“Oh ho, pretty cocky for a little brat. A mere First-Rank spirit user actually dares to—”
Before he could finish, the mocking smile on Lingshui Shangren’s face suddenly froze solid.
Lu Chen’s body was suddenly erupting with an eye-catching surge of magical power fluctuations, his aura rising level by level!
“A Second-Rank spirit user?!”
Lingshui Shangren, the red-spotted woman, and even Sun Yourong—all three of them were startled at once.
“Lu Chen, when did you break through to the Second Rank?” Sun Yourong’s eyes went wide, full of disbelief.
She clearly remembered that Lu Chen had been a First-Rank spirit user before.
How was he suddenly—
Lu Chen kept his eyes locked on the two from Lingshui, replying in a calm, flat tone, “Just today. Just now.”
Sun Yourong was momentarily speechless.
Hold on…
You’re breaking through to the next rank, and you make it sound as easy as eating or drinking?
“Hmph, so what if he’s Second Rank? It’ll just take a little more effort.”
Lingshui Shangren gave a cold snort, lightly tapped the tip of his foot on the red-spotted woman’s shoulder, and his body floated gracefully up, hovering in mid-air.
“Wife, the girl is yours. I’ll handle this kid.”
“As you wish, my husband.”
The red-spotted woman acknowledged and hefted the huge wolf-tooth mace from the ground.
A mace weighing a thousand catties seemed as light as a feather in her hands, and casual swings sent fierce gusts of wind flying.
“A body cultivator!”
Sun Yourong’s pupils contracted slightly. She hadn’t expected that this seemingly delicate woman was actually a body cultivator who specialized in brute-force methods.
But that was perfect—so was she!
A fierce glint flashed in the red-spotted woman’s eyes. She dragged the wolf-tooth mace along the ground, sending sparks flying and filling the silence with a harsh screech.
Then she exploded into motion, charging straight at Sun Yourong!
Sun Yourong’s fighting spirit surged. She gripped her broadaxes horizontally and closed the distance in an instant.
Cold gleams clashed!
“Boom!”
The broadaxes and the heavy mace collided with tremendous force, and a terrifying shockwave exploded outward like a hurricane. The surrounding trees swayed violently, their branches all bent low.
After this first clash, the two separated in a flash like bolts of lightning.
“Lu Chen, be careful! These two are no pushovers!”
Sun Yourong felt the web of her hand go numb and her blood and energy churn turbulently.
The red-spotted woman’s strength turned out to be even a bit higher than she had imagined.
The red-spotted woman also looked surprised, clearly having gained no advantage either.
But then she broke into a morbidly excited grin, and her battle intent only grew stronger as she spoke in her grinding voice: “Come again!”
The wolf-tooth mace turned into a blur of afterimages, smashing toward her with even greater ferocity.
Sun Yourong raised her axes to block.
“Boom!”
This blow carried even more weight and actually sent her flying backward.
The red-spotted woman pressed her advantage relentlessly. Amidst manic laughter, her mace strikes came like crashing waves, forcing Sun Yourong to retreat again and again, deliberately drawing the battlefield elsewhere.
Whoosh~
A cold wind swirled the dead leaves.
Soon, only Lu Chen and Lingshui Shangren were left on this open ground, facing each other from a distance.
From the woods far away, the constant clang of metal on metal rang out.
“Kid, I’ve roamed these lands for many years, and you’re the first one who’s ever dared to speak disrespectfully to me.”
Lingshui Shangren had his arms crossed, hovering in mid-air, and let out a shrill, cold laugh.
“If you have any last words, say them now.”
But before he finished speaking, Lu Chen had already stamped a deep crater into the ground, shot forward like an arrow, and thrown a punch!
“If we’re going to fight, then fight! Save the chatter!”
The divine power of the [River Waters Dragon King]—Turbid Waves Scorching the Heavens—was operating at full power, and this punch carried practically all of Lu Chen’s strength.
It was the kind of attack that aimed to take down the enemy in one blow!
But before his fist could land, a water barrier suddenly materialized right in front of Lingshui Shangren!
“Bam!”
The fist slammed heavily into the water barrier, sending waves rippling and spreading outward in all directions.
“You don’t know your place!” Lingshui Shangren sneered. “A mere Second Rank, and you dare—”
Mid-sentence, Lingshui Shangren’s pupils shrank sharply again.
Because fine cracks were actually appearing on the surface of the water barrier!
“Impossible!”
Lingshui Shangren was utterly horrified.
In desperation, several water arrows instantly formed on the barrier’s surface and shot toward Lu Chen.
Lu Chen dared not be careless. He quickly withdrew his attack, switched to a defensive stance, and instantly deployed a magical shield that blocked all the water arrows, though the impact sent him stumbling backward.
“That punch sure had some force!” Lingshui Shangren said, his face darkening. “You actually managed to shake my Black Water Wall!”
He couldn’t believe that a Second-Rank spirit user could have such strength.
“You talk too much when you fight!”
Lu Chen was getting impatient and charged at him again.
“Looking for death!” Lingshui Shangren flew into a rage, his magical power surging around him.
Above his head, a square pool of pitch-black water condensed, and from it leaped two black-water wild boars, each weighing several hundred catties.
Their tusks were bone-white. They charged with fierce roars, and everything they passed turned completely black and carbonized, giving off a pungent smell.
“This stuff is poisonous!”
Lu Chen didn’t dare take it lightly. He retreated rapidly and leaped onto a tree branch.
The black-water boars rampaged back and forth, but as soon as they touched a tree, they passed right through it and reformed on the other side.
The trees they passed through, however, instantly carbonized and collapsed with a single puff of breeze.
Lu Chen’s heart tightened. He dodged and weaved among the trees, while the sounds of collapsing trees came from behind him without end.
“Hahaha!” Lingshui Shangren laughed heartily. “My Black Water Shape-Shifting Great Art is endless and inexhaustible. Let’s see how long you can keep dodging!”
As the trees fell one after another,
Sun Yourong, still locked in fierce battle with the red-spotted woman nearby, was burning with anxiety but couldn’t break away.
“You wretched woman, how dare you get distracted while fighting me!”
The red-spotted woman bellowed in anger. Black flames coiled around her wolf-tooth mace as she slammed it heavily onto the broadaxes.
“Clang!”
The web of Sun Yourong’s hand split open, and blood flowed freely.
This woman’s strength was terrifying. For the moment, Sun Yourong found herself at a disadvantage.
But as soon as she heard the words “wretched woman,” a burst of cold light exploded in Sun Yourong’s eyes. “Who are you calling a wretched woman, you bullfrog-voiced freak!”
She gripped her axes tightly, and the broadaxes immediately swept horizontally. A cold gleam flashed!
“Mountain-Shattering Sweep!”
The axe wind was fierce, as if it could tear the very void apart and topple mountains and pull down forts.
The red-spotted woman couldn’t block in time and was grazed by the residual force. The wolf-tooth mace nearly flew out of her hands.
She stumbled back several steps, her entire arm trembling non-stop, but her grin didn’t fade—instead, it grew even more fervent.
“Good! Good! Now that’s what I call satisfying!”
With that, she pounced again and clashed with Sun Yourong once more.
Meanwhile, back with Lu Chen, he was still weaving non-stop through the woods.
He picked his moment and threw a punch.
The force of the punch carried terrifying magical power, and within it faintly glimmered a bluish-green light.
The divine power of the [Jishui Dragon King]: The Purest Water—capable of eliminating all toxins and other negative effects.
The green light sank into the body of the black-water boar. The boar let out a miserable, piercing screech as the black energy around it rapidly dissipated. In the blink of an eye, it had turned into a pool of clear water, splashing to the ground.
“It really works!”
Lu Chen’s spirits soared. He did the same thing again, and the other black-water boar dissolved just as easily.
Lingshui Shangren, watching from not far away, was completely dumbfounded. “No… impossible! How can this be?”
His Black Water Shape-Shifting Great Art had always been unstoppable, with few rivals at the same rank, and had claimed the lives of so many spirit users.
Yet today, he had been outdone by Lu Chen, a mere Second-Rank spirit user.
“Good kid! You really do have some tricks!”
Lingshui Shangren was furious. He pushed his magical power even further.
From the black pool above his head, several more dark shapes suddenly leaped out.
There were vicious dogs, fierce cranes, and even a tiger with an especially imposing presence.
All together, there were actually more than ten fierce spirits formed from black water.
They all charged at Lu Chen with howling cries.
Lingshui Shangren burst into wild laughter. “Let’s see how much magical power you have! How many of my water spirits can you actually kill?!”
But Lu Chen remained calm and unhurried, continuing to use the terrain to his advantage.
He kept dodging the attacks of the black-water fierce spirits.
Even though those few fierce cranes above his head were causing him quite a bit of trouble,
thanks to the divine power of the [Huaishui Dragon King]—Huai Lan’s Rhythm-Setting Art,
his magical power was increased by at least thirty to fifty percent.
That was what gave Lu Chen enough confidence.
He kept driving his magical power, looking for opportunities, waiting for the right moment to strike!
And every time he threw a punch, one of the black-water fierce spirits would be hit without fail, purified on the spot, no suspense at all.
This made Lingshui Shangren grind his teeth in frustration, completely baffled.
“This kid is really weird. How can his magical power be so deep? He’s still not showing any signs of exhaustion!”
