The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 539 - 384: Martial Artist Curtain Call

Chapter 539: Chapter 384: Martial Artist Curtain Call

Elder Tianxiong, upon seeing Li Yi, a young martial artist full of vigor and overflowing with Qi-Blood, harbored not the slightest thought of retreat or evasion. In this moment, he seemed like an old martial artist exhilarated by the hunt, wanting to compare the spirit of their fists, to see who would come out on top.

"With one punch from me, your life and death are unpredictable. Old man, have you thought it through?" Li Yi clenched his fist and advanced, his aura heightening with each step. Qi-Blood surged within him, a silvery brilliance emanating from his entire body. This brilliance intertwined as if garbed in heavy armor, presenting him like a divine being descending to the mortal realm.

Elder Tianxiong’s brow raised at the sight, a rare glint appearing in his murky eyes: "What terrifying Qi-Blood, truly inhuman. In a thousand years, Tian Xiong has seen countless paragons, but not a single one with Qi-Blood to the extent of yours. Even if one were to exhaust the resources of the entire Four Seas and Eight Continents, they couldn’t raise a being like you."

"In you, I seem to see the wide and vast world beyond, what a pity, indeed a pity, you have appeared too late. If you had arisen a few hundred years earlier, why would I, Tian Xiong, need to confine myself to the Four Seas and Eight Continents."

Within that silvery Qi-Blood radiance of Li Yi’s, Elder Tianxiong faintly glimpsed an endless and infinite world, certainly filled with countless foes; where even the Dharma Manifestation Realm was merely a starting point, not the ultimate end. There lay greater martial arts, perhaps a path to continue forward.

At this thought, his heart, silent for who knows how long, inexplicably began to surge.

Then he laughed unrestrainedly: "Hahaha..."

His voice, like rolling thunder, shook the grand hall and shook the earth palace, as the sparse cosmic energy around them was stirred by his punching intention, swiftly converging.

Laughing, laughing, tears welled up in the corners of Elder Tianxiong’s eyes.

A new era he longed for had already appeared, but it was to be heralded by his own curtain call. Heaven was still so unfair to him, as it was in the past, so it remained now.

In a daze, Elder Tianxiong’s memories returned to the Four Seas and Eight Continents of a thousand years ago. He was not born strong; he rose step by step from an insignificant martial artist. But the path was too rugged and tough; having lost parents, spouse, children, friends, in his sorrow and wrath, he roared towards the heavens, broke through his limits, condensed the spirit of his fist; since then, his fists dominated the Four Seas, he overawed the Eight Continents until he finally became a strong warrior of the Dharma Manifestation Realm.

But after the breakthrough, his path in martial arts had also reached its end.

In no time, Elder Tianxiong lost the meaning of life. He had been king, had indulged, had retired from the world, had lived unrestrainedly... yet ultimately, he could not defy time, his body decayed, and he could only exist as a ghost, but without a body, he couldn’t even feel the hot blood of a martial artist. Neither human nor ghost, as time went on, living seemed to be just for the sake of living.

In laughter, Elder Tianxiong looked back on his life that seemed long but was actually brief. At this moment, the cosmic energy of the entire underground palace converged, and his withered body momentarily swelled, transforming into a middle-aged man as if he had reverted to youth. This man, with eyebrows like knives, a resolute face, sharp and fierce eyes, and a robust figure, seemed like an unmatched hero returning to the world.

"Thank you for waiting for me to muster my spirit to reach the peak once again."

Elder Tianxiong’s boxing spirit was boiling, and facing the approaching Li Yi, he showed no fear, his thick palms clenched into fists.

"So that’s it, without a physical body, using Soul Power to gather cosmic energy to act as Qi-Blood, retaining strength by force?" Li Yi discerned the subtlety, his silver vertical pupils shining: "Doing this harms the soul and doesn’t last. After one punch, you’ll be powerless to fight again, and might even dissipate."

"Would you have guessed I could have such insight? No matter, I’ve practiced martial arts my whole life, born in silence, but in death, I cry out. To launch one last peak punch, I consider it not a waste for having clung to life these many years."

At this moment, Elder Tianxiong’s aura had also reached its limit, but he still forcibly maintained control of this power, not letting a single bit leak out.

Li Yi took a deep look at the old man.

Indeed, the temperament of the martial artists of the Four Seas and Eight Continents is just like this.

Even after becoming a Dharma Manifestation Realm warrior and turning into a ghost, they could think of desperate moves akin to a heart’s blood, recovering their peak strength on a whim to fight an enemy, not sparing their own lives at all.

It’s a pity that the cosmic energy of this world is so sparse; otherwise, given the temperament of the martial artists of the Four Seas and Eight Continents, they would really forge a remarkable path of Cultivation.

"Come."

Accompanied by a cry of sorrow from Tian Xiong, a whirlwind immediately whipped up in the somber grand hall, as if trying to extinguish the silver flames rising from Li Yi.

No.

This is not wind.

It is a Soul Storm, carrying the punching intention of Tian Xiong.

Amidst this storm, Li Yi felt like a tiny boat on the great sea, so insignificant, as though it could be capsized at any moment.

"Soul Power manipulating cosmic energy, influencing reality and the mind, this is almost like a spell. Has a ghost, immortal for a thousand years, explored to such an extent on their own?" Li Yi was amazed; while Tian Xiong had physically decayed, a thousand years of accumulation had taken his usage of Soul Power to a startling height.

The next moment.

Accompanied by the sweeping gust, the whole underground palace trembled, as if a giant with overwhelming might was breaking through the storm, leaving one’s body and spirit trembling.

"Then let’s settle it with one punch."

Li Yi also roared, the silvery brilliance around his body rising like Qi-Blood smoke reaching for the sky, like a sharp sword shattering the wild wind.

Hum!

In that instant, the wild wind abruptly stopped, the entire air seeming to emit a humming sound.

At that moment.

A fist intention, aiming to challenge the heavens themselves, carrying immeasurable might struck towards Li Yi.

Elder Tianxiong mustered his final strength to the utmost limit. The path of his punch didn’t harm the nearby ground in the slightest; there wasn’t even a hint of wind from the punch, just a vicious tear in the air, like a long spear thrusting straight towards Li Yi’s heart.

Although not overwhelming in presence, this punch was superior to all the martial artists in the Four Seas and Eight Continents, truly invincible.

However, Elder Tianxiong was extremely proud and, even at the very end, unwilling to admit defeat to Li Yi. Thus, he threw his punch first, aiming to overwhelm with the sheer force of it and gain the upper hand.

If Li Yi’s heart fluttered with fear from the punch’s imposing force, defeat was certain.

Yet Li Yi, bearing the bloodline of gods, had also concentrated his own intention in his punch. How could his mind be swayed? He didn’t retreat an inch and instead stepped forward, radiating youthfulness, and a brilliant silver Fist Gang condensed, bringing god-like strength from his formidable physique. Without any superfluous flair, he delivered the most straightforward punch.

This was one of the killing moves from the Shaking Mountain Fist that his master, Zhao Ge, had taught him, called Shaking Mountains and Rivers.

But when executed with Li Yi’s intention, it seemed not to simply shake mountains and rivers but to annihilate them.

The two punches met in a split second, colliding with each other.

Amidst the Martial Arts practitioners who had reached the pinnacle in the Four Seas and Eight Continents was Li Yi—a rising star who had cultivated multiple disciplines—the confrontation between the old and the new eras.

The cosmic energy erupted at this moment, accompanied by a splendid silver radiance. When these two forces converged and melded, they eventually expanded as cascading waves of Jin Qi. The mere aftermath was enough to demolish majestic palaces. Even the millennium-old underground palace could not withstand such power and began to collapse. Meng Fanxing, who was hovering outside the grand hall, was merely brushed by the energy and sent flying back, nearly shattering his Yin God form.

This force was on a completely different level from him.

Meng Fanxing’s face showed shock, and he hastily retreated, not wanting to be caught in the aftermath and inadvertently lose his life.

Other ghost soldiers and ghosts living in the underground palace couldn’t withstand such residual energy and let out aggrieved howls. Some of the weaker ghosts even dispersed on the spot, dissolving into thick Yin Qi and disappearing.

Fortunately, Li Yi and Elder Tianxiong only crossed fists once and did not engage in a prolonged battle.

The intense power of the punch arrived abruptly and dissipated just as quickly.

When the aftermath had completely faded, the palace had turned into ruins, but then everything once again became peaceful.

"Who won?"

Meng Fanxing was eager to know the outcome—for it was tied to the futures of the Four Seas and Eight Continents and the four great families, as well as his own survival.

At this moment.

Within the ruins.

The silver glow remained dazzling as Li Yi’s towering figure stood tall. The punch he had delivered was now slowly withdrawn. He remained vibrant with life and Qi-Blood, unscathed.

On the other hand, atop the ruins, Elder Tianxiong’s arm along with half of his torso were shattered to pieces. The cosmic energy he had gathered was no longer under control, scattering completely along with his rapidly aging body.

After delivering that punch, he was too severely injured. His time had come.

"I lost." Elder Tianxiong’s gaze dimmed quickly. Once a martial artist is defeated, his spirit is exhausted.

"It’s not you who lost, but your world."

Li Yi said, "The Four Seas and Eight Continents are too limited to nourish true powerhouses. You forcedly harnessed cosmic energy with Soul Power and produced a peak punch which was impressive. Unfortunately, the cosmic energy here is insufficient, and the might of your punch reached its limit and could not be elevated. Had it been in my world, your punch’s power could have been increased several folds at least."

He was not lying; that was the harsh reality.

Even all the Soul Power that Elder Tianxiong could muster to draw in cosmic energy was extremely limited here. In a place abundant with cosmic energy, he wouldn’t have to exhaust so much effort and could easily deliver a peak punch like the one before.

This was the limitation and frustration set by their worlds.

"I see, the difference between worlds? No wonder my punch did not shake your body. Your physique is nearly divine, far beyond mortal reach." Elder Tianxiong’s aged face remained calm. He harbored no regret. After all, such was the destiny of this millennial ghost—it was the world he was born into.

With that, he struggled to stand up again.

"But a loss is a loss; it’s not a big deal. It’s just death. To have delivered that punch over the centuries, I died a worthy death. Young man, my journey has ended, but yours has just begun."

After uttering these words, he moved no more. His battered body remained in a peculiar pose, as if he was assuming an ancient boxing stance.

This boxing stance was Elder Tianxiong’s beginning, and also his end.

With a trace of composure and a smile on his lips, Elder Tianxiong’s body, after maintaining the position for a few seconds, suddenly disintegrated, turning into a thick plume of Yin Qi that melted away into the underground palace, leaving no trace behind.

"Farewell." Li Yi gave a respectful bow with his fists.

No matter what Elder Tianxiong’s past was, this martial artist’s spirit deserved respect.