Chapter 526 - 509: For the Strongest
The star-studded night sky of the Pure Land was beautiful. The tranquility of the Dueling Platform formed a stark contrast with the surging emotions of the crowd.
Dangtian wore a calm expression. It felt good. A wave of heat surged through his chest. Of all Cultivators, Power Cultivators were the most unrestrained—they thrived on impulse, valor, and sheer dominance!
Having come this far, Dangtian no longer needed to be low-key, nor did he need to hide anything. All he had to do was crush every opponent in his path, make everyone recognize the Power Sect, and know the name Dangtian!
In an era dominated by Sword Cultivators, were Power Cultivators just manual laborers?
Absolutely not!
Dangtian clenched his fists. He didn’t need any weapons. For a Power Cultivator, his fists were the best weapons—the best weapons in the world!
A tyrannical aura permeated the Dueling Platform. This was the domineering presence of a Body Cultivator!
An intimidating aura radiated from Dangtian, like a mountain on the verge of collapse. The surrounding Cultivators all wore intrigued expressions.
Many people had only heard the names of the contestants and didn’t really understand their true strength. This was especially true for those without a Holy Statue, who were generally overlooked. But once a real fight began, they knew that while a Holy Statue was powerful, it didn’t directly decide the outcome.
Just from his aura, one could tell how thoroughly Dangtian had tempered himself.
In terms of aura alone, Dangtian was confident he could defeat anyone!
He was a born king, a born overlord. Some people are simply destined from birth to stand above all others, to rule.
Dangtian was one such person.
It wasn’t that Suo Ming didn’t struggle, but his aura was quickly suppressed by Dangtian’s tide-like presence, leaving him only able to defend.
In a battle between physical-type cultivators, the fight hadn’t even begun, yet one was already so suppressed in terms of aura that the gap in their strength was obvious.
Moreover, Suo Ming’s greatest trump card was the Forbidden Technique. Unfortunately, he was facing a Power Cultivator, leaving him no room to use it at all.
’Dangtian wasn’t exactly satisfied with this opponent. His last fight had been an epic, soul-stirring battle, but from his perspective, any fight where you had to risk your life simply stemmed from a lack of strength.’
He took a single step, and the aura he had been building up instantly crashed toward Suo Ming like an avalanche.
Before Dangtian had even attacked, Suo Ming was forced back three uncontrollable steps before he could regain his balance.
The entire city erupted in an uproar. The hearts of the Holy Hall Disciples plummeted from a peak into a valley. Their last match had been won by a hair’s breadth; this one seemed like it wouldn’t even be a close call.
Suo Ming tightly gripped his Forbidden Hammer, his face devoid of any expression or emotion.
Dangtian attacked.
It wasn’t particularly fast, but it certainly wasn’t slow. He was so confident that he didn’t need to display extreme speed.
A sideways step, a quick turn, and an upward strike with his right fist—the most common of Power Cultivation arm skills.
BOOM...
To Suo Ming, it was as if a mountain was crashing down on him. He brought up his Dual Hammers to block, but was still sent flying back.
Battles between physical-type cultivators often featured incredibly flashy, continuous skill combos, but Dangtian was in no hurry. His opponent couldn’t dodge.
It was the same attack again—a right-handed Dragon Fist.
BOOM...
Suo Ming retreated again. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to dodge, but after taking Dangtian’s incredibly domineering blow, his body had gone stiff. By the time he recovered, Dangtian’s next attack was already upon him.
This was a difference in innate talent. Some people simply recovered faster, while others’ bodies couldn’t keep up. Of course, training could compensate for some of it, allowing one to catch up, but there was a limit to how much ground could be covered.
BOOM...
When the third blow struck, Suo Ming could no longer defend. His Forbidden Hammer was knocked aside, leaving him wide open. Dangtian followed up with the exact same punch, not even changing the rhythm.
BOOM...
A direct hit.
What an immense gap in power!
To think that here in the Pure Land, in the finals of the Battle of the Other Shore, he was dismantling his opponent with the exact same move—a move so simple it could hardly be called a technique.
Keep in mind, Suo Ming had once beaten a Great Perfection Body Cultivator into a pulp. Even if that guy’s skills were subpar, the fact that Suo Ming could defeat him meant he was no weakling. Yet against Dangtian, he didn’t even have the strength to fight back.
One could only say that in the Battle of the Other Shore, anything was possible. One moment the Holy Hall was basking in glory, and the next, they were getting flattened.
But Suo Ming quickly climbed up from the ground, tightening his grip on his Dual Hammers. Dangtian was slightly taken aback. ’He’s pretty tenacious. But with such a huge disparity in power, there’s really no point.’
CRASH...
He rushed at Suo Ming with almost the exact same move. It was an ordinary technique, but Suo Ming could still only defend.
Amidst the cheers of the Power Sect disciples, Feng Jin could only marvel. Senior Dangtian’s use of Power Cultivation Skill Techniques had reached a state of perfection. The attacks seemed simple, but they were combined with aura, timing, and had even caught the opponent’s breathing rhythm.
The attack landed right at the moment he was exhaling.
BOOM...
Suo Ming retreated another two steps. Just as he stabilized himself, Dangtian’s next attack arrived.
CRASH...
He retreated one more step, still only able to block. As his whole body went numb, Dangtian’s third strike arrived.
CRASH...
Suo Ming’s defense was broken open again, leaving his center exposed. This time, Dangtian put more force into it, landing a direct Dragon-Charging Fist.
BOOM...
Suo Ming was sent flying, tumbling a great distance away.
This time, it was the Power Sect disciples who cheered. In the Pure Land, the Sect Leaders also nodded in approval. To them, flashy Magic and explosive Elemental Power were completely meaningless. What they cared about were these kinds of details.
For those who made it here, learning a Strong Attack Technique wasn’t difficult. But making them feel something different—that was truly hard.
The Power Sect’s Sect Leader, Xiang Yi, was full of praise for his prized disciple. In his evaluation, he was flawless!
"A pity his opponent is a bit too weak. It’s impossible to showcase his true abilities," Sect Leader Xiang said bluntly in response to the praise from the surrounding Sect Leaders.
Yuu Kunlun smiled. "Sect Leader Xiang, isn’t it a bit too early to say? The battle isn’t over yet."
"Heh, Sect Leader Yuu, do you really think there’s any suspense left?"
"Heh, that’s hard to say," Yang Jian remarked.
Xiang Yi swallowed. "Either my old eyes are failing me, or Suo Ming doesn’t actually have an Undying Body. Otherwise, there’s absolutely no chance of victory. Wouldn’t you all agree?"
The surrounding Sect Leaders, even those who had just been praising him, did not respond.
Because on the Dueling Platform, Suo Ming had gotten up again.
In fact, those with a keen eye had already noticed that when defending against Dangtian’s attacks, Suo Ming was taking fewer steps back.
Dangtian also frowned slightly. ’Fighting an opponent like this is actually quite boring. It doesn’t stir my fighting spirit at all. But I didn’t expect this Body Cultivator to be so durable.’
Although Suo Ming was just a punching bag, Dangtian wasn’t a petty person. He didn’t want to waste time on someone like this, and he certainly had no intention of showing off his skills on a mere target.
’A true expert has no need for that!’
Dangtian unleashed his Dragon-Charging Fist again, but this time, Suo Ming didn’t block. He suddenly swung his Forbidden Hammer.
CRASH... CRASH... BOOM! BOOM!
He blocked all three strikes. Although he was forced back, Suo Ming didn’t lose his footing. The Holy Hall Disciples weren’t there in person, but every one of them was clenching their fists, sharing his struggle. ’He has to block it!’
He blocked it!
On the fourth strike, although Suo Ming couldn’t dodge, he threw a punch of his own. Suo Ming was blasted back five or six steps before he stabilized himself, but Dangtian’s figure also swayed, a look of disbelief in his eyes.
With a sudden sweep of his arm, Dangtian shot forward, his entire body moving so fast a sonic boom echoed in his wake. Suo Ming reacted, but it was too late. Before he could bring his Dual Hammers back, his chest took a heavy blow.
BOOM...
Dangtian didn’t intend to waste any more energy and immediately used a powerful move, a blow that his opponent absolutely could not block.
But before Dangtian could even turn around, Suo Ming was on his feet again. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Suo Ming spat nonchalantly. "If you think you can defeat a Holy Hall Disciple with such feather-light punches and kicks, you’re far too naive!"
Dangtian was stunned. ’There are actually people who try to act this tough? An Undying Body? That’s just a story for kids. Although Body Cultivators temper their bodies, they all have limits. Once you pass that limit, recovery is difficult.’
’However, it seems I should show a little respect to such a tenacious opponent.’
Dangtian straightened his posture, preparing to get serious.
Feng Jin watched, shaking his head. ’With such a massive gap in power, this provocation is completely meaningless. Now that Dangtian is getting truly serious, things are probably about to get ugly for Suo Ming.’
Once Suo Ming was on guard, Dangtian suddenly attacked, instantly appearing in front of him. Suo Ming swung his Forbidden Hammer—he couldn’t just sit and wait for death—but it completely missed. Dangtian abruptly grabbed Suo Ming’s arms and slammed him to the ground.
BOOM!
He tossed him into the air and followed with an explosive kick!
BOOM...
If you thought that was the end, you were dead wrong. This was only the beginning. ’If I’m going to get serious, I’ll go all out.’
A relentless, rumbling barrage of blows rained down.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE. Completely unable to fight back, Suo Ming’s body was riddled like a sieve.
The onlookers were dumbfounded by the savage assault. It was a high-frequency attack, the speed so immense that it was completely indefensible.
Suo Ming fell toward the ground like a withered leaf.
In the instant he began to fall, Dangtian’s fists smashed into the ground.
Vibration Wave...
BOOM...
Suo Ming’s body hit the ground and bounced back up. Under such a vibration, his internal organs should have been pulverized.
It was a devastating assault, like smashing rotten wood. After the entire combo, Dangtian’s expression hadn’t even changed. It was just a small warm-up.
The battle was over.
Hu Jing and the others wore solemn expressions, but they weren’t overly tense. To be precise, it wasn’t that they weren’t worried, but that they had faith in Suo Ming. After everything they had been through, a battle that seemed incredibly brutal to outsiders was nothing special.
This was the path of Cultivation that everyone had to face. Suo Ming would be responsible for himself.
Dangtian’s good mood didn’t last long. Suo Ming stood up again, as if he truly possessed an Undying Body.
Staring at Suo Ming, Dangtian’s excellent mood soured. ’If he had absolutely no ability to resist, there’s no way he could stand up. And even if he could, he wouldn’t have any strength left. But Suo Ming clearly has the power to fight back!’
"It seems the battle is just getting started," Yuu Kunlun said with a slight smile.
This was highly abnormal. Body Cultivators weren’t immortal. How could he not be defeated after taking such a Critical Strike?
Dangtian could no longer afford to be composed. His body flashed with a golden light. ’Since his defense is so strong, I’ll just have to increase my attack power.’
Undying Golden Body and Mighty Divine Arm, activated simultaneously.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...
After resisting for a few moves, Suo Ming was completely forced onto the defensive, taking a passive beating. The force of Dangtian’s attacks trapped Suo Ming, preventing him from being knocked away and forcing him to endure the full power of the Critical Strikes.
Suo Ming crossed his hands in front of him to block. His Forbidden Hammer had already been sent flying. In front of Dangtian, even a Life Artifact was just getting in the way.
A savage assault. Ripples of power exploded outwards with each blow. At this moment, Dangtian’s Divine Power was truly world-shaking. Each strike was accompanied by a deafening, muffled explosion.
An attack like this would probably pulverize any other Cultivator.
Even the members of the Dragon Race, renowned for their physical prowess, couldn’t help but frown. From the power of the shockwaves alone, they could tell the level of this attack power. It was truly astonishing!
Dangtian’s strength had truly reached a breathtaking level.
BOOM...
With a double-fisted Critical Strike, Suo Ming was flattened. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK... The Dueling Platform itself was cracking apart!