Battle of Divine Strength!

Night fell, yet the Blood Fiend Sect was brightly illuminated. The Blood Fiend Sect had occupied Gao Family Fort, and though they had not officially relocated their sect headquarters there, the fort had practically become their main base. At that moment, inside the Blood Fiend Sect's great hall, the elders were reporting to Sect Master Yan Jiansheng. "Sect Master, recently we've acquired shops across eight county towns in Nanyang Prefecture. We are currently selling our exotic incense, and business is booming." "What's more, we have expanded beyond Nanyang Prefecture and successively purchased storefronts in three surrounding prefectural cities." "Before long, our exotic incense business will surely blanket the entire Great Fish Dynasty, and our Blood Fiend Sect will undoubtedly reach its absolute zenith!" The many elders and disciples of the Blood Fiend Sect were ecstatic. The founding patriarch of the Blood Fiend Sect had been a martial artist of the Divine Strength Realm, but since his passing, the sect had never produced another Divine Strength expert. That was until Yan Jiansheng became sect master. Not only had he attained the Divine Strength Realm himself, but by a stroke of fortune, he had also used ancient rock grease as the primary ingredient to formulate an exotic incense, securing a ceaseless stream of wealth for the entire Blood Fiend Sect. Everyone knew that as long as Yan Jiansheng was present, the Blood Fiend Sect would surpass any period in its history. Even their founding patriarch could not compare to Yan Jiansheng. Yet, in contrast to the jubilant elders, Yan Jiansheng seemed in low spirits. He asked coldly, "What of Zhuang Thirteen? Any news of him?" "This..." The elders exchanged glances. Finally, an elder stepped forward and replied, "Reporting to the Sect Master, we have mobilized all our men recently and spared no effort in searching for Zhuang Thirteen. "Curiously, however, it is as if Zhuang Thirteen has evaporated into thin air. We haven't found a single trace of him, not even a wisp of a lead. "Therefore, we suspect Zhuang Thirteen most likely left Nanyang Prefecture long ago. "Perhaps he wasn't from Nanyang Prefecture in the first place, and eliminating the Thirteen Desert Riders was merely done in passing." The elders' reasoning held some truth. Many powerful martial artists traveled the world. Some acted out of righteousness, stepping forward whenever they saw injustice. Yet once the matter was resolved, such martial artists would depart and continue their travels across the land. The elders surmised that "Zhuang Thirteen" was just such a martial artist. Yan Jiansheng remained noncommittal, continuing to ask, "What about Li Mu? Is he still refusing to divulge Zhuang Thirteen's identity?" "That corrupt official Li Mu plays both sides, speaking only in ambiguities. He certainly took our banknotes, but he hasn't uttered a single word regarding Zhuang Thirteen's identity. "If he weren't the prefect, we would have slaughtered him long ago. Does he think the silver of our Blood Fiend Sect is so easily taken?" When Li Mu was mentioned, none of the elders took him seriously. In truth, if Li Mu genuinely crossed them, they would dare kill him. It was merely killing an official. Perhaps they wouldn't have dared in the past, but the world was in chaos now, and the imperial court's control over local regions had weakened to the extreme. A mere prefect was nothing hard for the Blood Fiend Sect to eliminate if they wished. "What a pity... such a fine opportunity to establish my authority. This Zhuang Thirteen got lucky and escaped a disaster." Yan Jiansheng shook his head. Given the Blood Fiend Sect's current reach, failing to locate Zhuang Thirteen after several days meant the man had most likely departed Nanyang Prefecture. *Bang!* Right then, the doors to the great hall were violently forced open. The corpses of several Blood Fiend Sect disciples were hurled inside, thudding onto the floor. "Who is it?" The Blood Fiend Sect elders spun around instantly, glaring intently out the door. *Tap, tap, tap.* A figure slowly walked in from outside. It was a figure they had never seen in person, yet one that felt strikingly familiar. "You are... Zhuang Thirteen?" Yan Jiansheng's gaze turned exceptionally sharp, immediately "recognizing" this unfamiliar silhouette. After all, Yan Jiansheng had seen plenty of portraits of "Zhuang Thirteen." Though the portraits were only fifty or sixty percent accurate, he could still recognize him at a glance. "Sect Master Yan Jiansheng of the Blood Fiend Sect. Didn't you want to use me to establish your prestige and step over me to spread your fame across Nanyang Prefecture? "As you wish, here I am!" The newcomer was naturally Lu Changsheng. Disguising himself as "Zhuang Thirteen" once more, he had arrived at the Blood Fiend Sect. Moreover, Lu Changsheng had made no attempt to sneak in. He had come completely out in the open, storming the Blood Fiend Sect by brute force right under the gaze of countless onlookers. Since the Blood Fiend Sect wanted to step on him to make a name for themselves, Lu Changsheng would stomp them thoroughly into the dirt! "Zhuang Thirteen, you actually dared deliver yourself to our doorstep?" "Do you truly think killing the Thirteen Desert Riders makes you invincible under heaven? Haha, ridiculous! A mere frog at the bottom of a well!" "Indeed. The Thirteen Desert Riders were nothing. It's only because our Blood Fiend Sect didn't step in; otherwise, they would have been wiped out long ago. How would it ever have been your turn?" These Refining Organs Realm elders of the Blood Fiend Sect were haughty to a fault, looking down entirely on the Thirteen Desert Riders. Indeed, though the Thirteen Desert Riders had caused quite a stir, they held little genuine renown in the martial world. As for the Seven Brothers of Yunshan and the One-Armed Hero, who knew how they had actually died? The elders were far more inclined to believe that the White Demons had intervened to slay them. Lu Changsheng did not speak; he didn't even bother to refute them. He merely took a step forward. *Boom!* With that single step, a blood-red cloud of qi and blood abruptly rose above Lu Changsheng's head. One step, two steps, three steps... With every step Lu Changsheng took, the crimson cloud above his head expanded by another ring. Ring upon ring expanded until the entire great hall could barely contain it. This was not an eruption of qi and blood. Rather, it was purely the aura cast off by the sheer magnitude of Lu Changsheng's own qi and blood. The aura was so terrifying that with every step, the Refining Organs elders felt as though moving was an arduous struggle, leaving them virtually suffocated. "How can his aura be so monstrous?" "It's like an overwhelming tide... I... I can't even circulate my qi and blood properly!" "Is this the foundation behind his annihilation of the Thirteen Desert Riders?" The Refining Organs elders stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. In their eyes, all of them were fellow Refining Organs martial artists, so how could the disparity be so immense? They had no idea that Lu Changsheng had undergone two marrow transformations and blood exchanges, swelling his qi and blood to an unimaginable scale. Against mere Refining Organs martial artists, Lu Changsheng didn't even need to move; his qi and blood alone was enough to suppress them. Step by step, Lu Changsheng walked until he was about thirty feet from Yan Jiansheng. Then, he halted. Right beside Lu Changsheng stood two or three Refining Organs elders, mere inches away. Yet Lu Changsheng did not spare them so much as a glance, treating them as thin air. Just by standing there, he pushed the Blood Fiend Sect's Refining Organs elders beyond their limits. They felt as though a mountain were pressing down on them, suffocating them entirely. Such crushing pressure was something they had experienced only once before—when their sect master had advanced to the Divine Strength Realm. "Could it be..." Some elders seemed to realize, staring at "Zhuang Thirteen" in sheer terror. "Di... vine... Strength... Realm!" An elder squeezed the words out with immense difficulty, his face a complex tapestry of shock, disbelief, and horror. "Indeed, he is a Divine Strength Realm martial artist!" "I truly did not expect that besides myself, another Divine Strength expert was hiding within Nanyang Prefecture." "No wonder you were able to eradicate the bandit scourge and wipe out the Thirteen Desert Riders." At that moment, Yan Jiansheng stood up. The moment he rose, a vast expanse of qi and blood manifested behind him as well. Like scarlet flames, it dyed the entire hall a blood red, standing on equal footing against Lu Changsheng's aura. Yet caught between the two terrifying auras, the Blood Fiend Sect elders felt even more wretched, finding it difficult to even twitch a finger. This plunged the Refining Organs elders into profound despair. Only now did they understand the gargantuan chasm between Refining Organs and the Divine Strength Realm. In the past, they had merely heard that no matter how strong the Body Tempering Realm was, one was still only stronger than an ordinary human. The Divine Strength Realm, however, represented a qualitative metamorphosis—one was no longer an ordinary mortal. They hadn't truly believed it before, assuming that even if a Divine Strength martial artist was formidable enough to fight ten or dozens of Refining Organs experts, they could ultimately still be overwhelmed and killed by numbers. Only now did they realize how laughable their previous thoughts had been. In a situation like this, what difference would it make even if hundreds of Refining Organs martial artists gathered? They couldn't even budge, so how could they hope to swarm and kill anyone? At that moment, Lu Changsheng and Yan Jiansheng faced off across the distance, their auras clashing violently. Both were relatively new to the Divine Strength Realm, brimming with boundless confidence, and neither was willing to yield a single inch. "Had I known beforehand that you were a Divine Strength martial artist, I would not have sought trouble with you," Yan Jiansheng's voice echoed through the hall. "Yet now that you have butchered your way into the Blood Fiend Sect, we must determine who is superior." "Determine who is superior?" Lu Changsheng shook his head. "No. We determine who lives and who dies!" The very next instant, Lu Changsheng moved. Like a dormant beast springing into action, he pounced toward Yan Jiansheng in a flash. It was the Tiger Pounce Hand, an exceedingly basic martial skill. Yet no matter how basic the technique, in Lu Changsheng's hands, it was anything but ordinary. All he required was the speed and momentum of that single pounce. *Clang!* As Lu Changsheng lunged toward Yan Jiansheng, a dazzling white light flashed. Lu Changsheng drew his sword. The sharp blade descended upon Yan Jiansheng in an instant. At such speed, a Refining Organs martial artist couldn't possibly dodge. Let alone dodge, even catching a glimpse of the blade's shadow was an extravagant wish. Yet Yan Jiansheng saw it with utter clarity. To his eyes, the flash of the blade wasn't even particularly fast. A faint smile touched the corner of Yan Jiansheng's lips. The next instant, his hand reached out like lightning, clawing directly into the flurry of sword light. *Chrrk!* Everything ground to a halt. The sword shadows in the air vanished without a trace. Everyone witnessed Yan Jiansheng gripping the sharp short sword in "Zhuang Thirteen's" hand with his bare flesh and blood. The short sword had sliced into Yan Jiansheng's palm. Yet an eerie sight unfolded. Though his palm had clearly been cut open, hardly any blood flowed from the wound. Control! This was a Divine Strength Realm martial artist's absolute mastery over his own physical body. Even with an open wound, he could halt the bleeding. Lu Changsheng's Instant Kill Technique had failed once again. His speed had been extraordinarily swift—swift to the extreme, in fact. Yet Yan Jiansheng's reflexes were even faster. "It seems you have only recently broken through to the Divine Strength Realm and lack sufficient understanding of what a Divine Strength martial artist can do. "Don't you know that a Divine Strength martial artist's greatest asset is their reaction speed? No matter how fast your swordplay is, you cannot harm a Divine Strength martial artist." Yan Jiansheng exerted force with his hand. *Crack!* Lu Changsheng's short sword instantly shattered, pieces clattering across the floor. "Forget your so-called swift swords and fast blades; they're entirely futile and useless. "Come! Use your fists, use your body! A Divine Strength martial artist's greatest weapon is their flesh, their fists, their own raw might! "Today, either you beat me to death, or I beat you to death!" A faint tinge of crimson surfaced in Yan Jiansheng's eyes, shimmering with excitement and longing. Lu Changsheng glanced at the broken shards on the ground, then tossed aside the hilt in his grip. Indeed, the moment Yan Jiansheng caught his blade, Lu Changsheng had understood. A Divine Strength martial artist's consciousness was merged into every inch of their skin, flesh, and blood. Every inch of skin and muscle possessed awareness. No matter how swift his sword was, the moment the blade pointed at them, the pressure and edge felt by their skin and flesh allowed them to react immediately. Thus, battles between Divine Strength martial artists were never about one-hit kills, nor were they decided by swift swords or fast blades. At the Divine Strength Realm, such speed-based weapons were virtually meaningless. What decided victory between Divine Strength martial artists was purely physical strength and bodily defense! Whoever possessed sturdier defenses and greater strength would prevail. Any other flashy maneuvers were utterly inconsequential. "As you wish!" Lu Changsheng abandoned all flashy techniques and drove a fist straight forward. *Boom!* It was the simple Vajra Fist, perfectly hard and masculine. Yet as Lu Changsheng unleashed this strike, the air itself seemed to compress. A gale swept violently through the entire hall. "Haha, well met!" Yan Jiansheng laughed aloud, throwing a punch directly to meet it. He had advanced to the Divine Strength Realm some time ago and was exceptionally powerful. Furthermore, following the Blood Fiend Sect's accumulated foundation after his breakthrough, he had undergone an additional marrow transformation and blood exchange. His power reached a full strength of twenty tripods. With such terrifying might, it was no wonder Yan Jiansheng sought to dominate Nanyang Prefecture. *Bang!* Yan Jiansheng's fist collided brutally with Lu Changsheng's. A tempest of destructive force instantly rippled outward from the two of them in every direction. The Refining Organs martial artists blanched. "Retreat!" Even though they backed away rapidly, some were still a fraction too slow. Caught by the shockwave of the clash, their bodies shuddered, and they were hurled backward. *Pfft!* Three Refining Organs elders sprayed mouthfuls of blood on the spot and collapsed into unconsciousness. A mere fraction of the residual shockwave had grievously wounded three elders. This was the Divine Strength Realm—divine strength invincible! After trading that direct clash, Lu Changsheng and Yan Jiansheng each took three steps back. Yan Jiansheng narrowed his eyes slightly. "The strength of twenty tripods? Judging by your state, you've clearly just reached the Divine Strength Realm not long ago. How can you possess the strength of twenty tripods?" Clearly, Yan Jiansheng was astonished. "Don't you possess the strength of twenty tripods as well?" Lu Changsheng countered calmly. The next instant, both lunged forward in unison. *Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!* Their strikes were blindingly fast, a storm of fist shadows colliding continuously. In the blink of an eye, the Blood Fiend Sect's great hall was reduced to a battered ruin. The more they fought, the more exhilarating it became. "Hahaha! Exhilarating! Absolutely exhilarating!" "In all the time since I entered the Divine Strength Realm, I have never met a worthy opponent!" Yan Jiansheng exclaimed excitedly. Lu Changsheng, however, remained entirely calm. He had already gauged Yan Jiansheng's true capability; the man indeed possessed only the strength of twenty tripods. If both remained as they were, they would be evenly matched, neither able to overcome the other. However, Lu Changsheng still possessed the Divine Dragon Transformation. "First Transformation!" Lu Changsheng's body began to vibrate faintly. His flesh, muscle, and bone underwent subtle shifts in an instant, pooling all of his power together. Lu Changsheng clearly felt another surge of strength welling up within him. The First Transformation amplified his physical might by thirty percent. In other words, this punch carried the strength of twenty-six tripods! As their fists collided, the smile on Yan Jiansheng's face vanished instantly. *Boom!* The next moment, Yan Jiansheng was violently blasted backward by the colossal force, his arm snapping with a sharp *crack*. Pressing his advantage, Lu Changsheng closed in instantly and slammed a fist into Yan Jiansheng's chest. *Thud!* The monstrous strength of twenty-six tripods caved Yan Jiansheng's chest inward. Yan Jiansheng crashed heavily against the floor, gouging a massive crater into the solid stone ground. Witnessing this, the surrounding Refining Organs elders of the Blood Fiend Sect turned pale with horror, their eyes fixed in terror upon the deep crater.