After a strike, it can create a tearing force, making the wound difficult to heal.

His Nine Yin White Bone Claw, which he had mastered, was completely different from the insidious and vicious Nine Yin White Bone Claw, even though they came from the same source.

However, the Black and White Duo only had a superficial understanding of the Taoist terminology in martial arts classics, and they managed to distort a righteous martial art beyond recognition, turning it into an evil skill that was neither human nor ghost.

Take the phrase "destroy the enemy's head" from classical texts, for example. It originally meant to break the enemy's core momentum, crack their martial arts techniques, or strike the key to the opponent's moves. It emphasizes "using righteousness to defeat evil and using force to subdue people."

However, the Black and White Duo only grasped the literal meaning and misinterpreted it as targeting the enemy's head. When practicing, they even used living people's skulls to train their claws. Their claw strikes were filled with a bone-corroding corpse aura and a chilling poisonous force. Every move was cunning and ruthless, and they used despicable methods of sneak attacks and ambushes.

In contrast, Su Yan's Destructive Divine Claw was perfected through righteous practice, without a trace of sinister intent.

He doesn't resort to sneak attacks or underhanded tactics; he breaks through defenses head-on with his powerful and domineering claw strikes. His claw techniques are expansive yet incredibly precise. Every move is upright and honest, relying on the refinement of his own internal energy and the exquisiteness of his techniques, rather than the aid of evil or crooked methods.

Both are about defeating enemies, but the Nine Yin White Bone Claw relies on its insidious and unpredictable nature to make it impossible to defend against, while the Destroying Divine Claw relies on its upright strength and skill to subdue the opponent. This is the most fundamental difference between righteous martial arts and evil paths.

Su Yan had heard of the evil deeds of the Black and White Duo before. Now, as he unleashed the Destroying Divine Claw, he could better understand the principle of martial arts cultivation: "The distinction between good and evil lies in the heart, but even more so in the actions."

The same claw technique can lead to completely different outcomes with just a slight difference in mindset.

With a "whoosh," the claw's force tore through the air, directly ripping apart Ouyang Feng's protective internal energy, and aimed at the opening on his shoulder. Ouyang Feng hadn't expected the claw technique to be so fierce and righteous. In his haste to dodge, he was still struck on the shoulder by the claw's force. His clothes instantly ripped apart, and a deep, bone-revealing wound opened up in his flesh, with blood splattering everywhere.

Su Yan used the momentum to create distance, his breathing remaining steady. He could clearly feel his progress; the progress of various martial arts skills on the panel was also increasing at an extremely rapid pace.

From initially being cautious and tentative in the face of the veteran Five Greats, to now being able to switch martial arts flexibly, accurately seize weaknesses, and even integrate the true essence of martial arts in battle, this is the harvest brought by this fierce battle.

Su Yan was secretly delighted, and at the same time became more and more at ease, staring sharply at Ouyang Feng, waiting for the next opportunity to counterattack.

The dilapidated temple teetered on the brink of collapse under the combined impact of the two men's immense internal energy, with the sound of rotten wood breaking incessantly. A peak duel had entered its most intense phase.