Chapter 26: A Deadly Struggle of Serpents and Scorpions, Pursued by Wolves and Jackals (Part Two)

Serpents and Scorpions Wrestle, Jackals Follow (II)

The world changed color; spirits wept, gods trembled. Everything that stood in White Qi’s way seemed to be transformed by his mastery of the “Destruction” technique—like a sword descending from the heavens, splitting the earth with irresistible force, leaving no time for the enemy to react.

With a metallic ring, the blade struck, slicing through the combined aura of the snake and scorpion without hesitation. The black mist, once so sinister and lively, was severed in half; after the flashing blade and spilled blood, the mist was torn apart by howling screams, as if absorbed by radiant light, gradually fading away.

Thunderous booms echoed, shaking the marketplace within a hundred meters. The chaos was immense. Though White Qi tried to control the devastation, the force did not wholly obey his will. Even at the peak of the Yellow Rank, he could not wield it as freely as he wished—for what he comprehended was the “Divine” aspect of the Destruction technique, a different form of power. He could unleash attacks many times stronger than himself, but to truly control them required an unwavering foundation in cultivation. Of course, the paths of the Dao are countless and varied; some cultivators specialize in refining their bodies, breaking through techniques with brute strength. If mastered to the extreme, such unorthodox ways leave none bold enough to provoke them.

White Qi exhaled, gazing at the ruins before him. Those who had come earlier, witnessing his ferocious assault, had long since fled beyond the range of his attack, heartlessly abandoning their “comrades.” The snake and scorpion, until their dying breaths, never understood how a battle that should have been evenly matched turned utterly one-sided. Both lay collapsed on the ground—the scorpion’s legs still twitching, while the snake was already a lifeless corpse, headless, its body sprawled limply, one hand gripping the handle of its whip, though the whip itself had vanished without trace.

Against enemies where the disparity was vast, White Qi disliked playing games. He knew not at which moment the scales, once tipped in his favor, might suddenly shift toward his opponent. Hesitation only granted the enemy more opportunities to strike—and when that happened, it would be he who died.

Chapter Twenty-Six of "The Great Dream Awakening": Serpents and Scorpions Wrestle, Jackals Follow (II).