Star Gate

Chapter 211: Qimei Staff, Victory! (I)

“As you wish!”

“ROAR!” The enormous ape reappeared, looking a bit different from before. It wielded chains and threatened to smash a hole in the sky when it flung them out. Meanwhile, a staff ran from the ground to the heavens.

The great battle was upon them. This was when the two sides brought their full strength to bear. Looks of shock and awe filled the faces beneath them. Summoner of Spirit!

The attacks that instantly felled a Solar were just a casual demonstration from these two powerhouses. In that moment, the audience also felt the might of flames that seared the heavens and broke the earth. Whether it was Hao Kong or the Yama delegation, both tried to find a way to contact the outside world.

The world as they knew it would change from now on!

Sun Yifei battled Yuan Shuo; Yuan Shuo had progressed beyond Dominator to become this era’s first Summoner. Martial masters in all ninety-nine provinces would certainly be startled and stunned when word spread. There really was a path beyond Dominator! Were those secluded martial masters greater than Dominator true Summoners or fake ones?

They didn’t know, but Yuan Shuo was absolutely a real one. A Dominator could not suppress a late Solar—particularly a Solar who’d ascended from being a martial master.

......

Rumbling sounds roiled through the void like crashes of thunder or an erupting volcano. Two figures flashed through the air as they collided. The fire heart ape broke the sky with every wave of its chains while the unparalleled qimei staff began fracturing the ground with every swing. One had to keep in mind that both opponents were still in the air!

Below them, Li Hao stared fixedly at the battle. His face tightened when he saw the fire heart ape being suppressed and sent flying with a sweep of the staff. The young man was so nervous that his internal force flared and sword qi leaked from his body. His teacher was strong, but had summoned only one spirit. In terms of supernatural levels, he was an initial Solar.

And yet, his opponent was a late Solar! Regular Solars wouldn’t mean anything, but Sun Yifei was plainly cut from a different cloth.

A sudden impulse gripped Li Hao—he should break through to Dominator right this very moment and summon his five spirits so he could participate in this battle. He would fight the enemy with his teacher!

At the same time, he knew that his teacher wouldn’t let him onto the field even if he summoned all five visceral spirits. This was Yuan Shuo’s battle, the final dignity of a martial master! It was also a continuation of that glorious battle from his shared past with Sun Yifei.

As Li Hao scanned the premises, he smiled to see expressions of fear, worship, and envy. Perhaps this was the true motive in his teacher accepting the challenge. Silver Moon’s martial world yet lived, it had not declined! Supernaturals cowered when enshrouded by martial master splendor!

You have to win, teacher! Li Hao called out inwardly. You must win!

......

The duel continued; the two no longer fought over the bridge. Yuan Shuo operated the Five Styles to its utmost, as well as its breathing method. White smoke wafted from his body as he breathed—a sign of intense inhales and exhales. As the cooler air from the surroundings passed through his organs, the difference in temperature caused a certain amount of evaporation.

But to outsiders, he looked like a mythical being wreathed in clouds and emitting fog. Perhaps this was how some legends in the ancient times developed. Standing on high with white smoke billowing around him—didn’t he seem to swallow the clouds and breath mist?

Meanwhile, Sun Yifei looked to be a god of fire. The flames didn’t touch him, but the staff blazed with red. Swing after swing forced a Yuan Shuo wearing the fire heart ape form back. He was so strong!

Sun Yifei continued to walk the path of martial dao after entering the supernatural world. He was a martial powerhouse to begin with. Although there was no internal force for him to call on anymore, abundant mysterious power facilitated explosive strength for the qimei staff.

Who said supernaturals could only use supernatural techniques?

Sun Yifei walked his own path along the supernatural way. He utilized mysterious power as internal force and employed his martial method’s breathing method. It didn’t give rise to too many drawbacks.

BOOM!

One side of the bridge remnants collapsed when the staff pounded the ground. Yuan Shuo stepped through the air like a bird. He pounced as a tiger, fashioning his hands into bird claws and grabbing for the staff!

A grand eagle swooping upon a rabbit!

Yuan Shuo was a majestic eagle as he loomed over Sun Yifei with hands outstretched. He clawed long streaks of sparks from the staff, whereupon Sun Yifei brandished his weapon and shoved it forward. It crashed through heaven and earth, forcing Yuan Shuo into rapid retreat. Despite his speed, the staff still pierced through his palm.

Momentum unabated, the staff slammed into a nearby cliff face and blasted a massive cave out of the stone. The force behind Sun Yifei’s response altered the terrain!

The long staff flew back out of the cliff face when its owner beckoned to it; the fight increased in intensity!

Fiery qi frothed over Sun Yifei, giving rise to multiple suns around him. This was a true Solar—as searing as the sun and formidable beyond bounds. The gaping difference between him and Silver Moon’s Solars was extremely apparent. They were lesser in terms of killing intent, battle consciousness, experience, and methods.

Having wrought a path of blood out of the province, then hacked his way out of the central region—Sun Yifei had spent the last dozen years in violence and gore. The brilliant color of his staff was not only that of fire, but also of blood!

Yuan Shuo roared, the fire heart ape flung its chains forward again!

The chain wrapped around the staff with a rattle so loud it could be heard throughout the land. At the same time, Yuan Shuo threw his head back with a howl.

Li Hao and the others on the ground swiftly covered their ears. A ferocious tiger had truly come prowling out of the woods in the mountain. A wild roar multiple times greater than what a tiger could bring to bear rang out—a massive monster was here!

“ROAR!!” The cry shook heaven and earth. Weaker supernaturals on the ground could not withstand it even though they flared their mysterious power. Blood trickled from numerous pairs of ears as their ear drums shattered.

Retreat, and retreat again! Horror-stricken, some supernaturals couldn’t conceal their fear as they backed away. Some small organizations sped to a safe distance of a thousand meters. Finding it still dangerous, they quickly shuffled further out.

Only the Sword Sect was left of the mid-size organizations. Hong Yitang gestured for his people to move back, but he remained. He watched the two in the air with a fervent expression. Martial dao! The path of martial masters, the Silver Moon martial world...

He firmly believed that after this battle, martial masters of the world would flock to the province to continue their pursuit of a barely discernible future in martial dao. It would be their pilgrimage because the future was finally at hand!

Yuan Shuo had broken the limits of Dominator of Thousands!

After all these years, even Hong Yitang’s heart blazed to life. Martial masters! Through martial dao could one reach the divine! Even though Yuan Shuo was yet to overcome Sun Yifei and looked to be suppressed instead, Hong Yitang couldn’t douse the emotions running high. Old Demon Yuan was upon them again, Silver Moon’s martial world was back!

“ROAR!!” A series of roars reverberated through the canyon, their echoes deafening to the ear. Yuan Shuo glided through the air, the Five Styles dominating in the extreme. He utilized the tiger style in conjunction with the ape style—the fire heart ape bore the demeanor of a bloodthirsty tiger and reared with killing intent.

The five auras melded as one!

Yuan Shuo commanded other auras apart from the fire heart ape. They swiftly integrated into a ferocious tiger that stood side by side with the ape. When the two auras collided, they exploded with greater power.

“HUP!” Yuan Shuo thrust both fists forward at the same time and launched himself at Sun Yifei’s head. Joint hammer blows!

Sun Yifei detonated a sonic boom as he swept his staff outward, shaking the auras of the Five Styles. Yuan Shuo wavered as he stood against his opponent’s frenzied barrage. Afterimages blurred in the void as Sun Yifei hacked and chopped with his weapon, forcing his opponent back with each move.

The two constantly traded the upper hand; it was a very even match. As strong as Yuan Shuo’s aura was, he couldn’t withstand his opponent’s incredible reserve of mysterious power. It was an opposite sight of the battles between their disciples.

When Li Hao fought Sun Moxian, his organs had been so strong that Sun Moxian’s formidable aura couldn’t break his organs. In the end, he was killed in turn.

In the same vein, there was no question of how colossal Yuan Shuo’s auras were, but his internal force was not as abundant as his opponent’s mysterious power. Sun Yifei’s massive reserves greatly detracted from his opponent’s attacks.

Not only could Li Hao read the situation, but so could others. Strange looks crept into their eyes. This was the opposite of how it should be! It had led to Li Hao killing Sun Moxian in the previous battle. If things continued to develop in this manner, Sun Yifei would kill Yuan Shuo instead.

The battles of masters and disciples ran in diametrically opposite directions!

......

In the air.

No matter how Yuan Shuo shook his chains, he couldn't find an opening in the other’s staff offensive. He roared and raged, the very image of a wild and violent ape.

Sun Yifei grew more aggressive the more he battled. A hint of joy sparkled out of his arctic glare, but more killing intent could be found within his eyes. He could die now that he’d seen the future of his dao, but that didn’t interfere with him killing Yuan Shuo. It was enough that there was a way forward for martial dao!

After another violent collision, Yuan Shuo managed to grab the staff. He left deep claw marks in the weapon, but Sun Yifei still sent him flying with a punch. The latter stepped backward with his weapon, watching Yuan Shuo’s blood spray through the void as he flew backward.

The professor’s face was slightly pale when he found his footing; he looked a little tired.

Sun Yifei flushed red and coughed. “Is this all there is to you?”

Just this?

“Where’s the second spirit?” he leered. “A Summoner who commands five auras, I see you’ve only nurtured one spirit! There would be no need for a fight today if you’d summoned all five, Yuan Shuo. I would be dead without a move! Just one spirit? That is not enough to kill me!”

Yuan Shuo heaved for breath as he looked at Sun Yifei. The man was too observant! He’d caught wind of some clues after the prolonged exchange. It would be a foregone conclusion that Yuan Shuo would be invincible against Solars if he nurtured five spirits. He wouldn’t even need five—just three would give him unquestionable dominance.

But he didn’t have those!

He only had one. That could power a tremendous offensive for a while and enable him to easily overwhelm ordinary Solars. But today, his opponent was Sun Yifei, a martial master undaunted by repeated disappointments. All his opponent needed to do was to weather the initial barrage before he could counterattack.

“Just listen to yourself!” Yuan Shuo grinned. “Look at you throwing your weight around! Not many who did so in front of me have ever lived!”

He transformed into a fearsome tiger with a roar! Waves of yin qi rolled off the tiger’s back. Cloud and mist wrapped around its feat—a water aura. Of the Five Styles, the tiger corresponded to the yin and was attributed to water. Water hearkened to the kidneys. He’d summoned his second spirit!

The kidneys’ element was the water. His weren’t strong enough and hadn’t been tempered enough. Forcefully summoning a spirit like this might shatter them, but so what?

Who could bear to concede at this point of the battle? He, Yuan Shuo, had dominated an era. The opponent in front of him was just someone he’d defeated! If one spirit was hard pressed to take him down, how about two??