novelraw Chapter 135: Demon Flame Protection, Immovable as a Mountain Despite the Wind (Part 1)
Chapter 135: Demon Flame Protection, Immovable as a Mountain Despite the Wind (Part 1)
"That’s quite the boast. Let’s see if you have the skill to back it up. I am Li Taiyu of the Goryeo Sky-Splitting Daoist School, and I’ve come for a lesson."
Hearing these words, the middle-aged man’s smile slowly faded, and his expression gradually became sharp and piercing.
He vaguely recognized Yi Beidou’s identity. Their coming to Donghua was a considerable risk in itself, so naturally, they had conducted a thorough investigation beforehand.
A newly ascended Saint Expert from Donghua who had caused a huge stir in Nanyang. Not long ago, a video of him spread widely on the internet, where his opponents were suspected to be those reincarnated individuals. Yi Beidou acted with such a high profile that his background was not hard to investigate.
But so what?
Li Taiyu didn’t care. He was the undisputed number one of Goryeo’s new generation. Why would he fear a mere fledgling Saint?
He believed his will could cleave through anything.
The Donghua Experts were his whetstone!
Anyone who could reach this stage inevitably had immense confidence in their own strength.
Meanwhile.
The crowd of onlookers was stunned by their conversation, their minds struggling to catch up.
This Li Taiyu from the Sky-Splitting Daoist School was Jin Fenghua’s master.
Jin Fenghua had been defeated by Meng Qianyuan, but now, his master showed no intention of challenging Meng Qianyuan to reclaim his school’s honor. Instead, he was inviting that unfamiliar young man to a duel. What on earth was going on?
Judging from their conversation, could that young man really be Meng Qianyuan’s master?!
It was simply unbelievable.
"If you want to fight my master, you’ll have to get through me first!"
Just then, a sudden roar echoed out. The crowd felt the ground shake violently as a massive figure blasted through the air, transforming into a black shadow that charged toward Li Taiyu.
It was Meng Qianyuan, who had just defeated Jin Fenghua.
His current strength had almost reached the absolute limit for anyone below Ascension. Ordinary opponents could no longer put any pressure on him. Now, seeing a Saint from a foreign country, he seized the chance to act. On one hand, he wanted to test his own limits; on the other, he could help Yi Beidou by probing the opponent first.
The onlookers cried out in alarm, apparently not expecting Meng Qianyuan to attack without another word. Even Zhou Baiwei and Yang Mutong hadn’t anticipated it.
However, it was in line with his character.
Although Meng Qianyuan had learned to restrain his natural talent and understood a higher realm of killing intent, it didn’t mean his personality had completely changed.
Personality is a person’s foundation. If it could be completely changed, he would no longer be himself.
In the space of a breath, Meng Qianyuan had already crossed the twenty-meter distance to stand before Li Taiyu, his massive frame displaying a speed that defied his size.
His muscles bulged all over his body, the Qi and blood in his veins surged, and his hair stood on end. He had pushed his Physical Ability and spirit to their absolute peak. His aura was overwhelming, his breaths like thunder, and his killing intent rolled off him in waves.
ROAR!!
He let out a great roar, raising his hands high above his head as if swinging a hoe. With his palms clasped together, he used the momentum of his charge to slam them down toward Li Taiyu.
His fan-like palms seemed to blot out the sun, as if the sky itself was crashing down, leaving nowhere to hide.
The force of his palm strike actually created a faintly visible depression in the air, producing a muffled sonic boom.
Covering the Firmament!!
This was the strongest attack Meng Qianyuan had comprehended during his time with Yi Beidou.
The might of valor covers the firmament!
This was the ultimate expression of Meng Qianyuan’s innate talent combined with the Heart Intent Fist, an attack that could be called the most powerful below the level of a Saint.
Seeing this incredibly ferocious strike, Jin Fenghua’s expression changed. Only now did he truly understand the gap between himself and Meng Qianyuan.
If his opponent had used this move during their duel, he probably wouldn’t still be standing here. He’d be half-dead by now.
But unfortunately for him, he had picked the wrong opponent.
The instant Meng Qianyuan’s Technique erupted.
Li Taiyu’s eyes suddenly focused, and a terrifying True Intent erupted from him in an instant.
SHIIING!!
Meng Qianyuan’s Technique was like the firmament crashing down, plunging the world into darkness. But in that instant, a crack appeared in the sky, and color returned to the dim firmament.
Void-Sundering Intent, cleaving open the heavens!
The Heart Intent behind Meng Qianyuan’s Technique was shattered in an instant. He felt as if his head had been split in two, the pain unbearable.
BANG!!
Then, a foot slammed into Meng Qianyuan’s abdomen.
WHOOSH!!
Meng Qianyuan’s body went flying back as fast as it had come, shooting like a cannonball straight toward Yi Beidou.
Yi Beidou’s expression didn’t change. He extended a hand, caught him, and with a slight turn, completely neutralized the immense impact from Meng Qianyuan’s large frame, bringing him to a steady halt.
HCK!
Meng Qianyuan coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face pale. He hadn’t expected this Saint from Goryeo to be so powerful.
Even though his strength had increased dramatically, there was still an insurmountable gulf between him and a figure of this caliber.
"To still be standing... your foundations are truly excellent. Not bad, not bad at all."
Li Taiyu nodded slightly, seemingly unconcerned about what had just happened, as if he were merely critiquing an unruly child.
At this moment, the crowd of onlookers was completely silent. Not a sound could be heard.
Just moments ago, they had seen Meng Qianyuan defeat Jin Fenghua with just one hand, an unparalleled display of might. Yet now, he had been defeated and sent spitting blood with a single kick from that middle-aged man.
Moreover, they had seen it quite clearly. Li Taiyu’s kick had been incredibly casual, almost effortless.
Just what level of strength did Jin Fenghua’s master possess?!
"You were rash again. Was this a matter for you to interfere in?"
Yi Beidou shook his head and strode toward Li Taiyu.
"The junior was ignorant. You held back. In a moment, I will also show you a sliver of mercy."
Yi Beidou said.
If Li Taiyu had been even slightly serious with that last kick, Meng Qianyuan would have been lucky to get out of bed within half a month.
"Why would I lower myself to a junior’s level? But you have repeatedly made arrogant boasts. I won’t be showing you any mercy."
Li Taiyu’s eyes instantly turned sharp as he, too, strode toward Yi Beidou.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
With every step he took, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground, and his entire aura grew more and more terrifying.
Wherever he passed, the crowd felt as if the surrounding scenery and space itself were splitting apart. It was a bizarre sensation that was hard to describe with words.
This man was affecting the entire environment. He was like a world-cleaving axe, splitting the very Void.
"Interesting."
Yi Beidou nodded slightly. He could already see that his opponent was also using a footwork technique to accumulate a Great Trend. Each step was taken to harmonize himself with the magnetic field of the world, thereby unleashing even greater power.
His opponent was also an expert who had touched upon the realm of Harmonized True Qi.
How could someone with the courage and audacity to enter Donghua alone be a pushover?
BOOM!!
His own footwork changed as well.
Celestial Slaughter Seven Stars, accumulating the Great Trend.
"What... why is the sky growing dim? It’s supposed to be a bright, sunny day. The sun is still up there!"
"Look! What is that?! In broad daylight, how can there be a star shining so brightly in the sky?! Oh my god! A second one just appeared!!"
"Haven’t you noticed? Every time that man takes a step, a star appears in the sky!"
"And that guy from Goryeo! Why does it look like the scenery around him is separating? Getting farther and farther apart? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?!"
"Good heavens! Is... is this still a duel between Martial Artists?!"
"..."
The crowd of onlookers burst into an uproar. They had noticed the abnormalities in the surrounding environment, a situation that completely surpassed their understanding.
How could a clash between Martial Artists possibly affect the natural world?
Is this still the Martial Arts Dao? Is this still the mortal realm?
On a nearby street, cars had come to a stop at some point, and more and more people were looking in this direction. At the same time, many plainclothes officers had appeared out of nowhere, doing their best to maintain order and keep the situation stable.
With the destructive power of figures like these, how could there not be members of the Special Security Bureau tailing them?
Right now, one could say the entirety of Modu was filled with the Special Security Bureau’s eyes and ears, ready to be dispatched at a moment’s notice.
Du Huihui sighed to herself. ’Of course this isn’t the Martial Arts Dao—it’s the Immortal Dao! Seeing it again is still so breathtaking.’
For human power to reach such a level was already a miracle.
Yi Beidou took five steps, his aura skyrocketing. Five stars twinkled in the sky, and an ocean of Evil Qi surged around him, from which a faint blue-white light seemed to emanate.
On the other side, Li Taiyu’s aura had also accumulated to its peak. His hair stood on end with fury, and the scenery around him seemed to twist and distort.
The two faced each other, less than two meters apart. Their auras intertwined, and it seemed as though sparks were about to erupt from the Void between them.
"The Big Dipper has seven stars. You’ve only taken five steps?"
Li Taiyu spoke, his aura now blazing so intensely that his voice was indistinguishable from thunder.
"It’s enough."
Yi Beidou said calmly.
WHOOSH!!
The instant he spoke, a fierce glint flashed in Li Taiyu’s eyes. He took a step forward, raised his leg, and brought it down in a vicious chop.
In an instant, the world went black for the onlookers. They couldn’t see, hear, or feel anything at all.
They were thirty meters away, yet the moment Li Taiyu struck, their Sixth Sense was still sundered by the rippling waves of his True Intent.
Extreme Thought Splitting Sky!!
The Void-Sundering True Intent that Li Taiyu unleashed was worlds apart from what Jin Fenghua had displayed.
His True Intent was intensely focused, maximizing the power of his Spiritual Power. His Life Magnetic Field was harmonized, transforming it into what felt like a giant axe.
Even twenty pounds of cotton cannot withstand the piercing of a single embroidery needle.
Even a Saint Expert would be affected by this magnetic field of True Intent. Their Life Magnetic Field would fall into disarray, subsequently causing their Sixth Sense to malfunction.
The same Technique, yet a world of difference in power.
The truly terrifying aspect of this attack was its effect on the magnetic field.
Sundering the mind, blocking perception.
Li Taiyu was confident that no Saint Expert could withstand his Extreme Thought and take this kick head-on.
Even a Divine Buddha would have to give way!
However, in the next moment, a ball of blue-white flame suddenly ignited within the boundless darkness before the crowd’s eyes.
WHOOMPH!!
The darkness rapidly dissipated, the blockage of their Sixth Sense vanished, and the scene reappeared before them.
They witnessed an utterly shocking scene.
The tall young man was shrouded in a layer of blue-white flame, clearly visible to the naked eye. It was deep, cold, and severe, making him look like a Demon King incarnate.
The Demon Flame burned, performing Refinement on the world’s magnetic field!
The terrifying effect of the True Intent that Li Taiyu was most confident in was rapidly dissipating under the searing heat of the Demon Flame!
BOOM!!
Yi Beidou held up one hand and firmly caught the terrifying kick that had split the air, sundered the sky, and severed the Sixth Sense. He himself stood as firm and unmoving as Tai Mountain.
Only the sonic boom, like a grenade exploding, and the shockwave visibly rippling outwards, indicated just how ferocious the collision had been.
A heavy kick, broken by a single hand.
This scene, although the underlying mechanics were completely different, was a mirror image of Meng Qianyuan’s fight against Jin Fenghua just moments before!