Chapter 129: Bloody Battle
Chapter 129: Bloody Battle
Li Pin did not pause for even a second after shattering Qi Feng's sword. With a swift motion, he stepped forward. His entire body was enveloped in a blazing blood-red flame from the Blood-Seething Secret Art, making him truly resemble a peerless demon emerging from flames and darkness.
This was a sign that his Blood Core and qi and blood had been pushed to their absolute limits!
Whoosh!
Li Pin quickly activated the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique. As he did so, his qi and blood surged. The qi and blood he had expended erupting his Blood Core and maintaining the Blood-Seething Secret Art regenerated at an astonishing rate.
The force from his surging qi and blood gathered in his left hand before descending with thunderous, overwhelming force. This happened almost simultaneously as his right hand shattered Qi Feng's treasured sword and the broken blade pierced through his shoulder.
Bang!
The Aura Force shattered the air, creating white shockwaves that exploded outward, visible to the naked eye.
This punch wasn't as overwhelming as the previous one. Nevertheless, the terrifying power of an Aura Cultivation expert, combined with the high-speed collision and friction of the airflow and fist force, still produced a thunderous roar in everyone's ears. Even Qi Feng was left dizzy from it.
In a life-or-death clash, every moment counted.
Not long after Qi Feng's perfected killing strike, honed over thirty years, was shattered, leaving his life hung in the balance, a deep, rumbling noise echoed from the side.
At that moment, the massive figure of a giant elephant emerged in the night sky. This giant elephant, reminiscent of an ancient mammoth, carried an aura of historical grandeur as it stomped forward.
Zhang Hengqiu had still been waiting for his chance to act when that overwhelming, thunderous might descended, prompting him to let out an uncontrollable scream, "Dragon Elephant! Chi Tiexin!"
Chi Tiexin, also known as Dragon Elephant, was renowned in the Taibai Kingdom's martial arts community. His fame was equal to, if not greater than, Qi Feng of the Rising Sun Sword.
Qi Feng had honed his sword for thirty years. When drawn, it startled even gods and ghosts. However, his sword was meant for assassination and decisive kills. He only struck when sure of victory, avoiding direct confrontations with truly formidable opponents. His undefeated record reflected his strategic choice of enemies rather than his absolute invincibility.
But Chi Tiexin was different! He was a genuine top-tier expert, and he had another nickname, the Invincible Iron Fist. With his iron fists, countless renowned grandmasters had fallen in his hands.
Once, a powerful Martial Saint launched two Spirit Force strikes against him and still failed to kill him, allowing Chi Tiexin to escape unscathed. Such achievements solidified Invincible Iron Fist's formidable reputation.
Lin Yuzhi had summoned Qi Feng and kept Chi Tiexin hidden, planning to strike suddenly when Li Pin was relaxed and believed he had won. It was no wonder he was so confident about the plan to kill Li Pin!
Both Qi Feng and Chi Tiexin had long reached the physical limits of their bodies and refined their martial arts systems, making them eligible for the title of Martial Saint. However, their lack of significant social connections prevented them from advancing to the highly regarded position of great grandmaster.
As of now, the two of them were working closely together to execute this devastating joint attack.
This is without a doubt a killing strike! Zhang Hengqiu thought.
However, to his surprise, Li Pin did not appear the slightest bit unsettled by Dragon Elephant Chi Tiexin's sudden assault.
"Hahahaha! I've been waiting for you!"
Qi Feng might be strong, but he was still inferior to Qiu Chufeng and Chi Xingyu. Li Pin never believed Lin Yuzhi would be so na?ve as to think Qi Feng alone could defeat him. He was certain Lin Yuzhi had more hidden cards.
That was why Li Pin had been willing to use primordial qi to quickly recover. Deep down, Li Pin was filled with anticipation, wondering whether he was going to face a grandmaster or a Martial Saint.
The moment Dragon Elephant Chi Tiexin moved to intercept, Li Pin swiftly altered the trajectory of his fist, which had been aimed at Qi Feng. The air-shattering Aura Force collided with Chi Tiexin's overwhelming attack, resembling a charging mammoth, resulting in a thunderous impact.
Dragon Elephant Stomp!
Bang!
The ground beneath them erupted violently, sending shards of rock and dust flying into the air. A visible shockwave of force radiated from where their fists collided, scattering debris in all directions. Even Zhang Hengqiu, a grandmaster, was forced to retreat repeatedly.
Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu stared in wide-eyed astonishment at the sight before them. They had seen grandmasters exert their full strength in videos, but this brutal, life-or-death struggle between two top-tier great grandmasters was on a completely different level!
They couldn't help but wonder. Humans could reach this unimaginable height by practicing martial arts!?
"Ancient Descend!"
Amidst the swirling dust, a deep, resonant sound resembling a huge bell echoed, imbued with an aura that seemed to transcend the ages. This sound was Dragon Elephant Chi Tiexin reacting swiftly after the collision, launching another attack.
The Invincible Iron Fist erupted his Blood Core. With a surge of qi and blood, he shattered and suppressed the invading force, striking back faster than Li Pin. With his hands spread wide, he combined his internal and external strength to form a powerful seal, crashing down on Li Pin with a force akin to a giant elephant stomping.
The Fist Intent in his punch conjured a fleeting vision of an ancient mammoth charging across the land behind him. Its overwhelming momentum seemed capable of crushing anything in its path.
"Good!" roared Li Pin.
Li Pin felt the relentless and terrifying momentum of the incoming attack. His eyes blazed with divine light as the intense qi and blood surged through him, fuelled by his boiling battle intent. With a powerful swing of his right hand, he unleashed a thunderous strike.
As he threw his punch, the invincible aura he had built up from countless victories soared into the sky, transforming into a divine bird, Bifang. Engulfed in raging flames, it surged toward the charging mammoth, sweeping through the air like wildfire.
Eight Enormities True Fire Force, Vermillion Bird Bifang!
Just as Li Pin unleashed his full power against Chi Tiexin's "Ancient Descend" attack, Qi Feng, whose sword had been shattered and his shoulder pierced by a broken blade, let out a frenzied roar, "You shattered my Absolute Sword! Now you'll pay with your life! Die!"
With a burst of Blood Core Eruption, the force throughout his body intensified. Like a divine sword tearing through the air and illuminating the heavens and earth, he launched a powerful punch at Li Pin.
Though it was a punch, it carried the essence of a sword, radiant and majestic. Clearly, Qi Feng had integrated his swordsmanship into his very being, achieving a true unity of man and sword.
His strike was perfectly timed to coincide with Chi Tiexin's overwhelming attack. Li Pin was fully absorbed in finding a critical point to counter these simultaneous blows.
At that moment, if Li Pin lost focus, the invincible momentum behind his punch would surely dissipate, leaving him vulnerable to being crushed by Chi Tiexin's ancient mammoth-like force. But if he stayed focused...
The single strike, infused with the great grandmaster's Sword Intent, embodying the unity of man and blade, could kill him on the spot.
As Li Pin sensed Chi Tiexin's "Ancient Descend" bearing down with mountain-crushing force and Qi Feng's sword-like punch slicing through the air, his eyes flashed with determination.
This was a life-or-death situation!
At this very instant, he was on the edge of life and death. Yet, the more critical the situation, the more his mental spirit became focused and pure.
In this heightened state of focus, his perception seemed to transcend the physical limits of his body, instantly gaining insight into something crucial.
He surged forward, disregarding the strain on his body. Maintaining the most powerful attack of the Eight Enormities True Fire Force—Vermillion Bird Bifang—he pushed his potential to the limit. His raging qi and blood surged wildly, making his already earth-shattering, lightning-fast strike even more explosive, as if shattering all limits.
Eight Enormities True Fire Force, Chilong!
As Li Pin executed the technique, he felt as if his mental spirit and physical body had become separate entities. Or perhaps, it was his mental spirit controlling his body from a higher dimension, allowing it to break through the limitations of "self-preservation" and unleash power beyond its normal limits.
A thought crossed Li Pin's mind in a split second. Is this... Spirit... Spirit Qi Unity!?
Bang!
As the Vermillion Bird Bifang neared Qi Feng's punch, infused with the essence of Man Sword Unity, Li Pin's strike, which transcended his own limits, collided first with the ancient-powered charge of the "Ancient Descend."
The two forces clashed violently at the epicenter, as if a cannonball had exploded directly in the center, sending shockwaves through the air.
Debris and dust were violently scattered in all directions, tearing apart the courtyard that had been renovated less than two months ago. In an instant, the courtyard was left in ruins by the explosion. However, Li Pin had no time to mourn the destruction of his property.
Caught in the heart of the collision, both fighters were violently shaken, feeling the penetrating force of each other's strike.
Li Pin's body had been refined to the brink of human limits through the organs-tempering and Blood Renewal realm. Nevertheless, his bones and muscles seemed to scream under the immense pressure, with visible cracks appearing in his arm's humerus.
Chi Tiexin fared even worse. Confronted with Li Pin's attack, which surpassed the Aura Cultivation realm and pushed beyond physical limits, Chi Tiexin's arm twisted grotesquely. The head of his humerus shattered, forcing bone and blood through torn muscle, and causing severe injury. The impact threw him off balance, forcing him to stagger backward.
Despite Chi Tiexin's steel-like will, the excruciating pain left him pale and reeling.
Buzz, buzz!
The Sword Intent was chilling.
Utilizing the explosive speed of the Eight Enormities True Fire Force, Chilong, Li Pin dodged Qi Feng and Chi Tiexin's combined attack. He then unleashed a powerful, almost Spirit Force-level blow that directly collided with the Invincible Iron Fist's attack, shattering the great grandmaster's punch.
But Qi Feng, with his precise control of the battlefield, flicked his arm. The attack shifted rapidly, and the sword that had been thrust into the air reappeared, aiming for another strike.
Under the chilling Sword Intent, Li Pin felt his skin pimple with goosebumps. It was as if an invisible blade was piercing through his body, aiming to rip apart his ribs, stab his heart, and exit through his chest.
Li Pin took a breath.
His organs resonated in unison. The qi of the five elements, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, all flowed together.
At that moment, despite lacking any means to counterattack, he used his infinite mental spirit to control his finite physical body with unparalleled precision, unleashing a surge of Aura Force from his shoulders.
Five Elements Unity!