A great number of those who had previously departed swiftly rushed back upon hearing the cry of the phoenix. By this time, over a thousand people had gathered on both sides of the Cliff of Life and Death, and the number continued to swell. Many climbed high up the cliff faces to look down, all eyes fixed upon Teng Qingshan and Bo Rileimu!
Under everyone's gaze, Teng Qingshan shifted his left leg forward half a step, his left hand held forward, aimed directly at his opponent. His right hand, however, rested pressed against his waist and ribs.
This stance—it was unmistakably the Three Stance of Xingyi!
"What is this move?"
"This demon Alada isn't attacking. What does standing like that mean?"
"Is standing like that even useful?"
Everyone was bewildered.
Yet, Teng Qingshan's opponent, the First Divine General 'Bo Rileimu,' felt that Teng Qingshan, standing there in the distance, resembled a lone wolf staring intently at him. "Hmph, preparing to defend?" Bo Rileimu flashed, leaving an afterimage as he circled Teng Qingshan, seeking an opening to strike. Teng Qingshan rotated in place as well, his left hand constantly pointing toward his foe!
Whoosh! Bo Rileimu stopped moving.
"This posture..." Bo Rileimu circled Teng Qingshan once, yet felt he was constantly enveloped by Teng Qingshan's presence!
Even though he was merely holding a posture... it gave Bo Rileimu a sense of being unable to find a starting point!
"Has this demon Alada also touched the very edge of the Dao?" Bo Rileimu finally realized that this simple Three Stance welcoming posture contained infinite mysteries, especially when executed by Teng Qingshan!
"I don't care what move it is, I'll shatter it directly!" Bo Rileimu was, after all, a super expert who had lived for over 180 years. With a low hum, white mist billowed from his nostrils, and his speed instantly surged to its extreme, leaving behind only an illusion as he materialized before Teng Qingshan!
"So fast!"
"He crossed twenty zhang in the blink of an eye! What speed is that?"
"Truly worthy of being the First Divine General!"
The spectators gasped in awe, and amidst their exclamations, a startling collision sound echoed.
Thud! Teng Qingshan simply executed a downward-sweeping strike with his left palm!
Bo Rileimu’s palm was met by Teng Qingshan’s. The force in Teng Qingshan’s single palm strike felt like a small mountain slamming down. Bo Rileimu’s face flushed red, and he swiftly retreated more than ten paces. With every step, deep pits and footprints were left in the rocky ground, causing the earth to crack! The scattered pebbles shot out like hidden projectiles in all directions, frightening the onlookers into retreating several zhang further away!
Bo Rileimu's legs sank into the rock, his eyes wide as saucers. He let out a mighty roar: "Good!" and charged forward again!
With maximum speed!
This time, Bo Rileimu’s two palms had completely transformed into blurs, accompanied by sharp whistles that distorted the very air, striking sequentially toward Teng Qingshan.
Thud! Thud!
Teng Qingshan struck alternately with his left and right hands, front and rear, his Three Stance posture further facilitating the explosive release of his entire body's strength. Teng Qingshan utilized his waist power, allowing his palms to generate an incredible degree of force! Nearly a million jin of power in almost every strike!
The faster the speed, the less power each strike should possess!
But Teng Qingshan had completely warped this law.
Bo Rileimu was blasted back two zhang with every impact, yet he charged back instantly! Bo Rileimu's speed was so fast that the eye could not lock onto him. But Teng Qingshan stood as firm as an ancient stone, his large hands acting like two small mountains, striking down again and again!
Thud! Thud!... Each sound was heavy, like spring thunder erupting on flat ground!
Every impact caused the bedrock to tremble and the ground to crack!
Blade-like bursts of energy flew randomly, fierce winds raged, and broken stones scattered everywhere!
Amidst the dust of pulverized stone and rock, the figures of Teng Qingshan and the First Divine General 'Bo Rileimu' became somewhat indistinct. However, everyone present could see clearly! The First Divine General 'Bo Rileimu's' figure was ephemeral and shifting, like rolling waves! But the demon 'Alada' stood firmly planted, his position barely moving, only his hands striking out with lightning speed! He was like the reef amidst the tide!
No matter how many times you attack, I remain unmoving!
"This, this..."
The other seven Divine Generals watched this scene in astonishment.
The Fifth Divine General 'Erizier' exclaimed with agitation: "Senior Brother is already taking this demon Alada very seriously. He initiated it with the fastest attack among the Seven Strikes of Heavenly Thunder—the third strike, the 'Swift Thunder and Violent Wind'! I never expected the opponent to be able to easily block every palm strike."
The Third Divine General beside him licked his lips before exhaling softly: "Truly worthy of being the super expert known as the demon 'Alada.' Terrifying, truly terrifying!!!"
"I actually considered going to kill him back then." Erizier’s eyes gleamed. He dared not miss a single moment of this battle. "With the strength of this demon 'Alada,' he could have killed that Crimson-Eyed Snow Lion Beast barehanded! He didn't kill it then, likely because he knew the Crimson-Eyed Snow Lion Beast was connected to Li Jun. Thank goodness, thank goodness!"
This scene was too horrifying!
The First Divine General’s frenzied attacks were something perhaps none of the other Divine Generals would dare to meet head-on, yet the demon 'Alada' did not retreat a single step!
"A true powerhouse!"
Everyone watched with bated breath. This might be the most spectacular battle of peak power they would ever witness!
Thud!
The figure in the yellow robe suddenly shot backward like a streak of light, pulling a distance of twenty zhang from the figure in the green robe!
At this moment, the First Divine General 'Bo Rileimu's' tiger eyes were blazing with fierce light. He let out a rolling, hearty laugh: "Brother Hu He! No wonder you dared to say you would fight me barehanded. Your defense is certainly tough! My Seven Strikes of Heavenly Thunder is famed for its ferocity, yet I never expected your palm technique to be even stronger and faster!"
"Exhilarating, truly exhilarating. I have never met anyone who reached your level barehanded!" The figure in the green robe, the demon 'Alada,' also let out a laugh that echoed through the heavens.
In terms of defense!
Teng Qingshan, who had grasped the second stage of the Earth Element Fist, found that when his palms moved, they formed an impregnable wall of bronze and iron!
"Brother Hu He, I am already near the end of my lifespan! To meet an expert like you in the last decade or so of my life is my good fortune! I didn't wish for a fight to the death. However... Brother Hu He, your strength is too great, and I am unwilling to give up this fight. So, be careful! I will not be able to control the weight of my subsequent moves!" Bo Rileimu said solemnly.
"Hahaha, bring on whatever moves you have!" Teng Qingshan was completely exhilarated now!
His opponent clearly still had ultimate techniques in reserve! If Teng Qingshan hadn't grasped the second stage of the Earth Element Fist, the swift and nimble palm strikes from before would have already forced him to admit defeat! But things were different now; after just over a day of sudden enlightenment, Teng Qingshan had transformed!
"Senior Brother is fighting for his life!" The seven Divine Generals felt a mix of excitement and trepidation in their hearts.
"At this point, we have no choice but to fight desperately," the Fifth Divine General 'Erizier' stated, staring at the two figures on the field.
The First Divine General 'Bo Rileimu' let out a low hum, green lightning flickering across his body, his hair and beard bristling, his tiger eyes glaring furiously. He suddenly rushed forward, executing a flying leap! Boom! The rocky ground trembled violently, revealing grotesque fissures, and 'Bo Rileimu' plummeted from mid-air—his two palms crossed in a fork shape, layered atop one another!
"Yah~~Ho!"
Bo Rileimu's face contorted with ferocity. With a sudden, explosive roar, his layered palms smashed down toward Teng Qingshan in a massive Palm Seal!
Teng Qingshan tilted his head back. His right palm, which had been resting near his waist, positioned his body like a drawn bow, the right palm acting as the arrow, shooting upward toward the sky! Facing that terrifying massive Palm Seal, with a whoosh, he performed a movement like holding up a pagoda, raising his hand to meet the impact head-on!
Thud!
The two massive palms collided directly!
The shockwave erupting from the point of impact sprayed out rapidly in all directions. This planar shockwave was like a giant, razor-sharp blade, actually cutting a huge, long ravine into the nearby cliff face! Many large trees, plants, and weeds were instantly shredded into fine dust.
The spectators were fortunate that they had retreated far enough beforehand; no one died, but some were still inadvertently injured.
"Where is... where is the demon 'Alada'?"
Everyone nearby stared at the central open space on the Cliff of Life and Death, focusing on the large, deep crater. This crater's center was exactly where Teng Qingshan had been standing. But now... a massive pit had appeared there. The First Divine General 'Bo Rileimu' stood some distance away, staring at the crater.
"The demon 'Alada' is below the crater!" The seven Divine Generals finally breathed a small sigh of relief.
"The power of Senior Brother's Wrath of Thunder is truly terrifying! Its instant burst force far exceeds that of a typical Innate Golden Core. If I were facing this strike, I would only be able to dodge, not dare to resist it head-on," Erizier said, looking at the crater. "Truly worthy of being the expert known as the demon 'Alada'!"
"This Wrath of Thunder should be the move where Senior Brother's pure physical strength is greatest," the stout Divine General beside him stated, his eyes locked on the crater. "To endure this head-on, this demon 'Alada' must be severely injured, if not dead!"
"Yes, Senior Brother is an expert who has nearly reached the Void Realm! Although this move is not the strongest strike in his Seven Strikes of Heavenly Thunder, its raw power is unmatched! For an expert so close to the Void Realm, taking this move of maximum force head-on will surely result in grave injury!"
No one doubted this!
After all, 'Bo Rileimu' had utilized a flying leap, a downward dive, an internal energy surge, and then stacked his palms to gather momentum before delivering that strike!
Crack! Crack!
Sporadic sounds emanated from beneath the crater, causing absolute silence on the Cliff of Life and Death. Li Jun also stared at the pit, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Boom! A sudden, violent explosion!
A massive amount of stones flew wildly out of the crater, and a figure in a green robe was mixed in with the flying debris as he leaped out, finally landing on the open ground. It was indeed Hu He, known as the demon 'Alada.' His green robe was somewhat tattered, but through the rips, one could vaguely see his powerful muscles.
"Brother Hu He!" Li Jun called out excitedly from a distance.
"Demon 'Alada'!" A wave of gasps rose from the surroundings.
And the First Divine General 'Bo Rileimu,' who had been silent, revealed a look of excitement upon Teng Qingshan's reappearance, laughing heartily: "Hahaha, you did not disappoint me. It seems I can finally unleash my self-created seventh strike today!"