Meng Qi hovered midair, not only sensing abnormal geomagnetism but also feeling the downward pull intensify several times. Moreover, the magnetic forces around him kept fluctuating, pushing and pulling from all sides, making it impossible for him to maintain balance. Dodging was out of the question; even performing basic movements became difficult and imprecise. If he attempted to block, the slightest deviation would lead to a massive error.
Moreover, his Primordial Spirit (Yuan Shen) experienced a searing pain, and his thoughts grew sluggish, as if influenced by unseen magnetic forces. Even more terrifying was the fact that the commands issued from his Primordial Spirit to his brain, and then relayed from his brain to every part of his body, were also disrupted, descending into chaos. What should have been a one-foot lift of his right hand barely managed seven inches!
Under these circumstances, Meng Qi was flustered and made many mistakes, helplessly watching as golden light arrows, resembling viscous liquid, shot toward him at an unrelenting speed.
Was this the “Crimson Glow Golden Light Primordial Magnetic Manifestation”?
Was this the true power of a Grandmaster?
Was this the qualitative leap brought about by their mastery and application of martial principles at a new level?
Compared to the heavenly soldiers within the Southern Heaven Gate, Chi Xia Taoist was clearly not mass-produced; his cultivation technique was extraordinary!
Unfortunately, only after reaching the Grandmaster level and mastering thirty-six transformations could Meng Qi utilize a form-shifting technique—the Polar Primordial Magnetism Mysterious Light Beast—that significantly reduced the effects of primordial magnetism.
With a sigh in his heart, Meng Qi’s Yuan Shen suddenly became hazy and indistinct, from which a golden lotus slowly emerged and bloomed. Each petal radiated countless rays of light, neither yin nor yang, resembling the primordial state, instantly calming his mind, eliminating the pain, and restoring the agility of his thoughts.
With just a thought, his body expanded, instantly transforming Meng Qi into a colossal figure woven from primordial qi and martial principles, evoking the sensation of standing tall between heaven and earth. His form radiated a faint golden glow, and the sound of his surging blood resembled mighty rivers, repelling the invisible magnetic forces. By harnessing the supreme power of the Heaven-Imitating Earth-Resembling technique and the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, he shielded himself from the magnetic interference, ensuring his Primordial Spirit maintained full control over his physical form.
At the same time, Meng Qi activated the Kunlun Taoist Robe, as he had no time left to dodge or block!
A misty glow rose from the robe, shrouded in white vapor, layer upon layer.
Just as it was activated, the golden light arrows struck. Electric arcs surged, and the swirling clouds and radiant mists were instantly dispersed, as if they had never existed!
Fortunately, the layers of vapor, though failing to slow the golden arrows, did consume some of their power.
Dang!
The arrows automatically veered upward, striking Meng Qi in the face. The misty glow shattered, the pale gold dimmed, and a white mark appeared between his eyes.
“That longbow is an exceptional treasure! A Grandmaster wielding an exceptional treasure is truly terrifying!” Meng Qi thought with a shiver.
Even with his Taoist robe fully activated, he had barely managed to mitigate the golden arrow’s full force. If he hadn’t cultivated the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art and used Emulating Heaven and Earth, he would have been gravely wounded just now!
Chi Xia Taoist’s mocking expression immediately diminished somewhat. Was this the Emulating Heaven and Earth technique of the Yu Xu lineage?
No wonder he dared to challenge me!
But can such a technique that transcends one’s cultivation level truly defeat a true Grandmaster?
Meng Qi’s acupoints burst open, and torrents of Yuan Qi surged in. His gaze remained composed as he strode through the air, his speed surpassing even flight as he closed in on Chi Xia Taoist. His right hand gripped the Tian Zhi Shang (Heavenly Wound) lowered at his side, poised and ready, gathering momentum for the strike.
Meanwhile, two additional arms grew from his back, though they did not wield blades or swords.
Chi Xia Taoist let out a cold snort. The dazzling and brilliant Primordial Magnetism Manifestation expanded and contracted. His right hand emitted red light and golden brilliance that flickered back and forth, flashing streaks of lightning-like radiance, as he drew the bowstring back.
Taking two steps forward, Meng Qi unsurprisingly felt immense resistance—the repelling force of the primordial magnetism, almost making each step feel like a struggle.
At this moment, Chi Xia Taoist no longer wore a mocking expression. His countenance turned solemn, as if facing an opponent of equal strength, at least one capable of matching him momentarily.
The longbow gradually stretched into a full circle, the golden light condensing once more into an arrow. The surrounding space became empty, devoid of anything, save for faint electric arcs writhing like claws.
Excellent! Meng Qi’s expression remained unchanged. His two new arms each flexed their fingers, changing into mudras—one representing yang, the other yin.
Instantly, the repelling force transformed into an attractive pull. Meng Qi’s speed sharply increased, faster than ever before—faster than Chi Xia Taoist could imagine. Moreover, his trajectory wasn’t straight; it curved slightly, dodging the golden arrow’s direct path!
In a flash, the blade light was about to shine, and the surrounding primordial magnetism suddenly intensified, creating a sensation of yin and yang differentiation.
At that very moment, the Tian Zhi Shang (Heaven’s Wound) rose slightly but failed to reach its intended height. The dazzling blade light instantly veered off course, slicing through the darkness and cleaving the primordial magnetic force. It flew past Chi Xia Taoist by a distance of ten zhang and struck a solitary mountain peak.
Silently, the blade scar extended downward from the mountain top.
Crash! Several boulders tumbled down as the mountain was cleaved in two from its midsection, forming two towering peaks. Between them ran a razor-thin chasm no wider than a finger’s breadth—later generations would name it “Thread of Sky (Yi Xian Tian).” The fact that both peaks remained standing bore witness to the blade’s peerless sharpness.
However, no matter how sharp the blade or terrifying the technique, if it failed to strike the enemy, it was all in vain. Meng Qi could isolate the invisible magnetic forces from affecting his thoughts and blood flow internally, but he struggled to prevent them from “tugging” at himself and his weapons!
Although Meng Qi attempted to use the Yin-Yang Seal to transform the forces, Chi Xia Taoist clearly recognized the move. The tugging forces kept changing, and even after transformation, they merely became “pulling tugs”—still affecting his movements. These minute deviations in motion, over a distance of nearly a mile, would be greatly magnified. The previous blade strike was proof of this: a slight error led to a massive deviation!
The Yuan Shen trembled, and through the void, Chi Xia Taoist adjusted his targeting, loosening his fingers and coldly stating, “All brute force, no refinement!”
Although your Emulating Heaven and Earth grants you near-Grandmaster strength, and you’ve mastered the Yin-Yang Seal, combining the two can indeed affect the effectiveness of my “Red Glow Golden Light Primordial Magnetism Manifestation,” but without the corresponding refinement, your approach remains crude and lacks precision. It’s useless!
Golden light surged, and the arrow pierced through, the void growing increasingly desolate, everything being disintegrated. The viscous, glowing light resembled the call of death.
Meng Qi missed with his first strike and had no time to dodge. His left hand thrust out with Flowing Fire, splitting the sword light into layers, forming a net without distinguishing strength.
Boom!
Electric arcs scattered, sword lights disintegrated, vanishing midair, while the golden arrow maintained its speed, piercing through the layers of the net.
At this moment, Meng Qi’s left hand, which had used the Yin-Yang Seal, now held a sword covered in tortoiseshell-like cracks, perfectly positioned to block the incoming arrow.
Puh!
The ancient tortoiseshell appeared in the void, then cracked. First, it charred, then disintegrated. The golden arrow struck Meng Qi, sending him flying backward. The energy transferred through the vibrations into his pale golden glow, with a small portion seeping into his body.
Blood seeped from Meng Qi’s lips as he stumbled back, watching the Chi Xia Taoist once again stir up golden light and crimson mist, pulling the bowstring taut, making it truly impossible to strike or evade.
The qi pressure pulled him, and danger approached. Meng Qi’s mind only sensed danger through the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art.
But at this critical moment, Meng Qi grew even calmer. His mind became a still lake, his spirit clear and transparent, reflecting everything around him.
Suddenly, Meng Qi closed his eyes. Visible objects and invisible forces were completely outlined within his mind. Below, valleys collapsed, birds and beasts fled, trees either broken, exploded, or still lush. The primordial magnetic forces spread across the eight directions and six sides, pulling, tugging, dragging, lifting—so many forces, too numerous to count.
This was the peak he had aspired to reach through battling powerful opponents—the new “refinement”!
At this moment, Master Lu’s teachings on “Subtle Perception” flooded into Meng Qi’s mind. Every part of his body became distinctly perceptible—the suction on his left little finger, the combined forces of repulsion and downward pull at the joints of his right palm…
Chi Xia Taoist was puzzled by Meng Qi’s sudden stillness, but such an opportunity—how could he let it slip away?
He didn’t even draw the bowstring into a full circle, hastily releasing an arrow. The golden light resembled a dragon, piercing through all obstacles, carrying explosive power, speeding toward Meng Qi. Its speed was so fast that it wouldn’t slow unless it struck its target!
At the same time, he fully activated the Red Glow Golden Light Primordial Magnetism Manifestation, pulling and dragging Meng Qi, making him powerless or only able to dodge like a puppet.
As the golden arrow approached, Meng Qi suddenly moved, stepping left into the void, shrinking the distance. The timing was perfect, the force application precise, breathtaking at the critical moment, narrowly dodging the golden arrow.
Boom!
With a dull explosion, the golden arrow struck a mountain peak. Instantly, shockwaves rolled, blowing away rocks, and electric arcs danced like wild snakes.
No smoke or dust—half the mountain peak was simply gone!
“You…” Chi Xia Taoist’s eyes showed slight surprise. His primordial magnetism manifestation had failed to affect Meng Qi!
Meng Qi’s eyes held no thoughts of victory or defeat. He gazed indifferently at Chi Xia Taoist, moving his limbs, twisting his neck, as if reacclimating to his body, not attacking immediately.
Within his Yuan Shen, the Immortal Primordial Manifestation sat, executing the Yin-Yang Seal. Every part of his body, and even his weapons as extensions of his body, were divided into numerous small sections, each independently transforming yin and yang, generating force opposing the external primordial magnetic forces, just barely neutralizing them.
This was a rudimentary form of “Subtlety”!
The external scenery-level subtlety!
Although this approach consumed half his strength maintaining the Yin-Yang Seal, Chi Xia Taoist’s greatest advantage was now gone!
Chi Xia Taoist’s manifestation expanded and contracted more violently, the surrounding primordial magnetism abnormality becoming almost tangible. The void darkened, eerie and terrifying. His right hand drew the bowstring again, this time forming two golden light arrows!
Meng Qi let out a loud laugh, took a step forward, descending from the clouds. His left hand thrust out with Flowing Fire, transforming into a blazing sun, radiating countless rays of light, reaching everywhere without distinction of strength or thickness, enveloping Chi Xia Taoist.
Infinite light, infinite longevity.
As the sword light fell, it suddenly twisted near Chi Xia Taoist, bending outward. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Many mountain peaks were riddled with holes.
Chi Xia Taoist smiled slightly. If he couldn’t affect you, my primordial magnetism manifestation can still distort your attacks!
With a flick of his right hand, the two golden arrows were simultaneously released, though one was slightly faster than the other.
As Meng Qi prepared to dodge, the second arrow struck the first, accelerating it forward while the second arrow exploded, transforming into a rain of arrows across the sky.
Although Meng Qi sensed the danger, he was slightly too slow to react, having no choice but to activate the Kunlun Taoist Robe.
Dang!
The misty glow was scattered. Meng Qi’s face and body dimmed significantly, covered in numerous white marks. More terrifyingly, while maintaining the Yin-Yang Seal, his strength was already insufficient to continuously activate an exceptional treasure.
Yet, Meng Qi remained calm, his expression becoming relaxed. Electricity flickered around Tian Zhi Shang in his hand. Yin and Yang intensified, and then he struck downward with a slash that was neither clearly hard nor soft, neither yin nor yang, resembling chaos or the primordial beginning.
The long blade cut into the primordial magnetic domain, seemingly veering left, then right, yin and yang flowing, indistinguishable, ultimately maintaining its mysterious trajectory as it descended!
“Yin and Yang in Threefold Harmony, what is the origin, what is the transformation?”
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