Charles Harper wanted to go support William Harper, but was stopped by his father Andrew Harper, whose face was grave as he said, “You can’t get involved in their fight.”

A storm raged in his heart. He had traveled far and wide for many years, visited many great sects in the martial world, but had never seen such an evil art.

Suddenly, he recalled a legend he had heard long ago.

It was said that deep within the mountains and the Five Great Peaks, there existed cultivators of immortality, and the martial arts of the mortal world were created by them.

Charles Harper watched as William Harper continuously dodged the golden rays. His footwork and posture stirred complex feelings in him—admiration mixed with frustration.

Since childhood, he had always admired his cousin William Harper, because William Harper knew so much and could always say things that amazed him. Even after years of training away from home, he would often think of this cousin, always feeling that William Harper would grow up to be someone extraordinary. He just never expected William Harper would reach such heights in martial arts.

What frustrated him was not that William Harper was stronger, but that he couldn’t help William Harper.

William Harper swiftly dodged the attacks of the golden rays, drawing ever closer to the man in blue robes. The blue-robed man, seeing that the yellow talismans could not harm William Harper, did not panic; his expression remained cold and stern.

When William Harper was less than eight steps away from the blue-robed man, he hurled his sword.

His strength was immense; at this distance, the sword almost struck the blue-robed man as soon as it left his hand. However, with a clang, the sword was deflected.

A flash of yellow light appeared before William Harper’s eyes. The blue-robed man’s entire body erupted with golden radiance, like a layer of armor, deflecting the sword.

William Harper looked closely and saw the corner of a yellow paper talisman burning on the blue-robed man’s chest, with visible light pouring out and enveloping his whole body.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...

The sound of something slicing through the air rang out as six silver throwing darts whizzed past William Harper’s ear, heading straight for the blue-robed man.

This time, the blue-robed man did not take them head-on, but dodged aside.

Before he landed, he quickly cast a spell, his horsetail whisk swirling as bolts of lightning, like serpents, appeared out of thin air and struck toward William Harper with unstoppable force.

William Harper leapt to dodge. The lightning shattered the silver darts, then crashed to the ground, piercing through it with astonishing destructive power.

He turned his head and saw that Grace Bennett had joined the fight, already closing in on the blue-robed man. She gripped a dagger, engaging him in close combat. Her agility prevented the blue-robed man from shaking her off.

“She’s only been reborn for seven days, yet she already has such skills...” William Harper thought in shock.

Before her rebirth, Grace Bennett had been a frail woman who never left her home, but now her skills surpassed those of ordinary top-tier fighters.

Could it be that Grace Bennett, like him, had secretly trained in martial arts since childhood?

The blue-robed man unleashed another lightning spell. Because the distance was so close and Grace Bennett was not as agile as William Harper, she was struck in the back while dodging. Blood spurted out. She immediately swung her sleeve, scattering a pale green powder that instantly enveloped the blue-robed man.

After falling to the ground, Grace Bennett immediately looked at William Harper.

William Harper understood and, using his Shadowless Step, rushed forward. He raised his palm and struck, surging true energy accompanied by the sound of a dragon’s roar. A dragon-shaped blast of true energy shot out, crashing into the blue-robed man with tremendous force, sending him flying like a kite with a broken string for dozens of meters before he crashed into the ruins.

“Is that... the True Dragon Palm that once made a name for itself in the martial world?”

Andrew Harper’s eyes widened in disbelief as he exclaimed. Beside him, Charles Harper was equally moved.

The True Dragon Palm was not a rare secret art; if one wanted, it could be found for a price. But it was extremely difficult to master, and in today’s martial world, no one had perfected it.

William Harper withdrew his palm and quickly approached Grace Bennett, who was already lying in a pool of blood, looking miserable.

Before William Harper could speak, Grace Bennett propped herself up and pulled a small paper packet from her bosom, her voice trembling: “A martial artist’s true energy can’t kill him. Use my specially made poison—sprinkle it on his wounds, and it will continuously dispel the spiritual power in his body...”

William Harper did not take the poison, but asked, “If he can’t be killed, can he at least be injured?”

Grace Bennett frowned and said, “Of course. He’s just a Qi-nourishing cultivator. It’s just that in my current state, it’s very difficult...”

Boom!

Before she could finish, a deafening explosion sounded from behind, followed by a raging wind.

William Harper squinted to look, and Grace Bennett also turned her head. From the ruins, billowing black smoke emerged, and a black banner rose into the air, surrounded by floating debris and faint ghostly figures.

The black banner soared, and the blue-robed man staggered to his feet. His hair was disheveled, his body covered in blood, his robes in tatters—a sorry sight. The wounds on his body were oozing black blood. He stared fixedly at William Harper, shouting angrily, “Mortal, how dare you injure me!”

After being struck by the True Dragon Palm, he was certain that William Harper was not a cultivator at all, just a martial artist!

To be wounded by a mere martial artist was a great humiliation for the blue-robed man. Burning with rage, he strode forward, the black banner floating above his head, emitting wails and howls of ghosts, plunging the Fang residence into terror under the night.

“That’s the Soul-Burning Banner! Don’t let its ghostly aura touch you, or your mind and soul will be seized and you’ll be at its mercy!”