Chapter 484 - 212: True Martial
Chen Qing finished regulating his breathing, his True Astral fully restored.
He took a deep breath and stepped onto the stairs leading to the twenty-sixth floor.
As soon as he entered the twenty-sixth floor, a pressure far heavier than the levels below washed over him.
In the center of the stone chamber stood a single Puppet.
This Puppet was built like an ordinary person. It held no Weapon and simply stood there silently, its hands hanging naturally at its sides.
But the fluctuations of aura it emitted had shockingly reached the Mid-stage Astral Force!
Moreover, this aura was incredibly dense, far surpassing the Early Stage Puppets on the floors below.
Chen Qing’s brow furrowed slightly.
It was one-on-one, yet the pressure was even greater than that of the three Puppets on the twenty-fifth floor combined!
The Puppet sensed the intruder. Its once-hollow eyes suddenly lit up with two sharp glints of light, locking onto Chen Qing.
It did not rush to attack. Instead, it slowly settled into an ancient boxing stance. A Fist Momentum as heavy as a mountain, yet hinting at an explosive force, began to emanate from it, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
’Is this the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s Mountain Shattering Sea Quaking Fist?’
Chen Qing recognized this famous Superior Boxing Technique at a glance.
Legend had it that once cultivated to the Extreme Realm, a single punch could shatter mountains and its Power could shake rivers and seas. It was incomparably fierce and extremely difficult to cultivate.
The Puppet before him had shockingly cultivated this Fist Technique to the Extreme Realm of comprehending Fist Momentum!
Before he could think any further, the Fist Puppet moved!
With a single step, the ground trembled slightly. Its figure shot forward like a cannonball as it threw a simple, direct punch!
Before the fist even arrived, the heavy, all-shattering Fist Momentum was already so oppressive that Chen Qing found it hard to breathe. The air itself hummed, as if strained to its breaking point.
Chen Qing dared not hold anything back. With a swift flick of his Cloud-Coiling Spear, he instantly assumed the defensive stance of the Mountain Prison-Suppression Spear. A mountain of spear shadows materialized before him.
BOOM!!
The Fist Gang and the spear shadows collided violently, letting out a deafening explosion!
Chen Qing felt an unimaginable force travel up the shaft of his spear, mixed with a strange, vibrating Power that sought to bypass the spear and ravage his internal organs!
He staggered, sliding back several steps, the arm holding his spear slightly numb.
’Such ferocious strength! Such a bizarre Fist Force!’
Pressing its advantage, the Fist Puppet was relentless. It stuck to him like a shadow, unleashing a continuous barrage of punches. Layers of fist-shadows appeared, each punch containing the terrifying might of the Mountain Shattering Sea Quaking Fist. Engulfed by its Fist Momentum, escape was nearly impossible!
Chen Qing pushed his Startled Swan Escape Shadow Technique to the limit, his body becoming a blur of afterimages within the narrow stone chamber. He wielded his Cloud-Coiling Spear, alternating between the Mountain Prison-Suppression Spear and the Mountain-Splitting Thunder Shock Spear, at times blocking with steadfast stability, at others launching swift counterattacks.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!
The sound of spear and fist clashing was endless as wild Qi Force spilled out in all directions, carving deep gouges into the stone walls.
Chen Qing pushed his Spear Technique to its absolute peak. He drove both spear arts to their limits, sometimes using Mountainous Momentum to neutralize the opponent’s ferocious Fist Force, other times using Thunderous Momentum to strike at openings the Puppet was forced to defend.
But the Fist Puppet’s Mountain Shattering Sea Quaking Fist was simply too formidable. Its Fist Momentum was seamless, blending offense and defense into one. Its timing was flawless, often allowing it to dodge the spear tip by a hair’s breadth or to meet it head-on with its Fist Gang, knocking the long spear aside.
Furthermore, the Vibrating Power contained within its Fist Force was constantly being transmitted through their clashes, making Chen Qing’s blood and qi churn violently.
Chen Qing dodged every sharp gust of wind from its fists that grazed past his body.
After another exchange, the blood and qi in Chen Qing’s body surged. A faint bronze luster appeared on his skin, and his muscles bulged and tensed.
He stopped exclusively dodging and blocking. He began to take some of the Fist Force head-on, relying on the formidable physique of his Mixed Element Realm to cancel out the strange Vibrating Power and create opportunities to counterattack.
The momentum of his Cloud-Coiling Spear suddenly grew more ferocious as he began to clash head-on with the fierce Fist Gang!
However, the sheer amount of True Astral a Mid-stage Astral Force Puppet possessed far surpassed that of an Early Stage one. Even with the enhancement from his Eight Extremes Vajra Body, Chen Qing still felt the strain.
A sharp glint flashed in Chen Qing’s eyes. He used a feint to bait the Fist Puppet into punching at an opening on his chest. Ignoring the incoming attack, he instantly surged his Cyan Wood True Gang, pouring it into his long spear and thrusting with a Mountain-Splitting Thunder Shock straight at the Puppet’s throat.
The Fist Puppet reacted with incredible speed, its other fist swinging back to intercept, precisely smashing against the spear’s shaft!
BOOM!
A tremendous force slammed into him, but Chen Qing had pushed his Eight Extremes Vajra Body to its limit. The incoming Power was completely blocked.
At that very moment, he twisted his body sharply in mid-air, forcefully stabilizing his center of gravity. His hands suddenly began Sealing!
The Cyan Wood True Gang within him circulated, compressed, and condensed at an unprecedented speed!
A profound and mysterious conception emerged from his hands, causing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to ripple slightly.
True Martial Seal—Embrace Mountains and Rivers!
As he chanted the name in his mind, a deceptively simple and ancient True Astral Seal instantly materialized before him. It contained a profound Momentum, as if it could encompass entire mountains and rivers. With a push of his palms, he sent it hurtling toward the pursuing Fist Puppet!
Although he had not yet reached Minor Achievement in the True Martial Seal, its power was already terrifying!
The Fist Puppet seemed to sense the extraordinary nature of this seal. Its charge halted, and it crossed its fists in front of its chest. The vast True Astral of a Mid-stage Astral Force cultivator erupted without reservation as the Fist Momentum of its Mountain Shattering Sea Quaking Fist condensed to its absolute limit, then smashed violently into the True Astral Seal!
DONG!!!
It was as if a giant hammer had struck a celestial bell! The entire stone chamber shook violently!
A violent shockwave of True Astral radiated outward, causing Chen Qing’s clothes to whip about him.
The Fist Puppet’s Fist Gang and the True Martial Seal collided, a fierce process of mutual Erosion. In the end, the True Martial Seal shattered, but the Puppet was also sent stumbling back by the immense force. Its boxing stance broke, and the True Astral circulating around its body dimmed for an instant!
’Now!’
How could Chen Qing let such a fleeting opportunity pass? Suppressing the churning in his blood and qi, his figure flashed forward like a Startled Swan!