Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 153 - 147: Explosion

Tecolamas's specialty was breathing, one of the Four Pillars!

He possessed exceptionally keen Insight. With nearly a century of life under his belt, he also had terrifying combat experience. By analyzing his opponent's expression, attack rhythm, demeanor, Life Magnetic Field fluctuations, and other factors, he could determine their breathing frequency with near-perfect accuracy. He would then use his own perfectly honed techniques and spirit to completely disrupt their respiratory patterns.

In truth, Saint Awakening Level experts weren't particularly afraid of artificially created, near-vacuum environments where the air was thin.

An expert of this caliber could engage in strenuous activity for five to ten minutes while holding their breath completely—a perfectly normal feat for them. The functions of their organs had long surpassed what an ordinary person could imagine.

However, the ability to do so hinged on one crucial prerequisite: maintaining stable breathing.

Take a simple example: an ordinary person, with enough preparation, can hold their breath underwater for over a minute.

But if they were to suddenly find themselves in a drowning emergency, most people wouldn't even be able to hold their breath for ten seconds.

This is because the moment the emergency struck, their internal breathing rhythm would be thrown into chaos. Their bodies would then rapidly consume stored oxygen, quickly leading to a state of hypoxia and asphyxiation.

The same principle applied to a Saint Awakening.

Under Tecolamas's devious and unpredictable attacks, even a Saint Awakening Level expert would have their internal breathing disrupted. This, combined with the vacuum-like environment, would drain the opponent's stamina at an alarming rate.

No one could face Tecolamas head-on for more than two minutes. Even the strongest of Saint Awakening Level experts would be forced into a decisive disadvantage if they were tied up with him for longer than that.

At that point, deprived of oxygen and with their breathing in complete disarray, the expert would have only two options: suffer total defeat at Tecolamas's hands, or turn and flee.

The only way to defeat him was to overpower him with absolute strength within the first thirty seconds of the fight, before his ability to disrupt breathing reached its peak. Otherwise, they would fall completely into his rhythm.

Unfortunately, how many people in the entire world were capable of such a feat?

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The two figures blurred as they clashed, their violent impacts blasting the surrounding air away.

Zhou Yuanjue guarded the exit tenaciously, giving Tecolamas no opportunity to break through.

However, this was no easy task.

After only a dozen seconds of fighting, Zhou Yuanjue already felt an extreme sense of discomfort.

In the near-vacuum, subjected to the techniques of his veteran opponent, he felt a faint sense of suffocation.

'Breathing... Beisha Country... Sistema... one of the Four Pillars, Tecolamas.'

At that moment, he connected the information about his opponent with the data Daoist Bailong had previously given him, finally realizing the man's true identity.

A veteran of the Beisha Security Department, a long-established Saint Awakening who had been famous for years. His experience and skill were terrifying, things accumulated over a long lifetime.

He knew that if this continued, just as the data had predicted, he wouldn't be able to last two minutes against this man.

"Get out of my way, or you will die!"

Amidst their fierce clashes, Zhou Yuanjue saw Tecolamas's lips move as if he were roaring, but only a faint sound reached him. The air had become too thin, lacking the necessary medium for sound to travel.

'I can't let this go on...'

'My breathing... I can't let him perceive my breathing. As long as he can't discern its pattern, I can seize the initiative.'

A glint flashed in Zhou Yuanjue's eyes.

'The best way to keep him from sensing the changes in my breathing is to have no breathing at all!'

Suddenly, he closed his eyes.

The candlelight in his Niwan Palace flickered. All traces of his breath and Life Magnetic Field rapidly converged inward, entering the state he had once used to face Lei Yi's test of killing intent.

Nirvana False Death!

In that instant, his breathing all but vanished. This state was, in fact, a form of deception using one's magnetic field—simulating a state of death to fool an opponent's senses without significantly impacting the body's own functions.

The more Zhou Yuanjue used this special ability, born on the edge of life and death, the more adept he became.

This was the legendary "Living Dead"!

He abandoned his offense, his movements shifting into a completely defensive posture.

In that moment, he was like a lifeless corpse. He had once even deceived Lei Yi's Life Magnetic Field lock with this technique.

Tecolamas sensed the change in Zhou Yuanjue, and his pupils shrank. After reaching the Saint Awakening level, his greatest sense for an opponent's breathing patterns actually stemmed from his perception of subtle changes in their magnetic field.

Now that Zhou Yuanjue's Life Magnetic Field had entered a state of false death, his perception of his opponent's breathing suffered a massive deviation.

'His breathing... it completely vanished?'

'But why can his body still move?'

'What is this special ability? Since when did Donghua Country have an expert like this?'

Tecolamas couldn't match the abilities of the man before him with any of Donghua Country's Guardians listed in his intelligence reports.

'A newly ascended Saint Awakening from Donghua Country?'

SKREEE!!

Just then, a shrill bird cry shattered his train of thought.

Seizing the opening created by his false death state, Zhou Yuanjue readjusted his body's breathing. Then, catching Tecolamas completely off guard, his contracted Life Magnetic Field suddenly erupted.

A violent red light burst forth. Behind him, the image of a colossal bird emerged—one that had broken from its shell, undergone a Bathing Fire Nirvana, and was now spreading its wings to soar.

In that instant, he unleashed all of his power without reservation.

'I've read the intel. I know his abilities. Against an opponent like this, I have to go for a one-hit kill!'

'A newly ascended Saint Awakening... possessing such an intense Life Magnetic Field?!'

Seeing the colossal Firebird spreading its wings behind Zhou Yuanjue, Tecolamas's expression changed drastically.

"Pillar of Qi!"

Tecolamas roared. He condensed his Life Magnetic Field in his palm, and a massive amount of air was drawn toward it, actually forming a head-sized sphere of air over his hand.

With a push of his palm, the sphere of air met Zhou Yuanjue's Firebird and violently exploded.

BOOM!!!

A deafening roar echoed through the cave. The compressed air exploded, then was scorched by the high temperature of the red light, causing it to expand even more violently. The interaction between these two forces produced a blast comparable to a grenade. Such intensity was simply beyond what a human body should be able to produce.

The narrow confines of the cave entrance amplified the concussive force of the explosion to its absolute maximum.

The rocks at the mouth of the cave were shattered by the blast, and large chunks came crumbling down with a great RUMBLE.

Zhou Yuanjue's body was thrown back by the immense shockwave.

Tecolamas was in no better shape. Using such a technique in a confined space was a double-edged sword, a move that would injure the enemy by a thousand while costing him eight hundred. His entire arm was severely burned by the intense heat. He also suffered the recoil from the exploding air, and fissures tore across his skin, instantly spraying blood.