Seeking Martial Dao in All Reborn Lives
Chapter 164 - 163: Imperfect
The mountain forest was bathed in moonlight.
Zhao Xuanqi and Zhang Hongyun stood opposite each other. The first meeting between these martial brothers was fraught with tension.
"Very well. Brace yourself."
Zhao Xuanqi observed Zhang Hongyun’s attitude and felt a flicker of satisfaction. If Zhang Hongyun had tried to run, he would never have acknowledged him as a senior brother again. It would have meant that he felt no guilt or regret for what had happened at the Martial Arts Hall.
A man who lacked even the courage to take responsibility for his own mistakes was not worthy of being called his martial brother.
However, he would not hold back because of it.
Having the courage to take responsibility was one thing; having the strength to bear it was another.
In an instant, a terrifying change came over his eyes, now filled with a fierce savagery.
BOOM!!
He stomped his foot, and his body shot forward like a cannonball, breaking through the air and creating terrifying ripples in the space around him.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Xuanqi appeared before Zhang Hongyun. With a full-power explosion from multiple overlapping Secret Techniques, his speed was even faster than Hua Jingcheng’s, who had been on the verge of mastering Shrinking Inches!!
His massive frame blocked the moonlight, casting a terrifying shadow over Zhang Hongyun.
SNAP! THUMP! HUM! GURGLE!
The sound of taut muscles and fascia, the thunderous pounding of a heart beating like a war drum, the vibration of organs and vocal cords...
All these sounds of Force Release layered in an instant, accompanying the palm Zhao Xuanqi thrust out, erupting in a heaven-shattering, earth-shaking blast.
ROAR!!
Within the aura of the Fist Technique, Zhang Hongyun saw the endless dark clouds before him suddenly explode. A terrifying, pure-white behemoth opened a maw that seemed capable of swallowing heaven and earth, letting out a deafening roar.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
The air within a ten-meter radius of Zhao Xuanqi was violently stirred. As he struck with his Palm Technique, the air formed the shape of a massive beast’s head and lunged at Zhang Hongyun.
This strike was nothing like the Hou’s Form he had used at the council meeting. With multiple Secret Techniques layered and his Spirit released without reservation, its power was on a completely different level.
Zhang Hongyun felt his body stiffen. He knew this was the effect of the surrounding air being violently vibrated by his opponent’s Fist Technique. An ordinary Martial Artist wouldn’t even have a chance to resist such an attack.
At that moment, the muscles around several acupoints on his body suddenly compressed those points. His internal organs activated, and his kidneys went into overdrive.
Bioelectric currents were activated within his body, flowing through six of the Silver Needles he had inserted into himself to stimulate his acupoints even more intensely.
BOOM!!
The Vitality contained within Zhang Hongyun’s body was completely activated, and at the same time, his heart began to race.
Southern Dipper Longevity Nail—Palm of Longevity!
He too thrust out a palm to meet Zhao Xuanqi’s. Six acupoints on his palm bulged from the surging Qi and Blood, with the last one in the sequence swelling high and pulsing continuously.
A powerful aura rose from Zhang Hongyun’s body. In the endless night sky, a bright star shone, transforming into a towering Star Monarch who stood between heaven and earth, clad in Battle Armor like a fierce general of old.
Majestic, powerful, and brimming with killing intent, it was as if he held the power of life and death over the entire world in his hands.
Doumu Primordial Soul Needle—Southern Dipper Sixth.
Seven Kills Star Monarch!!
According to the Su Family’s Secret Transmission, the acupoints all over the body are like the stars in the sky. By controlling muscles to stimulate the acupoints at will—Moving Stars and Changing Dipper—one can make the body erupt with immense potential.
Among them, the most lethal were the Three Stars of Kill, Break, and Wolf!
BOOM!!
The two Palm Techniques collided. A terrifying force exploded outward, sending shockwaves flying for dozens of meters. The branches and leaves of the surrounding trees were shredded by the blast. The fearsome power and presence generated by their clash instantly sent birds within five hundred meters scattering into the sky, while beasts and insects fled in a frenzy.
WHOOSH!!
CRACK!!
Under the terrible impact of the full power of Zhao Xuanqi’s Hou’s Form, even Zhang Hongyun couldn’t fully withstand it. His body was blasted away like a cannonball, creating ripples in the air as he flew. He slammed into a tree thick enough for a man to wrap his arms around, snapping it in two, and felt a violent vibration wracking his entire body—muscles, bones, and skin.
’Strong! He’s too damn strong! To think he could be this powerful with only the Heart’s Profound Ability... It’s unbelievable.’
"Second move."
A cold, indifferent voice that made one’s scalp tingle rang out. Zhang Hongyun, who had just steadied himself after breaking the tree, saw the terrifying figure in the distance move again.
This Technique was completely different from the Overbearing Fury of the last one.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!
The sound of a beating heart was like the dense roll of a war drum, and also like the sound of some bird frantically beating its wings.
HISS!!
The pores on Zhao Xuanqi’s taut skin opened and closed. Sweat was instantly vaporized by his rapidly rising body temperature, forming a mist that coiled around him.
He gently raised his arms. As his muscles trembled, they left countless afterimages in the moonlight. The hazy, vaporized mist swirled around his arms, forming what looked like two outstretched wings.
Yet, beneath this beautiful sight, Zhang Hongyun sensed a fatal crisis.
Southern Dipper Longevity Nail—Reverse Longevity!!
A vast amount of Vitality instantly filled his body, washing away all negative conditions.
At the same time, his muscles compressed multiple acupoints, and bioelectric currents stimulated the numerous Silver Needles embedded in his body. His Vitality and nutrients were consumed at a furious rate, as if a terrifying monster was greedily devouring him from within.
And this monster was his own body. While devouring massive amounts of Vitality, it also granted him immense explosive power.
Beidou Evil Soul Needle—Greedy Wolf!!
SWISH!!
Zhao Xuanqi’s body shot forward again in an instant. He thrust a hand straight for Zhang Hongyun’s heart, the swirling mist manipulated by his Gang Qi into a sharp, conical blade.
BOOM!!
Zhang Hongyun threw a punch, hoping to knock Zhao Xuanqi’s attack off course. However, the moment his fist neared Zhao Xuanqi’s body, the Qi Blade formed from the mist made him feel an intense threat.
’If I get any closer, my fist will be severed!!’
He had this premonition. In an instant, his muscles twitched, and he controlled his acupoints—Moving Stars and Changing Dipper—to forcibly change the direction of his punch. The side attack became an upward strike from below, avoiding the sharpest point. At the same time, he tapped his toes, bent his body, and retreated.
The Phecda Star represented a blend of hard and soft, agility and skill. Therefore, when manifested in his Fist Technique, it wasn’t just a simple burst of power; the style of his punches was exceptionally unpredictable.
However, Zhao Xuanqi’s attack was simply too fast. Although Zhang Hongyun had changed his move in the nick of time, he had only managed to slightly divert the thrust.
PFFT!!
Zhao Xuanqi’s strike landed ten centimeters above his heart. The intense penetrating power punched a centimeter-wide hole straight through his chest, exiting from his back and piercing his entire lung.
If he hadn’t changed his move mid-battle and retreated with his footwork, Zhao Xuanqi’s entire arm would have passed through his body, just as it had with Hua Jingcheng.
The Form of the flying bird, the Bi Fang, was exceptionally dangerous.
SKID SKID SKID!!
Zhang Hongyun staggered back several steps, but his expression didn’t change. Instead, it grew incredibly grave.
The Southern Dipper Longevity Nail was active, his body’s Vitality operating in overload. Even if his heart were pierced right now, he could continue fighting in his peak state until the last shred of his Vitality was exhausted!
"The final move."
Zhao Xuanqi’s voice was like a death knell.
BOOM!!
A terrifying aura, completely different from before, erupted from his body.
Dark clouds gathered, and a massive beast’s head suddenly poked through, looking down on everything on the ground like a higher being.
Sacred, majestic, savage, possessing Overbearing Fury...
All these contradictory qualities mixed together, creating a terrifying pressure.
The will of the self, the presence of the Qilin!!
’This aura...’
Zhang Hongyun’s pupils trembled violently. Compared to the various Beast Forms from before, the aura Zhao Xuanqi revealed this time was completely different. It wasn’t an imitation of a technique; it was as if he himself *was* the Exotic Beast.
’A perfect fusion of aura and body?!’
’Wait, no, this aura isn’t perfect!!’
In the despair born from that intense pressure, Zhang Hongyun’s will suddenly sensed something different.
The Beast Form created by the aura was shrouded in black clouds, as if it were shackled. There was always a sense of separation between it and Zhao Xuanqi’s body.
’An imperfection is an opening!’
A pearl shrouded in dust!
The acupoints throughout Zhang Hongyun’s body instantly activated, and his vast Qi and Blood converged on the Mud Ball Palace.
The Mud Ball Palace, where the human spirit resides, hung high like a blazing sun, commanding all the stars in the body.
This was the Doumu Primordial Soul!
The intense stimulation of his Mud Ball Palace dramatically heightened Zhang Hongyun’s Spirit. Following the subtle flaw in the aura, he relied on his powerful perception to sense a sliver of a chance for survival.
The strongest Secret Technique of the Doumu Primordial Soul Needle lay in this acupoint of the Doumu Primordial Soul. Once stimulated, one could perceive the Yin Yang of life and death. However, without sufficient realm, the price for forcibly stimulating one’s Spirit was not something one could bear lightly.
But in this situation, it was the only way to break the stalemate.
’This junior brother of mine is just too damn strong!’
THUMP!!
The sound of a single, powerful heartbeat rang out, and Zhao Xuanqi’s body vanished as if he had teleported.
The Qilin’s head that had poked through the clouds seemed to be engulfed in raging flames at this moment.
Heart Fire, ignite!
Fire Qilin!!
BOOM!!
Zhao Xuanqi brought a palm down on Zhang Hongyun. The Force Release was so violent that his specially made clothes instantly burst into shreds. The bulging muscles underneath resembled the scales of a Qilin.
Yet, in the instant this terrifying strike descended, Zhang Hongyun moved as if he could see the future.
All the Vitality in his body was gathered for a single explosion. His movement and Palm Technique were like a falling meteor—a single, all-or-nothing gamble from which there was no return.
Southern Dipper Longevity Nail—Duan Changsheng!
Breaking Army!!
Of the Three Forms of Kill, Break, and Wolf, the Breaking Army Technique was the most dangerous.
Breaking Army was the Hao Star, a consuming star. All of one’s Vitality was gathered into a single point, like Breaking the Pot and Sinking the Boat—no turning back.
This was a life-or-death technique.
With that one palm strike, Zhang Hongyun actually intercepted the crucial point of Zhao Xuanqi’s Force Release. Although he couldn’t interrupt it completely, he was able to neutralize more than thirty percent of the Palm Force.
Thirty percent of the Palm Force was the difference between life and death.
BOOM!!
As they collided, Zhang Hongyun’s body was sent flying once again. Even after neutralizing thirty percent of the Palm Force, the remaining terrifying impact was more than he could bear.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Zhang Hongyun flew backward, crashing through three large trees before finally coming to a stop. He lay on the ground, spitting out mouthfuls of blood.
Zhao Xuanqi stood in place, his expression slightly stunned. ’The Qilin Technique is my signature move... Does it really have a flaw?’