Chapter 347 - 329: Innate True Qi vs. Dragon Elephant Power

Fu Qingyun was startled when Zhaang Ye seized his short staff. A savage grin immediately spread across his skeletal face as the staff in his hand began to vibrate in a peculiar way, unleashing an endless tide of Death Qi!

HUMMMMMMM—

The terrifying power and endless Death Qi emanating from the short staff were enough to kill a High-level Fierce Beast weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds through sheer vibration. Before Fu Qingyun, even a small mountain hundreds of feet high would be shaken until it crumbled inch by inch.

BOOM!

BOOM!

Driven by Fu Qingyun’s full power, the black short staff twisted madly within Zhaang Ye’s five fingers. Each vibration produced a thunderous boom, as if an infinitely powerful Black Dragon were struggling wildly, causing the very heavens and earth to tremble.

SZZZZZ—

The black Death Qi traveled up the staff, possessing a terrifying corrosive power that ate away at all life force. It instantly blackened Zhaang Ye’s hand gripping the weapon, and the darkness quickly spread up his arm!

"Hah!" Zhaang Ye grunted, his five fingers clamping down on Fu Qingyun’s short staff with the immovability of great mountains!

Fu Qingyun’s short staff pulsed with formidable power and an utterly terrifying Death Qi. But in Zhaang Ye’s grasp, no amount of force could make it budge, and no amount of horrific Death Qi could make his arm tremble in the slightest!

"Ah!"

Fu Qingyun was shocked. ’I can’t believe it! He actually blocked my immense force and incredibly potent Death Qi with his bare hands and seized my staff!’

’This is bad!’ After the initial shock, Fu Qingyun immediately realized the danger. At that exact moment, Zhaang Ye’s free hand shot out in a Hand Blade strike!

Zhaang Ye’s palm glowed with a brilliant golden light. As he struck, his hand became like an incredibly sharp blade. His Hand Blade created a thunderous boom as it cut through the few feet of space between them. All Fu Qingyun saw was a blur before Zhaang Ye’s palm descended, carrying a suffocating amount of power!

With his short staff seized by Zhaang Ye, Fu Qingyun had no choice. He roared and met the attack head-on with his own palm, attempting to block Zhaang Ye’s impossibly fierce Hand Blade.

BOOM!

When Zhaang Ye’s hand struck his, Fu Qingyun felt a sudden, sharp pain. The Hand Blade had brutally sliced a chunk of flesh from his palm. Even more terrifying, a dreadful power surged from the point of impact into his Meridians, making his blood boil so violently that he nearly coughed it up!

’What a terrifying man! If I hadn’t cultivated that sliver of Innate True Qi, I never would have been able to take that blow!’ Fu Qingyun’s expression finally changed, and he no longer dared to underestimate Zhaang Ye in the slightest.

’What a formidable man!’ Zhaang Ye’s expression also flickered. His own Physical Power was boundless, augmented by the Dragon Elephant Power within his body. He had expected that last Hand Blade strike to shatter every one of Fu Qingyun’s bones, yet the man had somehow taken the blow head-on without even spitting up a mouthful of blood!

A flicker of regret showed in Zhaang Ye’s eyes, as his Hand Blade had failed to kill Fu Qingyun. He had relied on his gloves, braving the corrosive Death Qi, to seize the short staff and finish Fu Qingyun in one swift assault. He never expected his opponent to be powerful enough to withstand his strike.

Zhaang Ye and Fu Qingyun’s gazes met, clashing like two Sharp Swords. Killing intent blazed in their eyes as both men held fast to the short staff, refusing to let go.

The short staff now contained both the utterly terrifying Death Qi and the tyrannical Dragon Elephant Power. If Zhaang Ye were to let go, his entire body would be instantly engulfed by a tide of corrosive Death Qi; even with his Dragon Elephant Power, he would be severely injured.

Fu Qingyun couldn’t let go, either. If his own power wavered for even a moment, the Dragon Elephant Power within the staff would crash down on him with the force of a tidal wave. If he survived, he would be gravely injured.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

After locking eyes for a moment, Zhaang Ye and Fu Qingyun attacked in unison.

Each man kept one hand on the staff while their other hands engaged in earth-shattering combat. Their bodies blurred into two dark shadows, almost invisible to the naked eye, as they grappled fiercely. Rampant Dragon Elephant Power and terrifying Death Qi erupted from the space between them, blasting out in all directions.

Fu Qingyun finally unleashed his tyrannical strength. His hands, feet, shoulders, and even his head became deadly weapons as he relentlessly attacked Zhaang Ye. Each of his attacks contained boundless force and was suffused with endless Death Qi. He was like a Death God from hell, ready to reap a life at any moment!

But to Fu Qingyun’s astonishment, no matter how ferocious his attacks became, Zhaang Ye always managed to counter them. Zhaang Ye calmly and unhurriedly performed a single Saber Technique. Regardless of how Fu Qingyun attacked, Zhaang Ye would meet him with a single chop that brutally shattered the assault.

Breaking skill with raw power—this was Zhaang Ye’s current strategy. To Fu Qingyun, Zhaang Ye seemed like a Fierce Beast of infinite strength. Even a casual chop from him contained immense might. Although Fu Qingyun’s Cultivation had reached the Peak of Martial Arts Ninth Layer and his Death Qi was exceptionally pure and potent, he was still unwilling to meet Zhaang Ye’s strikes head-on.

A single chop!

With just a single Saber Technique, Zhaang Ye had Fu Qingyun completely suppressed. No matter how formidable Fu Qingyun was, he could do nothing to Zhaang Ye and was slowly being forced onto the back foot.

’This Zhaang Ye... he doesn’t even look thirty, how can he be this powerful? And what is this bizarre Saber Technique that counters my every attack?’ Fu Qingyun’s palm clashed with Zhaang Ye’s again and again. The bones throughout his body groaned, his blood churned, and his heart was filled with horror.

Zhaang Ye was unaware of the horror in Fu Qingyun’s heart. He continued to use his Mountain-Breaking Slash, whittling away at Fu Qingyun’s Death Qi with every strike.

Zhaang Ye was fighting alone. He had to deal with Fu Qingyun’s attacks while also guarding against an assault from seven men in red. Each of these men was at the Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer, and they had subtly formed a battle array, their focus locked firmly on Zhaang Ye. In this situation, no matter how powerful he was, Zhaang Ye had to split his focus to defend himself.

Zhaang Ye’s plan was to use his formidable Physical Power to slowly exhaust Fu Qingyun’s Death Qi, then kill him in one fell swoop with the force of a thunderbolt.

Fu Qingyun was the strongest among them. Once he was dead, Zhaang Ye would have nothing to fear from the seven men in red, regardless of their power.

"AHH!"

Fu Qingyun, a dignified Martial Arts Expert at the Peak of the Ninth Layer, could no longer endure the humiliation of being completely suppressed by Zhaang Ye. He let out a great roar, and a faint layer of light enveloped his body. This light was filled with a profound aura—it was the wisp of Innate True Qi he had so painstakingly cultivated.

Innate True Qi was a special kind of True Qi that Martial Arts Experts could only form after comprehending the world around them and painstakingly refining their energy. It possessed unbelievable power. Since Fu Qingyun’s was cultivated from Death Qi, his Innate True Qi was a hundred times more potent than his ordinary Death Qi. A mere sliver was enough to reduce a Late-stage Martial Arts Ninth Layer expert to a skeleton!

Fu Qingyun thrust a finger forward!

A sliver of Innate True Qi was condensed into the finger strike. It appeared silent and harmless, utterly devoid of power. In reality, the Innate True Qi contained within his finger was powerful enough to reduce a massive Fierce Beast to a skeleton. If Zhaang Ye failed to block it, he too would be turned into a pile of bones in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Fu Qingyun finally use his true power, Zhaang Ye was not alarmed but delighted. ’Good! After all this time, he’s finally attacking with his Innate True Qi! A Martial Artist’s Innate True Qi is cultivated through immense effort and is tied to their very life force. If I shatter it, he’s sure to suffer a backlash. Then, I can definitely kill him in a single blow!’

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

Until now, Zhaang Ye had only been using a fraction of his Dragon Elephant Power against Fu Qingyun, reserving most of it to guard against the seven men in red. But now, seeing Fu Qingyun unleash his Innate True Qi, the Dragon Elephant Power within Zhaang Ye began to circulate wildly. In that instant, his entire aura changed—he became like an Ancient Giant Dragon, like an Ancient Mammoth!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

The supremely tyrannical Dragon Elephant Power condensed into his palm, and with a wave of his hand, Zhaang Ye naturally executed his Self-Created Combat Skill: Mountain-Breaking Slash.

The moment he unleashed Mountain-Breaking Slash, it was as if a spatial rift had been torn in the void. Tornadoes descended like a Space Storm, spinning madly in an area over a hundred feet wide.

Having unleashed his Innate True Qi, Fu Qingyun was brimming with confidence. ’Zhaang Ye may have Ancient Dragon Power and Ancient Elephant Power,’ he thought, ’and while those powers are pure, they lack true depth. In this situation, I’m certain I can reduce him to a pile of bones in a single strike and erase him from this world.’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Zhaang Ye’s palm collided with Fu Qingyun’s finger. Only then did Fu Qingyun finally understand just how terrifying Zhaang Ye’s Dragon Elephant Power was. His prized sliver of Innate True Qi shattered instantly on contact. The Dragon Elephant Power then swept over him like a hurricane!

PFFT!

Fu Qingyun was instantly and grievously wounded, spraying a mouthful of blood. But he had no time to worry about his injuries, because after shattering his Innate True Qi, Zhaang Ye’s hand was suddenly grabbing for him!

Fu Qingyun’s face went deathly pale. He cast aside all other thoughts, his body blurring into a streak of gray light as he retreated with all his might. But as fast as his Body Technique was, Zhaang Ye’s fingers were faster. With a sharp CRACK, a bloody rib bone appeared in Zhaang Ye’s hand.

Zhaang Ye had brutally torn the rib straight from Fu Qingyun’s body! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)