Chapter 293 - Listen Using Your Qi and Not Your Mind
Clearly, the two of them were still fighting for their lives against each other. Shen Lian continuously threw in different methods, one after another, just like the clouds that were constantly changing its shape.
In a trance, the battle had become a game for Shen Lian. In this soon to be ended match, he seemed to be winning it with skill and ease. It seemed that after a grand finale, he would feel a sense of withdrawal.
The Dao was concentrated but senseless while the mana was oblivious to oneself.
In no time, Shen Lian was able to exert all sorts of methods effortlessly as his will, just like an antelope hanging up its horn, showing zero traces and effort. He was literally poetry in motion.
Back then, Shen Lian would use the ideomotor reflex to cast spells but this time around, he could easily summon different methods just like a flowing stream of water that showed no sign of stagnancy.
He did not push his powers to the maximum but the attack timing was perfect and every punches and blow came out smoothly.
The vitality of the heaven and earth are one with Shen Lian. They are inseparable and they respond to him accordingly. The state of being one with heaven was the key to opening the doors of immortality. It was exactly what Bai Suhuan has been chasing after and it would have been a dream come true for him.
He genuinely felt that Shen Lian was so close to breakthrough Xuwang while he, although seemed like a step away but was actually ten thousand miles of eternity.
Bai Suhuan was miserably gutted by Shen Lian's attack but there was nothing much he could do about it.
Shen Lian became one with heaven as his Taixu entered Dao and he went into a state of oblivion. He held on to every hint of Dao senses and bind into one with all of it. Or in Daoism term, "Listen with your Qi and not your mind."
As Shen Lian assembled the millions of methods and techniques together, the nothingness convulsed. Colored rays representing the five Qi elements - green, yellow, red, black and white, intertwined and condensed into one beam of five colored light right in front of Shen Lian, and that beam went straight to Bai Suhuan.
Bai Suhuan was clearly taken aback but he did not want to be defeated just like that. He summoned the moon with the force strong enough to break mountains and rivers to attack Shen Lian.
However, although the moon cuts like a knife and was able to separate between the heaven and earth, it could not cut through this five colored beams The beam was strong, sturdy, it was unbreakable.
His ultimate method, Time Waits for No Man, had zero effect against the five colored beam. This was because Shen Lian had come to the realization of the five elements of Dao. Even if time was ruthless and could turn anything into ashes, the five elements were resourceful and changing endlessly. It will never run out of life.
The Daoist form of the moon crushed as every inch of it was rolled over by the five colored beam. Bai Suhuan certainly did not see this coming but how things would end after this fight was really not up to him. This was because no matter how highly he estimated Shen Lian, Shen Lian's cultivation progress was far beyond his prediction.
After taking continuous blows, blood started flowing out from the border of Bai Suhuan's lips.
While the Daoist form of the moon was rolled over, Shen Lian gathered the Mark of Mountain and River as his magnificent Qi dynamics erupted. Shen Lian remained focus when using this method and naturally, that increased his combat power by many times as he unsympathetically aimed at Bai Suhuan. This terrifying endless streams of mana shook the nothingness. The Qi around the atmosphere was daunting to the maximum, giving out a sense of despair and helplessness.
The illusion of the majestic Mark of Mountain and River appeared from nothingness and landed on the crown of Bai Suhuan's head. It pressed on him firmly and knocked him down.
The protective shield crumbled as Bai Suhuan was stricken down from a lofty altitude. As he was traveling downwards at rapid speed, he combusted into a long strand of fireworks, just like a comet. He plunged into the ocean and a blasting sound could be heard, causing monstrous waves.
Shen Lian did not stop right there and instead dived downwards.
The Taixu Strategy was one of the most brilliant martial exercise in the world of Dao as it touches the Yin Yang five Dao elements and it was almost an ultimate martial exercise in the human world.
As it involved the original form of Dao and the million methods of the world, as long as one learned it, they could easily apply it. But once they mastered it, the would not touch on any other methods.
Shen Lian continuously throws out light with both of his palms and it hits the surface of the vast ocean as the water evaporates to reveal Bai Suhuan. He looked sluggish with his green robe tattered and he just could not stop throwing up blood. He was severely injured by Shen Lian.
Shen Lian did not intend to stop because he knew that he cannot give any opportunity to his opponent to breathe.
From the ocean to the sky, then to the deserted island and the duel once again took center stage back up in the sky.
No one knew how many birds and fishes were sacrificed throughout the battle.
But Shen Lian could not care less about these as Bai Suhuan was such a stubborn character. Any other Powang master cultivator would have succ.u.mbed to Shen Lian's intensity but Bai Suhuan's level of cultivation was so refined that he was able to hold on for so long.
It was all because his Qi was so refined and pure that it was beyond imagination.
Bai Suhuan roared out loud, causing the heaven and earth to shake. He started to work his palms in all sort of manner and shortly, every single drop of the vitality of the heaven and earth were absorbed by him.
A ray of mysterious beam appeared as a terrifying aura was emitted. It was the force beyond Bai Suhuan's strength and it was almost equivalent to a holy deity.
Shen Lian's state of mind was crystal clear but at this very moment, he became a little solemn.
He knew that this would be Bai Suhuan's very last shot.
In a sudden, tidal waves hit the shore as if a tsunami just erupted while earth-shattering booming sound could be heard. No one would know how forceful Bai Suhuan's last shot would be.
Shen Lian converged the five Qi elements and stood firmly in this stormy rain. To one's surprise, Bai Suhuan forcefully activated the Powang state of Code of the Bright Moon's ultimate weapon, the Supreme Knife of the Moon. The only way to summon the Supreme Knife of the Moon was by achieving immortality. In desperation, Bai Suhuan was willing to trade his many years of refined cultivation to fuel the activation.
His physical body could not tolerate the burden caused by the forceful activation; he started to bleed throughout his body and his body was close to collapse. Shen Lian did not expect to see such determination from Bai Suhuan.
Only the best rival would bring out the strongest side of a person. At this point, Shen Lian was fearless.
He was confident that he could take on the strike that was comparable to the power of the holy deities.
He wanted Bai Suhuan to be sincerely convinced by the defeat and even more, he wanted to bring him back to Qing Xuan alive.
Shen Lian finally made his move. When the Supreme Knife of the Moon formed, he took a step out and the nothingness collapsed.
He ultimately collided with the Supreme Knife of the Moon
"Hong, hong, hong."
Frightening sound waves exploded as the vast universe broke out into a stormy weather.
End of the world-like phenomenon such as volcanoes eruption and earthquake happened as the tectonic plates vibrated as a result of the duel.
With just one slash, the Supreme Knife of the Moon turned into ash.
However, Shen Lian survived the hit and did not turn into ashes despite experiencing such strong blow.
Under the stormy sky, Shen Lian carried Bai Suhuan out of the scene. His Dao robe swayed as he walked away.
Bai Suhuan looked like he has aged ten years more as his face looked somewhat wilted.
Shen Lian with a pale face sighed, "Why did you put yourself through this, and why should I go through this too?"