Martial Universe: The Eyes That Determine the Fate

Chapter 33 Spiral Waves

The mountain path was already narrow, and with her graceful figure blocking the way, there was nowhere to step forward.

Ziyue stood in the wind, her purple dress fluttering, her brows furrowed with stubbornness, as if to say, "If you don't fight me again, I'll block your way."

"You can't just brush this off like that." She stared intently at Li Yi, her voice stubborn. "When like-minded people meet, exchanging ideas and discussing principles is only natural. Why are you deliberately avoiding it?"

Li Yi stopped in his tracks, a faint hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. This woman was proud and aloof, with an extremely strong competitive spirit. Once her obsession took hold, she could be so persistent.

"Whether it's a friendly exchange or a contest, there has to be a reason," Li Yi said. "We're complete strangers, just happened to meet on a mountain road. There's no need to insist on fighting."

"A chance encounter is also a matter of fate. The path of cultivation is inherently about tempering one's heart through competition." Zi Yue refused to budge an inch and continued to block her way, saying, "If you don't fight me again today, I will follow you all the way until you agree."

Upon hearing this, even the mountain breeze seemed to quiet down a bit.

Given her status and temperament, she shouldn't have acted so persistently, but the shame of her defeat today, along with her curiosity about Li Yi's true strength, had overwhelmed her usual aloofness and self-restraint.

She was determined to try again to find out what kind of strength the other party was hiding, and she was absolutely unwilling to admit defeat so easily.

Looking at her stubborn appearance, Li Yi remained silent for a moment, knowing that once this woman made up her mind, she would not easily back down.

If you insist on breaking free, it will only create unnecessary entanglements. It would be better to agree for now and end this entanglement.

He looked up at the distant, rolling mountains, shrouded in mist and clouds, obscuring the road ahead; there was still a long way to go to Yan City.

After a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke slowly: "Very well, I'll grant your request this once. Just this once, and after that, you mustn't bother me again, and you mustn't delay our journey."

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Zi Yue's clear, cold eyes, and most of the gloom between her brows dissipated. She immediately nodded.

It's a deal!

As soon as she finished speaking, she took a few steps back and landed on the open ground on the side of the mountain path, her aura suddenly becoming more refined.

This time, she no longer held any contempt in her heart. She had put away all her underestimation and focused her energy, activating all her talisman master cultivation.

Strands of spiritual energy emanated from between his brows, like countless silver threads wrapping around his body. Faint, mysterious runes flickered and swirled in the void, while a faint spiritual light spread out, enveloping all directions.

The plants and trees in the surrounding mountains and forests seemed to be moved by this spiritual force, swaying gently and creating a mysterious rhythm.

Zi Yue's expression turned solemn, no longer displaying her previous casualness. She knew that the young man before her was unfathomable and far more complex than he appeared on the surface. Therefore, she took a serious stance from the very beginning and dared not hold back in the slightest.

"This time I'm going all out, so you'd better watch out!"

As a clear, cold shout rang out, Zi Yue's jade hands suddenly formed a hand seal, and a burst of light erupted from between her brows. Several invisible needles, formed from spiritual energy, shot out from the air, covering the sky and shooting towards Li Yi.

Zi Yue's Divine Transformation Needle was as fast as lightning; the invisible needle tore through the air, emitting a faint whistling sound.

Li Yi merely frowned slightly.

When the Transformation Needle was less than a foot away from him, his body reacted before his consciousness could.

I turned my head, and the first one grazed my ear, while the second and third ones brushed past my shoulder.

Li Yi didn't use his double pupils to "see," but rather some inexplicable sense was reminding him: danger is coming, here, here, and here.

The fourth arrow was aimed straight at his brow, the most dangerous one, but he simply raised his hand and gently blocked it with the edge of his palm.

"laugh----"

The transformation needle struck his palm as if hitting an invisible barrier, then vanished without a trace.

Li Yi withdrew his hand, leaving a faint white mark on his palm that quickly disappeared.

He easily dodged the remaining few as well.

Zi Yue was taken aback, then her gaze sharpened, and she continued to attack.

Her hand seals suddenly changed, a burst of silver light erupted from between her brows, and a more refined spiritual power surged forth like a tide.

"Spike wave!"

Zi Yue shouted, and an invisible mental shockwave suddenly spread out from her center.

Enveloping Li Yi in a fan shape, it moved faster and covered a wider area than the Divine Needle, almost blocking all angles of evasion. This mental shockwave had a peculiar frequency; it was not a simple impact of force, but a direct vibration of the soul.

Li Yi frowned slightly.

He discovered that he couldn't "dodge" Zi Yue's attack this time. The range of the Spiral Wave was too wide and the speed was too fast. Whether he moved left, right, forward, or backward, he was still within the range of the shockwave. The only way was to withstand it head-on.

He didn't move; he wanted to test what kind of harm this thing could cause him.

The mental shockwave struck his body, and Li Yi felt as if his consciousness had been violently hit by something.

The pain he had imagined did not come; he only felt a "shaking" sensation.

It was like standing on a boat and someone forcefully pushed the gunwale. But his consciousness quickly returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

Ziyue stared at him.

She saw Li Yi's body sway slightly, a very small movement, but she was certain she saw it. She thought he couldn't hold on any longer; the Spiral Wave was a high-level spiritual technique, a level above the Divine Transformation Needle, and ordinary Earthly Realm cultivators simply couldn't withstand it.

But Li Yi only swayed for a moment. Then he didn't react anymore.

"You—" Zi Yue's voice was a little hoarse.

"Is there anything else?" Li Yi asked.

Zi Yue bit her lip, her eyes filled with resentment and shock. She was about to unleash her spiritual power again when her red lips parted slightly, uttering only the word "return"—

The next instant, Li Yi's figure became blurry.

Without a sound of air being torn apart, without any sign of surging energy, he took a step and instantly stood in front of Zi Yue.

He slightly clenched his fingers, his entire body radiating a layer of blazing golden light, flowing with a powerful and majestic Yuan energy pressure. The sharp edge condensed at his fingertips was piercing and piercing, stopping less than an inch in front of Zi Yue's neck.

A cool breeze swept by, ruffling the hair at her temples and clinging to her neck.

The golden palm strike, so close yet so far, carried an intimidating pressure that made Zi Yue freeze instantly, even her breath caught in her throat.

The spiritual energy swirling around his brow suddenly became disordered, and the mysterious runes flowing in the void dimmed, losing all trace of their previous fierce attack.

She looked up and met Li Yi's calm and unwavering eyes. His eyes were deep and serene, revealing no hint of mockery, only a sense of calm acceptance.

They were so close, their breaths mingling. Zi Yue tensed up, her competitive spirit and stubbornness were suppressed by the overwhelming pressure, and she could no longer muster the slightest thought to continue attacking.

The warm aura of the golden palm strike, mixed with the mountain breeze, rushed towards Zi Yue's neck.

The mere inch between their necks was so close that she could clearly feel the other person's calm and steady aura, as well as the innate pressure of a powerful figure.

Li Yi's gaze was indifferent; he simply looked at her calmly. Yet, it was precisely this unflappable composure that struck deep into the depths of her heart.