Zhang Yong's eyes blazed with madness, his heart pounded wildly, and his entire being trembled relentlessly.
With the sound of an explosion, the air around him compressed and a dark aura erupted, as death Qi enveloped every inch of his body.
Black winds surged from Zhang Yong's body, turning the rocky, muddy ground into grey dust. His body shook violently.
He could not lose. At any cost. He must win! He must kill!
Huo Qiangda, who had been smirking mockingly moments before, narrowed his eyes for an instant before his expression returned to its usual arrogance. "What an astonishing scene. Have you finally lost your mind?"
Immediately, a red aura erupted from Huo Qiangda's body and a phantom of a wild boar formed behind him. He charged directly at Zhang Yong.
The boar was adept at charging and direct strikes, best for quick, head-on clashes.
Seeing Huo Qiangda charging at him, Zhang Yong raised his arms and met the impact head-on.
BOOM!
A violent shockwave rippled out from the point of collision, driving Zhang Yong's feet deep into the earth.
The ground cracked under his feet, yet Zhang Yong did not budge an inch.
His tightened fist held Huo Qiangda in place.
Huo Qiangda raised an eyebrow in surprise but didn't stop. He swiftly twisted his body, attempting a side kick, but in that instant, Zhang Yong disappeared.
Zhang Yong appeared astride Huo Qiangda's shoulders and began pummeling his head with both fists, a crazed grin splitting his face.
The sounds of violent blows echoed in the air as Huo Qiangda's body shook under Zhang Yong's relentless assault.
Each strike landed on his head like a hammer, shattering his skull, crushing his pride!
"Heh... Hahahaha!!" Zhang Yong cackled madly, continuing to throw punches without pause. He didn't care about style, he didn't care about perfect form. All he wanted was to crush him!
Huo Qiangda began to stagger before roaring in fury and unleashing a massive wave of Qi from his body, trying to throw Zhang Yong off. But Zhang Yong didn't move. Instead, he dug his fingers into Huo Qiangda's head, gripping his face with immense force.
Huo Qiangda violently bent his upper body downwards, slamming both his and Zhang Yong's heads into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth shattered beneath their heads, rocks and dust scattering in all directions. The entire area shook as if struck by an earthquake. Yet, amidst this destruction, Zhang Yong did not stop.
Even when his head hit the ground, he didn't release his grip on Huo Qiangda's face. Instead, he increased the pressure of his fingers, his smile grotesquely twisted.
Warm blood flowed from Zhang Yong's forehead, but his eyes still blazed with madness. The pain didn't matter. The blood didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was killing!
Huo Qiangda tried to pull back, but Zhang Yong's fingers were like claws embedded in his face, not letting go for a second!
"You bastard...!" Huo Qiangda roared, his body erupting with brute force energy. Waves of red Qi stormed from him, but Zhang Yong refused to let go, even if his own body broke.
Huo Qiangda raised his fist high, then brought it down like a hammer directly onto Zhang Yong's chest—
BOOM!!!
A violent shockwave exploded. Zhang Yong's body shook violently, blood erupted from his mouth, and he was sent flying through the air.
Zhang Yong's body flew through the air like a broken doll, but mid-flight, he waved his hand. Five black chains appeared and shot towards Huo Qiangda.
Soul Shackling Chains!
The black chains shot towards Huo Qiangda with terrifying speed, piercing the air like hungry serpents coiling around their prey.
There was no time to think. His reaction was swift. He raised his arms and immediately unleashed the Blood Turtle Spectral Form.
The chains shuddered for a moment under the pressure of his power, but they didn't break. Instead, they coiled around the shell.
These Soul Shackling Chains were not ordinary metal. They were black metal formed from solidified death Qi, making them harder the more Huo Qiangda resisted, tightening their grip.
"Damn you!" Huo Qiangda bellowed, his body trembling as the chains writhed around his spectral armor, gradually piercing its layers.
In mid-air, Zhang Yong twisted and kicked the air, righting himself to land on his feet. But he staggered for a moment. Huo Qiangda's last blow had damaged some of his internal organs. He felt a burning pain in his chest.
Despite that, he smiled a pale smile.
"I feel... more alive than ever..."
He slowly raised his hand, watching the chains coil tighter and tighter around his opponent. He hadn't expected them to be this effective, but he wasn't foolish enough to think this alone was enough.
Suddenly, a bloody aura exploded from Huo Qiangda's body, and a phantom of a dragon's head appeared behind him. The chains shook violently for a moment, some links cracking.
"Hahaha! Trying to shackle me? Even with a cursed technique, you can't bring me down!" Huo Qiangda spat, his eyes blazing with madness.
Huo Qiangda screamed from the depths of his soul: If I find no path, I'll make one myself. If I face a wall, I'll smash through it. If I fight a powerful foe, I'll throw all my strength at him! Either death or victory!
Under the explosion of the bloody aura, Huo Qiangda's body swelled momentarily, and the phantom dragon head behind him began to roar violently.
The Soul Shackling Chains cracked further, seeming on the verge of complete shattering.
But at that moment, Zhang Yong wasn't looking directly at him. He was staring at his own trembling hands, his eyes gleaming with insanity.
"If I were stronger..." he muttered to himself, before a maniacal smile spread across his face.
He slowly raised his head, and in his eyes, a gloomy dark light ignited.
Then, suddenly, his body was engulfed by an even denser, more ominous aura. He increased the consumption of death Qi within his body.
He felt agonizing pain assaulting his body, but he was also flooded with the ecstasy of battle.
Huo Qiangda stretched his fists forward, each reflecting the other, and immediately the dragon head coiled around his body, appearing between its jaws.
'I'll kill you!' The two thought the same , Their fighting will screamed clearly.
The black chains shattered completely under the violent pressure of Huo Qiangda's aura, their fragments scattering like dark Qi before dissipating in the air. In that moment, Huo Qiangda lunged forward with incredible speed, exploiting the broken shackles to attack mercilessly.
He stretched his hands forward, and the phantom dragon head behind him transformed into two massive dragon jaws that snapped shut on Zhang Yong!
Zhang Yong was thrown backward, his limbs bleeding profusely.
Zhang Yong dug his feet into the ground and charged once more towards Huo Qiangda.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The two exchanged blows ferociously, each landing powerful strikes on the other, neither even bothering to defend against the other's attacks.
With each strike, the air vibrated from the intensity of the collisions.
The sound of bones breaking, blood splattering, and the violent auras erupting from their bodies created a horrific scene, more akin to a battle of primordial beasts than a fight between humans.
Huo Qiangda's fist broke through Zhang Yong's defense to land directly on his chest, shattering ribs underneath. But Zhang Yong didn't falter and sent his own fist tearing through the air straight towards Huo Qiangda's face!
However, the latter, who was beginning to understand his attack pattern, raised his arm at the last moment, blocking the strike, then swiftly turned and delivered a side kick to Zhang Yong's ribs.
CRACK!
This time, a clear breaking sound was heard. Zhang Yong's body bent to the side, but he didn't stop. Instead, he twisted in an unnatural manner, dodging the second kick, then leaped upwards.
He grabbed Huo Qiangda's head with both hands, yanked it down, and raised his knee.
BOOOOM!
Zhang Yong's knee connected directly with Huo Qiangda's face. Yet, even then, Huo Qiangda didn't fall!
Huo Qiangda's head snapped back under the force of the violent knee, blood streaming from his nose, but the fighting spirit in his eyes didn't dim!
"You think that's enough?!" Huo Qiangda roared, and a phantom of a wild bear appeared directly behind him.
The phantom of the wild bear behind Huo Qiangda was massive and terrifying, emitting an unbearable pressure. With its deafening roar, a wave of violent Qi swept through the area, making the air tremble.
Zhang Yong, still in his attacking posture, felt his body grow heavy under the pressure of this power. But instead of retreating, his smile widened further.
Huo Qiangda lunged forward, his hand raised high, energy gathering in his fist. It was clear he was preparing a devastating blow.
Yet, Zhang Yong vanished from in front of him. In the next instant, Zhang Yong appeared beside him, his body coiled at a strange angle, his fist charged with death Qi, aiming for the exposed side of Huo Qiangda's ribs!
The fist penetrated Huo Qiangda's body, but the latter didn't fly back. Instead, he turned swiftly, grabbing Zhang Yong's wrist with crushing force.
Before Zhang Yong could retreat, Huo Qiangda clamped his grip on his wrist, then swung his entire body, hurling Zhang Yong through the air!
Zhang Yong's body was in the sky. Before he could even regain his balance, Huo Qiangda jumped after him, using his beastly physical strength to appear above him in an instant.
Huo Qiangda brought his arms back above his head and swung them down with immense force, striking Zhang Yong's face and sending him flying away.
BOOM!
The attack sent him flying until his body carved a trench in the ground, forming a crater in the earth.
Huo Qiangda landed a few steps away, his body pulsing with violent energy, the beastly grin still on his face. "Isn't it finally time for you to lie down?"
Zhang Yong's arms were bleeding heavily. At the last moment, he had used his hands to block the attack.
But Zhang Yong didn't stop. He raised his hand, and soon a sphere of yellow flame appeared, a smile cracking his face.
"You're still resisting?!" Huo Qiangda snarled, his body erupting with blood energy once more.
He raised his fist and smashed it into Zhang Yong's face with force. He didn't stop with one punch, continuing to pummel Zhang Yong's face over and over until it was deformed by the force of the blows.
He kept violently punching Zhang Yong's face, as if each strike was an explosive desire to completely crush him. The ground shook under the onslaught, each punch leaving a new scar on Zhang Yong's face. Yet, despite it all, his smile didn't vanish!
Zhang Yong lifted his head to the side and spat to the side, expelling blood along with one of his molars.
"Heh... Is this... all you've got?" he muttered hoarsely, despite the blood covering his face.
Huo Qiangda paused for a moment, his breath ragged, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He had landed enough blows to crush any opponent. How was this madman still smiling?!
And suddenly—
BOOM!!!
Zhang Yong detonated the space between him and Huo Qiangda, forcing Huo Qiangda to retreat.
The air was scattered with fiery fragments, while chunks of rock fell around them due to the violent explosion.
Zhang Yong lifted his head. 'Ah... This bastard won't die. Hehehe, I won't die either. I don't die. Heheh.'
Zhang Yong raised his hand, and a bottle appeared in it. It was the Dragon Blood given to him by Zhang Guan!
However, Zhang Yong only poured a single drop into his mouth, immediately storing the rest of the bottle back in his storage.
(The Savage Heart has reached its enhancement limit.)
(The host's injuries are severe.)
(The heart demons have begun to rampage.)
(Danger. There is no way to resist.)
(The second forced soul intervention begins: Blood Nest.)
'Look at you. Pitiful.' A shadow stood directly in front of Zhang Yong.
'You are nothing. You could have become stronger if you didn't possess those stupid emotions.'
White teeth flashed within that shadow. Zhang Yong felt like he was being watched by it.
'Come on, do you want me to sing for you? Stop staring like trash.'
Yet, Zhang Yong's expression didn't falter.
'You could have crushed this man long ago. But you chose to fall here. Why don't you just stop and die?'
Zhang Yong's heart pounded violently. Directly above his head, a spherical object rose. It was white in color, but emitted a bloody red light.
The Blood Nest hovered above Zhang Yong's head and transformed into crimson red threads that swirled around his body.
The bloody red light flowed through Zhang Yong's body like spider silk, weaving around him, pulsing with every heartbeat.
In the center of the Blood Nest, the shadow of a snake appeared. The snake began to grow larger and larger, coiling around itself until it retreated into the nest, turning black.
And the blackness began to descend calmly, like water dripping from a tap. The black substance traveled along the red threads, turning them black.
(A third, minor soul has been detected within the Blood Nest.)
(Third soul identified: Heaven-Devouring Python.)
(Danger. This soul does not belong to the host. The host's soul will be damaged.)
(Notice! The Millennium Life Tree has intervened in the corruption process.)
(The corruption process has been halted. A hidden connection has been found between the Millennium Life Tree and the Heaven-Devouring Python.)
(A symbiotic relationship has been established. Reviewing system data.)
(Logical analysis found. A soul flaw has been detected.)
(The martial spirit is forcibly improving the host's body.)
The black cocoon around Zhang Yong exploded, and his arms and legs were covered with a set of golden scales that glowed softly.
On Zhang Yong's forehead, three golden scales protruded.
The air around him seemed to begin coalescing around his body. Zhang Yong raised his head and exhaled grey smoke.
'The scales absorb spiritual energy from anything they touch. It is undoubtedly Yuan Ling's martial spirit'
Zhang Yong looked towards Huo Qiangda and smashed his fists together, sparks flying from them.
Huo Qiangda stood rigidly in place, a strange sensation sweeping through his entire body. For the first time since the battle began, he felt something he hadn't experienced in a long time... Fear.