Chapter 603 – Battle Spirit

…

…

…

Facing Yan Chi on the arena stage, Lin Ming suddenly had a strange feeling rise within him. His opponent was just casually standing there, but he seemed to be sending out some strange and invisible atmosphere. This atmosphere was different from the energy field aura of a martial artist. The aura that a martial artist could send out was able to directly pressure opponents. If a large disparity in strength existed, then it wasn’t unusual for this aura to make others vomit blood or even kill them.

But this atmosphere surrounding Yan Chi was much more elusive. It obviously had no power behind it, but it still made one’s heart palpitate.

“Soul attacks seem to be useless against you…” Yan Chi devilishly smiled as he gently stroked his sword, “It’s just… strength that comes from the will isn’t limited to something so simple as soul attacks! Meet my sword!”

As Yan Chi spoke, his body suddenly moved. His small body became extremely light and agile, leaving only a series of blurs behind him as he flittered around. It was simply impossible for others to determine which one was real.

Cha cha cha cha cha cha!

As Yan Chi rapidly moved, his sword began to leave behind phantom afterimages on the arena stage. When one’s speed reached the extreme, it wasn’t strange for sword light to leave behind afterimages, but what was strange was that after Yan Chi’s sword phantoms appeared, they didn’t disappear. Instead, they remained, turning into complete swords of light.

More and more light swords began to appear, dancing everywhere in the air and weaving a net of light that came falling down on Lin Ming. Using sword light to create a net of light was something that many martial artists could do, but, Yan Chi’s sword light was different from that of ordinary martial artists. Atop these sword lights burned a faint and pale gray flame. These flames didn’t burn, but rather gave off a very cold feeling, a frosty chill that came from the depths of the soul.

“What a fierce and sharp move. These light swords feel like they’ve already pierced my heart; just looking at them makes me feel gripped with dread. How is this possible?”

No matter how powerful a sword move was, it didn’t matter if it didn’t hit. But currently, the sword move used by Yan Chi gave off the illusion of being pierced through.

“The entire arena stage is covered by these light swords, every single angle had been covered. If I were to face this move, I would be instantly defeated!”

As the martial artists in the audience began to heatedly discuss this, within the special guest section, Feng Shen was silently watching. His eyes shined brilliantly as he closely observed the pale gray flames on Yan Chi’s light swords.

Yan Chi… had already arrived at this step?

“10,000 Arrows Piercing the Heart!”

Woosh!

Every single light sword formed a great sphere in the air around Lin Ming and then shot straight towards him!

As the pale gray flames burned, it was like they were incinerating the soul.

In that moment, facing these countless light swords, Lin Ming’s mind was as still as a placid lake.

Golden Roc Shattering the Void!

After Lin Ming’s Concept of Space had improved by a large margin, his Golden Roc Shattering the Void movement technique reached Large Success of the second layer. Now, with but a single step, it seemed as if he could escape into the void. With the power of space twisting underneath Lin Ming’s feet, he moved at almost impossible angles and dodged the strikes from the light swords.

Bang bang bang!

The sword light fell onto the metal ground foundation like a rainstorm. Hundreds and thousands of sword lights detonated at once in a spectacular display, completely blowing up the metal floor that was supported by array formations.

But at this time, there was basically no one that cared about the visual effects from the explosion of these sword lights. Their vision was completely concentrated on Lin Ming and Yan Chi!

In the instant that Lin Ming evaded all the swords of light, Yan Chi appeared in front of him!

This feeling, it was like Yan Chi had already been standing here ahead of time, waiting to strike Lin Ming!

“He calculated the direction that Lin Ming would dodge in?”

“Yan Chi hasn’t been moping around when Lin Ming fought Maha and Kai Yang, he’s always been thinking about tactics! He’s certainly afraid of Lin Ming’s weird Concept of Space.”

“Lin Ming’s steps are as fleeting and incomprehensible as gods and ghosts. Yan Chi’s already prepared for this. It’s hard to say who will be the winner of this battle!”

Yan Chi had indeed been standing there early. He had calculated every step and attack in order to arrive at this point, all so that he could take initiative in this strike.

Shattered Soul Sword!

Yan Chi roared out and a gray flame burst atop his black sword. These gray flames burned at least ten times stronger than before!

“Die!”

A sword slashed down and demon essence erupted. This strike seemed as if it could cut apart a mountain.

‘So this was your plan… what a pity, your striking force is lacking. In the face of absolute strength, any calculation you make is useless.’

Lin Ming thought little of this. Between his eyebrows, the blood of the Ancient Phoenix combusted. Atop the Purple Comet Spear, thunder and fire began to weave together!

Penetrating Rainbow!

His entire will and potential was poured into this spear strike, fusing together the Concepts of Fire and Thunder. This was the killing move that Lin Ming had created in order to replace Thunderfire Annihilation!

This was the first time that he had used this move in public.

Bang!

The spear light woven with thunder and fire collided with the gray flame. A terrifying pressure wave erupted, completely raising the arena stage. A foot long bump of metal flooring traveled out from the epicenter of the collision like an ocean tide, destroying everything as it flooded out.

This part of the arena had been completely destroyed!

The surrounding martial artists, within such a terrifying explosion, were all repeatedly forced back.

“How terrifying, the level of this attack, if we were caught up in just the aftermath then I fear we would have been severely wounded!”

“After Yan Chi entered the Road of Emperor, it’s true that his strength has grown by a large degree. That sword strike just now felt as if it would cut my heart in half. But what’s even more terrifying is that Lin Ming has only entered the King’s Cage, but the increase in his strength has actually surpassed Yan Chi!”

“A talent like this is beyond our imaginations.”

Yan Chi flew backwards, thrusting his sword into the ground and creating a series of sparks as he slowed himself! Even though he slowed down, he had been sent hundreds of feet back. He fell to his knees, his blood tumbling within him.

As for Lin Ming, he only took a few steps backwards before coming to a stop.

“He blocked it?”

Lin Ming was surprised. The might of Penetrating Rainbow far surpassed Chasing Sun. A moment ago, he had used Penetrating Rainbow in a close range collision but he still hadn’t been able to seriously injure Yan Chi. When their attacks clashed against each other, Lin Ming had clearly felt a very peculiar and keen atmosphere cut apart his Concept of Thunderfire, making it so that the power of his attack had lowered by a great deal.

What was that sharp and fierce atmosphere?

As Lin Ming was surprised, Yan Chi had gone crazy with panic!

Yan Chi had absolutely never expected that his deliberately arranged killing move that also combined his full strength would be so easily fended off by Lin Ming!

How was this possible!?

Yan Chi felt a chill pass through his heart.

In the special guest area, Feng Shen’s expression was solemn. “It’s true… that gray flame is a battle spirit. I didn’t think that Yan Chi would already have a battle spirit. Although it isn’t his, he still has it. In this point alone he has already surpassed me…

As Yan Chi had said, the power that came from one’s will wasn’t just soul attacks. The will had strength that could take other, more unique forms.

When the strength of one’s will reached a certain extent, it could turn into a genuine physical attack.

This was the formation of a battle spirit.

The reason that something like an Emperor Will was left behind in the Road of Emperor was that those great Emperors that had once been there had formed their own battle spirits before their deaths. After not scattering for tens of thousands of years, these battle spirits would condense within the Road of Emperor, and could be captured and refined by future generations, thus becoming an Emperor Will.

A battle spirit was the true face of the Emperor Will!

Battle spirits and martial intents, both of these were the two great auxiliary Concepts of martial artists. It was just that a battle spirit had much higher requirements that a martial intent.

Feng Shen had to admit that in comprehension of the soul and will, Imps had a natural advantage.

This was the reason that Maha hadn’t been able to comprehend the Emperor Will, and instead, it had been comprehended by Kai Yang. It was only that Kai Yang’s talent and strength were limited, so he could only use the Emperor Will as a weapon for soul attacks, which was completely useless against someone like Lin Ming.

However, Yan Chi could fuse the Emperor Will into his own attacks, restoring it to its true form as a battle spirit. Kai Yang’s battle spirit wasn’t his own. It was only the battle spirit of some great Emperor that he had captured, and a faint trace of a wisp at that. But even so, this tiny little bit had an unfathomably supernatural power!

A battle spirit could be attached to anything, turning it into an incomparably sharp and keen weapon.

For instance, if a battle spirit was attached to a wilted leaf, then that originally fragile leaf would even be able to cut apart treasures. The stronger the battle spirit was, the stronger the leaf would be. In the Realm of the Gods, it wasn’t difficult for a Supreme Elder’s battle spirit to allow a wilted leaf to cut apart a high-grade heaven-step treasure!

If a battle spirit was attached to air, then this air would turn into a fatal wind blade that could invisibly kill people.

A battle spirit could even be attached to a martial artist’s aura that they released. Once this aura fused with a battle spirit, then its power would rise exponentially. A martial artist wouldn’t even need to do anything. With just this intangible battle spirit hanging in the void, they could instantly kill their opponents!

These examples proved just how strong a battle spirit was. But, in order to use a wilted leaf or air to kill others, that was only achievable with a massive gap in cultivation.

In a situation where the difference in cultivation wasn’t too great, then the use of a battle spirit lay mostly in its ability to attach to treasures and moves.

Yan Chi’s sword was originally a high-grade earth-step treasure. But, after fusing with a battle spirit, its power could be imagined. In addition, he had even used his ace move Shattered Soul Sword. With these three factors combined, it was simply overwhelming!

However, such a sword strike was actually blocked by Lin Ming, even then Lin Ming had only been shaken a bit and forced back a few steps. As for Yan Chi, he had flown back hundreds of feet and had suffered minor wounds!

The difference could be seen with just a glance!

It was hard to imagine just what extent Lin Ming’s strength had grown to!

This was the first time that Feng Shen had ever felt a twinge of fear against someone that was born in his generation. To be able to live in the same era as Lin Ming… this could be called a kind of sorrow.

As all of the martial artists were talking excitedly, most of their discussion revolved around the fact that a great portion of the arena had been destroyed, with even the profound gold foundation that was supported by array formations also damaged, and the aftershocks of the attacks forming waves in the ground. The power of these attacks could be imagined.

In fact, they had far underestimated the level in that exchange of moves just now, because they didn’t know about battle spirits.

A battle spirit was something that only Emperor level powerhouses, or at least someone at a high stage of Life Destruction, would be able to touch upon. It was a boundary that was far too distant for normal martial artists.

Being able to comprehend a battle spirit varied from person to person. Those martial artists with extraordinary talent in the aspects of soul and will might be able to comprehend a battle spirit at the fourth stage of Life Destruction.

On the other hand, there were many individuals that couldn’t comprehend a battle spirit even after becoming a Peerless Emperor. For instance, races like the Giant Demons, Ferals, and Goliaths. Even as Emperor level powerhouses, because their natural talent in the aspects of soul and will was lacking, there were plenty of these types of people that hadn’t yet comprehended their own battle spirit.

Yan Chi’s so called battle spirit was only refined from a faint wisp of Emperor Will left behind by an Emperor level powerhouse; it was not something that he comprehended by himself. It could not grow, could not improve, but even so, as something that belonged to Emperor level powerhouses, its power was without doubt when used at the Life Destruction realm or lower.

However, such a carefully calculated attack had been completely unable to affect Lin Ming. This caused Yan Chi’s heart to tremble.

“He even blocked the battle spirit!”

At this moment, Lin Ming grasped the Purple Comet Spear and pointed it towards Yan Chi.

Yan Chi’s complexion suddenly became extremely ugly.