A Daring Escape

With a flick of his body, his feet traced the pattern of the Seven Stars, clearly following the path of the Big Dipper Formation. Zuo Feng’s lightness skill was far inferior to Guo Hao’s, and he couldn’t match the refined footwork derived from that formation. Naturally, he immediately fell into a disadvantage. Guo Hao seized the left-side position and launched a relentless assault, each palm strike aimed at the vital points on Zuo Feng’s left side, forcing him to parry primarily with his left hand and supplement with his right. The advantage of the Great Yin-Yang Hand—dividing yin and yang, using softness to overcome hardness—was severely compromised. Brother Guo’s situation turned favorable instantly.

At that moment, Yang Chun, who had been pressed against the corner, suddenly spoke loudly: “Done. The man has reached the third floor and is heading this way. Old Fourth, how are you?”

I lowered my voice, sounding hoarse: “Make your move!”

As soon as the words left my mouth, Guo Hao twisted his foot again, gaining more distance from Zuo Feng in the left-side position. He raised his palms and struck out with another palm technique—’Regretful Dragon’—a flat, wind-whistling push.

Zuo Feng likely knew this strike was not to be taken lightly. Seeing it coming, he didn’t block head-on. Instead, he suddenly stepped backward diagonally, then flipped both palms and pushed forward with a force that could overturn mountains and seas. He abandoned the inner energy of the Great Yin-Yang Hand and switched to a rigid palm, meeting force with force.

Another thunderous crash echoed. Guo Hao and Zuo Feng each staggered back three or four steps before stabilizing. It seemed Zuo Feng, frustrated by the prolonged fight, had unleashed his full power, intending to settle the contest once and for all.

But Guo Hao’s strike had precisely that purpose. After the palm clash, his body spun like a top, and together with Yang Chun, who had just moved from the corner, they both leaped toward the two windows of the dormitory.

How could Zuo Feng allow them to escape? He twisted his palms and prepared to give chase. But in that instant, Linghu Ruoxu, who had been waiting nearby, let out a clear shout. He grabbed a clothes-drying pole, using it as a sword, and executed the ‘Broken Palm Technique’ of the Nine Swords of Dugu, thrusting toward Zuo Feng’s palms.

The enemy was caught off guard by this sudden substitution. Moreover, after the equal clash with Guo Hao—though neither had won—both had likely suffered minor internal injuries. Now faced with Linghu Ruoxu’s technique, which claimed to break all palm arts, length advantage gave way to sword aura. Zuo Feng’s Songyang Iron Palm was thrown into chaos, and he scrambled awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Guo Hao and Yang Chun had already passed through the window that Linghu Ruoxu had opened earlier, one after the other. The night wind fluttered their clothes. Yang Chun leaped first, somersaulting in midair; Guo Hao followed, positioning himself below. In the void, his palms suddenly flipped upward, rising like a dragon ascending to the sky—the ‘Flying Dragon in the Sky’ from the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms.

His palm force struck precisely against Yang Chun’s soles. Leveraging that immense power, Yang Chun shot upward like an arrow toward the heavens.

If it were anyone else, the recoil from his own palms would have sent him plummeting. But Guo Hao’s ancestor, the great hero Guo Jing, had been taught the ‘Golden Geese Skill’—the ‘Heavenly Ladder’ technique—by Ma Yu, the second department head of the Quanzhen Sect specialization under the Five Absolutes Academy, during his time in the Mongol desert. Guo Hao stacked his left foot over his right, borrowing force to create a circular flow of Taiji, transforming the downward momentum into upward energy. With a midair somersault, he returned through the window, back inside the dormitory. By then, Linghu Ruoxu had just finished his ‘Broken Palm Technique.’ Seizing his success, he withdrew, sidestepping to where I stood and scooping me into his arms.

Zuo Feng barely managed to counter Linghu Ruoxu’s sword technique. Fortunately, the pole had no blade; though it struck his palm, it only caused a sting.

Seeing Linghu Ruoxu retreat and embrace me, Zuo Feng refused to let his prey go. He raised both palms, ignoring the pain in his palm, ready to attack again. But Guo Hao, who had just re-entered, descended from above with the ‘Leaping in the Abyss’ technique, landing from the sky. Zuo Feng had no choice but to turn and block with all his might. Even as the ‘Eleventh Greatest Martial Artist’ with his Songyang Iron Palm at full power, he was forced off balance, staggering back nearly ten steps before steadying himself.

In that moment of distraction, he could not stop Linghu Ruoxu. I felt a tight grip around my waist, my body light, and then he carried me gently out through the window.