Chapter 79.1: Obliterated in Two Punches! (I)

Bang!

Lu Changsheng's fist slammed into Zhao Wuji’s with a deafening crack—a head-on collision of raw, overwhelming strength.

In the Divine Strength Realm, a martial artist's body and mind would move as one, allowing them to perceive and respond to even the fastest attacks. As such, any attempt at flair or trickery would be wasted here. No matter how swift the strike, it would be seen, tracked, and ultimately countered. In this realm, victory was decided by raw strength and precision.

For onlookers below the Divine Strength Realm, it was like witnessing the collision of gods. The air split apart as the fists crashed into one another, and the punches came so fast that the exchange looked like a blur. Each strike echoed like thunder rumbling through the sky, sending shockwaves that rippled violently, twisting the air, and hurling dust in every direction.

"Fall back!" Wang Feng barked as he and Luo Yun retreated several paces. Though they were both Organ Refinement martial artists, they knew better than to linger near a battlefield that didn't belong to them.

"Forty cauldrons of strength?" Zhao Wuji murmured under his breath, a trace of surprise creeping into his voice.

This magnitude was unexpected. It meant the man before him possessed strength beyond his own, despite his years of tempering and refinement in the Divine Strength Realm.

"You're not bad either," Lu Changsheng responded calmly. "You blocked my strikes and only fell slightly behind... Your strength is at least thirty cauldrons."

From just that brief exchange, both men had gained a rough understanding of each other's power. They were both at the Ten Cauldron stage, yet there was still a gap between them.

Although Zhao Wuji was about ten cauldrons weaker, he was not afraid. In battles between martial artists, raw strength mattered, but it was never the only factor. Secret techniques and martial techniques could still turn the tide.

"Zhuang Shisan," Zhao Wuji said at last, his voice low and heavy, "the Myriad Poison Cult concedes today. We will withdraw completely from Yan City and never return. Let us end things here. If we continue fighting, it will inevitably turn into a battle to the death."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He frowned, his expression turning dark. No matter who survived, there would be no real benefit in forcing the fight to its end.

"Fine," Lu Changsheng replied, a faint smile turning the corner of his lips. But before Zhao Wuji could breathe a sigh of relief, he went on "If you can take two punches from me, you may leave."

"Two punches?" Zhao Wuji's expression grew darker still. He fell silent for a brief moment, weighing his options, before nodding curtly. "Fine. Two punches it is."

It was undeniable that Zhuang Shisan's strength far surpassed his own. Even so, Zhao Wuji trusted that his secret and martial techniques, and years of experience would see him through. He should be able to withstand two punches, no matter how heavy.

More importantly, Zhao Wuji saw this as an opportunity. If Zhuang Shisan let his guard down after those two blows, even for an instant, Zhao Wuji would retaliate with the intent to kill. After all, he couldn't care less about pride and honor. To him, victory was all that mattered, and he would resort to deceit, ambushing, and even pure cruelty in order to achieve it.

Lu Changsheng stood resolute, three zhang away from Zhao Wuji. A heavy silence enveloped the main hall; the tension was palpable. Luo Yun, Official Xia, and Wang Feng held their breath, their gaze locked on the two men, wary that the slightest movement might shatter the stillness.

In a blink, Lu Changsheng moved. In that instant, invisible waves seemed to surge through the hall, their roar echoing in everyone's ears.

Threefold Waves: First Wave.

Lu Changsheng unleashed a technique that depended on three consecutive strikes. The second wave would build upon the first one, and the third upon the second one, unleashing a terrifying power. The First Wave could only draw out forty cauldrons of strength at full power, but Lu Changsheng also had the Divine Dragon Transformation at his disposal.

As he threw the punch, his body shifted into a new form.

Divine Dragon Transformation: First Transformation!

This Divine Strength Realm secret technique strengthened the body by thirty percent, which meant that forty cauldrons of strength became fifty-two!

Zhao Wuji seemed entirely unaware of this development. Tracking Zhuang Shisan's move, he responded with a punch of his own, a smile flickering on his face.

Perhaps it was fate, or mere coincidence, but he too had used a martial technique that increased his strength by thirty percent, giving him roughly thirty-nine cauldrons of strength, This gave him confidence. Compared to Zhuang Shisan's forty cauldrons of strength, he should not be too far off.

Bang!

But the moment their fists collided, Zhao Wuji's expression changed drastically. A surge of overwhelming power erupted from Zhuang Shisan's fist, crashing over him like a collapsing mountain. The terrifying force rolled in, unceasing and relentless.

What the... His strength is undoubtedly above fifty cauldrons!

Zhao Wuji realized as his arm strained under the immense pressure.

When a martial artist breaks into the Divine Strength Realm, every marrow transformation and blood replacement strengthens the body. Zhao Wuji possessed thirty cauldrons of strength, as he had undergone three rounds of marrow transformation and blood replacement. By all accounts, his physical foundation was already excellent. That was the reason he had managed to withstand Lu Changsheng's earlier strike of forty cauldrons of strength.

But now, everything was different. Even though Zhao Wuji also unleashed his full power, Lu Changsheng was currently bursting with fifty cauldrons of strength. Such frightening power was already close to exceeding the limits of Zhao Wuji's body—and it was not over yet.

That was just the First Wave. The Threefold Waves was designed as consecutive strikes, one flowing into the next, giving the opponent no room to breathe.

As Lu Changsheng threw his next punch, Zhao Wuji couldn’t help but feel like he was in the presence of an overwhelming tidal wave, bearing down upon him with it the full force of the ocean itself.

In that instant, Zhao Wuji felt that death was upon him. It felt inevitable. He hesitated for barely a heartbeat before deciding to risk everything.

"Blood Fountain: Blood Reversal!"

His blood qi surged violently, and his aura broke past its previous limits. As he swung his arm forward, the air in its path seemed to split and shatter into a shrill scream.

This was a secret technique recorded in the Myriad Poison Scripture. Once activated, it could raise strength by about thirty percent. Zhao Wuji currently wielded roughly thirty-nine cauldrons of strength. With this, he could reach nearly fifty cauldrons of strength, and he might just survive Zhuang Shisan's punch.

However, Zhao Wuji had never fully mastered this secret technique. Forcing it now was extremely bold—a desperate move. It would hold for a short time, but once the technique ended, the backlash would be tremendous.

Recovery would take at least a year or two, which was why Zhao Wuji had so far avoided using the secret technique. But now, he had no other choice; it was either this or certain death.

Zhuang Shisan, you forced my hand. For this, I will hound you till the ends of the earth. If I ever catch you off guard in the future...

Countless thoughts flashed through Zhao Wuji's mind. He made up his mind then and there that he would keep close watch on Zhuang Shisan and kill him the moment an opportunity appeared.

But when Zhao Wuji met Zhuang Shisan's gaze, he noticed something. Mockery? Were his eyes deceiving him?

What's with that look?

Zhao Wuji had already reached fifty cauldrons of strength and was fighting with everything he had. What other tricks could Zhuang Shisan possibly have left?

Of course, Zhao Wuji could not have known that Zhuang Shisan had not been using his full strength. He had only unleashed the First Wave so far. Now, as he unleashed the Second Wave, Lu Changsheng was finally revealing his true power.

Boom!