Chapter 165: “Sky Lock

The earth cracked with a deafening roar.

A razor-thin beam of condensed battle qi tore through the snow-laden sky, revealing the stars and heavens directly before them; as silver moonlight fell, it illuminated two terrifying figures.

At the epicenter of the exploding clash of battle qi and demonic power, the force radiating from between them surged like a mountain flood, cascading onto the ground—crumbling earth unleashed terrifying energy, shards of rock and soil blasted outward, flung hundreds of meters by the raging wind.

All onlookers held their breath; even they could vaguely sense the combatants' intentions, so no one intervened in this one-on-one duel… including Huanhai.

"Ninety-five percent—"

Hogyuro's already developed muscles swelled like inflating balloons, his clothes shredded in an instant; his entire body brimmed with iron-hard muscle, even his neck covered in armored gray muscle fibers, tightly knotted beneath the skin, sculpting a monstrous form.

One second.

Just one second after Hogyuro's physique transformed, Jia Qi also shed his upper clothing.

The crimson blood trickling from his lips revealed that, had he not mastered the "Defense" mode, his arm would have already been reduced to pulp.

Acupuncture?

Using such a technique before Hogyuro, whether it could pierce his muscle armor and produce the same effect as striking a human body aside, defeating him with such a trick would violate the very spirit of this fight.

Second strike!

Jia Qi unleashed all his battle qi, strength, and realm—along with the spiritual light born from his soul—and poured every last ounce into his right fist.

"Hogyuro, let's settle this again!!"

A sound like ringing steel rang out ahead; the warrior transformed into a demon laughed wildly, his eyes burning as he roared back—"Stop talking nonsense!!"

"One hundred percent—!"

His once rugged face now bore only ferocity and grotesqueness; the overwhelming demonic aura threatened to devour everything before him, turning the entire forest into an ocean of demonic power, its surging heat causing the air to ripple terrifyingly—weak demons would be reduced to ash in an instant.

Two fierce warriors, one large, one small, yet both speaking only through fists—neither yielding an inch, neither stepping back…

Their fists collided.

Simple, unadorned fists unleashed two colossal storms that crashed together; at the moment of impact, the world fell utterly silent.

Yet… the instant his fist met Hogyuro's massive fist, an unstoppable force surged into his body, causing it to begin collapsing.

The shattered, flying flesh and blood had barely left his body when they turned to dust under demonic energy, leaving not a single trace.

Crack—

The faint sound of splitting could not escape the ears of anyone present.

Whether spiritual power or battle qi, all were suppressed beneath Hogyuro's demonic force; the rebounding power pierced his defense, and with a metallic shriek, his flesh was torn and shattered.

On his bare, muscular upper body, every muscle and patch of skin now bore glowing fissures—as if his form were held together only by some external force, and a single light touch would cause him to collapse into thousands of fragments.

In contrast, Hogyuro's fist and arm, though cracked, had already healed completely thanks to his supreme muscular control and demonic regeneration.

In truth, if Jia Qi now activated the Ten Thousand Mirrors, he could escape without issue—no one could stop him.

"Too bad—taking ten thousand steps back is still tiring," Jia Qi thought out of nowhere.

—This was the path he chose himself.

If he fled, he would invite heaven's mockery!

"Still want to fight?"

Yukina and Mukan's faces turned deathly pale; they murmured to themselves, unable to bear watching further—they had struggled to understand why Jia Qi held such obsession with Hogyuro, as if willingly boarding a train to hell…

But now, seeing Jia Qi's unchanging expression, perhaps they would understand after today.

The Northern Dipper martial artist, barely holding a stance, suddenly felt sweetness rise in his throat; blood gushed from all seven orifices, his retinas flooded red.

He nearly collapsed, hearing a roaring like a river surging within his body—the result of Hogyuro's demonic power invading his veins, causing three forces to battle inside him.

"Come."

Hogyuro spoke, voicing the word for him.

It meant: continue.

In an instant, Jia Qi stabilized his body.

Casting aside all distractions, every ounce of power bursting from his bones, muscles, and blood crushed the invading demonic force; his burning will, every strand of battle qi and spiritual light surging within him, channeled entirely into this strike.

All of it—all the power he could gather—was condensed into his fist.

Is this enough?

Can this defeat Hogyuro, this demon king?

Not enough.

Far from enough.

If this is all, victory is impossible.

"I don't understand 'can't win'!"

The pure, unyielding desire for a thrilling battle finally found what it had always sought.

Hey, Hogyuro is also a younger brother type… Who's ever heard of a younger brother surpassing his elder brother?!

All bottlenecks, all limits—fuck them all! If I lose to a worthy opponent like Hogyuro, I'll never accept it!

Not even in death!

Don't I still have life?!

True battle means unleashing your full strength and skill, delivering your strongest punch to obliterate a mighty foe with glorious fury!

Northern Dipper Divine Fist Secret Art—

Turning Dragon Breath, Hard Form—

—Northern Dipper Luo Han Strike!!

This was the secret art Jia Qi had once hated most, the one he was least skilled in—yet the very technique that let him channel every experience he'd endured, to achieve his own "glorious breakthrough," his own "power surge"—his own fist!

Those long-dormant forces, the battle qi and spiritual light stubbornly locked at a fixed limit—finally—!

Finally—!!

Roaring past the "Heaven's Lock" imposed by heaven upon mortals, ordinary bones, mediocrities, and side characters, they violently "revived" and "awoke," attaining their rightful power!

And none of this came from any external force.

This third-rate villain—he pushed his power to this extreme at the last moment, solely through sheer "fighting spirit" and the ferocious will to win!

As these forces broke through, Jia Qi's entire aura underwent a profound transformation—becoming deeper, colder, and from his chest slowly emerged seven blue star-like constellations shaped like the Northern Dipper; his whole being radiated a formidable presence, assuming a posture that stirred the soul.

It was, simply…

…the North Star—unshakable, eternal, shattering heaven and earth!

(End of Chapter)