Chapter 483 - 211: Mountain Thunder
’A prolonged defense is bound to fail!’
Chen Qing knew he couldn’t drag this on any longer.
A glint flashed in his eyes. He intentionally revealed an opening, taking a heavy cleave from the Saber Puppet head-on and using the momentum to slide back.
Just as expected, the Hammer Puppet seized the opportunity. Its giant hammer, imbued with the Power of Ten Thousand Jins, came crashing down on his head!
In that split second, the aura around Chen Qing abruptly transformed!
His Spear Momentum, once as steady as a mountain, was instantly infused with an incomparably sharp intent—the kind of Thunder Shock that could tear anything apart!
The Mountainous Momentum had yet to fade, but the Thunderous Momentum had already surged!
Under his masterful control, the two completely different Spear Techniques weren’t merely layered on top of each other; they had begun to truly merge!
"Break!"
The Cloud-Coiling Spear was like a roused dragon bursting from the abyss. No longer purely offensive or defensive, its shaft trembled, carrying both the weight of a mountain and the swift, explosive crackle of thunder!
He thrust his spear, a move that seemed to summon the force of wind and thunder, and pierced with pinpoint accuracy the exact spot where the hammer’s momentum was weakest!
BOOM!
Qi Force erupted! The unstoppable giant hammer was knocked upward by the spear’s tip, leaving the Hammer Puppet completely exposed!
Chen Qing wasn’t one to miss such an opportunity. He shot forward like a bolt of lightning, his spear an extension of his body. A clean, sharp thrust instantly pierced the Hammer Puppet’s core.
With one down, the pressure was greatly reduced.
The remaining Saber Puppet couldn’t hold out alone. Though its Saber Technique was still ferocious, it fell in less than five moves under the onslaught of Chen Qing’s newly merged Spear Momentum. A single strike knocked its saber aside before another pierced its core.
Floor Twenty-Four, cleared!
Chen Qing took a moment to regulate his breathing. He could feel that his True Astral, though slightly depleted, had grown even more refined. The Purple Light in his mind also seemed more active. He then strode toward the twenty-fifth floor.
He knew that the real challenge was just beginning.
This was where Shen Xiuyong had been defeated.
In the stone chamber of the twenty-fifth floor, three puppets stood in a triangular formation, their auras linked as one, giving the impression of a single, integrated entity.
The puppet on the left wielded a sword, the one on the right gripped a saber, and the central figure brandished a black spear!
All three puppets were at the Early-stage of Astral Force and possessed a high degree of spirituality!
The spear-wielding puppet in particular radiated a palpable pressure just by standing there. It had clearly cultivated a Superior Spear Skill to the realm of "Momentum"!
Chen Qing’s pupils contracted. He felt a surge of pressure.
With no preamble, the battle erupted instantly!
Flashes of saber and sword rained down like a torrential downpour, sealing off any escape to Chen Qing’s left or right.
Meanwhile, the spear puppet in the center thrust forward without a sound.
The thrust was fast, precise, and vicious. The spear’s tip vibrated, creating the illusion of several cold stars aimed at Chen Qing’s vital points. A sharp Spear Momentum rushed toward him, attempting to suppress his own Spear Intent!
A Three Talents Battle Array!
And it was a battle array formed by three Early-stage Astral Force puppets, all of whom had grasped "Momentum"!
Chen Qing felt as if he were trapped in a swamp; the very air around him grew thick and heavy.
With a low shout, he activated his Eight Extremes Vajra Body to its fullest, channeling a torrent of Cyan Wood True Astral into the Cloud-Coiling Spear.
He alternated between the Mountain Prison-Suppression Spear and the Mountain-Splitting Thunder Shock Spear, at times defending like an unyielding boulder, at others counterattacking like a bolt of lightning.
Spear shadows formed an impenetrable barrier around his body.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!
The sounds of clashing weapons and exploding energy were as dense as rain drumming on banana leaves.
Chen Qing pushed his Body Technique to its absolute limit, dodging and weaving within inches of space.
The spear-wielding puppet posed the greatest threat. The sophistication of its Spear Technique was on par with his own, and it was so seasoned that it often anticipated and countered his moves.
Meanwhile, the other two—the Saber and Sword puppets—perfectly executed their roles of harassing and pinning him down, preventing him from focusing his full attention on the spear puppet’s assault.
No wonder Shen Xiuyong was defeated on this floor.
The combined might of these three puppets represented the pinnacle of power for the Early-stage of Astral Force.
Anyone at the Early-stage of Astral Force would find this level nearly impossible to pass without a powerful foundation.
Chen Qing’s thoughts raced. ’I have to shatter their coordinated assault!’
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. As the spear puppet lunged at him again with a vicious thrust, he did not dodge or evade. Instead, he violently swung his Cloud-Coiling Spear to knock aside the long sword from the left, while taking a direct hit on his shoulder from the Saber Puppet’s cleave on the right!
His Body-Protecting True Astral shuddered violently. The shockwave traveled to his Flesh Body before dissipating completely.
He used the force of the impact to lunge forward, the True Astral within him surging at an unprecedented rate.
In that instant, the profound weight of the mountain and the explosive force of the thunder found a critical point of balance!
His Cloud-Coiling Spear transformed into a roaring Flood Dragon. A phantom mountain materialized above the spear, suppressing all in its path, while arcs of lightning wrapped around it, ready to tear everything asunder!
With utterly tyrannical force, it thrust directly at the spear-wielding puppet!
This thrust was beyond the spear puppet’s predictions and beyond its ability to counter!
BOOM!!!
The tips of the two spears collided violently! A terrifying shockwave blasted outward, causing the other two approaching puppets to momentarily falter.
The black spear in the puppet’s hands shattered, inch by inch!
The Cloud-Coiling Spear drove straight in, instantly piercing its core!
The core shattered! The spear-wielding puppet froze in place, then collapsed into pieces.
The Three Talents Array was broken!
The remaining Saber and Sword puppets, though still ferocious, could no longer coordinate their attacks perfectly.
With the pressure on him drastically reduced, Chen Qing pressed his advantage with a fierce assault.
In little more than ten moves, he shattered the cores of the Saber and Sword puppets one after the other.
Floor Twenty-Five, cleared!
Chen Qing leaned on his spear for support. The cloth on his shoulder was torn, but he had sustained no real injury.
His Eight Extremes Vajra Body had already reached the Primordial Realm; an ordinary attack from an Early-stage Astral Force expert couldn’t even break his skin.
’This place is actually a good spot to hone my combat skills.’
He could feel his Mountain-Splitting Thunder Shock Spear technique progressing by leaps and bounds. At this rate, he thought, it wouldn’t be long before he achieved ’Momentum.’
’Once the Mountainous Momentum and Thunderous Momentum are fused, the power of my Spear Technique will rise to another level.’
Chen Qing glanced at the stairs leading to the twenty-sixth floor, then sensed the increasingly active purple glow in his mind. He didn’t advance immediately. Instead, he sat down cross-legged, swallowed an Elixir, and took the opportunity to restore his depleted True Astral.
.....