Super Combat Soldier
Chapter 543 - 542: Shout the word "Taoism"!

Chapter 543: Chapter 542: Shout the word "Taoism"!

"The way that can be told of is not an unvarying way; the names that can be named are not unvarying names..."

Ye Tianchen had not yet grasped the truth behind these suddenly emerging words in his brain when he suddenly heard a hissing roar, and a foul stench reached his nose, making him very much want to vomit. Ye Tianchen snapped out of that profoundly mysterious state, and when he opened his eyes, he found a python as big as a small hill in front of him, its gaping maw wide open, eying him hungrily as if it dearly wished to swallow him whole.

"You want to eat something too, huh? Too bad I’m not your type of meal," Ye Tianchen said with a smile to the giant python that could scare someone to death.

The python was entirely black, its body gigantic, coiled like a hill, its eyes as large as those of an adult human, filled with blood-red color and brimming with killing intent. Such a black python living in this Original Forest, if not the ruler here, was certainly close to it. It secreted a black liquid from its mouth that sizzled on the ground, melting a huge hole in the hard rock, which showed how potent the poison in the black liquid was. Those blood-red snake eyes focused on Ye Tianchen, ready to devour him at any moment.

Smack!

Whoosh!

All of a sudden, just as Ye Tianchen finished speaking, the tail of the black python whipped against a massive rock, shattering it into pieces. The black python was not just enormous, resembling a small mountain, but also incredibly long, dozens of feet in length, so with a lash of its tail, it easily smashed the massive and tough rock. At the same time, with tremendous force at the head, it opened its giant maw and lunged at Ye Tianchen to swallow him whole.

Ye Tianchen, despite having opened his eyes, was still sitting cross-legged in mid-air, though not very high up. Faced with the giant python’s attack, Ye Tianchen didn’t move or even try to strike back. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes. Just as the huge python was about to strike, Ye Tianchen suddenly opened his eyes and let out a loud shout.

"Tao!"

With one "Tao," it was as though he had projected the understanding he attained in the profound realm. He simply roared at the black python, and from his mouth seemed to come forth the actual word "Tao." When Ye Tianchen uttered this "Tao," he referred not to the broad concept of Taoism, whether from Taoist or Buddhist teachings, but rather to the path of cultivation itself.

Blood rained from the sky. As the blood fell, Ye Tianchen used his Earth Element Superpower Skill to form an earthen disk above his head, shielding himself from the raining blood. The drops that hit the ground dissolved vegetation, rocks, and even the soil—such was the poison that enveloped the black python. Even a touch was too much for a regular person, and even Ye Tianchen with his tough body might find it hard to withstand.

This time, Man Tian sealed Ye Tianchen’s Heart Meridian Acupoint, pushing him to break through using his Origin power, but he hadn’t anticipated that Ye Tianchen would enter such an unforeseen and mystical mental state. As a cultivator, one knows that to reach such a state requires not just immense strength and talent but also luck. Ye Tianchen got lucky, though he couldn’t fully grasp this mental realm.

The mere utterance of "Tao" not only managed to shatter the mountain-sized black python but also exhibited tremendous power. If Man Tian and Demon Wolf had witnessed it, they would surely be astonished. The force that exploded the black python into a bloody mess was transmitted solely through sound. The python could never have dreamt it would die in such a way.

For a black python to grow to such a monstrous size within the Original Forest, becoming as sturdy as a hill, meant that it faced little to no opposition. Not only was it powerful and envenomed, but even its scales were tough as iron. Merely brushing against trees or boulders would snap and shatter them. With such physical strength, Ye Tianchen’s ability to burst it apart with a single shout demonstrated formidable power.

Ye Tianchen himself hadn’t expected that a casual attempt to apply his newfound realization would result in such power, shattering the mountainous black python with a simple shout of "Tao." He used his powerful Divine Sense to check his insides, finding a surging flow of energy within his Dantian. Every blood vessel overflowed with this mighty current, and all his flesh brimmed with strength. In that moment, he felt himself grow stronger. The three Divine Swords in his Storage Space—the Taie Sword, the Xuanyuan Sword, and Fish Intestine Sword—all seemed to tremble slightly, as if eager for action.

"I didn’t expect to break through to the Intermediate Emperor-level superpower under these circumstances, and the energy in my body feels somewhat odd!" Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

When he used Inner Vision on his Dantian before, Ye Tianchen found that the energies there weren’t just superpower anymore; it seemed that Ancient Martial Arts’ Inner Strength had blended in too. Were these two different energies somehow fused together due to the Dual Cultivation of Jade Maiden Heart Scripture with Dongfang Meng? If Superpower and Ancient Martial Sect’s Inner Strength merged, what would that entail? Could he then wield both the mighty Superpower Skill and the Slaughter Skill of the Ancient Martial Arts? Would this significantly boost his power, leading him onto a unique path? Could this be the path meant for him? These questions raced through Ye Tianchen’s mind.

Boom!

Another loud boom echoed through the Original Forest, and Ye Tianchen snapped back to his senses, looked up to see that the sky above was filled with dark clouds, lightning flashing and thunder roaring, with fierce winds sweeping across the heavens. Astonishingly, a double-headed wolf had appeared in the sky above, howling and struggling desperately. Its four massive paws struck repeatedly, causing explosions throughout the forest below, destroying everything in its wake.

"I wonder how Man Tian is doing now, that Demon Wolf is truly formidable." Ye Tianchen furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, then vanished from the spot, rushing towards the location where Man Tian and the Demon Wolf were fighting.

At the battle site between Man Tian and the Demon Wolf, the Demon Wolf stood amidst the rubble. It struck out with its palm, using its full strength. Honestly, it wanted to end the battle quickly, as Man Tian had demonstrated tremendous combat power. They had only exchanged a single strike years ago and had not determined a victor. The Demon Wolf had assumed Man Tian had neglected his cultivation over the years and was not as strong as himself. Now, the Demon Wolf no longer held that belief—if it weren’t for the fact that it had ambushed and severely wounded Man Tian, creating a huge bloody hole in his left chest, it would have not been so easy to defeat Man Tian.

The Demon Wolf’s palm strike came almost instantly after Man Tian had crashed to the ground, giving Man Tian no chance to dodge. The strike was so powerful that it shattered two not-so-small mountains, reducing them to rubble, and on the ground, a palm imprint several dozen meters long and tens of meters deep appeared, truly a terrifying sight.

Whoosh!

A black Sword Qi dispersed the thick dust and mist, and after inspecting the ground, the Demon Wolf’s mouth curled into a cold smile, for it saw Man Tian had not escaped its palm strike. Blood covered his entire body, and his whole person was plunged into the earth, a sight too horrible to endure.

"You have already been through a great battle with my underling earlier, afterwards, my attack left a large hole in your left chest, and you were also injured by the Double Wolves Devouring Sky Skill. Now you’ve taken a full-force palm strike from me; I refuse to believe you can still be alive, I can’t believe there is anyone in this world who can survive a full-force palm strike from me!" the Demon Wolf declared confidently.

Man Tian’s condition was indeed very bad at this point, his entire body covered in blood, with blood spurting from his mouth and nose. To sustain such severe injuries, especially the Demon Wolf’s last palm strike that came down from the sky with full force and hit without any chance of dodging, just imagining the extent of the injury made one shiver.

"It seems you’re still breathing; you sure have a long life... but let me end it for you now..." The Demon Wolf frowned as it saw Man Tian was still breathing, somewhat surprised in his heart. It then raised the Evil Sword, ready to decapitate Man Tian.

Suddenly, Man Tian’s eyes snapped open, and a beam of Golden Light surged from his palms, which also contained traces of blood—the Essence Blood from his Origin. He charged towards the Demon Wolf. The Demon Wolf was taken aback, no longer maintaining its composed demeanor. The Evil Sword blocked one beam of Golden Light, but another pierced through the Demon Wolf’s left chest, erupting in a spray of blood.

"Ah... You..."

The Demon Wolf hadn’t expected Man Tian to still possess such combat strength at this point, realizing that if he had been any closer, he would have been unable to dodge and been killed by Man Tian. This was not only a great blow to his combat power but also a significant strike to his pride. Enraged beyond measure, he howled upwards, and the double-headed wolf in the sky, as if commanded, sent its four massive paws plummeting down towards Man Tian.

"Golden Divine Shield!"

At the sound of a loud shout, a golden shield appeared in mid-air, withstanding the blows of the four massive paws without shattering.

"Thunder Arrow!"

Whoosh!

Followed by a low roar, an arrow imbued with the immense power of thunder and lightning shot through the double-headed wolf’s heads that covered half the sky...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, your votes of recommendation and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com) are welcome. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)