Li Tianyi's fighting spirit was completely roused. This was what he wanted. Aside from his old master, no one had ever dared to use the Shadow-Following Form to dodge his attacks!
Never!
'To think there was someone in this world even more arrogant than him!'
Without even realizing it, Li Tianyi had begun using the Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword. Although he wasn't backing it with Elemental Power, the Sword Techniques of the Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword could still be described as perfect and flawless.
Zhang Xiaopang was also completely captivated by Li Tianyi's techniques. With the power level reduced this much, even he could see the movements clearly. Of course, how the Life Marks were combined was impossible for him to discern.
Wang Meng's dodges were perilous, each one succeeding by a hair's breadth. A faint, almost imperceptible smile always hung on his lips. This dance between life and death was still so wonderful.
Li Tianyi was truly provoked. The sword in his hand moved faster and faster, and the Little Fatty's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Suddenly, his Elemental Power erupted. Even at just a Level 5 standard, it could generate considerable force. Anyone below the Tenth Layer of Life Mark would likely have to concede defeat if they tried to block it head-on.
Elemental Power on its own is inert. Only by channeling it through a Life Mark Combination can it truly shine. This is the true essence of cultivation!
Like a Fire Dragon's Roar, its domineering aura was unmatched.
Kill!
Li Tianyi thrust his Lihuo Sword forward. A strike that was absolutely impossible to dodge!
Full of might, a hidden dragon soaring from the abyss—unstoppable!
'So what if you know its weakness?'
'The Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword is one of the Holy Hall's strongest ultimate techniques!'
SHING...
A sword thrust out from an oblique angle, sudden and unexpected. The hidden dragon soaring from the abyss was indeed unstoppable, but its flaw lay in that single instant of eruption. The move's overwhelming aura could conceal this weakness, but against an opponent unaffected by that aura, the flaw was fatal.
Wang Meng, who had been dodging the entire time, swung his sword. It was neither fast nor slow, yet it pierced straight through the Sword Array. The inferior Long Sword passed through the one and only opening, its tip coming to a firm stop against Li Tianyi's neck. The Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword came to an abrupt halt.
A conversation with his master echoed in his mind.
"Tianyi, your Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword is not yet perfected. You must remember: the moment you are at your strongest is also when you are at your weakest!"
"Master, who do you think could possibly see through it? Who could withstand my aura?"
"There is always a higher mountain, and always a stronger person!"
"Is that so? I'd really like to meet them, hehe."
Back then, Li Tianyi had only seen the helplessness in his master's eyes. Among his peers, he was unrivaled. Even many Cultivators who had practiced for decades were no match for him.
He was the undefeated, the invincible Li Tianyi.
Everything before him seemed so unreal. His opponent's sword was pointed at his throat. Cold. Blood. A drop, then another, fell.
'He, Li Tianyi, had actually lost???'
'Lost so completely?'
CRASH! The sword in Wang Meng's hand shattered and fell to the ground in pieces. 'This thing is too shoddy,' he thought. 'Was it forged with someone's feet? It couldn't even withstand a little Sword Qi.'
Wang Meng glanced at Li Tianyi's expression and suddenly felt he might have gone a bit too far. Just as he was about to offer a few words of comfort, he felt himself being hoisted up... by Zhang Xiaopang.
'Damn it! If not now, when?! His sword shattered from the impact! These scions of great families are all moody. If he flies into a rage out of humiliation, we'll be goners for sure!'
At that moment, Zhang Xiaopang burst with adrenaline and ran like the wind. 'These freaks! Shattering a Treasure Sword with pure Sword Qi! What the hell are we supposed to fight?! This is bullshit!'
"Brother Meng, don't you worry! As long as I'm here, I won't let him harm a single hair on your head!"
Being carried, Wang Meng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'What's the point in running?'
Li Tianyi stood blankly in the distance, staring dumbly at his own hands and muttering, "How could this happen? How could this happen..."
'Even though it had a flaw, Master had said that no one below Level 20 of Life Mark could break it. Just now, that sword strike... it didn't even have the power of the Fifth Layer of Life Mark... It was just a strike with less than the Fifth Layer's power...'
The fortress of Li Tianyi's indestructible confidence crumbled in an instant. Suddenly, his eyes flew wide open. He scanned his surroundings, searching everywhere like a man possessed. 'No, I have to fight him again! That was a mistake! A mistake!'
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Li Tianyi's furious roar echoed through the empty woods. The genius, on whom everyone in the Holy Hall had placed such high hopes, had finally tasted defeat.
Run, run, run, run...
Although they were fleeing, the excitement on the Little Fatty's face was beyond words. No matter what, they had survived an encounter with Li Tianyi. That was *the* Li Tianyi!
"Ahem, Little Fatty, can you put me down? I can walk." Wang Meng looked at the gasping Zhang Xiaojiang, not sure what to say.
The Little Fatty dove directly into a thicket of grass. That was the good thing about the Thunder Pool—there were hiding places everywhere. In reality, they had already sprinted a long way, and their opponent likely wouldn't be able to find them. Only then did he set Wang Meng down.
Zhang Xiaojiang leaned against a tree, gasping for breath. His right hand was still shaking from exhaustion.
"It's alright now. Rest for a bit. We'll head back to the Holy Hall soon," Wang Meng said, straightening his disheveled clothes.
Only then did Zhang Xiaopang notice that Wang Meng's sword was nothing but a hilt. The cheap piece of junk had been shredded by Sword Qi. He clicked his tongue and stared at Wang Meng with utmost seriousness. "Brother Meng, from this day forward, you are truly, truly my idol! You're my real brother!"
Wang Meng didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the damn fatty. "My real brother, my ass. You want to change your last name? Aren't you afraid your old man will beat you to death?"
"Hehe, we're sworn brothers! We've faced life and death together so many times, we're closer than actual brothers."
The Little Fatty was practically spitting with excitement, and Wang Meng couldn't help but crack a smile. In Zhang Xiaojiang's eyes, just surviving against Li Tianyi was a miracle, enough to keep him thrilled for a long time.
"That young man... Li Tianyi, he's actually quite good," Wang Meng remarked. 'Looks like the current standard in the Small Thousand World is decent enough.'
"Brother Meng, you're the strongest! They're just relying on their family backgrounds. Damn! If you had all their cultivation resources, you'd dominate the Holy Hall! Yeah, yeah, yeah!"
The Little Fatty was even more excited than if he'd seen Hu Jing's beautiful legs.
"Dominate the Holy Hall? Heh, cultivation isn't about domination. It's about struggling against the heavens," Wang Meng said with a smile.
"The heavens?"
Zhang Xiaopang scratched his head, then slapped his hand. "Brother Meng, you're getting more and more mystic. Ah! I remember who they are now! That swindler Zhou once rambled on to me about them. They're the nine most outstanding Third Generation Disciples of the Holy Hall, known as the Nine Heroes of the Holy Hall. I guess that means they can get away with anything, even stiffing girls on the bill. That Liangyuan guy is one of them too. Those nine basically do whatever they want in our generation and are the Holy Hall's top prospects for grooming. Damn! Doesn't that mean Li Tianyi's background is even more impressive? What kind of monster is he, to beat Liangyuan so easily? That... damn... that damned swindler Zhou! I get mad just thinking about him! He gave us a fake Guiding Talisman!" Zhang Xiaopang was so angry he pulled out all their things, ready to smash them.
Wang Meng took the items and, after a look, a strange smile appeared on his face. "The Guiding Talisman made us take the long way, but the destination is correct. The Divine Movement Talisman is real too."
Zhang Xiaopang scratched his head, still not understanding. It seemed that if they followed the Guiding Talisman, they could still reach Thunder Peak after all.
The rest of the items were fakes. It seemed this Zhou Qian had been quite thoughtful. He didn't want to offend Zhao Guang, but he didn't want to harm them either. He probably thought the two would use the Divine Movement Talisman to sprint all the way, never imagining they would be so bold and curious.
Zhang Xiaojiang was too exhausted to walk, so he had to let Qiuqiu carry him. Qiuqiu had played a crucial role in this operation. This reminded Wang Meng of Eight Discount, and of the other partners he had fought alongside. He wondered how they were doing. In the past, for the sake of cultivation, he had... no, not almost, he had *completely* abandoned so many things. Thinking back on it now, it was really foolish. 'This is a game played by the old man in the sky,' he mused. 'But now, a chess piece has jumped off the board. It's time for a new game!'
Meanwhile, Cultivators from all the various sects were busy trying to capture the Fifth-Transformation Golden Rhinoceros.
When he walked out of the Thunder Pool, a whole new Small Thousand World unfolded before Wang Meng's eyes. It was so beautiful, so nostalgic.
From now on, the vast sea was his to leap in, and the high heavens were his to fly through!