Chapter 153: 148 The Rising of the Sun

Sunlight and shadow formed the black and white colors of the Heavenly Gang.

The Qi of shadow was restrained by the white-gold Gang Qi refined by the Great Sun Divine Carriage; upon seeing the sun, it melted and vanished into nothingness.

Yet the sunlight was of the same nature as the Gang Qi.

Tang Zhao's Great Sun Divine Carriage Mysterious Technique was a top-tier Mysterious Technique that suppressed other Gang Qi, but the Great Village Master's Heavenly Gang was a mixture of natural forces, so the two sides vied with each other, each having their own victories and defeats.

But Tang Zhao still had the confidence to suppress him; since he was named Tang Zhao, with his bright, shining sunlight, how could he be outdone by someone else here?

Did you see the burning sword in his hand? The sword itself would not agree!

Opposite him, Peng Duanhai's expression was ferocious as he shouted, "What kind of bullshit are you spouting? I haven't even gotten serious yet! Watch my Rooster Crowing Fist—"

"Rooster—Two Crows!"

He swung his arms forward and threw an uppercut, as if a rooster had stretched out its neck—

A mass of nearly pure white Gang Qi instantly took shape and struck toward Tang Zhao! Compared to the previous Rooster Two Crows, this Gang Qi was even whiter. Peng Duanhai was experienced and saw at a glance that the black Gang Qi could not harm his opponent, so he immediately switched to white Gang. It was just that his training was not pure, and in the end, it was mixed with wisps of black.

Bang—

Before Tang Zhao could dodge, that mass of Gang Qi had already exploded in mid-air, as if a white thunderbolt had been detonated in the sky; the white light surged, swallowing everything within several zhang around it.

The next moment, a streak of red rose amidst the white Gang Qi, as if a beautiful divine bird were spreading its wings.

"Vermilion Bird Swallows Fire!"

A phantom of a Vermilion Bird appeared in the sky, and the Gang Qi was instantly transformed into light and flame, absorbed by it and turned into feathers on its wings, as if a layer of white gauze had been draped over its red body.

This was not an Art Tool, but a Sword Art; the Sword Art contained within a Dharma Artifact could not compare to a real sword, yet it possessed a power that Art Tools could not match.

Within defense, there must also be offense!

"Great Sun Thousand Needles—"

The Vermilion Bird phantom dissipated, revealing the youth draped in white flames. The Great Sun Gang Qi on Tang Zhao's body pulsed incessantly, transforming into countless fine needles like ox hair, trailing white-gold flames as they flew out like a rainstorm—

This was a technique of the Great Sun Divine Carriage, a Gang Qi ultimate move.

"Trifling skill, Rooster Three Crows!"

It was as if Peng Duanhai had grown a thousand hands, simultaneously throwing several punches in succession all around him; the light and flames attached to his fists connected into a single piece, forming a white sun wheel around his body, wrapping his torso in all directions.

Chi chi chi—

Countless golden needles shot into the sun wheel, as if sparks had jumped into a bonfire, and immediately vanished without a trace.

When the all-penetrating met the impenetrable, it could only stop.

"Rooster—Four Crows!" Peng Duanhai had let loose; various ultimate moves came one after another. He raised one hand high, and the Gang Qi gathered along his arm toward the tip, forming a massive fist.

He swung the punch!

As he swung forward, the massive fist surged ahead; although that fist had left his hand, it had not detached, as the Gang Qi was still connected to his arm. Seen from afar, it looked as if his arm had been elongated.

Gang Qi that has not detached can be controlled at will; although the attack range is limited, it is more flexible and powerful.

Tang Zhao dodged to the side, and the fist followed, turning to pursue him like a shadow. He simply sprinted, dragging that fist along to take a stroll around the arena. The fist chased closer and closer, but Tang Zhao's movement technique was also very flexible, and he could always dodge at the most critical moment. If it truly got too close, he would use his Gang Qi to dive, attaching the Gang Qi to his hand to exchange a blow with the fist, and then use the impact force to dash forward several zhang, widening the distance again.

It was not that Tang Zhao lacked more convenient movement techniques, or that he couldn't even teleport himself, but he simply chose not to, intent on leading that fist in circles around the arena. While running, he also scattered flames all around, as if creating a bonfire. Gradually, the fist was stretched longer and longer, which was very taxing on his Gang Qi. Peng Duanhai held on stubbornly without letting go, and the Gang Qi arm already looked like a winding, coiling snake, wrapping around circle after circle.

But such high consumption naturally had its benefits; the fist still chased extremely fast because it had not left Peng Duanhai's hand, and its turning was extremely flexible. Tang Zhao could never open up a distance and was instead being chased closer and closer.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of wind above his head. He looked up and saw that Jiang Shenyi had returned.

Jiang Shenyi was still a distance away, but he could return to the battlefield at any time.

Tang Zhao raised his hand to the sky in greeting, signaling that he could handle it and there was no need to intervene.

Jiang Shenyi pointed behind him.

Behind him?

As he turned his head, he saw the massive fist right against his face—

"Rooster Five Crows—"

Chi!

The fist suddenly extended, transforming into a hand blade, stabbing toward Tang Zhao's body! The speed was extremely fast, as fast as a thought, leaving no time to react!

"Ah!"

A miserable scream!

That was not Tang Zhao screaming, but Peng Duanhai!

Jiang Shenyi was staring at Tang Zhao from the sky and was just startled to see him pierced by the hand blade, but then he heard the scream behind him. Turning his head, he saw Peng Duanhai covered in white-gold needles, looking just like a hedgehog. Every golden needle was burning, igniting his skin and emitting a smell of scorched flesh.

Turning his head again, he saw the Gang Qi hand blade vanish, and Tang Zhao was nowhere to be seen on the spot.

The next moment, a mass of flames burned in the arena, and Tang Zhao walked out from within.

"Fire Substitute."

Tang Zhao's clothes were clean and dry; the flames were like his outer garment, gently wrapping around him without harming him in the slightest.

This was not a Sword Art, but a Sword Controlling Art. It was not even a high-level, unique Sword Controlling Art, but a move found in most Sword Controlling Arts—a general Sword Controlling Art that all Sword Guests could learn, varying according to the sword. The Blood Sword had a Blood Substitute, and the Fire Sword had a Fire Substitute. The key was to set it up in advance. For as much Vermilion Bird fire as Tang Zhao had scattered earlier, he had that many backups.

He handled the heavy as if it were light, while Peng Duanhai was pierced by a thousand needles and collapsed to the ground.

Tang Zhao did not fire the Great Sun Golden Needles a second time, but the needles fired the first time had been there all along.

"My golden needles were only temporarily blocked by your Gang Qi. Once you overused your Gang Qi, your protective Gang Qi was spread thin, thinner than the tips of the needles, and the golden needles immediately pierced your body."

Tang Zhao walked over slowly and kindly explained, "Did you think your Gang Qi had swallowed mine and melted my golden needles? That is impossible. Both being sunlight, I am the sun, and you are merely the morning light. How can a wisp of morning light compare to the sun itself?"

"Bah—" Although Peng Duanhai was pierced by a thousand needles, he only wailed the first time, then gritted his teeth and endured, his fierce aura not diminishing in the slightest. "It's like this again, despicable Sword Art..."

Tang Zhao shook his head and said, "Do not mistake it; this is not a Sword Art, it is a Gang Qi ultimate move. Why is it that only you are allowed to have your roosters crowing back and forth, and I am not allowed to have a Gang Qi ultimate move?"

The Great Sun Thousand Needles was indeed an ultimate move from the "Great Sun Divine Carriage," where white-gold Gang Qi transformed into needles; as long as the fire did not extinguish, the needles would not cease.

The most primitive Mysterious Technique was merely a cultivation method used to climb to higher realms, increase Spirit, stimulate Inspiration, and prepare for the Sword Guest. But as those among the Loose Practitioners who lacked Inspiration but were nonetheless brilliant continued to explore, Gang Qi gradually developed various ultimate moves capable of contending with Sword Arts. For example, Peng Duanhai's Rooster Crowing, or Tang Zhao's Great Sun Thousand Needles.

This ultimate move underwent further changes in Tang Zhao's hands; he was skilled at identifying and sealing acupoints, so after the golden needles pierced the body, they could automatically seal the acupoints. Even if the opponent could endure the pain, they would be unable to control their body, becoming a puppet.

He looked down at the bitterly gritting Peng Duanhai and said sternly, "I have something to Ask you. If you answer truthfully, I will not torture you..."

Peng Duanhai shouted, "Pah, screw your mother—"

He roared loudly, his entire body's Gang Qi shaking.

In this desperate situation, he unleashed his Gang Qi regardless of the consequences; one could see wisps of black and white intertwined Gang Qi emerging from every acupuncture point on his body. Although the surrounding golden needles had sealed his points, that overflowing Momentum could not be stopped.

"Rooster... one hundred crows!"

Massive explosion!

Countless Gang Qi erupted from his entire body, the black and white colors shooting into the sky. Unlike before, where they were entangled, they now separated, one side pure black and the other pure white, just like the horizon divided by the terminator line!

The Gang Qi was like a celestial phenomenon, sweeping across the surroundings; just as heaven has the shifting of dawn and dusk and the alternation of day and night imposed upon all things, all things must only submit.

It began with black and white clearly defined, each taking half, but somehow, the white expanded more and more while the black gradually receded, until it finally suffered complete Disappearance. Only the white Gang Qi remained, shooting straight into the sky.

In the end, the color of the white Gang Qi changed; it was no longer a bright white, but carried a brilliant white-gold.

That was not one color in the Gang Qi fading while another grew heavy, but one type of Gang Qi retreating while another type blossomed!

Amidst the white-gold, the figure of a youth remained straight, and the Gang Qi that had previously always gently coiled around him finally became as cruel and intense as the scorching sun at noon.

"Rooster One Crow Sees the Sun Rise, Rooster One Crow Makes the World White—so, the Gang Qi you cultivate merges the light and darkness of dawn and dusk, yet you constantly use rooster crows as your moves; is that where it comes from?"

The white-gold on Tang Zhao's body underwent Superposition layer by layer, and with each added layer, the color became a fraction more glorious. This glory was also the strength of his Gang Qi; the Great Sun Gang Qi, which originally had a texture similar to the black and white Gang Qi, now crushed the Dawn and Dusk Gang Qi.

This is the difference between a true sun and a false sun, the difference between a star and a Lamp.

"Think about it carefully, it really is laughable. No matter how high-pitched a rooster crows, can it call out the sun? It is merely seeing the red sun in the sky and crowing out of extreme joy. How could the changes of dawn and dusk be determined by the likes of you, a petty thief?"

As he walked forward, the violent Gang Qi gradually extinguished, but his face and body were still covered in a hazy luster, as if he were a Sun Child.

Peng Duanhai, who had already released all his Gang Qi, collapsed to the ground, watching the youth walking over step by step, bracing his last breath to glare at him.

Peng Duanhai was inherently a fierce and stubborn person; at this moment of near-death, it instead incited his ferocity. Ignoring the youth's Gang Qi and majesty, he glared straight at him. Never mind that he possessed the fire of the sun; even if a deity walked out of the real sun, he would still want to bite a few pieces of flesh off him.

Gradually, the last layer of halo on Tang Zhao's body dissipated, and he was once again completely a youth scholar of the mortal world. He did not enjoy the otherworldly nature of a deity, but instead revealed the curiosity of an ordinary person, saying, "I am very curious. Is your ultimate Gang Qi move just called 'one crow', 'two crows', 'three crows' so straightforwardly? Before, there was the flowery seven-character name 'Rooster One Crow Sees the Sun Rise', but did you stop using parallel phrasing afterward? Is it that besides your Inspiration failing, your brain isn't good either, and you can't even remember the last few characters of your ultimate move?"

Hearing this, Peng Duanhai suddenly felt a blockage in his heart, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.