The sense of danger was stifling, but the coldness in Ryu's gaze was piercing.
The Mountain Character in his eyes practically burned with life, the eight trigram diagram rotating.
The aura of Ryu's Natural Enlightenment flourished, an image of his Trembling Mountain Constellation taking shape and forming as he forcefully stepped into the last stage as he caused it to manifest.
The silvery Trembling Star Qi coated Ryu and his body, his true defenses skyrocketing.
Ryu's aura blazed and he pushed out several times even as a world-trembling mass of gi began to form between his horns.
As his Constellation and Natural Enlightenment fused, his very presence seemed to suppress all things. His fists carried the overbearing pressure of a holy mountain, one that had stood the test of time, that bore the weight of worlds, of life and death, the very pillar of reincarnation itself.
Shrine Mountain.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ryu's lips leaked with blood, but he stood firm as he met Starlight's palm strikes head on his hod withstandino the pressure of a Constellation that had withstood the test of time without backing down even a single measure.
Shrine Mountain was the protector of a world, a silent support even when none were left, and a delicate light even in the deepest depths of darkness.
Ryu roared, his silvery Trembling Star Qi trembling once and suddenly gaining within it dense packs of blue Heavenly Patterns. They traveled directly up and down or left and right, leaving patterns with only the sharpest of 90 degree angles. And yet, even in their simplicity, there was an elegant beauty to them.
Ryu's body stabilized even further, his quaking coming to a stop.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Ryu and Starlight stood before one another, their attacks raining down in an endless torrent of fury and barrages.
Starlight's knee suddenly shot up, seemingly in an attempt to catch Ryu off guard, but the latter only replied with his own knee.
A concentrated shockwave blasted out in all directions before the two separated for just a moment before they accelerated forth once again.
A battle that had been one of trump card after trump card had suddenly become nothing more than a bloody street brawl. Elbows met elbows, knees met knees, palms met fists. Every single clash threatened to shatter the fabric of space itself, delicate and fine lines akin to cracked glass spreading out from each one of their collisions.
"DIE!" Starlight roared.
His usual casual demeanor had long since vanished. He had a vicious glint in the deep abyss that his once star-like eyes had become.
Whatever pride he had had as a genius of the upper Heavens had long since been washed away.
No amount of excuses could satiate the maddening fire in his heart right now.
The void tore open behind Starlight once again and the very beam of black light that had torn a bloody hole through Ryu's chest appeared again, one that had unfortunately still yet to close.
However, this time, Ryu felt no need to exchange an injury for an injury. His body flickered and he vanished, appearing to Starlight's side and unleashing a mighty fist.
Starlight knew that he had missed, and so his reaction wasn't slow. He struck out with great speed, seemingly in an attempt to counter Ryu, over the silvery palm that was about to meet Ryu's fist suddenly vanished into a wisp of smoke.
Ryu's pupils constricted and he reacted just as fast, his Dao could see through all deception. However, his body was already reaching the very edges of its limits after having been pushed to this point and with the dense fog of void Starlight had sent forward with his previous attempted strike, Ryu didn't have time to accumulate enough spatial qi to vanish again.
The palm reappeared once again, slamming against Ryu's chest.
Ryu felt his bones rattle before they shattered. The already bloody hole in his chest leaked blood even faster as he was forced to take several steps back, torrent of blood flying from his lips.
Ryu could only inwardly shake his head. He didn't have the time to meditate with his improved Dao and refine his Fist God aura to a level that matched his current status. His attacks were lacking in the proper potency and the only way he could bridge the gap was by fusing as many of his talents together as possible. Unfortunately, there was a clear weakness to this approach, and that was that every powerful attack needed several moments of set up time, moments he simply didn't have in a fight of this caliber.
Starlight pressed his advantage as his aura grew and suddenly a resounding crack echoed and his aura shot upward.
Starlight seemed stunned by the change for a moment before his laughter rang out arrogantly and without restraint.
Ryu's gaze narrowed as he shook his head inwardly. He had almost forgotten that Starlight was only at the Half-Step Path Extinction Realm. With how small the time he had spent cultivating was, how could all of his talents have been maximized.
Just now, he was certain. Starlight's Palm Inheritance had just entered the Monarch Realm. He had been so suffocated by Starlight's other talents that he hadn't even noticed that his enemy had been working with a mere Ruler Realm Inheritance all this time.The torrent of palms that surrounded as a rippling illusion began to appear to Starlight's back.
The geniuses of the Fourth and Fifth Heavens trembled when they saw this.
They were certain. Birthed Phenomena. A Birthed Phenomena was being born.
Starlight's laughter became more uproarious as his suppression of Ryu became more and more dominant. Blood and flesh flew, and Ryu's once gorgeous white scales began to fall one after another. And yet, even so, the coldness in Ryu's eyes remained as his gaze shifted to the slowly forming Birthed Phenomena.
Ryu forcefully withstood another palm strike and exhaled slowly.
The geniuses of the Fourth and Fifth Heavens trembled when they saw this.
They were certain. Birthed Phenomena. A Birthed Phenomena was being born.
Starlight's laughter became more uproarious as his suppression of Ryu became more and more dominant. Blood and flesh flew, and Ryu's once gorgeous white scales began to fall one after another. And yet, even so, the coldness in Ryu's eyes remained as his gaze shifted to the slowly forming Birthed Phenomena.
Ryu forcefully withstood another palm strike and exhaled slowly.
Ever since he had created it, he had never summoned it. It felt like a special part of him, something that shouldn't be brought out casually...
"Birthed Phenomena..? I have one too."
