Chapter 647: When Heaven and Earth Turn

Chloe stood ready, her entire body wreathed in blue lightning as she brought Thunderbird’s Cry to full activation. Crackling arcs of electricity danced across her slender frame, giving her a sharp, elegant presence that was both beautiful and dangerous. Against that brilliant electric glow, her lithe figure seemed almost weightless, as though she might rise from the ground at any moment like a celestial maiden dancing through the heavens.

’Beautiful.’

Marcus allowed himself exactly one second to appreciate the sight before he moved.

Whoosh!

He unleashed Human Rock without holding anything back. Golden light erupted around his body, and an immense, commanding pressure spread through the field. For an instant, he seemed to become larger and more imposing, his entire presence carrying a weight that made the air itself feel heavier.

"Go!"

With a shout, Marcus launched himself toward Chloe, his palms already moving through the opening forms of the technique Crystal had taught him, the Heaven-Earth Infinite Hand.

According to Crystal, the Heaven-Earth Infinite Hand was the lost martial art of the Heaven-Earth Infinite Sect, an ancient sect that had once stood on the threshold of true immortality. Two years ago, while training inside a hidden chamber belonging to her family, Crystal had accidentally triggered a mechanism and uncovered a sealed vault. The manual had been hidden inside.

The discovery had caused quite a stir within the Nance family.

Unfortunately, their excitement hadn’t lasted long.

No one could properly comprehend the manual, much less master the techniques recorded within it. The principles were simply too profound, and without the corresponding cultivation method, even attempting to practice the techniques was almost impossible.

Ten days ago, when Crystal returned home, she had copied the entire manual and brought a copy to Marcus, telling him to give it a try.

To her surprise, the moment Marcus began practicing, the true energy generated by Human Rock flowed naturally through the technique. What should have been an incredibly difficult process felt almost effortless.

The reason was obvious in hindsight.

The Heaven-Earth Infinite Hand required the energy produced by the Heaven-Earth Divine Art to unleash its true power. Without that particular form of internal energy, ordinary martial artists simply couldn’t satisfy the technique’s requirements.

Human Rock, however, was different.

Its true energy was unique, and for whatever reason, it could substitute for the energy of the Heaven-Earth Divine Art and activate the Heaven-Earth Infinite Hand.

Of course, that also meant the technique didn’t look anything like the descriptions recorded in the ancient manual.

"Heaven-Earth Two Poles!"

Marcus bellowed as he charged forward.

His palms rotated, and the true energy of Human Rock surged violently through his body.

If he had been using the original Heaven-Earth Divine Art, the technique would have manifested as a massive black-and-white yin-yang diagram. Instead, golden light exploded outward, forming an enormous golden disc that spun rapidly in front of him like a gigantic millstone.

The disc radiated brilliant yellow light as it tore through the air, its rotation producing a deep, rumbling roar as it hurtled toward Chloe.

The appearance was completely different, the power, however, was no weaker.

If anything, it was even more formidable.

"Thunder Blade, Crescent Light!"

Chloe wasn’t intimidated.

Her slender hands swept outward in a motion resembling a pair of curved blades, and the lightning surrounding her body instantly condensed.

Crack!

Several crescent-shaped blades of lightning tore through the air, streaking toward the enormous golden disc. One after another, they collided with it, each impact erupting with a deafening thunderclap.

But Chloe’s expression changed..The lightning didn’t pierce the golden disc, tt didn’t even slow Marcus’s advance.

Instead, the enormous disc continued spinning, absorbing the force of every lightning blade before scattering the attacks into countless wisps of dissipating energy.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Marcus continued charging forward, the spinning golden disc leading the way.

’So strong.’

Both women watching from the side were stunned.

Chloe had poured nearly ninety percent of her internal energy into that attack, yet the result had been almost negligible. Her lightning hadn’t even managed to stop him.

Just how powerful was Marcus’s internal energy?

Chloe was a genuine martial prodigy, and Thunderbird’s Cry was renowned for its explosive power and killing force. Even veteran martial artists who had cultivated for decades would have difficulty casually shrugging off an attack from her at this level.

Yet Marcus had done exactly that.

"Marcus..."

Anya’s eyes shimmered as she watched him charge forward with such overwhelming force. Pride and happiness filled her heart, and before she realized it, tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes.

He was strong.

Not merely stronger than before, but strong enough to stand confidently among true martial artists.

Seeing that filled her with a warmth she could barely contain.

"Good!"

Even Chloe couldn’t help praising him.

The man she had worried about, the man she had quietly fretted over because she feared he was stepping into a world far more dangerous than he understood, had finally shown her what he was capable of.

She could finally let go of that lingering anxiety. With strength like this, no one could afford to underestimate him.

Of course, Chloe wasn’t exactly the gentle type.

While her face remained calm, she was cursing him internally.

’Bastard. So you’ve been playing the fool this whole time, pretending you couldn’t fight while secretly hiding this kind of strength? You never told Anya or me that you actually had genuine martial skills. We were worried about you for nothing.’

By then, the enormous golden disc was already closing in.

Chloe didn’t panic. Her figure suddenly blurred.

Lightning flashed beneath her feet, and she slipped cleanly past the edge of the spinning disc. The moment she emerged on the other side, she twisted her body and struck toward Marcus from the flank, both hands wrapped in concentrated lightning.

"Heaven-Earth Dragon Slash!"

Marcus reacted instantly.

He pivoted on his feet and swept both palms horizontally, his movements carrying the force of two enormous blades cutting through the air.

But Chloe was faster.

She twisted aside and avoided the attack, leaving Marcus’s palms to slice harmlessly through empty space. His body was still committed to the movement when Chloe seized the opening.

Bang!

Her lightning-charged palms slammed directly into his back.

She had used roughly eighty percent of her strength.

Under normal circumstances, an impact like that should have sent Marcus staggering backward five or six steps.

But Marcus’s body merely swayed once..That was all. He didn’t stumble five steps.

He didn’t even take one.

Chloe’s eyes widened slightly. Before she could react, Marcus had already completed his turn.

"Heaven-Earth Reversal!"

His palms shot backward with astonishing speed, the true energy of Human Rock surging through them as he launched his counterattack.

’What?’

Anya and Chloe both stared.

Her attack had actually done nothing?

Chloe didn’t have time to dwell on it. The counterattack was already in front of her, and she immediately flickered with lightning, retreating just enough to evade Marcus’s palms.

Then she stopped holding back.

Chloe launched herself forward again.

Strike after strike came in rapid succession, each movement sharper and faster than the last. Lightning filled the field as she attacked relentlessly, forcing Marcus to react from every direction.

Marcus countered with everything he had.

He continuously unleashed the Heaven-Earth Infinite Hand, throwing out technique after technique as he tried to catch her movements. Yet this was his first time using the martial art at full power in actual combat, and although Human Rock provided him with an overwhelming amount of true energy, he had only begun learning the Heaven-Earth Infinite Hand ten days ago.

His technique simply couldn’t match Chloe’s.

Every time he thought he had found an opening, Chloe slipped away.

Every palm strike hit nothing but air. Meanwhile, Chloe’s attacks continued to land.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

One after another, her lightning-charged strikes hammered into Marcus’s body.

The difference was becoming obvious.

Human Rock gave Marcus an extraordinary foundation, providing him with a level of internal energy that was almost absurdly powerful. His physical body was equally difficult to shake. But in terms of actual combat experience and mastery of the Heaven-Earth Infinite Hand, he was still far behind Chloe.

Marcus himself hadn’t fully realized it yet. Chloe, however, was becoming more shocked with every exchange.

Then more astonished. And beneath that astonishment was an unmistakable sense of delight.

This wasn’t the Marcus she had been worrying about. This was a man who could actually stand his ground.

Anya watched the entire battle from the side, her eyes never leaving Marcus.

She was practically glowing with happiness.

Her gaze followed only one person. The man she knew better than anyone. The man she loved.