Super Combat Soldier
Chapter 542 - 541 - What exactly is "Taoism"?

Chapter 542: 541 Chapter What exactly is "Taoism"?

The Demon Wolf wasn’t using the legendary Summoning Skill, which slightly relieved Man Tian—perhaps many thought that as a Chinese and the Demon Wolf a foreigner, how could both know the Summoning Skill?

This is like a world of Cultivators, full of beings striving for supreme power, whether human or beast, all living things, struggling for survival. The Tao is simple and returns to the same destination. When it comes to the pursuit of power and certain secret techniques, after reaching a certain mental realm, there’s no difference; all are tapping into the energy of this world. What’s more, when two individuals share the same planet? By the level of strength Man Tian and the Demon Wolf possess, there are no longer boundaries of species or country; both belong to the Human Clan, both in pursuit of ultimate power.

Even if the Demon Wolf wasn’t using "Summoning Skill," the Power of Slaughter unleashed by the Evil Sword, one of the three most evil weapons in the world, was not to be underestimated. The sky of the Original Forest was already covered with dark clouds, lightning flashing, thunder roaring, and a strong wind blowing. In the sky appeared a black giant wolf, its upper body struggling violently, with blood-red eyes as large as lanterns, ceaselessly attacking Man Tian, as if it wanted to swallow him whole.

Man Tian once again used the "Tathagata’s Great Handprint." In such a state, facing such a fierce attack, with the Sword Qi from the Demon Wolf’s Evil Sword covering half of the sky, how could Man Tian not take it seriously? The conventional wisdom that evil cannot overcome the good is just a weak consolation or excuse of those who have lost hope or ambition. On the path of Cultivation, there is no good or evil—victory crowns the king, defeat brings death, and strength is revered. This is the development of the world, especially in the realm of Cultivation, a Magic Law that never changes.

Bang!

The Demon Wolf stood atop the head of the black giant wolf in the sky, wielding the Evil Sword, commanding it to attack Man Tian, while Man Tian stood still, unyielding. Behind him was a colossal Buddha statue bathed in Golden Light, an illusion crafted from energy and an Absolute Skill. Through such a method, both their strengths had increased by hundreds of times.

After another hard clash, Man Tian still stood unflinchingly in place, causing the Demon Wolf to furrow his brows deeply. In the previous battle, he hadn’t sensed any growth or progress in Man Tian’s strength. Thinking that Man Tian had become complacent in his Cultivation after becoming the leader of the Heavenly Gang War General troops, and that his strength had remained at the level of years past, or even regressed, the Demon Wolf believed killing him would be as easy as flipping one’s hand. Now, even though Man Tian had a large bloody hole in his left chest and was bleeding continuously, he still fought with overwhelming power, just like the Buddha statue behind him, standing tall in the Heavenly Vault, never falling.

The level of battle between Man Tian and the Demon Wolf was not something ordinary people could imagine, nor something their thinking could accept. This was the world of Cultivators, and their fight was far from the strongest. It was still too far from the might of plucking stars and pulverizing heavens and earth, yet it was enough to terrify any ordinary person.

"You’re already gravely injured, do you still need to struggle?" the Demon Wolf couldn’t help but point at Man Tian with the Evil Sword and shout.

"I’m not dead yet. The fight isn’t over. Killing me won’t be so easy," Man Tian replied coldly, ignoring his injuries and just staring at the Demon Wolf.

"Then I’ll see how many more moves you can block, and how you die!"

The Demon Wolf let out a roar, the Evil Sword in his right hand trembling. The giant wolf under his feet roared incessantly, tearing apart two wolf heads as if two evil wolves were conjoined. Their four claws flailed, seeking to tear everything between heaven and earth. The Evil Energy surged to the sky, startling even Man Tian.

"Double Wolves Devouring Sky Skill!"

Hearing the confident words of the Demon Wolf, Man Tian also felt somewhat strained. The Demon Wolf’s strength had truly grown too much, especially after acquiring the Evil Sword; it had advanced by leaps and bounds, capable of unleashing such powerful Slaughter Skill, and even stacking additional layers of combat power on top of it—what terrifying strength!

"Do you know what the Double Wolves Devouring Sky Skill is?" the Demon Wolf asked with a calm smile, as if Man Tian was already dead in his eyes.

Seeing that Man Tian didn’t respond, the Demon Wolf continued confidently, "The crux of the Double Wolves Devouring Sky Skill isn’t the ’double wolves,’ but the ’devouring sky.’" These two black giant wolves, formed from the violent Sword Qi of the Evil Sword, can devour the very sky. That’s what ’devouring sky’ means!"

No sooner had the Demon Wolf finished speaking than the two-headed wolf truly opened its mouth wide and devoured the dark clouds in the sky, and their bodies were filled with the power of thunder and lightning.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Four massive wolf paws reached out toward Man Tian, incredibly swift and shaking the heavens and earth, making it impossible for Man Tian to evade or retreat. He mobilized all his strength just the same, and the golden Buddha statue behind him also struck out with both palms, meeting the attack with Tathagata’s Great Handprint.

Bang, bang, boom, splurt...

Man Tian was sent flying, hurtling through the air as blood spurted from his mouth. No longer able to sustain the power of Qi Manipulation Flight, he plummeted towards the ground below, while the golden Buddha statue behind him had also crumbled. The double-headed wolf’s attack, its four huge Evil Wolf claws, proved that two fists struggled against four hands. Given that Man Tian had already been severely wounded by the Demon Wolf’s sneak attack, he couldn’t utilize the full potential of "Tathagata’s Great Handprint," resulting in him being sent flying with severe injuries—which was to be expected under the circumstances.

Boom!

Just as Man Tian was losing his balance and falling toward a mountain peak below, the Demon Wolf charged down from atop the double-headed wolf. It was no longer the illusory double-headed wolf striking, but the Demon Wolf itself diving down, delivering a crushing palm strike from the heavens directly at Man Tian.

The palm struck by the Demon Wolf instantly transformed into a vast and peerless black hand shadow that enveloped the diminutive Man Tian below, smacking down with crushing force, an attempt to obliterate Man Tian in a single blow.

To tell the truth, the Demon Wolf was starting to feel fear. He never expected that, despite years of arduous cultivation and obtaining the Evil Sword—one of the world’s three most malevolent weapons—multiplying his strength manifold, Man Tian, who over the years had become the captain of the Heavenly Gang War General squad and had almost no time for cultivation nor used any weapons, could still fight him to such an extent. What did this indicate? It suggested that in the battle years ago, had it not been for Man Tian’s urgent mission, the Demon Wolf might not have been his match and could have possibly died at Man Tian’s hands. Moreover, years had passed, and Man Tian had aged while he remained young. Although Man Tian’s combat strength had indeed declined, he still managed to severely injure the Demon Wolf, who could no longer tolerate this and dared not treat the situation lightly anymore.

Bang thud!

Just as Man Tian’s body slammed into a mountain peak below, an immense black palm came crashing down. Man Tian was already out of strength to fight back and could only be pinned down by this black palm. Whether Man Tian survived remained unknown, but it was evident that the two massive mountains the Demon Wolf had thrown were obliterated by the black palm strike in an instant.

At this very moment, Ye Tianchen, who was immobilized by Man Tian’s acupoint pressing and left deep in the Original Forest, sat cross-legged on the ground, remaining in a meditative state. He was channeling the origin power within his Dantian to break through, hoping to release the blockage in his heart meridian placed by Man Tian.

Ye Tianchen’s entire body was shrouded in a mist of purple hue, which continuously circled around him, eventually lifting the seated Ye Tianchen off the ground. Ye Tianchen remained completely still, the thunderous explosions from Man Tian’s battle with the Demon Wolf and the resulting tremors not affecting him in the slightest. At this point, Ye Tianchen had entered a mysterious realm; he felt as if his soul had left his body, drifting between heaven and earth, finding the world around him profoundly beautiful, filled with origin spiritual energy, which represented the purest and most suitable power for cultivation from the Great Universe.

In this sublime state, Ye Tianchen felt his flesh and bones rejuvenated, all his limbs and bones indescribably comfortable, a sensation so marvelous it clarified his mental realm significantly, leaving not a single distracting thought, with only the word "power" resonating in his mind.

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; The name that can be named is not the eternal name..."

Suddenly, such a phrase echoed in Ye Tianchen’s mind, which he remembered accidentally coming across in one of his father Ye Hong’s books. It was from the legendary Earthly philosopher Laozi and titled "Tao Te Ching."

At that time, Ye Tianchen had merely glanced at it, yet now, amidst this transcendent state, it flickered through his brain, giving him a jolt.

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; The name that can be named is not the eternal name... Does this mean I should seek a deeper and farther path in my cultivation, or should I find a Tao that goes beyond common understanding?" Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but question himself internally.

Roar!

Before Ye Tianchen could come to a conclusion, he suddenly felt a roar and a stench of blood assault his senses. Reflexively looking up, he was startled to see a massive python, black as night and as thick as a mountain, appearing before him with its maw, reeking of blood, wide open and lunging to bite him...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and support me. Mobile users please browse m.qidian.com to continue