Breakthrough to the Ninth Heaven

The world brimmed with vitality as dazzling green divine light blazed, as if a forest of green floated in the sky. But this scene of thriving life only applied to the onlookers; for Xiao Chen, it was undoubtedly the light of death. Endless life force converged, bearing down upon him with overwhelming pressure, infiltrating every opening, unstoppable, seeking to swallow him entirely and dissolve him into that radiance of life.

“Reverse Chaos!”

Xiao Chen roared. For the first time in battle, he unleashed the second of the Four Killing Moves. The Dao Imprint, like a celestial light from beyond the heavens, pierced into the void. Amid the endless green light of life, an invisible great hand seemed to churn violently. The life force grew chaotic, and finally, a massive rift was torn open. Xiao Chen broke through the green sea, and the invisible hand of Reverse Chaos manifested, transforming into strands of gray light that stirred into the green waves.

The decline was halted. The Dao Imprint of Reverse Chaos held firm against the Wood Element Fist.

Xiao Chen was stunned. This Wu Xingfeng was overwhelmingly powerful—the strongest foe he had ever faced. He could not gain the slightest advantage.

The Five Elements Divine Art was truly one of the most ancient and wondrous techniques! The Five Elements Fist of the Mortal World was but a superficial skill, far inferior to that of the World of Immortality. In this realm, miraculous arts and methods emerged endlessly, all of them top-tier techniques. The methods passed down in the mortal world counted for nothing here.

If not for mastering the Four Killing Moves, it seemed impossible to stand in this world.

Wu Xingfeng was equally astonished. In his imagination, few could take his Five Elements Fist. This man before him had brought too many surprises: the Indestructible Seal, the Slay God Hand, the Reverse Chaos Hand—all were profound and mysterious, no lesser than the Five Elements Divine Art. If his opponent had the same depth of cultivation, the power unleashed would be even greater.

He pushed his right fist forward again, unhurried, and an endless blue flooded heaven and earth. Wu Xingfeng seemed to merge into the blue radiance.

Water Element Fist!

The sky and earth truly seemed filled with waves. The force of the Five Elements Fist condensed into tangible substance, as if the boundless waves of the Eastern Sea had been summoned, surging above the prince’s mansion, sweeping toward Xiao Chen in an overwhelming tide.

Such was the astonishing power of the Five Elements Divine Art! It was neither curse nor spirit art, yet it surpassed mere “arts.” It was a “Dao,” entirely a “Dao” cultivated from martial skill—a martial Dao sublimated from martial technique, an embodiment of formlessness.

Legend said the Five Elements Divine Art could rend heaven and shatter earth. The traces of the Dao displayed before the crowd seemed to confirm that the legend might not be false. If Wu Xingfeng could one day push it to its limit, its power would be unimaginable.

As if a thousand armies and ten thousand horses were galloping, thunderous roars rolled across the sky—the surging of a furious sea, the tossing of monstrous waves. Endless water-blue light boiled and cascaded down like the Silver River falling from the Nine Heavens.

Xiao Chen shouted, “Suppress Demon!”

Today he faced an enemy of unprecedented strength, forced to unleash nearly all Four Killing Moves. For the first time, the third style, Suppress Demon, was used against a foe. Black light surged as if from hazy chaos, silent but carrying a dread pressure that seized the soul. It charged through the endless azure sea like an ink dragon churning through the waves.

A dragon returned to the sea. The Dao of Suppress Demon penetrated the Water Element Divine Art. The single character “Suppress” shattered all the water essence, though scattered Five Elements divine power still surged from all directions, devouring toward Xiao Chen.

The black Suppress Demon Hand transformed into a gray, hazy space, like a land of death, where one seemed to see white bones strewn and death qi coiling. All the water power flowed into that phantom realm.

Real and illusory, no one could distinguish. Power clashed violently, shattering everything around. Xiao Chen felt excruciating pain, his chest tight and unbearable. He staggered backward, once again forced onto the defensive.

When all illusions vanished, Xiao Chen felt as if struck by lightning. He had retreated more than ten meters, leaving a trail of cracked footprints that fissured into large crevices. His body swayed slightly, as if he might collapse into the dust at any moment.

But Wu Xingfeng stood unmoved, his expression unchanged. The difference was clear.

All the onlookers were horrified. This prodigy from the north was too dominant, steadily suppressing Xiao Chen of the Eighth Heaven. What level had his strength truly reached? Shock rippled through the crowd.

Like wind and lightning, the legendary young expert Wu Xingfeng turned into a faint shadow, appearing before Xiao Chen. His divine fist lashed out with devastating force. This time it was not a Five Elements Fist, for he could see that Xiao Chen could no longer hold on. The final Fire Element Fist need not be shown.

“You are already strong. Among those of your generation, few have made me use four styles of the Five Elements Divine Art.”

The pressure was as heavy as a mountain. Wu Xingfeng was like an unassailable sacred peak, this legendary northern prodigy possessed an indescribable distinction.

“Boom!”

Xiao Chen was sent flying, smashing through a distant artificial mountain. Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. He felt dejected and cold. The peak power of the Eighth Heaven could not contend with Wu Xingfeng. His opponent’s cultivation was truly higher. This was the manifestation of absolute strength. His defeat was not unjust.

Wu Xingfeng was no arrogant man. Though he had his opponent firmly suppressed, he showed no mercy. Every punch struck with maximum force, granting no chance of recovery.

“Thump!”

Xiao Chen raised his arm to block, but was blasted away again. His arm bone seemed to have fractured. A palace hall collapsed under the force of his body crashing into it.

The elites of the Southern Wastes watched in silent dread. No one had imagined Wu Xingfeng would be so powerful. Xiao Chen retreated in defeat, trapped by an invisible force, forced to parry passively. Each blow felt like a great hammer smashing against his chest, blood ceaselessly trickling from the corners of his mouth.

Though Wu Xingfeng’s expression was calm—even carrying a hint of sunny confidence—his strikes were vicious, offering not a sliver of hope.

“I said I would not kill you. Seeing that you can take so many punches and still live, I’ll finish the Five Elements Fist and grant you the experience of surviving all five styles.”

This was not affectation nor mockery. For Wu Xingfeng, in the northern kingdoms, he had the right to speak such words. A legendary young prodigy—even defeat at his hands was no disgrace for a peer. To withstand several of his Five Element Fists was a mark of capital and honor.

This confident, arrogant declaration stirred different feelings among the Southern Wastes elites. Zhuge Ming, Li Feng, and others felt a pang of loss—this was how a man should live: standing at the peak, looking down upon the world. What joy and glory that was! Yan Qingcheng, Hai Yunxue, Kanasi, and other Southern beauties had a flicker of light in their eyes. A man like this, even if from the north that threatened the south, was captivating. A man should be so strong and confident—provided he had the strength to back it.

Xiao Chen felt as if his feet were trampling into hell. Bound firmly by the Five Elements divine power, he could not even spread his Undying Skies Wings to fly. He passively awaited Wu Xingfeng’s next punch.

Fire Element Fist!

Great flames burned the sky red, blinding crimson light flashing as if to incinerate everything in the world. It descended overwhelmingly, covering Xiao Chen.

Never give the opponent any chance! This was Wu Xingfeng’s unchanging principle in battle. Fight with all your might!

Xiao Chen was furious. For others, receiving five Five Element Fists was a confirmation of strength, an honor. But for him, it was a humiliation!

He did not want to lose! He could not lose! Why should the peak power of the Eighth Heaven be defeated?!

Collapse!

The fourth and final of the Four Killing Moves struck out. The Dao Imprint seemed to flow through his heart, blazing with ethereal light through his fury. A surge of immense power exploded forth.

Collapse shattered all physical form. The flames that had filled the sky were broken into streaking lights, flashing like meteors across the heavens. The sky was brilliantly colored, filled everywhere with fire and edge.

Unparalleled energy surged and rolled. A terrible pressure swept through the entire prince’s mansion.

The Fire Element Fist had actually been blocked!

This took everyone by surprise. Xiao Chen was already gravely wounded, having spat blood repeatedly under Wu Xingfeng’s blows. How could he have stopped a Five Element Fist?

When the light faded, Wu Xingfeng stood motionless in the arena. Xiao Chen had been sent flying backward, his arms broken. But at the same time, a dazzling divine light burst from his body, blazing like raging flames.

Anger and humiliation burned out of his body like a raging fire. At the same time, a supremely powerful force burst through his flesh, enveloping him in radiance.

His body trembled violently, as if some constraint had shattered. Xiao Chen seemed to hear the sound of something breaking within him. The peak power of the Eighth Heaven burst through its shackles, completing a metamorphosis in the crucible of life-and-death combat.

He had tried every method to break through into the Ninth Heaven but failed. Yet in this moment, he succeeded. Wu Xingfeng’s final punch sent him flying, bleeding, with broken arms—but it also seemed to open the door to some treasure within his body. There was no way to close it now. The era of the Ninth Heaven had arrived!

His joints crackled. His bones trembled violently. The broken arm bones reconnected, grew and mended under the blinding light, until they were whole again, his skin sparkling like precious jade, shimmering with rosy light.

Xiao Chen rose like a phoenix reborn from fire. In an instant, his grievous wounds were completely healed. In the battle of life and death, he had undergone a transformation!

His body surged with incomparably powerful strength, like a rolling river, like a surging sea, wanting to burst forth. Every inch of his skin contained terrifying energy. His body was like divine iron tempered a thousand times, or like a vast ocean containing endless essence of heaven and earth, gleaming with radiance.

The moment Xiao Chen was sent flying, Wu Xingfeng knew something was amiss. He moved like a shadow, charging forward—never give the opponent any chance. But everything had happened in an instant; it was impossible to stop. His right fist swung out a fierce Metal Element Fist, nearly tearing space apart. Yet by then, Xiao Chen had completed his transformation. His Undying Skies Wings spread, and he soared into the sky.

“Ha ha…” A thunderous laugh shook the heavens. Rolling sound waves tore through the sky, making the ruins below tremble. Xiao Chen’s hair flew wildly, his eyes gleaming like sharp blades. His straight figure stood in the sky, sacred yet carrying an overwhelming pressure.

Without a word, Xiao Chen folded his Undying Skies Wings and dove down. His fist rolled with fierce gale, seeming to summon thunder and fire. A vast swath of blinding purple light poured down.

An ordinary punch, but one holding nothing back, containing overwhelming power!

The Ninth Heaven—for the younger generation, an unattainable height. But Xiao Chen had finally broken into this realm. He struck without mercy, using all his strength, not growing careless from his advancement.

The two fists clashed, exploding with the sound of wind and thunder. Wu Xingfeng’s body shook violently, the ground beneath him shattering. He retreated steadily, each step feeling like a mountain shaking. After five steps, he stopped.

With a flash of light, Xiao Chen landed on the ground, facing Wu Xingfeng. There was no need for arrogant words—that would be childish. The immense pressure and formless aura said everything. Xiao Chen, having undergone the metamorphosis of the Ninth Heaven, now held the upper hand in pure power.

Tiny streams of light flickered on his skin as he slowly completed the final transformation.

The crowd outside was stunned. The reversal had been so swift, completely beyond expectation. They had witnessed firsthand the process of an Eighth Heaven expert breaking into the Ninth Heaven—a realm everyone present dreamed of.

To fight at the edge of life and death, to transform at the edge of life and death—only truly fearless warriors and madmen dared such a path. Today, Xiao Chen had walked that road.

A Ninth Heaven expert—what did that mean? At the very least, he could contend for a top-three position among the young elites of the Southern Wastes.

With a flash, a residual image remained in place. Xiao Chen appeared before Wu Xingfeng, fiercely swinging his right fist forward.

Wu Xingfeng showed no panic. His eyes instead gleamed with brilliant divine light. An astonishing battle intent erupted, and he raised his fist to block.

Seeing his momentum, the onlookers were awed. This northern prodigy was indeed a Ninth Heaven expert. No wonder he had so steadily suppressed Xiao Chen at the peak of the Eighth Heaven.