Chapter 508: The Clash of Horizontal Training Martial Artists 2

The four fellow disciples of Tongshan watched their senior brother being blocked and wanted to come up to help, but were blocked on both sides by Huo Luan and Liu Yu, who were fighting for their lives.

Huo Luan's waist wound had long since burst open, and half of his clothes were red, yet he struck one blow faster than the next, not letting anyone get close.

Liu Yu's left arm was in a sling, but his right blade was like lightning, forcing the person charging at the front to retreat three steps in a row.

In the center of the Battle Platform, only two men remained, beating each other.

Cheng Feng took a punch to the face; the skin on his cheekbone split open, and blood flowed down, but he did not even blink.

He backhanded a punch into Tongshan's ribs; Tongshan let out a muffled groan, his body hunched, and he immediately slammed an uppercut into Cheng Feng's lower abdomen.

Cheng Feng took it head-on, advancing instead of retreating, and slammed his forehead into the bridge of Tongshan's nose.

With a crisp "Crack!", Tongshan's nose bled profusely, a fierce light flared in his eyes, and he wrapped his arms around Cheng Feng's shoulders, kneeing him repeatedly.

Cheng Feng countered with his own knees.

Bang, bang, bang, bang—flesh and blood collided, and it felt as if their kneecaps were about to shatter.

The two fought from the center of the platform to the edge, then back to the center; the bloodstains under their feet grew more numerous, as if a red rain had fallen.

Cheng Feng could no longer feel the pain; the world in his eyes was blood-red, with only Tongshan's equally distorted face remaining.

Tongshan was in the True Qi Realm, and every punch was wrapped in Copper Armor True Qi, as if invisible molten copper had been poured into his knuckles, making them heavy and scalding when they struck.

Every time Cheng Feng took a punch, it felt like being hit by a burning red copper pillar; his internal organs churned in his chest, and a fishy taste rose in his throat.

No matter how hard his Body Hardening was, he was ultimately only at the Organ Refining Late Stage, a full major realm behind Tongshan.

Tongshan could take ten of his punches, while he could only take seven of Tongshan's.

The extra three punches were held off entirely by the recovery power of his Flood Dragon Body and the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations.

But Cheng Feng did not retreat.

He knew that once he retreated, Tongshan's Copper Armor True Qi would press forward, grinding him to death like a millstone.

He could only push forward; even if he had to take another punch for every step he gained, he could not let Tongshan unleash his momentum.

On the seventh punch, Cheng Feng's right fist smashed into the side of Tongshan's neck; Tongshan's head tilted, and he spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

On the eighth punch, Tongshan slammed a hook into Cheng Feng's ribs; Cheng Feng clearly heard his own ribs let out a "crack," and the pain made his vision go black, nearly forcing him to his knees.

On the ninth punch, Cheng Feng gritted his teeth and returned a blow, landing squarely on Tongshan's heart.

Tongshan's face turned purple, the copper light flickered wildly, and a shallow fist print indented his chest.

Both of them had lost all technique. Any footwork, any moves—none of it mattered anymore.

It was just punch for punch, seeing who would collapse first.

The spectators under the platform were all crazed, their shouting shaking the heavens, and even the people from the Immortal Sect on the high platform in the distance cast side-glances.

Liu Yu and Huo Luan tried to break away to help several times, but were tightly entangled by the people of the Copper Armor Sect, and Gu Niangzi could not release her gu insects, making her break out in a cold sweat.

"Fall for me!" Tongshan suddenly roared, his entire body's copper light surging desperately, as if he were forcing out his very last shred of True Energy.

He looked like a burning red copper statue, the heat wave oppressive, his right fist held high, descending upon Cheng Feng with the force of a thousand jun.

Before the punch even landed, the stray hair on Cheng Feng's forehead was blown backward by the wind of the fist.

Cheng Feng did not dodge.

He could no longer dodge. His left leg was half-numb, his right arm could barely be lifted, and it felt as if the blood in his body had almost run dry.

But in that instant, he felt something wake up in the deepest part of his body.

The Golden Body Iron Bone Art operated to its limit. Following that, the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations spurred his Flood Dragon Bloodline, and a scorching surge of Blood Qi exploded from the depths of his dantian, rushing toward his limbs and bones like magma.

He heard something clicking inside his body; a layer of extremely faint black scales rose on his skin, and his fingertips, arms, and chest—everywhere covered by Blood Qi and golden light—seemed to be covered in a layer of dark cyan scale armor.

He held his left arm upright in front of him and pulled his right fist back, his whole body like a bow drawn to its limit.

Boom—

Tongshan's fist smashed into his left arm.

The immense force slammed Cheng Feng's forearm back against his chest; he spat out a mouthful of blood, sliding backward, his boot soles carving two shocking blood trails into the stone platform.

His lower back hit the stone pillar at the edge of the platform, barely stopping his momentum.

But he did not fall.

Tongshan was stunned. He had poured everything into that punch; his Copper Armor True Energy was completely spent, and his arm bone had cracked in two places from the recoil.

Yet Cheng Feng was still there, blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, his chest heaving violently, his eyes shining like two balls of fire.

"My turn." Cheng Feng's voice was as hoarse as if it had come from the depths of the earth.

He pulled his right fist back to his side, the blood on his knuckles flicked into a thin line.

Then, his whole body like an iron pellet launched, his right fist, carrying all his weight and Blood Energy, slammed into Tongshan's left chest.

This punch was heard clearly by everyone under the Copper Armor Sect's viewing stand.

The copper light on Tongshan's chest shattered like a mirror, peeling off and scattering in pieces, revealing the pale, cracked skin underneath.

Tongshan spat out a pillar of blood, fully three feet high, and fell backward, facing the sky.

The Copper Armor True Qi was completely extinguished, like a lamp blown out by the wind.

The Battle Platform shook three times.

Cheng Feng was still standing.

He hung his head, his left arm dangling limply at his side, his right fist hanging uselessly, blood flowing down from between his fingers.

He took a step forward, his knees gave way, and Liu Yu rushed to his side to shoulder him.

Cheng Feng leaned half his weight on his shoulder, his lips moving, his voice extremely low: "Don't let me lie down... I can still walk."

"Fine, you won't lie down," Liu Yu said, though he held him even tighter.

Huo Luan ran over, limping, the blood and sweat on his face mixed together, smiling more miserably than he was crying: "Damn you, a Organ Refining fighter taking on a True Energy fighter, and you actually broke Tongshan."

"Do you know what kind of look those people under the platform were giving you just now? Like they'd seen a ghost."

Cheng Feng wanted to laugh, but couldn't, only breathing low and shallow. He looked down at his own hands; the joints of his ten fingers were split beyond recognition, the bones weren't broken, but the skin and flesh were all turned inside out, a bloody mess.

His left arm was still numb, as if that one strike had knocked all sensation out of the entire limb.

He could feel the Flood Dragon Bloodline within him still slowly surging, warm Blood Qi traveling along his meridians, repairing every place that had been cracked by Tong Shan.

The speed was very slow, but very steady. That layer of raised black scales had long since faded, as if they had never appeared.

"You won." Wang Ji walked over and stood still in front of him.

Cheng Feng raised his head and looked into her eyes.

In Wang Ji's gaze there was approval, lingering fear, and a trace of complexity he could not quite understand.

"Won, yes," Cheng Feng said in a hoarse voice, "but I'm also down to half a life."

Wang Ji did not speak, only reached out and pressed lightly on his right shoulder. The touch was not heavy, yet Cheng Feng winced in pain.

"Half a life is better than none." Wang Ji withdrew her hand. "Let's go. From here on, you don't need to worry about anything; just go back and properly recover from your injuries."

Several people escorted Cheng Feng as they walked down from the stage. Wherever they passed, the spectators craned their necks to look; some shouted his name, while others tossed copper coins and colorful silks toward him.

Cheng Feng had no strength to respond, only looking down at his own blood-soaked feet, stepping onto the bluestone stairs one step at a time.

It hurt like hell.

Yet he knew in his heart that after this battle, there would no longer be anyone in Tianqi City who would treat him as just an Organ Refining Martial Artist who was "a bit tough."

His physical body, comparable to that of a Martial Artist in the Gang Qi Realm, had already been revealed in public.

Even if he wanted to hide it, he could no longer do so.