Chapter 119: The Tenth Awakening

Tang Tian suddenly kicked off the ground, and the soil beneath his feet exploded instantly. Amidst the soil spraying in all directions like rain, Tang Tian’s figure vanished.

The next moment, he appeared beside Huo Qi.

His blood felt as if it were boiling, and a scorching power seeped into every corner of his body. His intuition became sharper, the surging True Power was no longer difficult to control, and he felt filled with an inexhaustible strength—he felt as though he could kill a cow with a single punch based on sheer force alone.

This was the first time Tang Tian had entered a state of demonic possession without losing control of himself. Ordinarily, he would have been overwhelmed with surprise and joy at this state. But at this moment, his spirit was focused to an unprecedented degree; in his crimson pupils, there was only Huo Qi!

His vision blurred, and in the rushing wind, the blue flames enveloping his right arm felt warm and powerful.

This punch will not betray your will...

Huo Qi’s unpredictable movements became, for the first time in Tang Tian’s eyes, unmistakably clear.

Now!

Tang Tian let out a sudden, thunderous roar. With a punch poured with all his strength and belief, accompanied by the whistling sound of fire, he struck!

This punch will not betray your will!

Flames burned wantonly within his blood-red pupils as Tang Tian’s fist struck Huo Qi’s body solidly.

Killer move, Vacuum Shock!

A transparent sphere of light, like a soap bubble blown in silence, completely enveloped Huo Qi. Astonishingly, the vacuum sphere was tinged with a faint cyan hue.

Within the cyan vacuum sphere, a look of panic flickered for the first time in Huo Qi’s eerie red blood-colored eyes.

Pop!

The unprecedentedly massive vacuum sphere shattered.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Countless fine blades of airflow surged madly toward Huo Qi from all directions. Panic flashed in Huo Qi’s eyes; he curled his arms around his head and shrank his body into a ball.

Puff, puff, puff!

The airflow blades sank into Huo Qi’s body, and his huddled form shook violently like a sieve.

"Ah!" The tall man screamed, his entire body struck by an invisible force and sent flying horizontally.

Boom!

Countless cyan flames erupted from within Huo Qi’s body, surging into the sky. Huddled in a ball, Huo Qi shrieked and rolled amidst the cyan flames.

Tang Tian gripped his knees, gasping for air, eyes wide as he stared at Huo Qi rolling in the fire. That last punch had gathered all his strength.

Have I won?

Tang Tian’s mind was a blank—the emptiness that follows total exhaustion.

The tall man’s screams grew more shrill. A wisp of cyan flame ignited from his fingertips. His expression was filled with terror and despair; this wisp of flame, like a maggot on a bone, began to spread from his fingertips. Everywhere it burned, not even ash remained.

A fierce glint flashed in the tall man’s eyes, and he let out a harrowing shriek.

Huo Qi, rolling in the cyan flames, suddenly sprang up and, trailing a long wake of cyan fire, merged into the tall man’s body. The cyan flames instantly engulfed the tall man, turning him into a human torch of blue fire.

"Ahhhhh!" The tall man’s screams rose sharply, filled with intense agony, and his body trembled violently. The flesh on his body writhed like flowing mud—a scene of unspeakable horror.

Everyone witnessing this scene wore an expression of absolute shock.

Too terrifying... what on earth is happening?

Tang Tian stared blankly at the tall man; what was unfolding before his eyes was completely beyond his comprehension. What... what was going on?

Suddenly, an astonishing aura, centered on the tall man, swept wildly in all directions.

The flames on the tall man’s body extinguished bit by bit, revealing his form to Tang Tian once more. The tall man’s face now bore a striking resemblance to Huo Qi’s, and most striking of all were those same blood-colored pupils and grey skin.

"Heh heh!" The tall man’s laughter was hoarse and dry. "I didn’t expect you to push me to such lengths. However, I must truly thank you. Otherwise, how could I have achieved fusion with Huo Qi?"

"Fusion?" Tang Tian stared at him in disbelief.

"That’s right! Fusion." The tall man made no attempt to hide his pride. "Our research into Spirit General Cards far exceeds your understanding. Huo Qi was born of me, and now he has returned to me. Heh, though, if it weren’t for you, I would never have dared to attempt this fusion; the failure rate is simply too high! So, I must thank you!"

He looked down at his palms; the hands that had just been burned away by the cyan flames had completely recovered.

He murmured as if in a dream, "This is power! It is truly intoxicating, truly impossible to resist. From today on, I shall be called Huo Qi."

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with fanaticism. "How about it? Are you tempted? As long as you join us, you can attain this power you’ve dreamed of!"

"This is the last chance I will give you." A faint trace of killing intent permeated the tall man’s calm tone.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.

A gaunt figure appeared before Tang Tian.

***

In the Martial Spirit Hall, Bing’s voice echoed.

"In our era, there weren’t any weirdos like this. The world has progressed to a point that leaves me a bit bewildered. You know, people who serve as drill instructors are usually quite rigid in their thinking."

Bing, while quickly tossing spirit cores into the body of Ghost Claw, said quite irresponsibly, "I can’t help it. I’m not a combat-type Spirit General. I’m fine for dealing with small fry, but for big guys like this, I have to count on you. Such a powerful and bizarre Spirit General was rare even in our time. Could it be new technology? Perhaps. But really, what is the value of power that turns a person into neither human nor ghost?"

"I’ve paid a huge price this time; these are all Tier 7 spirit cores. Your strength will absolutely be maintained at your peak! Your peak during your lifetime must have been short, right? Although the remnants of your martial spirit are scarce, I know you are still unwilling to let go. Master-level claw techniques, your self-created Fire Sickle Ghost Claw, have actually become a lost art. Isn’t that so?"

Ten Tier 7 spirit cores had cost Tang Tian a full thousand points. If not for Bing’s insistent demand, Tang Tian would never have been willing to buy them.

Yet now, the Tier 7 spirit cores were flicked into Ghost Claw’s body as if they were worthless.

"Even in death, you remain unwilling, don't you..."

The spirit energy contained in the Tier 7 spirit cores was immense. Each time a core sank into Ghost Claw’s body, a dazzling ripple of light would ignite at his feet and rise along his body until it reached his head.

With each flash of light that swept over him, Ghost Claw’s body solidified a little more. The gaunt, hunched Ghost Claw remained expressionless, his eyes deep as the night.

"However, you are quite lucky to have encountered this idiot. Look, you have another chance to take the stage. How about it? You must be excited and full of anticipation! Your Fire Sickle Ghost Claw can once again strike dazzling sparks in this world. You can fight again. After all these years of accumulation, all your unwillingness, all your pride, can be released to your heart’s content."

"Aren't you thrilled?" Bing muttered to himself, his tone gradually deepening, involuntarily tinged with a trace of sorrow. "If the commander and that bunch of bastards had had such a chance, they would surely have turned the world upside down..."

"It’s just a pity they didn’t."

Bing raised his head. His face, painted like a playing card, was haunted by a faint sadness, yet he revealed a smile.

"But you do, so—"

The smile on Bing’s face vanished. He looked at Ghost Claw earnestly and said, word by word:

"You must fight with all your might!"

Whoosh!

Within Ghost Claw’s deep, nocturnal eyes, a wisp of flame ignited silently.

A flush of color returned to Bing’s face. He patted Ghost Claw’s shoulder hard, his eyes wide and fierce, like someone encouraging soldiers heading into battle for the first time, and roared: "Go! Fight, Ghost Claw!"

"Take your unwillingness, take your pride, and go fight!"

"The sparks struck by your Fire Sickle Ghost Claw must scorch their eyes!"

***

Hiss!

Ghost Claw vanished like a ghostly breeze.

***

Tang Tian stared blankly at the gaunt figure before him.

It was Ghost Claw!

The skeletal, gaunt Ghost Claw stood quietly in front of Tang Tian.

"Hmm? A Spirit General?" Huo Qi was slightly surprised, but then he acted as if he had seen something most ridiculous, clutching his stomach and roaring with laughter: "What am I seeing? A Spirit General? Hahahaha! Heavens, someone is actually playing with a Spirit General in front of me? How hilarious! Is this what they call 'showing off one's axe before Lu Ban'? Oh, oh, is that a bit rude? I apologize, I really couldn’t help myself. Hahahaha!"

Tang Tian was stunned, but he quickly reacted.

Bing!

It must be Bing’s doing, but why didn't Bing come himself?

And... this Ghost Claw before him... gave him a feeling that was quite extraordinary...

But... the opponent was too strong... how could Ghost Claw possibly win?

"Bing!" Tang Tian called out to Bing anxiously in his mind. "Why didn't you come out? It’s dangerous for Ghost Claw alone!"

Bing’s voice was full of exhaustion. "I’m not a combat-type Spirit General; I’m just a drill instructor. Charging into battle isn't my specialty. However, don't underestimate Ghost Claw. I have awakened him."

"Awakened him?" Tang Tian was taken aback.

"Yes. An awakened Ghost Claw will be very strong. Although I don't know what methods the opponent is using, I believe that tempered martial arts are always the most fundamental power." Bing’s voice was full of confidence.

"And Ghost Claw possesses that power!"

Bing’s voice was resolute and final.

Tang Tian stood stunned.

Huo Qi’s voice interrupted Tang Tian’s thoughts: "Since you refuse to admit defeat, I will show you what the most powerful strength of a Spirit General truly is."

A cold, sinister smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Your Spirit General had better be strong, otherwise, it won’t even be worth chewing on. I have no interest in weak Spirit Generals."

While his words were still drifting in the wind, his figure had already vanished from where he stood.

Ghost Claw, who had been like a sculpture before Tang Tian, suddenly opened his eyes—eyes deep as the dark night, showing neither joy nor anger.

Clang!

His gaunt, hard, hook-like fingers crossed. The sound of friction between the claws actually produced the ring of metal.

With a claw-like motion, he swept through the air. As his claw tips scraped against the atmosphere, five dazzling sparks ignited.

The brilliant firelight illuminated the blurred shadow before him.

Ding!

An even brighter spark burst forth, blindingly intense, reflecting Huo Qi’s face filled with astonishment.

Before the grey fist, the gaunt, five-fingered claws remained perfectly still.