Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen: Victory

Vacuum Shock versus Fire Python Kill!

The vacuum sphere formed by the shock shattered once more, and the rapidly churning airflow, like an angry arrow, plunged into the heart of the Fire Python Kill.

Boom!

The two immense forces collided, creating a violent explosion. Tang Tian felt an overwhelming, sea-crushing force slam into him. Suspended in mid-air with no leverage, he could only curl his arms to protect his vitals.

As the blast wave hit, a metallic taste of blood rose in Tang Tian’s throat, and he let out a muffled grunt. With the Peacock gone, his armor was incomplete, significantly diminishing both his offense and defense.

Like a fallen leaf, Tang Tian was blown back seven or eight meters by the force of the blast.

A thunderous roar echoed in his ears.

Another giant, crimson python lunged from below, surging with menacing momentum. Having realized that Tang Tian’s true energy was bizarre, Huo Yanguang drew from his previous experience and layered his own true energy several times over, barely managing to withstand Tang Tian’s strange, uncanny power.

Huo Yanguang locked his gaze on Tang Tian, who was struggling to stabilize himself in the sky, a cruel sneer curling his lips.

Everything ends here... you overconfident fool!

The giant crimson python, manifested from flaming fists, stretched and writhed through the air. It moved with incredible speed, whipping up a chilling, bloody, and pungent wind. This strike was a killing move Huo Yanguang had long prepared. With Tang Tian unable to find leverage in mid-air, it was impossible for him to block this blow!

The only reason this guy had been able to block his Fire Python Kill before was by relying on his strange true energy.

Aside from those eighteen bronze men, Tang Tian had not been pushed to such a sorry state in a long time. Although Huo Yanguang’s true energy was also Fifth Tier, it was at the high stage, while Tang Tian had only just broken through to the Fifth Tier and was still at the early stage. In terms of martial arts, Huo Yanguang was stronger; the Vibration Fist was only Fourth Tier, and its killing move had power comparable to an average Fifth Tier skill. However, Huo Yanguang’s Fire Python Fist was a Fifth Tier martial art, and its killing move, Fire Python Kill, was not inferior to the average Sixth Tier skill.

If not for Tang Tian having mastered the Crane Body Energy and Heavenly Dragon Energy, and if not for his armor, Huo Yanguang would have won with overwhelming superiority long ago.

Above him, the Peacock flapped its wings; Tang Tian’s armor was not only tattered but had also lost much of its luster.

However...

Looking at the menacing, flaming python lunging toward him, Tang Tian suddenly grinned.

"You are indeed strong, but why would I ever admit defeat?"

The intense danger made Tang Tian extraordinarily focused. In a split second, his mind grew calm—calm without a single ripple, like a silver mirror.

The White Silver Martial Soul flame within his body seemed to sense the danger and silently surged.

The world seemed to fall quiet, and everything around him became increasingly clear.

Tang Tian’s eyes were stained with a frosty silver hue; his silver pupils were cold.

His intuition climbed at an astonishing rate.

Seven times... eight times... nine times...

The fire python drew closer, its bloody maw wide open, its cold, reptilian eyes fixed tightly on Tang Tian.

Tang Tian did not evade or dodge; his silver eyes stared straight into the snake’s eyes.

Ten times!

Tang Tian felt his entire body shudder. The world around him suddenly became incredibly clear, every fine detail visible!

It was an unprecedented clarity—so clear that he could even feel the changes in every tiny current of air around his body. They were激荡 (roiling) and colliding in a complex, seemingly chaotic way. Tang Tian even had a premonition that, in time, when his strength grew greater, these tiny, seemingly harmless air currents could all be used by him.

An inexplicable sense of emotion filled his whole body. This world...

***

Huo Yanguang was the first to feel that something was wrong. While he appeared reckless, he was actually meticulous. Despite his esteemed status, he was willing to put in the hard work to cultivate, and he hid his ambitions well; he was not as simple as others imagined.

The flaming python had already reached Tang Tian. At such close range, there was no possibility for Tang Tian to dodge.

Yet, a strong sense of danger suddenly welled up in Huo Yanguang’s heart.

This feeling of danger came so suddenly, so inexplicably. Huo Yanguang racked his brains, but he could not think of any way Tang Tian could turn the tables. Tang Tian’s true energy and martial arts had already been thoroughly gauged by him.

But...

He stared fixedly at Tang Tian, wanting to find the factors that made him feel uneasy.

Suddenly, he noticed Tang Tian’s expression, and he couldn't help but freeze.

On Tang Tian’s face, there was actually... a smile...

Is this guy stupid?

Huo Yanguang felt a sudden jolt, his expression changing drastically. He finally understood why he was uneasy. Tang Tian was acting too calm, without a shred of panic—as calm as if he were facing no threat at all.

What exactly... is this guy trying to do...

The anxiety in Huo Yanguang’s heart grew even heavier.

***

The fire python drew closer. The scorching heat wave hitting him made Tang Tian’s eyebrows and hair curl slightly, but Tang Tian remained unmoved.

His field of vision was rapidly occupied by the red, flaming fists. The temperature of the surrounding air rose sharply, and Tang Tian felt as if he were inside a giant furnace. A chilling murderous intent wrapped around him like needles.

Just when everyone thought Tang Tian was doomed, he suddenly moved.

It wasn't Vacuum Shock!

It was the Hand-Moon Blade. His right palm struck like a blade, executing three lightning-fast slashes. Three cold, lunar beams, like three crescent moons, plunged into the python’s mouth.

Simultaneously, his left hand shot out a red beam.

Overlord’s Angry Finger!

The two attacks appeared to be launched almost simultaneously, but in reality, there was a tiny time gap.

Puff, puff, puff!

The three lunar beams disappeared into the python’s open, blood-red maw, vanishing like stones into the sea without any reaction.

However, the python’s body flickered with an imperceptible stutter. The Overlord’s Angry Finger followed immediately, striking the very center of where the three lunar beams had hit.

Huo Yanguang’s expression changed drastically.

The three lunar beams were not powerful, but their placement was incredibly ingenious. The flaming energy at the point of impact suddenly suffered from a tiny, localized chaos.

The Overlord’s Angry Finger was too fast to follow.

Dong!

A dull explosion sounded like a heavy drum striking inside Huo Yanguang’s heart.

In this Overlord’s Angry Finger, Tang Tian had injected his Heavenly Dragon Energy!

The red beam instantly exploded.

A dazzling fireball erupted inside the python’s open mouth, and the python’s head was blasted upward.

"Oh no!"

Huo Yanguang felt the flaming energy generated by his true energy spiraling out of control.

Huo Yanguang was horrified. How could two mere Fourth Tier martial arts have such an effect? But he had no time to ponder. The Fire Python Kill was powerful, and the python formed from flaming fists was fierce and overbearing, but for that very reason, if the flaming energy lost control, the backlash would be equally terrifying.

The true energy in his body was like a manic giant snake writhing violently, causing his meridians to ache with sharp pain.

"Damn it!"

Huo Yanguang cursed internally, but when he saw Tang Tian engulfed by the flaming fists, the stone in his heart finally fell, and his face lit up with ecstasy. Tang Tian’s counterattack was sharp, but he was too close to the python; he had no time to dodge.

This guy is dead!

The temperature of the Fire Python Kill’s flaming fists was extremely high, capable of melting iron and copper. But the truly fatal part was the pervasive, twisting force within those flames!

Snake strangulation could kill even powerful beasts like bears and tigers.

Once caught by the flaming fists of the Fire Python Kill, death was certain!

But at that very moment, the smile on Huo Yanguang’s face suddenly froze.

***

The crimson flames reflected on Tang Tian’s face like molten lava, pressing against his body through the air. There was an invisible energy shield around Tang Tian—the protection of his armor. But the shield was being consumed rapidly, and cracks began to appear on the feather-like plates of his Peacock armor.

Ten seconds!

The incomplete Peacock armor could only provide ten seconds of protection.

The flaming fists wrapping around the energy shield contained a stunning twisting force, making him feel as if he were trapped in a swamp of constriction, barely able to move. These twisting forces acted like invisible ropes, constantly tightening around Tang Tian’s body.

The true energy within Tang Tian surged to its limit. The flames in his eyes seemed to be stained with a layer of silver frost, radiating a cold aura.

The pervasive heat and twisting force did not disturb Tang Tian. The massive, surging flaming python became exceptionally clear in his mind.

The flaming fists formed by his projected true energy were held together by strands of true energy, as easy to manipulate as his own fingers.

"A truly remarkable structure," a hint of admiration flashed in Tang Tian’s cold, silver eyes.

His figure moved suddenly.

His left finger tapped the air in front of him. The Overlord’s Angry Finger, carrying the sharp Crane Energy, acted like a pickaxe, gouging a shallow pit into the flames before him.

Almost simultaneously, a transparent vacuum sphere appeared within that pit.

Vacuum Shock.

Tang Tian’s movements were as fast as lightning, without a moment of hesitation or thought, striking with both left and right hands.

In just five short seconds.

Tang Tian had embedded five vacuum spheres into the surrounding flames.

Having unleashed five killing moves in five seconds, Tang Tian’s true energy was completely depleted.

But he smiled.

Pop!

The sound of the vacuum spheres bursting was not loud, but it was as crisp as breaking glass. All five spheres exploded at once!

The giant body of the fire python stiffened!

Where the five vacuum spheres ruptured, five whirlpools formed instantly. The powerful suction caused all the flaming energy of the python to hiss as it rushed toward the five voids.

The chaos in the flaming energy immediately threw the true energy into complete disarray.

Huo Yanguang’s already agitated true energy completely spiraled out of control. His meridians throbbed with agony, his throat felt sweet, and he spat out a mouthful of blood before falling backward toward the ground.

A disheveled figure emerged from the python. Behind him, the python collapsed into a fireball and exploded with a roar.

Tang Tian grabbed the unconscious Huo Yanguang. A rope dangled before him—it was the Peacock.

He took a deep breath, grabbed the rope, and soared into the air.

Covered in soot, Tang Tian hauled Huo Yanguang onto the top of a lamp post. Beneath his feet, the exploding fireball dissolved into countless tiny flames, drifting downward like a shower of embers.

Atop the lamp post, the smoke-stained youth stood proudly, looking down upon the world.