Upon closer inspection, Great Evil's face changed dramatically. His entire body shuddered, his expression nearly deranged, "This... this is impossible!"
Chen Yu and Chen Ying'er were both somewhat stunned.
By this point, the development of events had completely surpassed their imagination.
Thinking back, City Lord Chu Fengyun never cared about the life or death of the "City Lord's daughter" from beginning to end, which seemed quite reasonable.
"Haha, you don't believe it, do you?"
City Lord Chu Fengyun, with a smug smile, said, "Back in the day, when I found out that the girl was your illegitimate child, I wanted nothing more than to abandon her in the wilderness. But because my wife threatened suicide, I reluctantly kept the girl."
"She... she's really my child and Xuan'er's flesh and blood?"
Great Evil trembled, promptly placing the unconscious "City Lord's daughter" carefully aside.
Chu Fengyun shouted harshly, "Xuan'er is not someone you can call by name! Back then, if it weren't for you, the 'bastard son,' seizing the opportunity to assault Xuan'er while I was away, I wouldn't have been forced to mercilessly strike you, my half-brother."
Great Evil Chu Lifeng, bursting with anger, said, "Xuan'er and I were in love with each other. It was you who forcibly took her away from my side. And your wicked mother tried to poison me, her stepson, several times."
Their direct confrontation left Chen Yu dumbfounded.
The outline of the story became clear.
City Lord Chu Fengyun and Great Evil Chu Lifeng were half-brothers. However, Great Evil Chu Lifeng was an illegitimate child.
The two became mortal enemies due to a woman.
Back then, it was likely City Lord Chu Fengyun, the legitimate son, who prevailed.
But Great Evil Chu Lifeng was unwilling to accept defeat. For years, he wandered, honing peak cultivation techniques, intending to return for revenge.
He captured the City Lord's daughter as a hostage to force Chu Fengyun out.
Chu Fengyun went along with it, enlisting an Organ Refining Stage master to completely eliminate Great Evil, the bastard.
"In any case, I, Chu Fengyun, have done all I can." Chu Fengyun sneered, "Back then, Xuan'er was my fiancée, and I still kept your child. I thought that if you didn't return seeking vengeance, I could ensure this girl's lifetime peace. But if you aimed for revenge, she would be my pawn to counter you!"
"In other words, it's your grudge that harmed your own flesh and blood."
Upon hearing this, Great Evil Chu Lifeng wavered, nearly overcome by rage.
No matter how meticulous his plans, how prepared his trump cards, he ultimately fell short by a step against Chu Fengyun's schemes.
Chen Yu's heart also shivered.
Although Chu Fengyun was not someone from the sect world, his scheming was truly astounding.
At this moment, a team of twenty or thirty guards rushed up the mountain to join the City Lord.
These guards were previously stationed halfway up the mountain, left by Chu Fengyun temporarily for support.
The guards surrounded Chu Fengyun in the center.
"You two young heroes, this villain is at the end of his rope. If you sever his head, you can claim bounties from both the Court and my City Lord Mansion at once."
Chu Fengyun clasped his fists together, addressing Chen Yu and his companion.
Chen Yu rolled his eyes in annoyance. This Chu Fengyun was as skilled as Great Evil yet did not step forward to confront him directly.
By the look of it, this man also wanted to use them as pawns.
"However, having already slain Second Evil and Third Evil, it would be a pity to give up now."
Regarding Great Evil, someone so vicious, Chen Yu felt no pity at all.
"Sister, how many more 'Organ Refining Stage' attacks do you estimate Great Evil can unleash?"
First, they had to gauge the enemy's true depth.
He didn't want to fight Great Evil to exhaustion himself and then let Chu Fengyun reap the benefits.
"Blood Essence Pill, I've heard a little about it." Chen Ying'er said, thoughtfully, "Judging by Great Evil's condition, he's used the Organ Refining Stage attack three times in total; considering the consumption in between, he can manage at most two more Organ Refining Stage-level attacks before his state begins to weaken."
Chen Yu found reassurance. If it were a fully empowered Organ Refining Stage, he would have turned and left.
The two exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, gathered their internal energy, and advanced toward Great Evil.
Although Great Evil was at the end of his rope, he still had two Organ Refining Stage attacks left, and that "Heart-pushing Palm" reached a pinnacle.
"Big fool! Don't be shy about handing over your head."
Chen Yu, battle-ready and fierce, exuded an aura of astonishing evil power, like a massive fierce beast.
With a flash, Chen Yu moved, the Cloud Evil Fist, trained to minor success, carried tyrannical, chilling internal energy, accompanied by sounds of cloud bursts.
Chu Lifeng's expression changed slightly, recognizing the fearsome nature of Chen Yu's punch.
"Cloud Evil Fist" was, after all, a branch of the Yunyue Sect's core cultivation technique, a level much higher than his "Heart-pushing Palm."
"Water Circle Technique!"
At the same time, another graceful figure launched a surging wave-like palm.
Chen Yu and Chen Ying'er opted for a combined attack strategy.
Great Evil still had a woman with him, and no matter how high his cultivation and movement technique, there was no way he could dodge both of their attacks at once.
Great Evil shifted his figure, dodging Chen Yu's strike, while his palm clashed with Chen Ying'er's.
Two palm forces collided; Chen Ying'er let out a dainty cry, retreating a few steps.
Great Evil blurred momentarily, grinning fiercely at Chen Ying'er, "Girl, after being hit by my 'Heart-pushing Palm,' can you still remain unharmed?"
Though he hadn't used the Organ Refining Stage's strength earlier, he had great confidence in his "Heart-pushing Palm."
Chen Ying'er scoffed, "This kind of cultivation technique, which resonates internal energy in a circular manner into the opponent's heart meridian, wouldn't be considered very clever even in the sect world."
She only fell behind in the confrontation earlier mainly because of the difference in cultivation strength.
Great Evil had been cultivating for at least twenty to thirty years, possessing profound internal energy, and the proficiency of "Heart-pushing Palm" was incredibly high.
The "Heart-pushing Palm" was at least a mid-tier martial art, immeasurably powerful when mastered at its peak. Previously, Chen Yu's low-tier martial art, "Iron Plow Fist," when practiced to great success, was extremely impressive.
Therefore, ordinary Meridian Passage Stage fighters were overpowered by Great Evil's single strike, granting him the infamous name "Life-taking Hand."
How is this possible!
Great Evil was shocked, realizing he underestimated these two's origins.
He naturally didn't know that Chen Ying'er was a disciple under the elders' tutelage.
"Old villain, meet your end!"
Chen Ying'er leaped through the air, maneuvering the profound Water Circle Technique, cornering Great Evil.
Great Evil indeed believed it.
Other Meridian Passage fighters, after being hit by his "Heart-pushing Palm," if they forcibly maneuvered their internal energy, would instantly explode and die.
He flickered aside, dodging Chen Ying'er's attack.
"Heart-pushing Palm!"
Great Evil's palm surged with low, muffled internal energy, aiming at Chen Yu.
"Brother Yu, watch out!"
Chen Ying'er cried out in alarm; Great Evil's attack had reached a new level of power.
It was an Organ Refining Stage attack!
Chen Yu felt a deep, weird internal energy already venture into his body ahead of everything else.
He bellowed, his entire body being coated in a layer of bronze metal, swelling in size, and pushing the "Cloud Evil Fist" to its limits.
The evil-permeated "bronze fist" collided head-on with Great Evil's forceful inner energy palm.
A bizarre and potent internal energy circled once and shot into Chen Yu's heart.
Chen Yu grunted, a sharp pain radiating near his heart.
In that moment, he almost spat blood, staggering, then retreating several steps.
"So strong! This is an Organ Refining Stage 'Heart-pushing Palm'..."
Chen Yu's face went pale.
However, at his heart, a heavy, mountain-like beat took place, a strange power flowed to his limbs.
Chen Yu sensed that the power surging into his heart dissipated without a trace.
Of course, there was a slight internal injury, but to his robust body, possessing self-healing capabilities, it was nothing.
"This is impossible!"
Great Evil stared at Chen Yu as if he had seen a ghost.
Struck by his "Heart-pushing Palm," and at the Organ Refining Stage level, yet Chen Yu didn't drop dead with a shattered heart.
Even if Chen Yu had spat blood, Great Evil would feel a little better.
But Chen Yu's face only paled briefly before regaining its color, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Heh, you intended to attack my heart?"
Chen Yu's smile appeared odd.
The strength of his body stemmed from modifications to this heart.
The transformation began with the heart.
Perhaps his heart was the most fortified point on Chen Yu's entire body.
Chen Yu's smile made Great Evil's heart sink; others who encountered his "Heart-pushing Palm" would spit blood and die, yet this guy not only was fine but smiled so weirdly.
Great Evil felt a misconception that this man was not human.
Great Evil's expression drastically changed, blurring as he grabbed the City Lord's daughter and fled down the mountain.
Chen Ying'er tried to stop him but was struck by Great Evil's last "Organ Refining Stage" hit, making her body shiver, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
"Ying'er, are you alright?"
Chen Yu hurriedly supported Chen Ying'er.
Unlike him, Chen Ying'er didn't have such a strong heart. Facing the Meridian Passage "Heart-pushing Palm" was one thing, but the Organ Refining Stage palm force was beyond her.
Great Evil's final attack as he left had indeed wounded Chen Ying'er.
"I'm fine, just need to resolve Great Evil's heart attack power. Brother Yu, the efficacy of Great Evil's 'Blood Essence Pill' should be wearing off soon, about to enter weakness..."
Chen Ying'er quickly took an elixir.
Chen Yu knew the upcoming moment was when Great Evil would be the weakest.
He leaped forward, operating "Cloud Stepping," straight in pursuit of Great Evil.
Though Great Evil had profound cultivation, his speed was slightly superior to Chen Yu's.
However, carrying someone, with "Blood Essence Pill's" efficacy wearing off, a wave of weakness surged through him.
The two went on a pursuit, covering hundreds of li.
"Great Evil, if it's a contest of endurance, you've made another mistake..."
Behind, Chen Yu pursued at a leisurely pace.
He saw that Great Evil, due to taking the Blood Essence Pill, fell into a certain weakness.
Originally, by launching at the body's extreme speed, he could barely catch up, but he didn't do so.
Chen Yu kept his distance, subtly observing, to further deplete Great Evil internally, weakening him further.
After another hundred or two hundred li, Great Evil was panting heavily, his legs weakening.
Great Evil finally collapsed to the ground, exhausted and helpless.
No matter what, he hadn't fathomed that this strange fellow Chen Yu would be his nemesis in every way.
"Hey! Does this count as winning without fighting?"
Chen Yu dusted his hands off, slowly walking toward the weakened Great Evil, while maintaining a certain level of vigilance.