With a thud, Chen Fan crashed onto the ground. His chest now had a gash so big and deep that he looked like a spatchcocked chicken, his bone bare for all to see.
“Cough, cough.” His primeval qi was in disarray; he had a coughing fit, spitting out blood nonstop.
Despite the severity of his injuries, his gaze retained its unyielding intensity. The light in his eyes refused to diminish, exuding a wild and scary gleam.
Seeing Chen Fan's miserable appearance, Qin Yao knelt weakly on the ground, hands shielding her face as tears streamed down.
“Brat, do you regret this?” Wang Fuchen said with a faint smile, looking down at Chen Fan.
Struggling to stand, Chen Fan pressed his lips together and said, “Regret? The only remorse I harbor is my own weakness. If I were stronger, I would have sent anyone who dared bully Senior Sister to hell to repent for their actions!”
“Hehe, quite the sentimental fellow. Unfortunately, weakness is the wellspring of transgression. Your fierce glare holds no sway.” Wang Fuchen laughed coldly. With a wave of his arm, his primeval force descended upon Chen Fan like a sword.
Chen Fan's protective primeval qi yielded instantly, cleaved open like tofu. Another crimson wound appeared on his torso.
“Damn... He looks too miserable!” murmured the onlookers, sympathy coursing through the crowd as they saw Chen Fan's plight.
“Kneel and admit your wrongs. I can grant you a quick death.”
Like a cat playing with a mouse, Wang Fuchen tormented Chen Fan. His primeval force was like a whip, relentlessly lashing at Chen Fan. His skin tore, flesh was rent, and blood cascaded, saturating him in a gruesome crimson hue.
Chen Fan found himself a pawn in Wang Fuchen's game of torment and humiliation. His every action was as futile as the last. The difference in strength between them was like an impassable chasm, rendering every strategy he knew utterly ineffective.
Wang Fuchen advanced, his Yuanfu realm aura intensifying with each step, akin to an approaching storm. This marked the zenith of Chen Fan's desperation.
His opponent could have swiftly ended him with a single blow, but he chose instead to revel in the sadistic pleasure of toying with and torturing Chen Fan.
Under Wang Fuchen’s pressure, Chen Fan let out a furious roar like a wild beast.
It was like a dormant gate within him had swung open.
Amid this harrowing pressure, when he felt every bone in him creaking, the Myriad Elephants Divine Art had advanced once again.
Chen Fan went from the peak of the fifth layer to the sixth layer of the Myriad Elephants Divine Art, infusing him with a surge of vitality. Miraculously, his bloody wounds visibly closed and formed scabs. But the transformation didn't stop there.
Within the embryo of the Heaven Seizing Furnace, the power of the Omni Fire Dragon underwent complete refinement. It transmuted into an inexhaustible essence of vitality.
Chen Fan’s qi cultivation broke through once more, reaching the peak of the eighth level. He was only a step away from piercing through the clouds, advancing to Qi Grandmaster. [1]
These transformations unfolded amidst Wang Fuchen’s oppressive pressure. So, he was the first to notice the changes.
His narrowed eyes registered surprise. Despite the severe injuries he had inflicted, Chen Fan seemed revitalized, emanating a significantly stronger aura.
“Interesting,” Wang Fuchen mumbled.
The prospect of Chen Fan becoming a Qi Grandmaster didn't perturb him; he remained confident in his ability to kill him effortlessly.
Quite surprisingly, he managed to advance his cultivation under such circumstances. And even his physique cultivation technique has broken through. Wang Fuchen watched Chen Fan’s transformation with a casual smile.
“Well, that's fine. I’m sure you must have found a sliver of hope. Allow me to trample on those newfound hopes and kick you back into despair. I’ll make you crumble completely!”
Wang Fuchen chuckled coldly, releasing a thread of primeval force toward Chen Fan.
Chen Fan bellowed, channeling all his strength into the Undefeated King's Fist.
Now that his cultivation and Myriad Elephants Divine Art had advanced, he could contend even with peak Qi Grandmasters.
If Wang Fuchen hadn’t broken through to the Yuanfu realm and still been a peak Qi Grandmaster, the current Chen Fan could have fought him toe-to-toe.
A series of explosions rang out.
Chen Fan’s flooding primeval qi clashed with Wang Fuchen’s ferocious primeval force, giving rise to a tempestuous wind that visibly contorted the surroundings. Countless ripples flew in all directions.
Although Chen Fan had to constantly retreat, he had, for the first time, broken Wang Fuchen’s attack.
Wang Fuchen uttered softly, a hint of surprise flickering across his expression.
A glimmer of hope appeared in Chen Fan's heart. Like a phantom, he darted around Wang Fuchen, probing for the slightest opening.
“What’s the point? Against absolute strength, your efforts are futile. Since I've grown weary of this game, I’ll properly send you to your death,” Wang Fuchen said icily.
The qi around him surged violently, an invisible tide sweeping out. Struck by this force, Chen Fan staggered, his afterimages vanishing.
Wang Fuchen, no longer interested in dragging the fight, unsheathed his sword and executed a lightning-fast arc, slashing at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan raised his sword to block the attack. The force of the attack ripped apart the webbing on his hand, forcing him into a staggering retreat.
Wang Fuchen didn’t give Chen Fan any chance to catch a breather. Advancing, he sent a second slash toward Chen Fan without warning.
With a clang, the sword in Chen Fan’s hand snapped, and a bloody cut appeared on his chest.
The sword belonged to a Floating Cloud Sword Sect disciple he had killed. It was just an ordinary sword, incomparable to Wang Fuchen’s grade-two treasure.
Wang Fuchen swung his arm.
In the air, streaks of sword light materialized, resembling the myriad stars in the night sky. Swishing sounds resonated as more bloody holes appeared on Chen Fan’s torso.
"Are you in despair?" Wang Fuchen chuckled lightly.
"Fight!" Chen Fan's eyes remained unwavering.
Wang Fuchen was too strong, a testament to the overwhelming strength of the Yuanfu realm—a league apart from the Qigong realm.
Although Chen Fan’s strength had increased under Wang Fuchen’s pressure, he was still like a child fighting with an adult.
Could a child armed with a knife possibly subdue a fully grown adult?
To say he was not in despair would be a lie.
“Fight, fight, fight!”
Chen Fan, now drenched in blood, had seemingly transformed into a demon, unleashing furious roars. Every ounce of his strength was squeezed out in a desperate attempt to fight back, even if it looked like an ant trying to shake a towering tree.
Chen Fan's charge was swift, but the speed at which he was sent back flying was even faster.
Wang Fuchen, with a single punch, sent Chen Fan hurtling through the air, breaking several bones.
Wang Fuchen swung his sword, and fresh blood painted the scene.
“Ah! How can I die? How can I die here? I can’t die! I must not die!”
Half-kneeling, fresh blood continued to flow from Chen Fan's wounds. He panted heavily, his mouth and nostrils tainted with blood.
He felt extremely indignant!
Madly, furiously, he roared.
In this critical moment, Chen Fan seemed to have made a decision as determination flooded his eyes. With a flip of his palm, a jade box appeared in his hand, and he swallowed the pill inside in one gulp.
1. Early>Middle>Late>Peak. ?