Layers of dark cloud accumulated overhead, and rain poured down like a waterfall.

Su Hongli and Su Yi stood in the air, staring each other down from a distance. 

Everyone watched with rapt attention. Although the battle had yet to begin, everyone knew that regardless of who won, today’s duel would enter the annals of history and shake the entire nation.

Kacha!

A dazzling streak of lightning cut through the dark clouds, illuminating the world below. 

Practically simultaneously, Su Hongli took action.

Boom!

His feet carried him through the sky as he threw a punch. Its surging force glittered like gold, like a blazing sun. The curtain of rain burst around it, opening a thousand-foot gap in the downpour.

The imprint of that searing fist force seemed capable of burning the entire world. As the punch descended, it shone with the radiance of the sun, searing beyond limit. Even the Earthly Immortals held their breath.

It was just one punch, but it was nighty and overpowering!

The ordinary martial artists watching from a distance were even more shaken. The sheer majesty of that fist seemed to seize their hearts, plunging them into an abyss of quivering despair. 

Only the elderly Daoist knew it, but this fist was called “Melting Suns”, and it came from the “World Incineration Sutra.”

Su Yi’s gaze remained as calm as ever.

Su Hongli’s strength was beyond expectations. Take that punch as an example—both its majesty and power far surpassed the limits of mortality.

Even the quality of its charm was impressive. The charm of the Dao could be divided into tiers: earth, heaven, and profound. Su Hongli’s was mid profound grade! It far surpassed You Tianhong’s, which was heaven grade at best.

Alas, to Su Yi, who now possessed Five-Colored Spiritual Radiance and who’d fused the five elements into one, such a punch would struggle to threaten him. 

When Melting Suns descended—

Su Yi flicked his fingertip, and stars flashed into being within the curtain of pouring rain. All were a misty, ethereal clear, as innocent as a child!

The entire sky instantly transformed into a dazzling sea of stars!

The Starry Sky Sword Fingers. 

This was an inheritance of demonic body cultivators. When executed, it was like shifting stars; it was utterly murderous and destructive.

Rumble!

Su Yi swept his fingertips, and the stars bore down on the sky, like a blazing meteor shower: vast, grand, and terrifying beyond limit.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

How titanic was the force of Su Hongli’s fist? It could slay an ordinary Earthly Immortal in a single blow.

Yet the power of the sea of stars covered it, instantly stopping its descent. A deafening blast followed, then a dazzling, sweeping burst of seemingly divine light.

In the end, Su Hongli’s attack dispersed into nothingness while it was still one hundred feet away from Su Yi.

There were numerous Earthly Immortals in attendance, but all of them were dumbstruck.

The combatants had used just one attack each, yet the power on display was simply terrifying.

Su Hongli’s fist force was like the sun. One hit could slay an Earthly Immortal.

Yet the stars Su Yi had summoned with casual ease were terrifying beyond limit too. It really seemed as if the starry skies had descended upon them. Each individual star could burst apart with enough power to strike terror into the hearts of Origin Dao cultivators.

But this was only just the beginning! Those were only their opening attacks!

“He actually blocked it!?” You Qingzhi and Su Boning almost dared not believe their eyes. Su Yi has really gotten this strong!?

Even Yue Shichan, Ge Changling and the others felt their hearts surge with emotion.

Just one attack, yet it was even more shocking than when Su Yi slew You Tianhong. When this battle began in earnest, ust how shocking would it be? 

Su Hongli’s expression remained calm. He walked through the air and struck once more. Su Yi had blocked his first attack, but that came as no surprise.

Boom!

He stretched out his body, displaying a peerless fist technique in the sky. Dazzling, stinging flames lit up the sky, evaporating the pouring rain.

One punch after another broke through the sky; Su Hongli was like a god of fire dancing through the heavens. Every attack contained searing, utterly calamitous destructive power. 

It was as if the very skies themselves had caught fire. Currents of flames churned overhead, startling the nearby martial artists, who hurriedly moved further away.

They had to; fist force of this level could easily melt mountains and boil seas!

Yet, a hint of disdain appeared on Su Yi’s lips, and he leaped forth without any further hesitation. 

Kccch!

Dazzling, transparent starlight encircled his fingertip. One casual flick, and stars surged into being and bore down.

When the surging currents of blazing fist force clashed with the dense sea of stars, the entire stretch of heaven and earth seemed to explode. Flames and starlight swept forth; the aftershock alone toppled the nearby buildings, leaving burnt devastation in its wake.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

The battle raged, like deities locked in slaughter. Those watching from further away, the onlookers below the Earthly Immortal level, were so stunned that their minds had gone entirely blank.

With their cultivations, they couldn’t even perceive the subtleties or intricacies of this battle. On the contrary, the sheer majesty of it was terrifying, causing a shock to their minds!

The Earthly Immortals couldn’t remain calm either, and their expressions changed erratically. 

How strong was Su Hongli? His fist controlled the fiery charm of the Dao, and his cultivation was even more terrifying than You Tianhong, a peak Grain Avoidance cultivator. His every move could effortlessly slay others of the same cultivation. 

Yet now, every attack he used, Su Yi broke right through!

“Is it even possible for a Grandmaster to have such power?”

Numerous people sighed in much the same way back on Nine Millet Mountain, when Su Yi fought You Tianhong. However, witnessing Su Yi’s tyrannical might, they still found it hard to believe. Just how had Su Yi accomplished this while still within the confines of mortality?

This level of power overturned the gathered Earthly Immortals' perception of reality!

Rumble~~

Suddenly, Su Yi’s palm chopped down.

The countless stars linked, forming an arc, like a celestial sword. It cut through the air, slashing downward.

How mighty were Su Hongli’s punches? The illusory fists they created were like a river of lava. They were densely packed, filling every inch of sky, and numerous enough to cover heaven and earth. 

Yet now, Su Yi’s attack burst right through them. The fist force burst apart, scattering into a rain of light, which poured down like a waterfall before dispersing completely. It was quite the spectacle.

When he saw this attack approach, Su Hongli’s pupils constricted. He suddenly let out a cold snort, then reached into the air and grabbed.

Whoosh!

A giant, glowing golden hand flew through the air. Vast tongues of searing flame encircled every joint as the hand flew toward the sword of linked starlight.

Boom! The sky crumbled, the earth split, and celestial bodies lost their radiance. The entire battlefield was obscured by fiery haze that spread throughout it.

The crowd was stunned, and exclamations rang out on all sides. 

Only the Earthly Immortals could remain in their original positions. Everyone else had to activate their true essence barriers, and even then they were gradually forced back. In the end, they had no choice but to distance themselves.

Then, the crowd watched in astonishment as the space between the two combatants, a several hundred-foot area, emptied. Soon, it had not so much as a single drop of water; it was like a vacuum.

As for the air around them? It seemed to collapse. Countless rifts formed, spreading and splitting like a giant spider web in the sky. 

The peak experts in attendance keenly picked up on the fact that, although Su Hongli managed to block Su Yi’s attack in the end, the impact had made him stagger. He actually retreated three steps back!

“This…” Even the older experts were startled. Su Hongli has been forced back?

“Su Hongli, don’t tell me that’s all you’ve got?” As Su Yi’s calm voice rang out, the crowd saw him press off the air and leap with unstoppable force. He charged at Su Hongli, sword swinging.

One star after another surged into being, rumbling and bearing down on the sky, all under Su Yi’s control.

This was the true profundity of the Starry Sky Sword Fingers.

This ability was utterly murderous and utterly destructive. Had Su Yi displayed it with the power of his past life, one attack would be enough to obliterate an entire stretch of heaven and earth or smite even the mightiest of foes. 

“Arrogant!” Su Hongli snorted coldly, his eyes flashing like lightning. In an instant, he displayed another mysterious and mighty secret art.

The onlookers watched as he formed hand seals in the air. Instantly, a fist that wasn’t quite a fist and a grip that wasn’t quite a grip condensed, then burst with a thousand feet of golden light.

The Solar Golden Vajra Revolving Seal!

This was a secret technique of the Buddhist path. The technique fused with one’s will and spirit, merging all three into one before connecting with the ambient power of one’s surroundings and beckoning the vast power of destiny. It produced the charm of perfected and grand wisdom. 

“Go!” Su Hongli bellowed. His towering origin energy compressed into this single Buddhist hand seal. An illusory Buddha surged into being, and the faint sound of chanting echoed through the skies. 

Su Hongli now resembled a lofty and noble monk descending from the heavens, with the majesty of a furious golden vajra. He swung at Su Yi with intent to kill!

Seeing this, the Shanglin Temple’s Lonely River was flabbergasted. Su Hongli even cultivates a secret canon of Buddhism?

Boom!

The hand seal flew through the air, shattering the stars with ease as it burst toward Su Yi with unstoppable momentum.

Su Yi didn’t retreat. On the contrary, he advanced, and suddenly pressed down.

A whirlpool of stars surged forth; radiant, dreamlike, clear Dao light at its center. The light formed hazy sword qi, which circulated like mad in the sky.

Bang bang bang!

The Solar Golden Vajra Revolving Seal instantly encountered a terrifying pressure and suppression. As it clashed with the whirlpool, it burst apart, bit by bit, producing a series of shocking explosions. 

Su Hongli furrowed his brow. His clothes fluttered around him, and his aura changed. Nine streaks of sword qi rose into the air, forming a Nine Palaces arrangement as they shot through the skies. 

The Nine Palaces Flying Sword! This was yet another shocking secret technique!

Even the Earthly Immortals were visibly moved despite themselves. Just how many miraculous techniques did Su Hongli have at his disposal?

However, Su Yi merely shook his head, his tone disdainful. “It doesn’t matter how many tricks you have up your sleeve. Unless you use your true trump cards, I’ll just break right through them!” 

As he spoke, he clenched his fist in midair.

Boom!

A stretch of the river of stars shot forth. Su Yi carried it, as if he were an immortal dancing with his whip and urging the stars on. The whip cracked ruthlessly down, and the stars bore down on the skies.

It didn’t matter how Su Hongli changed his tactics. Su Yi simply displayed the profundity of the Starry Skies Sword Fingers, perfectly at ease, breaking through one barrier after another.

When his next hit landed, the Nine Palaces Diagram formed of sword qi burst apart, as if a divine hammer had slammed into it. A series of explosions followed, and the diagram split apart, dispersing as a wave of power. 

The aftermath of Su Yi’s attack sent Su Hongli staggering back. He teetered on his feet and couldn’t help but retreat, cutting a sorry figure.

The Earthly Immortals’ were stunned almost out of their wits.

At the start of the battle, Su Hongli took to the skies and, in the blink of an eye, became an Earthly Immortal. The sheer magnitude of the power he’d displayed was terrifying!

Who would have thought that, when they really started to fight, he’d seize no advantage against the Grandmaster Realm Su Yi at all? On the contrary, he was showing signs of being suppressed!

This was completely beyond the onlookers’ expectations, and they felt utterly shaken.

What is a Nine Palaces Diagram? Basically, it's 3x3 grid, but with applications in Chinese traditional medicine/culture. I don't know very much about it myself, if I'm being honest.

It seems like it's an idea in Chinese traditional medicine. A lot of acupuncturists use the phrase in their business names. Here's an article that goes into it. It's also used in qigong and the Bagua fist and other martial arts. Here's a chapter from a book that goes into more detail.  

As an aside, a "nine palaces grid" in real life is a 3x3 grid used for practicing Chinese characters. As a result, "nine directions grid", or "九宮格", is also the Chinese name for Sudoku, apparently.  It makes sense, as it's... 3x3 grids within a larger 3x3 grid.