"Not good, it’s a trap!" Xu Fu exclaimed directly.
Although he managed to pick up the stone from beneath the riverbed, he could no longer evade Tang Zhong’s attack.
At this moment, Tang Zhong, bare-handed, charged forward like a thunderous force, his entire body crashing onto Xu Fu.
With a loud boom, Xu Fu was forced onto the ground by sheer power.
The ground beneath them gave way, forming a massive crater.
Now, Xu Fu, transformed into a stone-man, lay on the ground.
Meanwhile, Tang Zhong pressed down on him, like a towering mountain.
"With your abilities, there’s absolutely no way you can kill me!" Xu Fu sneered mockingly.
"Is that so?" Tang Zhong retorted coldly, his gaze shifting to the nearby raw stones. Their fate—life or death—now hinged on these stones.
By this time, the river water, previously split apart by Xu Fu’s Stone Sword, had come crashing back down.
Soon, the two were completely submerged.
The two figures battled beneath the river’s surface.
Tang Zhong glanced at the raw stone, reached out, and forcefully fed Xu Fu the stone.
"What do you think you’re doing?" Xu Fu roared in rage, an explosive burst of energy suddenly erupting from his stone body.
The energy shot Tang Zhong flying backward.
Tang Zhong quickly steadied himself and advanced again without hesitation.
An intense red light flickered across his entire body.
Underwater, the two stripped down to engage in fierce combat.
Fists struck back and forth relentlessly.
Above the river, jets of water erupted continuously!
Their battle created a massive whirlpool in the river.
The stone energy within Tang Zhong surged completely, striking Xu Fu repeatedly. Though his blows left scars on Xu Fu’s stone body, the wounds healed almost instantly. With the raw stones present, Xu Fu was virtually invincible.
The only way to kill Xu Fu was by utilizing the raw stone; otherwise, no chance remained.
If feeding Xu Fu the stone failed, then forcibly implanting the raw stone into his body was the only option.
Clutching the raw stone tightly in his hand, Tang Zhong’s figure suddenly dashed forward with explosive force.
"Foolish! With your current methods, you can’t possibly kill me!" Xu Fu sneered arrogantly.
He charged forward to meet Tang Zhong head-on.
A split second later, his fist slammed into Tang Zhong’s face.
A clear wound was etched onto Tang Zhong’s face almost instantly.
Xu Fu was far from ordinary. Having absorbed radiation from raw stones, he possessed boundless strength. If it had been Azure Dragon facing him now, they would have already perished under this punch.
Tang Zhong bore the pain and retaliated with another Blast Fist.
Xu Fu, however, neither dodged nor blocked.
Tang Zhong’s fist landed directly on Xu Fu’s stone heart, and his stone body visibly split open!
Xu Fu sneered at Tang Zhong, remarking, "Your punches are worthless against me."
Before Tang Zhong’s eyes, Xu Fu’s cracked heart quickly regenerated.
Xu Fu countered with a punch aimed at Tang Zhong’s chest, sending him retreating once again.
The force behind the punch was akin to a speeding freight truck collision. Though Tang Zhong’s physical body was incredibly powerful, the strike caused his blood energy to boil uncontrollably.
Staggering several steps back, Tang Zhong rallied himself, preparing another strike toward Xu Fu’s heart with unfaltering resolve.
Xu Fu paused for a moment, then chuckled coldly: "Should I take this as you failing and deciding to start over from the beginning? You cannot hurt me, because your attacks mean nothing to me!"
In the next moment, another punch landed, leaving a large crater in Tang Zhong’s chest and forcing him to retreat several steps. Enduring the agony, he steadied himself and locked eyes on Xu Fu’s heart yet again, advancing with relentless determination.
Seeing Tang Zhong’s determined movement, Xu Fu didn’t bother dodging this time. "I’ll stand here and let you hit me—I want to see that despair in your eyes!"
Tang Zhong’s fist struck Xu Fu’s chest once more. However, Tang Zhong himself was knocked flying again, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Yet this time, Tang Zhong saw it—the heart was pulsating. There was only one more punch needed.
Standing upright despite the pain, Tang Zhong clenched his fists tightly while slipping a tiny fragment of raw stone into his palm.
"Ahhh!" His roar echoed as he charged forward with a Rushing Punch.
Xu Fu remained rooted, pointing to his chest mockingly. "Go ahead—this futile struggle is laughable!"
Tang Zhong’s unwavering stare pinned Xu Fu’s chest. In the next instant, his fist struck ferociously.
If his power was sufficient this time, success was guaranteed.
The punch landed squarely, leaving a crater in Xu Fu’s body. Inside, the pulsating stone heart beat wildly.
"Now’s the time!" Tang Zhong muttered, seizing Xu Fu’s heart and yanking it violently.
Xu Fu watched Tang Zhong’s movements, his expression unchanging, his face still adorned with a faint smile. "Trying to crush my heart? Let me tell you—it’s pointless!"
"Who said I intended to crush it?" Tang Zhong sneered.
Xu Fu’s façade remained unshaken. "Then what’s your plan? Let me assure you—everything you do is in vain, because..."
Before Xu Fu could finish speaking, his expression froze.
Tang Zhong had pressed the tiny raw stone fragment against Xu Fu’s stone heart and released his grip.
In that instant, the raw stone embedded in Xu Fu’s heart began to radiate light. His body started convulsing uncontrollably.
The human body was incapable of handling raw stone’s immense power; even Xu Fu had buried himself here to endure its radiation, shielding his stone form.
"What... what have you done?" Xu Fu stammered, clutching his chest in disbelief.
"Just placed a raw stone into your heart," Tang Zhong replied, suppressing his own battered state, a smirk tugging at his lips.
This had been Tang Zhong’s true plan all along.
All those attacks targeting Xu Fu’s heart had merely been a feint. Tang Zhong had observed how Xu Fu’s injuries regenerated slower due to the raw stone’s effects, so he endured the pain to magnify Xu Fu’s wound—just enough to insert the raw stone.
It was a risky gambit, but the gamble paid off.
Xu Fu stumbled backward constantly, his entire form behaving like a malfunctioning machine.
"What have you done?" Xu Fu demanded again, his voice cracking.
"What do you think?" Tang Zhong advanced, delivering a sharp kick that sent Xu Fu sprawling to the ground. He then stomped down on Xu Fu’s chest.
Xu Fu’s expression turned increasingly grim.
"Let... let me go!" Xu Fu howled.
"You’re not in any position to negotiate with me!" Tang Zhong growled, grabbing another raw stone from nearby and driving it further into Xu Fu’s stone heart.
"No... no!" Xu Fu cried out in terror. He was acutely aware of the raw stone’s power.
Letting things continue this way would undoubtedly lead to his demise.
Tang Zhong could clearly read Xu Fu’s personality—someone with aspirations for immortality must fear death. Smirking, Tang Zhong taunted, "So you’re from the Sacrificial Clan, aren’t you?"
To Tang Zhong, killing Xu Fu wasn’t the point—getting what he desired was.