Piercing the Clouds and Breaking the Mist to Shock Heaven and Earth, Drinking the Rain and Eating the Wind to Make Spirits and Gods Weep.

"Wooo--!"

Amidst the whistling wind, there was a faint, soul-shaking tiger roar!

It was not the roar of a physical beast, but an anomaly born from the condensation of killing intent and willpower to their absolute limit, stirring the essence of heaven and earth!

The blurry black tiger phantom behind him actually solidified somewhat within this gale and killing intent. Though still illusory, its world-dominating, ferocious aura caused the lunging Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python to freeze, a look of uncertainty flashing in its cold, vertical pupils for the first time.

Situ Xuan himself, standing at the eye of the storm, felt a strange sense of "stillness."

His spirit soared infinitely, and his senses became sharper than ever before. He could even "hear" the faint sound of the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python's muscle fibers tightening, "see" the subtle changes in airflow caused by every flap of the Iron-Winged Goshawk's wings, and "perceive" the heartbeat frequency and gnawing rhythm of every Bloodthirsty Demon Rat beneath his feet.

The entire world seemed to slow down in his "eyes," breaking apart into countless clearly visible "lines" and "points."

Those were the trajectories of energy flow, the weak links in power, and... the gaps between life and death!

"Is this... the 'pre-pre-pre'?"

A realization welled up in his heart. It was not about predicting the future, but rather, before the "start" of the battle even began, he had used extreme insight and complete mastery over the environment and his opponents to instinctively grasp the fleeting "cause" that would determine victory or defeat!

In this state of "stillness," his body felt as if it had been wound up like a spring, harboring explosive "motion"!

The Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python could not resist its instincts and greed after all. After that brief hesitation, it lunged out like a colorful bolt of lightning. Its gaping maw was large enough to swallow Situ Xuan's head, and a foul, toxic mist sprayed out first!

At almost the same moment, the talons of the Iron-Winged Goshawk descended upon his head!

However, Situ Xuan moved.

His movements did not look fast; they even carried a flowing, effortless grace. Yet, at the most critical, hair-thin moment, he dodged every lethal attack with pinpoint precision.

Facing the python's strike, he neither retreated nor blocked. Instead, his body slid slightly to the left as if he had no bones. Simultaneously, he pressed his right index and middle fingers together, a faint, invisible black light condensing at his fingertips. Like a dragonfly skimming the water, he lightly tapped a hidden spot on the python's lower jaw, covered in dense, colorful scales!

Fist of the North Star--Pressure Point Strike!

Awakening Sharp Point!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, yet the ferocious Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python felt as if all its strength had been instantly drained. Its massive body stiffened abruptly, its forward momentum coming to a sudden halt before it slumped limply to the ground, splashing up a cloud of dust.

It was not dead, but the toxic energy circulating through its body seemed to have been severed. Its massive frame twitched, unable to move for the time being.

At the same time, Situ Xuan's left palm patted upward into the void, the movement gentle as if he were lifting something invisible.

A sudden, yin-soft yet irresistible suction force erupted from his palm--a variant application of the Two-Finger Vacuum Hold!

The diving Iron-Winged Goshawk felt the airflow beneath it instantly become incredibly viscous, as if it had fallen into an invisible quagmire. Its pride-and-joy speed and agility were severely hampered, and its diving trajectory was forcibly twisted and pulled off course!

"Skree!"

The goshawk shrieked in panic, flapping its wings desperately to break free.

But would Situ Xuan give it the chance?

Using the recoil from striking the python, his body spun like a whirlwind. His right leg swept out like a steel whip, the wind from the kick tearing through the air with a sharp whistle!

"Big Dipper Steel Tendon Severing Kick!"

This kick swept with absolute precision into the relatively fragile junction of the Iron-Winged Goshawk's wing roots, which had been exposed during its struggle!

"Crack!"

The teeth-grinding sound of bone fracturing rang out once more!

The Iron-Winged Goshawk let out a shrill, miserable cry. One wing hung limply, and its massive body lost balance, spinning like a kite with a broken string as it smashed into the distant dense forest, snapping countless branches. Its life or death was unknown.

In the blink of an eye, two great enemies had been subdued and crippled!

By now, the Bloodthirsty Demon Rats on Situ Xuan's body had crawled to his chest, their sharp teeth frantically gnawing at his protective killing intent and flesh.

A cold light flashed in Situ Xuan's eyes. The profound state of "stillness" had not vanished; instead, it perfectly combined with the boiling "motion" of the killing intent within him.

He no longer used any specific technique, simply unleashing the remaining soul power within his body and the heaven-and-earth killing intent he had stirred up in an almost instinctive explosion!

"Get lost!"

A low shout erupted like a thunderclap!

Centered on his body, a shockwave mixed with pitch-black killing intent and pale golden soul power expanded in a ring!

"Puff, puff, puff, puff--!"

Those Bloodthirsty Demon Rats clinging to him were crushed by an invisible, immense force, instantly exploding into mists of blood!

The rats slightly further away were also blown away by the shockwave, rolling back like a black tide amidst a chorus of squealing screams.

After the shockwave passed, a clear zone was left with Situ Xuan at the center.

The wind blew, carrying a thick, bloody stench.

On the field, Situ Xuan was the only one left standing.

The Earth-Shaking Giant Ape lay on the ground howling, blood gushing from its knee; the Seven-Colored Poisonous Miasma Python lay limp, struggling in vain; the Iron-Winged Goshawk had crashed into the forest, its sounds fading; the tide of Bloodthirsty Demon Rats retreated dozens of meters, cowering and refusing to advance.

He stood alone amidst a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, his clothes tattered and covered in wounds. His left arm was a mess from the corrosive venom, blood still wet at the corners of his mouth, his face pale from blood loss and exhaustion.

But his spine remained straight.

Those eyes no longer held the previous madness and violence; in their place was a bottomless exhaustion, and beneath that exhaustion, a hard, calm light like steel tempered through fire.

He slowly raised his hands, looking at his scarred palms, feeling the power within him—nearly depleted, yet slowly regenerating as he drew wisps of essence from heaven and earth through the Dragon-Turning Breathing Method—along with the soul power that had undergone a qualitative change after its initial fusion with the killing intent.

An indescribable realization welled up in his heart.

Yin and Yang, movement and stillness, life and death, malevolence and righteousness...

They were not absolute opposites, but rather forces that, under extreme pressure, could transform into one another and achieve each other.

"Heh..."

He let out a soft laugh, tinged with a hint of hoarseness and a touch of relief.

Then, he took a deep breath, his chest swelling as he channeled all the pent-up pain, exhaustion, madness, and fury within his chest—along with the grand passion of finally defeating a powerful enemy and transcending himself—into a single, earth-shattering roar!

"Awoo—roar—!!!"

This long roar began like the howl of a wolf, shrill and tenacious; midway, it transformed into the roar of a tiger, domineering and ferocious!

"Hahahaha!"

"Piercing clouds and breaking mist to shock the heavens and earth, drinking rain and eating wind to make ghosts and gods weep. The vast skies tremble for ten thousand miles, turning the universe and the four seas upside down."

"Refreshing! Truly refreshing!"

Situ Xuan laughed wildly without restraint. As the wind and clouds churned, a few flashes of finger light streaked out, instantly killing the remaining wailing Soul Beasts. He sat cross-legged on the spot without a care, absorbing the nebula-like halo of spiritual energy.

The Soul Beast Little Black Tiger transformed back into a streak of black light and flew out, lying exhaustedly on top of Situ Xuan's head. It found a comfortable spot, enjoying the sensation of the spiritual energy halo continuously strengthening its own essence.