Chapter 142: How???? (2)
Chapter 143
*How...? Just how...? This is not possible...*
Even he... despite all of his training, despite all the suffering and hardships he had endured to train his body, to temper it, and to forge his strength... from the day he was born, he had grown into an unparalleled genius within the Shi Clan, and that had not happened because of luck.
Shi Mo had bled, he had broken his bones, and he had suffered countless injuries to reach the stage where he stood today. None of it had been achieved by chance, and everything he possessed had been earned through his own effort, sweat, pain, and determination.
He had trained to the extent that he had suffered countless broken bones, experiencing times when he visited the infirmary multiple times within a single week, doing many things... many painful and even harmful things to himself... all so he could stand at the very top.
And yet, after everything he had done, there was one person he had never been able to surpass in terms of growth: Shi Tian.
Shi Tian was a monster, after all, but still, Shi Mo had come incredibly close to him, which was still something Shi Mo was willing to accept, especially since, unlike himself, who possessed a Sky-grade Spirit Root, Shi Tian possessed a Heaven-grade Spirit Root.
The difference between them was enormous, and that was something Shi Mo was willing to accept, even if only barely.
*But this...*
Shi Mo looked down at his hand, which was shaking on its own... no, not only his hand, but his entire body was shaking. Shi Mo slowly raised his head and looked back at Liyu.
*I am scared...*
The realization struck him like a massive hammer, and Shi Mo stared at Liyu with trembling eyes.
He was scared... scared of someone who was so far beneath him in terms of cultivation that the difference between their realms should have been completely laughable, considering Liyu was only at the first stage of the Qi Gathering Realm while Shi Mo had already reached the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.
The gap between them was massive, so large that under normal circumstances, Liyu should not even have been worthy of standing before him. And yet, Shi Mo was scared of him.
The overwhelming emotions threatening to break him down were forcefully suppressed as Shi Mo pressed them down with everything he had, knowing his mental strength was nothing to scoff at, after all.
He slowly raised his head and looked back at Liyu; the fear was still there, but his resolve remained as well.
*He might be strong... he might be powerful... and maybe... maybe he is even stronger than I am right now...*
Shi Mo clenched his numb hand.
*But I will not lose to him. I will never lose!*
His gaze sharpened as he placed one hand against his chest.
"Gravity Fall... Twentyfold Decrease!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the gravity around Shi Mo dropped drastically, and his body, which had already become incredibly light, became even lighter, feeling as if the weight of the entire world had disappeared from his body.
His movements became faster, his speed increased once more, and Shi Mo vanished before striking once again. With his speed boosted to such an extent, then for sure... Liyu would be too slow to react.
Shi Mo struck, and then... Liyu blocked.
Shi Mo’s eyes twitched slightly, as he clearly had not expected Liyu to react fast enough to block the attack.
But he did not halt his assault, striking again, and then again, and then again, unleashing one attack after another over and over as his fists moved at terrifying speeds while he pressed relentlessly on the offensive.
And Liyu... Liyu blocked every single one of them, again and again, his strength and speed evenly matching Shi Mo’s. As the two continued to clash, Shi Mo slowly realized that his fear had been real: Liyu had totally adapted to the rise in gravity.
The realization still made Shi Mo’s skin crawl whenever he thought about it, because he did not know anyone... no one below the Foundation Realm... who could adapt so quickly to such a drastic change in the world’s pressure.
And yet, Liyu had managed to do exactly that.
*He is a monster as well...* Shi Mo thought as fear clawed at his chest.
However, he did not give that fear enough time to fully surface, instead pressing harder on the attack. With his body becoming lighter, his speed had reached a monstrous level... too fast, far too fast.... which was why it was even more shocking that Liyu was matching him speed for speed.
Shi Mo struck, Liyu blocked; Shi Mo attacked again, Liyu evaded; then Liyu countered, forcing Shi Mo to quickly pull back.
The two continued to exchange attacks at terrifying speeds, meanwhile, Liyu grinned as he watched the expression on Shi Mo’s face change over and over again from disbelief to shock, then fear, before returning to anger, looking as if he was going through an intense emotional turmoil... and the reason for all of it was him.
Liyu felt the joy in his heart rise even faster. He loved that, he really loved that, as being the reason behind his opponent’s fear and despair had always brought him a strange kind of dark happiness... a feeling he could not fully place his hand on, but he liked it, no, he loved it.
*Hehehe...*
There was still one more expression Liyu wanted to see on the big guy’s face before he completely crushed him, though.
His gaze gradually turned dark and eerie, the smile on his face stretching wider and darker, because he wanted to see despair written all across Shi Mo’s face, which was when it was truly going to start... when he was going to begin delivering his beating on a silver platter.
During the rapid exchange of attacks, Liyu suddenly appeared to slip, his footing shifting slightly. Shi Mo, who had been pressing relentlessly on the offensive, immediately noticed the opening, his eyes flashed, and without wasting even a fraction of a second, he struck directly toward Liyu’s chest.
The attack moved incredibly fast, it was powerful, and it should have connected. But... it failed.
Liyu’s second foot touched the ground, and then, almost like magic, his body twisted, his entire figure seeming to slither like a snake as he moved. In an instant, he crossed the distance between them, appearing directly before Shi Mo while still grinning like a complete lunatic.
"Pah!"
A slap connected cleanly with Shi Mo’s face, sending his head violently swinging toward the left. Then...
"Pah!"
Another slap struck him, sending his head back toward the right this time. Before Shi Mo could even regain his balance...
"Pah!"
A third slap came from below, striking directly beneath his chin and causing Shi Mo’s mouth to shut as his entire body was lifted off the ground, his massive figure rising into the air. Then Liyu moved, a swift kick striking Shi Mo’s body.
"Bang!"
Shi Mo was launched backward like a cannonball, his body shooting through the air before slamming heavily into the side of the arena.
"BOOM!"
The impact shook the surrounding area, and Shi Mo landed roughly on the arena floor. His gaze appeared dull as he slowly lifted himself from the ground and looked toward Liyu.
Liyu stood several meters away, still smiling, still grinning, as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than a fun game to him, as if he was simply enjoying himself, as if he could decide to end the battle at any moment, and the moment he made that decision, everything would truly come to an end.
And the worst part was that Shi Mo believed it as well... no, maybe it was not him, maybe it was something deep within him, something inside him believing that he had already lost.
Shi Mo slowly closed his eyes, wanting to calm himself, but he did not even understand what he was feeling right now. Maybe he was feeling too many things at once... fear, anger, disbelief, frustration... maybe all of those emotions were mixing together and making him lose hope.
The burning pain radiating from his cheeks still lingered, not having faded as the pain remained hot and intense, but Shi Mo paid it no attention, turning his attention inward instead as he tried to calm the raging emotions within his heart.
Time slowly passed, and after a long while, Shi Mo finally opened his eyes. He stood up, his gaze becoming sharp once more.
*The rise in gravity is not doing anything to stop Liyu anymore... meaning my Qi is only being wasted for nothing...*
Liyu had already adapted, meaning the increased gravity was no longer suppressing him, no longer slowing him down, and continuing to maintain the Gravity Rise would only drain Shi Mo’s Qi reserves without giving him any advantage.
*I need to cancel it now...*
With that thought in mind, Shi Mo raised his hand, his Qi moved, and then he broke the Gravity Rise.
The pressurized stage changed almost instantly, the suffocating pressure disappearing as the surrounding area returned to its normal state, and the world’s gravity returned to normal.
Liyu immediately felt the change, turning and looking toward Shi Mo with a clear expression of mocking pity appearing on his face.
"I have no idea why you did that, my friend..." Liyu slowly smiled. "But I can tell you one thing..." His smile widened. "That is the worst decision you have ever made in your life."
The moment Liyu said those words, he vanished. Shi Mo’s eyes widened, and then, in the next second, a pain greater than anything he had ever experienced exploded through his chest.
The pain was sudden, brutal, and unimaginably powerful, feeling as if something had completely shattered inside him. Shi Mo’s body froze, his eyes widened in shock, and then... the force finally erupted.
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Hey everyone!
Sorry for the late update. Something absolutely terrible happened... 😞😞😞
I accidentally deleted a large amount of my work from my PC, which meant I had to sit down and type everything all over again.
Yes...
My PC didn’t just betray me. It decided to erase my hard work and send me back to the beginning like some kind of cruel regression novel. 😭
It seriously sucks, and that’s the reason behind the late update. I’m really sorry for keeping you all waiting.
On a brighter note, I’ve added a new Privilege Tier: Obsidian!
Since Obsidian is the highest rank in the currency system of Rayden’s world, I thought it deserved to become the peak Privilege Tier as well.
And because the peak should feel like the peak...
The Obsidian Tier contains a staggering 30 advanced Chapters! 🔥
For those who have already joined or are considering joining, I hope you enjoy the extra Chapters and the massive lead ahead.
Thank you all once again for the love, patience, and continued support. Every comment, vote, gift, and bit of encouragement keeps this gentle author motivated to keep writing, even after being forced to retype an entire pile of deleted work. 😭😂
Your gentle author,
Ultra