Ascension Day

The green mass dispersed like a cloud of green smoke.

Xu Ying plummeted from the air, landing on both feet with a THUD. He stood firm and steady.

Ding Quan stared, stunned. ’A person whose every bone has been shattered couldn’t possibly land on their feet, let alone stand so steadily! And yet, Xu Ying was standing there, perfectly stable! But this is Nuo Art! The Nuo Art of a Nuo Master who has opened a Secret Treasury, comprehended the nature of heaven and earth, and elevated their internal Cultivation! Just a moment ago, a single one of my Cyan Vines could shred a massive tree! How could Xu Ying possibly have survived that attack? Even a Divine Spirit forged from iron would have been riddled with holes and crushed to a pulp by that strike!’

"It seems that even after becoming the Zhou Family’s dog, County Magistrate Zhou never taught you the true Nuo Techniques and Nuo Arts."

Xu Ying took a long, deep breath, his bones crackling and popping. He raised his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and smiled. "If the Zhou Family had taught you a true Nuo Technique, I should be dead by now. And yet, despite opening a Secret Treasury and seizing the initiative, you still failed to kill me."

Ding Quan’s pupils contracted. He had pledged allegiance to the Zhou Family, and they had helped him open a Secret Treasury and become a Nuo Master. But he wasn’t one of the Zhou Family, after all. The Cultivation Technique they had taught him was a low-grade one, and the Nuo Art was low-grade as well!

Even though he considered his aptitude to be outstanding, he was unable to cultivate to a profound Realm and improve his own strength!

Xu Ying circulated his Qi Blood with almost frenzied intensity. Thunderous rumbles echoed from within his body, merging into a single, continuous sound that transformed into the trumpeting of an elephant!

Behind him, his Qi Blood condensed into a malevolent aura, forming the spectral image of an Elephant-headed God-man.

Xu Ying glared intently at Ding Quan, who stood in the pool of water. Suddenly, he stomped his foot hard, sending dirt flying. He shot forward like an arrow from a bowstring, and in the next instant, he was in front of Ding Quan!

"WHOOSH—"

He threw a punch, and the Elephant-headed God-man behind him did the same. Xiangli erupted! The surface of the water exploded as a fierce gale whipped up waves that crashed toward Ding Quan!

With a great SPLASH, innumerable vines surged up from the water, weaving together to instantly form a massive shield of Cyan Vines in front of Ding Quan!

The vine shield shattered before the force of Xu Ying’s punch.

At the same time, Ding Quan also threw a punch. Cyan Vines coiled around his fist, making it grow larger and larger, while countless more wrapped around his arm, like individual muscles tensing before unleashing their power!

"BANG!"

Nuo Art and the Martial Dao clashed. The resulting waves surged high into the air, swaying unstably as if being tugged by a violent gale!

The Cyan Vine fist crumbled with a series of snaps, and Ding Quan’s body drifted backward. As he moved, the Cyan Vines connecting his feet to his Vine Armor were ripped up by the roots, severing countless smaller tendrils!

Immediately after, the Cyan Vines rooted themselves again, dissipating the force of Xu Ying’s punch.

Ding Quan swung his left fist. Innumerable Cyan Vines shot out with a WHOOSH, wrapping around his left hand to form a gigantic fist.

Other Cyan Vines clung to his body, their root systems coiling around his torso, tensing and storing energy like countless bowstrings, providing him with unparalleled power!

Although what he cultivated was not the Martial Dao, Nuo Art was so exquisite that it made his strength a match for someone like Xu Ying, who had mastered Xiangli!

"BANG!"

Their fists clashed again. Ding Quan took another step back as countless more Cyan Vines erupted from the ground, acting as his muscles and sinews!

Xu Ying was only a Mortal, with the same number of muscles and sinews as any normal person. A Nuo Master like Ding Quan, however, could give himself dozens of times more muscles and sinews, compensating for his lack of strength and allowing him to rival the gods!

At the same time, numerous Cyan Vines swept toward Xu Ying from all directions!

Xu Ying stamped down on one Cyan Vine. With a flurry of kicks and punches, he shattered the attacking vines, his Qi Blood erupting as he threw another punch!

Ding Quan blocked more than ten of his punches, retreating over a dozen steps, back out of the pool and into the forest.

Xu Ying pursued relentlessly, unleashing the might of his Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist to its absolute limit. As his Qi Blood surged, a glow radiated from within him, like a great sun rising from his Dantian, transforming into majestic power that fueled every punch and kick he threw at his enemy!

His momentum grew stronger and stronger, but the surrounding trees seemed to have come to life, attacking him from all sides—even from beneath his feet!

Xu Ying firmly believed that, in his current state, he could easily kill a being like the Green-Robed Divine Spirit. But against a Nuo Master like Ding Quan, he possessed immense power yet couldn’t seem to land a single blow on his opponent!

Ding Quan’s Nuo Art always managed to deflect his power, just barely, at the most critical moment!

Ding Quan was also secretly terrified. Every punch he blocked felt like he was being rammed by a colossal elephant, making his arms and legs tremble in pain!

Although Xu Ying was only a fourteen-year-old boy, he had cultivated an inhuman power within his body, and that power was still constantly increasing!

However, with the aid of these vines, he could withstand it, even if Xu Ying possessed the Demon Power of a colossal elephant!

’Besides, this is a forest—my battlefield. In a forest, the trees, flowers, and grass are all my weapons!’

Ding Quan’s eyes flickered as he continued to face Xu Ying’s attacks head-on. ’I can wear you down and kill you at my leisure!’ he thought.

He blocked another punch, and countless Cyan Vines exploded. Immediately, innumerable more snaked forward to connect with his right fist.

But just then, one of the "Cyan Vines" arriving at his side moved with unnatural agility. It didn’t land on his fist, but on his neck.

Ding Quan froze. He saw the "Cyan Vine" open a large mouth, revealing gleaming white fangs in its upper jaw, and sink them into his neck!

"Xu Ying, I got him!"

The "Cyan Vine" slithered swiftly off his body, calling out gleefully. It was none other than the Snake Demon Yuan Qi.