Chapter 624 430: Clash

Bear Wind was speaking of the time when Fang Qingyuan, merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had proposed that he submit to Lechuan.

At the time, Bear Wind had roared that Fang Qingyuan was overestimating his own strength, then sent him flying into a wall with a single slap. As Bear Wind recounted this now, a mischievous smile played on his face.

Hearing Bear Wind's words, Fang Qingyuan smiled as well. He had been young and full of vigor back then, failing to properly gauge the immense gap between himself and Bear Wind. Relying on his connection with Jinbao, he had blurted out the suggestion, a moment that had changed the course of many things to come.

Looking back now, Fang Qingyuan didn't think he had been wrong, but from his current perspective, he realized he should have been more thorough in his considerations.

With these thoughts in mind, Fang Qingyuan slowly set down his wine cup. Bear Wind's cultivation was currently suppressed by the Celestial Essence Array; this was likely the worst condition he'd been in for years.

Since achieving the Golden Core, aside from his battle with the bow-holding Nascent Soul, Fang Qingyuan had not encountered an opponent who could make him feel the least bit tense.

Whether fighting Blood Saber or the Golden Core from Qimeng Mountain, Fang Qingyuan had performed with ease and grace, feeling no pressure at all.

Now, he too was curious. Just how powerful was his true combat strength?

And Bear Wind also wanted to test just how much power he could unleash while suppressed by the Celestial Essence Array.

Thus, man and beast rose in tacit understanding and flew high into the sky outside the Qingyuan Sect.

Once Fang Qingyuan and Bear Wind departed, the atmosphere among the others grew much colder than before. Without the two elders present, a subtle barrier was forming between them.

Jinbao, meanwhile, clutched the wine jug in confusion. After thinking for a long while, he finally poured himself a cup, sipped it delicately, and narrowed his large eyes in an expression of pure bliss.

.....

Tens of thousands of feet in the air, this was a place rarely visited. Without a cultivation at or above the Golden Core Realm, one simply couldn't reach this altitude.

Howling, frigid winds created an aura of cold that could freeze all creation. Here, clouds were trodden underfoot, and the light from the distant great sun was even more scorching and tyrannical.

Fang Qingyuan and Bear Wind faced each other from a distance, their auras and Magical Power constantly condensing and rising. Though this was a spar, both sides were taking it very seriously.

"My realm is suppressed by the Celestial Essence Array. This suppression is all-encompassing. I will now fight you at the Golden Core Perfection Realm. You can go all out. If you can force me to reveal a few of my trump cards, I'll consider it your win."

Bear Wind's words, carried on the frigid wind to Fang Qingyuan's ears, sounded quite boastful. But coming from a Mid-stage Nascent Soul, his tone was completely natural.

Fang Qingyuan nodded seriously. Bear Wind was a veteran Nascent Soul Tier demonic beast, one who had clawed his way out of a Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood during the pioneering wars. He wasn't some freshly promoted rookie like the bow-holding Nascent Soul, who relied solely on his Taihao City-Breaking Bow.

"Then I ask for Brother Xiong's guidance."

The moment Fang Qingyuan's voice fell, he followed his usual combat experience and first summoned his four Star Constellation True Spirit Dharma Aspects.

When the four spirits appeared in unison, even someone with Bear Wind's discerning eye couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Good Divine Techniques, good Magical Power! But they have form without a soul, only scratching the surface."

After critiquing Fang Qingyuan's Divine Technique, Bear Wind let out a hearty laugh. His body abruptly swelled to a ten-zhang Dharma body, radiating astonishing Magical Power as he lunged toward the four Dharma Aspects Fang Qingyuan had summoned.

The massive ten-zhang body was as large as a great ship, like a towering edifice. With every lift of his hand and stomp of his foot, boundless force followed. A single palm strike, landing on the White Tiger Dharma Aspect that had leaped behind him, shattered the three-zhang form into a scattered cloud of Spiritual Qi.

"We Ancient Beasts of the Wilderness place the utmost importance on our physical bodies, our flesh and blood. The physical body is the foundation. Even with these myriad restraints upon me, my vital energy and blood are still surging."

Having entered a combat state, Bear Wind was clearly excited. He didn't attack Fang Qingyuan directly from the start; that would turn this spar into a battle of life and death.

A spar is primarily about testing the opponent's strength and techniques. What kind of spar would it be if you didn't fully experience the opponent's methods? Thus, Bear Wind was intentionally testing this Divine Technique of Fang Qingyuan's.

Seeing Bear Wind demolish the White Tiger Dharma Aspect with a single palm, Fang Qingyuan's eyelid twitched. Although his Dharma Aspect wasn't a physical entity, in terms of sheer toughness, it ranked first among the four True Spirit Dharma Aspects.

It even contained a sliver of the White Tiger True Spirit's will. When it came to combat experience, it was even stronger than if Fang Qingyuan were controlling it himself.

'Yet it couldn't even withstand a single blow from Bear Wind. We're both at the Golden Core Perfection Realm, is the gap really this wide?'

'No, Bear Wind's body isn't at the Golden Core Realm. Even if suppressed by the array, it's still at the Nascent Soul Tier. Add to that his combat awareness, and being taken out in one hit is understandable.'

'Besides, the White Tiger True Spirit Dharma Aspect isn't something that can be completely destroyed in a single blow.'

Following Fang Qingyuan's will, the White Tiger Dharma Aspect, still dissipating into smoke, was seemingly grasped by an invisible hand. In the blink of an eye, it was re-carved and sketched out on the other side, instantly reforming.

"Useless tricks. If I can destroy this Dharma Aspect once, I can destroy it ten thousand times. I'd like to see if your Divine Sense can withstand those ten thousand impacts."

Bear Wind teleported in front of the newly formed White Tiger True Spirit Dharma Aspect and again destroyed it in a single blow. At that moment, Fang Qingyuan once again felt a portion of his Divine Sense being consumed.

Summoning a True Spirit Dharma Aspect was not without cost. The main price was the Magical Power Fang Qingyuan provided, as well as the strength of his own Divine Sense.

When a Dharma Aspect was destroyed, the portion of Divine Sense that gave it form would be consumed. If it were reformed too many times, Fang Qingyuan's Divine Sense would soon be drained dry.

The role of Divine Sense in combat was undeniable. The activation of magical treasures, techniques, and even Divine Techniques all required manipulation by Divine Sense. If too much of it were consumed on the Dharma Aspects, it would be a definite disadvantage for the rest of the fight.

In response, Fang Qingyuan simply pressed his lips together, pretending not to hear. 'My Dharma Divine Techniques aren't so pathetic.'

As the White Tiger Dharma Aspect was destroyed and reformed, the other three Dharma Aspects each unleashed their own Divine Techniques.

It was as if the scene of him decimating Blood Saber was replaying itself. Three Star Constellation-level techniques came one after another.

These were the "Star Constellation Technique: Great Desolation's Crystalized Cold Light!," the "Nanming Li Fire Flame!," and the "Supreme Cyan Dragon Chunyi Sword!."

But unlike Blood Saber, who had been heavily wounded by these techniques, these Divine Techniques, which could be considered killer moves in the Golden Core Realm, failed to produce a satisfactory effect when they landed on Bear Wind's body.

And this was with Bear Wind not even bothering to deliberately dodge.

"A little interesting, but useless against me."

Bear Wind's blunt critique made Fang Qingyuan feel a sting of embarrassment. But then he reconsidered, 'Bear Wind's current body is that of a Mid-stage Nascent Soul Tier Ancient Beast of the Wilderness. It's only natural that my techniques fail to achieve a glorious result.'

No matter how invincible Fang Qingyuan thought his Divine Techniques were, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could cross three major realms to suppress Bear Wind.

Late-stage Golden Core, Early-stage Nascent Soul, Mid-stage Nascent Soul—the gap between these three realms was immense. Advancing through each layer of each realm required decades, even centuries, of hard work.

"Your Crystalized Cold Light and Li Fire Flame are suitable for dealing with large numbers of enemies with lower cultivation than you, but they lack the intensity for single-target combat. That sword light, however, is not bad. It contains the True Meaning of a high-level Great Dao. It's just a pity your realm is too low, so you can't bring out its full power. Hitting me with it is like an itch."

After tanking the three Star Constellation techniques and shattering the White Tiger Dharma Aspect with another blow, Fang Qingyuan reluctantly dispersed the four Star Constellation Dharma Aspects.

At this point, Fang Qingyuan realized that his four Star Constellation Dharma Aspects were great for crushing weaker opponents and were quite effective against cultivators of the same tier. But when facing an enemy whose realm far surpassed his own, they were useless.

'I can't expect to only ever face enemies weaker than myself. In the future, when I encounter Nascent Soul Level combatants, these four Dharma Aspects will only be useful for pinning them down.'

'Fortunately, I still have a trump card.'

With the True Spirit Dharma Aspects no longer a distraction, Bear Wind stood firm in the void, his arms crossed, quietly waiting for Fang Qingyuan's next move.

When he saw Fang Qingyuan extend a hand toward him, Bear Wind's brow furrowed. In the next instant, a massive and formless spike of Divine Sense shot toward his mind.

At this, Bear Wind's expression changed slightly. The power of the Godslaying Needle was such that he no longer dared to face it as casually as before.

Furthermore, Divine Techniques that specifically attacked the soul were a weakness for Ancient Beasts of the Wilderness like Bear Wind.

The formless, intangible Divine Sense began undergoing minute internal adjustments the moment it left Fang Qingyuan's body. Its various auras of Divine Sense split into a billion parts, yet they remained tightly interlocked, forming a spiraling, advancing cone.

The thought-attack was as swift as light, as fast as lightning. The moment Bear Wind sensed the Godslaying Needle, the attack had already struck his body.

CRACK...

A massive tremor that echoed in the soul rang out before Bear Wind's face. The momentary clash of immense Divine Sense sent ripples through the surrounding void.

In the next breath, Bear Wind grunted, his face twitching slightly. He had clearly suffered a hidden loss.

"Very good. That has some kick. But just one won't be enough..."

Before Bear Wind could finish his sentence, he heard Fang Qingyuan speak his first words since the battle began:

"Godslaying Needle, five-shot barrage!"

.....

After awkwardly enduring Fang Qingyuan's five-shot Godslaying Needle barrage, Bear Wind couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. 'I just wanted to spar, but who knew you were actually trying to kill me!'

Of course, that was just a fleeting thought. After clearing the remnants of the Godslaying Needle's Divine Sense from his own soul, Bear Wind waved his hand, signaling that he was done fighting.

"That last move of yours is enough to dominate the Golden Core Realm. But an Innate Divine Technique of this level is not enough to defeat Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. It's impossible. Even an Ancient Beast of the Wilderness like me, who isn't skilled in soul cultivation, can withstand that combo of yours. Other human Nascent Souls are ten, even a hundred times stronger than you in the soul department. Your technique will be far less effective against them."

Just now, while withstanding Fang Qingyuan's five-shot Godslaying Needle barrage, Bear Wind had been unavoidably forced to use Nascent Soul Tier methods. Therefore, in this spar, Fang Qingyuan was considered the winner.

But faced with Bear Wind's summary, Fang Qingyuan looked at him with a strange expression and asked:

"When did I say I wanted to defeat Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators? I'm still just a Fifth-Layer Golden Core cultivator."