sucker Punch

This was intentional on Long Chen's part. Although he did not know much about Beast Cultivators, he was certain that such a boost in combat power utilizing the strength of a Demonic Beast would inevitably make a person extremely berserk and unable to remain calm.

Although the power after becoming berserk was terrifying, the fighting was entirely based on instinct. Long Chen had always believed that a mad bull was easier to deal with than a calm fox.

This time, Long Chen was prepared. The moment Huang Shang's body moved, he also moved, kicking out directly towards Huang Shang's lower abdomen.

"Bang."

Long Chen kicked Huang Shang's lower abdomen hard, directly knocking him back. The berserk Huang Shang was like a wild beast, completely disregarding Long Chen's attacks.

However, what made Long Chen break out in a cold sweat was that the berserk Huang Shang's speed was too fast. Just as Long Chen's foot touched Huang Shang's lower abdomen, Huang Shang's sharp claws were already about to touch Long Chen's throat.

If Long Chen hadn't struck first, it would have been too late by the time he reacted. This was the terror of a Beast Cultivator; once they underwent beastification, their strength, speed, and defense would surge, as if they had become a completely different person.

"Roar."

After being knocked back by Long Chen's kick, Huang Shang let out a roar similar to that of a wild beast. His eyes turned blood-red, and crossing his claws, he swiped at Long Chen.

"Wind-Breaking Fist."

Long Chen let out a loud shout and threw a punch.

"Boom."

Long Chen's fist slammed into the sharp claws. With an explosive sound, both of them were knocked back several zhang.

"What powerful strength."

Long Chen complained inwardly. He hadn't expected Huang Shang to have such a terrifying trump card. This bastard had hidden it too deeply.

Previously, Long Chen's Wind-Breaking Fist had sent Huang Shang flying directly, leaving him with no strength to resist. But with the beastified Huang Shang, Long Chen's punch couldn't even injure him in the slightest.

Like a furious Demonic Beast, Huang Shang had just retreated before pouncing back up, his claws dancing wildly, filling the sky with fierce wind as he lunged at Long Chen.

Long Chen gritted his teeth. He fully activated the Fengfu Star beneath his feet, and the seven Qi cyclones within his Dantian spun rapidly. His entire body's strength surged like a tide, and he swung his fists, fighting Huang Shang with all his might.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Explosions shook the heavens, and fierce winds scattered in all directions. The terrifying shockwaves, like a great river, forced the spectators to retreat continuously.

"Heavens, what kind of battle is this?"

"It's too terrifying."

The young men and women present had never seen such an intense battle before; they were already scared pale, their legs trembling.

Let alone the youths, even those battle-hardened veterans were deeply shaken. No one had expected Huang Shang to be a Beast Cultivator with such terrifying combat power.

And what surprised everyone even more was that Long Chen, once hailed as the Imperial Capital's number one waste of a young master, could actually fight against a monster like Huang Shang.

Now, claw shadows filled the sky, and fist winds whistled, shaking the heavens. If one had to say who was the most shocked, it would be Xia Changfeng and Wei Cang.

They could never have imagined that Long Chen, a mere Qi Gathering Rank, could erupt with such terrifying combat power and hold his own against the beastified Huang Shang.

One had to know that Huang Shang was a death soldier raised in secret. Out of a thousand people, only a dozen survived the brutal training.

And Huang Shang was the strongest among those dozen, which is why he was valued by Great Xia and heavily cultivated.

It could be said that Huang Shang was a killing machine piled up with countless resources. If Long Chen hadn't enraged Xia Changfeng and Wei Cang, they would not have exposed this secret weapon.

However, shock was shock. Seeing that although Long Chen was resisting with all his might, he was already beginning to fall at a disadvantage under Huang Shang's attacks, which were like raging waves of a stormy sea.

After all, Long Chen only had the cultivation of the seventh heaven of the Qi Gathering Rank, and only one of the nine stars had been opened. In terms of the richness of Spiritual Qi, he was far inferior to Huang Shang.

If it weren't for Long Chen's Physical Body being equally incomparably strong, anyone else would have already been torn to shreds.

"Sss."

Long Chen's arm was grazed by Huang Shang's claw again. Although he tried his best to dodge, his clothes were still shredded, and he was dripping with blood.

At this moment, Long Chen had many bloodstains on his body, and blood had soaked most of his clothes, making Chu Yao's heart tighten.

"This won't do. Right now, Huang Shang is simply a humanoid Demonic Beast with infinite strength, and the sharpness of his claws is no less than steel."

Long Chen felt a shock in his heart. If it weren't for the combat experience from the Pill Emperor's Soul, he would have already been unable to hold on.

"Great Master Yun Qi, please save Long Chen." Chu Yao looked at Great Master Yun Qi and couldn't help but plead.

"Wait." Great Master Yun Qi stared at Long Chen but still did not make a move.

In fact, Great Master Yun Qi was also very conflicted. Long Chen's achievements in alchemy were what he admired the most.

He had once advised Long Chen, hoping that he would spend all his energy on the Dao of alchemy, believing that with his Aptitude, he would go further in the Dao of alchemy.

But the combat power Long Chen displayed today was simply shocking. As an alchemist, he had to admit that if Long Chen put all his energy into martial arts, perhaps his achievements would be even higher than in the Dao of alchemy.

The reason he hadn't made a move was that he wanted to see where Long Chen's limits were, and he also wanted to make Long Chen's will more firm through the test of life and death.

Through such tempering of life and death, no matter whether Long Chen chose alchemy or martial arts in the future, it would have immeasurable benefits.

"Sss."

Blood splattered. Long Chen's chest was struck by another claw, and several more bloody marks appeared on his chest.

"Long Chen, I won't let you die so easily. I said I would tear you into shreds bit by bit."

At this time, after a long battle, the initial madness of Huang Shang had been suppressed by him quite a bit, and he opened his mouth to sneer.

Long Chen did not reply. He discovered that at this moment, Huang Shang had openings all over his body, but his defense was shockingly strong.

He had previously kicked Huang Shang in the crotch, hitting the vital point, but what shocked Long Chen was that Huang Shang only staggered, and then acted as if nothing had happened, his movements unaffected in the slightest.

After fighting fiercely for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Long Chen had already figured out Huang Shang's current state. His physical strength and endurance were not up to human standards. If he continued like this, he had no chance of winning.

Next, let's try this!

Long Chen suddenly shouted loudly and threw a punch, meeting Huang Shang's claw. His entire body retreated three zhang, and he stared at Huang Shang from a distance.

Huang Shang did not chase him immediately but looked at Long Chen indifferently, just like a tiger looking at its prey.

The whole scene remained silent, but at this moment, people felt as if they were about to drown, and only now did they have a chance to catch their breath.

The fierce exchanges just now, like a storm, had left them unable to breathe, their hearts in their throats. Especially those young girls, whose hands were tightly clenched in front of their chests, fearing that Long Chen would accidentally splatter blood on the spot.

"Do you still want to continue struggling in vain?" Huang Shang raised his hand. His three-inch-long nails were covered in blood, all of which belonged to Long Chen.

Now, Long Chen's clothes were tattered, and there were dozens of crisscrossing wounds on his body, with blood slowly flowing, looking very terrifying.

"Struggling in vain? It doesn't seem to have reached that point yet." Long Chen shook his head. Although he was covered in injuries, they were all superficial wounds. They looked scary, but they didn't have much of an impact on him.

Long Chen knew that today's battle was very arduous; it was the most difficult battle of his life, but it was definitely not his last.

As long as he fought against destiny, the battles he would face in the future would only become more and more intense. He needed that threat of death to stimulate his will to survive.

To become a true Martial Artist, one must face the threat of life and death. Only by enduring the fear of death can one go further on this path. This is the only path for a strong person.

In the battle just now, he had always been struggling on the edge of life and death. Although he had fused with the Pill Emperor's Soul and also fused with some combat experience.

But with just one moment of negligence, he would become a corpse. Long Chen had made a great determination before daring to do this.

He also had his own unavoidable difficulties. If he couldn't even withstand such pressure, how could he face future enemies? How could he solve his own predicament? How could he avenge the blood, stolen bones, and ruined roots?

After several narrow escapes from death just now, his intuition had become sharper and sharper, and his state of mind had become clearer. His goal had been achieved, and now it was time for a real life-and-death battle.

"But since you say I'm struggling in vain, then so be it. Next, let me show you what my, Long Chen's, 'struggle in vain' is."

"Whoosh."

Long Chen clasped his hands together, and a wave of fire swept out. Heat waves surged in all directions, and his entire body was wrapped in a pale yellow flame.

"What?"

Wei Cang stood up abruptly, his face full of disbelief. He pointed a finger at Long Chen, simply unable to believe it: "Dan Fire body protection, how is this possible?"

Besides Wei Cang, the other person who was shocked was Great Master Yun Qi. Long Chen was actually able to cover his whole body with Dan Fire.

Dan Fire body protection was something that only alchemists like Yun Qi and Wei Cang could do.

This not only required powerful Dan Fire and abundant Spiritual Qi, but also required the assistance of extremely profound Soul Power.

Only an alchemist-level expert could achieve Dan Fire body protection; this was common knowledge. Usually, an alchemist had to reach the Tendon Transformation Rank to have enough Spiritual Power and Soul Power to barely achieve Dan Fire body protection.

Although according to the Rank, Long Chen was already a Dan Master, his cultivation was only at the seventh heaven of the Qi Gathering Rank.

Under normal circumstances, although the Ranks of alchemy cultivation and martial cultivation were not the same, they were closely related.

Generally, to become a Pill Apprentice, one had to be at least at the Qi Gathering Rank, because only by gathering Qi could one condense Dan Fire.

However, condensing Dan Fire did not necessarily mean one could become a Pill Apprentice. Only by refining a Medicinal Pill of qualified quality could one be qualified to be called a Pill Apprentice.

And most of those called Pill Apprentices were generally already at the Blood Condensation Rank or above; otherwise, they would not have enough Spiritual Qi to refine Medicinal Pills.

Only alchemists with very high Aptitude could become Pill Apprentices at the Qi Gathering Rank. Like Long Chen and Xia Baichi, being able to refine second-grade Medicinal Pills during the Qi Gathering period and becoming a Dan Master could already be called a Genius.

But no matter how much of a Genius one was, it was impossible to condense Dan Fire for body protection at the Qi Gathering Rank. This overturned the two men's understanding.

Long Chen stood on the field, his whole body wrapped in yellow flames, his hair floating, his eyes like stars, looking like a Fire God descending to the world, indescribably domineering.

"I'm coming."