Chapter 130: Spirit Force

Qi Feng's pupils dilated. "This is...!"

Bang!

The sound of a powerful punch echoed loudly. Using his fist like a sword, Qi Feng struck Li Pin with tremendous force. The blow shattered the Aura Force emanating from Li Pin's shoulder, creating a deafening crack as the air was torn apart.

The terrifying penetrating force of the punch shattered Li Pin's scapula, and the fierce impact tore through his flesh and the fabric of his clothing, reducing that area to tatters.

However, what should have been a decisive, lethal blow had been unexpectedly thwarted. The damage inflicted on Li Pin was less than half of what Qi Feng had anticipated.

Moreover, although Qi Feng transformed his fist into a sword and achieved Man Sword Unity, the inherent power of his fist was still not as sharp as that of a true sword. The explosive impact of the punch created a penetrating shockwave that propelled Li Pin forward, sending him crashing through the air.

Li Pin surged forward with the speed of a shooting star. Harnessing the penetrating force, he closed in on Dragon Elephant Chi Tiexin who had just been pushed back by the dispersed 'Ancient Descend' fist technique.

Then, Li Pin shifted his fist into a palm and pressed down with force.

Bang!

The Aura Force from an Aura Cultivation expert, combined with the penetrating sword energy Qi Feng drove into Li Pin's body, found a release through this seemingly simple palm strike, and erupted fully.

Crack!

Bones shattered.

Chi Tiexin's chest, struck by Li Pin's palm, felt as if it had been hit head-on by a speeding truck weighing several tons. All of his bones fractured and caved in. The violent force shattered his ribs, penetrated his body, and continued to pierce through his internal organs.

Despite Chi Tiexin's years of organ-tempering and Blood Renewal, pushing his body to its ultimate limits, his internal organs were instantly reduced to mush.

Splatter!

Blood spilled everywhere.

Chi Tiexin was sent flying thirteen meters by Li Pin's violent impact. He hacked out blood as he tore through the air. Upon landing, he slid backward uncontrollably for the equivalent of six or so steps.

Bang!

His back slammed heavily into the wall at the end of the yard. The force he had been hurled with was channeled into the wall, cracking it as if it had been hit with a cannonball. A spider web-like fissure, two meters in diameter, spread across the wall. Brick fragments scattered and clouds of dust rose.

"I..."

Chi Tiexin opened his mouth to speak, but blood surged uncontrollably from within.

As the light began to fizzle from his eyes, they filled with unwillingness and fear. They held reluctance and attachment to the world. Unfortunately for him, the violent impact had crushed his internal organs, leaving him no chance at survival.

In the end, he struggled to keep his eyes open, as if trying to take one last look at the world.

His body slid down the wall as his life force gradually faded, until it completely vanished.

The great grandmaster of martial arts perfection, Invincible Iron Fist Chi Tiexin, had died.

***

Zhang Hengqiu, having been hesitant to join the battle all along, now watched as Dragon Elephant Chi Tiexin was blasted ten meters away, lifeless with a sunken chest. His throat felt dry, and his voice was hoarse. "How... is this possible..."

Chi Tiexin was a figure renowned as both Dragon Elephant and Invincible Iron Fist! He had once faced a Martial Saint and survived two strikes of Spirit Force. A person of his caliber, having already mastered his Fist Intent, would have achieved Martial Saint status long ago with even a bit of social network.

Perhaps, he had never sought connections to achieve Martial Saint status but aimed to reach it through his rigorous training and the condensation of his Martial Will. Yet now, Li Pin had actually killed such a formidable figure.

Feeling the terrifying, demonic aura emanating from Li Pin, Zhang Hengqiu was suddenly overwhelmed. It felt as if a massive stone was pressing his chest, leaving him stifled and breathless.

***

Killing Chi Tiexin did not mean the battle was over for Li Pin.

He turned to face Qi Feng, his bones making a series of faint cracking sounds as he adjusted his broken scapula, ensuring it could still exert force.

Meanwhile, the primordial qi he accumulated from his Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique continually flooded his body and limbs to rapidly restore the qi and blood expended by the Blood-Seething Secret Art and Blood Core Eruption.

However, the Innate Qi-Nurturing Technique could only offer Li Pin partial relief for now. But that didn't matter. Despite Li Pin's left side having gone nearly numb due to his broken scapula, he was ready to fight again.

Qi Feng was in no better shape. His right hand was severely injured and penetrated by the blade of the broken Absolute Sword. Although he could still use it, its effectiveness had been reduced to nearly nothing.

What shocked him most was Li Pin's ability to shatter their combined attack with a single punch. The supernatural power that surpassed human limits was astonishing.

"Spirit Qi Unity..." Qi Feng stared at Li Pin in disbelief. "You've manifested Spirit Force!?"

"Spirit Force... so that's what it is," Li Pin reflected, understanding the mysterious power of harnessing boundless mental spirit to control limited physical strength and perform attacks beyond normal limits.

Li Pin smiled and said, "That strike of yours... the timing of that punch and sword was extremely precise, and the force behind it was significant. If I hadn't comprehended the subtleties of Spirit Force under the life-and-death pressure and broken through your combined attack, the penetrating power contained in that strike would have certainly pierced my heart.

"Even with my organs tempered and on the verge of Blood Renewal, I would have been unable to withstand the full force of that blow. Quite impressive."

Li Pin spoke again sincerely, "Truly impressive."

The scene earlier had indeed been a life-and-death moment. If not for the fact that he had interrupted Qi Feng's sword in advance, causing the supreme swordsman to lose his strongest attack point and resort to using his fist like a sword, Li Pin would have been dead now.

The Five Elements Unity released from his shoulder could not compare to the power of his punch. Naturally, it would not be able to block the killing blow from a great grandmaster swordsman wielding a treasured sword.

"Spirit Force! Spirit Force!" Qi Feng muttered to himself.

He had also unleashed Spirit Force before! Even when his Mental Spirit was under extreme pressure, he could still manifest it!

However, all his Mental Spirit was concentrated in his Absolute Sword. Now that Li Pin had shattered his treasured sword, there was no way he could do it!

"Come on! Continue!"

Li Pin extended his hand with a smile. "With your help, I was fortunate enough to grasp Spirit Force. So, please, use your remaining strength to help me perfect it!"

As soon as Li Pin reached the words "perfect it," he lunged forward.

Li Pin was no longer at peak physical state. Nevertheless, having just achieved the initial stage of Spirit Force and defeated a great grandmaster, the aura of invincibility he radiated did not wane but only grew stronger.

Even the simple act of charging forward seemed to release a deafening roar, like an ancient ferocious beast howling. Especially as he took a step forward, the explosive force of his strike shook the entire courtyard, as though a colossal rock had crashed down from the sky.

Li Pin thrust out a punch, creating a whirlwind of wind and clouds. The suffocating force of the punch came crashing down, causing Qi Feng, having lost his sword and was severely injured, to be horrified.

Retreat!

This was the first thing that came to his mind.

He immediately withdrew. Despite knowing the implications of retreating at this moment, he was left with no other choice.

Li Pin had shattered his Sword Intent and subdued his heart. Unless he could somehow unleash Spirit Force at a moment of desperation, the best outcome he could hope to achieve was mutual destruction.

To Qi Feng, Lin Yuzhi might have been his mentor and benefactor. However, after Qi Feng achieved mastery in martial arts, he assisted Lin Yuzhi with numerous matters. Qi Feng felt that the debt had long since been fully repaid.

He wasn't afraid to team up with Chi Tiexin to besiege a great grandmaster. However, it was a different story when up against a Martial Saint wielding Spirit Force at the peak of their spiritual and combat prowess. Qi Feng wouldn't risk his life like that for Lin Yuzhi's sake.

Run!

With this thought, he took a light, almost floating step, his movements incredibly swift. Even compared to Li Pin, he seemed to be a half-step ahead.

His agility was beyond even that of a Martial Saint! This was Qi Feng's greatest reliance for surviving countless battles over the past decade.

However, just as Qi Feng was about to escape Li Pin's onslaught, a deep, muffled sound suddenly erupted.

Aura Force!

A searing, violent Aura Force slammed down from the side, accompanied by a relentless, scorching heatwave. Faintly, a Vermilion Bird's cry could be heard, following the sound of its soaring flight.

"Zhang Hengqiu!" Qi Feng roared in anger.

Qi Feng's gaze turned sharp and intense, as if it could pierce through anything, aiming fiercely at the source of the Aura Force.

If looks could kill, he would have slain Zhang Hengqiu a hundred or a thousand times over at that moment!

"How dare you!"

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Zhang Hengqiu, who was supposedly an ally of Qi Feng and Chi Tiexin, had suddenly attacked Qi Feng just as he was about to escape. Zhang Hengqiu unleashed the Solar Vermillion Sect's strongest skill, the Vermillion Phoenix Rise, tearing through the air with deadly force.

Furious, Qi Feng's palm quickly took the form of a sword. In the air, a sword beam seemed to shatter the heavens as it ruthlessly cut through the searing Aura Force which manifested the phantom of the Vermilion Bird.

Bang!

The collision between the Aura Force and the sword energy reverberated in all directions. The fierce Vermilion Bird illusion, infused with intense power, was instantly shattered and disintegrated by the Sword Intent slicing through the air.

The impact made Qi Feng stagger, abruptly halting his escape. At that moment, Li Pin closed in rapidly with the fearsome aura of a ferocious beast, bearing down on Qi Feng with the crushing force of a mountain.

The degree of despair Qi Feng was experiencing caused him to feel suffocated and breathless, and he let out a desperate, enraged roar, "Li Pin!"

Qi Feng swiftly twisted around, activating all his secret arts, forbidden techniques, and life-or-death combat skills. At that moment, the brilliance he unleashed was so overwhelming it felt as if he had returned to his peak state before the battle.

As his fist struck out, it seemed as if a myriad of swords accompanied it, aiming straight at the heavens.

However, it was no use.

Li Pin's qi and blood boiled, his organs resonating as all his Force surged to its peak in a unique spiritual state.

The power of the Five Elements Unity resembled a rotating wheel of elemental forces in the void, relentlessly grinding down with an unstoppable force. Under this pure, aggressive, and violent punch, it was as though an immense divine mountain clashed with myriads of swords converging into one.

Qi Feng's counterattack, which had seemed like a return to peak form, was utterly shattered, overturned, and devoured. The crushing force slammed into his punching arm, breaking it, and then descended further.

"No!"

Amid Qi Feng's desperate and defiant roar, the violent punch smashed through his chest, piercing through his body. The force tore apart his clothing, shredding it into tatters.

Bang!

Aura Force erupted violently. The explosive energy sent the great grandmaster of swordsmanship flying six meters, where he crashed heavily to the ground.

He cast one final, unwilling glance toward Zhang Hengqiu. "You..."

Ultimately, consumed by endless resentment, Qi Feng ceased struggling and fell silent.