This single palm strike from Yin Fenghai truly showed everyone what it meant to be an immortal.
Within his palm, swirling ethereal mists churned, coalescing into layered vortices of clouds. As the palm descended in eerie silence, it drew and converged the air for dozens of li around into what resembled a gargantuan maelstrom—and at the epicenter of this maelstrom lay the mountain peak beneath his palm!
Whoosh—
Gales swept through, scouring everything in their path. Sleeves thrashing ceaselessly in the wind, Huang Tian threw back his head, his black hair dancing wildly like dragons and vipers.
Neither dodging nor evading, he stood firm upon the mountain peak, his presence merging into one with the towering mountain and the earth below. Then, clenching his right hand with a concussive pop, he threw a punch straight upward against the palm descending from the heavens!
Buzz—
Like two divine mountains colliding in brutal fury, the instant fist met palm, a hush fell first, as if all sound itself had been swallowed whole. Then, an incomparably violent wave of air swept outward in all directions with world-shattering force!
Rumble!
Where the shockwave passed, dozens of mountain crests were sheared away as though by a colossal blade, their summits sliced clean off in an instant to slide into the abyss. Countless boulders were lofted into the air before tumbling down into deep ravines and valleys with a continuous roar.
Dense forests collapsed in great swathes, uprooted and ground into sawdust by the furious astral winds that followed, churning with countless airborne stones that shot outward indiscriminately.
Every single stone was like the world's deadliest hidden weapon—plunging deep into solid rock, punching straight through tree trunks, blotting out the sky and earth with unending howls.
Even twenty li away was lashed by the rolling waves of astral wind and flying stones. Fortunately, among the martial artists gathered here were a good number of Grandmaster-rank figures. Drawing their swords and sabers, they slashed and hacked against the sky-covering curtain of rocks and dust, barely managing to block the aftershocks of the clash between Huang Tian and Yin Fenghai.
"Those lacking in strength had better fall back! A battle among the supreme is no place for you to watch from up close!"
A burly man gripping a broadsword hovered in midair, looking down upon the crowd of martial artists below.
"We can block once, and we can block twice, but we cannot keep blocking forever. Once they cut loose and clash with everything they have, even we will have to flee. Stay this close, and you will find only death!"
Harsh though his words were, they spoke the unvarnished truth. The aftershocks from a clash between the world's two strongest were more than these lower-three-ranks and middle-three-ranks martial artists could endure even twenty li away. And this had merely been an opening probe, not a fight in earnest. Once the two clashed in full-blown mortal combat, the aftershocks would grow far more massive; the spectators would stand no chance of blocking them, and might not even have time to flee!
And so, many martial artists who knew their strength fell short retreated farther back, stationing themselves thirty or forty li away atop elevated vantage points to watch the duel. Naturally, some who believed themselves capable of self-preservation refused to leave, standing their ground with resolve.
As they put it—to witness such an epochal battle, seen once in thousands or tens of thousands of years from up close, was worth dying for!
Toward those with such notions, the Grandmaster-rank experts naturally could not be bothered to waste their breath. They simply turned to watch the two silhouettes clashing in the distance while gripping their weapons tightly, braced to deflect incoming shockwaves—or turn and flee for their lives at a moment's notice.
Crack, crack—
Atop the mountain peak, Huang Tian's figure did not sway in the slightest, yet the stone beneath his feet fractured inch by inch. This was only because he had aligned himself with the mountain's contours and the earth's topography; otherwise, that single exchange would have caused the towering peak underfoot to collapse completely!
After exchanging a palm strike, Yin Fenghai drifted upward, the cloud vapors around him rippling for a moment before steadying once more.
Then came a second palm strike!
Like a cloud dragon extending its claw, it descended from the heavens. His form was like cloud, like mist, elusive and ever-shifting. The wind of his palm let out a clear, sonorous whistle, as though ten thousand immortal cranes were crying in unison, or divine melodies were chiming from a celestial palace.
Huang Tian thrust both fists out together, his fist style bold and sweeping, heavy as mountains and swift as thunder.
Dong!
Like a heavenly god beating the earth as a drum, the sound was muffled yet magnificent. The mountain Huang Tian stood upon was forced downward by several yards, rock tumbling and earth cascading.
Hot on the heels of the second palm came the third. Yin Fenghai traced his hands before his chest, drawing all the surrounding cloud vapors and immortal radiance into his right palm until the hand turned crystalline and translucent, as though sculpted from exquisite jade.
As the palm pressed downward, it was as if a heavenly palace were crashing down!
"Good!"
Huang Tian roared. The vital blood throughout his entire body surged like a raging river, true qi gushing forth and his bones and sinews singing in unison with dragon roars and tiger cries as he hurled a punch straight into the sky!
Bang!!
At the center of where fist and palm met, an unimaginable tempest erupted. Radiant, clear light collided with golden-yellow fist astral qi, sweeping outward in an unparalleled deluge of atmospheric turbulence.
Rumble—
Having absorbed the impact of three titanic blows, the towering mountain could no longer hold. Amidst a deafening boom, the upper half of the peak collapsed entirely, and the majestic mountain body blew apart with a resounding blast. Countless massive boulders, mingled with soil and splintered trees, poured downward like a flash flood, throwing up a sky-blotting pall of dust!
As the mountain crumbled, Huang Tian shot upward in a flash, extending his frame in midair to stand firmly upon the void, his gaze growing ever sharper.
Borrowing the tyrannical, extreme force of Huang Tian's third punch, Yin Fenghai transformed into a streak of light, soaring skyward straight into the clouds!
Standing high in the sky, his dark robes fluttered in the buffeting heavenly winds, their color deep as midnight. The swirling cloud vapors and immortal radiance had receded like a tide, and the aura surrounding him grew dark and somber. A domineering, ferocious presence radiated outward from him.
Rumble!
The qi dynamics of heaven and earth shifted violently in response.
The originally clear sky was swiftly overtaken by dense leaden clouds, deep black and hanging so low they seemed within arm's reach. Within the cloud cover, lightning flickered and thunder rolled incessantly, an aura of grim slaughter permeating the vast firmament!
Standing amid wind and thunder, Yin Fenghai's gaze flashed like lightning, piercing through the heavy clouds to fall upon Huang Tian. Slowly, he raised a hand and grasped at the empty void.
Clang!
A crisp chime laden with murderous intent rang throughout heaven and earth. In the next instant, an archaic halberd was gripped firmly in his grasp.
This halberd was over ten feet long, resembling carved black jade that gleamed with cold, dark-golden light, twined with motifs of dragons and serpents. At the halberd head, one side bore a crescent-shaped blade flowing with chill luster, while the other side formed a spear tip glittering with a pinpoint of cold light.
The moment he seized the halberd, Yin Fenghai's demeanor underwent a total transformation. An awe-inspiring, domineering aura of looking down on the world and standing supreme radiated from him.
He truly resembled a Demon Lord of the heavens!
"That is the Gold-Traced Painted Halberd! The divine armament Yin Fenghai wielded in the past!"
Dozens of li away at the edge of the sky, the pupils of Shen Dongming and over twenty Celestial Being experts contracted.
They were shaken not merely by the weapon, but by the fact that with just a beckoning of his hand, the weapon had appeared in his grip. This meant he was already capable of drawing a divine armament into his own body!
That was a feat only Void Realm experts could achieve!
In the entire world, only the five great Void Realm divine armaments could be incorporated into the body—and now, there was another!
Pavilion Master Xuanji exclaimed in marvel, "Yin Fenghai truly is only a thread away from the Void Realm! His present strength is likely infinitely close to the legendary Void Realm experts!"
"Truly worthy of being a hero born once every several thousand years in our Five Directions Realm!" Perfected Sanmiao lamented in admiration.
Shen Dongming chuckled. "In past eras, Yin Fenghai would have reigned supreme over the world for three hundred years. But who could have predicted that a successor would arise in this era?"
Master Longding shook his head. "That is the true blessing..."
What did reigning supreme over the world amount to?
Having an opponent worthy of battle was what truly called for rejoicing!
"Are they truly this strong?" Fu Yunjue pressed his right hand hard against his saber, his heart heavy.
Wan Shenyang's eyes burned fiercely. "So Celestial Beings can be this powerful!"
Crackle—
Thunder dragons and lightning slithered through the dark clouds. Yin Fenghai gripped the halberd with both hands, uttering not a single superfluous word as he cleaved down toward Huang Tian!
"Sever!!"
With a sweep of the halberd, the blade tore through the sky, trailing a colossal black arc that spanned heaven and earth. Wherever that arc passed, the air was entirely emptied!
The sky seemed to split open.
Between heaven and earth, it felt as though only that single stroke of ink-black arc remained.
Even dozens of li away, many martial artists could feel the tyrannical, supreme, immortal-slaying, demon-slaughtering dread contained within it, their bodies trembling uncontrollably and their teeth chattering.
"Not bad!!"
Huang Tian gave a hearty laugh, an intensely thrilled gleam erupting in his eyes. Facing this world-cleaving halberd strike, he slammed both feet against the void, kicking up rolling waves of white air as he vaulted upward like a meteor shooting backward into the firmament, colliding head-on with that cataclysmic halberd light!
Boom!!
A soaring punch shattered the black light, and Huang Tian crashed bodily into the layers of dark clouds.
Within the thick dark clouds blanketing the canopy of heaven, two figures stood facing each other.
One was like a cold, haughty Demon Lord wielding the Gold-Traced Painted Halberd, stirring the winds and clouds!
The other was like a Divine Emperor ruling over all domains, subduing mountains and rivers with his fists, reigning supreme over heaven and earth!
They crossed rolling lightning, engaging in close combat within those ink-thick dark clouds!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fist and halberd clashed. A relentless succession of terrifying booms echoed from the dark clouds, louder than the rolling thunder! It shook the vital blood of countless martial artists until it boiled and churned, their faces turning pale with terror.
Among the heavy clouds, Yin Fenghai brandished the Gold-Traced Painted Halberd. At times he was like a demonic dragon surging from the sea, halberd shadows whirling in sharp, wild fury; at other times he was like a heavenly roc spreading its wings, bold and expansive.
The blade cut through the clouds, drawing ten thousand bolts of lightning to cling to it, each strike bearing magnificent heavenly majesty and matchless dominance.
Huang Tian met him with fists and palms. His fist strikes were peerlessly fierce, like a Divine Emperor cracking a whip to lash mountains and rivers; his palm strikes were fluid and ethereal, like a sovereign patrolling the nine heavens, leaving no trace behind.
As fists and palms clashed against the halberd blade, they produced ringing metallic clangs, scattering dazzling sparks that cast flickering illumination across the surrounding black clouds.
The two soared and darted amidst the dark clouds and serpentine lightning dragons. Every collision unleashed brilliant flashes and wild airwaves whose aftershocks spilled downward without restraint, shattering the mountains below and leaving the earth scarred and devastated.
Countless martial artists looked up from afar at the two god-and-demon-like figures high in the sky, dazzled, spellbound, and shaken to their cores.
Rumble—
Beneath the relentless clashes between Yin Fenghai and Huang Tian, the thick dark clouds seemed to reach their limit, deepening to pitch black. Lightning serpents darted wildly, and the thunder shifted from a muffled rumble into ear-splitting detonations!
Crack!
Webs of purple lightning ripped across the expanse, and rain poured down like a boundless waterfall.
The sky transformed into an enraged ocean, billions of jin of torrential rain crashing down upon the mortal realm like an overturned sea!
A vast curtain of water blotted out heaven and earth. The sprawling mountains blurred in the deluge, and the boughs of countless tall trees swayed madly under the battering rain, their foliage smashed loose only to be swept away by rushing torrents into deep valleys.
All signs of daily life had vanished from the mountains. Birds huddled as best they could inside rock crevices and nests, shivering before the penetrating force of the rain, while beasts cowered in the depths of caverns, not daring to lift their heads.
Mudslides and raging waters merged, thundering through the mountains. Heaven and earth were swallowed in a vast expanse of white; only thunder reached the ears, and only lightning met the eyes!
"To think mortal strength could evoke such heavenly majesty! Are these the world's strongest?!!"
Soaked to the bone by the torrential downpour, a martial artist paid it no heed, shouting with fanatical fervor instead.
"Win or lose, this battle will be remembered by countless people!"
"An epochal battle! This is a true epochal battle!"
"In my life, if I had even a thousandth or a hundredth of their power, I would die with no regrets!"
The martial artists were wild with frenzy, while countless commoners within the Imperial Capital also looked up at the sky, unnerved as they watched the rain cascading down like a tipped sea.
Boom!
At the heart of the rolling cascade of thunder, Yin Fenghai merged man and halberd into one, transforming into a fierce streak of dark gold. The Gold-Traced Painted Halberd drew ten thousand surrounding lightning serpents, carrying an overwhelmingly domineering will as it thrust straight at Huang Tian!
His gaze fixed upon that pinpoint of a halberd tip, Huang Tian suddenly experienced a flash of inspiration. With intuitive clarity, he slowly raised his right fist.
Crimson, yellow, azure, white, black!
Radiance of five colors circulated into being from his fist!
Faint at first, it swiftly coalesced into a halo of light in flawless harmony. The halo rotated in reverse, harboring the supreme might of cyclical creation and destruction, capable of annihilating all things.
"Come!"
With a thunderous shout like an imperial decree from a Heavenly Emperor, he drove his fist forward. The five-colored fist astral qi smashed with pinpoint precision against the blade of the Gold-Traced Painted Halberd!
Clang!!
A resounding boom like a great bell drowned out the thunder filling the skies!
From the point of impact, an immense ring of compressed air abruptly expanded outward, blasting clear the curtain of rain across dozens of li in an instant. Yin Fenghai felt an irresistible, surging force roar up the halberd's shaft. Grunting heavily, he and his halberd were driven skidding backward through the air for thousands of feet before he barely arrested his momentum. The arms gripping his halberd trembled faintly, and his expression shifted.
Did he attain an epiphany? Five colors and the five elements—did he finally fuse those five divine intents into one?!
A smile blossomed across Yin Fenghai's face. Just as he was about to advance with his halberd once more, Huang Tian was already surging forward like a gale, unleashing another punch enveloped in five-colored radiance and rolling wind and thunder!
His fist intent surged to the heavens, glittering in five brilliant colors!
As the punch came crashing in, it felt as though an entire world were slamming forward!
"Good! Good! Good!"
Yin Fenghai let out a long cry. His vital blood surged like a dragon and his true qi roiled like a sea, pouring completely into the Gold-Traced Painted Halberd until the shaft blazed with dazzling brilliance.
Facing that divine punch, he cleaved down with every ounce of his power!
BOOM!!!
The sound seemed to surpass the limits of mortal hearing, as if heaven and earth had been struck dumb!
As though struck head-on by a primordial divine mountain, Yin Fenghai had his vital blood shattered in an instant. Blood sprayed from his mouth in an uncanny bloom of crimson, and he and the Gold-Traced Painted Halberd carved an arc through the sky, hurled away by the vast fist force until they vanished beyond the boundless curtain of rain.
Yet the might of this punch went far beyond that!
The residual wave of fist force roared through the dark clouds like an awakened five-colored dragon, rampaging without restraint!
Wherever it passed, the torrential cascade of thunder ceased abruptly, as though cleaved in two by an invisible blade.
The ink clouds enveloping heaven and earth churned violently like ice and snow beneath a blazing sun, before an immense hole was blasted open at the center of the fist force—a hole that expanded outward at terrifying speed!
The radiant sun beamed down like pillars of blazing gold!
Pouring through the aperture, it illuminated the towering, undulating Yupan Mountain Range in brilliant clarity.
Immediately following were a second beam, a third... Ten thousand rays of golden light pierced the tattered clouds, banishing the gloom.
The heavy dark clouds that had cloaked heaven and earth for so long disintegrated completely under the blow of that divine punch, swiftly dispersing.
Behold, across heaven and earth—
The rain ceased, the clouds parted, and brilliant daylight flooded the world!
Chapter 146