"ROAR! KILL!!"
He roared to the heavens, as if inhaling the stars and moon!
An unprecedentedly savage aura erupted from Mengqingshan's body. It surged and roared in all directions, as if a prehistoric monster had reawakened, ready to tear apart any living thing in its path.
"Pillar Mountain Skill!"
Atop a distant treetop, Zhao Wei's eyes narrowed in apprehension.
"It's said that once this Horizontal Training in Hard Skill reaches Great Success, the body becomes as tough as an iron pillar or a stone mountain. Its Power can rival that of a Cocoon Breaker at the Hejin Stage. After Breaking the Cocoon, their foundation will far surpass others in the same realm.
But practicing this Cultivation Technique is excruciating. One must endure daily poundings from hammers and stones and being shot by crossbows. Only when they can completely ignore blunt and sharp trauma is it considered Great Success. It's not something a person of ordinary willpower could endure.
That Meng the Third is truly ruthless. Judging by his current state, he's probably not far from Great Success…"
"Tsk. The backlash must be severe, right?"
Wu Dao clicked his tongue in amazement. After "unleashing" himself, Mengqingshan's aura was more than twice as strong as before, but he refused to believe such a monstrous Cultivation Technique came without side effects.
"Of course."
Zhao Wei nodded. "All Horizontal Training Techniques in the World are, in the end, about destroying one's own body to squeeze out potential. It's like pulling up seedlings to help them grow. Even with the help of fine medicine, it will leave behind latent ailments.
Take Mengqingshan. If he can't advance to the Cocoon-Breaking Realm and achieve Rebirth before his qi and blood begin to decay, his later years will be filled with excruciating pain. Every day would be a living hell.
However, I've heard he possesses the rare Qi Sea Dantian, so his advancement should be a sure thing. That's why he can be so reckless with his Horizontal Training."
'Qi Sea Dantian…'
Hearing this term again, a flicker appeared in Wu Dao's eyes.
The Innate suppression in this World was absurd. Without an Innate organ, it was nearly impossible to break through the barrier of the Cocoon-Breaking Realm.
This made him realize a disadvantage of his own—
'After the Divine Power Realm, or rather, after advancing to the Heroic Physique, how am I supposed to explain all this strength?'
At this thought, the sparks of an idea ignited in Wu Dao's mind.
A moment later, his gaze hardened, and he said in a 'scornful' tone, "Qi Sea Dantian? Can't advance without one? I wouldn't be so sure."
He was gambling.
Gambling that this World wouldn't leave a man completely cornered, that there was a glimmer of hope—some unorthodox method to bypass the Innate restriction.
But he didn't know what it was.
So he needed Zhao Wei, a native of this place, to "create" a path for him.
If no such path existed,
then he would have to reconsider his next steps.
Fortunately,
Zhao Wei's answer did not disappoint him…
"Er, under normal circumstances, that is indeed the case."
Zhao Wei's expression immediately became one of shock and uncertainty. He seemed deeply shaken. He scrutinized Wu Dao and asked hesitantly, "Could it be that Brother Wu has obtained a 'Celestial Treasure'?"
'A Celestial Treasure?'
Wu Dao was puzzled, but on the surface, he just smiled nonchalantly, giving off an air of profound mystery. "Zhao, some things are better left unsaid, don't you think?"
"My apologies, my apologies. I misspoke."
Zhao Wei's expression changed at his words, and he immediately apologized profusely.
In the Jianghu, prying into another's secrets is a great taboo. Someone with a short temper might have turned on him on the spot.
Some trump cards,
cannot even be revealed to one's closest kin. This was common knowledge in the Jianghu.
Let alone a Celestial Treasure, which would cause countless people to fight to the death the moment it appeared.
Although Zhao Wei didn't explain what a Celestial Treasure was, due to the rules of the Jianghu,
however,
from his shocked expression,
Wu Dao could easily guess that this so-called "Celestial Treasure" was incredibly precious, so much so that even a Grandmaster who had roamed the Jianghu for thirty or forty years would lose his composure upon hearing of it.
'But…'
'It seems this thing takes root once acquired and can't be stolen?'
Wu Dao had been watching Zhao Wei's expression closely and saw only surprise and envy, but no greed.
This didn't make sense.
After all, he and Zhao Wei were mere strangers who had met by chance. When the stakes were high enough, he had every reason to assume the worst of people.
But without knowing the reason,
Wu Dao didn't dwell on it, and he certainly wasn't about to expose his own bluff.
Once he was settled, he would thoroughly investigate what these so-called Celestial Treasures really were.
RUMBLE!!
During their brief conversation,
the dull thuds of what sounded like a massive elephant stomping the ground echoed continuously from nearby.
The "unleashed" Mengqingshan took heavy strides, kicking up a sludge of minced flesh as he charged ferociously at the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui, moving with the force of a toppling golden mountain and a collapsing jade pillar!
This time,
the situation was completely different.
Mengqingshan had transformed into a black iron tyrannosaurus, possessing inexhaustible, terrifying brute force. He savagely tore apart the attacking tentacles of the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui one by one.
His fists, as large as millstones, completely ignored the suction force. Raining down like a torrential storm, they battered the massive fleshy hill, sending it staggering back and forth like a roly-poly toy and causing it to shriek bizarrely.
BANG! BANG! BANG!!
It wasn't just Mengqingshan; Mr. Ya was getting serious too, displaying the true strength of the Cocoon-Breaking Realm.
His every punch and claw seemed to be packed with high explosives. The tyrannical Power bombarded the creature relentlessly, blasting chunks of the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui's meat into a bloody mist!
Power!
It sounds profound, but it's actually quite simple.
When an ordinary person tenses their entire body, they can feel their strength consolidate into a single force, creating a sense of explosive potential. That is Power.
But ordinary people are limited by their mortal flesh and cannot maintain or use this Power for long.
Firstly, the body's tissues would overload, causing rebound injuries. Secondly, the mind cannot bear the strain. If one's concentration wavers for even a moment—perhaps to take a breath—that consolidated force dissipates.
However, a cultivator who has undergone their first Rebirth can permanently maintain this state of "tensed" muscles and bones, with their strength perpetually consolidated into one force!
Cultivators at this level have already integrated their body's entire Power and can use it at will.
If a Martial Artist at the Hejin Stage challenges you to a contest of flicking foreheads, you must not fall for it.
Because,
they can channel their entire body's Power into a single finger and make your head explode on the spot!
A flick of the finger like a flood dragon or an elephant; a punch like a cannon blast!
These two phrases vividly explain the meaning of Harmonizing Force.
And the current Eagle Shark, Mr. Ya,
was a Martial Artist at the Hejin Stage. Although his level might have been inflated, his lethality was beyond doubt!
The most obvious comparison was that,
even after Mengqingshan unleashed his own Power, he could only play a supporting role. The main source of damage was still Mr. Ya!
He was fighting like a human autocannon. Every move, every punch, every kick—if it landed squarely, it would detonate like a hand grenade, inflicting injuries on the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui that it couldn't recover from quickly.
"Wuwu… It hurts…"
Under the relentless barrage, the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui finally lost its earlier playful giggling. It cried out in pain, unable to even grow new tentacles, and could only passively take the beating.
"DIE!!"
Finish it while it's weak!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—
Mengqingshan and Mr. Ya gave it no chance to breathe, their attacks so fast they left afterimages, like a meteor shower constantly bombarding their target.
Finally!
At a certain moment!
"AHHH!!"
BOOM!!
Amidst a blood-curdling scream,
the four-to-five-meter-tall mountain of blood and flesh exploded violently. Chunks of meat flew everywhere, and a bloody mist enveloped the area, within which only two heavy, ragged breaths could be heard rising and falling.
"Screee… Eek…"
Meanwhile,
the swarm of Bat Foxes that had blotted out the sky nearby seemed to have broken free of its control. They suddenly scattered in all directions, revealing two "Blood Gourds" at the center.
It was Mao Ba and Cloud Heaven Flow.
However, the Bat King was nowhere to be seen, apparently not having been killed.
Evidently,
the two of them had indeed been slacking off and stalling for time just now, with no real intention of delivering a killing blow to the Bat King.
Over a hundred meters away,
Wu Dao's eyes were fixed on the center of the bloody mist. A sense of crisis inexplicably arose in his heart.
His keen perception told him,
'The battle isn't over. In fact, it has just begun!!'
SCREE SCREE SCREE…
The Red Armored Bat Foxes swarming the sky all around made a grating sound.
Wu Dao's nose twitched.
He smelled a very alluring fragrance!
Lifting his gaze, he scanned his surroundings.
Wu Dao quickly spotted the gray Bat King. Its wings were riddled with holes, and it seemed to be seriously injured as it fled desperately through the forest.
He guessed that the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui's self-destruction had severed the connection between them, making it unable to control the Bat King any longer.
And the source of the fragrance,
was the exposed flesh of the injured Bat King…
Wu Dao took one last deep look at the violent, terrifying silhouette gradually becoming clear in the center of the bloody mist. After a slight hesitation, his figure flickered and he gave chase to the Bat King.
"Brother Wu?!"
Zhao Wei was stunned. He didn't understand why Wu Dao would suddenly pull such a move without any warning, leaving just like that.
"Our strength is inferior; there's no need to waste our efforts."
But Wu Dao only turned back to give Zhao Wei a meaningful look before his figure flickered a few times and vanished completely from sight.
'This…'
For a moment,
Zhao Wei was both confused and hesitant, his heart wavering between leaving and staying.
To be honest,
he had no confidence in competing against Mengqingshan, Mao Ba, and the others for the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui by himself. He wasn't even strong enough to be the fisherman who reaps the rewards.
But to ask him to give up,
was simply too difficult to bear…
However,
Zhao Wei's hesitation didn't last long. A new development on the field captured his full attention, and his expression changed drastically!