"Boom—"
The long spear shattered the void as it thrust forward, its power unmatched, unstoppable — as if between heaven and earth, it was the sharpest blade in existence, with nothing capable of blocking its path.
Yet facing such a martial art, Old Village Chief Ma showed not a flicker of fear. His eyes flashed as a vast and overwhelming Emperor-level barrier power, accompanied by a dazzling radiance ten thousand zhang tall and flowing with endless runic light, coalesced into a golden shield that sealed off heaven and earth, standing before him.
"Clang—!"
The two forces collided at last. Ripples surged outward in every direction, and the entire sky above Sealed Village was swallowed by that golden radiance. The piercing sound echoed again and again, like ten thousand thunders roaring in unison — deafening.
Such might was too much for many of the younger generation of powerhouses to endure. Some warriors below the Martial King realm were struck so hard that blood poured from all seven orifices and they collapsed unconscious on the spot. Others suffered internal organ damage, and their cultivation might never recover.
But when one looked carefully through the golden radiance, even Chu Feng's eyes lit up. The terrifying golden spear, though it had created countless thick cracks across Old Village Chief Ma's golden shield, had failed to pierce through it.
Old Village Chief Ma had used the barrier technique to forcibly block Sun Feiyang's Earth Forbidden Martial Art with sheer force.
And that was not even the most impressive part. The shield was healing right before their eyes — those thick cracks were growing smaller and smaller. Given enough time, it would fully repair itself.
"Incredible! What level of mastery is this? To be able to use a barrier to block such a terrifying Earth Forbidden Martial Art — Senior Ma's barrier technique is truly eye-opening." Everyone was stunned, and Chu Feng was no exception.
Barriers had always been called the strongest form of defense, and in truth, that was indeed the case — the defensive power of barrier techniques was formidable.
Chu Feng remembered this better than anyone. Back when he had first become a Spirit World Master, relying on barrier techniques, he had practically swept through all cultivators of the same realm.
But as his cultivation grew stronger, barrier techniques had grown weaker and weaker, until eventually they could no longer compete with martial cultivation methods at all.
At the time, Chu Feng had even questioned whether barrier techniques were truly the strongest defense. The so-called "strongest defense" had seemed to be nothing more than an empty title.
But now Chu Feng understood — barrier techniques were still the strongest form of defense. It was simply that there were too few Spirit World Masters who could wield barrier techniques to their full potential.
It was not that barrier techniques were weak; it was that Spirit World Masters were too weak. The problem lay not with the barrier technique itself, but with the Spirit World Master.
In that moment, Chu Feng's resolve to master offensive techniques became even stronger.
It was said that any Spirit World Master recognized by the Asura Spirit World would become a great Spirit World Master of their generation.
And as a Spirit World Master of the Asura Spirit World, Chu Feng felt he had a duty to spread the art of barriers far and wide, to show all martial cultivators the true power of barrier techniques.
"Senior Ma, you have given me a perfect demonstration. You have shown me that barrier techniques can truly be this powerful. Thank you — thank you for opening my eyes."
These words came from the very bottom of Chu Feng's heart. If he had not seen Old Village Chief Ma bring barrier techniques to this level, he might never have believed that barrier techniques, when applied to actual combat, could be so formidable.
"Old Ma, I truly underestimated you. I didn't expect the rumors to be true — that your barrier technique had really reached this level. I have to admit, when it comes to mastery of barrier techniques, you really are something else. You can already rival those old fogeys from the Alliance of Spirit World Masters."
"But I want you to know — no matter how strong a barrier technique is, it cannot compete with Emperor-level martial power. Especially in the face of my Earth Forbidden Golden Spear. No matter how sturdy your barrier wall may be, I will ultimately pierce right through it."