Chapter 86: The Five-Thunder Palm Seal

I bent down and spoke to the woman who had just rushed onto the sacrificial altar, “Go back down for now. Rest assured, not a single one of these children will be offered to the River God!”
She looked at me, her face streaked with tears, and nodded.
I escorted her down from the altar. The Ma family guards eyed me warily, but as I approached, they had no choice but to step aside—none dared lay a hand on me.
After seeing the woman safely down, I leapt back onto the altar. Ma Zhenlei glared at me, his face contorted in anger. “A hundred boys and girls, sacrificed to the River God, will bring a century of prosperity to Baichao Town. This is an act in accordance with Heaven’s will. Lin Yi, for defying the heavens like this, I, Ma Zhenlei, will act as Heaven’s enforcer tonight!”
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. “Ma Zhenlei, you certainly have a way with words. When has your Ma family ever brought prosperity to Baichao Town? What you’re doing now is nothing but sending a hundred innocent children to their deaths. Who in Baichao Town does not know this?”
At that moment, Ma Zhenhai strode forward and said, “Fifth Brother, enough with the talk. He’s standing in the way of our great undertaking—our Ma family’s interests. Tonight, let him die with no grave to call his own!”
But Ma Zhenlei merely sneered. “Eighth Brother, isn’t he so eager to save these children? Then let him take their place as the sacrifice!” He looked at me and asked, “Lin Yi, aren’t you here to save lives? If you leap into the White River and offer yourself to the River God, I’ll let the children go!”
With those words, all eyes turned to me.
Especially those whose children were about to be sacrificed—they looked at me with hope burning in their eyes. Yet in my heart, I felt an inexpressible sorrow. Before I could speak, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “Young man, don’t trust the Ma family’s treacherous schemes! Even if you offer yourself to the White River, they’ll never release our children!”
“That’s right, it’s a trap! Don’t believe him!”
“The Ma family is ruthless and cruel; you’re no match for him. Don’t throw your life away here—get out while you can!”
...
I glanced back at them. Their words moved me deeply. Indeed, who wouldn’t ache for their own child? Their earlier gazes had been full of hope, but reason returned—they chose to stand by me instead of letting Ma Zhenlei use their desperation as a weapon against me.
The Ma family guards tried to keep order, but the voices urging me to protect myself, to avoid sacrificing my own life for empty promises, never stopped.
To believe the promises of the wicked and trade one’s life for others’ survival is the most foolish course. If you wish to protect those you care for, only your own strength can bring down the forces of evil.
I clenched my fists and looked at Ma Zhenlei.
“Only the weak resort to cowardly means. I, Lin Yi, am not weak!”
At that moment, internal force surged beneath my feet as I strode toward Ma Zhenlei. The stone tiles of the altar creaked and cracked beneath every step, fissures spreading in all directions.
Ma Zhenlei’s expression didn’t change, though he sneered and quickly formed a hand seal. A black mist gathered in his palm. With a flick of his right hand, the black mist swept out, skimming over a willow tree by the river.

The black mist swept past, leaving not a single leaf on the willow; even the vitality of the tree was drained, and dry branches scattered to the ground.
Then he uttered a command.
This Willow Leaf Golden Blade technique was indeed a deadly assassination art, but using it to harm others was far too slow. My fists and feet moved, aiming straight for Ma Zhenlei. Yet he only smiled coldly. “Lin Yi, aren’t you fond of saving people? I’d like to see just whom you can save!”
Only then did I notice the willow leaf blades weren’t coming for me. A dark aura, carrying glowing willow leaves like blades of dark gold, swept past me and hurtled into the crowd below the altar.
These willow leaf blades targeted the soul. For anyone below, even a single touch meant certain death. If the whole tree’s worth of blades struck, countless lives would be lost.
I spun around and chased after the willow leaf blades.
But though I was fast, there were too many of them. As Ma Zhenlei’s hand seals scattered, the blades covered nearly half the crowd below the altar—including even Ma family members stationed at the edges to keep order. Their faces changed in horror—clearly, they hadn’t expected Ma Zhenlei to kill them too.
I dashed forward, batting down some of the blades, but there were simply too many, their range too wide. Yet at this critical moment, a black wind swept from behind the crowd. With a thunderous roar, the black wind scattered all the willow leaf blades, which fell to the ground.
The fallen leaves withered instantly and turned to ash.
Seeing this, Ma Zhenlei sneered, “Lady Bai, I didn’t expect you to still be alive. But since you’ve shown yourself tonight, I’ll see to it that your ghostly form is destroyed for good!”
In the crowd, a mass of black mist slowly coalesced, taking the shape of Lady Bai.
Her appearance was disheveled and wild; under the shroud of night, her face was truly terrifying. The people nearby screamed and shrank back in fear, not realizing she had just saved them.
When Ma Zhenlei finished speaking, Lady Bai replied, “I’m old and know I am not your match, but tonight I don’t need to act. I believe this young man before you will decide your fate!”
Yet Ma Zhenlei only laughed. “Lin Yi may have shattered a spirit with a single punch, and as for you, if not for your mastery of concealment, your soul would have been scattered long ago!”
“There’s no need for ifs. I, Lady Bai, am skilled in divination, and have already seen through your fate—you will die tonight!”
Lady Bai nodded to me.
I told the people below that Lady Bai was here to save them, and they finally believed me. Immediately, I urged her to lead the townsfolk away. With them gone, I could face Ma Zhenlei without risking innocent lives.

Naturally, the Ma family members refused and tried to interfere, but none of them were a match for Lady Bai. A swirl of black mist swept around the altar, and the Ma family guards fell where they stood.
Ma Zhenlei tried to attack Lady Bai, but I blocked his way.
Then Lady Bai’s three thousand ghostly followers arrived as well.
In an instant, the altar was engulfed in howling winds and black fog, sweeping up the hundred small coffins into the storm.
The Ma family goons who tried to interfere were hurled into the air; when they crashed down again, their eyes were hollow, their souls drained.
Those among the Ma family who knew nothing of the occult were too terrified to approach, much less intervene. I kept Ma Zhenlei at bay while the other elders—except Ma Zhenxing—went to face Lady Bai. But as she’d said, the other elders were no match for her, so I had nothing to worry about.
Ma Zhenhai rushed forward, only for Lady Bai to transform, seize him by the throat, and lift him into the air before he could perform a single spell. Her sharp fangs flashed, and two streams of black smoke swept past. When Ma Zhenhai hit the ground, he was already split in two; his head and body were parted.
Yet even so, his body still twitched, as though death had not fully claimed him.
“Let’s see how you’ll resurrect yourself after dying like this!” Lady Bai’s voice echoed from the black clouds.
I immediately reminded her, “Lady Bai, please take the townspeople away now!”
“At once, Master!” she replied.
“Lin Yi! Tonight you’ve conspired with spirits, ruined the Ma family’s plans, and brought about my brother’s death. I’ll destroy your very soul!” Ma Zhenlei was furious; the sneer had vanished from his face, replaced by a cold, murderous glare.
He began to move his feet in a strange and sinister pattern, black mist twisting around him, his figure flickering with afterimages.
His fingers formed complex seals, and with every change, a red seven-star mark appeared in his palms.
These seven-star marks radiated a mingling aura of black and crimson, weaving together in some mysterious pattern. The altar was swept by fierce winds and choking dust. As he spread his hands, a bolt of lightning erupted between them.
The Five Thunder Palm Mark—the ultimate technique of the Maoshan sect’s grandmasters. Though it lacked the grand spectacle of Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Heavenly Thunder, its power was even greater.
Both the Heavenly Thunder and the Five Thunder Palm Mark relied on true energy and soul as their foundation; the Heavenly Thunder struck a wide area and was hard to dodge, but came at a cost. The Five Thunder Palm Mark had its own unique footwork, each blow infused with thunder—if even one stroke struck your vital point, there would be no hope of survival.