It was clear that through years of dedicated refinement, He Yuzhou’s True Astral was far purer than that of his peers, even if he wasn’t a rare genius like Leng Qianqiu, who cultivated two separate Heart Methods.

He Yuzhou stomped a foot, and his figure flickered as he attacked once more.

BOOM!

The True Astral in Leng Qianqiu’s body surged, pushed to its absolute limit, before gathering entirely in her arm.

WHOOSH—!

She jabbed her finger forward. The True Astral formed a phantom of Golden Thunder that exploded upward, completely disintegrating all of He Yuzhou’s attacks.

"This is!?"

He Yuzhou’s brow furrowed. ’Nine Heavens Profound Thunder Hand!’

That palm strike was like a Thunder Shock splitting the sky. The Gang Qi was so condensed it was almost tangible, carrying the majestic might of heavenly power.

This Palm Technique was one of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s Upper-Grade Martial Arts. Even among Upper-Grade Martial Arts, it was considered formidable, possessing immense power.

There was an unwritten rule in the Jianghu: the more difficult a Martial Art was to cultivate, the greater its power, and the more True Qi and True Astral it required. Exceptions were exceedingly rare.

By merging her two True Astrals, Leng Qianqiu’s power swelled. Her palm whistled forward, Gang Qi imperceptibly coating her five fingers. They erupted with a golden light, seeming as indestructible as rock. She had clearly reached the Realm of ’Momentum,’ catching He Yuzhou completely off guard.

Fortunately, He Yuzhou reacted extremely quickly. The Geng Metal True Gang surged from his body, just barely blocking the fierce strike.

Leng Qianqiu knew this was a golden opportunity. She pressed her advantage, thrusting her five fingers forward in a "Black Tiger Heart Stealing" technique.

However, her "Black Tiger Heart Stealing" was terrifyingly powerful. Infused with Langyue True Astral, her five fingers could tear out a chunk of flesh on contact with a body, or rip open a chest cavity if they struck the torso.

A cold sneer appeared on He Yuzhou’s lips. His Geng Metal True Gang instantly gathered in his arm, coiling like a nimble viper, and in a flash, he gripped Leng Qianqiu’s arm. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

’This is bad—!’

A sudden chill washed over Leng Qianqiu, and her heart nearly leaped out of her mouth. She protected herself with her Cold Ice True Gang while her other hand shot a "Stone into Gold" attack straight for He Yuzhou’s eyes.

This entire exchange happened in the blink of an eye.

He Yuzhou tilted his head, dodging the "Stone into Gold," and viciously kicked his knee forward.

With her wrist held in He Yuzhou’s death grip, Leng Qianqiu knew she couldn’t evade. She immediately formed her fingers into a claw and aimed for his neck.

He Yuzhou, of course, had no intention of trading his life for hers. He quickly grabbed her other arm.

Unexpectedly, Leng Qianqiu executed a "Spiritual Snake Dance" with her arms, breaking free from He Yuzhou’s grasp. Her Gang Qi then surged, and she blasted it forward.

DONG!

Unable to dodge, He Yuzhou also gathered his Gang Qi and struck back.

In that instant, their four palms met. Gang Qi rippled outwards like mountains toppling and seas overturning.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

As the Gang Qi hit the lake’s surface, it set off a series of deafening explosions.

"What powerful Astral Force experts!"

At that moment, all the onlookers were deeply shaken.

The duel between Leng Qianqiu and He Yuzhou was not just a contest of Martial Arts, but also one of wits, hidden techniques, and various strategies.

The slightest mistake would lead to defeat, and the price of defeat would be grievous injury.

When Chen Qing saw Leng Qianqiu merge her two True Astrals, he faintly perceived a profound mystery. They seemed to fuse via some special medium, and he was greatly intrigued.

Gang Qi continued to explode as the two seemed to have reached a stalemate.

BOOM—!

The next moment, a torrent of frenzied energy ravaged the area. It felt as if heaven and earth themselves were shaking violently.

The lake’s water surged violently, as if transforming into a monstrous beast that could swallow the sky.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

Their Gang Qi clashed again. He Yuzhou and Leng Qianqiu both felt a violent tremor in their chests and were forced back several steps. Their qi and blood were clearly churning; they had begun to use their true killing moves.

Leng Qianqiu’s palm trembled slightly, while He Yuzhou’s face had turned a shade paler.

Seeing this, Shi Kaishan raised his voice, "The two of you, please stop! If this fight continues, it will not just determine a winner, but may also decide who lives and who dies!"

Although he would have been happy to see the two sects wear each other down, a fight to the death would be troublesome.

Leng Qianqiu said coldly, "Sect Leader He’s strength is truly an eye-opener."

He Yuzhou also withdrew his True Astral, panting slightly. "Sect Leader Leng is the one who truly hides her strength."

In their hearts, both were thinking the same thing. They hadn’t expected the other’s strength to have increased so much over the years, and neither was completely confident they could secure a victory.

Now that Shi Kaishan had spoken up, they naturally took the opportunity to stop.

There was no need for the two of them to fight to the death over the position of Alliance Leader.

If experts of their caliber were to suffer a grievous injury, it would be an extremely difficult situation to handle. Not only would it be troublesome for them personally, but it would also endanger the safety of their respective sects.

He Yueting took a timely step forward. "Both Sect Leaders are pillars of the Yunlin Martial Arts world. If you continue to fight, not only will it be difficult to determine a victor, but the danger is immense. It will inevitably create an opening for lurking scoundrels to exploit, which would be a misfortune for all of Yunlin Martial Arts."

His gaze swept over Leng Qianqiu and He Yuzhou before he continued, "In my humble opinion, the four sects forming an alliance to resist the Demon Sect is the general trend and the will of the people. This matter absolutely cannot be delayed over who will become the Alliance Leader."

"To resist the Demon Sect, we should stand together as one and present a united front. The alliance doesn’t necessarily need an all-powerful Alliance Leader to be elected immediately. Even if one must be chosen eventually, there’s no need to rush it today. Why not set aside this dispute for now, first establish the pact of alliance, and discuss the details of resisting the Demon Sect? We can revisit the matter of the Alliance Leader later, as the situation develops. What do you say?"

Leng Qianqiu’s expression was frosty. Though she was unwilling to concede, her Cold Jade Valley—the supposed number one sect in all of Yunlin—had seen its prestige blunted twice today. First, a disciple had been defeated, and now, she herself had failed to suppress He Yuzhou with overwhelming force.