Chapter 1879 - 2071: The Ultimate Showdown (3)

At this moment, the clouds above were growing thicker and thicker, the dense black clouds gathering into masses, seeming as if they could press down at any moment, giving a suffocating feeling. Ling Chen was panting, casting his gaze towards Nanrong Wanqing beside him. Her eyes were red-rimmed, slowly moving her body, trying to walk towards him. But maybe because of the poison, her body seemed to have lost its strength, and after a few steps, she collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

Looking at Nanrong Wanqing’s dim star-like eyes, Ling Chen tried to force a smile, gesturing her not to worry.

"Ling Chen!" At this moment, Ren Donglin, Golden Dragon, and Wang Teng hurried over, gathering around Ling Chen.

"Where’s Chen Quan?"

"Don’t worry, he won’t appear again." As those words fell, Golden Dragon looked at Zhu Hong in the center of the scene and said in a deep voice, "How do you plan to deal with this person?"

Ling Chen pondered for a while, then said, "Although his strength is formidable, I don’t believe he’s invulnerable. He must have a weak spot. Three elders, please draw his attention later."

"No problem!" Ren Donglin responded and headed straight towards Zhu Hong. Golden Dragon and Wang Teng quickly followed, forming a wedge that surrounded Zhu Hong. Meanwhile, Ling Chen made a gesture to Yuan Yun, who understood and tossed the steel knife over.

"Act now!"

With a soft shout from his mouth, Ren Donglin and the other two immediately made their moves. However, all three were just feigning attacks, without any intent to inflict real harm. After all, Zhu Hong’s strength was evident; even Ling Gengqiu and the old Taoist weren’t his match, let alone them. A frontal clash would be tantamount to suicide.

Taking advantage of Zhu Hong’s distracted attention, Ling Chen swiftly stepped forward, raising the steel knife in his hand and slashing towards his opponent’s leg. Although he had tried earlier, Zhu Hong’s body seemed as impenetrable as a wall, but he believed there must be a weakness. If they could find it, there was a glimmer of hope.

Under Ling Chen’s assault, despite Zhu Hong’s towering height of nearly two meters, he was not slow-moving but surprisingly agile, continuously dodging Ling Chen’s attacks. Several times, the steel knife came within an inch of hitting his leg. Zhu Hong was dodging so vigorously; could it be that he feared injury to his legs?

Thinking of this, Ling Chen glanced up at Zhu Hong, only to see him wearing a mocking smile, as if he was playing with him.

"Ling Chen, I have plenty of time. If you want to play, I can play with you for a long time. But the ten minutes are almost up. Do you want to watch Wanqing die from the poison?"

Hearing this, Ling Chen coldly retorted, "Didn’t you repeatedly say you love her? If that’s true, why poison her? Release her, and I’ll fight you in a man’s duel."

"Hahaha!" Zhu Hong laughed loudly, "Ling Chen, I’m not looking down on you; you’re simply not my opponent. I could crush you with just one finger."

Whoosh!

As he spoke, a piercing sound suddenly rang out, followed by a thick, long arrow piercing through Zhu Hong’s ankle. At the arrow’s tail, a rope was attached. This sudden change left Ling Chen stunned. He turned his head to see Zhang Zhongfeng holding a heavy crossbow, the weapon previously used by Chen Quan.

At this moment, a group of people were pulling on the rope with all their might, causing Zhu Hong to lose his balance and fall to the ground with a ’boom’.

"Sixth brother, quickly, go!"

Hearing Qiu Yong’s shout, Ling Chen no longer hesitated, raising the steel knife high and leaping towards Zhu Hong’s neck. However, Zhu Hong reacted quickly; as the blade approached, he suddenly turned, stretching out a hand to grab the incoming blade with his fingers. His terrifying strength snapped the blade.

Holding half the blade, Zhu Hong flicked his wrist, sending it flying swiftly, piercing through Zhang Zhongfeng and Qiu Yong’s bodies. Blood spurted out, and they collapsed to the ground.

"Big brother, fourth brother!"

Witnessing this scene, Ling Chen’s eyes were bloodshot; he could no longer care about Zhu Hong and rushed over in a panic. "Trying to leave?" Zhu Hong sneered, rapidly catching up with Ling Chen and swinging a punch towards his head.

Feeling the deadly threat, Ling Chen didn’t have time to think. He quickly turned, crossing his arms, trying to withstand Zhu Hong’s attack. But as the punch landed, Ling Chen’s defense shattered instantly, his body flying backward, crashing into a stone.

Spurt!

Blood sprayed out; Ling Chen felt his bones shatter, pain beyond endurance, and he couldn’t muster the strength to stand. Watching Zhu Hong approaching step by step, Ling Chen clenched his teeth, struggling to rise but failing each time.

At this time, Ren Donglin and the others rushed over, grabbing the rope on the arrow’s tail, trying to stop Zhu Hong from nearing Ling Chen. The combined effort finally halted Zhu Hong’s steps.

"Ling Chen, run!"

Hearing Golden Dragon’s shout, Ling Chen forced a bitter smile; he wanted to leave, but he had no strength left, unable to even lift a finger, let alone stand. Moreover, the old Taoist and Ling Gengqiu were in no better condition, one suffering from internal strength backlash and seriously injured, the other with a severed arm.

As their injuries mounted, the odds of succeeding in this battle... were rapidly diminishing.

In the midst of his thoughts, screams resonated from a short distance, as Ren Donglin and the others failed to stop Zhu Hong, becoming severely wounded themselves. Although not life-threatening, they were powerless to continue fighting.

Once Ren Donglin was dealt with, Zhu Hong resumed his stride towards Ling Chen. Upon reaching him, he smirked, saying coldly, "See, your companions are nearly dead."

Ling Chen frowned, remaining silent. At this moment, words were futile.

"Rest assured, I’m not going to kill them now. I’ll need witnesses for my wedding with Wanqing. After attending my wedding, I’ll kill them one by one. But you won’t have the chance to witness this moment." With that, Zhu Hong slowly raised his fist, wearing a sinister smile as he aimed it at Ling Chen’s head.

Seeing his action, everyone couldn’t help but close their eyes, unwilling to watch.

This punch would surely end Ling Chen’s life.

"No... No..." Nanrong Wanqing cried on the ground, her voice choked, desperately shouting. But Zhu Hong turned a deaf ear to her pleas, his punch vicious and relentless.

Seeing his fist rapidly approaching, Ling Chen exhaled slowly, devoid of any emotion.

It was... a failure!

However, just as he was preparing to give up, a pair of hands suddenly stretched from behind, blocking Zhu Hong’s punch.

(Tomorrow the finale, the new book will also be published simultaneously, feeling super exhilarating, especially after Chapter ten when things get extremely intense.)