Chapter 153 Tathagata Palm

Before Shi Potian could think, he met the attack with a palm strike called "Regretful Dragon Soaring".

"boom!"

Their palms clashed, unleashing a powerful surge of energy that flattened the surrounding vegetation. Shi Potian felt an overwhelming force, comparable to Yang Yinglong's palm strike.

He swayed and took a step back. The masked man also took a step back, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms?" The masked man's voice was hoarse, making it impossible to guess his age. "It is indeed a good palm technique. Young镖头 (镖头 is a nickname for a镖师, a term referring to a镖师 who is skilled in martial arts). However, it's nothing special."

Shi Potian steadied himself and looked at the man in black before him. He was tall and imposing, and his very presence exuded an indescribable aura, as if he could pierce the sky and overturn the earth, and that he was the only one who reigned supreme in the six directions and eight wastelands.

Beneath the veil, a pair of sharp eyes gleamed as they looked at the young Shi Potian, filled with curiosity, but even more so with admiration.

Because of this delay, the two Dharma Kings seized the opportunity to leave. Shi Potian had already obtained the Eight Life-Extending Pills and was too lazy to pursue them. He was more interested in the top expert in front of him.

Shi Potian laughed and said, "Your palm techniques and internal strength are also formidable. Among the masters I've encountered, very few can compare to you. Who are you, and why are you masked? I don't know you."

The masked man simply said, "Oh, so someone else can compete with me!"

"Then try my 'White Snow in Spring' palm strike. Let's see who's stronger."

The masked man let out a low shout, his body remaining still, yet his right palm shot out like a nimble snake, its movements unpredictable. This palm strike was completely different from the previous one, shifting left and right, sometimes hard and sometimes soft, seemingly containing both distinctly different forces of yang and yin.

Wherever the palm wind passed, the pebbles on the ground were swept up, spinning and flying in the air, but instead of scattering, they formed a vortex around the masked man's palm, which was extremely strange.

Shi Potian's eyes lit up. This palm technique was exquisite, far surpassing any palm technique he had ever seen before.

Before the palm strikes even arrived, a chilling aura had already enveloped Shi Potian. Shi Potian felt palm shadows attacking from all directions, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion, as if he were in an icy valley, with the cold seeping into his bones.

"Excellent palm technique!" Shi Potian praised, not daring to be negligent.

Through the influence of the Tai Xuan Scripture, he had come to know the power of this palm technique. Each palm strike contained the six energies of Yin and Yang, and its variations were endless.

The opponent's internal strength was even more unparalleled, domineering and unmatched, bringing the power of his palm technique to its extreme.

At that moment, Shi Potian took a deep breath, and the internal energy of the Arhat Subduing Demon Divine Skill surged out from his body, wanting to test just how far his internal energy cultivation had reached.

Faced with the overwhelming palm shadows, Shi Potian slowly pushed out his hands, seemingly slowly, but actually striking first. His palms seemed to hold the weight of the Five Sacred Mountains, incomparably majestic.

This is precisely the "Five Sacred Mountains are as light as a feather!" palm technique.

Wherever the palm strike landed, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the masked man's elusive palm shadow was forced to pause slightly by this powerful palm force.

No matter how exquisite your palm technique is, you can't escape my Five Finger Mountain.

"boom!"

The two palms clashed again, and this time, neither of them retreated even a step. The force surged, stirring up the dust on the ground and creating a large whirlwind.

A hint of seriousness flashed in the masked man's eyes. He hadn't expected that this young镖头 (bodyguard/escort) would have such profound internal strength, and his palm technique had reached the extreme of using force to overcome skill. With one palm, it was like the Five Finger Mountain of the Buddha, which would suppress Sun Wukong no matter how much he jumped around.

He couldn't help but praise, "What excellent palm technique! This isn't the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. I wonder if it has a name?"

Shi Potian truthfully replied, "I have no name."

The masked man said, "Your palm technique has the power of the Buddha's Five Finger Mountain; it can be named the Tathagata Palm."

Shi Potian exclaimed with delight, "Great! This name is excellent. It sounds very imposing. From now on, I will call this palm technique the Tathagata Palm."

"Since your 'Young Master's Palm Technique' has earned such a prestigious name, then let's try my 'Threefold Yangguan Technique.' I wonder if your 'Buddha's Palm' can handle it."

As soon as the man in black finished speaking, he moved, and under the moonlight, his figure split into three. Three masked men simultaneously attacked Shi Potian from three different directions! Each figure was a man in black, and their palm strikes were graceful, elegant, and powerful. The sound of the palm wind whistling was loud, and it was impossible to distinguish which one was the real body and which one was the illusion.

"Yangguan Sandie!" The masked man's voice came from all directions, ethereal and seemingly both near and far.

Three palm strikes surged forth simultaneously, each one fierce and unparalleled, a stark contrast to the previous chilling force. This black-clad man's palm technique could seemingly shift between yin and yang at will.

It is similar to Le Hou's Great Yin-Yang Hand, but its power is incomparable.

Three figures converged from three directions like three torrents, threatening to engulf Shi Potian. Even more bizarrely, these three palm strikes were not independent; rather, they complemented each other, clashing and multiplying in power. Where the palm winds passed, pebbles on the ground were swept into the air, then pulverized by the force of the palms, falling like dust.

Qu Feiyan and the Yellow River Ancestor were amazed. They never expected that there was such a graceful, elegant, and wonderfully mysterious palm technique in the world.

Shi Potian's eyes lit up. The brilliance of this move was similar to that of the Xian Guo Xinling Drinking Fist.

However, since the man in black wanted to compete in palm techniques, Shi Potian could neither use his fist techniques nor his Silver Saddle Illuminating White Horse Divine Skill.

The three palm strikes were real. The three figures were also real, but because they were moving at such extreme speed, it appeared as if three people were attacking simultaneously.

Shi Potian took a deep breath and advanced instead of retreating.

He slowly raised both palms, his fingers slightly bent, as if supporting five invisible mountains in his palms. This was another move in his "Five Mountains Falling Lightly" palm technique. When this move was practiced to its peak, it could simultaneously lift the five mountains in all directions, allowing one person to withstand enemies from all five directions.

The Five Naturals are merely a metaphor; when mastered to the extreme, they can be used to fight against far more than just the five directions.

Shi Potian's figure suddenly became illusory. Although he was standing in the same place, his arms seemed to grow into countless ones, extending from his sides, shoulders, and ribs at the same time, each striking out with a palm to meet the palm forces from the three directions.

From a distance, he looked as if he had grown three heads and six arms, or as if the Thousand-Armed Buddha had appeared in the world, with a thousand hands reaching out, each hand precisely meeting a palm strike.

Qu Feiyan watched in astonishment from afar, muttering, "Young man... has he truly attained Buddhahood?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the masked man's eyes. His Yangguan Sandie was the most powerful move in this palm technique, equivalent to three of him attacking at the same time; who in the world could stop him?

But this young man, with a seemingly clumsy set of palm techniques, transformed into the image of the Thousand-Handed Buddha, using clumsiness to overcome skill and stillness to control movement, forcefully withstanding his three palm strikes.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three deafening explosions rang out almost simultaneously, sending shockwaves and dust billowing everywhere. Shi Potian swayed slightly, the ground beneath his feet cracking, spiderweb-like fissures spreading outwards. The three masked figures merged into one, gracefully retreating and landing on a tree several feet away.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing admiration in each other's eyes.

The masked man stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering in the moonlight, making him appear as ethereal as a celestial being descended to earth.

He spoke slowly, praising again, "Young Master Escort, your palm technique is superb. This move of yours can be called 'Ten Thousand Buddhas Paying Homage to the Ancestor.'"

Shi Potian clasped his hands and said, "Your Yangguan Sandie is also very exquisite. If my skills hadn't improved so much recently, I wouldn't have been able to use this move."

A hint of a smile flashed in the masked man's eyes: "You're quite composed. I used seventy percent of my strength in this palm strike, yet you still managed to withstand it steadily. To possess such skill at such a young age is truly remarkable; your future is limitless."

Shi Potian laughed and said, "Actually, I haven't even used my full strength yet. How about we give it another try?"

The masked man laughed heartily, his laughter carrying a hint of magnanimity: "No need. I came here today to rescue people. My sparring with you is merely out of curiosity, not to test my skills. I have no ill intentions towards the Fuwei Escort Agency."

Now that you have obtained the Eight Life-Extending Pills and my men have escaped, farewell. With that, he leaped away and vanished.

From afar came the voice of a man in black, "Young Master Escort is a man of extraordinary talent. I hope you will cherish it and refrain from meddling in other people's business."