Chapter 482 491: Desolate Heaven-Imprisoning Finger

"That fool is a goner. Young Master Xing's signature move, the Thunderous Eagle Claw, is famous for its vicious killing power. If he dares to meet it head-on, he'll be torn to pieces!"

"Hmph! Good riddance if he dies. For someone to dare offend the Ouyang Clan... he must be a complete moron!"

All eyes were on Xing Lieyun. They saw his hands form into claws, his fingertips and knuckles flickering with arcs of lightning. Accompanied by the crackle of thunder, he struck straight for Ye Tian's chest!

CRACKLE!

A deafening roar echoed in everyone's ears. The moment Xing Lieyun's claws sank viciously into Ye Tian's chest, it was as if something had exploded...

In that instant, powerful shockwaves sent all nearby objects—and onlookers—flying. Even students at the Four Vein Peak were no exception!

The ground cracked inch by inch, the fissures spreading rapidly like a spiderweb. When the cracks reached their feet, everyone scrambled back, terrified of being caught in the aftershock.

In an instant, dust and smoke billowed out. Ripples of force, visible to the naked eye, distorted the air. For several moments, the air was so thin no one could breathe.

As the dust gradually settled, everyone finally caught their breath and strained to see. They saw two dazzling figures standing steadily, locked in a standoff.

Not only was Ye Tian alive, but his body was thrumming with surging Spiritual Power. Disregarding their Cultivation levels, and comparing their auras alone, he was somehow on par with Xing Lieyun!

Everyone was stunned. In the distance, Ouyang Yeyu, who had been observing the whole time, couldn't help but frown.

'Could it be this good-for-nothing has been hiding his strength all along? He took down more than a dozen of my family's guards in a single move. What is his true Realm? Even now, I can't see through him at all!'

Ouyang Yeyu knew the Cultivation level of his family's guards, and he knew even better what Realm his younger brother, Ouyang Hongxiang, had reached. At first, he'd thought Ye Tian had simply gotten lucky with a sneak attack, but now it seemed he was no ordinary person. The Four Veins strength he was displaying was definitely not his true power.

'If he can withstand a thunderous strike from a master at the Five Veins Fourth Layer, then it's no surprise he could defeat over a dozen Four Veins Martial Artists. Hmph! Don't worry, little brother. I will avenge you and the others.'

Ouyang Yeyu secretly clenched his fists. A glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes for a moment before he concealed it deep within.

Back at the battle, the crowd saw that Ye Tian, who wasn't even at the Five Veins Realm, had actually blocked Xing Lieyun's Thunderous Eagle Claw. They were utterly dumbfounded, their jaws hanging open in disbelief.

"Damn it! You bastard! You're just a Four Veins Martial Artist! How could you possibly block my Thunderous Eagle Claw?!"

Seeing how relaxed and composed Ye Tian was, Xing Lieyun's heart blazed with anger.

"Hmph! You're certainly impressive, but that won't change your fate. You're still going to die. I was merely using a fraction of my power just now. As for this time... you can die for real!"

With a furious roar, Xing Lieyun gave Ye Tian no chance to recover. He skipped his preliminary moves and directly unleashed the strongest strike of the Thunderous Eagle Claw!

"Rend the Skies!"

SCREECH!

Following a long, piercing eagle's cry, Xing Lieyun seemed to transform into a thunder eagle spreading its wings. Two phantoms of blue light appeared behind him, gradually taking the shape of wings, each individual feather clearly visible.

Beneath these wings stood Xing Lieyun, executing his Thunderous Eagle Claw. Lightning crackled between his clawed hands, radiating an immense Energy that seemed on the verge of exploding. One could tell without a doubt that this terrifying power could instantly annihilate a master at the Five Veins First Layer!

"Bring it on! First Finger... Shatter Mountains and Rivers!"

Ye Tian's gaze was as sharp as a falcon's. He hadn't used his full strength in the last exchange, either—it had been nothing more than a test. Only now was he finally getting serious!

This was the Combat Skill he had just chosen from the Imperial City Academy's Combat Skill Pavilion: the Desolate Heaven-Imprisoning Finger. It was only an Earth Rank Junior Level skill, but its might was considerable—especially in Ye Tian's hands, where its power was amplified severalfold!

'Although they are both in the Five Veins Realm, there's a world of difference between Li Longji and Xing Lieyun. Once a cultivator reaches the Five Veins Realm and can fly, each subsequent layer they break through increases their strength by more than tenfold. Xing Lieyun has reached the Five Veins Sixth Layer, making him a hundred times stronger than ten Li Longjis combined. This Thunderous Eagle Claw of his is probably a high-level skill, too!'

Ye Tian had already thoroughly analyzed Xing Lieyun in an instant. 'But then again,' he thought, 'it's true that Xing Lieyun is a hundred times stronger than Li Longji, but I'm no real weakling myself!'

"Heh heh... so this is the power of the Five Veins Fourth Layer? Nothing to write home about. If this is all the skill you've got, you good-for-nothing, then you might as well lie down and give up!"

With a sudden shout, Ye Tian channeled the Desolate Heaven-Imprisoning Finger to its absolute limit. The phantom index finger hovering above his head instantly grew sharper and more defined. The whorls on its knuckle were breathtakingly intricate, and iridescent light scattered from its nail, bathing Ye Tian in a glow. An aura of Primordial Qi erupted from his entire body!

The bones in his body creaked and groaned as a low rumble echoed through his flesh and meridians. With a sudden exertion of force, he thrust out a single finger, aiming it directly at the spot between Xing Lieyun's eyebrows!

The force of Xing Lieyun's Combat Skill was instantly devoured by the golden radiance Ye Tian unleashed. Xing Lieyun felt as if his head were about to explode. He let out a pained roar, but he was completely unable to move, pinned in place by Ye Tian's overwhelming pressure!

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Xing Lieyun's forehead. He could never have imagined that Ye Tian was so powerful. He was clearly still at the Four Veins Realm, yet he could generate such immense pressure. His entire body felt as if it were being crushed under a giant mountain, and the armor condensed from his Combat Skill instantly crumbled to dust!

"Hmph? You've got some skill, kid. But Four Veins is still just Four Veins. No matter how monstrous an ant becomes, it can never challenge me. It's time to end this!"

Though he was completely pinned down, a mocking smile suddenly touched Xing Lieyun's lips. No one knew what Combat Skill he used, but with a flicker of movement, he vanished into thin air!

"What the...? Where did he go?" Ye Tian's face was a mask of confusion. 'Am I seeing a ghost?'

Ye Tian had been ready to finish Xing Lieyun off, but this sudden turn of events left him at a loss.

"Kid, are you looking for me?"

Just then, Xing Lieyun's voice echoed from directly above him.

Immediately after, a ferocious blast of energy shot down toward his head!

Ye Tian frowned and looked up. The mysteriously vanished Xing Lieyun had somehow appeared directly above him. He was now striking down with a palm aimed at the crown of Ye Tian's head, an attack that was impossible to dodge!

'He actually escaped?' To think, he had just used his Power of Soul Origin. An ordinary person couldn't have withstood that. Even though he had only used seventy percent of his strength, it should have been enough to deal with any master below the Five Veins Seventh Layer.

Ye Tian had never expected something like this to happen. He sighed internally. 'Ouyang Yeyu truly is worthy of his reputation as the Ouyang Clan's number one young master. This Xing Lieyun at his side is no simple lackey!'

Ye Tian had no time to think any further, because a furious roar erupted from above his head...

"Vajra Finger!"

Xing Lieyun roared, a sharp glint in his eyes. The power of his right hand was staggering. The single extended finger seemed to possess the power to shatter heaven and earth. Before the terrifying wave of Energy even reached Ye Tian, the immense pressure alone made his legs buckle, forcing him down onto one knee and smashing a deep crater into the bluestone-paved ground!

A dozen bluestone slabs shattered, sending shards flying. A few unlucky onlookers at the Four Veins Realm were struck by the debris and sent tumbling through the air. They landed in crumpled heaps, vomiting mouthfuls of blood, completely unable to withstand even the aftershock of the terrifying attack!

"An Earth-rank Intermediate Combat Skill! The Vajra Finger is almost at the Earth Rank Senior Level! I can't believe Young Master Xing, with his supreme talent, actually managed to master it!"

"With this, the Imperial City Xing Family might just ascend to the ranks of the great clans. Young Master Xing is too powerful!"

"Heh! Look at Ye Tian, completely powerless to resist. He's dead for sure this time!"

Xing Lieyun's Vajra Finger was truly worthy of its status as an Earth-rank Combat Skill. He gathered his entire Cultivation into the tip of his right index finger, which began to glow with a blinding red light that seemed to rival the blazing sun itself!

The might of the Firelight Finger Power made Ye Tian's scalp tingle. It felt as if Xing Lieyun were holding a miniature sun in his hand, about to smash it down on his head.

Only, this time, the Vajra Finger wasn't aimed at shattering the earth, but Ye Tian's skull!

BOOM...

With a tremendous bang, the ground beneath Ye Tian's kneeling leg sank several more inches. The crown holding his hair in place shattered, and his black hair stood on end. He looked utterly wretched.

But "wretched" was all he was. Ye Tian was not injured!

Amidst the swirling dust, Ye Tian's low sigh could be heard. "You're pretty good, kid. But it's a pity... you've already run out of tricks. And as for me, I'm just getting warmed up..."