A Lone Boat in the Surging Waves

The aftershocks of each collision silently destroyed mountains in the distance.

The earth undulated, as if being pushed and shoved by giant waves.

But right in the eye of the storm, Qi Heng stood there, motionless.

He had one hand behind his back, while the other hand waved rhythmically, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

With a slight shift of his body, his left fist, powerful enough to destroy a continent, slid past the hem of his clothes.

With a gentle lift of his hand and a light press of his fingers, the sweeping leg strike seemed to have hit an invisible wall, its force completely neutralized.

He occasionally took a half step back, his timing impeccable, and his fierce knee strikes missed, only causing a few wisps of air to rise from his trouser leg.

Super 17's attacks are becoming increasingly frenzied.

Fists, feet, elbows, and knees flew in quick succession, filling the entire space in a mere second.

Black, destructive energy flashed between his limbs, like a vast net of despair, threatening to ensnare both gods and demons.

Wave after wave of energy blasts bombarded the area, turning everything within a radius of several kilometers into lava and scorched earth.

But what about Qi Heng? He was like a small boat in a storm, or even a feather floating in the eye of the storm.

His body swayed gently with the airflow, each movement hitting the very limit, always just a hair's breadth away from being hit.

The violent energy storm made his wide robes flutter wildly, but he didn't even flinch.

"Too slow."

His voice cut through all the roar, steady as a deep well, drilling directly into Super 17's sensors.

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Heng's right hand, which had been behind his back, finally moved.

He simply threw a punch forward.

This punch didn't make a whistling sound, nor did it produce any dazzling energy light; it didn't even stir up the surrounding air.

It was just like an ordinary person casually waving their hand.

However, in Super 17's combat sensors, the trajectory of this punch locked down all space in all directions—front, back, left, right, up, and down—making it so slow it was despair-inducing, yet impossible to dodge.

"Bang--!"

The deep impact reverberated throughout all the energy circuits within Super 17's body.

Qi Heng's fist slammed solidly into his chest, which was made of the universe's strongest alloy.

Super 17's body instantly transformed into a blur, its speed several times faster than before, as it flew backward.

The air was struck, creating a visible, milky-white sonic boom ring.

He spun around desperately in mid-air, trying to steady himself, before his feet slammed heavily into the ground.

"Swoosh--Boom--!"

His feet were like two red-hot plows, carving two furrows several kilometers long and tens of meters deep into the scorched earth. The molten lava surged along the furrows, making his face look ferocious.

He trailed a cloud of dust as he finally came to a stop.

"Puff--"

A black, viscous liquid that gleamed with an eerie light dripped from the corner of his metallic mouth.

When it drips onto the ground, it immediately corrodes and creates a deep hole.

Super 17's blood-red optical eyes flickered violently, filled with shock and bewilderment.

His internal energy readings were alarming.

"This...this is impossible..." His voice trembled and crackled with electronic noise. "My body is made of eternal alloy...my power can devour stars...how could this be..."

Qi Heng walked forward, getting closer step by step.

His shoes landed lightly on the scorched earth, but each step felt like a blow to the energy core of Super 17, making him feel uncomfortable and blocked inside.

"Your body was created, and your power is derived from plunder," Qi Heng said calmly. "But your skills and understanding of power are too crude. You possess a treasure trove, yet you only know how to squander it with brute force."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Super 17 roared, forcefully suppressing the system's chaotic alarm.

He suddenly raised his arms, palms facing Qi Heng.

The energy device spun wildly, emitting dark red light.

Countless thumb-sized black spheres instantly gathered and rained down on Qi Heng like a meteor shower.

Each energy blast scorched the air, distorting even the space itself.

Faced with an attack powerful enough to flatten the continent, Qi Heng neither dodged nor quickened his pace.

He simply raised his right hand, which he had just retracted, and casually drew a circle in front of him with his fingers spread naturally.

A golden light screen instantly unfolded, as if pulled out of thin air, blocking all the black energy projectiles.

The energy blasts struck the light barrier, exploding into countless black arcs of electricity. The continuous explosions nearly tore the battlefield apart.

The shockwave spread wildly, swirling debris and dust into vortexes.

But Qi Heng, at the center of the storm, didn't even flinch.

He stood quietly, his gaze remaining calm even through the chaotic interplay of light and shadow.

"Energy attacks are useless against me."

Super 17 hovered in the air, a cold smile playing on his lips, his voice mocking. "How long can your light barrier hold?"

Qi Heng ignored him, and simply slowly raised his right hand, gently clenching his five fingers.

The golden light curtain suddenly contracted, converging into a blazing stream of light, like compressing the sun's radiance into a single line, shooting directly towards Super 17.

The light stream passed through the air, and wherever it went, even the air itself was distorted and hissed from the intense heat.

A hint of disdain flashed in Super 17's eyes.

He landed steadily, crossed his arms, and the two black crystals in his palms lit up, creating a suction vortex—he prepared to swallow the energy in the same way as before.

But the moment that beam of golden light touched his palm, Super 17's expression froze.

This was not the "qi" or energy he was familiar with, and he couldn't absorb it at all.

This power is primordial and violent, like the chaos of the nascent universe, and does not belong to any category that can be "devoured".

"Ugh--!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore through Super 17's throat.

The beam of golden light was heavy and impactful, violently knocking his palms away and slamming into his chest.

He flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing into three rock pillars before finally kneeling in the dust and smoke, panting as he struggled to his feet.

He looked down at his palms—the two black crystals that had never been damaged were now covered with fine cracks, their dim light flickering as if they were about to go out at any moment.

"You... what did you do...!" Super 17's voice was still trembling, filled with shock and pain.

He suddenly looked up and stared intently at Qi Heng.

Qi Heng also looked at him, his eyes as deep as an ancient well.

"Your absorption ability is indeed impressive." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried across the entire battlefield. "But what you can absorb is only 'qi' and 'energy'."

He paused.

"And what I just used—was not 'qi'."

Super 17's face turned deathly pale instantly, as if all the color had been drained from him.

Qi Heng continued walking, his pace unhurried, with a leisurely air about him.

The soles of their shoes made a soft rustling sound as they stepped on the cracked ground, getting closer and closer with each step.