Chapter 380: Step by Step Lotus Blooming

As the light blue handprint pressed into the giant handkerchief, a significant indentation clearly formed within it. Zu'an even wondered if Old Mi would be squashed into a meat patty inside. Although he was somewhat suspicious of Old Mi's intentions, they were still somewhat familiar, and he instinctively hoped Old Mi would win. Of course, it would be even better if both were critically injured and unable to move.

To his relief, Old Mi wasn't subdued so quickly. Soon, a bulge appeared from within the handkerchief, indicating he was exchanging palm strikes with Wei Dan inside. Wei Dan frowned, increasing the speed of his hand movements, pressing his palm prints more urgently. At the same time, dense, protruding palm prints also appeared all around the giant handkerchief. It was clear they were exchanging palm strikes through the air.

After a moment, a long fingernail suddenly pierced through the handkerchief. Then, like a sharp knife, it effortlessly cut a large gash in it. Immediately after, a purple lotus bloomed, and the giant handkerchief, unable to contain it any longer, suddenly expanded and then burst into countless fragments with a loud bang.

Old Mi emerged, landing gracefully on the thatched roof of a nearby hut, and said calmly, "My apologies, I accidentally damaged your Star Net Scarf."

Wei Dan shook his head. "It's your skill to escape from within; there's nothing to apologize for. What surprises me more is how much your cultivation has advanced."

Old Mi chuckled, "As I just said, one should look at a scholar with new eyes after three days' absence."

"Is that so? Then I really must see how you've changed," Wei Dan snorted coldly. Then, with a flick of his toe, he leaped towards Old Mi like a zombie. Zu'an noticed his hands stretched straight out in front of him, resembling the Qing Dynasty zombies from movies in his previous life. He wondered what was so formidable about such a clumsy move. However, Old Mi reacted as if facing a great enemy, immediately using his Sunflower Phantasm to dodge to the side. As for the thatched pavilion where he had been standing, Wei Dan's hands hadn't even reached it when the sharp wind that preceded him had already shattered it into pieces.

Zu'an's eyes widened. "They're all superhumans!" he thought.

Wei Dan then touched his toe to a nearby pillar and again charged straight towards Old Mi. Old Mi, using the Sunflower Phantasm movement technique, dodged while seeking an opportunity to counterattack. To Zu'an's great surprise, he had expected the Sunflower Phantasm's evasiveness to naturally hold an advantage against such straightforward attacks. Yet, in reality, Wei Dan consistently moved along the shortest paths and struck at the quickest opportune moments, not only avoiding disadvantage but gaining significant ground. After all, Old Mi's constant darting up, down, left, and right consumed more vital energy.

Sure enough, after some time exchanging blows, Old Mi's speed slowed down slightly. Although it wasn't obvious, Zu'an, being familiar with the Sunflower Phantasm, could clearly perceive it. Zu'an understood that Wei Dan's perception and cultivation level were slightly higher. After all, achieving such precise timing and angles every time would be impossible without a superior cultivation base.

However, he felt a bit strange. Why wasn't Old Mi using "Great Wind" or other techniques from the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra*? The instantaneous movement of "Great Wind" was a level above Wei Dan's linear leaps. If used in conjunction with Sunflower Phantasm, it would likely be Wei Dan who found himself at a disadvantage. Could it be that Old Mi intended to feign weakness first, then unleash a decisive move at a critical moment to catch his opponent off guard?

Just then, the situation in the arena changed again. Wei Dan laughed heartily, "Got you!"

"Heaven-Earth Net Formation!"

He brought his palms together to form a circle, and then a light blue orb, dozens of feet in diameter, formed from shadows in mid-air, encompassing Old Mi. As Wei Dan pressed his hands towards its center, the blue orb visibly shrank. Old Mi was clearly surprised too, and hastily shouted, "Sunflower Finger!"

He extended all ten fingers, continuously pointing in every direction. Where his fingers touched the blue orb, rippling, water-like patterns formed. Yet, his finger force, powerful enough to instantly kill a seventh-rank master, still couldn't pierce this seemingly fragile, soap-bubble-like orb.

Wei Dan smiled slightly. "It's no use. This is a spatial law I've vaguely grasped in recent years. It cannot be broken by worldly power."

"Spatial law?" Zu'an was startled. What level of cultivation did this guy possess? No wonder his zombie-like leap was so formidable earlier. He was actually leveraging spatial laws. Zu'an had wondered why even Sunflower Phantasm was struggling to keep up.

Old Mi also ceased using Sunflower Finger, abruptly turning to face Wei Dan. "No wonder you weren't at all distressed when I broke your Star Net Scarf earlier. Your trump card has already been upgraded."

"Of course," Wei Dan said, cupping his hands towards the east. "Serving the Emperor these years, occasionally receiving a word of guidance from His Majesty, is worth more than a decade of our arduous cultivation. If I hadn't made some progress, how would I dare come looking for you?"

As he spoke, the light blue orb in mid-air grew progressively smaller, and a faint black speck began to collapse in its center. Old Mi could no longer control his body and was gradually drawn towards that black speck.

"A black hole?" Zu'an stared in astonishment, suddenly realizing that many things in this world could no longer be explained by science.

Old Mi repeatedly attempted to use Sunflower Phantasm, but he found that he not only remained stationary but was being pulled backward towards the center. Wei Dan stated gravely, "Little Yingzi, for the sake of our past acquaintance, if you sever your own arms now, I will release you. Otherwise, if you are truly sucked into that black speck, not even His Majesty will be able to save you."

"Sever my own arms?" Old Mi sneered. "I would rather die than surrender."

"Why be so stubborn?" Wei Dan frowned. "As long as you hand over the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra*, you might still have a way out. Why be so impulsive?"

Old Mi laughed heartily. "It's precisely because I know you still need the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra* from me that I have the confidence not to surrender. I don't believe you would actually kill me."

Wei Dan snorted, but he stopped compressing the blue orb. He knew clearly that if Old Mi were truly destroyed by that black speck, the *Phoenix Nirvana Sutra* would be irretrievably lost, and he would have no way to report back to the Emperor. However, his opponent's cultivation was too high. If he released Old Mi directly, the latter would be wary of this move, and it would be difficult to capture him again.

While he hesitated, Old Mi made his move, seizing the moment when the surrounding space temporarily stabilized.

"Lotus Steps!"

He walked step by step through the void, each footstep leaving an imprint, and from each imprint, a beautiful lotus gradually bloomed. Zu'an watched, dumbfounded. Although Old Mi appeared to be a decrepit old man, his aesthetic sense was truly remarkable; every skill he displayed was so beautiful. If a beautiful girl performed it, it would surely be a true "man-reaper."

Not just Zu'an, even Wei Dan was somewhat surprised. "You've also touched the threshold of spatial laws?"

Old Mi smiled slightly, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Clearly, that last move had been beyond his current capabilities, and he was now suffering a backlash. Wei Dan would not miss such an opportunity; with another zombie leap, he appeared right beside him. His hands instantly struck Old Mi multiple times. Despite Old Mi's desperate resistance, Wei Dan still landed three solid palm strikes.

"Pfft!"

Old Mi spurted blood, staining his snow-white mustache red.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Wei Dan tutted. "It seems you still mind your eunuch status, putting on false whiskers even in old age." Wei Dan didn't pursue him, evidently wary of Old Mi fighting like a cornered beast. His opponent was severely wounded, and time was on Wei Dan's side; the longer the fight dragged on, the more blood Old Mi would lose, and the weaker he would become.

"Do you not mind, then? You've got quite a few whiskers pasted on your own mouth," Old Mi retorted, wiping the blood from his mouth. In doing so, he accidentally wiped off some of his false whiskers, and his expression showed a hint of dismay.