Chapter 83.2: Demonic Transformation Rampant, The Strength of One Hundred and Eighty Cauldrons! (II)

"That blood qi... Have you reached the Hundred Cauldrons Stage?"

Old Wang's eyes widened as the realization hit him.

The next moment, Lu Changsheng threw a punch, and the translucent giant seemed to mirror the motion.

Thud!

Old Wang struck back, and when his beastly fist collided with Lu Changsheng's, a dull sound rang out. Old Wang's enormous body shuddered violently as a vicious force rippled through him—the force of one hundred and twenty cauldrons.

However, Lu Changsheng also felt the brunt of Old Wang's punch. After the demonic transformation, his strength stood roughly at a hundred cauldrons. Just like that, a demonic martial artist could easily sweep aside anyone of the same level as them. After all, Old Wang had only just transformed and he already rivaled someone at the Hundred Cauldrons Stage. Such innate talent was absurdly favored by the heavens.

"You're really strong for a human martial artist. To think you've actually reached the Hundred Cauldrons stage... Regardless, now that I have transformed, you cannot kill me. My insects will keep feasting on the blood of others and replenish me. My strength is endless. But what about you? How long can you hold on?"

Old Wang's grin revealed his sawlike teeth. His visage was grotesque, but Lu Changsheng did not waver. He knew his foe had reached his upper limit. Old Wang's strength would not go over a hundred cauldrons.

In any case, Old Wang had proven just how terrifying a demonic martial artist could be. He could rely on the black insects to endlessly replenish his strength, and his recovery had to be incredible as well. After all, Lu Changsheng had clearly inflicted internal damage with his earlier punch, yet Old Wang seemed to have recovered in mere seconds. Not even Divine Strength martial artists possessed such regenerative abilities. It seemed that within the same realm, demonic martial artists crushed human martial artists in nearly every aspect.

No, there was one thing demonic martial artists fell short in—martial techniques. After undergoing transformation, they might still retain reason, but they became frenzied and bloodthirsty, and so could not execute powerful techniques. More than anything, martial techniques were humanity's understanding of the Dao of Martial Arts. Demonic martial artists could not comprehend the Dao. What they pursued was bloodline, the flesh, and brute force.

A sharp glint flashed through Lu Changsheng's eyes. Old Wang had already reached his limit after transforming, but Lu Changsheng had not reached his own. In the next moment, his aura shifted, and the blood qi phantom above his head rapidly turned into surging waves.

Splash!

The sound of crashing waves echoed, and everyone nearby could feel the pressure clearly.

Boom!

Lu Changsheng threw another punch, charged with more momentum and intent on top of the one hundred and twenty cauldrons.

A shudder passed through Old Wang. In that instant, he felt like he was no longer facing a Divine Strength martial artist, but a violent sea about to swallow him whole.

"Intent..."

Old Wang understood immediately. This was the unique

intent

of human martial artists, the thing that allowed them to sense heaven and earth and merged them into the Dao of Martial Arts. The man before him was using a martial technique infused with such intent against him.

Old Wang realized that his opponent would not stop at one punch; more would come, like rolling waves. And sure enough, a second punch came, but this one was different.

"Second Wave!"

In that instant, Lu Changsheng's blood qi, muscles, and bones all erupted with power. Everything he possessed converged into this single strike, its force surging to one hundred and eighty cauldrons.

The punch surged forward like a colossal wave rising from the depths of the sea. Sensing the danger, Old Wang could not help but roar to the skies. This human, a mere child compared to his ferocious form, was about to unleash the force of a mountain upon him.

CRASH!

Lu Changsheng's tremendous punch connected, and the demon's colossal frame shattered like wood. Black insects burst out, and blood and gore sprayed everywhere.

And then there was silence—deathly silence. Moments ago, countless black insects were swarming and ravaging the area, but once their host had been slain, they fell lifeless to the ground. From afar, Nanyang City looked like it was covered by a black blanket, making for an unsettling sight.

Lu Changsheng withdrew his blood qi. After assessing his condition, he realized he hadn't sustained significant damage.

Ultimately, the strength of one hundred and eighty cauldrons had been enough to deal with Old Wang, even with his demonic transformation. Of course, the Old Wang had only just transformed, so perhaps he had not had the time to reach his full potential. Regardless, the monster now lay in pieces.

"Intent..."

Lu Changsheng faintly sensed that the intent of the Threefold Waves was the true key to dealing with demonic martial artists. He had only used the Second Wave; with the Third Wave, he would have dealt with Old Wang without any effort.

Demonic martial artists... What a thing.

Lu Changsheng scanned Old Wang's remains but found nothing left behind. With no corpse left to loot, he decided to search Old Wang's dwelling instead, namely the public coffin hall of the Lin Clan.

He sensed Old Wang's scent coming from a coffin. Inside lay just a box, which contained a yellowed book.

"Blood Devil Scripture?" Lu Changsheng murmured.

A chill ran through his heart. The title made it clear that this was a cultivation manual related to demonic martial arts. Of course, he had no intention of becoming a demonic martial artist, but at the same time, he understood that knowing the enemy was the path to victory.

There was no telling how many more demonic martial artists would emerge in the future, so the more he understood them, the easier it would be to deal with them. With that thought, Lu Changsheng put the box away and then turned to leave.

Outside, a few surviving constables and martial artists saw him emerge and bowed to him.

"Thank you, Great Hero Zhuang! Thank you for saving all of Nanyang City."

Lu Changsheng glanced at them and nodded.

"Consider yourselves lucky. Since you're here, have the authorities clean up this mess. And don't forget to gather that thing's remains and burn them, just in case."

He did not think a demonic martial artist could come back after being blown to pieces, but then again, such entities defied common sense. To avoid all danger, it was best to burn Old Wang's remains.

"Yes. We will definitely guard this place," said one of the survivors.

With that, Lu Changsheng turned away and vanished into the night.