“This Teng Qingshan can actually hold back?” The Heavenly Wind War God sneered immediately. “If you couldn't resist challenging me, I could have taken the opportunity to kill you. If you hold back… Hmph, then just be a turtle hiding in its shell!” Given the Heavenly Wind War God’s status, using this tactic meant he had to be truly provoked.
Whether it was Teng Qingshan’s own potential, the enmity between them, or the fact that Teng Qingshan had forcibly snatched someone from his Helian family—these factors combined made the Heavenly Wind War God vow to kill Teng Qingshan.
……
The East Lake Garden was utterly silent.
“Qingshan…” Li Jun stopped mid-sentence, watching Teng Qingshan with concern. Whether in the Nine Provinces or the Duanmu Continent, reputation was everything. Many people would sacrifice their lives just to gain fame! And the Heavenly Wind War God’s words were tantamount to spitting right in Teng Qingshan’s face.
“Qingshan, you absolutely cannot fall for his goading,” War God Yunmeng said solemnly.
Teng Qingshan’s face seemed covered in a layer of frost.
“Kill!” A murderous intent surged in Teng Qingshan’s heart. “Heavenly Wind War God? You think such petty tricks can force me to walk into a death trap? Humph, I’m not that hot-headed. You want me to challenge you… Don’t rush. It will happen soon enough!” The experiences of this life had filled Teng Qingshan with a burst of heroic spirit.
However, his experiences as an assassin in his previous life ensured that Teng Qingshan would not be provoked by a few mere words.
“Brother Mu,” Teng Qingshan looked towards War God Yunmeng.
“Qingshan,” War God Yunmeng allowed a faint smile to surface. “It seems your state of mind is settled. Actually, you don’t need to dwell on it. Between Void Realm experts, it’s all about mutual threats. Because of the Heavenly Wind Clan, he dares not provoke me easily, for fear I might cause massive slaughter. And me, because of the Mu family, I am unwilling to provoke him either.”
“But you, Qingshan, are different; you have no family,” War God Yunmeng chuckled. “So, he is extremely wary of you. Once you clash with him, he has tens of thousands of clansmen to protect… he’s at a disadvantage! And since you are allied with my side, he wants to eliminate you as soon as possible.”
“I understand. The barefoot aren’t afraid of those wearing shoes,” Teng Qingshan smiled calmly.
Weren’t the Eight Great Sects of the Nine Provinces flourishing precisely because they were presided over by Void Realm experts? No one was willing to offend a Void Realm expert who had no ties or burdens. After all, once such an expert targeted you, your enemies would have to remain garrisoned within their sect indefinitely.
If the disparity in strength was great—like the Heavenly Wind War God being far superior to Teng Qingshan—then it was manageable; that level of strength could deter the other party.
If the strength was close, those constrained by a sect would suffer greatly.
“Brother Mu, do you know what the Heavenly Wind War God’s actual strength is?” Teng Qingshan inquired.
“Haha, I have fought him before; he is slightly weaker than me,” War God Yunmeng couldn’t help but laugh.
“Brother Mu, let’s spar a bit, so you can see how vast the gap is between me and the Heavenly Wind War God,” Teng Qingshan said, gesturing with his hand. The Reincarnation Spear, leaning against the nearby wall, floated into his grasp.
War God Yunmeng smiled and nodded. “Very well. Let’s see how strong you are now that you have stepped into the Void Realm, Qingshan!”
By the shore of the lake in East Lake Garden, only a few people watched: Li Jun, Teng Shou, Mu Yunji, and the Great Elder Mu Wang.
Above the lake surface, Teng Qingshan and War God Yunmeng faced each other.
Sssshhh~~~
The light in the space around both of them subtly distorted. Streaks of fiery light streamed around Teng Qingshan’s body, while around War God Yunmeng, there were dark, menacing glints, like lightning, or perhaps the deep night itself.
“Qingshan, make your move,” War God Yunmeng drew the massive wolf-headed battle saber from his back with a clang.
Teng Qingshan held his breath. War God Yunmeng’s aura was like countless streaks of electric light gathered together, akin to dark clouds spreading to cover the firmament.
Teng Qingshan’s aura, conversely, resembled a fiery sun—though not scorching hot, it was something even the dark clouds could not entirely obscure.
“Last time, before I reached the Void Realm, War God Yunmeng sparred with me and didn’t even draw his saber.”
“Let’s test the offensive power of my strongest ultimate move!”
At this moment, Teng Qingshan seemed immersed in the ‘Way of Fire.’ He roared, “Brother Mu, behold this move—Scarlet Tiger’s Roar!” The sound exploded, shaking the entire lake surface. The Reincarnation Spear in Teng Qingshan’s hand instantly transformed into a roaring fire dragon!
Boom~~~
The surrounding Fire Elemental Force poured madly into the Reincarnation Spear, causing its power to surge dramatically. The spinning fire dragon’s light rotated around the spearhead, then concentrated into a single brilliant point at the tip!
“Break!” Teng Qingshan’s eyes were like blades as he shouted fiercely!
“Roar~~” Like the howl of a celestial wolf, the wolf-headed saber in War God Yunmeng’s hand abruptly transformed into a blade-light of dark-black lightning, striking directly at the brightest point on the Reincarnation Spear’s tip.
KRAK!
A loud explosion rang out, and a bolt of lightning swiftly spread along the wolf-headed saber, continuing along the Reincarnation Spear, striking Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan’s whole body trembled, and he uncontrollably plunged into the lake. War God Yunmeng, however, was forced back seven steps on the water surface before stabilizing, looking towards Teng Qingshan with shock.
“Qingshan,” Li Jun, watching nearby, cried out in worry.
Splash~~ A figure burst out of the water, standing once more on the surface, and smiled at Li Jun: “I’m fine.”
“Brother Qingshan, I underestimated you,” War God Yunmeng exclaimed, looking at Teng Qingshan in astonishment. “Just now, even I suffered a hidden loss.”
“Brother Mu, what is the difference in strength between me and the Heavenly Wind War God?” Teng Qingshan pressed immediately.
“From this look, the gap isn’t very large now.”
War God Yunmeng marveled. “I originally thought that since you just entered the Void Realm, Qingshan, you could only control twenty percent of the power of Heaven and Earth. But… that attack just now clearly possessed the force equivalent to controlling nearly forty percent of the Heaven and Earth power.”
“Forty percent?” Teng Qingshan was astonished.
“Qingshan, let me explain it this way,” War God Yunmeng smiled. “The peak strength of a Natal Golden Core expert is around 800,000 jin. Controlling ten percent of the Heaven and Earth power can roughly boost that output by another 800,000 jin. Of course, this is just a rough figure. Actual combat depends on many factors.”
Teng Qingshan nodded slightly.
A Void Realm expert’s explosive power should be their original True Essence output plus the power of Heaven and Earth!
“The first time I sparred with War God Yunmeng, I erupted with 1.6 million jin of force. No wonder he thought I had reached the Void Realm back then.” Teng Qingshan suddenly realized. “‘Scarlet Tiger’s Roar’ combines physical strength with Gang Qi, allowing it to unleash 2.4 million jin of explosive power. Adding twenty percent Heaven and Earth power…”
“His assessment that I commanded nearly forty percent of Heaven and Earth power isn’t wrong,” Teng Qingshan completely understood.
His advantage lay in his bonus physical strength—800,000 jin, equivalent to ten percent of Heaven and Earth power.
And the move ‘Scarlet Tiger’s Roar’ provided an additional 800,000 jin in output, another ten percent of Heaven and Earth power.
Combined with the twenty percent Heaven and Earth power he controlled—that made exactly forty percent!
“Qingshan, remarkable. To possess such offensive power upon just entering the Void Realm,” War God Yunmeng praised.
“Compared to the Heavenly Wind War God, how am I?” Teng Qingshan asked expectantly.
War God Yunmeng smiled. “Qingshan, in a battle between Void Realm experts, the amount of Heaven and Earth power commanded is the foundation! For example, in the Great Accomplishment of the Void Realm, one can command one hundred percent of the Heaven and Earth power. Even without any ultimate moves, merely possessing that one hundred percent power can easily kill those like us.”
Teng Qingshan nodded.
“And specialized ultimate moves tailored to oneself can yield special effects,” War God Yunmeng explained. “Some unique ultimate moves allow someone controlling only twenty percent of Heaven and Earth power to unleash power comparable to controlling thirty percent.”
Teng Qingshan smiled; his ‘Scarlet Tiger’s Roar’ was precisely such a specialized move.
However, the ‘Scarlet Tiger’s Roar’ had a trick up its sleeve, relying on the uniqueness of ‘Gang Qi.’ Gang Qi could be unleashed externally like ‘True Essence,’ or it could integrate into the muscles and bones, allowing the body to erupt with 1.6 million jin of power. ‘Natal True Essence,’ however, could not infiltrate every muscle cell.
“Deriving special ultimate moves based on one’s unique traits,” War God Yunmeng admired. “Qingshan, that Heavenly Wind War God can unleash sixty percent of the Heaven and Earth power.”
“Sixty percent?” Teng Qingshan was secretly shocked.
Even with all his advantages combined, he only reached forty percent.
“Haha, don’t be ungrateful. How long have you been cultivating? How long has Helian been cultivating?” War God Yunmeng chuckled.
“Mm,” Teng Qingshan smiled and nodded.
“However, Qingshan, Void Realm experts prioritize the comprehension of the ‘Dao,’ followed by ultimate moves. But weapons are also crucial! A weapon that can bring out one’s true strength. I felt something unusual about your weapon just now,” War God Yunmeng inquired.
“Yes, the shaft of the Reincarnation Spear cannot withstand such intense explosive force.”
Teng Qingshan gave a wry smile. In the past, when unleashing 2.4 million jin of attack power, he had to carefully maintain the spear shaft. Now, adding twenty percent Heaven and Earth power… the shaft had already suffered internal damage just now.
“How can you manage without a proper weapon?” War God Yunmeng laughed. “Don’t worry, leave this matter to me.”
“Brother Mu,” Teng Qingshan said earnestly, “How about this: I will still use this Reincarnation Spear in my hand, but the spearhead doesn’t need changing. As for the shaft… please have someone look into it.” The Reincarnation Spear was crafted by his father and maternal grandfather personally, and they spent the most time on the spearhead; the shaft was comparatively easier.
War God Yunmeng examined it. “Indeed, the spearhead of your long spear uses first-rate material, even harder than Fire Flowing Iron. It truly doesn’t need changing.”
Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron… was the hardest material in the Nine Provinces, so naturally, it did not need replacing.
Time flowed by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
The Reincarnation Spear had also changed slightly. The spearhead remained the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron tip, but the shaft had turned silver-gray, and from a certain angle, a faint red glow could still be seen. Furthermore, the total weight of the Reincarnation Spear had drastically increased—reaching 168 jin.
According to War God Yunmeng, the material used for the shaft was the ‘Purple Marrow Jade Iron’ unique to Yunmeng Marsh, possessing exceptional toughness. It could be called the most suitable material on the entire Duanmu Continent for forging a spear shaft.
Teng Qingshan had tested it; the current Reincarnation Spear could easily withstand the full force of his might.
……
Inside the secret chamber.
Teng Qingshan sat cross-legged. His ears twitched slightly, allowing him to easily overhear discussions on the street several miles away.
“What’s there to fear! There are only three War Gods in the world, and our Cloud Dream Ancient City now has War God Yunmeng and War God Flame. Are we still afraid of the Heavenly Wind War God?”
One of these statements caught Teng Qingshan’s attention.
“Three War Gods: War God Yunmeng, War God Heavenly Wind, and War God Flame?” Teng Qingshan was momentarily stunned. “This War God Flame… are they referring to me?”