High above, Qin Fen watched Aslan, whose body showed not a trace of life, fall from the sky like a broken sack. He slowly rotated his shoulders, puffed out his chest, and let out a long breath, wiping the sweat from his brow and looking up toward the distant Tathagata.
The Super Nanotech Combat Suit had excellent properties for both absorbing and draining moisture; the sweat on Qin Fen’s body had long since vanished, leaving him dry under the wind.
Battling the King of Terror, Aslan, had drained an immense amount of mental energy and Gang Qi. While the bio-beast could heal physical wounds, and Celestial-Human Unity could replenish vast amounts of depleted power, neither could instantly restore the spirit to its absolute peak combat readiness.
This fight wasn't exactly long; both sides unleashed their ultimate moves repeatedly, pouring out their full strength in the shortest possible burst. Yet, for a battle where life or death could be decided in a single second, it felt extraordinarily drawn out. Especially to the eyes of Martial Arts Masters and above, this fight could genuinely be described as lengthy—it spanned nearly the entire duration it took the Flying Heart Girls Band to sing half a song.
In that brief span, Qin Fen had faced death countless times on the razor's edge of survival. It wouldn't be an overstatement to call this the most dangerous and grueling combat of his entire career.
The King of Terror possessed an unshakeable will. His imposing entrance had instilled panic in hundreds of thousands of people. By weaving this mass panic into his Wu Ni (Martial Heresy), he instantly sculpted an aura akin to a Great Demonic King of Terror.
This immediate, cunning exploitation of the fear of hundreds of thousands, elevating his presence to a level subtly, perhaps even overtly, superior to Qin Fen's—this was an opponent Qin Fen had truly never encountered before.
“The power of music. The power that touches the soul…”
Watching the roar of hundreds of thousands in the stadium, Qin Fen felt a unique energy surge between heaven and earth, igniting his blood and burning his soul. His vast aura suddenly seemed to gain life!
That was the roar of life itself. It was precisely this roar that enabled the Feng Shen Bang (Investiture of the Gods List) to be unleashed, successfully reversing the unfavorable situation. It violently scattered the terrorist emotions that the King of Terror had gathered from the crowd, beating him back without any chance to retaliate.
In the final Feng Shen Bang, amidst his emotion, Qin Fen broke through into the Great Celestial-Human Unity realm, unleashing the most magnificent surge of power since his debut, marking yet another step forward in his martial prowess.
Even ordinary street brawlers cannot afford to lose their momentum; once momentum is lost, the fight is effectively over. For high-level martial artists, momentum is even more critical—it connects intimately with intent, and intent connects directly to fists and feet.
Qin Fen began to understand. These seemingly ordinary people, when they make up their minds, possess a resolute strength that is profoundly moving. It is precisely because of these ordinary people that the Federation enjoys its prosperity today, and that humanity has reached its current stage of near-space development.
This power is easily overlooked. Qin Fen, in the past, paid more attention to the power of nature. It was only during this recent battle, feeling the roar rising from the depths of people’s souls, immersing himself with them in the boiling world of music, and feeling their collective joy, sorrow, anger, and happiness, that he realized that besides the power of nature, there exists another, equally invincible force: the Human Heart!
“Worthy of the rising star. Worthy of being called the number one of the young generation,” Tathagata hovered in the air, his closed eyes fixed intently on Qin Fen, unable to help but murmur softly in admiration. “Such bearing, such presence—besides that young man from Saturn, this is the first time I’ve seen it in another.”
Tathagata clicked his tongue repeatedly. The outcome of this fight was entirely unexpected. The King of Terror, Aslan, having dominated the Federation for so many years without falling, naturally possessed unique strengths. Upon arrival, he successfully utilized the bombs to incite panic among hundreds of thousands. Fusing this with his Terror Martial Arts, he instantly surpassed Qin Fen in both presence and stellar-level strength, arguably holding a nine-tenths chance of victory.
Such a formidable contemporary master was actually beaten to death on Saturn, and by a young martial artist!
The fall of one legend often heralds the emergence of an even greater one. Would Qin Fen become that legend?
Tathagata watched the exhilarating victory. This young man, who had repeatedly proclaimed his desire to fight him, leaped toward the stadium in one motion.
What? Tathagata was startled.
Qin Fen’s figure had already merged with the crowd. His fists moved so fast that the stadium infrastructure directly ahead of him was blasted open.
Bombs? Tathagata was stunned again. Was this Qin Fen formerly a terrorist? Or did he plant these bombs himself? Does he have connections within the terrorist organization? Otherwise, how could he know the location of the bombs with such precision?
Defusing? A third look of astonishment crossed Tathagata’s face. Qin Fen’s hands, faster than any bomb disposal expert, moved with the speed of wind and lightning, clearly resembling a soldier trained to the highest degree! For a young man, even one devoted solely to martial arts, to achieve this level of skill was astonishing enough.
Watching Qin Fen’s suffocatingly powerful bomb disposal skills, Tathagata finally understood why Qin Fen’s single punch immediately revealed the bombs hidden beneath the stadium.
For such a vast stadium, installing bombs everywhere was impossible. Even the King of Terror, Aslan, could only place them at specific nodes, setting them to detonate simultaneously to obliterate the entire structure.
This meant the placement of the stadium bombs had to be calculated; where to place them became a sort of immutable formula.
Especially determining the optimal locations to maximize destructive power—to not only destroy the stadium but also ensure the maximum number of fatalities through sheer concussive force—this was a science in itself.
But precisely because of this science, the placement of the bombs possessed a pattern. With such profound bomb disposal capability, Qin Fen naturally knew how to plant them as well.
By putting himself in the King of Terror’s shoes, imagining how he, as the King of Terror, would plant the bombs, Qin Fen knew their locations instantly.
The eight hundred small-to-medium-sized bombs were quickly stuffed into Qin Fen’s Super Nanotech Combat Suit, Xue Tian’s Super Nanotech Combat Suit, and the blood-soaked Solomon’s Super Nanotech Combat Suit.
All the bombs were hurled high into the air. Xue Tian’s blade flashed, the Qian Dao Bu Jin Duan Shan He (Thousand Blades That Never Cease to Sever Mountains and Rivers), which was usually used for cutting down men, slicing through the canopy of bombs, causing the entire sky to erupt in red.
The roar of the people stopped. The music of the Flying Heart Girls Band also paused temporarily. Everyone looked up at the sky, watching the most brilliant and dazzling “fireworks.”
What fireworks could be as soul-stirring as this one?
People looked down at those beside them, exchanging smiles born of genuine relief.
Today’s experience would never be forgotten in their lifetimes!
The previously noisy stadium plunged into a silence so profound that one could hear the crickets chirping. This was the quietest moment since the Flying Heart Girls Band began their concert series.
Everyone gazed at Qin Fen in the sky. This young man who had just disarmed every bomb in an instant was now staring at one person above the stadium: a name known to nearly everyone on Saturn—Tathagata!
The foremost powerhouse under the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Gate faction, a Super being rumored to possess strength not inferior to the Jade Emperor himself.
“I say…” Xue Tian swung his battle blade, its tip shining brighter than starlight, pointed directly at the distant Tathagata: “This Tathagata of the Heavenly Gate, it’s your turn now!”
Qin Fen truly intended to fight the Heavenly Gate? The hundreds of thousands of spectators gasped again. Compared to the famous King of Terror, the people of Saturn revered, or perhaps feared, Tathagata even more! It could even be said that Tathagata’s existence was a source of pride for Saturn’s populace; it was thanks to the presence of the Heavenly Gate and the Underworld that the three Star Generals who had crowned themselves kings on Venus could not invade and vie for control of Saturn.
“You want to fight me?” Tathagata kept his eyes slightly closed, as if observing both Qin Fen and Xue Tian. “Or will the two of you attack together?”
“Of course!! We challenge!” Xue Tian raised a hand to touch the bridge of his nose. “You take on all of us, or all of us take on you.”
The audience on the ground and the countless people online collectively blinked at Xue Tian’s words. This seemingly imposing young master spoke with astonishing audacity, showing none of the reserved composure expected of a high-level martial artist.
Tathagata smiled faintly and nodded repeatedly. “Very well. Besides Qin Fen’s fist, I am equally interested in your blade. You two…”
Suddenly, a massive screen popped up in the sky. Qin Fen’s face registered surprise. The person who appeared on the projected screen was truly unexpected.
“Tathagata. Long time no see.” The cold voice seemed incapable of emotion. The crisp military uniform he wore gave the impression that this man was born to be a soldier.
“Du Hen?” A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Tathagata’s usually composed face. “Congratulations, you still won against Zuo Dongting. However, you cannot defeat me.”
Zuo Dongting’s eyes, glittering coldly like a snake’s, shifted. He rested his hands under his chin and stated calmly, “You remain as confident as ever.”
“Naturally,” Tathagata replied, hands clasped behind his back, facing Du Hen, whose nose seemed taller than the rest of him in the projection. “You took the wrong path, so naturally, you cannot reach the destination.”
“You left the military, yet you still didn't become a Divine Beast Martial Artist?” Du Hen’s cold words carried an undeniable mocking tone. “If you cannot see things through to the end, how can you reach the finish line?”
Tathagata’s faint smile revealed confidence, interwoven with sarcasm. “A soldier’s duty is obedience. How can a place whose core duty is obedience produce a Divine Beast Martial Artist who stands above all else in the world? Walking down the wrong path will prevent you from finding the end. Du Hen, the sea of suffering is boundless; turn back now.”
Du Hen lowered his hands from his chin, his eyes scanning Tathagata coldly. “You are called Tathagata. Do you truly believe you are the Tathagata?”
Qin Fen floated nearby, watching the verbal sparring, and took a moment to observe Du Hen. This Snake King had always been calm and rarely spoke; every word he uttered was sharp, direct, and hit the core issue. Qin Fen had never seen him engage in a war of words before; even in his past clashes with Zuo Dongting, there was no verbal fencing.
“Your appearance…” Tathagata frowned. “You didn’t come here to discuss Buddhist philosophy with me, did you?”
Du Hen’s cold eyes instantly seemed to freeze over with ice. Even those watching the live broadcast could feel the chill emanating from the Snake King’s gaze.
“You owe me a life!”
Tathagata nodded without hesitation. “Correct. I will repay it.”
“Correct.” Du Hen leaned back in his swivel chair. “Leave this place! Today, avoid fighting Qin Fen.”
“Hmm?” Tathagata showed his second surprise of the day. “A cold-blooded creature actually chooses to settle an old score with me like this. It seems your heart hasn't died yet.”
“Unwilling to give up? A Divine Beast Martial Artist will surely emerge from the Du family!” Du Hen’s gaze flickered toward Qin Fen. “As for him, he is merely the spiritual continuation of someone else. Though they were once mortal enemies.”
“Old Zuo?” Tathagata looked at Qin Fen in astonishment. The records stated this young man was the murderer who killed Zuo Dongting. How could he also be Zuo Dongting…?
Understanding dawned instantly on Tathagata’s face. Zuo Dongting had spent his entire life striving for the military to produce a Divine Beast Martial Artist. When immediate opportunities were lacking, he worked to secure resources from the military to prepare for the future emergence of such a warrior. Qin Fen’s battle with Zuo Dongting, beyond any personal grievances, was, in some sense, Zuo Dongting viewing Qin Fen as someone who violated his goal of creating a military Divine Beast, prompting the attack.
What were Zuo Dongting’s final thoughts at the moment of his death? Tathagata’s eyelids twitched repeatedly. His fingers clenched slightly into fists, and he said calmly, “Perhaps Old Zuo is very happy? He finally saw hope for his greatest life’s aspiration…”
“Qin Fen!” Tathagata’s eyes snapped open!
In that instant, the chests of the hundreds of thousands present felt as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer; their faces contorted in unison. A boundless, majestic aura erupted from Tathagata, like a true Great Buddha descending from heaven, radiating immeasurable Buddhist power.
Tathagata with open eyes was an entirely different entity from Tathagata with closed eyes! The oppressive aura instantly filled the stadium, making it seem as if the structure would collapse under the sheer pressure.
“This palm strike is what Old Zuo left for you!”
As Tathagata’s words faded, he flipped his hand and pressed down toward Qin Fen in mid-air. The moment Tathagata’s palm descended, the spectators in the stadium spat blood. The vast, crushing pressure of the palm descended upon Qin Fen like the legendary Five Finger Mountain deployed by the true Tathagata.
Wan Fo Chao Zong (Myriad Buddhas Pay Homage)! Tathagata unleashed the same technique Qin Fen had used on Earth, but this version was countless times more potent. The dense aura compressed before Qin Fen, forming a gigantic palm print visible to the naked eye.
Ready to fight at a moment’s notice, Qin Fen had never abandoned the thought of engagement since the moment he saw Tathagata. Even facing the explosion of overwhelming power the instant Tathagata opened his eyes, he had no inclination to retreat. He raised his right arm high and smashed a punch into the heart of the descending energy!