Chapter 244 - 214: Means

Like swift thunder and a fierce wind, they treaded upon the waves!

Their figures clashed above the storm’s raging waves. A terrifying force rippled through the water, causing the massive swells beneath them to instantly erupt in a shower of spray.

It was a scene that belonged only to myth and legend.

The Harmony realm was exceedingly rare. Upon reaching this level, a Martial Artist’s power transcended the mundane, achieving the true state of Tongxuan. Their every move could generate an almost mystical force.

The great wave shattered at the point of impact, and both fighters lost their footing, instantly beginning to plummet from mid-air.

BAM!!

However, in that moment, Yang Xun’s legs trembled as he abruptly performed a Force Release. With an ingenious application of Force, he actually stepped upon the airborne water spray and Gang Qi. This not only broke the stalemate from their collision but also allowed him to leverage the air itself. His body hung suspended for a moment before he lunged at Zhao Xuanqi once more.

The exquisite control of his Force Release and the swiftness of his reaction were a testament to the Physical Ability and profound foundation of a veteran Martial Dao expert!

Meanwhile, Zhao Xuanqi refused to yield an inch. But having just entered the Harmony realm, his Physical Ability was not yet on par with Yang Xun’s. If he tried to leverage the air in the same way, he would surely be at a disadvantage.

POP!!

In a flash, his foot abruptly swelled and transformed, and his specially made cloth shoe burst apart. His foot had inflated to at least three times its normal size, its sole now massive and flat, resembling a large fan.

BAM!!

By releasing Force through the sole, the expanded surface area of his foot allowed him to better leverage the air. He was using his body’s transformation to close the gap in their Physical Ability.

BOOM!!

They exchanged a palm strike in mid-air, their bodies shuddering from the impact as a terrifying blast of Gang Qi erupted from their backs. Despite the incredible force of their airborne collision, they were somehow not blown apart.

They had used a technique of redirecting Force to neutralize the blow, vibrating their bodies against the ambient Gang Qi to generate a counter-force that canceled out the impact!

The Transformation of Hard and Soft, executed in the span of a single thought!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

While still in mid-air, their fists and palms met. The sound of the resulting air blasts actually drowned out the muffled rumble of thunder. As Qi Force flew wildly, the rain was blasted away, creating a thirty-meter radius around them where not a single drop could penetrate.

In the short distance it took to fall just a few meters, they had already exchanged six blows in mid-air.

Each seemingly straightforward attack concealed a complexity in its Force transformations that an ordinary person could never fathom.

Great skill appears unadorned; a heavy sword needs no edge.

THUMP!!

With a muffled thud, the water’s surface trembled as both figures landed upon it once more.

"Excellent!!"

Yang Xun laughed heartily, his voice like a clap of thunder, though he was inwardly somewhat astonished.

He had assumed that even though Zhao Xuanqi had reached the Harmony realm, he was still young and lacked accumulated experience. He’d expected his Techniques, Force, Physical Ability, and willpower to be inferior to those of a veteran expert.

After all, upon reaching the Harmony realm, one achieved the Unity of Body and Mind and the Unity of Knowledge and Action. The Spirit would permeate the deepest levels of the body, unlocking all sorts of incredible Physical Abilities. One’s vitality and regenerative powers would be strengthened to their absolute peak.

While masters of the Harmony realm could not yet escape aging, sickness, and death, they were able to lock in their youth, ensuring their Physical Ability wouldn’t decline within their limited lifespan.

Therefore, the longer one had been in the Harmony realm, the greater the advantage their experience and martial skills would provide.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was that Zhao Xuanqi—who had only just entered the Harmony realm and whose Physical Ability had yet to peak—had not been at a disadvantage during their exchange.

The young man’s martial Skills were perfectly honed, worthy of a Grandmaster of his generation!

After that brief exchange, he knew he wouldn’t be able to defeat the young man before him without using some of his true abilities.

SWISH!!

In an instant, a sharp light shot from his eyes. Veins bulged across his skin like demonic tattoos, his face turned a dark, dusky red, and his expression twisted into a ferocious snarl. A strange aura of decay began to emanate from his body.

With his current level of perception, Zhao Xuanqi could clearly sense the immense changes occurring within Yang Xun’s body.

His organ functions spiked dramatically before plummeting. His Qi and Blood surged so violently that blood vessels ruptured, throwing his internal organs into chaos.

This was the body’s reaction after pushing its Physical Ability to the absolute limit, an excessive burst of power that was about to trigger a severe backlash.

A burst of power of this magnitude had to come from a Forbidden Secret Technique that severely damaged the body. Such skills were typically reserved for desperate, all-or-nothing attacks.

Severing Qi! Severing Force! Severing Organs!

This was the Triple Extremes Palm!

It was an explosive Secret Transmission left behind by an ancient, top-tier Fist Technique School from the West Desert of the Divine Land.

’Just how powerful is a desperate, all-out strike from a Harmony master willing to grievously harm their own body?’

BOOM!!

Within a twenty-meter radius, the sea’s surface caved in under an immense force, and Yang Xun’s body vanished on the spot.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!!

The displaced water droplets, propelled by his charge, transformed into projectiles as sharp as Silver Needles, letting out a piercing shriek as they tore through the air.

The figure was a blur. Even Zhao Xuanqi, in his current state, could no longer fully track Yang Xun’s movements.

An intense sense of crisis washed over him. His Hundred Beasts’ Intent—which had reached an incredibly profound level after he achieved Harmony—kicked in. In the blink of an eye, his instincts pinpointed the trajectory of the incoming attack.

BAM!!

His arms and entire upper body transformed in an instant. As if changing from human to Exotic Beast, he took on the Form of a Qilin.

Force surged like a tide, transmitted from cell to cell, accelerating continuously until it erupted from his palms.

Parting the waves, the Qilin revealed its Form.

Water Qilin!!

Now that Zhao Xuanqi was in the Harmony realm, the power of his Qilin Technique was immeasurably greater than before. At this moment, even if Hong Luan and Yue Shu were standing before him, they would not dare to meet this attack head-on, or they would likely be gravely wounded in an instant.