Chapter 59: Decisive and Merciless!

"Kid, it seems I underestimated your strength."

Elder Zhao flicked his hand, his expression turning abruptly ferocious as he brandished his spiritual sword and lunged forward once more.

He knew very well that if he failed to cut down Lin Chen today and let him escape, dealing with him in the future would become exceedingly difficult. Therefore, he had to seize this opportunity at all costs.

Elder Zhao formed a hand seal, and the sword in his hand grew even sharper and more piercing.

Roaring, Lin Chen charged forward. The two clashed dozens of times in rapid succession, spiritual energy surging and producing low, rumbling sounds from time to time. For a moment, sword lights danced wildly and flames intertwined. Every sword strike cleaved cracks into the void, filled with rampant killing intent.

"Go to hell!"

Elder Zhao sneered, thrusting his sword directly toward Lin Chen. Following that, he summoned a towering flame elephant, commanding it to join the assault. Countless sharp sword Qi seals completely blocked Lin Chen's paths of retreat—front, back, left, and right. The giant flame elephant charged wildly, looking intent on trampling Lin Chen into paste.

"Monument-Shattering Palm!"

Lin Chen's gaze remained steady. Pushing his movement technique to its absolute limit, he struck out with a palm like lightning. His target was not the giant flame elephant, but Elder Zhao's sword! Lin Chen trusted Tuntun; he knew the little beast would never let the flame elephant charge straight at him.

"Boom!"

Lin Chen's palm, hard as iron, slammed directly against the sword body. The spiritual sword shook violently, filled with terrifying shockwaves that vibrated crazily until it was knocked flying out of Elder Zhao's grip with a crisp snap.

The ground beneath Elder Zhao's feet trembled violently, sending shattered stones flying in all directions. The violent airflow spread outward, shattering the dense clouds of spiritual energy.

As for the charging giant flame elephant, its body was instantly bound by dozens of thick vines. With a fierce yank from the vines, the massive beast's body was flipped completely upside down. In the distance, Tuntun was holding onto the vines with a cold sneer, shouting, "Big stupid ox, your opponent is me!"

The giant flame elephant roared furiously and spat a torrent of fire from its mouth.

"Puff!"

The flames exploded in the void, forcing Tuntun back several steps. Struck with anger as well, Tuntun spat into his palms, poured continuous strength into his arms, and gripped the vines tighter.

"Creeak!"

The vines tightened viciously, some of their thorns sinking straight into the flesh, causing the giant flame elephant to roar in agony. The shockwave of its voice burst forth, instantly scattering the clouds in the sky!

Elder Zhao glanced at the flame elephant's predicament, his eyes turning icy. That illusion beast of the brat's certainly had some tricks. He remembered that when they last met, it was only at the second rank, but now it had actually reached the fifth rank! Coupled with the dull, throbbing pain coming from the sword wound on his chest, Elder Zhao's expression grew increasingly ferocious.

At this point, not a single second could be wasted.

"Die!"

Releasing the full pressure of his aura, Elder Zhao rushed forward like a bolt of lightning. Even relying purely on hand-to-hand combat, he was far from weak. His fist techniques were fierce and roared like tigers!

Lin Chen's physical strength was already nearing exhaustion, and under such a frenzied storm of punches, he found it increasingly difficult to parry. Within just a few breaths, his defense was shattered by a heavy punch. Immediately after, a flurry of fists fell upon his body like raindrops, bringing wave after wave of intense pain.

"Dragon-Seizing Hand!"

Closing in on Lin Chen, Elder Zhao's wrist locked onto Lin Chen's like a clinging bone. With a vicious twist, he intended to snap Lin Chen's wrist completely!

Wincing in pain, Lin Chen's eyes flashed fiercely. Instead of retreating, he unleashed the Monument-Shattering Palm, slamming it straight into his attacker.

"Bang!"

Their palms collided, and both figures froze instantly. Heaven and earth seemed to hold their breath, everything turning exceptionally quiet.

Immediately afterward, the crisp sound of shattering bones echoed clearly!

Lin Chen's face turned pale. The duration of the "Iron Skin" technique had expired, and relying solely on his raw physical strength, he was simply no match for Elder Zhao's onslaught. In this collision, his palm bones cracked!

With a savage grin, Elder Zhao slammed the back of his hand like lightning into Lin Chen's chest.

"Puff!"

Lin Chen's body staggered as he vomited a mouthful of blood. Pressing his advantage, Elder Zhao had clearly no intention of giving Lin Chen the slightest breathing room!

*Emperor Art, erupt, damn it!*

Lin Chen roared furiously in his heart, his eyes turning as crimson as a beast's. Miraculously, his fractured bones were covered by a flash of cyan light and began to mend rapidly.

Seeing Elder Zhao close in for the kill, Lin Chen drew upon some unknown source of power and launched a desperate counterattack, unleashing another Monument-Shattering Palm in an instant!

"Tricks of a clown."

Elder Zhao laughed wildly, raising a hand to block Lin Chen's palm and closing the distance smoothly. But the next instant, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. It felt as though he had been pricked by something!

When Elder Zhao jerked his head around, a look of sheer terror flashed through his eyes. Lin Chen's arm had somehow transformed into a thick vine, which had plunged deeply into his wrist!

"Glug, glug, glug!"

Like a sponge absorbing water, the vine continuously sucked the vital blood straight out of Elder Zhao's body.

"You... what kind of evil sorcery is this?!"

Elder Zhao's pupils contracted violently, his body trembling as he felt every ounce of strength drain from his limbs.

Lin Chen panted heavily, his expression ferocious. Initially, he had harbored an instinctive repulsion toward directly absorbing human vital blood, feeling that such methods were utterly demonic. Yet now, looking back, what was right and what was evil? In the path of cultivation, danger lurked everywhere; either you kill others, or you are killed! Where was there any room for naive mercy? Only ruthless decisiveness was the way to survive! Besides, if not for this exact trick, he probably wouldn't have been able to kill Lin Yilong back then, nor would he have made it this far today!

Elder Zhao watched helplessly as one of his arms withered rapidly. Then, unsatisfied, the vine snaked upward and attached itself directly to Elder Zhao's head, driving its sharp thorns straight into his temples.

"Ah!"

Accompanied by a miserable scream, Elder Zhao's pupils dilated completely. A few breaths later, his body slumped to the ground with a dull thud, his vital blood completely drained.

Lin Chen felt a dense surge of spiritual energy manifest within his body, which would require careful cultivation to digest properly. He retracted his arm, leaned against the mountain cliff, and panted softly. His expression slowly shifted from ferocious back to calm rationality.

This battle had been fraught with mortal danger! If Su Yuwei hadn't given him those two spiritual talismans, he probably would have died at Elder Zhao's hands long ago. However, being able to slay a tenth-level Earth Spirit realm expert with his own hands was undoubtedly a priceless experience for him.

At this moment, on a cliff not far away, a slender figure stood silently in the shadows.

Su Yuwei's delicate brows were slightly furrowed. Several times during the fight, she had almost failed to restrain herself from stepping in. But in the end, she had endured. She wanted to see just how far Lin Chen's limits stretched. Never did she expect to witness a desperate, miraculous counter-kill with her own eyes!

When Lin Chen had previously declared his intent to head to the back mountain for revenge, Su Yuwei had worried he was no match for Elder Zhao, so she had secretly followed behind him, intending to bail him out at the critical moment. She had never imagined that, despite enduring multiple brushes with death, Lin Chen would ultimately grit his teeth and pull through!

"This kid... his killing intent is truly terrifying!"

Su Yuwei withdrew her gaze, a subtle, ambiguous smile playing at the corners of her lips. If he continued to cultivate at this pace, in less than a year, another dazzling prodigy would rise and shine brilliantly across the Five Nations!