Chapter 1878 - 2070: The Ultimate Battle (Part 2)

Upon hearing his words, Ling Chen and Ling Gengqiu were both shocked, incredulously looking at the old Taoist priest. Ling Chen had always felt that the old Taoist priest was unfathomable, possessing strong abilities, but he never imagined that the old Taoist priest had completed the third stage of evolution.

No way!

After a brief moment of shock, Ling Chen suddenly realized a problem. Since the old Taoist priest and Zhu Hong both completed the third stage of evolution, their strengths should be similar. However, from the earlier competition, Zhu Hong clearly had the upper hand.

As his thoughts raced, he heard the old Taoist whisper in his ear: "Kid, be careful, this guy is tough to deal with. Although we’ve both completed the third stage of evolution, he seems to be different."

"Different?" Ling Chen asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"He... seems to have mutated," the old Taoist’s tone carried a heavy seriousness never heard before. "Unlike us, who reached this stage through steadfast cultivation, he forcibly broke through using the power of Soul Stones. No one in history has tried this method. While Soul Stone fusion can provide immense power, the soul stones condensing within different bodies aren’t identical. Forcing them to merge can create a mutation that affects the body through the Soul Stones. Just now, when I exchanged blows with him, it became evident; the power in his body is brutally strong, significantly more intense than mine."

Upon hearing it, Ling Chen’s heart became heavy. If the old Taoist was correct, how were they supposed to fight against Zhu Hong?

"Ling Chen, look quickly!"

Suddenly, Ling Gengqiu shouted.

Ling Chen turned and his face immediately changed. At the moment, Zhu Hong’s body was visibly growing taller, his skeleton twisting, deforming, and reorganizing—a chilling sight.

When Zhu Hong’s figure grew to about two meters, it finally stopped, yet his limbs and body were slowly inflating as if filled with air, with muscles bulging menacingly.

Seeing Zhu Hong transform into a small giant, Ling Chen’s eyes carried more than just seriousness. Even at a distance of more than ten meters, Zhu Hong’s powerful presence felt like a towering mountain, pressing down on him so he couldn’t breathe.

"Ling Chen, come at me. Don’t you want to challenge me? Tonight is the time to settle our grievances."

Watching Zhu Hong approach step by step, Ling Chen grit his teeth and walked forward. At this point, he had no retreat—fight or die!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Just then, the sound of something tearing through the air was heard; after dispatching all the Heavenly Dragon Sect members, the eight monstrous figures arrived. Zhang Zhongfeng stood on a protruding rock, drew his bow, and released over ten arrows that enveloped Zhu Hong’s body.

The latter sneered, displaying unabashed disdain, allowing the arrows to hit him. In an instant, over ten arrows struck him, making him look like a porcupine. Seeing Zhang Zhongfeng succeed, Ling Chen’s eyes brightened for a moment, but he was soon stunned by Zhu Hong’s actions.

Despite having over ten arrows stuck in him, Zhu Hong seemed unaffected by pain, pulling out the arrows from his body. Meanwhile, the wounds from the arrows rapidly healed, returning to their original state, appearing as though he had never been injured, without shedding a drop of blood.

This... everyone was stunned upon seeing this.

Zhu Hong’s strength was perversely high, being seemingly unkillable—how could they possibly fight him?

After a moment of silence, Ling Chen’s eyes focused, he tapped his foot lightly, and the Nine Yang Qiankun Step was deployed again. Given his current strength, the Nine Yang Qiankun Step was executed to perfection, resembling a shadow, moving swiftly atop the mountaintop.

As he neared, his hands shook, revealing two spheres. The moment those spheres shot out, with a gentle ’boom boom’, they exploded fiercely, releasing a potent electric current that attacked Zhu Hong’s body.

They were electric shock balls made by Hu Fei, containing energy that could cause brief paralysis. Honestly, he wasn’t sure if they would be effective, but given the situation, he could only give it a try.

With the shock balls exploding, purple electric flashes tangled around Zhu Hong’s body. Under the electric surge, Zhu Hong’s frame seemingly trembled slightly. Seeing this, Ling Chen didn’t hesitate, pulling out several acid bombs and throwing them all. Without any flames, just a light sound, the exploded acid bombs transformed into liquid, sticking to Zhu Hong’s surface.

Immediately, a pungent smell spread across the mountaintop.

Zhu Hong slowly raised his arm, sniffing the scent on his body, then with a sneer commented, "Acid? Ling Chen, is this all you can do? Honestly, you disappoint me. If this is your best, then it’s my turn."

Upon finishing his words, Zhu Hong stepped forward. Though the movement seemed slow, he was suddenly in front of Ling Gengqiu. Seeing Zhu Hong appear abruptly, Ling Gengqiu’s expression changed slightly, quickly retreating; however, before he could evade, Zhu Hong had grabbed his arm, tossing him upward.

Crack!

Amidst a crisp sound, Ling Gengqiu’s left arm instantly broke, blood splattering.

"Brother!" Ling Chen was shocked, rushing forward, kicking Zhu Hong’s back with all his might. Yet, Zhu Hong’s body was like a mighty fortress, unmoved despite Ling Chen’s ferocious attack.

"Get lost!" Zhu Hong barked coldly, flinging an arm. Although he hadn’t physically touched Ling Chen, Ling Chen felt a powerful force crashing into him, hurling him away.

Gush!

Spitting blood, Ling Chen’s face turned pale, his bones seemed to fracture, the pain excruciating.

In such a short time, three top fighters were all severely injured by Zhu Hong; the others stood around, staring in fright at Zhu Hong, none daring to act rashly. Ling Chen, Ling Gengqiu, and the old Taoist—considered the strongest among them—were utterly powerless before Zhu Hong. If they forced a move, it would be tantamount to a futile death.

For a while, everyone was engulfed in silence, hesitant to act.

At this moment, Ling Chen, enduring the pain, slowly climbed up from the ground. After taking a deep breath, he glanced at the time—six minutes had passed, and only four remained before Nanrong Wanqing’s toxins would start to act. He had to find a way to resolve Zhu Hong.