Chapter 288: Chapter 283: The Power of the Ice and Fire Burst
"That is..." Xu Fei’s eyes widened, reaching their limit. "Impossible! How can this be?!"
The Ghostly Elder also stared down at Mu Chen as if witnessing a miracle. A wave of Primordial Power that terrified even them had just erupted from the center of Mu Chen’s palm. Moreover, this fluctuation wasn’t just one type of Primordial Power, but two! Not only were there two, but they were complete opposites!!
It wasn’t that martial artists with two Attribute Dantians had never appeared on the Extreme Martial Continent. However, such individuals would often suffer from the rejection and clash of their dual attributes when breaking through from the Martial Disciple realm. If they could suppress it, they might live for another two years. But as more and more Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi gathered within them, the internal clash and rejection would grow ever stronger, until their bodies could no longer withstand the impact of the two attributes and they would explode and die.
Of course, there were precedents of people with two attributes surviving. Yes! Quite a few, in fact! But these people only managed to live because their physical constitution was several times stronger than others’. They would cultivate one of their desired Attribute Elemental Powers to a level countless times stronger than the other. Furthermore, the two attributes had to be ones that didn’t affect each other at all. They would then use the stronger attribute to suppress the weaker one—an eternal suppression. And what did ’eternal suppression’ mean? It meant they could never use the suppressed Primordial Power. This was undoubtedly diverting a huge portion of one’s strength to a different task, making it nearly impossible to grow stronger. Therefore, even if such people survived, they were merely the weaklings of the Extreme Martial Continent, scorned by all.
’But look at what I’m seeing now. Two types of Attribute Power, two diametrically opposed attributes, have appeared simultaneously in a single youth. And this youth can even wield both Attribute Powers so calmly! Isn’t he afraid of exploding? Doesn’t he know the agony of two types of Primordial Power clashing inside him?’
’And yet, he’s so powerful—powerful enough to clash with an Eighth-Ring Martial Sect as a mere Martial Spirit! Or could it be... this youth has already completely mastered how to use both attributes?!’
The smile on Mu Chen’s lips grew wider. ’It’s just as I thought. The might of the Primordial Power produced by condensing two attributes at once is immense. If I can really perform the Ice and Fire Burst by myself, I’ll have another powerful, life-saving trump card for future crises!’
The Primordial Power fluctuations in his palm grew more and more intense. Suddenly, a ball of green flame flared into existence. Beside the flame, an Extreme Ice Crystal, continuously radiating an icy aura, hovered in the air. The two condensations of extreme Primordial Power illuminated one another. Although a powerful repulsive force existed between them, Mu Chen’s hand was like that of a master of Primordial Qi, forcefully containing the two opposing energies within a small area.
"Ice and Fire Attribute... Ice and Fire Burst?!"
War Wolf’s face paled in horror. ’Because everyone on this continent can only possess one attribute, many have researched Combined Battle Skills that surpass the might of a single attribute. That’s Attribute Combination. But among all Attribute Combinations, only two are the most powerful. The first is the combination of Earth and Wind Elemental Power, which generates immense power through attack speed and is known across the continent as the ultimate offensive method. The other is the strongest combination, renowned for its destructive power: Ice and Fire Burst.’
’The effect of combining for attack speed merely overcomes the clumsiness of an Earth Attribute Martial Artist. The one leading the fight is still the Earth Attribute user; the Wind Attribute user only plays a supporting role. So, the final effect ultimately depends on the strength of the Earth Attribute Martial Artist.’
’But Ice and Fire Burst is different. It’s performed simultaneously by Ice and Fire Attribute martial artists, with neither taking the lead. The resulting Primordial Power explosion from the two extreme attributes is terrifyingly powerful. If it disrupts the balance of Primordial Qi in the surrounding space, it can even shatter space itself. Therefore, whenever Ice and Fire Burst is used, the final effect is far greater than one plus one. However, it has a restriction: it must be used when both individuals are undisturbed. If one of them is tied down, the Ice and Fire Burst will fall apart on its own. This is the fairness of the continent’s laws.’
’But now, someone who transcends the Natural Laws has appeared before me! He can control two types of Attribute Elemental Power by himself—and it’s Ice and Fire, no less! This completely overcomes the only weakness of Ice and Fire Burst! If this guy is allowed to keep growing, won’t he end up defying the heavens?!’
"I can’t let you complete Ice and Fire Burst so easily!"
War Wolf roared, leaping high into the air. He swung his two-meter-long battle saber in a rapid arc, sending a massive blade of light streaking down from the sky, aimed straight at Mu Chen.
But in that instant, Mu Chen’s expression hardened. With a flicker, his figure vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already in front of War Wolf, thrusting out the Ice Crystal Fireball in his hand. The moment the two inherently conflicting types of Primordial Power left Mu Chen’s control, they naturally repelled each other. The surrounding Primordial Qi was agitated by them, and a terrifying pressure erupted before War Wolf.
"Heh heh." Mu Chen was thrilled. ’Controlling this kind of destructive power feels incredible.’ "Burst!"
With a great roar, the green flame and the ice-blue Ice Crystal simultaneously erupted in a dazzling light. Mu Chen and Ye Shuangshuang had collaborated on an Ice and Fire Burst once before at the academy, so he had some experience executing it now.
Watching the Ice and Fire Burst draw closer and closer, War Wolf felt his very soul tremble. The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end, and a chill rose from the bottom of his heart. In that instant, he felt the call of hell itself.
"No!!"
BOOM—!!!
Following a thunderous crash, the pitch-black night sky was instantly lit up like day. A terrifying shockwave of Primordial Power swept through a radius of several hundred meters. Countless trees were uprooted. The thirty surviving members of the War Wolf Mercenary Corps all dropped to the ground, crushed by the immense pressure from the explosion. Even Mu Chen was stunned by the Ice and Fire Burst he had just unleashed. Xu Fei and the Ghostly Elder both released their Elemental Armor to defend themselves, blocking the continuous waves of the blast. The Hurricane Horse Carriage was quite far from the explosion’s epicenter, so with Wan Xian’Er’s protection, it also remained unharmed.
"So strong!"
Mu Chen stared at his own hands in disbelief, the gale whipping around him. ’I remember the Ice and Fire Burst I performed with Ye Shuangshuang was also incredibly powerful, even several times stronger than this one. But that was because we both used a Combat Skill; it was an Ice and Fire Burst triggered by powerful Combat Skills.’
’But what about now? This was just something I created by casually gathering two clumps of Attribute Elemental Power. Yet, the resulting explosion was this terrifying, enough to threaten the life of a Martial Sect!’
The aftershocks of the explosion continued to rage in the air, and there were faint signs of space itself distorting. Thirty seconds passed before the aftershocks finally began to dissipate. The smoke and dust swirled, the gales gradually subsided, and everyone’s gaze subconsciously shifted to the sky.
DRIP... DRIP...
A liquid seemed to be falling from the sky. Due to the height, it made dull thuds as it hit the ground. Everyone focused their eyes and finally spotted a gasping figure in the air. Beads of sweat dotted the figure’s pale face. Looking at his body, it was covered in blood. The right side, in particular, was so mangled that the original appearance of his combat attire was unrecognizable. His two-meter-long battle saber was long gone, because the figure’s entire right arm had completely vanished. The grim white bone and jagged flesh at his shoulder told everyone that this was none other than War Wolf, who had just been hit by the Ice and Fire Burst.
DRIP... DRIP...
Blood continued to rain down. War Wolf felt his mind growing hazy. A moment ago, the Ice and Fire Burst had detonated right before his eyes. Knowing he couldn’t dodge, War Wolf had gathered every last bit of his Primordial Power into his arm, condensing a defensive barrier of Gang Feng comparable to Elemental Armor. However, he was too close to the explosion’s epicenter. So, even though he completely blocked the Primordial Power impact of the Ice and Fire Burst, he couldn’t escape the consequence of losing a part of his body.
Furthermore, because he had expended all his Primordial Power, he was now completely exhausted. It was no exaggeration to say that even a Grand Martial Master could successfully kill him now. He knew this well, so he grit his teeth, clamped his left hand tightly over the meridians on his shoulder, and shouted, "Senior, you owe me a favor for saving your life! You said you would grant this junior one request! Originally, I was going to ask for your help in killing Mu Chen, but I never expected him to have a master on his side as well. I have no strength left to fight. I beg you, Senior, get me out of here!"
The Ghostly Elder shot a cold glance at War Wolf. ’In my eyes, War Wolf is just an insignificant nobody. But because of him, I’ve offended a monster who defies the Natural Laws. This makes me want to strangle Mu Chen in his cradle. But War Wolf has lost his ability to fight, and those members of the War Wolf Mercenary Corps are even more unreliable. Besides, they’ve been scared out of their wits by Mu Chen’s Ice and Fire Burst. Who knows if Mu Chen will just hit them with another one if we attack again?’
’My side has lost its advantage. If I continue to tangle with them, I might even lose my own life. Besides, the Extreme Martial Continent is vast. My injuries are getting better now. If I leave this place, what are the chances this kid will ever find me?’ After some thought, the elder nodded and said, "Very well. You saved my life once, and now I’ll save yours. From now on, we owe each other nothing!"
With that, the elder’s body twisted bizarrely. He floated like a spirit to War Wolf’s side, grabbed him, and shot off into the distance without a backward glance. Seeing that War Wolf had fled, the other members of the mercenary corps scattered into the woods at top speed.
"Bastards! You think this is a place you can just come and go as you please?!"
Xu Fei was furious and was about to give chase, but Mu Chen stopped him. Shaking his head, he said, "Brother Xu, don’t pursue a desperate foe. Besides, these men didn’t have much to do with it. I think we should leave this place first. After all, there isn’t much time left before the Senluo Ruins open. The important thing is that we weren’t harmed."
Xu Fei thought for a moment and nodded. "Good kid. I never expected you to be this strong. And with heaven-defying Dual Attributes, no less. I really don’t know how you do it."
Mu Chen retracted all his Primordial Power. Without its support, the Martial Ring Red Lotus Ice Technique and the Profound Dragon Arm both dissipated. Only his purple eyes continued to release a bewitching light in the darkness of the night...
