Chapter 7 Liang Xi Has Arrived
Liang Chen was actually dead just like that, killed by his own woman. What about the Liang family then? Were they just going to be abandoned? A wave of cheers erupted among the crowd. It should have been settled this way long ago. If no one had dealt with Liang Chen, this man would have truly believed that he was the strongest one in the Dark Moon Guild, free to walk sideways and act as he pleased! Dying in his own illusion and inner demons—that was his ultimate end!
"All hail the Poison King!"
The cheers resounded across the sky!
With his eyes closed and arms open, the Poison King thoroughly relished this sense of achievement. This was the reason he kept on fighting; he had long lost interest in elemental crystals. What he truly desired was the awe and reverence of others!
Earth Dragon actually detested this disciple of his from the bottom of his heart, but there was no other choice. Things that others could not accomplish, he could do—not only could he do them, but he could execute them flawlessly. This made Earth Dragon despise the Poison King on one hand, while being utterly dependent on him on the other!
This feeling was thoroughly unpleasant, but Earth Dragon knew that for quite a long time to come, this dynamic would persist! He turned his head to look at the deeply shocked Fisher and White Wolf. "Well, esteemed guild masters, what do you say now? Have your men kneel and apologize to my Ling Shuyu. We are all acquaintances, and I truly didn't want to push things to this extreme!"
"That's right! Make the Nameless Sword apologize! Liang Chen is dead, but this man is still alive, and he is the root cause of everything. If he doesn't apologize, don't even think about leaving this place alive!"
The surrounding disciples also began to jeer and stir up trouble.
"Second Uncle, hmph. You used to be nothing more than a good-for-nothing. Who would have thought that after all these years, you'd remain exactly the same, without the slightest change at all? Previously, you talked endlessly about wanting to seize control of the Liang family. Your nephew was just thinking: if the Liang family truly fell into your hands, it would indeed be a misfortune for the family lineage, because you collapse far too easily. The Liang family cannot be entrusted to you!"
"A person like you isn't even worthy of carrying my shoes, yet you dared to dream of defeating me? Hmph! Forget about me now—even this mere Poison King right before your eyes is someone you can't defeat! Trash! Trash for all eternity!"
Liang Xi's mocking voice echoed in Liang Chen's ears. Even at a time like this, was this brat still going to mock him? Why? Why on earth was this happening? Damned Liang Xi, did you really think you were some kind of saint? Would you dare claim that over all these years, you had never done a single disgraceful thing?
"What do you take me for? I've been defeated? Hahaha, let me tell you, I will never be defeated! Not in the past, and certainly not now!"
Liang Chen's heart roared incessantly. The fighting spirit that had long since extinguished suddenly began to burn anew! In an instant, the man's entire body was enveloped by astonishing flames, forming a suit of peerlessly formidable armor!
"Wait, when did I ever say that I was defeated?"
This was a voice straight from the netherworld. The faces of all the disciples in the stands changed drastically as they watched Liang Chen, who should have been dead, actually stand back up. Immediately, the flames raging around his body completely vanished!
Swish!
In the next second, Liang Chen disappeared!
When he reappeared, he was standing right in front of the Poison King like a ghost!
"World-Destroying Fist!"
A huge silver fist-shadow, resembling a colossal mountain peak, instantly materialized before the Poison King. At such close range, defense was completely out of the question!
"What on earth is this? Is this man a monster? Wasn't he already dead? Why has he resurrected again?" Upon seeing such a mountain-sized fist-shadow, everyone let out cries of terror. The massive fist-shadow now hung over the entire sky like a giant dark cloud! The momentum unleashed by this single move caused everyone's bodies to tremble violently; they had lost both the courage and the ability to flee!
The Poison King's pupils contracted to the size of needlepoints as the gigantic fist-shadow drew closer and closer!
Boom!
The ground shattered instantly!
The Poison King's towering body was sent flying in an instant!
Bang, bang, bang!
The Poison King's robust physique smashed directly into the massive hill behind him, carving out deep, crater-like fissures!
This single punch caused the arrogant Poison King to lose consciousness momentarily!
Liang Chen raised his head to look at the distant viewing platform. He coldly gazed at the deeply shocked Earth Dragon, a chilling and mocking smile curving the corners of his mouth!
Faced with such an icy smile, even someone as formidable as Earth Dragon could not help but shudder. Yet, he still believed that the punch just now was merely a spent force at the end of its flight, and that this brat Liang Chen was dead for sure today. "Poison King! This is all your fault. Kill him for me! If you can't even manage this today, you are no longer qualified to be my disciple!"
"Master, rest assured. This disciple knows what must be done. Things are finally getting interesting now. I haven't been this excited in many years! Liang Chen, although I don't know how you managed to come back to life, no matter what you do, you are no match for me!"
Boom!
The massive silver fist-shadow slammed toward the Poison King once again, giving him no opportunity to speak!
Taking the World-Destroying Fist twice in succession—even a body forged of iron could not withstand such punishment!
Puff!
A mouthful of fresh blood spewed wildly from the Poison King's mouth! He stared at Liang Chen before him with a look of sheer terror; he finally believed that this man's power had truly recovered!
"Get up! Keep fighting! Weren't you very impressive just now, Poison King? Didn't you previously boast about your ability to poison people without a trace? Now I am right here, fight! What? Too cowardly? Fine, since you don't dare, I'll do it myself!"
"Die!"
Having been proud for his entire life, how could the Poison King endure such a defeat? At this moment, his facial features twisted hideously. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, a trace of madness flashed in his eyes. "Hahaha! That's more like it. Master, I am going to lift the seal on my body now. This man is worthy of such measures. Today, I must defeat him using my true strength!"
"Very well, that is the only thing you can do right now. I permit you to lift the seal!" Earth Dragon's voice carried a trace of icy confidence. The reason the Poison King was called the Poison King was because he had eighty percent of all the deadly toxins in the world sealed within his body!
Ordinarily, this man kept his rage under strict control, but now there was finally someone who could push him into an all-out battle. How could he not be thrilled?
"Hahaha! Today, everyone here is going to die!"
Suddenly, a purple six-pointed star appeared on the Poison King's forehead, radiating an astonishingly brilliant purple light! This purple radiance surged outward like layer upon layer of giant waves!
"Run for your lives!"
However, no matter how fast the Dark Moon disciples in the stands moved, they could not outrun the toxic fog!
Ah!!
Shrill, miserable screams echoed across the vast plaza!
Thick toxic fog enveloped the Poison King. "Not a single one of you will escape! Soon, you will all witness my true form!"
Boom!
Just three seconds later, the dense toxic fog completely dissipated!
The unsealed Poison King possessed waist-length black hair, fair skin, and a luxurious black robe that was actually condensed entirely from toxic mist!
Puff!
Countless Dark Moon disciples simply could not withstand the faint pressure now erupting from this man. In an instant, these innocent disciples perished!
"Myriad Poison Palm!"
As the words fell, the sky filled with dense, massive purple palm-shadows. The heavy pressure was enough to crush this gigantic plaza into powder!
"Liang Chen, go to hell!"
Boom, boom, boom!
The dense purple fist-shadows now slammed toward Liang Chen like giant meteors! "Hahaha! Liang Chen, what do you think you are? You dare to be so audacious in front of me!"
The earth shook violently, as if the sky itself was about to overturn. Comparing fists and palms with the Poison King was tantamount to courting death! Many people thought the Poison King did not know strength-based techniques, but in reality, that was not the case. It wasn't that he couldn't use them; it was simply that ordinary opponents were not even worthy of making him use them. Liang Chen was worthy of making him use his full power, yet in the end, this man was still going to be finished off! How boring!
"Is there truly no one in this world who can withstand my full power?"
He was consumed by immense fury. The Poison King had now reached his ultimate form, yet he had lost his opponent. What could possibly be more enraging than this?
"You, or all of you—those who don't want to die, come down here and fight me! Defeat me, and I'll let you leave; otherwise, everyone dies here!"
Possessed by madness, the Poison King had completely lost his mind, his twisted face breaking into a heart-palpitating smile. "What? Too cowardly to strike? Hahaha, you called me trash, but you are the real trash!"
Hahaha, at this moment, all the pent-up resentment and fury in the man's heart were finally released! The air echoed with his piercing laughter.
"Master, do you believe me now? Once I lift the seal, there is no one left in this world who can be my match. What is a mere Liang Chen?"
"Indeed, what is a mere Liang Chen? Who is our Lord Poison King? Tell me, everyone, am I right?"
"All hail the Poison King!"
"All hail the Poison King!"
"Hahaha, excellent, well spoken. Every single one of you has contributed, and shortly, I shall reward you handsomely!"
The Poison King seemed to be truly at the pinnacle of his life. Those who had never experienced such a feeling would never understand it in a lifetime, yet he had experienced it countless times.
"Ling Shuyu, how is it? Do you see? As I told you before, as long as I am around, no one can ever harm you. Only by staying by my side can your safety be guaranteed!"
Yet Ling Shuyu was a woman who loved only herself above all others in this lifetime; she wouldn't spare a second glance for any man. For a brute as crude as the Poison King, she wouldn't look at him twice either. However, the situation was different now; only this man could heavily injure Liang Chen, so she had to play along and keep him placated for the moment.
"Yes, yes, yes. Our big brother Poison King is forever the strongest man! This little woman is truly overjoyed to receive your protection."
The expressions of Nameless Sword and Yixin remained quite calm. If Liang Chen could be finished off this easily, then he indeed did not deserve to possess the Liang family!
"Hahaha! Did you hit me, and are you really that happy about it? Hmph, I originally thought you'd pull some new tricks out of your sleeve, but who would have thought the end result would still be so uninteresting!"
"Who? Who is speaking? What kind of courage is it to hide and cower? If you have the guts, stand right out here and show yourself!"
A wave of mockery suddenly swept across the plaza. Everyone recognized the voice—it was Liang Chen! How could this be possible? Liang Chen should have died from the lethal poison; did this man truly possess miraculous, god-like abilities that rendered him utterly fearless even in the face of deadly venom?
"Hahaha, Poison King, you truly are forgetful. Weren't we just exchanging blows a moment ago? What? Have you forgotten about me already?"
Boom!
An earth-shattering roar echoed out!
Countless fist-sized rocks were blasted away, and Liang Chen walked out completely unscathed! Upon witnessing this, everyone looked as though they had just seen a ghost. How could this possibly be?
"Liang Chen? It's actually you! You're still not dead?!"
The Poison King felt as though his brain had stopped functioning; he simply could not fathom what had happened to this man.
"What? Does seeing me like this really shock you? Is that all the skill you have? Bring out more and let me properly experience it. What you said just now was quite good—you said you were going to finish me off, so you must follow through!"
"What? Cat got your tongue? Fine, since you won't make a move, it's my turn to try a technique!"
"World-Destroying Fist!"
It was still the exact same World-Destroying Fist as before, but compared to earlier, this time the massive silver fist-shadow was surrounded by a layer of golden flames!
Even more exaggeratedly, behind him appeared a giant over a hundred feet tall! The World-Destroying Fist had always been his own technique to begin with; Liang Chen had merely been borrowing it to use!
"You think I'll still be afraid of you now? In your dreams!"
"I am the Poison King, the strongest man in this world. All of you should be cowering in fear of me! Liang Chen, you damned man, it seems I was far too soft-hearted toward you earlier, which is why you became so audacious. Rest assured, this time I will definitely not spare you!"
"Myriad Poison Palm!"
Suddenly, the clear sky was oppressed by rolling dark clouds, within which countless purple lightning bolts churned incessantly. Moments later, these purple lightning bolts coalesced into a colossal palm!
Upon seeing this, Liang Chen burst into an even louder laugh. "Poison King, how is this move of yours any different from the previous one? No matter how many times you use it, the result remains the exact same. You will never be able to defeat me!"
Yet, the smile abruptly froze on Liang Chen's face. His eyes filled with a hint of terror as he watched the giant palm in the sky begin to fracture and crack! What on earth was happening?
Boom!
The massive palm shattered into pieces right then and there!
"Liang Chen, who do you think I am? I don't use the exact same trick a second time, hmph. Laugh all you want anyway, because this is your very last chance!"
The palm, which had previously been gigantic, had now shrunk to the size of a normal human hand!
Boom, boom, boom!
Flames hidden deep beneath the earth erupted forth all at once! The Myriad Poison Palm merely appeared weakened, but in truth, it was anything but!
"Die!"
The tiny hand struck out gently!
Nothing seemed to happen at first!
"What? Is this your true strength? I thought you were supposed to be something extraordinary. Not even the slightest ripple—you truly disappoint me!"
A slight tremor rippled through the air. As time passed, this tremor grew increasingly violent and intense!
Amidst the deeply shocked gazes of the crowd, Liang Chen watched as the very air seemed to transform into rolling giant waves, roaring in from afar. The momentum was truly awe-inspiring!
The fierce air now resembled a starved beast that had opened its bloody maw, viciously tearing at the horrified Liang Chen, as if it intended to devour him in the very next second!
"Go to hell!"
"You think my Myriad Poison Palm is a joke? It is a supreme technique I honed through arduous years of cultivation. You cannot possibly win against it!"
Boom!
The astonishing palm-wind fused with raging purple lightning, slamming into Liang Chen's body at terrifying speed! Once again, it kicked up a massive billow of dust and debris!
"How is it? Now you should know that in front of me, you brat are nothing more than absolute trash. Wanting to defeat me—whether in this lifetime or the next—is an utter impossibility!"
The fierce dust storm now formed a hundred-foot-tall hurricane. To put it mildly, being struck by this hurricane meant certain death!
The expressions of all the disciples turned extremely ugly. Such techniques had already exceeded everyone's range of comprehension; how could this be possible? Didn't these two men ever get tired?
"Run for your lives, everyone! If we're hit by a technique like this, we'll die for sure. Did we really toil away at cultivation for all these years just to end up like this?"
Swish!
A sharp sword Qi carved a deep groove into the ground. "None of you are permitted to leave right now! You will all stay and watch this battle through to the end. I am going to prove to you how I defeat this man named Liang Chen, and show you that he is nothing in my presence!"
Bang, bang, bang!
The sounds resembled glass shattering, and the fracturing spread wider and wider until it affected the entire sky!
"I already told you, your moves are useless against me now, yet you refuse to believe it! Very well, since you are out of tricks, it's my turn!"
As the dust settled, a layer of visible, resilient shield had materialized around Liang Chen—his hard-earned Steel Shield. He hadn't planned on using it so early, but the opponent's strength was truly formidable; without this artifact, he wouldn't have been able to hold out much longer.
As long as he had this item, no matter what methods the Poison King unleashed, he could withstand them with all his might! Of course, if one's own physical defense was not strong enough, one couldn't use the Steel Shield either.
While this item was quite remarkable, it placed extremely high demands on its user. One's strength had to reach the Martial Dao realm before it could be activated; activating it prior to that threshold meant certain death!
The Steel Shield had just been activated now, and it could only be maintained for five minutes. If he failed to finish off his opponent within those five minutes, the one who died would be him!
Five minutes was all he needed—it was more than enough!
"Poison King, catch!"
Wen Sandiao had already retreated from the arena, but how could he bear to watch his sworn brother fall to an unknown upstart? Therefore, no matter how reluctant he felt in his heart, he still tossed his Saintly Light Seal over!
"Hmph, what is a Steel Shield? My Saintly Light Seal is your ultimate nemesis!"
"Didn't you always want to obtain my Saintly Light Seal? Today, I am lending it to you because I refuse to let the reputation the four of us built together be ruined in your hands!"
"No matter what happens today, you must win! What I couldn't accomplish, you must achieve. I know you can do it!"
The Saintly Light Seal? Was this the Saintly Light Seal? Who would have thought he would acquire this precious treasure at such a moment? Although the timing was off, it now appeared that only the Saintly Light Seal could counter the Steel Shield!
"Rest assured, I will never lose!"
"Saintly Light Seal!"
The fist-sized Saintly Light Seal flew into the air, bursting with brilliant blue light!
Swish, swish, swish!
Sharp blue rays whistled outward like rippling waves!
How would this battle ultimately conclude? At present, nobody knew!
"Steel Shield!"
Liang Chen wore a solemn expression as well. He could sense that the Saintly Light Seal was truly formidable; if he grew even slightly careless, he might genuinely die!
Boom!
The overwhelmingly powerful impact caused the very sky to twist and distort completely!
Everyone stared in utter shock at the two figures below. It was now evident that both men had unleashed their true abilities!
"Saintly Light Fist!"
The robust and formidable Saintly Light Seal forcibly fused with the Poison King, causing the sky to shift once again! Innumerable purple lightning bolts transformed into bolts of lightning dragons circling around his body. The oppressed sky turned completely purple, and toxic mist instantly saturated the entire atmosphere!
"Suffocation!"
Ah!!
In a flash, giant hands condensed from toxic fog tightly gripped every single disciple present, forcibly draining their life force! For a brief moment, the energy held within those massive hands was pure, unadulterated vitality—and all of it now belonged to the Poison King!
"What wondrous vitality! With this life force, all my internal injuries have healed. Today, you will surely die!"
"Azure Flame Slash!"
Swish!
Cyan, venomous sword Qi whistled as it slammed toward the stunned Liang Chen!
This man was actually capable of using toxic gas as sword Qi!
Boom!
The Steel Shield finally developed a crack! Although it still retained peak defensive power, it was no longer in its pristine, unblemished state!
More importantly, every usage of the Steel Shield required a foundation of robust internal energy. Liang Chen no longer had any surplus strength to spare, and even he didn't know how much longer he could hold on!
His arms had grown numb, and blood was churning violently inside his chest!
Puff!
Unable to suppress it any longer, a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed forth wildly, turning Liang Chen's complexion deathly pale!
Nameless Sword and Yixin genuinely wanted to intervene now, but they knew their strength was insufficient. Even if they stepped in, it would only make the outcome worse!
"Explode!"
The Poison King let out a thunderous roar.
Boom!
Amidst the horrified gazes of everyone present, Liang Chen was instantly swallowed by scorching flames! The space itself distorted violently, and the terrifying twisting force coiled around the heavily injured Liang Chen like a venomous snake, ready to snap the man's neck with the slightest exertion of pressure!
"God of Poison!"
The Poison King had plunged into absolute madness. This lunatic had a sudden stroke of genius and forcibly absorbed the toxic gas he had himself unleashed, thereby strengthening his power in a short span of time!
"Hahaha! Liang Chen, let's see how much longer you can act arrogant!"
Abruptly, all the toxic miasma between heaven and earth was absorbed into his body! His physical form swelled to a height of a hundred feet, with a single finger rivaling the size of a small hill!
Such massive stature naturally came at the cost of sacrificing speed, but at this stage, speed was no longer of any use!
Good heavens! How had things come to this? How would this battle finally end?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every single step the Poison King took caused the earth to vibrate continuously! This was the Poison King's ultimate form! In this state, he was invincible, and ordinary techniques had become entirely useless against him!
"Go to hell!"
"Meteor Blast!"
A meteor-like fist-shadow slammed heavily into the ground, shattering it completely!
"Hahaha, Liang Chen, what other tricks do you have left? Come out! Weren't you very impressive just now? What happened now? Come out and talk back—oh, I forgot, you don't have any strength left!"
"Hahaha, you should have yielded long ago. Go to hell!"
Boom!
An astonishingly powerful punch—with a blow like this, even if this man possessed the Steel Shield, he would still die!
Swish!
Sharp sword Qi once again pierced through the Poison King's body, but such seemingly sharp sword Qi no longer had any effect on him. Doing so merely consumed his own energy to no avail!
Puff!
Liang Chen was indeed heavily injured! His face, previously merely stained with blood, was now unrecognizable, and his arms hung limply by his sides—evidently, they were broken!
The Steel Shield had also been thoroughly pulverized!
Without the Steel Shield, this man was no match for him whatsoever!
"Oh? You're still not dead after taking such a heavy blow? Hmph, it seems your vitality is tougher than a cockroach's. But since you've been reduced to this state, what more can you possibly do?"
"Persist? Hahaha, look at your own legs—they're trembling. I imagine you can't even manage to stand upright anymore. Why not just admit defeat? Conceding defeat now wouldn't be considered shameful for you!"
"Admit defeat? Hahaha, your grandpa here has never known the meaning of surrender! You say persistence is useless? You're wrong. Let me tell you, as long as I have a single breath left, you cannot defeat me!"
"So the Steel Shield shattered—so what? Since it's useless now, I'll just discard it! Come on, what other tricks do you have left?"
Boom!
The massive iron fist slammed into the man's body once more, but this time, the man used his bare back to forcefully block the blow! His hunched waist displayed astonishing resilience, though the immense punch power wreaked havoc on his body, his bones screaming in protest and venting their grievance!
Withstanding the crushing pressure of a mountain, he slowly straightened his spine step by step. Liang Chen was now coated entirely in his own blood and sweat, having long lost his former handsome appearance!
He himself hadn't imagined that he would push himself to this extreme for the sake of this battle. If Liang Xi were here, how would he view him? Would he call him a good-for-nothing?
No! Under no circumstances was he a good-for-nothing!
This scene filled the hearts of the many Dark Moon disciples with profound awe. Could a man's inner obsession truly ignite such formidable power? Why was this man simply unwilling to admit defeat? In truth, if he just conceded right now, everything could be brought to an end; yet this man insisted on choosing the most difficult path.
Such solitary courage shocked everyone present. When they reflected on their own cultivation journeys, although they had not been easy, compared to this man, the difference was like heaven and earth!
"Liang Chen, stand up! Don't lose to him! This man is absolute scum; he has never treated us as human beings. If you can take him down, that would naturally be the best outcome! Even if you can't, please persist until the very end!"
All the disciples now understood: only if this man Liang Chen survived could they themselves continue to live well. In short, no matter what happened, they had to hold on until the bitter end!
Betrayal? No, this wasn't betrayal; it was the wisest choice. The Poison King now possessed ultimate power, and if no one could suppress him, nobody knew what kind of atrocities this man might commit!
"Hahaha! You disciples really have degenerated. Have you all truly forgotten how you mocked this man earlier? What? Now you're pinning all your hopes on him? Is that really appropriate?"
"Liang Chen, do you see it now? This is the true face of all disciples under heaven. When they cannot accomplish something themselves, they pin all their hopes on others. But look at yourself—what have you been reduced to? You're a cripple now, completely drained of power. If your nephew Liang Xi were to arrive here, he'd undoubtedly be overjoyed!"
"Hahaha, actually, I still have one final move. To be honest, if I had a choice, I wouldn't want to use this technique, but your power is truly too formidable!"
"Hahaha, you have one final move? Wonderful, simply wonderful! Since that's the case, you should unleash it all now. At this point, the only person I can rely on is myself! I know what kind of temperament my nephew has; he has always wanted me dead. It seems as though only with my death could the Liang family truly fall into his hands, but is that really the case? I've never believed it!"
"The Liang family is mine, and it will always be mine! I also possess the power of a final move. This technique was originally not meant to be used here; I never imagined I'd be pushed to this point just to fight you!"
"Ultimate Fist!"
This punch represented his ultimate power; all his mental fortitude and energy were concentrated into a single point. At that moment, visible giant vortices swirled across the sky. Could Liang Chen's mental energy actually influence the heavens itself?
This moment left everyone utterly terrified. How would this battle conclude? Liang Chen's power had erupted in full!
A gigantic red fist-shadow condensed in the air, draining every drop of his blood! His life force was rapidly ebbing away, yet the corners of his mouth curved into a smile!
"This is my final move—the Ultimate Fist. I prepared this technique for many years, originally intending to use it to seize the Liang family, but who would have thought it would be used on you instead? I know all of you secretly wanted to witness my ultimate capability."
"Hmph, all flash and no substance. Go to hell!"
The colossal fist-shadow finally crashed down onto Liang Chen once again. Lacking any remaining strength, Liang Chen finally collapsed. Yet at that moment, a figure timely caught his second uncle.
"Second Uncle, your nephew is here. To be honest, I never imagined I'd actually come to rescue you today, but alas—you are a member of the Liang family, and I cannot simply stand by and watch someone else kill you!"