Chapter 18: Shattering the Heavens with a Single Fist

A figure clad in black, wearing a mask adorned with intricate, multicolored patterns, was intercepted by an official from the Immortal-Seeking Palace. The recent thunderous blast had been caused by the masked man, who, from five hundred paces away, condensed his vital energy to wield his blade in an assault aimed at the carriage where Ning Yutan resided—only to be intercepted midway by an official concealed among the armored guards.

"Kill!" Failing in his initial strike, the masked man uttered no further word. With a single wave of his hand, he issued a hoarse command.

In that instant, nearly a hundred masked figures surged forth from behind him, charging into the ranks of the escorting guards.

"How dare you, as a mere novice of the Vital Blood Realm, attempt to assassinate an immortal candidate? Who gave you such audacity?" The official, scanning the oncoming masked assailants, let out a cold snort. His own vital energy emanated like sand and mist, bursting forth as he led the charge toward their leader.

He was, in fact, a master of the Vital Blood Realm!

Though the assailants numbered fewer than a hundred, each was at least a Bone-Refining expert, led by a newly initiated master of the Vital Blood Realm. The armored guards at the front, matched against these masked foes, were quickly forced back—the House's guards specialized more in skin-hardening and muscle-forging than in advanced martial arts.

It was no small matter for the enemy to gather so many Bone-Refining experts.

Only when the formation shifted, and the elite guards from the Immortal-Seeking Academy and Palace—those who had undergone blood replacement and marrow cleansing—each engaged their corresponding adversaries, and nearly ten armored guards confronted each masked man, did they finally stem the tide.

Yet before relief could settle, a powerful aura suddenly pressed in, overwhelming in its intensity.

Another master was approaching!

"How dare you!" The Duke Protector and the chief official leapt into the air, positioning themselves above Ning Yutan's carriage.

"Boom!" In a flash, a streak of crimson light shot forth. The Duke Protector and the official's faces paled as their vital energy roared.

Even their combined defenses, layered together, collapsed instantly upon contact with the crimson beam.

"A grand master whose vital blood flows like a dragon bullies two juniors—is there no shame?" At the critical moment, to everyone's surprise, a flash of radiance came from below—the elderly coachman atop the lead carriage slowly rose to his feet.

"Uncle Chen! We're counting on you," the Duke Protector exhaled deeply, hastily retreating behind the old coachman.

"The legend is true!"

"Could it be that the old coachman is the Duke’s lifelong confidant, a figure listed among the grand masters?"

"What a deep disguise!"

In an instant, those nearby were filled with awe and reverence as they gazed at the old coachman.

Beside Li Ji'an, Ning Sujin was utterly stunned. It was this old coachman who had fetched her from the Su family years ago. Some had once claimed that the House showed her little regard, sending only a coachman to receive her. Now, with Uncle Chen himself sent, it was in fact the highest honor the House could bestow.

Her gaze fell again upon her father, Ning Haichan, and Ning Sujin was moved. A thread of resentment, never too deep, dissipated in her heart.

Arriving at the House at age ten, she had sought to enter the immortal realm to find her brother, striving for the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Yet she lost to her younger sister, Ning Yutan.

A trace of discontent lingered.

But ultimately, Ning Yutan's potential and achievements vindicated the Duke's original decision.

She, too, had long since set aside her initial grievances, retaining only a habitual, symbolic rivalry with Ning Yutan.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The opposition, undeterred by Uncle Chen's sudden intervention, launched successive attacks, each aimed directly at the carriage behind him.

Uncle Chen rose into the air, his vital energy forming a shield that absorbed every deadly strike.

"Hmph!" The opposing grand master, his vital blood surging like a dragon, snorted coldly, amplifying his energy by threefold. In an instant, a gigantic blood-red dragon, ten fathoms long, came crashing down.

Uncle Chen grew solemn, no longer daring to hold back. He unleashed his full strength—a golden dragon surged forth to confront the assault.

Yet, it was clear that Uncle Chen’s golden dragon was smaller than the opponent's blood-red beast.

With a thunderous crash, the two dragons collided. The golden one lasted only three breaths before dissolving into dust, while the blood-red dragon still had strength to strike the carriage.

A look of shock crossed Uncle Chen’s face. Without hesitation, his hands shifted, and he unleashed a punch: "Heaven-Shattering Fist!"

Boom!

The golden fist shattered the blood-red dragon, its residual force driving the masked men back.

"Heaven-Shattering Fist—Chen Xiaosheng!" For the first time, the masked man spoke, his aged, rasping voice tinged with surprise.

At his exclamation, many below were shaken anew.

"What? The old coachman is Chen Xiaosheng, wielder of the Heaven-Shattering Fist?"

"Thirty years ago, he challenged the Grand Master rankings from West Mountain, ultimately claiming the twenty-eighth spot as a grand master of vital blood flowing like a dragon!"

"Twenty years ago, he vanished without a trace. Who would have thought he laid aside his world-shaking fame to become a coachman for the House?"

Especially the House’s elders—now all stared at Chen Xiaosheng in shock. Some felt a chill, others were uneasy, recalling whether they had ever treated him with disrespect.

"Chen Xiaosheng! He truly is the mighty grand master who once shook the world!" Ning Sujin was even more taken aback.

Raised in a family of Vital Blood Masters, she understood better than most the significance of being a grand master whose vital blood flowed like a dragon.

Her maternal grandfather, merely ranked in the top fifty, could establish a family, attain noble status, and govern a province—like an emperor of the land.

Chen Xiaosheng’s fame once surpassed her grandfather’s!

Especially his Heaven-Shattering Fist—fierce and relentless—even those of equal vital blood found its edge difficult to withstand.

It was rumored that some had tried to rank his Heaven-Shattering Fist among the top ten martial arts in the world, but the attempt failed because he refused to offer his technique to the imperial court.

"Heaven-Shattering Fist!" Li Ji'an felt a surge of excitement.

Of all the martial arts rankings in this realm, he was most fascinated by the martial arts list.

After all, vital blood power alone was not enough—without superior martial arts to condense and wield it, one could not realize its full potential.

Moments ago, as Chen Xiaosheng battled his opponent, his initial display was merely the force of his own vital blood—powerful, but not at its peak. Only when martial techniques were employed to refine and channel that energy did his true strength emerge.

The quality of a martial art lay in how much vital blood it could mobilize. Inferior techniques could condense thirty percent at most; superior ones could reach fifty percent; the ranked martial arts could often refine seventy or eighty percent, even ninety percent.

It was speculated that Chen Xiaosheng’s Heaven-Shattering Fist could possibly refine ninety percent.

At equal vital blood levels and strength, the higher the quality of the martial art, the greater the combat power.

In this world, if one failed to become an immortal candidate by age thirty, one must master superior martial arts.

"If you know my name, why have you not yet retreated?" Chen Xiaosheng did not press his advantage, instead seeking to end the conflict.

For good reason—his keen eyes recognized that the opponent's true identity was extraordinary, their vital blood stronger than his own. It was likely someone ranked in the top twenty of grand masters. If the opponent unleashed their signature martial art, he might not prevail.

"Heh… ignorant fool. If you withdraw now, I may spare your life," the masked man rasped, laughing, clearly unimpressed.

Chen Xiaosheng lowered his gaze, realizing that today’s outcome must be decided. He spoke no further and launched an all-out attack, fists whipping up a storm.

The opponent did not falter, drawing the longsword from his back. In that instant, fists and sword shadows filled the air.

"The power of the mortal realm is truly terrifying!" Li Ji'an watched the duel between the two grand masters, his heart surging.

Though their battle power could not obliterate the Dao, reverse reincarnation, or move mountains and fill seas, it was enough to inspire Li Ji'an.

It rivaled some of the immortal arts he had seen in other worlds before crossing over.

At the very least, it proved that individual might could stand against the force of thousands.