Zhang Ergou thrust his spear straight at Xiao Yanfeng's iron hammer.
"Hmph! Overestimating yourself!"
Xiao Yanfeng sneered when Zhang Ergou didn't dodge and intended to confront him head-on.
He was extremely confident in his own strength. Ever since he began cultivating, he had chosen a pair of giant hammers as his weapon.
Having cultivated for many years, he had honed his hammer techniques for so long that the giant hammers felt as agile as his own arms in his hands.
If Zhang Ergou had dodged, he might have had to exert more effort.
But Zhang Ergou actually didn't dodge, recklessly thrusting his black spear towards Xiao Yanfeng's giant hammers.
It was as if he was seeking his own demise.
A cold smile appeared on Xiao Yanfeng's face. He flicked the other giant hammer he held, and the hammer at the end of the iron chain surprisingly changed direction and swung towards Zhang Ergou.
Zhang Ergou's spear thrust was already committed, and it was too late to change his move. He was about to be struck on the head by the giant hammer.
The smile on Xiao Yanfeng's face grew more intense. He seemed to already envision the brutal scene of Zhang Ergou's brains splattering.
"Kid, I thought you were something else. Turns out you're just this much!"
He flicked his hammer again, changing the direction of the other giant hammer flying towards Zhang Ergou, striking at an extremely tricky angle.
If Zhang Ergou tried to dodge his head, his shoulder would be hit. The situation was extremely perilous, almost a dilemma.
In a flash, at the critical moment, Zhang Ergou disappeared.
He simply vanished into thin air. The spear was struck and fell to the ground, but Zhang Ergou himself was nowhere to be seen.
The anticipated scene of Zhang Ergou's brains splattering did not occur, and Xiao Yanfeng's mouth twitched.
Staring in the direction Zhang Ergou had vanished, he fiercely swung his giant hammers. The other giant hammer pounded the ground, raising dust everywhere.
But no matter how he swung, Zhang Ergou did not reappear. He seemed to have vanished as if he had never been there.
"Zhang Ergou, come out and face me! What's the point of hiding in the shadows?"
Seeing that Zhang Ergou did not appear for a long time, Xiao Yanfeng shouted into the void.
Only his angry echo resounded in the emptiness; there was no reply.
...
"Are you calling me?" a thunderous voice boomed next to Xiao Yanfeng's ear.
Panicked, he quickly retracted his other giant hammer.
But it was too late. Zhang Ergou's fist had already landed on his chest. Although he had a spiritual energy shield protecting him,
Zhang Ergou's fist somehow ignored the spiritual energy shield. Without any surprise, Xiao Yanfeng, who had been so arrogant moments ago, was now defeated in a most embarrassing manner!
...
The disciples watching the fight were already numb. They showed no surprise as they looked at Xiao Yanfeng, who was being knocked off the stage.
When Xiao Yanfeng first stepped onto the stage, they might have held a sliver of hope. But when Zhang Ergou vanished into thin air, they had already guessed the outcome.
As expected, it wasn't long before the arrogant-looking Xiao Yanfeng was punched off the stage by Zhang Ergou. The clean and swift movements indicated this was not the first time he had done something like this.
Struggling to suppress the spiritual energy within his body, Zhang Ergou felt it becoming uncontrollable, wanting to break free from its restraints.
This was something he had not anticipated. The surge of spiritual energy this time was even stronger than before his battle with Xiao Yanfeng.
If Zhang Ergou hadn't suppressed it with all his might, that spiritual energy would have already burst out of his body!
What made Zhang Ergou even more uneasy was that his Heaven and Earth Chaos Art began to circulate automatically. He could feel the spiritual energy within him about to become uncontainable...
As the Heaven and Earth Chaos Art circulated, the spiritual energy within Zhang Ergou found an outlet. Instead of rushing outwards, it began to flow along his meridians.
"What is Zhang Ergou doing?"
Lin Yichen was the first to notice Zhang Ergou's abnormality. He watched Zhang Ergou standing motionless on the battle stage, his expression rather enigmatic. Soodan Novels
"Why do I feel a spiritual energy fluctuation from Zhang Ergou?"
"I feel it too!" Wang Teng said almost in unison with Lin Yueru.
"Quick, go and protect Zhang Ergou!" Lin Yichen made the decision first, flashing onto the stage. Xiao Qingyu, Wang Teng, Lin Yueru, Lu Xiaoyu, and others followed closely.
The five of them took their positions in different directions. Only then did the inner disciples watching the fight react.
"Why are those people going onto the stage? Aren't they Zhang Ergou's friends? Are they going to challenge him?"
"No, Zhang Ergou's condition is not right. It looks like he's about to break through!"
A disciple exclaimed.
"What? After fighting twenty consecutive matches, he's encountered such an opportunity? Then what's the point of cultivating? It's better to be like Zhang Ergou and set up a ring to accept challenges!"
All the inner disciples showed envious gazes.
In terms of cultivation time, they had been cultivating for much longer than Zhang Ergou. Breakthroughs didn't just happen; they required prolonged accumulation and a certain catalyst.
Therefore, seeing Lin Yichen and the others go to protect Zhang Ergou, those who reacted naturally showed envious looks.
At their level of cultivation, they knew that the difficulty of breaking through increased exponentially with each subsequent realm.
It appeared that Zhang Ergou was about to break through from the late stage of Foundation Establishment to the peak of Foundation Establishment.
Many cultivators remained stuck in the late stage of Foundation Establishment for three years with no progress. This was because the peak of Foundation Establishment served as a watershed between the Golden Core stage and the Foundation Establishment stage, and it was not easily surpassed.
Yet Zhang Ergou, who had only been in the inner sect for half a year, was about to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment. Such a monstrous rate of progress was beyond their envy.
"Why did Qian Wenchao go onto the stage at this time? Can't he see that Zhang Ergou is at a critical juncture of his breakthrough?"
Suddenly, a figure leaped onto the stage, drawing everyone's attention.
Lin Yichen and the others naturally noticed the newcomer. Although their cultivation had all reached the peak of Foundation Establishment,
none of the five had broken through to the early stage of Golden Core. A grave expression appeared on their faces as they looked at the approaching figure.
The visitor was clearly not benevolent. He could obviously see that Zhang Ergou was at a critical moment of breakthrough, but he chose to rush onto the stage at this very moment. His intentions were self-evident.
"Nonsense, Qian Wenchao can obviously see it. He probably has ill intentions!"
Among the surrounding disciples, some could discern the sordid thoughts in Qian Wenchao's mind.
"That's too unfair. Zhang Ergou is at a crucial moment of breakthrough, and he's going up to disrupt it. This is practically a mortal enmity!"
"If Zhang Ergou can hold on until he breaks through, Qian Wenchao will definitely be hunted down by him. It all depends on whether Zhang Ergou has that kind of luck."
A disciple in the crowd said with a look of pity, clearly indicating that the current situation was beyond everyone's expectations.
"Esteemed senior brother, Ergou is not suitable for battle right now. Please step down and wait for a while!"
Lin Yichen frowned and said to Qian Wenchao, who had leaped onto the stage.
"Hahaha, what kind of logic is that? Zhang Ergou can't fight, so he won't? Is this battle stage his family's?"
Qian Wenchao burst into laughter, showing a clear readiness to attack if words didn't suffice.