Merging with Demon Spirits

Although he is now an Upper Rank Martial King and seems to be just one small realm away from becoming a Martial Emperor, the real gap between them is like a chasm.

Lin Feng can use top-level cultivation techniques and soul skills to bridge this gap, but it is only a patch.

The strength and defense of his physical body at this time should not be inferior to Baruch, and might even be slightly stronger, but his control over Spiritual Power is far behind, or rather, not on the same level.

A faint purple light gleamed beneath his feet, and Lin Feng shot towards Baruch like lightning.

He intended to engage in close combat.

Baruch evidently guessed this, but he did not dodge.

A Martial Emperor facing a Martial King and being afraid of close combat would be too humiliating.

In the eyes of the crowd, he wanted to defeat Lin Feng honorably and thus obtain the position of Celestial King.

Any feelings of fear and any tricky combat tactics, even if he won this time and successfully obtained the Celestial King position, would not allow him to sit securely thereafter.

Eventually, there will be Apostles challenging him.

Just as he challenged Lin Feng today.

Moreover, if he did not engage in close combat, Lin Feng might not be reachable using his Stand and Life Soul Transformation techniques.

"Roar!"

Amidst the roar, a red, five-meter diameter Pocket World shadow appeared.

Baruch was within the Pocket World.

Vast Qi and Blood distorted the space, and blood-colored steam ignited Baruch. His already extremely robust two-meter tall body began to quickly swell, veins bulging, his height reaching two meters seventy-eight, although his physique was still not as exaggerated as Lin Feng’s.

"Bang."

Baruch gripped with his right hand, and the green long knife in his hand shattered, dissipating into green mist, seeping into his body.

He stood silently waiting for Lin Feng to arrive.

As soon as Lin Feng appeared, Baruch’s palm curved like a claw, covered in green Spiritual Power, lunging towards Lin Feng’s face.

Soon, an extremely primitive brawl unfolded.

"Hit him!"

"Beat him!"

The crowd let out ear-piercing shrieks and clamors.

To the audience, nothing stirred the blood boiling more than fist-to-flesh combat.

At first, Lin Feng and Baruch fought relying on their physical bodies; neither used soul skills, and even dodging was rare. But soon, Baruch initiated body elementalization.

Even though he was a Martial Emperor, engaging in a brawl with Lin Feng who was covered in Dragon Scales was evidently unwise.

As Baruch’s whole body became elementalized, Lin Feng, who had the upper hand in the brawl, was suddenly easily crushed.

Even though he also used the Divine Level soul skill [Illusion].

But clearly, the Divine Level soul skill consumed too much Soul Power, and Lin Feng’s Soul Power could not support full-body [Illusion] for long.

If Soul Power is overdrawn, the battle can be declared over.

Lin Feng’s claws swung across, yet bizarrely passed through Baruch’s chest.

His attack seemed to strike within green mist, while Baruch’s body turned around, the moment elementalization failed, his right hand pierced Lin Feng’s chest like a sword.

Blood splashed, Lin Feng did not dodge.

Due to the defense of Dragon Scales, Baruch’s right hand did not penetrate Lin Feng’s heart, but half of the palm still sunk into flesh and blood.

Lin Feng’s body trembled, his face turned pale, red blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, but he fiercely gripped Baruch’s right hand, bending down, with his body suddenly leaning forward.

In an instant, Baruch became elementalized again.

"Haha."

The battle continued, lasting barely two minutes, Lin Feng was already covered in wounds.

The tearing sensation between Dragon Scales and flesh brought intense pain yet suddenly made him laugh, and amidst the laughter, colorful bubbles began to spew from his mouth.

Baruch observed the increasing number of bubbles around them.

He knew Lin Feng’s early combat style, that "suicidal explosion" which once made countless people tremble with fear.

Such a colossal simultaneous bubble explosion, the energy fluctuation surpasses certain limits, even with elementalization, would cause minor injuries.

However, he did not stop it.

Nor did he worry.

A Martial King Realm Lin Feng dared to act this way, as a Martial Emperor why would he have any reason to be timid?

"Do you still have enough Soul Power to use [Illusion]?"

Baruch asked with a smile, meanwhile his hands grabbed Lin Feng’s hands tightly, preventing Lin Feng from using the [Stand] soul skill, leaving no chance of escape.

Lin Feng did not resist, continuing to spew bubbles, seemingly unconcerned with his own confinement.

Baruch frowned, feeling a bad premonition in his heart, he looked around, where dense bubbles had already surrounded them, obscuring every gap.

As he hesitated, the bubble swarm already blocked everyone’s view...

"Can’t see anymore."

"Does Celestial King Hua dare a suicidal explosion?"

"He probably wouldn’t dare, the defense and Life Force of a Martial Emperor far surpass Celestial King Hua."

Amidst the discussions, the number of bubbles did not decrease or disperse, instead growing, drawing closer and closer to Lin Feng and Baruch.

Those certain Lin Feng wouldn’t self-destruct suddenly fell silent.

Encased in such a massive bubble swarm, one could imagine the explosion’s power, fearing it would overpower even a Martial Emperor, likely causing severe injuries, while Lin Feng might end up with nothing remaining.

"What is Lin Feng planning to do?"

Beast Celestial King frowned tightly, asking in puzzlement.

In his view, colorful bubbles at this moment occupied half the sky, while Lin Feng and Baruch’s figures had become completely obscured.

"Is Lin Feng planning to compete with the Martial Emperor in defense and Life Force?"

Wind Celestial King mocked.

Even he, even as Extraordinary, dared not compete in Life Force against a Martial Emperor.

Defeating Baruch wouldn’t be difficult for him, but killing him posed considerable challenge.

The Martial Emperor could elementalize his body, which was a defensive Divine Skill.

The Pocket World enabled the Martial Emperor to directly absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power, granting vigorous Life Force.

To exaggerate, becoming a Martial Emperor meant possessing half an Undying Body.

Wind Celestial King could not fathom where Lin Feng found the courage to act so, and just as a smile crept onto his lips, before it could even become sound, the earth shook, and an earth-shattering explosion reverberated.

"Boom!"

In the air, a terrifying airwave akin to ocean waves surged in all directions, with purple lightning and flames rolling and scattering with the airwave.

Under this horrifying shockwave, people underground trembled violently, their bodies swayed, some even collapsed onto the ground.

If not for the Celestial Kings timely intervention, certainly someone would get injured on-site, and the newly built "Hua’s Hall" might be flattened.

But none of these were the focus.

At this moment, everyone’s gaze was fixated on the sky.

At the explosion’s center, shrouded in thick smoke, a silhouette, more accurately a jet-black skeletal frame, was freely falling, amidst stunned gazes, plummeting to the ground.

"Ding!"

In a crisp sound, this wholly black skeleton scattered, black bones flew chaotically...