CRACK!
"...!" The sound of forcefully escaped air left Lin Ming's throat, alongside the horrendously loud shattering sound of his lower ribs. Like a cocked sea prawn, his body folded inwards around Wei Wuyin's kick.
WOOSH!!
BOOSH!!!
Lin Ming was launched to the other side of the curtain, crashing into it at blurring speeds. When he slammed into the light curtain, it rippled outwards endlessly and even the stage distorted. The sheer force that his body carried was absorbed by the stage, and it started to fracture with spider web-like cracks. Fortunately, the stage immediately repaired itself.
"GAH!" Lin Ming groaned in pain, his mouth spewing out buckets of blood, staining his teeth and lips a glaring crimson. His lower abdomen was sunken inwards, as if his internal organs there had been relocated entirely. For a split second, he lost consciousness from that strike, and only when he fell from the curtain, landing on his knees, did he regain himself.
"H-how?!" He spat, gushing out another mouthful of blood intermixed with traces of his inner organs. He had never been hit so hard in his life!
Wei Wuyin wasn't an ordinary cultivator, and his Astral Core's size wasn't even in the top three aspects of his cultivation level that was outstanding. As a Bloodline Cultivator, he had an outrageously strong physical body that had been refined by his True Dragon Bloodline.
After reaching the Seventh Stage of the Mark of Mortal Myth, reinforcing his limits of physical energy with Alchemical Products, he was like a living dragon that stood at the apex of the Mortal Limits. With a single punch, he could shatter a minor-sized planet down to its core.
In a way, this was testament to Lin Ming's refined and sturdy body and his endurance. If it wasn't for his body that could withstand such power, he would've become a stain on the stage or a burst of bloody mist.
Even Wei Wuyin was surprised by his resilience. While he hadn't used Draconic Force or evoked Draconification, that was his strongest kick using just his physical body. He hadn't expected Lin Ming to be able to resist it. At the very least, he thought it would render him unconscious.
"It seems Elemental Energies really are the strongest energies for body refinement that aren't physical-based energies like draconic energies," Wei Wuyin commented with a faint smile, recalling his Elemental Birth Phase at the Qi Condensation Realm. His own body was refined by elemental energies times four, and has been since then.
He wondered what limits of force he could resist.
As his thoughts wondered, Lin Ming scrambled to stand, using his elemental origin force to restore his damaged internal organs, causing him to show signs of visible recoveries. Clearly, his wood force was heavily connected to rejuvenation and restoration.
Those grey eyes of his stared daggers at Wei Wuyin, "You're truly sacrificing so much for power! Do you think Alchemical Products are invincible, that they can fix everything?!" He bloodily spat, clearly speaking to both buy time and release his own pent-up frustration. It's not like Wei Wuyin was the only one who possessed such forceful-enhancement means, but the cost was typically too much.
"..." Wei Wuyin truly did not understand why Lin Ming was assuming he had used insidious means to raise his strength, but the last bit struck a chord with him. He answered with a slight frown, "I don't know, but I intend to find out."
The Alchemic Dao was vast, seemingly boundless, heaven-defying, and included all things. It could reconstruct a living body that exceeded Mortal Limits, such as King of Everlore's Ever-Rebirth Pill, or allow one to comprehend things far beyond the imagination, such as the transcendent-quality Refraction World-Light Elixir.
His desire to learn more about the Alchemic Dao was at an all-time high.
Lin Ming ground his teeth. He wanted to delay Wei Wuyin long enough to allow his empowering methods to dissipate, but he felt that plan wasn't very reliable. So, he had to use his greatest trump card!
With a deep breath, he stood upright and his aura changed. A surge of wind sent the platform rippling about, and even the curtain of light started to vibrate. A faint glow of white started to emanate from his skin. The glow condensed into white runic markings that had a faint hue of light green. Before long, his body became covered with tattoos that resembled tribal markings.
Wei Wuyin noted these changes, "A runic-enhancement art?" These arts were extremely rare, almost impossible to find in the starfield. He had one: the Bloodforging Mystic Method. It was designed by the Bloodforge Emperor, a cultivator that exceeded Mortal Limits, and could provide a burst of power to the cultivator.
Those runes that were formed, circulating around Lin Ming's body, contained traces of power that exceeded the Mortal Limits. Yuan Longshi had used his runic-enhancement art before his death when fighting against Qi Lang, the Continental Guardian of the Bloodforge Continent. The enhancement had elevated his physical energies and reinforced his body. It was detailed as the Bloodforge Armor in the Bloodforging Mystic Method, its third level. There were higher levels, and almost the entire Bloodforging Mystic Method was about runic-enhancements.
Wei Wuyin was curious, wanting to see Lin Ming's trump cards. This was the only reason he hadn't ended the fight sooner, wanted to see what a Blessed at his level could muster.
Lin Ming seemed to regain some of his confidence, giving off a heroic and valiant feeling. He lifted his palm, shouting out: "Here!" As if hearing his call, the Origin Spear that had embedded itself into the earth almost a thousand miles away vibrated and seemed to come alive. With a heavy vibrational wave, it shattered the nearby earth around it and transformed into a ray of white light.
It moved at mind-boggling speeds!
Wei Wuyin turned his head towards the incoming white light, intrigued by its arrival. To think it could be recalled to him! This astral armament wasn't ordinary by any means! Furthermore, it penetrated through the light curtain and arrived in front of Lin Ming with a swish, releasing faint white light.
As it hovered in front of him, Lin Ming smiled. Invigorated by the spear's return, he grabbed it with a sentimental look. It vibrated in happiness, sending out rays of white light.
"I'll show you what real power is," Lin Ming declared. He hadn't even looked at Wei Wuyin, his focus entirely on the spear. It was as if Wei Wuyin no longer mattered, that his defeat was determined the moment he decided to get serious. With his hair that seemingly moved without wind, the fluttering of his white robes, that handsome visage, and the runic markings that covered his body, he looked like an empowered immortal ready to face a great demon.
"..." Wei Wuyin was silent. 'You know, I won't lie. You look a little badass right now, reminds me of those heroes my older brother used to tell me about.' Lost in thought, Wei Wuyin sighed to himself. He could imagine how many women would be moved by Lin Ming's current looks and confidence.
Was this the point where it turns around?
Where Lin Ming flips the table and grasps victory?!
Even below, the young woman beside the young man was entranced by Lin Ming's splendor. Her eyes were bright with admiration and hope, as if she wished for Lin Ming to overcome all odds against his greatest opponent.
The young woman in the Sky Zephyr City, who provoked fear and caution even in Grand Priest Zi Gu, had the faintest of smiles that elevated her beauty and attractiveness to the next level. She quietly said, "No wonder Senior Sister Lin regards him so highly, he has some good qualities."
Tang Xingyun's eyes flashed with hope, witnessing Lin Ming in his strongest state. Even she felt the immense power emanating from his body! Even she was fearful! So this comforted her heart.
A dissatisfied voice resounded beside her, "It's only a Runic Transformation Art, so what? Just a little bit of talent; nothing worth drooling over."
But this only caused Tang Xingyun to give off a small smile.
There were numerous women enamored by Lin Ming's current state and appearance, especially with the blood that made him even more heroic, even more unforgettable!
Lin Ming didn't just stop there, but tapped into his greatest strength! His body rippled with spiritual strength, causing the world's light to faint dim as a star of white slowly manifested above! It was ever-shifting, all-containing, with the qualities of the nine elemental states.
From within, others could see raindrops of condensed lightning, flames that left ice in its wake, and liquid metal that flowed like rivers! There were countless permutations and transformations, changes in various states and changes in fundamental thinking!
The white star stood at nine hundred meters, with nine white rings that orbited it! A wave of boundless spiritual strength erupted, causing the sky outside the curtain to disperse, the earth to quake, and the platform beneath their feet to ripple outwards!
When the nine Origin Dragons saw this, their playfulness ended as their eyes fixated on this white star. They all wore solemn gazes filled with hostility.
Lin Ming had summoned his Soul Idol! It had Nine-Rings and was formed from his Divine Elemental Astral Soul!
Wei Wuyin observed the white star, intrigued by the differences between his own and Lin Ming's, but he found very little. When Ori had Nine-Rings, it looked almost the exact same, with the difference being the spiritual strength unleashed!
Unlike Lin Ming's, Ori experienced a tribulation far greater, absorbed more Manifested Spirit Energy, so its rings were more realistic, its transformations were more prominent, and its aura was devastatingly powerful. It was so terrifyingly high that he never dared to casually evoke his Soul Idol due to the immense energy required to sustain them.
Even now, Wei Wuyin wasn't willing to unleash any of his ten-ringed Soul Idols. He had tried it briefly, and it could only last for roughly five seconds. Perhaps if he had a normal ten-ringed Soul Idol, then he could do so for long periods of time, but the Manifested Spirit Energy absorbed and refined in each ring was enough to encircle several starfields.
It wasn't that Wei Wuyin never wanted to reveal it, but he truly didn't dare!
With a faint internal sigh at his circumstance, Wei Wuyin decided to move. With a step, he blurred towards Lin Ming while empowered by draconic force. His speed had elevated at least eight times!
Lin Ming was still faintly smiling, currently in his strongest state, when a shadow arrived before him and clasped its hand around his neck, sending a surge of power that ripped apart his Soul Idol and runic markings on his body.
With widened eyes, the crowd watched!
