Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

The group walked through several streets and alleys and arrived at an abandoned brick kiln site on the edge of the ancient city.

The ground here is uneven and overgrown with weeds. There is no one around, and only the distant shadows of mountains.

Cheng Mo stopped in the center of the open space, turned to face Xia Liuqing, and clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "Grandpa, please."

Xia Liuqing snorted and, without saying a word, swept her right hand in front of her face. A layer of seemingly real yet illusory oil paint flashed across her face, covering it with the blue-faced, bushy-bearded mask of Yuchi Gong.

At the same time, a phantom image of a heavy, black steel whip materialized in his hand, its aura suddenly becoming fierce and powerful.

"Hey! Junior, watch out for the whip!" Xia Liuqing said, his voice surprisingly carrying the tone and charm of a Peking Opera painted-face character.

He strode forward, his steps steady as if wading through mud, his movements sharp and decisive. He swung his steel whip in a wide arc, the sound of it piercing the air like a fierce general on a stage, as it slammed down on Cheng Mo's head.

Cheng Mo stood firmly on his feet, neither dodging nor avoiding the falling steel whip. He twisted his right fist from his waist to generate power and met the whip head-on.

boom!

The fist struck the steel whip's afterimage, producing a deep, muffled thud. Xia Liuqing felt an immense force surge from the whip, causing his arm to ache and his blood to stagnate.

"What tough bones!" Xia Liuqing thought to herself, but her hands did not slow down at all. She took a half step back to adjust herself, and then rushed forward again. She wielded her steel whip, chopping, sweeping, smashing, and hooking with wide and powerful moves. The whistling wind stirred up dust.

However, facing this storm of attacks, Cheng Mo remained as steady as a rock, sidestepping, blocking, stepping, and throwing punches.

Without a single superfluous movement, relying entirely on the ultimate control over every inch of the body's muscles and every bone, he intercepted with the slightest precision. The heavy and fierce force forced Xia Liuqing to frequently change his moves, making it difficult for his offensive to be continuous.

"This guy..." Wang Zhenqiu, standing on the sidelines, put away his playful smile and his eyes became focused.

He thought that his brief encounter with Cheng Mo had given him a general idea of ​​Cheng Mo's abilities, but after witnessing Cheng Mo's fight with Xia Liuqing, he realized how wrong he was.

Cheng Mo's seemingly simple movements contained an almost instinctive and precise judgment of timing, angle, and the release and control of force, which could not be explained simply by his great strength.

"This level of control... it's like a perfectly precise machine."

Wang Zhenqiu was secretly alarmed. His original intention of watching the excitement and learning something from the experience quietly turned into a more serious one.

Xia Liuqing's attacks were unsuccessful, and his breathing gradually became labored.

He gave a low shout, and the light on his face, resembling that of Yuchi Gong, shifted abruptly!

The fierce and powerful aura receded like the tide, replaced by a dense and serene atmosphere, like a vast forest.

The illusory black steel whip in his hand also transformed into a pair of golden maces with a tiled surface, gleaming with a faint golden light—the door god, Qin Shubao!

With the double maces in hand, Xia Liuqing's fighting style changed. It was no longer a matter of brute force and smashing, but rather a more delicate variation of entanglement, twisting, locking, and seizing, attempting to use exquisite skills and meticulous defense to restrain Cheng Mo's brute strength.

Cheng Mo immediately felt the pressure increase. Xia Liuqing's mace technique was smooth and dense, with very little gap in defense, and it also carried a sticky force, making it difficult for him to fully exert his fierce punching power.

But he remained calm, his movements swift and precise, seizing fleeting moments for breathing and power. His speed suddenly increased, his fists, palms, elbows, and knees transforming into a dazzling blur, like a storm, attacking Xia Liuqing from all angles.

"The speed is so fast?!" Wang Zhenqiu's pupils contracted slightly.

He had just been thinking that Cheng Mo was strong and had excellent control, but perhaps his speed and explosiveness were his weaknesses. But what he saw before him completely overturned his guess.

Cheng Mo's explosive bursts and high-speed combos, combined with his terrifying power, created an oppressive atmosphere that was simply suffocating.

"What the hell...where did this monster come from?!"

His desire to seek revenge faded somewhat.

Xia Liuqing was getting on in years, and his physical strength and energy could not keep up with that of a young man in his prime for long. Maintaining the high intensity of martial arts training with the God Mask for a long time would also be a huge burden on his mind.

Under Cheng Mo's almost relentless onslaught, his breathing inevitably became disordered, and the smooth, flowing movements of his double maces began to falter.

It's now!

Cheng Mo shrewdly seized this fleeting opening, his figure moving like a ghost as he closed in again. A short, powerful punch, imbued with all his strength, pierced through the defensive circle of the double maces and landed in the gap between Xia Liuqing's chest and abdomen!

boom!

The mask on Xia Liuqing's face flashed intensely before shattering and dissipating, revealing his original aged face. He flew backward, barely managing to adjust his posture in mid-air before staggering back seven or eight steps after landing and regaining his footing. The illusory images of his twin maces had long since disappeared.

He clutched his chest, gasping for breath, but upon examining his internal organs, he was taken aback—his internal organs had only been shaken, without any real injury. His opponent's thunderous attack had actually stopped at the last moment!

This precise control over fierce power made Xia Liuqing even more alarmed.

He looked up, his gaze filled with surprise and uncertainty as he looked at Cheng Mo. That effortless control, coupled with that physique of cast iron…

Even Ruan Feng, whose physique was incredibly strong back then, was probably far inferior to the monster before him!

"Great!" Xia He clapped and cheered from the side, her pink ponytail bouncing with her movements.

Wang Zhenqiu stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, his usually smiling eyes now gleaming with a sharp light as he scanned back and forth between the still-breathing Xia Liuqing and the composed Cheng Mo.

"That physique, that control... to be able to suppress the ferocious beast in a head-on confrontation, it's beyond just being able to fight; it's practically a humanoid monster."

If he were in good condition, he might be able to maneuver using various methods, but just imagine the feeling of being hit by that kind of fist... Wang Zhenqiu was already experiencing phantom pain.

But his gaze quickly locked onto Xia Liuqing. Cheng Mo's strength was an ultimate power that could be understood but could not be reached; while what Xia Liuqing had just displayed was a mysterious power that made his heart itch with desire.

The moment the person's appearance changes, their temperament, demeanor, and fighting style can completely transform into that of another person, even borrowing some of their traits.

This ingenious method is far more interesting than a pure contest of strength; it's as if it has opened a door to countless possibilities.

He licked his lips, his desire growing stronger. Xia Liuqing's craft was the new path he wanted to embark on.

Cheng Mo stood there, his eyes slightly closed, savoring the exchange he had just had.

Xia Liuqing is indeed old, and compared to Tu Junfang, who is in his prime, he poses far less of a threat.

However, he did come to understand the peculiarity of the divine mask—

When Xia Liuqing wears a mask, his way of speaking, his technique of exerting force, and even the weapons he uses are completely different from his real self.

But the moment the mask shattered, that foreign charm vanished, and Xia Liuqing's energy and spirit clearly declined, turning him back into a tired but robust old man.

Does this suggest that the divine mask is more of a borrowing of imagery than a fundamental change of itself?

Or perhaps my observations are still superficial...

Cheng Mo felt that if he wanted to use this to activate his soul's perception of Qi, he would probably have to change his approach.

He opened his eyes, cupped his hands and bowed to Xia Liuqing: "I'm sorry, Grandpa Xia, I had no choice but to force you to take action in this way. Please forgive me."

Xia Liuqing caught her breath, and her complexion improved somewhat.

Even if you lose the fight, you can't lose your spirit!

He adopted the air of a senior: "Hmph, kid, your life force cultivation is indeed powerful, but don't get too cocky. Your method only focuses on the physical form, neglecting the fundamental nature of life. When you reach my age, you'll be lucky to even stand up on your own!"

Xia He immediately interjected, "It's alright, Grandpa. When the young Taoist priest gets old, I'll support him, and when he's in a wheelchair, I'll push him around the world!"

Cheng Mo: "...Thank you so much."

He turned to Xia Liuqing, his expression slightly helpless and forlorn: "The old man's criticism is correct, but I didn't intentionally only practice life cultivation. It's just that... from childhood to now, I haven't been able to sense even a trace of Qi. I really don't know where to begin with cultivating sexual cultivation."

Upon hearing this, Xia Liuqing's eyes widened suddenly, her deep black pupils filled with disbelief.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"