Chapter 232: Striking Out

Hearing Yang Yan’s words, the expression of Liu Zong, who was suspended in mid-air, turned extremely unsightly.

He had not expected that this young man, who appeared to be no more than seventeen, would show him such a complete lack of respect. He had originally intended to avoid making things too difficult for the youth out of consideration for the power standing behind him; as long as the boy was sensible and took the opportunity to step down, Liu Zong would have been content to turn a blind eye to the matter. Little did he expect that Yang Yan’s temper would be so unyielding.

Of course, Yang Yan was well aware of the old man’s intentions, but no one had ever managed to make him back down. Furthermore, he held no affection whatsoever for this so-called Liu Clan. In Yang Yan’s view, sparing Liu Zong-Sheng’s life earlier had already been showing Liu Zong enough respect. Moreover, for no other reason than the grievances Liu Zhengqing had suffered over the years, this matter could not be settled easily. Today, Yang Yan was determined to let the Liu Clan know exactly what a grave mistake they had made when they chose to drive Liu Zhengqing’s family out of their ancestral home!

"You arrogant, ignorant brat! Since you hold the Liu Clan in such contempt, I will make sure you learn a lesson today, even if the power behind you is formidable!"

Hearing Yang Yan’s near-audacious words, Liu Zong realized that if he did not teach this young man a stern lesson, the Liu Clan would likely lose its standing in Shangzhou forever. With this thought, his robes began to flutter violently without a breeze, and waves of immensely powerful spiritual energy surged outward like a tide. The onlookers’ expressions shifted dramatically, and the crowd surged backward, though they did not leave. Instead, they kept their eyes fixed on the youth standing on the stone platform, who remained unfazed despite the overwhelming pressure, their faces filled with complex emotions.

They had not expected that a competition between the younger generations of the Liu Clan and its branch families would escalate to involve the head of the Liu Clan himself. And the one daring to challenge the dignity of the Liu Clan in front of so many people was merely a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth. Beyond the shock, they also felt it was a rare event to witness a Spirit Sea Realm expert take action in person. Such experts were considered top-tier existences even within the entire Feiyun Empire, usually sequestered in deep cultivation to reach higher realms, making it rare for them to ever show their hand.

The square, thousands of feet wide, was now densely packed with people pushed to the periphery, all eyes locked on the old man and the young man facing each other.

Facing the terrifying spiritual pressure exerted by Liu Zong in mid-air, there was not a trace of fear on Yang Yan’s face. His majestic water-attribute spiritual energy surged instantly, forming ripples of shockwaves that completely blocked the oncoming pressure. Although Liu Zong’s strength was genuinely that of the Spirit Sea Realm, Yang Yan’s water-attribute spiritual hub was now approaching a state of perfection. While he might not match the former in the sheer quantity of spiritual energy, he was confident that in terms of quality, he surpassed Liu Zong.

As the aura within Yang Yan fully expanded, Liu Zong’s expression changed. Being able to deflect his pressure entirely with just a released aura suggested that the grade of Yang Yan’s innate spiritual body was at least seventh or even eighth grade! A cultivator’s future achievements were largely determined by their innate spiritual body grade, which reflected their cultivation talent. Liu Zong had spent decades of grueling cultivation with a fifth-grade spiritual body to reach his current realm. Given that Yang Yan was only seventeen or eighteen and already held strength not far from his own, his innate spiritual body grade must be monstrously high.

In the decades he had served as clan head, he had seen countless geniuses, yet the most gifted among them possessed only a fifth-grade spiritual body. He had never even seen a sixth-grade one. Any youth with a sixth-grade spiritual body appearing in the Feiyun Empire would be immediately snatched away by the three great powers—the Fengyun Pavilion, the Wudao Gate, or the Xuantian Hall—for intensive training. Could this youth, possessing talent nearing that of an innate perfect spiritual body, be a favored child of one of the three great sects?

Liu Zong was startled by his own thought. If this boy truly belonged to one of the three great sects, the Liu Clan had no capital to contend with him at all.

What is known as an "innate perfect spiritual body" is the term used across the cultivation world for those blessed with enviable fortune. From birth, their lives are destined to be extraordinary. Innate spiritual bodies are ranked from one to nine. Grades one through three are low-tier, and even with a lifetime of effort, they rarely progress beyond the Spirit-Connecting Realm. Grades four through six are mid-tier; with sufficient time, they have a great chance of reaching the Spirit Sea Realm, and with enough luck, even the legendary Forgotten Life Realm is not impossible. Grades seven and eight are high-tier, extremely rare even across the entire Tianyuan Continent. Liu Zong had only heard of such talents existing within the three great sects but had never encountered one—until today.

The legendary ninth-grade spiritual body, the innate perfect spiritual body, is destined for greatness. It is said that a century ago, an individual with such a body appeared in the Feiyun Empire, advancing from the Spirit-Sensing Realm to the Spirit-Connecting Realm in just one year, and then reaching the third level of the Spirit-Connecting Realm from the first in a mere three months—a speed of cultivation that seemed like cheating. Any faction possessing such a genius would devote all its resources to them, as their growth could elevate the entire faction. Unfortunately, those who held grudges against that faction could not allow the boy to grow; they united to launch a siege, eventually killing the young genius at a heavy price. In the cultivation world of the Tianyuan Continent, nine is the symbol of ultimate power, cultivation, and unattainable talent.

"Take this!"

Just as Liu Zong hesitated, shaken by Yang Yan’s terrifying talent, the youth let out a thunderous shout. His majestic, water-attribute spiritual energy surged and gathered as the hand seals he formed shifted abruptly.

As Yang Yan’s hand seals changed, the massive spiritual energy within him rushed forth like a surging ocean, forming a pristine, transparent seal of light before him. The seal looked incredibly pure, as if crafted from untainted water, without a single impurity. While it appeared calm on the surface, it contained an intensely restrained, massive energy, faintly emitting the sound of tides crashing against a shore.

With the appearance of the transparent seal, the air in the heavens and earth became extremely humid, and fine, hair-like drizzle began to fall from the sky, feeling cool and tingling against the skin. Everyone present felt the illusion of being adrift in an endless ocean, filled with an indescribable sense of joy and comfort.

"Just the leakage of spiritual energy from the activation of his martial technique has triggered such a celestial phenomenon!" the crowd gasped, staring in horror at the small, silver-white seal in Yang Yan’s hand.

The celestial phenomenon indirectly proved the extraordinary nature of the martial technique Yang Yan was about to unleash. Liu Zong, suspended in mid-air, saw his expression shift again. Whether in terms of power or the sheer volume of spiritual energy, Yang Yan far surpassed any genius he had ever seen, strengthening his earlier suspicion.

"Soul-Devouring Seal!"

Before Liu Zong could decide on a course of action, Yang Yan’s hand seals shifted once more. This time, his spiritual energy became completely contained, and threads of soul power began to seep from his brow, converging into his palms.

"He can actually infuse soul power into his spiritual energy to create a dual attack of soul and spirit!" Liu Zong exclaimed. Although he did not cultivate soul power, as a Spirit Sea Realm expert, his soul perception was sharp enough to recognize the essence of Yang Yan’s maneuver.

As the invisible soul power poured in, those with keen perception realized that a second, completely transparent seal had formed in Yang Yan’s palm. A faint smile touched Yang Yan’s lips. As his strength increased, he gained a deeper understanding of the "Three Shattering Seals," the high-grade Yellow-rank martial technique preserved within his family. The "Shattering Seal" relied on momentum; the "Soul-Devouring Seal," however, focused on the soul. Previously, his soul power had been too weak to unleash its true potential, but after the refinement in the Sacred Spirit Tower, his soul power had reached the Small Accomplishment stage of the Spirit Realm, surpassing even some ordinary Spirit Sea Realm experts. The current Soul-Devouring Seal was far more potent, leaning heavily into soul-based rather than physical spiritual damage.

Just as the transparent seal fully formed, Yang Yan’s hand seals changed again, under Liu Zong’s increasingly grim gaze.

"Life-Extinguishing Seal!"

As his seals moved, eerie black lines crawled across Yang Yan’s arms, converging into his palms.

"What is that? Why is it black?"
"The only energy within a human body that can be mobilized for martial techniques is spiritual energy. Aside from the legendary dark-attribute spiritual body, I have never seen black spiritual energy. Yet, the icy, sinister aura emanating from his palm is absolutely not something an ordinary dark-attribute body possesses!"

As the black primordial spiritual energy emerged from Yang Yan’s body, the crowd erupted in shock. Everything he showed defied their understanding. Many finally realized why this youth dared to openly challenge the Liu Clan head—he truly possessed hidden trump cards.

As the black energy converged, a black seal began to form in his palm. The moment it took shape, fine black waves of light rippled outward across the square. Any cultivator touched by these waves felt a coldness from the depths of their soul—a temperatureless, freezing chill that made even the soul tremble.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible..." Liu Zong’s voice trembled. His aged face was frozen, his eyes fixed on the black seal with a mixture of shock and disbelief. He had sensed a trace of "Death Qi" within the seal.

Death Qi was something only usable by those at the Forgotten Life Realm. How could it appear in the hands of a youth at the Spirit-Connecting Realm? This was far more unsettling than Yang Yan’s strength or background. Even he, a Spirit Sea Realm expert, possessed no Death Qi. Only at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm, when one was about to break through to the Forgotten Life Realm, would the spiritual energy in one’s body mutate to produce traces of Death Qi.

Death Qi was incredibly formidable, possessing the power to corrode everything, even spiritual energy itself. Breaking through to the Forgotten Life Realm was a qualitative change. However, the risk was immense; one had to endure the torment of Death Qi eroding their own body and soul. If they failed, they would be completely eradicated from existence. Thus, before reaching the Forgotten Life Realm, it was impossible for Death Qi to exist within a cultivator.

"No... that is the fluctuation caused by his martial technique."

After a long moment, Liu Zong, who had been in a state of shock, carefully sensed the energy within the black seal and reached a conclusion. The Death Qi was not coming from Yang Yan himself, but was being extracted from the surrounding energy of heaven and earth by the technique itself.

"What level of martial technique is this? To be able to extract energy from the world and convert it into Death Qi—this is truly god-like and unbelievable!" Liu Zong exclaimed.

"Three Seals Combined!"

On the square, Yang Yan let out a sharp cry. The three distinct seals began to merge. The crowd watched, stunned, as the three seals fused into one.

"He is actually creating a martial technique fusion skill! How is that possible?!"

Martial technique fusion skills were legendary, and most of those present had never even seen a two-technique fusion, let alone a three-technique one. If Yang Yan succeeded, he would be creating another miracle.

As everyone held their breath, Yang Yan pressed his palms together, and the three seals perfectly merged. There was no explosive surge of energy; instead, a black-and-white seal, half-black and half-white, appeared in his palm. The colors were sharply defined, with no transition, yet it felt as if this seal had existed since the dawn of time.

"Go!"

Yang Yan smiled. With his deeper understanding, the power of this combined attack was on a different level. Having mobilized the primordial spiritual energy hidden deep within his spiritual hub, he was confident that even a true Spirit Sea Realm expert could not easily withstand this blow.

As he thrust his palm forward, the black-and-white seal drifted silently toward Liu Zong, leaving a faint trail of light like a comet.

Facing an attack that lacked any outward display of energy, Liu Zong’s expression turned solemn. Even he could feel a trace of danger emanating from that seal. After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and unleashed his full spiritual energy!