Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques

Chapter 553: Chapter 546: Essence

「The Forest Race’s Ancestral Land.」

Everyone had gathered around the pool, their eyes glued to the images within, ready to witness a historic, thrilling moment with their own eyes.

However, at the very instant the two colossal Mind Dharma Forms collided...

SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH!!

The pool’s surface suddenly rippled as the two Clan Elders voluntarily withdrew their magnetic fields. In an instant, the image vanished completely.

!!!!!

The intensely focused crowd almost jumped to their feet. The feeling was like watching your favorite team’s superstar about to make a historic game-winning shot, only for the internet to cut out at that exact moment.

The immense letdown and disappointment made everyone present feel like they were about to cough up blood.

Pairs of wide, staring eyes immediately fell upon the two Clan Elders. All etiquette regarding age and seniority was forgotten as their gazes seemed to question why the elders would withdraw their magnetic fields at such a critical moment.

"Ahem."

Under the crowd’s intense glares, the two Clan Elders exchanged a look and cleared their throats. Finally, the Second Clan Elder spoke up to explain, "Everyone, the destructive power of that collision was simply too great. For safety’s sake, we had to skip it. We will resume the Skill once the clash has subsided a bit."

’Are you kidding me...? Just the one-sided impact from the black-robed man’s Evil Beast Dharma Form, with its excessive magnetic field and power fluctuations, was enough to injure the two of us. Now, two nearly equal powers are colliding. If we hadn’t withdrawn in time...’

’The consequences would have been unimaginable.’

’It’s just too monstrous.’

The two Clan Elders shared an awkward glance. They would never admit, even under torture, that they had missed the historic collision because they were afraid of dying.

’He just broke through, but he’s only a newly advanced King Level who hasn’t had the necessary time for his body to be nourished. How can he already be this powerful? If he were to complete his body’s full transformation, just how strong would he become?’

’It’s simply unimaginable.’

’Could it be that all ordinary people gain such terrifying power when they break through that bottleneck?’

Hearing the two Clan Elders’ explanation, the crowd was furious but had nothing to say.

After all, they couldn’t just let the two Clan Elders get seriously injured or even die for this, could they?

Sigh. The only ones to blame were their own Clan Elders, for being too weak.

The crowd shook their heads and sighed, looking at each other speechlessly.

...

...

「Meanwhile, on the battlefield.」

The collision of the two massive Dharma Aspects caused an unprecedented explosion.

A huge cloud of dust and smoke shot into the sky, forming a small mushroom cloud as a powerful shockwave spread out in all directions.

"Damn it!! Was that a nuclear explosion?!?!"

Andy, who wasn’t far from the battlefield, felt the most intense impact. Despite his current Physical Strength and power, he couldn’t hold his ground against the violent shockwave. He could only expand his magnetic field while shielding the zombie-like Andrew with his body. Swept up by the blast, he was sent flying like rootless duckweed.

Tumbling, crashing...

Andy had no idea how many trees he’d smashed through before he finally came to a stop.

Now, his powerful body was actually covered in wounds.

"Is this the power of someone who just broke through? Does it have to be this exaggerated? What the hell is with the creatures on this planet? Do they not obey the basic laws of physics anymore?"

Andy cursed, covered in dust and dirt. His suit was long since torn to shreds, and his hair was a mess.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and checked on Andrew.

The fool was staring at him blankly. Andy wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he could have sworn that upon seeing his disheveled state, a goofy grin had appeared on the man’s lips.

"How’s that guy doing? Did he withstand it? Don’t tell me he’s dead, his body and cells completely annihilated?"

Andy took a deep breath and turned to look toward the battlefield.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

He saw that the dense fog over the battlefield was still trembling, as if violent tremors and collisions were still occurring within, causing the very air to continuously rupture.

’The fight’s still going, it seems.’

’There’s no way. Whether in terms of power or stamina, that monster shouldn’t be a match for a true King Level.’

’No, wait, that guy is a monster. You can’t measure him by normal standards...’

Unconsciously, Andy—who had always looked down on ordinary people and held himself in high regard—had already placed Zhou Yuanjue on a very high pedestal in his mind.

’In this situation, maybe I should go and provide some support...’

’Forget it, just forget it. Why am I even having this thought? I’ll die. This is my last life. If I die, it’s over for good. I can’t take that risk.’

’Yeah, it’s not like he’s someone I can handle anyway. It’s not a sin to just stand by and watch, right?’

’It’s like being on a battlefield. If you’re out of bullets, why would you charge headfirst into a fight?’

A series of conflicted thoughts flashed through Andy’s mind as he weighed the pros and cons.

BANG!!!

Just then, a violent explosion erupted from within the fog. A powerful gust of air instantly spread out, clearing all the smoke away.

He saw it with his own eyes. In the middle of the battlefield, a broken body threw its one remaining fist, smashing it into its opponent’s body.

The opponent was in an even more miserable state. Their body was just as ruined, and under that final punch, half of their torso was blasted clean off. The upper body was sent flying, tracing a parabola through the air.

Andy’s face twitched, because he recognized the person whose half-body had been sent flying: it was the black-robed man.

"Damn it, he can’t actually be dead, can he..."

Andy glanced at the broken body standing tall in the clearing, hesitated for a moment, then immediately dashed toward the spot where the black-robed man’s severed torso had landed.

In a patch of broken jungle, he found the black-robed man’s upper body.

At this moment, the half-torso was unconscious.

But its muscles still seemed to be twitching involuntarily.

’He’s not dead yet?’

Andy hesitated for a moment, then snatched up the half-body and immediately looked back in Zhou Yuanjue’s direction.

Right now, Zhou Yuanjue wasn’t giving chase. He was standing in place, frozen in a punching posture. His body was a wreck, and the Starlight on his skin was dim, looking as if it could vanish at any moment.

’He looks like he’s at the end of his rope.’

’After a collision of that magnitude, he must be out of energy, right?’

’Should I go for it? Even for a King Level, in this state, I should be able to kill him easily, right?’

’Good. I’ll snuff him out right here.’

Andy’s feet shifted, but ultimately, he didn’t take a step forward.

’Forget it. I’m on my last life. The leader will figure out how to deal with this problem. What’s the point of me risking my last pathetic life? Haven’t I learned my lesson from last time?’

’Besides, who knows if this guy is just faking it.’

’Can’t be careless, can’t be careless. Better to retreat first...’

Andy took a deep breath. Hoisting the black-robed man’s ruined torso in one hand and lugging the dazed Andrew with the other, he gave the motionless Zhou Yuanjue one last, deep look, then abruptly turned and fled, his figure quickly disappearing into the shadows.

He didn’t know that his hesitation had cost him—and the entire Celestial Organization—the single best opportunity to kill Zhou Yuanjue.

This was the essence of a "Giant Rat."