The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 428 Take action
The young man's palm strike was incredibly swift, fierce, and powerful; the sound of the palm whistling through the air was deafening, as if it were indestructible.

Before the strong winds even reached the treetops, the surging night winds were already making the branches and leaves rustle, as if a sudden rainstorm was imminent.

"Hmm? He can actually unleash a palm strike. Such powerful internal energy!" Zhao Ti, hiding in the treetop, showed a slight look of surprise.

Ordinary martial artists do not release their internal energy to generate palm wind. To injure someone with palm wind, one needs abundant internal energy and the Ren and Du meridians to be open.

If one's internal strength is insufficient, it cannot be forced out of the body; if the Ren and Du meridians are blocked, it cannot be released from the palm.

Unexpectedly, this person was a master. Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows. Although the palm strike was fast, he was still able to easily dodge it.

However, the opponent's palm strike would inevitably break tree branches and cause leaves to fly everywhere. Some tree trunks might even break. After dodging, it would be difficult to find a foothold, and it would be awkward to jump directly off the tree. That would make one appear embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Therefore, he did not want to dodge, and he also wanted to test how powerful his Four Illuminations Divine Skill was externally, and whether it was stronger or weaker than the opponent's palm wind.

With this in mind, Zhao Ti circulated his Four Illuminations Inner Force and raised his palm, unleashing fifty percent of his power to meet the attack.

He did not use his full strength, partly because he was unsure of the power of the divine skill. If it was extremely powerful, he was worried that he might seriously injure or kill his opponents. After all, judging from what the people had said earlier, they were not bandits, but rather seemed to be scions of noble families who had come to Yuzhou to seize treasures. Since he had no grudge against them, it would be bad if he injured them.

However, if one's skill level is equal to or slightly inferior to the opponent's, and one can freely control one's internal energy, then it is fine to add more energy at that time.

At that moment, four colors of light burst forth from the tree canopy, followed by a burst of palm wind that also displayed white, blue, red, and yellow, dazzlingly beautiful under the night sky.

The light instantly met the young man's palm strike, and with a "whoosh," as if the sun were melting snow or oil were melting in a hot pan, the palm strike was immediately overwhelmed, and the four-colored light instantly reached the young man.

Zhao Ti's expression turned serious, and he hurriedly withdrew his strength. He hadn't expected that the Four Illuminations' internal force would be so domineering. Even though the opponent was also a master of projecting internal force, he couldn't withstand even a strike with half of his own strength.

Even if you stop, you can't take it all back. In the end, you only manage to take back about 30 or 40%, and the remaining 10% or so still crashes forward.

"Ah..." At this moment, the young man shouted, and then raised his other hand, seemingly using all his strength to slap it outward.

Then a loud "bang" was heard. The four-colored palm winds were not blocked at all and crashed directly into the man. The man let out a miserable groan, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body fell backward like a kite with a broken string.

"Brother Liu, you..." The woman in black exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly turned around to save him. The man was sent flying seven or eight feet away. He lost his balance and sat down on the ground with a thud. His veil was torn open, his face was pale, and his expression was full of horror.

"Four Illuminations Divine Skill, you, who are you?" Blood trickled from the corner of the man's mouth as he stared at the large tree in front of him, his body trembling uncontrollably, clearly seriously injured.

Zhao Ti, hidden within the tree canopy, was astonished. He hadn't expected the divine skill to be so powerful, striking his opponent into such a state with only a little over ten percent of its power.

The opponent was able to project his internal energy, clearly a master, yet he was utterly helpless against my palm.

But then he thought again, once the Four Illuminations Divine Skill is mastered, one’s internal strength is comparable to that of a top master. He has been practicing diligently every day and has already surpassed the intermediate level, heading towards the ultimate level. Although he only uses a small amount of his power, how could his opponent possibly defeat him?

As he finished reciting this, he leaped upwards, his inner force breaking through the branches and leaves of the trees, shooting into the sky, and then landed steadily on the treetop, looking down.

"The Four Illuminations Divine Skill?" Upon hearing this, the woman in black looked back at the large tree. "The Yang family's Four Illuminations Divine Skill?"

"It's the Yang family..." the man said weakly. At this moment, the old man also arrived, took out a pill and put it into the man's mouth, saying, "Miss, this person's Four Illuminations Divine Skill has surpassed the intermediate level, making him a top-level master!"

"A top-tier master?" the woman in black said. "I've always heard that this kind of martial art is divided into four levels, and only those at the intermediate level can unleash its full power. It's a powerful technique that accumulates strength before being released, but I never expected to see it today..."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Ti leaped up from the tree and stood atop the treetop. A ray of moonlight shone down, and his scholar's robe was as white as snow, making him look like a celestial being.

The woman was slightly taken aback upon seeing this, then her eyes flickered, revealing a thoughtful expression behind her veil.

The old man beside her frowned: "Miss, this person doesn't seem to be very old..."

The woman remained silent upon hearing this, staring intently at Zhao Ti atop the tree, seemingly trying to guess his origins and identity.

It was obvious that the other party was not from the prestigious Qin family, as she and the old man had previously speculated. People from the Qin family would not possess the Four Illuminations Divine Skill.

The Four Illuminations Divine Skill is one of the core martial arts of the Yang family. Even members of the Yang family do not all know it; only the elite disciples of the Yang family are taught it.

Zhao Ti looked at the woman in black from the treetop, reached out and took off the cloth bag on his back. Now that he had already tested his internal strength, he might as well try his swordsmanship. It wouldn't be right to leave this trip in vain.

"Are you a member of the Yang family of Huazhou... or a member of the royal family?" the woman in black suddenly asked.

Zhao Ti was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but then understood. The royal family originated from the Yang family. Although it was possible that the founding emperor did not receive this skill initially, after he unified the country and ascended the throne, the Yang family must have presented this skill to the royal family and passed it on.

But he doesn't belong to any particular family; he's a member of the Zhao family. The martial arts technique was given to him by Yang Jian, but he doesn't know why Yang Jian gave him such an important martial art from the Yang family.

Seeing that Zhao Ti remained silent, the woman in black continued, "In this treasure hunt in Yuzhou, we are all outsiders. Even if you are a member of the royal family, under the current circumstances, you should be dealing with the Qin family of the prefecture. Why did you follow behind me and injure the Liu family members of Hezhou?"

The Liu family of Hezhou? The Liu family, one of the eight great families in the world? Zhao Ti glanced at the young man on the ground who had fallen into a deep sleep after taking the medicine for his injuries, and shook his head slightly.

He didn't want to explain any of this, and he didn't even want to open his mouth or make a sound. This was different from going to a martial arts school to challenge them, where it was difficult to leave any trouble behind. But it was hard to say in front of aristocratic families, since they were very powerful. He didn't want to expose his identity, so it was better to be cautious.

Since the man was from the Liu family of Hezhou, the woman in black must also be from a prominent family, though it's unclear which one.

Upon realizing this, Zhao Ti did not respond. He shook the cloth bag open, revealing an iron sword in his hand. He then charged downwards like a shooting star, aiming directly at the woman in black.

"Miss, be careful!" The old man suddenly appeared, a curved knife in his hand, and stood in front of the woman in black.

Zhao Ti's sword light shone with a watercolor hue, and a peach blossom faintly appeared. The old man let out a roar, and his curved blade, as crescent-shaped as a moon, actually blocked the first move of the Peach Blossom Sword Technique.

Hmm? Zhao Ti couldn't help but feel pleased. It seemed that the other party was not a fraud like Lin Meng, but had real skills.

He then unleashed his second and third moves with a swift "whoosh," and the old man immediately broke out in a sweat, struggling to stay afloat.

Upon seeing this, the woman in black let out a clear whistle: "Don't be so arrogant, I'll fight you!"

(End of this chapter)