Crouching Ox Island, on Ice Crystal Beach.
"Tyrant Slash!"
Shangguan Yun swung the Giant Axe in a full circle, spinning it like a wheel.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As the axe's shadow swept past, faint grooves appeared in the surrounding space.
Thud!
The Giant Axe finally struck the ground, cleaving a massive crack more than ten zhang long into the beach.
"Commander." Shangguan Yun stood with his axe in hand, looking toward Zhou Hao, who stood nearby with his hands behind his back. His eyes were full of anticipation and fervor. "Please give me your pointers."
Zhou Hao nodded slightly. With a thought, a series of whirlpools appeared in the surrounding space.
They were not very powerful at first, but as they spun faster, they drew on the power of heaven and earth. Before long, the forces of water and fire flowed into them, swirling around Shangguan Yun.
Shangguan Yun tried to strike the water-and-fire whirlpools with his Giant Axe. The moment it made contact, a tremendous force rebounded against him, nearly wrenching the axe from his grasp.
His expression changed.
He knew that after breaking into the Purple Mansion realm, the commander had far surpassed them Xiantian Lifeforms. But merely drawing upon the power of heaven and earth to conjure these water-and-fire whirlpools had left him feeling utterly unable to resist. Even so, Shangguan Yun was shaken.
"Old Yun," Zhou Hao said, "you were born with divine strength, and your path is one of sheer force. Tyrant Slash is like a wild ox charging into a wall—you want to pour all your strength into a single strike. But remember, when things reach their extreme, they turn in the opposite direction. Whatever reaches its peak must then decline. You must keep in mind that excessive hardness makes something easy to break."