Tower of Heaven

The key was to treat Horus like a human when he was attacking and a beast when he was being attacked. His fighting style had clear origins as if he was taught by some discipline when he was young, but his actual level was still rudimentary as if he hadn't properly learned since his childhood ended.

It was relatively easy to create openings in his stances. If he wasn't given the opportunity to attack, Atlas knew that he still had the advantage despite how things looked.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Atlas had roughly three-quarters of his qi remaining. Instead of conserving it, he used it incessantly on Exploding Runes.

Horus was unable to get anywhere close to him exactly for that reason. Atlas was constantly moving around and avoiding any possible long-range attacks. At the same time, the waves of pressure spread by the explosions didn't let Horus proceed forward or move much at all.

Within that chaos, Atlas found his opportunity.

It was hard to give fire piercing power, and there were only a few ways of doing so. In his past life, Atlas made the choice to follow a route of lightning and plasma.

In this life, he wanted to be different.

There was a path back then that he did not take. To summarize events, he learned that the risks of that path were far more severe. The rewards were greater as well, but they were not good enough to change his mind.

In this life, did he want to follow that path?

Being frank, Atlas was tempted to go along the same path that he knew. His development would be far smoother if he just took the same steps a second time.

But he wanted to live a different life. He didn't know why he got a second chance, nor did he understand all the hidden mysteries behind his second chance. However, since he had this life, he was going to live it properly.

There was a place far above anything he'd ever seen before. It was the natural instinct of a cultivator to crave the power to reach that place. Only a cultivator who'd completely lost his will would act otherwise.

The concept of superheat could take him far, but the concept of everburn could take him even further.

Atlas didn't have more knowledge of the concept than an average fire practitioner, as he chose early to abandon it. Still, what he knew was enough to imitate some of its techniques.

For instance, the very technique that was displayed next in the fight.

It was hard to give piercing power to fire, but when the concept imbued in that fire was meant to burn through anything and everything, the difficult task became easier.

[Hidden Flame Lance]

With his eyes trained on Horus, Atlas reached his arm out as if to grab something out of the air. Qi dispersed from his hand and lit the air aflame. As more and more fire gathered, it formed into the shape of a throwing lance.

Atlas ran several steps forward, hoisting the lance into the air before throwing it forward with all of his might. It flew like lightning and reached its target. Horus' eyes slightly widened as he upped his defenses, but he didn't expect the lance attack to be the first of many.

The instant it made contact, it pierced into his defensive qi and started burning through the energy. For the first time, an attack made contact with Horus' body, drawing a great amount of blood.

In the next second, the exploded pieces of the lance became knives that turned on a point and attacked him a second time. As he was so focused on dealing with the first impact, the second did even more damage.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Khhhh!"

Horus hissed as he tanked the damage. Putting his arm to his own chest, he released qi to heal.

However, Atlas wasn't done.

[Volcanic Burst]

BOOM!

The effect wasn't the same as it could have been if Atlas was at the proper level to use it, but the purpose was achieved. The ground that Atlas stomped cracked, and his qi turned into a wave of volcanic fire that forced Horus to stumble back and stop healing.

Atlas was doing damage that he couldn't do before. Horus was already against the wall. If he allowed things to continue this way, he would lose without putting up a fight.

Looking past the flames that surrounded him and into the eyes of their owner, he dropped everything and charged.

[Breath of the Sun]

BOOM!

Winds swept through the room and destroyed Atlas' flame qi. The heat within those winds pulsated like it was alive and pressured Atlas.

However, the winds were only a byproduct. The real effect of the technique was presented on Horus' own body. He was emboldened to a new extent. The pain of his wounds disappeared, and his own qi was operating with more efficiency and power than it ordinarily did.

Bang!

Horus punched out once, but that was enough. The winds and pressure broke Atlas' guard while the force pushed him back.

It was now Horus' turn to take the lead.

With a single attack, he took the advantage. In order to do so, he refused to heal himself, tanking the injuries of Atlas' previous attacks.

Nevertheless, as long as he was the second to fall, he could get back up and claim his rewards.

The difference between the Earth Sage Realm and the Core Formation Realm was massive, but Horus was also a genius.

In that moment of connecting with the Dao for the first time, each person would receive a different level of talent. This was represented by their initial comprehension before putting any effort into it.

The Heavenly Emperor of the past awakened to the Dao of Fire with barely any comprehension at all. Only after several lucky encounters and years of hard work was he able to change his fate.

Horus, on the other hand, not only received a great blessing from his Dao, but also received an extremely basic look at the Great Dao. Both events together cumulated into a strength that surpassed even the majority of geniuses who made the same breakthrough.

[Hidden Flame Lance]

Atlas tried to hit him again and take it back, but Horus was already in that mode. Despite taking even more damage, he did not let up.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He was too fast. The technique he used enhanced all of his physical abilities, leaving Atlas in the dust. No matter where he went or how he tried to dodge, Horus always caught up to him.

And those punches couldn't just be taken. Every single one sent a shock through Atlas' bones. His internal organs were moved strangely within him as the force spread. If he hadn't properly body cultivated, he would have already died.

As his internals were secured and protected, the damage he took was far less significant.

But it was not insignificant.

Several bloody swells formed on Atlas' torso. The red substance leaked from his lips as he tried to parry and make space.

Facing Horus' true power, he found himself in an almost hopeless situation.

He had only one way to make it out of this and live.

'I must outlast him.'

The injuries from before were still open and bleeding. Horus would eventually fall if he refused to direct his qi to supporting himself.

But…

Could Atlas really take the brunt of his attacks until then and survive?