Chapter 560: Chapter 342: Battle Against the Odds

"With my current strength, I should be able to kill an ordinary Celestial Essence Second Layer expert."

Xu Yang naturally knew that Fang Xinghai had a Celestial Essence Second Level Cultivation. If he didn’t have absolute certainty, how could he dare to lure Fang Xinghai here?

Although the Celestial Essence Ninth Layer meant that every layer was like a separate heaven, Fang Xinghai was already a hundred years old and only at the Celestial Essence Second Layer. His talent was obvious. When he was young, he definitely didn’t even have the qualifications to participate in the Secondary Dragon Ascension. His Cultivation was likely entirely piled up using Elixirs. Moreover, as a businessman, he definitely experienced very few life-and-death struggles.

With his Cultivation, coupled with the Perfection stage Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture and the Fifth Layer of the Extreme Prison Heaven-Slaying Technique, if he still couldn’t kill a Celestial Essence Second Layer opponent like this, he felt he might as well just dig his own grave.

RUMBLE...

He simultaneously activated his Body Refining Technique, the Bright King Unmoving Body, and his Body-Protecting Technique, the Golden Gang Skill. Qi-Blood surged out from his pores like raging flames, and his majestic aura set off a violent shockwave. Along the way, smoke and dust billowed, and vegetation was reduced to fine powder.

"Eight Ferocious Hidden Dragon Strength!" With a single Heart Thought, he also activated the technique to boost his Combat Power.

He thought, "So strong!"

With numerous Cultivation Techniques stacked together, a brand-new Gang Yuan that felt as if it were composed of billions of blades flowed through his body. Xu Yang felt his physical strength rise to a new level. The power of the Golden Gang Skill and the Bright King Unmoving Body exceeded their original limits.

In an instant, his speed increased significantly. He shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. The Power of Heaven and Earth he had drawn in seemed unable to keep up with his speed, lingering in its original spot.

Surging power roared within his body, and his blood rushed like a dragon. Xu Yang fiercely threw a punch at the rapidly charging Celestial Essence Second Layer expert.

Baji Mountain-Shattering Fist!

Although this Fist Technique was only at the Entry Level, Martial Dao Imagery could not be stacked. Because he couldn’t use the Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Fist, this was the only Celestial Essence Martial Technique he could use at the moment.

BOOM!

His ultimate physical strength, combined with a fierce and overbearing Fist Technique like the Baji Mountain-Shattering Fist, produced a muffled sound like a landslide or an earth-shattering tremor. The void itself seemed to tremble. Violent shockwaves exploded outward as his golden fist shot forth like a bolt of racing thunder.

Facing the violent pressure of the punch, Fang Xinghai almost thought he was fighting a Celestial Essence Second Layer Martial Artist, but he knew the person opposite him only possessed a Celestial Essence First Level Cultivation.

BANG!

The two fists collided, sounding like exploding thunder. A visible shockwave swept outward, uprooting trees. For a moment, smoke and dust billowed, and hundreds of birds scattered in fright.

Fang Xinghai gasped inwardly, "What overbearing Gang Yuan!"

He felt as though the force striking him did not come from a fist of pure flesh and blood, but rather one composed of thousands of blades. It sliced his Gang Yuan into thousands of pieces, forcefully breaking through his Fist Gang.

He was a Celestial Essence Second Layer Martial Artist. Yet, the Gang Yuan he had condensed for decades did not seem as pure and overbearing as Xu Yang’s, which concealed an unimaginable sharpness.

At the same time, a powerful force poured from the opposing fist. It crashed into his body like a landslide or a tsunami, causing his bones and muscles to roar and his Qi-Blood to churn. He was forced to take large strides backward to dissipate the force, cracking the earth with every step.

THUMP THUMP... He retreated five steps in a row, leaving five deep, cracked pits in the ground.

Fang Xinghai’s face flushed red. The circulation of his Gang Yuan stagnated for a split second, and a burning pain shot through his fist.

A portion of that highly condensed, utterly overbearing Gang Yuan had invaded his fist, leaving small cuts that looked as if they had been sliced by tiny blades.

If he didn’t have a Celestial Essence Second Level Cultivation with thick, condensed Gang Yuan, he absolutely wouldn’t have been able to withstand this punch. If he were only at the Celestial Essence First Layer, he would have been beaten to death already.

Xu Yang was also retreating!

No matter how useless Fang Xinghai was, he was still a genuine Celestial Essence Second Layer expert. Having cultivated for nearly a hundred years, his Gang Yuan and physical body were both well-tempered, and his Cultivation was higher than Xu Yang’s.

To clash head-on with the opponent and not be crushed to death in a single move was already enough to be proud of. What was more, he had retreated without suffering any injuries. If word of this spread, it would be enough to make people’s jaws drop.

The saying that every layer of the Celestial Essence Ninth Layer was like a separate heaven was no joke. The vast majority of people facing an opponent one layer higher than themselves were basically only fit to be slaughtered.

The Qi-Blood covering the outside of his body was directly dispersed by the impact. The golden light flickered and vanished as his bones and muscles popped in unison.

However, that was the extent of it. Under the triple protection of his Body-Protecting Technique, Body Refining Technique, and overbearing Gang Yuan, his only disadvantage was that his offensive power was inferior to Fang Xinghai’s.

After rapidly retreating seven or eight steps, he dissipated the remaining force and suppressed his churning Qi-Blood. His body was once again covered in vigorous Qi-Blood, and his golden aura returned to its peak state.

"What a sinister mind you have, you little beast! To think you actually possess such talent," Fang Xinghai said, a mix of shock and rage on his face.

Even after killing Lin Jingyu and undergoing the Celestial Strategy Academy’s test, this beast had still been hiding his strength. The sheer terror of his Body Refining Cultivation surpassed even that of Lu Wei and Tu Gang.

Lin Jingyu was nothing. With Xu Yang’s current strength, he could easily blast him to death with a single punch. He never imagined that someone would deliberately hide their strength during an event as important as the Secondary Dragon Ascension. Xu Yang clearly had the ability to compete with Lu Wei for the title of the number one person beneath the Spirit Bone Celestial Prides, yet he chose to conceal his talent.

Such a sinister and calculating mind was something Fang Xinghai had never seen before, despite having met countless people. He felt a chill run down his spine. Just how grand a scheme did Xu Yang have planned to hide such dazzling talent so deeply, refusing to show it to outsiders?

"Old beast, are you surprised? Did you really think you found an opportunity to kill me? Little did you know that I deliberately lured you here. Ever since I left the Purple Sun Sect’s camp, I noticed you trailing behind me like a dog," Xu Yang said, his tone icy. "If you had just left Yun Province directly, perhaps you could have lived out the rest of your days in peace. Unfortunately, you were too conceited. Did you never stop to think about why I would run into this deep, old forest?"

"Such audacity!" Fang Xinghai erupted in anger once more.

He hadn’t realized that Xu Yang had discovered him long ago and even played along, luring him here. To attempt to kill a Celestial Essence Second Layer expert with only a Celestial Essence First Level Cultivation—this level of courage and confidence shocked him.

"I truly regret making things difficult for you back then just to curry favor with the Li family. With your talent, it’s entirely possible that you might ascend the Final Dragon Platform in the future," Fang Xinghai said with a long sigh.

Even when Xu Yang killed Lin Jingyu and he was fired from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, he had never truly felt regret. But right now, he was genuinely full of remorse.

If he had befriended such a genius back then instead of offending him, the benefits he could have reaped would have been unimaginable. It felt as if a peerless treasure had been placed right in front of him, yet he had disdainfully kicked it away. As a businessman, how could he not feel regret?

"You are certainly patient enough, but unfortunately, you’re still too confident. You think a Celestial Essence Second Layer expert is that easy to kill? Today, I will show you what a true Celestial Essence Second Layer expert looks like!" Fang Xinghai suddenly roared. "Killing a genius like you will be enough for me to remember for a lifetime!"

His killing intent could no longer be suppressed, surging outward like a tidal wave. A violent aura swept out with him at the center. Waves of mud churned, and smoke and dust billowed into the sky. The Power of Heaven and Earth swarmed over as a black bull glowing with a dark light materialized behind him.

Fang Xinghai’s Martial Dao Imagery shook the heavens and earth, emitting an aura like turbulent, stormy waves. The black bull seemed to have a consciousness of its own. Its eyes locked fiercely onto Xu Yang, and black mist spewed from its snout.

"Let’s see if you can take another punch from me!"

Fang Xinghai took a massive stride forward, causing the ground to rumble and shake. Gang Yuan surged throughout his body, drawing the surging Power of Heaven and Earth to gather at the tip of his fist. He charged forward like a maddened bull, carrying an overwhelming, unstoppable momentum.

His fist tore through the air, carrying massive momentum and awe-inspiring killing intent as it smashed heavily forward.

"You think I’m afraid of you?!" Xu Yang roared, his fighting spirit soaring.

Fighting a Celestial Essence Second Layer expert with a Celestial Essence First Level Cultivation—he was entirely fearless. If he couldn’t even defeat Fang Xinghai, how could he possibly compete with those Spirit Bone Celestial Prides?

His long hair whipped wildly in the air as his body erupted with golden light. His bones and muscles roared, and amidst a series of sharp cracks, his body expanded, transforming into a brawny giant over two meters tall with bulging, knotted muscles.

His golden skin made him look as if he were cast from solid gold, and his explosive muscles contained unimaginable strength. The Gang Yuan, seemingly composed of billions of blades, roared as it converged toward the tip of his fist like a tidal wave.

"Come! Let’s see who kills who!"

The Bright King Image that had fused with him surged, covering the outside of his body. The erupting fighting spirit made his combat blood boil. In an instant, the Bright King Unmoving Body and the Golden Gang Skill were pushed to their absolute limits.

An aura as immovable as a mountain emerged. He stood like an eternal peak taking root in the earth. Without dodging in the slightest, Xu Yang threw a punch straight at Fang Xinghai’s incoming fist.

The great spine along his back rippled, and his bones and muscles roared. All the Force in his body was violently channeled into his arm, causing the entire limb to swell by another size.

The next moment, the two fists collided like two crashing meteors. Visible ripples exploded outward, accompanied by an ear-splitting boom.

Within a radius of twenty zhang, everything—regardless of what it was—was instantly shattered into fine powder. The earth ripped apart. Dragon-like plumes of smoke and dust shot into the sky. Further away, even trees thick enough for a person to wrap their arms around were uprooted.

Thick smoke billowed across the ground, sweeping out like turbulent, stormy waves.

From within the smoke and dust, two muffled thuds echoed in succession. Scattered Gang Yuan swept outward, dispersing the sky full of smoke.

Xu Yang remained as immovable as a mountain, his legs rooted to the ground like a massive tree. Only the earth beneath his feet continuously cracked and crumbled.

The Qi-Blood on his body had long been dispersed by the impact. His Vajra Indestructible Body flickered in and out of existence. On his over two-meter-tall frame, muscles and tendons writhed continuously. His Gang Yuan gathered and scattered, then scattered and gathered again.

"I’ve taken your punch. It was nothing special," Xu Yang laughed.

Opposite him, Fang Xinghai’s face was flushed red. His condition was much the same as Xu Yang’s. The Gang Yuan he had just condensed was instantly shattered by the powerful force in the next moment. His legs had sunken into the ground, and the Martial Dao Imagery behind him flickered unsteadily.

"I cannot let you live, you little beast," Fang Xinghai said, feeling a chill run through his entire body. He hadn’t expected Xu Yang to actually take this punch and fight him to an almost even draw.

That Bright King Image shone with a dazzling light, exuding incredible power that allowed Xu Yang to root himself into the earth.

In reality, with the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture reaching Perfection, Xu Yang’s Heart Spirit and Spirit had undergone a transformation, which in turn caused his Martial Dao Imagery to evolve as well. Spirit was fundamentally the most essential aspect of a Martial Artist. When this core essence transformed, everything else naturally changed alongside it.

"I’m afraid you don’t have the ability to do that!"

Golden light flowed over Xu Yang’s entire body as his power continued to pour out, surging forth like floodwaters breaking a dam.

The two of them competed with Force. Layer upon layer of Force continuously blasted toward one another. The earth trembled endlessly as terrifying fissures spread in all directions.

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