Daoist Straw Sandal – Straw Sandal Market came to be because of him. Because he wore straw sandals all year round, people called him the Daoist Straw Sandal.

He was quite famous among the itinerant cultivators in the north, with prestige and cultivation realm that garnered respect. However, he was always mysterious, like a divine dragon; his movements and traces were elusive and secretive.

Considering the northern itinerant cultivators were now facing their greatest trial, it was only natural that the Daoist Straw Sandal would reappear.

When the itinerant cultivators saw the straw sandal, their eyes showed fervor. With the Daoist Straw Sandal present, they felt today’s problem might be resolved. But soon, seeing the young martial artist boldly throwing a punch into the sky without hesitation, they realized the situation had become troublesome.

Although few believed this young martial artist could defeat the Daoist Straw Sandal who had long since attained fame, just from the way he acted, everyone felt that today’s matter might only be settled with the death of one person.

The Daoist Straw Sandal naturally would not die. But if this young martial artist died, things would become very troublesome.

After all, he still had the Great Liang Dynasty behind him.

……

……

At the start of the fight, the young martial artist was at a disadvantage. Yet under that immense pressure, he did not retreat. Instead, he threw a punch into the sky; his fist force exploded, and the ground around them began collapsing.

With a rumbling sound, the punch and foot collided here.

The straw sandal instantly tensed, but in the next moment, the straw rope snapped. It was as if Chen Chao’s qi contained the sharpness of sword qi; it was exceedingly fierce.

From afar, Xie Nandu suddenly looked up, rather surprised.

After a moment, the straw sandal flew upward on its own. Chen Chao pushed off the ground, soaring into midair in pursuit.

Since this so-called Daoist Straw Sandal insists on stepping forward without knowing the full story, I won’t go easy on him. When it comes to who calls the shots here, words mean little, only fists speak.

Chen Chao rushed into the sky, his clothes flapping wildly in the wind.

Before him stood a grayish-white figure wearing straw sandals, that was the Daoist Straw Sandal.

Chen Chao sneered and closed the distance. In an instant, the gap between them shrank to less than several yards.

Afterward, Chen Chao smashed out with a punch. Qi surged from his arm and bloomed at his fist’s tip, erupting into a fierce burst of fist force.

As the punch was thrown, fist intent flowed around Chen Chao’s body. Amid that torrent of fist intent, there was even a faint trace of Dao rhythm. Beyond that, there also seemed to be some sword intent mingled in.

At this moment, Chen Chao resembled a great furnace. All the lucky chances he had obtained in the past were continuously melding together within this furnace. He now seemed to be on the verge of fusing them, and through that, carving out a path of his own.

Of course, no matter how one looked at it, this path would not be completed in a short span of time.

Among all the martial artists in the world who practiced the fist, there was probably none more multifarious than Chen Chao.

The Daoist Straw Sandal flicked his fingers, and a streak of flowing light burst from his fingertip and shot out like a flying sword.

It dragged a long white trail through the air.

Chen Chao did not avert his gaze. He simply punched again.

After a single punch, that streak of light shattered with a boom. Daoist Straw Sandal plunged headfirst into the fist qi. His hands moved swiftly, as if unraveling silk, stripping apart what appeared to be a cohesive mass of fist qi into countless threads.

Chen Chao furrowed his brows slightly.

Daoist Straw Sandal moved through those threads and arrived before Chen Chao, completely unscathed. Only now did Chen Chao clearly see his face, it was a plain-looking middle-aged man with a long beard. If he wore a bamboo hat, he would likely resemble the straw-coated boatman from the poetry of the old dynasty’s Liu Family of poets.

Daoist Straw Sandal brushed aside Chen Chao’s punch and calmly pressed two fingers against Chen Chao’s chest. From those fingers erupted a vast surge of qi, wanting to tear apart Chen Chao’s body right there.

But in the next instant, even the Daoist Straw Sandal could not help but cry out in surprise. “What a tough body.”

Chen Chao said nothing. How could the physique he had tempered through endless effort be torn apart so easily?

Yet in the very next moment, even Chen Chao was caught off guard. It was because the Daoist Straw Sandal’s fingers suddenly slid down. His fingertips seemed to become as sharp as a flying sword in an instant, forcibly slicing a long, bloody line down Chen Chao’s chest.

“Tough body, yes, but not indestructible.”

Daoist Straw Sandal gave the young martial artist before him another glance. Though his attack worked, he was still somewhat astonished by this young martial artist’s cultivation at such a young age.

Truly, the young are to be feared.

Grimacing in pain, Chen Chao slapped the Daoist Straw Sandal’s hand away, bent his elbow, and drove it down hard onto the other’s shoulder. In the next instant, both of them plummeted together.

The Daoist Straw Sandal tried to break free, but found himself pinned down by Chen Chao’s elbow. It was difficult to escape.

Chen Chao smiled at the Daoist Straw Sandal calmly and said, “Senior, I’m afraid you were a bit too quick to celebrate.”

Daoist Straw Sandal remained silent. He just formed a hand seal with one hand, and his entire body began to turn transparent, clearly intending to slip away from the battlefield.

Chen Chao waved his hand, dispersing the image of Daoist Straw Sandal that had remained in place. His figure suddenly moved, and he appeared hundreds of feet away. Without bothering to check if anyone was there, he launched into a barrage of punches like a rainstorm.

After several punches, the space before him rippled, and Daoist Straw Sandal’s true body was forced out.

He looked at the young martial artist before him in shock and asked, “How did you discover me?”

Chen Chao said nothing and simply smashed a punch down from midair.

The Daoist Straw Sandal had no choice but to raise both arms to block in front of him.

Crack.

The sound of bone breaking came from Daoist Straw Sandal’s arms.

But when it came to physical toughness, how many cultivators in the world could truly compare with a pure martial artist?

Moreover, Chen Chao was among the very best of them.

Daoist Straw Sandal’s expression changed slightly. He now understood clearly, if he continued to engage in close combat with this young martial artist, he would definitely fall into a disadvantage over time.

But just as he tried to retreat, he was reminded once again that aside from his formidable physique, the young martial artist’s divine sense was also exceptionally sharp.

Such cultivation at such a young age, truthfully, Daoist Straw Sandal could not help but feel genuine admiration.

However, the two of them were fated to be opponents today.

Daoist Straw Sandal dodged Chen Chao’s next punch and extended his index finger toward Chen Chao’s forehead. But before the qi could surge from his fingertip, he was struck squarely in the chest by Chen Chao’s punch.

This young martial artist’s method of stopping his opponent from making a move was simple and direct.

Daoist Straw Sandal felt as if this punch had shattered his internal organs. His expression was grim, but he still forced himself to strike at Chen Chao’s forehead.

Chen Chao did not hold back. His second punch swept straight toward Daoist Straw Sandal’s head.

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