Chapter 770: Defeated? Just a Warm-up

CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

As electric light flashed, the four strokes of the well-shaped pattern erupted with sharp, formidable Thunder Power. Wielding a Sword Intent that could cleave eternity, they suddenly contracted inward!

The Celestial Serpent’s head was instantly sliced off before it violently exploded!

All of this sounds slow in the telling, but it happened in a fraction of a second.

The onlookers behind them were stunned for only a moment before they saw Mu Feng’s Blood-colored Long Spear get violently knocked back!

As he charged forward, Mu Feng’s expression changed. The moment his Long Spear was flung back toward him, he flicked his wrist. The spear let out a WHOOSHING sound, creating four phantoms that, in the nick of time, parried the well-shaped Sword Light.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!

As if unable to withstand the powerful force, the towering Mu Feng lost his balance and staggered back several steps!

In the next moment, Shen Lang’s four figures abruptly merged back into one!

However, Shen Lang, who had seemingly won the first exchange, made the hearts of the four onlookers sink.

They saw that Shen Lang was drenched in sweat and panting for breath…

That seemingly effortless and bizarre four-clone technique had apparently consumed a massive amount of his Primordial Qi and strength!

Nangong Wan and the other three exchanged a glance, a hint of panic rising in their eyes.

In this first exchange, Shen Lang had appeared to have the upper hand, but Mu Feng was completely unscathed, while Shen Lang was clearly struggling. ‘This… this isn’t good!’

“The Abyss Demon Power is truly formidable!” Shen Lang exclaimed, catching his breath.

Then, the Battle Intent in his eyes flared once more. “Mu Feng, you truly haven’t disappointed me! Take this! Prison Guardian Blade Technique, Fourth Stance: Celestial Demon Subduing!”

Instantly, the tunnel filled with crisscrossing Sword Qi as illusory Celestial Demons danced wildly!

Shen Lang left an afterimage in his place as he shot toward Mu Feng!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The deafening clang of metal against metal echoed endlessly in the narrow tunnel.

Shen Lang wielded his saber in his right hand, his left alternating between fist and palm. Sword Qi flew and thunder cracked. His assault was as relentless and overwhelming as a furious tide!

But Mu Feng, letting out a bestial roar, showed no weakness. His Blood Spear moved like a Blood Dragon, its Blood Evil Qi raging with insane brutality!

A Furious Palm of Wind Thunder!

A Sword Light Blood Lock!

Every thrust of the Blood Spear Locks the Path of Life; every slash of the Celestial Saber, Opening the Path to the Underworld!

Holding nothing back, Shen Lang went all out against Mu Feng. They fought until the world seemed to turn dark, their energy surging violently.

Even Duanmu Xie could not help but retreat a good distance.

Meanwhile, at the end of the tunnel, Monk Bu Se and his companions, their faces grim, once again raised a protective barrier…

On the wall of the very tunnel where the two were locked in fierce combat, the figure of a red-haired youth in a golden robe materialized.

The youth was exceptionally handsome. He sat on a throne with a look of astonishment, murmuring to himself, ‘The Four Dragon Illusion of the Dragon Emperor, one of the Three Emperors of the War God Hall, actually appeared in a boy of the Human Race? That’s just too bizarre… How could a human, with such a weak body, possibly execute the Four Dragon Illusion without being in the Emperor Martial Realm?’

‘But that move just now was, without a doubt, the Dragon Emperor’s Four Dragon Illusion, wasn’t it? The only difference is that it wasn’t four dragons that appeared, but four little guys?’

‘Interesting, truly interesting! It seems my chance has arrived…’

This voice was identical to the surprised “Hm?” that Shen Lang had heard earlier!

But the strange thing was…

Even though this red-haired youth had appeared so clearly within the tunnel and was muttering to himself,

Nangong Wan and her companions behind him seemed completely oblivious, and even Duanmu Xie failed to notice a thing!

BOOM!

Shen Lang and Mu Feng’s figures collided like two meteorites.

The Immortal Celestial Saber crashed against the Blood-colored Long Spear, unleashing a titanic wave of Energy.

Violent ripples of Energy spread out in concentric waves from the point of contact between the saber and the spear.

An incredibly sinister dark power surged from the Blood-colored Long Spear, instantly knocking aside the Immortal Celestial Saber that Shen Lang held with both hands!

Although Shen Lang held on with all his might, the tyrannical force sent the Immortal Celestial Saber flying back, its spine slamming violently onto his right shoulder!

In that instant, the Xingtian Battle Armor on Shen Lang’s body erupted with a defensive shield of light.

BOOM!

The Xingtian Battle Armor’s defensive shield appeared for only a moment before it was instantly shattered!

The Xingtian Battle Armor, capable of withstanding three full-powered strikes from an expert at the King Martial Realm Sixth Heaven, cracked on impact!

Two pieces of the Armor shot off to Shen Lang’s left and right…

Shen Lang stumbled back more than ten meters before slamming hard into the tunnel wall with a loud BANG!

“My Lord!”

Duanmu Xie cried out in shock.

From the first moment he had met Shen Lang until now, he had never seen him suffer such a major setback!

Not only had he been knocked back, but his Armor had been shattered into two pieces!

“Hahahaha! You overconfident brat!” Mu Feng’s blood-red eyes shone with a fanatical light as he laughed maniacally. “You were arrogant enough to think you could fight me to decide a victor? With your pathetic level of skill, you’re not even worthy!”

Slumped against the wall, Shen Lang’s right hand, still gripping the Immortal Celestial Saber, hung limply at his side. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth as he stared coldly at Mu Feng without a word.

The four onlookers, including Monk Bu Se, were already terrified. Seeing Shen Lang’s defeat, their expressions turned extremely ugly.

“Amitabha, may the Buddha protect us. Although Martial Grand-Uncle is powerful, he’s still forcing it by facing this Mu Feng, who is practically at the Half-Step Emperor Martial Realm… What are we going to do now? It seems like Mu Feng is only getting stronger as he fights!”

Monk Bu Se’s face was as long as a bitter gourd.

Nangong Wan held her tongue for a while but finally couldn’t take it anymore. She snorted coldly and said, “Young people are so impulsive and reckless. Why not just let Duanmu Xie take him out with a single slap? Why did he have to fight like this! Didn’t they say he only broke through to the King Martial Realm right before entering the Yumu Cave Blessed Land? With a King Martial Realm Early Stage Cultivation, defeating experts at the Second and Third Heavens of the King Martial Realm was already a miracle. Now he’s trying to fight a Mu Feng who is even stronger than the King Martial Realm Ninth Heaven!”

“Even with an Imperial Artifact like the Immortal Celestial Saber, there’s no way he can win, right?”

“Unless… he also becomes tainted with that Demon Power…”

Senior Brother Ouyang, who had been listening with a frown, paled when he heard the words “Demon Power.” He snapped, “Junior Sister, that’s enough! Don’t talk so casually about that… If a powerful Abyss Demon really is inside this Dragon Scale Divine Hall, then everyone who entered this place could be doomed! This is no laughing matter!”

Thinking of the legendary appearance of an Abyss Lord, Nangong Wan shivered and dared not speak further.

The Demons that exist in those sunless Abysses are, without exception, gigantic engines of destruction.

They possess terrifying power, act with extreme cruelty, and are fanatically devoted to slaughter, reveling in the ecstasy of annihilation and destruction.

If one were to ever climb out of the Abyss, it would be an unimaginable disaster for all living races!

According to legend, plane after plane has been annihilated by the endless destructive desire of these Abyss Demons, reduced to corrupted, lifeless worlds.

If Nangong Wan and the others had known from the start that such a terrifying Demon was lurking in the Dragon Scale Divine Hall, whether they would have dared to enter is another question entirely.

The reason they dared to brace themselves and press on was, on the one hand, because there was no way to turn back;

and on the other, they were all clinging to the sliver of hope that there was no actual Abyss Lord in the Dragon Scale Divine Hall, but merely a remnant of its power.

After all, this was the main base of the Yumu Cave Blessed Land. With the power of the Pocket World Blessed Lands back then, how could they possibly have allowed a Demon like an Abyss Lord to appear here?

However, Nangong Wan’s words reminded Monk Bu Se of something. He raised his eyebrows and shouted, “Martial Grand-Uncle, that guy is too powerful, and he’s getting stronger as he fights! I think you should just give up! With Duanmu Xie here, he wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on you!”

The three from the Imperial Dragon Sect nodded repeatedly in agreement.

If Shen Lang continued to fight just to save face, he would only end up more seriously injured;

but if he stopped, with Duanmu Xie present, Mu Feng wouldn’t dare do anything to him…

“Shut up!” Shen Lang snapped. “Just stay back and watch the show.”

‘Hmph. The Abyss Demon truly is the purest and most powerful kind of Demon. Just being tainted by a tiny bit of its power makes one this strong.’

Shen Lang straightened up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said grimly, “The Demon Power is fermenting inside you. Your mind is growing hazier, but your power is getting stronger and stronger…”

Mu Feng let out a strange laugh. “It’s good that you know. Just give me time, and I can fully merge with the Abyss Lord’s power. By then, you’ll have even less of a chance of defeating me!”

“Is that so?” Shen Lang chuckled. “I wouldn’t be so sure… You’re not the only one who gets stronger the more they fight.”

As he spoke, Shen Lang sheathed his Immortal Celestial Saber, twisted his neck slightly, and squeezed his left fist with his right hand. A series of popping sounds, like roasting beans, came from all over his body.

‘He’s not using an Imperial Artifact like the Immortal Celestial Saber? Why did he put it away?’

The few people watching from a distance were astonished!

Was Shen Lang planning to fight Mu Feng bare-handed?

They then heard Shen Lang say, “I’m growing more and more curious about the Abyss Lord’s Demon Power…”

“Very good! The warm-up is over. Now, it’s time to get serious!”

With that, Shen Lang reached up, ripped off the shattered Armor, and casually tossed it at Duanmu Xie’s feet.

Mu Feng was furious. “Bullshit! Your abilities end here, and you still have the nerve to call it a warm-up? Now that your Imperial Artifact is sheathed and your Armor is broken, let’s see what you have left to fight me with!”

“You’ll see what I’m capable of soon enough.” Shen Lang tilted his head back, looking at Mu Feng with pride. He shook his hands out twice, then clenched them into tight fists!

FWOOSH!

An unbearably hot, crimson flame erupted from Shen Lang’s body, enveloping him completely!

Within the tunnel, the temperature shot up as a scorching aura swept through the area!

The four onlookers behind him instantly felt as if they were standing on the edge of an underground magma pool!

Then, the strangely colored flames rapidly contracted, coalescing into the shape of Armor!

Clad in this Flame Armor, Shen Lang’s gaze was like lightning, and his aura skyrocketed!

But that wasn’t all…

A terrifying, monstrous wave of Thunder Power erupted from every pore on Shen Lang’s body, immediately forming a suit of Thunder Armor over the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire!

Electric light flickered and flames shot out in all directions!

An utterly terrifying aura radiated from Shen Lang, spreading out in all directions.

“Ver… Vermilion Bird Divine Fire! Impossible! No one besides the Vermilion Bird Race can truly control the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire!”

Mu Feng shrieked, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Even though he had seen Shen Lang use the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire in the Hungry Ghost Dao, Mu Feng still couldn’t believe such a thing was possible.

Meanwhile, the four at the end of the tunnel had been wondering why the flames were such a vibrant crimson. Hearing Mu Feng’s shriek, they were all, in an instant… utterly dumbfounded!