Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 208: Last

"Not good!"

Nan Lifeng, having already suffered from the shockwave of Li Pin's direct attack, panicked. But now, with Li Pin only an inch away, there was nowhere to escape.

At this critical moment, this top-tier expert, who had inherited the Extreme Martial Saint Li Xuanzang's legacy, fully demonstrated the profoundness of this inheritance.

As he executed his secret art, he seemed to transform into a gentle breeze. Just as Li Pin's terrifying force, fueled by the Blood-Seething Secret Art, was about to strike him, he immediately kicked off the ground with his right foot and retreated.

Furthermore, as he retreated, he proactively reached out and pressed against the oncoming Li Pin's shoulder. When their forces collided, not only was he unharmed by the violent force that erupted from Li Pin, but he also used this momentum to leap forward, instantly escaping Li Pin's attack range.

This masterful application of force drew admiration from those with sharp eyes in the audience.

"Great movement!"

"After all these years, I can't believe I'm seeing Li Xuanzang's 'Ethereal Trace' once more! It's as exquisite as ever!"

"Nan Lifeng... doesn't seem as weak as he appeared in his last battle! Just from this display of technique, his strength is probably already far superior to several Quasi-Martial Saints...."

"That was just bad luck, I suppose. He’s a movement specialist; putting him against a defense specialist really dampened his shine."

The Martial Saints voiced their appreciation for the spectacular display.

However, before they could fully appreciate the grace of Nan Lifeng's movements, Li Pin charged forward once again.

"Eight Enormities True Fire Force, Nine Heavens Kunpeng!"

Bang!

As Li Pin slammed his foot down, an intense, violent Force erupted beneath him. The explosive shockwave propelled him forward with a surge of speed, his aura rising rapidly.

With his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit coalescing into a unified Force, he looked like a giant fish leaping from the water, instantly transforming into a colossal Kunpeng. The Kunpeng was so vast that its wings spanned countless miles. As it soared through the sky, its overwhelming aura washed over Nan Lifeng like a tsunami, leaving him breathless.

Suppression! This was a suppression of momentum against momentum! A suppression of Martial Will against Martial Will!

A battle between martial artists was essentially a contest of qi and blood, mental spirit, willpower, and aura.

Nan Lifeng's manipulation of his Force was skillful, but because he had chosen to retreat in the face of Li Pin’s body-as-a-weapon attack and not confront its full impact, his momentum faltered.

In contrast, As Li Pin initiated a counterattack, his momentum skyrocketed. He exploded with the power of the Eight Enormities True Fire Force and spread his wings like a great Kunpeng.

As one ebbed, the other flowed.

Li Pin's momentum soared once more as he leaped, giving him an edge over Nan Lifeng.

By the time Li Pin took his third powerful stride, his accumulated momentum had reached an unprecedented peak.

At this moment, he no longer seemed like a human martial artist, but rather a Nine-Heaven Kunpeng spreading its wings across thousands of miles, covering the sky. A tempest of overwhelming, indomitable Martial Will and terrifying aura surged forth.

Despite being a formidable martial artist capable of condensing Spirit Force and freely unleashing his Fist Intent, Nan Lifeng’s mind trembled. His thoughts seemed to freeze as Li Pin unleashed another devastating blow with the force of a Nine-Heaven Kunpeng.

Nan Lifeng's pupils dilated. "This Fist Intent...."

Nan Lifeng wasn’t the only one to be subjected to Li Pin’s Fist Intent. The numerous martial artists behind were also directly in Li Pin’s line of assault. They too felt a terrifying force wash over them, seemingly capable of swallowing the heavens and earth.

Some were so overwhelmed by the sheer force of the Fist Intent that they had goosebumps and shot to their feet.

"It's absolutely terrifying!"

"How frightening!"

"This fist force, this Intent...."

The weaker martial artists were so terrified that they trembled with fear.

It was like watching a 3D movie; despite knowing it was just a film, the incredibly realistic sight of a burning meteor crashing down from the sky was so overwhelming that it could evoke a primal fear, causing people to instinctively shield their eyes.

"Heavenly Mountain Strike!"

With nowhere to escape, Nan Lifeng roared wildly, his internal Force surging like a volcano. It coursed through his right arm before condensing into a supreme divine sword, seemingly descending from the heavens to restore peace to the world, and striking out with overwhelming power.

Nan Lifeng oozed blood from every pore due to the strain of his secret art. The secret art had pushed him to the brink, turning his skin a deep crimson.

But... It wasn't enough.

After all, he was never a true Martial Saint!

Though this strike, delivered under the extreme pressure of life or death, barely summoned the mental spirit to achieve an effect similar to Spirit Force, it was clearly not on the same level as his initial, fully-charged attack.

Bang!

The very fabric of space quaked violently, and a visible shockwave exploded outwards from where the two fist forces collided. Amid the thunderous roar, the sound of shattering bones echoed clearly.

Nan Lifeng, who had aimed to block Li Pin's punch with his Heavenly Mountain Strike, found his right hand shaking uncontrollably under Li Pin’s fist force. His sleeve was torn to shreds by the raging force, and the blood vessels in his arm burst, spurting blood everywhere.

The bones in his arm fractured on impact, and a bone shard pierced through his shoulder, leaving it a ghastly mix of blood and bone...

Crushed!

Li Pin's punch had completely overwhelmed Nan Lifeng with unstoppable force!

The momentum Li Pin had accumulated, like a Nine Heavens Kunpeng soaring through the skies, had not yet fully dissipated. He used his body to slam into Nan Lifeng with relentless force, like a meteor crashing into the moon!

Bang, bang, bang!

The slam’s impact force hit Nan Lifeng and penetrated his body, instantly tearing apart his organs. The explosive power even went through his body and out the back, shredding the clothes on his back to pieces.

He was hurled away by the terrifying, violent force, flying over ten meters before smashing into the ground and sliding off the stage.

His tactical instructor let out a cry of alarm at the sight and rushed forward, just managing to catch Nan Lifeng as he slid off the competition stage. "Not good! Save him!"

The tactical advisor involuntarily took several steps back from the sheer force after catching Nan Lifeng.

Pfft!

Bright red blood spewed from Nan Lifeng's mouth, mixed with what seemed like shattered internal organs.

Even a Quasi-Martial Saint would struggle to survive if all their internal organs had been shattered. Nan Lifeng’s life force was rapidly fading.

The tactical advisor shouted urgently, "Hurry! Save him!"

Several Astral Cultivators appeared simultaneously.

Vibrant starlight quickly flowed into Nan Lifeng’s body. This was an injury that would have been fatal with just a breath or two's delay, but thanks to the miraculous abilities of the Astral Cultivators, Nan Lifeng was miraculously saved from the brink of death.

However, Li Pin didn’t pay any more attention to Nan Lifeng. The moment Nan Lifeng was knocked off the stage, Li Pin considered himself the victor of this match.

Turning around, Li Pin's attention now fell on Ying Long. The once ferociously aggressive Quasi-Martial Saint, having even attacked Li Pin before Nan Lifeng, had one of his hands crippled, leaving him with only the other one functioning. Despite that, he could still keep on fighting. It wasn’t like he had completely lost.

However, just Li Pin’s gaze falling on him made Ying Long feel like a terrifying ancient beast was targeting him. He recoiled in fear and quickly distanced himself from Li Pin.

Clearly, when Li Pin sent Nan Lifeng flying moments ago, he hadn’t simply defeated the latter; he had instilled in the heart of the sidelined Ying Long, stripping him of any will to fight.

Though Ying Long had once fought ferocious beasts and undergone life-and-death tempering under their power, he was nonetheless highly pragmatic. His Martial Will was as straightforward and direct as the principle of "survival of the fittest."

Whenever he encountered a ferocious beast he couldn't defeat, he would choose to retreat or flee without hesitation. It was to the extent that, if he could effectively communicate with the creature, he wouldn’t mind bowing and surrendering if it meant surviving.

What's the point of stubbornly clinging to pride? It would only lead to a meaningless death.

Ying Long had seen Li Pin crush Nan Lifeng with overwhelming strength moments ago. He had also crippled his very own hand. To him, Li Pin was a terrifying beast beyond his ability to fight.

Faced with such a beast....

Just as Li Pin prepared to launch his next attack, the Eagle Talon Sect's Quasi-Martial Saint shouted without hesitation, "I concede!"

He completely disregarded the potential loss of face in front of the tens of thousands of spectators.

Hadn't the Great Sun Chosen One also admitted defeat when he realized he couldn't match Li Pin?

If even a Martial Saint had conceded... it was perfectly normal for a mere grandmaster like him to admit defeat against Li Pin.

After shouting his surrender, Ying Long swiftly left the competition stage.

"This...."

With two contestants leaving in succession, the atmosphere in the arena fell silent.

He conceded?!

Starting with Cheng Yufeng, then Yan Hongtu, the Great Sun Chosen One, Song Wuya, and now Nan Lifeng and Ying Long, he had already defeated six out of the eight opponents he was supposed to face!

As for Su Feiyu, she was an ally, so that was a win in the bag.

So, that leaves Li Pin with only Zhao Yushi as his remaining opponent!?

The upcoming battle between him and Zhao Yushi was essentially the showdown for this year's World's Top Martial Competition.

The spectators weren’t the only ones to realize this, even Li Pin did.

Only Zhao Yushi left? thought Li Pin.

His gaze inevitably fell on her, his last opponent.

Zhao Yushi was holding her spear as he looked back at Li Pin, her demeanor calm.

"There's no time like the present... Zhao Yushi, how about we—"

"I refuse."

She looked at Li Pin. "In your current state, not only are you far from your peak, but you're not even at seventy percent of your prime. If I am to defeat you, it will be through a fair and open battle, not by taking advantage of your weakness like others might. Therefore, our fight will take place the day after tomorrow, after you've had time to recover. We will reach the outcome honorably."

Li Pin watched her determined expression. He realized that challenging Zhao Yushi now would indeed show a lack of respect, especially given Zhao Yushi's status as a Martial Saint.

He nodded in agreement. "Then we'll fight the day after tomorrow."