Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 213: Gap

Zhao Yushi remained silent, her grip tight on her long spear as the Blood Core within her surged to its peak.

The intense and turbulent qi and blood coursed through her body, making her seem like a legendary warrior who had survived countless life-and-death battles.

Li Pin focused his mind. His thoughts and perceptions seemingly detached from his physical body once more, adopting the perspective of a third person.

In this peculiar state of awareness, his body was no longer just a fundamental existence in the world but a medium for perceiving all things.

Harnessing the limited qi and blood with boundless spirit.

Li Pin's qi and blood boiled to its limit, and his mental spirit ignited, leading to....

Transcendence!

An immense, abyss-like aura erupted and rose steadily. It felt as though he had entered an entirely new realm.

Great Sun Infinite!

"Watch out."

As Li Pin stepped forward and threw a punch, his aura, elevated to its peak, seemed to coalesce into a giant hand capable of tearing through the sky. This hand crossed the dozens of meters between them and slammed down toward Zhao Yushi.

The sensation... was like an ancient divine beast descending from the heavens, delivering a blow so powerful that it seemed capable of shattering the entire world, including the sun, moon, and heavens, with a single strike.

Before this power, humans... were as insignificant as ants.

Despite having attained the Martial Saint realm and forged her own Martial Will, the fear and tremor from the depth of the heart still took Zhao Yushi by surprise, causing her forehead to crease. "This kind of momentum..."

Rumble, rumble!

Her secret art erupted.

Zhao Yushi unleashed her "Hundred Battles No Return Secret Art" without a second thought.

"Kill!"

With a fierce growl, she broke through her physical constraints. The immense qi and blood within her surged like a burning furnace, igniting into a blazing inferno and radiating a desperate aura of no return, a life-or-death gamble.

Her explosive qi and blood began to conjure a spectral image of a legendary warrior, mounted on a majestic steed and armed with a spear, above her head. This legendary warrior was ready to charge into the enemy's rank and single-handedly shatter their formation as soon as it fully formed. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Yet, before the image could fully solidify, the colossal hand that seemed to command the heavens crashed down, smashing Zhao Yushi's legendary warrior.

The clash of wills and momentum created a seismic impact within the spiritual perceptions of everyone present.

Li Pin harnessed his boundless spirit to control his physical body and channeled all his spiritual qi to elevate the Great Sun Infinite to its extreme transcended state. Despite Zhao Yushi's masterful use of momentum, he shattered more than half of the spectral image of the legendary warrior in a single strike.

It seemed that with one more push, he could completely crush the momentum and belief Zhao Yushi had activated through her Hundred Battles No Return Secret Art.

Zhao Yushi's mind was in turmoil. "How could this be...."

She was utterly defenseless against this multifaceted attack that combined momentum, mental spirit, and will.

Her only hope was to destroy the source of this overwhelming force before her momentum was completely crushed.

As for the source of that power...

Li Pin.

"Wild Dragon Clash!"

The spectral image of the legendary warrior was on the verge of collapse, but it let out a low growl and swung its spear fiercely. Zhao Yushi mirrored the action, brandishing her own spear in unison.

Though completely suppressed by Li Pin's overwhelming momentum, the secret art she unleashed was one meant for desperate situations, a technique of no return, with death as its only outcome. It was a last-ditch technique designed to reverse the tide in the most hopeless of circumstances.

Li Pin's momentum could not shatter her will.

As her spear thrust forward, it seemed to pierce through the very air, tearing it apart. It was as if an army of thousands had carved a path through an impenetrable blockade.

Then...

Her spear shot straight toward the "commander-in-chief"—Li Pin! Even before the spear arrived, the killing intent had already struck.

The spear strike, which forcefully broke through Li Pin's Vitality, Qi, and Spirit suppression resembled a roaring dragon unleashed from Zhao Yushi's hand. The fierce collision and friction between the spear's Aura Force and the airflow released visible shockwaves, distorting the space around it.

If this spear were to strike a rock, its terrifying penetrating force might pierce through or even shatter a meter-thick marble.

However, in the face of such a swift and intense strike...

Li Pin merely extended his hand. The blood-red light on it pulsed, and the Aura Force dispersed, shaking the air and abruptly slowing the incoming spear as if it had sunk into mud, just a few meters away from him.

Lunar Youying!

In the instant the spear's speed decreased, Li Pin abruptly swung his arm again, striking the spearhead that had been thrust toward him with pinpoint accuracy.

Bang!

The deafening clash of metal erupted from the Aura Force Li Pin had unleashed.

Li Pin easily deflected Zhao Yushi's fatal strike, powered by a secret art, to the side.

That wasn’t all; as the spear was deflected and the two were about to pass each other, Li Pin delivered a lightning-fast jab with his left hand. He then curled his fingers into a claw and made for Zhao Yushi's throat.

However, he quickly recalled that this was merely a competition and not a life-and-death battle and shifted the trajectory of his claw, aiming for her shoulder instead of her neck.

His fingers pierced through the air like five pieces of fine steel. If they had landed, her shoulder blade would have been crushed on the spot.

In this critical moment, Zhao Yushi's gaze turned icy cold.

She mimicked Li Pin's tactic. With an explosive burst of force from her legs, she transformed herself into a human spear, charging fiercely at Li Pin.

At the moment of collision, a tremendous force surged from her legs, traveled up her spine, and erupted through her shoulder, striking Li Pin's chest with full impact.

Dong!

A muffled sound spread from the point of collision, creating ripples that ripped through Li Pin's clothes.

If what she had collided with had been a wall of a typical house, she would have punched right through it.

But this was Li Pin who was nearing his human limits. Zhao Yushi's full-force impact barely budged him.

His clothes were torn not by Zhao Yushi's force alone but by the clash between his own Aura Force and hers.

As the forces of the collision neutralized each other, Li Pin did not fly back as Zhao Yushi had expected; his upper body merely swayed slightly. In contrast, Zhao Yushi felt as though she had collided with a one-meter-thick steel plate.

The intense backlash left her dizzy, with her shoulder and half of her body feeling almost numb.

Having withstood the impact, Li Pin's left hand firmly gripped her shoulder. His fingers, as hard as steel, dug deep into her shoulder, shattering her shoulder blade instantly.

In the next instant, he was about to wrench her arm from her shoulder socket, tearing it off.

However, just as he was about to do so, he recalled that an injury of this degree would leave her with a lifelong risk even if she borrowed the help of astral equipment. Therefore, he hesitated once more.

In the end, he simply lifted her less-than-seventy-kilogram before tossing her aside.

"If this is all your strength, then it's time to end this," Li Pin said slowly.

Thrown into the air, Zhao Yushi twisted her body and executed a graceful 360-degree spin before quickly regaining her balance and landing on the ground.

Feeling the pain from her shattered shoulder blade, her face went pale. Her expression remained intensely serious. She knew she had lost. But she was unwilling to accept defeat.

"Give me your final strike, your most dazzling moment, and surprise me," Li Pin said, stepping forward.

With that step, his aura surged once more.

Like the sun at its zenith, an immense heat and blinding brilliance illuminated the world. The radiance and splendor were so intense that merely glancing at them could burn one's eyes.

Zhao Yushi felt a tremor deep within her soul. "How could he be so strong...."

It was a clash of mental spirit, will, and momentum, overwhelming her completely.

Under this pressure....

"I'll miss my chance if I don't act now..."

Zhao Yushi forcefully retracted her mental spirit.

She pushed the state granted by the Hundred Battles No Return Secret Art to its limit.

She had to admit that Li Pin was stronger than her. Not just a little, but significantly stronger.

This strength was even comparable to the gap between her and Ying Long. Unless Li Pin made a fatal error, no ultimate move could alter the outcome of this fight. Even her strongest move would do her no good.

In that case... she might as well bloom to her fullest potential!

Zhao Yushi let out a low growl, raising her long spear and charging forward. "Li Pin!"

With a burst of Force from her legs, she surged forward like a knight galloping down a mountain, smashing through the air and whipping up storms.

She launched the most resolute charge of her life.

Her momentum climbed higher and higher, relentlessly battering against the terrifying pressure formed from Li Pin's Vitality, Qi, and Spirit.

The resolute determination to break through the enemy lines at even the cost of her very own life clashed violently with the majestic and awe-inspiring aura that seemed to dominate the heavens and illuminate the universe, as if portraying the tragic finale of a peerless warrior.

Li Pin nodded in appreciation. "Not bad."

He took a slight step back.

Intense and violent qi and blood surged within him, boiling and radiating terrifying heat that nearly distorted the space around him.

Li Pin declared, "This move is called the Great Sun Golden Crow!"

As he took a step forward, his qi and blood erupted to their peak.

His already terrifying Vitality, Qi, and Spirit, like the blazing sun, completely ignited. In everyone's perception, it was as though a true sun had appeared on the arena.

The flames descending from the sun raged uncontrollably, emitting endless light and heat. Let alone Zhao Yushi, even the distant observers like the Great Sun Chosen One, Cheng Yufeng, and Song Wuya paled in fear at the sight.

This wasn't the power of a Martial Saint. At least not a power that a recently promoted Martial Saint could withstand!

Zhao Yushi was stunned. "Li Pin, is this your true strength?"

The might was nearly enough to shatter her will. The terrifying pressure made her heart tremble and tempted her to flee. However, Zhao Yushi forcibly suppressed her fear and even pushed beyond it.

"Good!" she cried out resolutely.

Instead of falling, Zhao Yushi’s aura rose, like a phoenix burning itself to rise from the flames and ashes, soaring into the sky with endless blaze!

"To witness such a brilliant strike, even if I die here, I would have no regrets!"

Rumble, rumble!

In the next moment, the long spear shot through the air with the cry of a phoenix!

The two powerful, distinct forces collided in an instant.