Chapter 58: The Injury is Real, and the Calculation is Real Too!

"So, the injury was fake too?"

Lin Chen's muscles gradually tensed, and his eyes narrowed.

He had to admit that Elder Zhao was cunning enough to know how intense Lin Chen's desire to kill him was, which was why he had set up such a trap.

"The injury is real, and the scheme is also real."

Elder Zhao sneered, ripping open his robe to reveal a terrifying sword wound across his chest.

Had this sword wound been even slightly off-center, it would have pierced directly through his heart.

"To plot against you, I did not hesitate to mutilate myself with a sword, all so I could retreat to this back mountain to recuperate and lure you here."

Elder Zhao simply stripped off his upper garment, his gaze condensing with murderous intent. "Fortunately, you didn't disappoint me."

At that moment, a terrifying wave of energy spread out from around his body.

"Boom! Boom!"

Behind him, a gigantic flame elephant slowly walked out of the mist.

It was massive in stature, engulfed in blazing fire that caused the void to tremble continuously.

Its mere appearance radiated an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"Lin Chen, I have to admit, you are the most resilient prodigy this old man has ever seen!"

Elder Zhao took a step forward, saying coldly, "After your cultivation was crippled back then, not only did you not fall into despair, but you even re-exhibited such an exaggerated talent for cultivation. It is truly admirable. In fact, sometimes I wondered what level you would reach if you were allowed to develop further. What a pity, today is destined to be the end of everything!"

"Get up, it's time to fight."

Lin Chen said to Tuntun.

Tuntun leaped down from Lin Chen's shoulder, its body suddenly growing taller until it reached over three meters in height.

"This fight is going to be quite tricky..."

Tuntun looked at the flame elephant and let out a helpless sigh.

"Tricky or not, we have to fight. This old bastard must be slaughtered today!"

"Otherwise, there will never be peace!"

Lin Chen clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing slightly as sharp murderous intent burst from them.

At the same time, a fierce aura erupted.

Even though this battle would be extremely difficult, Lin Chen felt no fear.

"Die!"

Elder Zhao's body soared into the air, and a sharp spiritual sword appeared in his hand.

The sword radiated scorching heat, and with a single thrust, it felt as though it could melt anything in its path!

"Iron Skin Rune!"

"Fire-Warding Rune!"

Lin Chen channeled his spiritual energy, successively activating two fourth-grade spiritual runes.

A flowing black light appeared over his arms, exuding the heavy, impenetrable feel of solid steel.

Beneath the black light, a layer of red light covered his skin, helping to mitigate the damage caused by fire-based attacks.

"A fourth-grade spiritual rune?"

Elder Zhao's pupils contracted, but a sneer quickly formed on his face. "So what even if you have these? The gap between us is so vast that external forces cannot bridge it!"

Seeing the spiritual sword thrusting toward him, Lin Chen sidestepped to dodge.

"Dragon Jade Hand!"

Lin Chen let out a fierce shout, raising his hand to grab the spiritual sword bare-handed.

The dual enhancement of the Dragon Jade Hand and the Iron Skin Rune made Lin Chen's arms as hard as iron!

"Clang!"

Lin Chen's palm collided head-on with the spiritual sword, producing a harsh, metallic screech.

Elder Zhao twisted his wrist, causing the sword to burst into a surge of flames that forced Lin Chen's hands away.

Then, with a cold sneer, he thrust the sword straight toward Lin Chen's chest.

Lin Chen's pupils contracted.

In close-quarters combat, the opponent's speed was too fast for him to track.

He could only see afterimages!

Relying purely on instinct, Lin Chen brought his hands up to protect his chest.

"Clang!"

The spiritual sword struck Lin Chen's palm once more.

This time, however, it could not advance even a fraction of an inch further.

Elder Zhao's eyes turned icy. He clenched his other hand into a fist, smashed it heavily against the pommel of the sword, and thrust it forward with all his might!

The force behind the spiritual sword surged, piercing directly through the center of Lin Chen's palm.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Chen swung his arm upward, unleashing a massive surge of strength that sent Elder Zhao flying backward.

On the other side, the flame elephant and Tuntun were locked in fierce combat.

The spiritual runes Lin Chen activated also provided a buff to Tuntun.

Tuntun had gone all out, roaring as it savagely slammed into the flame elephant.

A height of three meters was considered tall.

Yet compared to the flame elephant, it still appeared insignificant.

Even so, every collision unleashed an unimaginable amount of kinetic force.

The rocks beneath their feet shattered piece by piece, spreading cracks in all directions.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Tuntun swung its fists like a madman, striking with the fury of a tempestuous storm.

Yet the effect of those blows on the flame elephant was severely limited!

The flame elephant was a sixth-rank magical beast with a thick hide and sturdy flesh.

Although Tuntun had awakened its bloodline power to the fifth-rank level and its overall combat strength had greatly increased, the disparity in cultivation realm was still too vast, making it extremely difficult to pierce the flame elephant's defense.

"Bang!"

After a frantic barrage of blows, Tuntun was sent flying by a swipe of the flame elephant's trunk.

Undeterred, it let out a strange howl and charged right back in.

"Dragon Jade Hand!"

"Bang!"

Moving with agility, Tuntun delivered a punch straight to the center of the flame elephant's brow.

The explosive force actually forced the flame elephant back several steps.

There's a chance!

Tuntun's eyes lit up, and it immediately redoubled its attacks with even greater ferocity.

Compared to Tuntun's battle with the flame elephant, the clash between Lin Chen and Elder Zhao was far more intense, filled with flying sparks and murderous intent.

Lin Chen's clothes were in tatters, bearing over a dozen sword wounds.

Thanks to the protection of the 'Iron Skin Rune,' his injuries weren't fatal!

"Lin Chen, this old man is going to show you through practical action today that the gap between us cannot be bridged by external means!"

Elder Zhao cackled madly while relentlessly slashing with his sword.

Every strike carried dense flames, as if burning everything to ashes was his sole desire!

The 'Fire-Warding Rune' absorbed a large portion of the thermal energy for Lin Chen, but the intense heat still caused him agonizing pain.

The gap between him and a tenth-layer Earth Spirit realm cultivator was indeed massive!

Seizing an opportunity, Elder Zhao slashed a sword across Lin Chen's waist.

The razor-sharp blade carved a bloody gash directly into his side!

Neither the 'Iron Skin Rune' nor the 'Myriad Wood Evergreen Physique' was able to completely block it.

Risks be damned, Lin Chen ignored the agony of the wound, gritted his teeth as he closed in on Elder Zhao, and threw a punch straight at the elder's chest.

This punch utilized the Dragon Jade Hand.

His target was none other than Elder Zhao's existing wound!

The hardened strike landed like a heavy iron hammer, causing Elder Zhao's body to shudder.

A flash of crimson murderous intent once again flickered in the elder's eyes. "Brat, today this old man will definitely tear you... limb from limb!"

'It seems he isn't lightly wounded.'

Seeing beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripping from Elder Zhao's forehead, Lin Chen realized the truth.

Having confirmed the elder's condition, Lin Chen seemed encouraged. His pupils gradually turned crimson, and murderous intent surged within him, making him look like a starving wolf that had caught the scent of blood!

His previous injuries only served to ignite the fierce, feral nature deep within his bones.

Noticing the change in Lin Chen, Elder Zhao felt a chill in his heart.

This brat was actually growing bolder the more he fought!

"Old dog, go to hell!"

With a furious roar, Lin Chen kicked off the ground and hurled his entire body forward in a tackle.

Clearly, Elder Zhao had not expected Lin Chen to still possess such explosive power after such a bloody battle!

He raised his hand to block, attempting to deflect the oncoming momentum.

Obviously, he had underestimated Lin Chen!

With a muffled thud, Elder Zhao was forcefully driven back dozens of steps, his wrist tingling with numbness.