novelraw Chapter 169 - 164: Back and Forth, Each Vying for the Upper Hand
Chapter 169 - 164: Back and Forth, Each Vying for the Upper Hand
Devi’s Divine Eye Technique granted him the ability to perceive magnetic fields on a profound level. He used it to pinpoint the connection between Yi Beidou and the Beidou Seven Stars, then forcibly severed that link with his own formidable magnetic field and control, producing the current outcome.
Yi Beidou’s Celestial Slaughter Seven Stars technique was broken. The stars of the Beidou constellation in the sky began to go out, one after another, and his aura receded just as quickly.
Trying to use any power related to magnetic fields in front of Devi was like teaching a fish to swim.
The two had only just met and traded blows, but Devi had already asserted his dominance over Yi Beidou.
Yi Beidou had merely mastered the Beidou Seven Stars, but Devi had mastered the entire starry sky!
The Saint Experts present seemed to have noticed something amiss, and shock flickered in their eyes.
In the face of such an ability, it was as if a Saint Expert’s power to harmonize True Qi had been nullified. They would lose most of their techniques, unable to even use some of the Forbidden Secret Techniques of the older generation.
They would be hard-pressed to exert even sixty percent of their full strength.
It was like a champion fighter being dragged into outer space. No matter how formidable he was, his strength would be severely diminished in a zero-gravity, oxygen-deprived environment.
The man’s insight into and control over magnetic fields was simply terrifying.
The average Martial Artist couldn’t grasp the intricacies of what was happening, but they could clearly sense through the psychic phenomena that Yi Beidou’s aura had been instantly suppressed by Devi. It was as if his god-like form had been shattered.
The instant Yi Beidou’s connection to the Beidou Seven Stars was severed, Devi unleashed a torrential assault.
His fists left a trail of afterimages in the air. A searing light flared at his knuckles with every punch, each one trailing a tail of light like a meteor.
In the eyes of the onlookers, his fists were no longer flesh and blood, but meteorites plummeting from the sky to strike the Earth.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As the shadows of his fists descended, his True Intent erupted. The many Martial Artists standing nearby felt as though they were witnessing a comet striking the Earth. Their minds and souls trembled violently, and a sense of despair arose in their hearts at the face of such natural might.
Sixty-five million years ago, a comet struck the Earth. The species that dominated the planet’s surface went extinct, and the entire world changed.
Even a Saint Expert with an indestructible body—what of it?
In the face of such an extinction-level catastrophe, they were nothing more than a speck of dust.
And the very comet that caused it all was, itself, just another speck of dust in the cosmos.
Devi’s dream was to dominate it all.
This was a technique Devi created by capturing a comet’s magnetic field with his Supersensitive Intuition.
Cometfall Extinction!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Under the relentless barrage of fists, Yi Beidou’s body shuddered as he was forced to retreat again and again.
One shouldn’t assume that just because Devi’s talent lay in the Spiritual Realm, his physical strength would be lacking.
On the contrary, with the ability to use Harmonized True Qi, one could draw upon the Power of Heaven and Earth to temper their own body. The stronger the spirit, the more terrifying the flesh.
Body Ascension, at its core, is the spirit mastering the physical body to achieve a profound, qualitative transformation.
With his Celestial Slaughter Seven Stars broken, Yi Beidou’s Physical Ability and True Intent were in decline. He was now being completely suppressed by Devi!
If he couldn’t reclaim the power of the Celestial Slaughter Seven Stars, this enormous gap in strength would be impossible to bridge.
Yuri saw this and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
’If he can’t break Devi’s seal, the outcome of this battle is already set in stone.’
The expressions of the Saint Experts were grave.
One of Yi Beidou’s strongest techniques had been broken. The situation was perilous; he could very well lose the duel in a matter of moments.
The other spectating Martial Artists clenched their fists, and Li Qingdai covered her mouth with her hands.
They had expected an evenly matched contest, but who would have thought that the battle had only just begun, and the situation was already completely one-sided.
’Is there always a heaven beyond heaven, always someone stronger?’
"Is that all you’ve got? I haven’t even used my true power yet!"
Devi’s voice thundered in everyone’s ears, seemingly laced with intense anger.
’Is this it?!’
’I’ve been looking forward to this for so long, only for your technique to be broken this easily? For you to offer no resistance and walk straight into a dead end?!’
’Was everything I did all for nothing?!’
The feeling was like traveling thousands of miles to visit a famous restaurant, full of anticipation, only for the dish they served to be worse than shit.
How could that not make a person furious?
Yi Beidou’s eyes were calm. He showed no trace of panic despite his technique being broken and finding himself at a disadvantage.
He had long anticipated such a situation.
Back when he had used his Demon Flame to sever Yuri’s connection to the earth and defeat him, how could he not have prepared for a similar technique to be used against him?
He wasn’t Yuri.
The Celestial Slaughter Seven Stars was powerful, to be sure, but it wasn’t his be-all and end-all. It was merely one technique among many.
FWOOSH!
At his mental command, the Demon Flame surrounding him didn’t expand. Instead, it compressed further, drawing into his body.
Its target was the Demon-Suppressing Seven-Star Needle, the very nexus of his connection to the Beidou Seven Stars.
At this moment, the Demon Flame solidified until it seemed tangible, completely transforming into the shape of a piercing needle.
The Demon Flame possessed a "Heaven-Devouring" ability. It could incinerate magnetic fields and perform the Refinement of heaven and earth. It could both protect the body and break through techniques!
Compressing the Demon Flame into the form of the Demon-Suppressing Seven-Star Needle was a strategy to use a single point to shatter an entire surface.
The Demon-Suppressing Seven-Star Needle was Yi Beidou’s nexus for communicating with the Seven Stars. As the Demon Flame coalesced, twisting all reality around it, it truly became a long needle capable of piercing anything, forcefully punching through the "Celestial Curtain" that Devi had used to blot out the sky!
VMMMM!
In the sky, from within the phantom nebula, a star suddenly began to twinkle once more. Not even the endless, obstructive light of the nebula could conceal its radiance.
On Yi Beidou’s chest, the first star of the Beidou constellation lit up once more.
Then the second, the third, the fourth...
The Beidou Seven Stars reappeared in the sky, their starlight raining down with searing brilliance.
The Demon Flame became a needle, the Demon-Suppressing Seven Stars pierced the Celestial Curtain!
BOOM!
With the Seven Stars Appearing Together, Yi Beidou’s aura erupted once more, returning to its blazing peak!
’What is this?!’
Yuri’s pupils contracted instantly.
’Devi’s world-sealing technique was actually broken? What method did he use?’
The change had been so instantaneous that even he couldn’t figure out the principle behind it.
’So he used a method like that?’
A smile touched the corners of Devi’s mouth. His Dharma Eye, set between his brows, reflected the heavens and had already perceived the truth of the matter.
’Now this is more like it!’
The Demon Flame flared to life, enveloping Yi Beidou’s palms as he reached out to grab Devi’s incoming fists.
In the eyes of the crowd, Yi Beidou seemed to have transformed into a world-spanning giant, using his palms to catch the colossal, world-ending meteorites falling from the sky.
Palm of the Stars!
CLAP! CLAP!
With a blast of Qi, Devi’s impossibly fast fists were caught in Yi Beidou’s grip.
However, before Devi could pull his fists free, a terrifying gale assaulted him. A massive foot swept up from below, aimed straight for his jaw.
If that kick connected, even his jaw would surely be shattered, and he would be knocked out instantly.
He no longer had time to dodge, so he jerked his head back, raising his chin.
Yi Beidou’s heel grazed past his chin by a hair’s breadth.
But the next moment...
WHOOSH!
Yi Beidou’s assault wasn’t over. After the upward kick, he immediately followed with a downward axe kick.
His Leg Technique was like an axe. The Demon Flame instantly flared to life, coating his leg and seemingly cleaving Devi’s Protective Nebula in two.
Off to the side, Li Taiyu of Goryeo watched this technique with his mouth slightly agape. In Yi Beidou’s Leg Technique, he could actually see a shadow of his own Extreme Thought Splitting Sky.
’Has he already mastered my technique?’
BAM!
As the axe kick descended, Devi seized the opportunity to retract his arms, crossing them above his head to block. The tremendous force instantly cracked the ground beneath his feet. A spiderweb of fissures spread outward as rubble and dust exploded into the air.
He pushed off his feet, abandoning any thought of grabbing Yi Beidou’s ankle, and instead instantly sidestepped to create distance.
In his state of Seven Stars Appear Together, Yi Beidou possessed the might of the Demon Body and could go toe-to-toe with Yuri. In terms of raw martial power, he was undoubtedly superior to Devi!
His arms were still numb and vibrating from the immense force of that last kick. This was not the time to counterattack.
However, Yi Beidou had no intention of letting him escape and recover so easily.
BAM!
He stomped the ground, his body shooting forward like a cannonball. He pressed his advantage, unleashing a chain of palm strikes as his Demon Flame surged.
Destruction Killing Tribulation!
A moment ago, Devi had used the flurry of attacks from Cometfall Extinction to force Yi Beidou into constant retreat. Now, Yi Beidou was returning the favor with a flurry of his own.
For a moment, the tables seemed to have turned. After breaking through the cosmic blockade and reclaiming the Power of the Seven Stars, Yi Beidou was using his terrifying martial might to overwhelm Devi!
The battle raged, a furious back-and-forth!
"Is that all you’ve got!"
Yi Beidou’s voice boomed like thunder. Amid the constant clashes and the friction between their True Intents, he felt some latent potential within him awaken. His blood surged, and his Fierce Evil Qi grew ever more vast.
He knew that his own Celestial Demon Blood had encountered a rare prey, and its potential was being unleashed.
The reason he had progressed by leaps and bounds since his Ascension was that he had simply been excavating the limits of his own Demon Body.
Even now, its potential had not been fully unearthed.
He needed a stronger opponent, one with even more terrifying techniques. It couldn’t end here!
A blade is sharpened through adversity. He wanted to see just where the limits of this body truly lay!
Hearing his own words thrown back at him, Devi wasn’t angry at all. On the contrary, a delighted smile spread across his face.
He had never felt this way before.
Among his peers, he had always been the undisputed strongest. He’d been a "Superpower User" who stood apart from the world since childhood. But now, he had finally met a challenger, and it brought him an indescribable excitement.
"This is just the beginning!"
Devi roared.
The next moment...
An incomparably dazzling light suddenly burst forth from within his body. The onlookers felt their vision vanish in the intense glare, their minds reeling from the shock.
They seemed to see worlds shattering, behemoths collapsing, erupting in an unparalleled glorious light in their final moments.
It felt as if all of one’s own Dao and Skill would be melted and shattered amidst that magnificent despair.
Last night, Devi had used this very technique to instantly shatter the Abyss of Corruption unleashed by the Black Earl’s avatar. With a single move, he had stunned its mind and killed it in an instant.
One must understand that this was a Secret Technique unleashed by an avatar of an Ancient One after it sacrificed its own flesh and life. Even Yi Beidou would have had to give his all to face it.
This was the technique that had so shocked the Black Earl’s soul, the name of which he never learned before his death.
Supernova!