yasinovel Chapter 22: Palm Lightning
Chapter 22: Palm Lightning
"The monster that will kill you."
Before he could finish speaking, Xuan Tianyi moved.
There was no earth-shattering display of power; he simply raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers joined together like a sword.
He gently pointed a finger at the Black Fiend Soul-Suppressing Palm Print that was already in front of him, radiating a freezing aura.
At the fingertips, there was no dazzling light, only a faint, almost imperceptible, bluish-white electric light, seemingly containing the imagery of grass sprouting from the soil, ice thawing, and all things reviving, quietly flowing.
"break."
An understatement.
Sizzle—!
A sound so faint it was almost inaudible, like spring snow melting away, rang out.
That enormous palm print, powerful enough to severely injure an ordinary Star Sea Realm cultivator and as solid as black jade, instantly struck that bluish-white lightning bolt.
Like ice and snow under the scorching sun, it made a faint "hissing" sound, quickly melting, disintegrating, and collapsing!
The wailing phantoms of vengeful spirits within the palm print, as if encountering their nemesis, emitted silent shrieks under the blue-white lightning and were instantly annihilated!
It seems that the true meaning of this "spring thunder" is the absolute nemesis of such deathly silence, coldness, and resentment!
"What?!"
Zhao Tiezhu's pupils shrank to their maximum size, and he let out a roar of shock and rage.
He felt the power of his palm strike, the Yin energy he had painstakingly cultivated for many years, before that seemingly faint bluish-white lightning.
Completely powerless to resist, it was as if it had encountered a natural enemy, and was suppressed and purified from the root!
Furthermore, a scorching and sharp power, yet containing a strange aura of birth and death, surged back along with the dissipated palm force, crashing fiercely into the meridians of his arm!
"puff!"
Zhao Tiezhu was struck as if by lightning. His entire left arm instantly lost sensation, his sleeve tore to shreds, and the skin on his arm turned charred black, wisps of black smoke rising from it.
He staggered back several steps, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his face filled with disbelief, horror, and fear.
"What...what kind of power is this?!"
Xuan Tianyi was also in bad shape; his body trembled violently, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth again.
Forcibly activating the nascent "Spring Thunder True Meaning" is a huge burden on both the body and the soul.
But his eyes were surprisingly bright at that moment, as if two bolts of lightning were burning in them.
With the blessing of "Spring Thunder True Meaning", one's perception, strength, speed, reaction, and even control over one's own power have been elevated to a whole new level!
Although his cultivation level was still far inferior to Zhao Tiezhu's, the essence of his power had undergone a tremendous change, enough to shake the opponent's quantitative advantage!
"Now,"
Xuan Tianyi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stood up straight.
Despite being ragged and covered in blood, his imposing aura, both deep and imposing yet containing the explosive power of thunder, was impossible to ignore.
"The roles of offense and defense have shifted."
"You little bastard! Don't get too cocky!"
Zhao Tiezhu recovered from his shock, replaced by overwhelming humiliation and rage at being hurt by such insignificant people.
"So what if you have true intent? So what if you break through in the heat of battle? You're just a mere beginner at the third level of Body Tempering, I can still crush you!"
He roared fiercely, forcefully suppressing the injury to his left arm and the strange lightning energy invading his body, while his remaining right hand gripped the dark blue waist knife tightly.
The blood and energy of a peak ninth-level Body Forging expert were poured into it without reservation, causing the blade to hum under the strain.
The eerie blue light surged, transforming into a chilling blade of energy over ten feet long!
"Die! Shadow Soul Slash!"
Zhao Tiezhu's face was contorted with rage, his figure merging with the blade's light, transforming into a sharp, eerie blue beam that tore through the night.
The man followed the blade, and the blade borrowed the man's momentum, carrying the resolute determination to cut off everything and extinguish all life, slashing horizontally at Xuan Tianyi's waist!
This strike was imbued with all his strength, resentment, and killing intent; its speed and power far surpassed any of his previous moves!
Before the blade even arrived, its sharp edge had already carved a deep furrow in the ground, locking onto Xuan Tianyi, leaving him no way to avoid it!
Faced with this desperate attack, Xuan Tianyi took a deep breath, suppressing the churning blood and the exhaustion of his soul.
He did not retreat, nor could he retreat.
Having just grasped the "True Meaning of Spring Thunder," it is precisely when its sharpness is at its peak and it is most in harmony with oneself, and it is also the only opportunity to possibly turn the tables and defeat a powerful enemy!
If he retreats now, his momentum will dissipate, his true intentions will be tarnished, and only defeat and destruction await him.
When two armies meet on a narrow path, only the brave will prevail!
He took a sudden half-step forward with his left foot, slamming it heavily onto the ground, causing the already cracked ground beneath him to collapse and create a small pit.
His body was like a fully drawn bow, suddenly tense and gathering power.
Within his body, the newly generated blood and qi, imbued with bluish-white lightning, circulated wildly at an unprecedented speed.
According to the "Thunderous Eight Trigrams Palm" route recorded in the "Mysterious Thunder Guiding Technique," which he had previously failed to truly grasp the essence of, the movement was surging and roaring.
At the center of his brow, the Zhen trigram jade token trembled slightly, echoing the seed of "Spring Thunder True Meaning" in his sea of consciousness.
All the spirit, will, energy, and true intention were concentrated in the slowly extended right palm.
There were no roars, no fancy move names. Just the simplest and purest palm strike.
"Palm Thunder".
A calm voice uttered.
"Crackling and popping!"
A blinding bluish-white lightning suddenly erupted from Xuan Tianyi's palm!
The lightning was no longer the scattered, fragmented arcs he had previously unleashed; instead, it was forcibly restrained, compressed, and condensed by the "True Meaning of Spring Thunder."
In the end, it formed a fist-sized, incredibly solid ball of lightning that kept jumping and flashing with bluish-white electric sparks!
At the core of the lightning sphere, the faint image of the Eight Trigrams flowed and disappeared amidst the lightning, emanating a strange Daoist charm that cleansed away demonic aura and brought about the revival of life!
Around the ball of lightning, the air twisted violently, emitting a low rumble of thunder. The scorching heat waves and the refreshing, rain-like air intertwined in a contradictory yet harmonious way.
As if propelling a miniature thunderous sun, Xuan Tianyi slowly unleashed this palm strike.
The bluish-white lightning ball in his palm flew out silently, initially slowly, then accelerating instantly.
It transformed into a condensed, azure-white lightning bolt, meeting the incoming, dark blue blade aura head-on!
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at this moment.
Everyone held their breath—Uncle Lin, Ali, the surviving guards, and even some people in the distance who had noticed the battle.
They all stared intently at the thin, yet seemingly imbued with the power of heaven and earth, a bluish-white lightning bolt, and the menacing, dark blue blade aura.
next moment--
Boom!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a muffled rumble like a summer thunderclap, yet it seemed to explode directly in the depths of everyone's soul!
The bluish-white lightning and the dark blue blade energy collided without any fancy moves.
The anticipated stalemate did not materialize.
The incredibly refined thunderball, imbued with the true meaning of "Spring Thunder Awakens Insects," displayed its unparalleled penetrating power and purifying properties the moment it touched the azure blade energy!
Thunder, with its supreme yang energy and vitality, is the absolute nemesis of yin and evil spirits!
"Sizzle—!"
Like a red-hot iron plunged into snow, the azure blade energy emitted a harsh sound, as if it were being corroded and melted away.
Starting from the point of contact, it quickly becomes dim and illusory, then shatters and disintegrates inch by inch!
Completely crushing everything in its path!
The ferocity on Zhao Tiezhu's face completely transformed into boundless fear and despair.
He wanted to withdraw and change his move, but his sword strike was too long and the lightning was too fast.
The chilling thunderous intent locked onto him, causing him to momentarily freeze in place!
In that insignificant moment, life and death are decided.
After shattering the blade's aura, the bluish-white lightning only dimmed slightly, but its momentum remained undiminished.
It rapidly magnified in Zhao Tiezhu's wide-open pupils, and finally imprinted itself hard on his chest!
"Ugh... Ah—!!!"
A piercing scream, inhuman and shrill, suddenly rang out, then abruptly stopped.
As the lightning entered his body, Zhao Tiezhu's burly frame trembled violently, and the protective layer of qi and blood on his body shattered like paper.
The clothes and flesh on his chest instantly carbonized and charred, forming a charred, hollow palm print that was transparent from front to back, with fine, bluish-white electric snakes leaping along its edges.
The heart, and most of the organs in the chest cavity, had been reduced to charcoal by the destructive power contained in the thunder.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, his eyes filled with shock, resentment, bitterness, and a deep fear of the true meaning of that thunder.
But all that came out was black smoke mixed with fragments of internal organs and a burnt smell.
puff.
Zhao Tiezhu collapsed backward like a mountain of gold and a jade pillar, kicking up a cloud of dust, his life extinguished in an instant.
Those wide-open eyes stared blankly at the sky stained red by the blood moon, devoid of any spirit.
Xuan Tianyi could no longer hold on; intense weakness and piercing pain in his soul overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
His body went limp, and he knelt on one knee, barely supporting his swaying body with the bent black iron armor-piercing spear. His face was as pale as paper.
The left arm that had just unleashed the "Palm Thunder" was now hanging limply, trembling uncontrollably, with even fine streaks of blood seeping from its seven orifices.
Forcibly activating the nascent "true meaning" to unleash a killing move beyond its own capacity yielded significant results, but the cost was equally enormous.
The surrounding crowd, who were watching this scene with wide eyes, fell into a deathly silence.
Only the howling of the night wind sweeping through the valley and the faint shouts of battle coming from the main battlefield in the distance reminded people that the fight was not over.
Uncle Lin, Ali, and the others stared blankly at the boy kneeling on the ground, panting heavily, as if he might collapse at any moment.
He glanced again at the corpse not far away, its chest charred and its eyes wide open in death, and his mind went blank.
Body Tempering Level 3, Reversing the Fierce Ninth Level Peak?
One move, instant kill?
They would never have believed this mythical fact if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes.
"Xuan...Brother Xuan..."
Uncle Lin's Adam's apple bobbed, and he made a dry, hoarse sound, but he didn't know what to say.
The boy before me still had that slightly immature face stained with blood.
But the aura emanating from him was as solid as a mountain, yet contained the power of thunder.
Yet it felt incredibly unfamiliar to him, and even... a little uneasy.
Ali opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
He looked at Xuan Tianyi, then at the broken sword in his hand with its worn edge, and for the first time, he clearly felt what it meant to be worlds apart.
And at that moment, a strange thing happened.
Centered on Xuan Tianyi, within a radius of several feet, the land, scorched black and lifeless by the aftershocks of the battle, was...
Tiny green shoots stubbornly broke through the scorched earth, peeking out at a visible speed, trembling slightly in the blood-scented night wind.
Those were newly sprouted grass shoots.
Nourished by the lingering echoes of thunder, which embodies the true meaning of "spring thunder awakens insects," life bursts forth from the scorched earth of destruction.
In the deathly silence, only the newborn greenery and the lingering, fresh breath in the air, cleansed of blood and filth, silently recounted the breathtaking scene that had just unfolded.
Xuan Tianyi struggled to lift his head and gave Uncle Lin a pale, reassuring smile.
He wanted to say something, but suddenly started coughing, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood.
He waved his hand, indicating that he could still hold on.
The sharp pain in his chest reminded him that his injuries were still serious.
But the newly generated, surging blood and qi within his body, along with that tenacious "Spring Thunder True Meaning," kept him from collapsing.
He glanced down at Zhao Tiezhu's corpse, his eyes indifferent.
There was no joy of victory, nor any discomfort after the killing; only a deep, still calm.
It was as if what he had just killed was not a powerful enemy at the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering, but merely an annoying insect.
[Defeated a powerful evil disciple (Seven Saints Cult Rat Spirit Guard) at the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering, gaining 885 Life Source Points.]
[A breakthrough was achieved during the battle, comprehending the "True Meaning of Spring Thunder" (in its embryonic form), deepening the understanding of the "Mysterious Thunder Guiding Technique" and the Way of Thunder.]
[Detected that the host has undergone an intense life-or-death battle, and after his physical body was pushed to its limits, he has broken through. The compatibility of the "Mysterious Thunder Guiding Technique" has increased, and the foundation of his physical body has been tempered and expanded.]
The system notification sounded in my mind, bringing generous rewards.
885 points of life essence!
This far surpasses any previous kill or achievement.
Indeed, risk and reward go hand in hand.
But Xuan Tianyi had no time to look closely at the moment.
He suddenly looked up, his bloodshot gaze like cold lightning, shooting towards the main battlefield.
There, the battle had reached a fever pitch.