BOOM!
As a spiked fist collided with a fist covered in blood-colored scales, qi waves battered the entire martial stage. Startled cries echoed through the arena as astral winds breached the barrier, stinging the faces of onlookers.
People flocked to the star cloud martial stage because of the direct sensory experience it offered to spectators. From the stands, they could keenly sense the raw power and skill of the combatants, almost feeling as if they were on the stage themselves. This immersive viewing experience was immensely beneficial, justifying the high price of admission to these exclusive events. Without this unique perspective, people wouldn’t be willing to pay such exorbitant prices for the tickets.
“Even after going through the barrier, their shockwaves are still so terrifying. If I were actually inside, wouldn’t I be directly crushed to death?” cried out a Divine Venerate disciple.
Despite the sharpness of the spikes on Cao Shaoqing’s fist, they failed to break through Long Chen’s scales. Long Chen stared at him, feeling the force behind his fist.
“The armor isn’t bad, but you’re unable to fully utilize its power,” Long Chen remarked. “At best, it can assist you in withstanding some of the devil pressure on the martial stage. Apart from that, it won’t be of much help to you.”
Hearing Long Chen speak so calmly, the spectators were in disbelief. This clearly showed that Long Chen had yet to use his full power.
“You’re a frog at the bottom of a well. Do you think you can look down on the Blood Soul Battle Armor?” Cao Shaoqing looked at Long Chen scornfully.
“I’m not looking down on the Blood Soul Battle Armor. I’m looking down on you,” retorted Long Chen.
BOOM!
At this moment, Cao Shaoqing’s Blood Qi erupted, and the blood sea in his manifestation started to boil.
“Heavens, his aura is still climbing!”
“Both of them seem to have endless power. They’re both monsters.”
The spectators watched as Cao Shaoqing’s aura continuously climbed. However, no matter how strong it became, Long Chen was like an unyielding boulder.
Cao Shaoqing was like a nail trying to stab through a rock, but no matter what he did, he was unable to move Long Chen at all.
“There’s no rush. Feel free to bring out your full power. I’ll wait,” said Long Chen.
“Alright, then I’ll do just that.” A cold glint appeared in Cao Shaoqing’s eyes.
Hearing this, the spectators recoiled in fear. Mo Nian couldn’t help asking, “What is it?”
Lu Ziqiong nervously said, “Cao Shaoqing’s power is terrifying, but due to the Immemorial Blood Crocodile’s power within him, it takes him some time to release his full power. The best way to beat him is to crush him before he can fully awaken the Immemorial Blood Crocodile’s power. Once he has, not many people within the junior generation can fight him.”
“Is that so? No wonder Long Chen is so patient this time,” remarked Mo Nian.
“Big Brother Mo Nian, what does that mean?” asked Yu Tong.
Mo Nian calmly answered, “I’m saying that Long Chen doesn’t want to bully a weakling. He wants to test out just how strong his opponent is in his top condition.”
Mo Nian had been feeling quite pleased the past few days. Yu Tong and Yu Fei had been addressing him as “Big Brother Mo Nian” constantly, to the extent that it made him feel as though his bones were turning to jelly. The boost to his ego was indescribable.
“Is Big Brother Long Chen not afraid of losing?” asked Yu Fei.
“Losing? Impossible. Neither of us has ever lost to someone in the same realm. In truth, we also desire to know what defeat tastes like, but regretfully, the circumstances never allow it! What a shame,” Mo Nian sighed deeply, embodying the loneliness of someone at the peak of the world.
“Wow! Big Brother Mo Nian, you’re both amazing!” exclaimed Yu Tong and Yu Fei, gazing at Mo Nian with starry-eyed admiration, their worship undisguised.
“I’m curious, if Race Leader Yu Luo was not here, would you still behave so boldly?” asked Lu Ziyu curiously.
Mo Nian chortled, “We brothers have always been unrestrained, doing whatever we want. There’s nothing we don’t dare to do. After all, our bravery is the foundation of our power. Neither of us uses our connections to intimidate people as we rely on our own power.”
It went without saying that Lu Ziyu lacked emotional intelligence. Lu Ziqiong shot a glare at her midway through her question, finding it to be very rude—practically an accusation.
Hence, the first half of Mo Nian’s response directly addressed Lu Ziyu’s question, but the second half was actually a kind of scorn. He implied that he and Long Chen were different from disciples from noble families like them, not using their backgrounds to get whatever they wanted.
“I’m sorry, my little sister didn’t mean anything by it…” Lu Ziqiong hastily apologized. She knew that Mo Nian was unhappy with this question. Sigh, this little sister of hers was really foolish.
Mo Nian smiled slightly. “Miss Lu, you don’t need to apologize. Long Chen and I are just like this. If you respect me a foot, I’ll respect you a yard. However, if someone provokes us, we won’t yield no matter who they are. I can’t just accept other people’s bad behavior in silence.”
Lu Ziyu only realized the insensitivity of her question now, yet she found herself unable to apologize. She remained silent, her mouth firmly shut.
Meanwhile, Cao Shaoqing’s aura was surging in power, doubling its previous intensity. Furthermore, blood-colored flames started to envelop him.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a hidden figure within Cao Shaoqing’s manifestation stirred, and a giant crocodile head emerged from the blood sea, opening its mouth in a resounding roar.
The roar was a bizarre combination of a tiger’s growl and a donkey’s bray, creating an unsettling and powerful vibration that reverberated throughout the martial stage.
Long Chen stared in shock at the massive crocodile head, his jaw hanging open in disbelief.
Suddenly, Cao Shaoqing retreated, creating some distance between them. Flames enveloped his entire body, with his blood sea swirling and his raging Blood Qi acting as if it were battle armor.
“Hahaha, now you know fear?” Cao Shaoqing raised his head and laughed at Long Chen’s stunned expression.
Raising one of his fingers, Long Chen pointed at the crocodile’s head and asked, “You call this the Immemorial Blood Crocodile?”
Cao Shaoqing laughed. “That’s right. This is the legendary existence from the immemorial era. Thank you for letting me enter my strongest state. To repay you, I will personally tear you to pieces, hahaha—!”
“You fucker, you fucking scammed me?!”
All of a sudden, Long Chen seemed to teleport and slapped Cao Shaoqing in the face.
Pow!