noveltune Chapter 21: Breaking Through the Realm of Awakening of Insects
Chapter 21: Breaking Through the Realm of Awakening of Insects
Not right.
Something is very, very wrong!
The unease in Zhao Tiezhu's heart was now growing wildly like a poisonous vine, entangling him to the point of almost suffocation.
He stared intently at the boy before him, who was once again struggling to rise from the pool of blood and dust.
For the first time, an undisguised look of surprise and disbelief appeared in those eyes that were accustomed to cruelty and slaughter and had long been numb to ruthlessness.
What kind of monster is this kid?!
Initially, it was just an insect that could be easily crushed.
With only the second level of Body Tempering, his strength was decent, but he should have been powerless against the absolute power of the ninth level of Body Tempering.
Indeed, this was the case in the previous collisions; the other party suffered broken bones, internal organ damage, and gushing blood, appearing to be on the verge of death.
But the strange thing is...
This "insect" seems to be undergoing some kind of terrifying change every moment, every second.
Moreover, the speed of that change was so fast it was heart-stopping, completely illogical!
Despite his severe injuries, his power did not diminish; instead, it abnormally increased and condensed with each collision!
Although the initial 5,000 jin of brute force was astonishing, it was ultimately dead force, and its operation was sluggish.
But now, that power possesses an indescribable penetrating power and resilience.
Each clash brings a more cunning and destructive force from the recoil.
What chilled Zhao Tiezhu even more was the opponent's explosive increase in combat experience and the exquisite improvement in his control over power.
At first, the boy's attacks were fierce but straightforward, with obvious weaknesses.
But now, every dive, every block, even every time he deflects force and counterattacks after being injured,
They all seemed to be rapidly optimizing and adapting in the midst of battle, quickly discarding useless frills.
All that remained was the simplest, most direct, and most deadly killing instinct.
The feeling wasn't like fighting alone, but more like being a puppet programmed with combat skills, frantically learning and evolving!
At this moment, that damned little bastard's aura began to fluctuate violently once again.
His blood and qi surged like boiling water, faintly carrying the sound of rushing rivers.
A new, more vibrant, and more threatening force is being conceived and is bursting forth beneath his broken body!
A breakthrough in the heat of battle?!
In this state of severe injury and near death, with his strength almost completely exhausted, he actually wanted to forcefully break through to the third level of Body Tempering?!
Zhao Tiezhu's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and a chilling coldness shot up his spine to the top of his head.
This can't go on any longer!
This little bastard exudes an indescribable evil quality; he cannot be judged by ordinary standards!
We must crush it into dust immediately, with absolute force, and give it no chance to breathe or transform!
"I'm not playing with you anymore! This drama should end here, you little bug!"
The last trace of playful mockery on Zhao Tiezhu's face vanished completely, replaced by an incomparably ferocious killing intent.
He roared and, without holding back, unleashed his full power, unleashing the blood and qi of the peak of the ninth level of Body Tempering!
boom!
A sinister, dark blue aura, like a tangible flame, rose from his body, making the air within a three-zhang radius around him viscous and icy cold.
The dust and gravel on the ground were repelled by an invisible force field, forming a strange vacuum zone.
He slowly raised his left palm, his five fingers curling into claws. In his palm, dense, dark blue blood energy frantically gathered and compressed, faintly forming a black vortex that kept spinning and devouring light.
A terrifying aura, far colder, more malevolent, and heavier than before, spread out from him.
The few remaining carrion-eating ground squirrels nearby sensed this aura and were so frightened that they squeaked and retreated in panic, as if they had encountered a natural enemy.
"Black Fiend Soul-Suppressing Palm!"
Zhao Tiezhu roared, his figure suddenly blurred like a ghost, and in the next instant he appeared less than a foot in front of Xuan Tianyi!
With his left palm, he slammed down on Xuan Tianyi's crown!
The palm print left the body and grew as soon as it was exposed to the wind, instantly transforming into a huge palm print about ten feet in diameter, as solid as black jade!
Above the palm print, a cold wind howled, and countless twisted and tormented faces of vengeful spirits could be vaguely seen emerging and wailing, emanating a chilling aura that froze souls and a heavy will that suppressed everything!
Before the palm strike even arrived, countless spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the ground around Xuan Tianyi.
Tiny pebbles floated up against all reason, only to be crushed into dust by an invisible force in the next moment.
The terrifying spiritual pressure, like a tangible mountain, pressed down heavily on Xuan Tianyi, causing his bones to groan in unbearable agony.
Breathing seemed to stop for a moment, and even thoughts seemed to be frozen and crushed by the evil intent of the palm print!
This was Zhao Tiezhu's trump card, the high-grade evil martial art "Black Fiend Soul-Suppressing Palm"!
Using one's own Yin energy and blood as a foundation, one refines the resentful Qi collected during slaughter.
Once a palm strike is unleashed, it not only shatters tendons and bones but also shakes the soul. Even if the victim survives, their spirit and soul will be damaged, turning them into a muddled and useless person!
He once used this palm technique to severely injure an opponent who had just entered the Star Sea Realm!
However, faced with this unavoidable, soul-freezing, deadly palm strike...
Xuan Tianyi's blood-stained face showed no fear, but rather an almost empty indifference.
He seemed oblivious to the terrifying pressure from the palm strike outside, a pressure powerful enough to freeze the souls of ordinary Body Tempering Realm martial artists.
Deep within his consciousness, however, he was experiencing a storm that no outsider could imagine.
That was a transformation brought about by the system, and also the budding of some kind of true meaning!
[The Enlightenment Space has ended. This exchange consumed 1200 Life Source Points.]
[Current remaining Life Points: 424.]
The cold yet familiar notification sound echoed in the deepest part of my mind, yet it felt as if there was a thick layer of glass between us.
Xuan Tianyi's consciousness was immersed in a "Dao Enlightenment" space forcibly opened and burned by Life Source Points.
There is no concept of the passage of time here, or rather, the flow of time is distorted and stretched.
The moment Zhao Tiezhu struck out with his palm, from the outside world, has been extended here into a replay, deduction, dismantling, and reorganization of countless life-and-death battles.
The details of each clash with Zhao Tiezhu, the trajectory of the opponent's blood circulation, and the connection between the changes in his moves...
The moment of power eruption, even the fighting intent revealed by the gaze, the slightest muscle movement, and the fluctuations in breath...
All the information that Xuan Tianyi perceived, whether intentionally memorized or unintentionally captured, is now being infinitely magnified, slowed down, and analyzed here.
The previously obscure and difficult-to-understand parts of the "Mysterious Thunder Guiding Technique" have become clear through repeated simulations of "death" and "rebirth";
The thunderous essence contained within that Zhen trigram jade token was no longer merely a domineering force of destruction.
A subtle, distinct rhythm deep within it is repeatedly touched, peeled away, and perceived.
That is the rebirth at the end of destruction, the stirring after death, the first sound to awaken all things after the cold winter—the thunder of the Awakening of Insects!
In reality, Xuan Tianyi's body trembled violently under the terrifying pressure of the "Black Fiend Soul-Suppressing Palm," and fine black ice crystals even condensed on the surface of his skin, which was a sign of the invasion of resentful energy.
His eyes seemed unfocused and vacant.
"Die!"
A cruel and gleeful smile appeared on Zhao Tiezhu's face, as if he could already see the other person's head explode like a watermelon, and their soul torn apart by vengeful spirits.
Just as the dark palm print was about to land, and Xuan Tianyi's hair was pressed tightly against his scalp by the force of the palm strike, his skin began to crack and bleed—
All the death simulations, all the painful realizations, all the quest for the true meaning of "Thunder's" destruction and rebirth...
Under this extreme pressure of life and death, they all converged, collided, and finally ignited that spark of inspiration!
"I see……"
In the depths of Xuan Tianyi's unfocused eyes, a faint bluish-white light suddenly shone, like the first ray of dawn breaking through the eternal night!
Madness, ruthlessness, pain, struggle...
All outward emotions vanish in an instant, transforming into a profound, deep-seated tranquility born from a clear understanding of the essence of things.
"Spring thunder...Awakening of Insects."
A silent enlightenment resonates deep within the soul.
Within his sea of consciousness, the ancient "Eight Scenes Mystic Fate Lamp" flickered slightly, its light seemingly brightening a little.
Beneath the illusory shadow of the lamp, the Thunder Jade Token obtained from the "Zhen Hexagram, First Nine" is now radiating a warm and ancient luster.
At the core of the jade token, a "seed" containing the power of blazing white destruction and the meaning of azure life was quietly born and condensed!
It is not a specific form of energy, but a wisp of "true meaning"!
A wisp of thunder in the path of life, spring thunder awakens the insects, new life is born from destruction, this is the initial understanding and mastery of the "meaning" of this rhythm!
At the very moment this wisp of "true meaning of spring thunder" condensed and took shape—
hum!
Centered on Xuan Tianyi, an invisible and indescribable "artistic conception" suddenly unfolded!
The dim valley, originally shrouded in the crimson light of the blood moon and the murderous aura of the battlefield, seemed to have been struck by an invisible stone, causing imperceptible ripples in the air.
That cold, filthy, and despairing atmosphere was quietly dispelled and neutralized by a strange, fresh scent mixed with a faint ozone and the fragrance of grass after the rain.
Faintly, a deep, vibrant rumble of thunder seemed to echo from the depths of the void and from the heart of every person.
This thunder was not as violent and turbulent as summer thunder; instead, it carried a grand and sweeping meaning, cleansing away filth, awakening the slumbering, and proclaiming new life.
Within Xuan Tianyi's body, the qi and blood, which had been nearly depleted and stagnant due to overdraft and severe injury,
Under the influence of this "true meaning of spring thunder", it was as if the parched earth had been nourished by spring rain, and it suddenly revived and surged wildly!
The newly generated blood and energy were no longer the bright red of before, but instead carried wisps of bluish-white lightning, full of vigorous vitality and the ferocity of thunder.
"Click, click..."
A faint yet clear cracking sound came from within his body—the sound of his realm barrier being broken!
Body Tempering Level 3, Flesh Refining Realm, achieved!
Moreover, this newly generated blood and energy, imbued with the "true meaning of spring thunder," forcefully and aggressively pierced through those almost severed meridians.
Wherever it passes, damaged meridians are widened and reinforced, displaced organs are straightened and nourished by an invisible force, and shattered bones emit dense "crackling" sounds, rapidly healing amidst a mix of numbness, itching, and intense pain!
At wounds deep enough to expose bone, granulation tissue moves, connects, and grows at a visible speed, quickly stopping the bleeding and forming a scab.
Even more miraculously, the lightning power that was originally raging and difficult to control within him now seemed to have been given a "will," becoming docile and agile, as if it were his own arm.
The wisps of lightning were no longer simply a bright white, but had transformed into a more refined, restrained, ethereal bluish-white electric light, quietly swirling around him.
This electric light possesses both the awe-inspiring majesty to annihilate all evil and the gentle rhythm to nourish all things and awaken life.
Destruction and rebirth, two diametrically opposed qualities, have achieved a strange harmony and unity under the "true meaning of spring thunder".
All of this may seem like a long process, but it actually happened in the blink of an eye.
In Zhao Tiezhu's eyes, all he saw was a strange bluish-white light suddenly appear in the dying boy's eyes.
Then a chilling aura spread out, and the opponent's aura surged like a volcanic eruption, and the injuries visibly healed!
"Suddenly... he broke through? And even grasped... the true meaning?!"
The sinister smile on Zhao Tiezhu's face froze completely, transforming into unparalleled horror, even mixed with a sense of utter absurdity.
Breaking through in the heat of battle is already one in ten thousand, but to comprehend the "true meaning of martial arts" in the midst of combat?
This is unheard of!
The true meaning of martial arts is a power that transcends techniques and qi and blood. It is a preliminary understanding and mastery of a certain "Dao". It is a realm that even a Star Sea Realm expert may not be able to reach!
How could a kid who just broke through to the third level of Body Tempering possibly do that?!
"No...impossible! The true meaning?!"
Zhao Tiezhu's voice became sharp and distorted with extreme shock and jealousy.
"You... what kind of monster are you?!"
Xuan Tianyi slowly raised his lowered head. Beneath his disheveled black hair, his calm eyes looked at Zhao Tiezhu, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, only two points of light flashing blue-white lightning.
"monster?"
He spoke, his voice hoarse, yet possessing a strange, penetrating power.
"The monster that will kill you."