Chapter 191: Xu Long vs. Cheng Shijian
"Congratulations! I didn't expect you to have broken through to the Immortal Monarch Realm as well, Fellow Daoist Xu."
Upon entering the Immortal Refining Pavilion, Xu Long was escorted deep into its interior.
There, a burly middle-aged man gazed at Xu Long, his face brimming with emotion.
The middle-aged man was none other than Cheng Shijian, Branch Pavilion Master of the Immortal Refining Pavilion, an Early Immortal Monarch Realm cultivator.
Speaking of the Immortal Refining Pavilion, it too was one of the Immortal Realm's major forces.
Unlike other forces, however, the Immortal Refining Pavilion was a force that specialized in taking beatings.
Put simply, they were sparring partners.
From Spirit Entry all the way up to Immortal Emperor, anyone could find a sparring opponent within the Immortal Refining Pavilion.
Xu Long had come to the Immortal Refining Pavilion precisely to find an Early Immortal Monarch to test his current strength.
"Fellow Daoist Cheng, let's skip the pleasantries. I've come this time to test my own strength, so I'd appreciate it if you could arrange an Early Immortal Monarch for me."
"Since it's you, Fellow Daoist Xu, then allow me to be your opponent."
Cheng Shijian rose to his feet with a smile, revealing a body packed with incomparably solid muscle.
Seeing Cheng Shijian stand, Xu Long's expression turned grave.
He naturally knew how powerful Cheng Shijian was, but he wasn't the least bit afraid.
"Haha, since it's Fellow Daoist Cheng, then it looks like I'll have to give it everything I've got."
"Let's go."
The two departed together, heading beneath the Immortal Refining Pavilion.
Below the Immortal Refining Pavilion lay numerous Small Worlds, crafted by formation masters hired at great expense. Each one was capable of withstanding battles at the Immortal King level.
News that Xu Long and Cheng Shijian were about to clash quickly spread.
In an instant, the elders within the Immortal Refining Pavilion all rushed toward the underground battle arena.
Before long, the spectator stands were packed with cultivators, every one of them gazing toward the combat zone with boundless anticipation.
Inside the combat zone, the space was extraordinarily vast.
Xu Long and Cheng Shijian stood hundreds of miles apart, yet at their level, it was as close as being within arm's reach.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, since you only just broke through to Immortal Monarch not long ago, why don't you make the first move."
Hearing Cheng Shijian say this, Xu Long naturally didn't stand on ceremony.
The next moment, Xu Long drew forth his Natal Immortal Weapon from within his body — the Primordial Immortal Spear, a genuine Mid-Grade Immortal Artifact.
"Fellow Daoist Cheng, brace yourself!"
Xu Long gave a warning, then immediately attacked.
When he appeared again, he was already before Cheng Shijian, his spear thrusting straight at Cheng Shijian's chest.
Yet to everyone's surprise, Cheng Shijian raised both arms before him and forcibly caught the Primordial Immortal Spear between his bare hands.
In the spectator stands, the cultivators who witnessed this scene all wore expressions of shock.
Of course, some cultivators who already knew of Cheng Shijian's formidable physical body weren't particularly surprised.
Cheng Shijian followed the path of body tempering, and after reaching the Immortal Monarch Realm, his physical body rivaled a Mid-Grade Immortal Artifact in toughness.
Xu Long's expression was grave. He naturally knew about the strength of Cheng Shijian's body, but he hadn't expected it to be this powerful.
Before he could think any further, however, Cheng Shijian had already made his move.
The two of them moved like afterimages, their figures blurring beyond comprehension. Ordinary people couldn't see their battle at all — only those at the Immortal King Realm could barely follow their movements.
Amid the battle.
Xu Long felt an immense weight in his heart. He hadn't expected that even after cultivating the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Scripture, fighting Cheng Shijian would still feel this difficult.
Little did he know, Cheng Shijian on the other side felt even more pressured.
His foundation was extraordinarily deep, and on top of that, he cultivated the Heaven-Dominating Battle Scripture. Any ordinary Early Immortal Monarch, let alone lasting this long, would have been obliterated in a single exchange.
It seemed this Xu Long had obtained quite the extraordinary opportunity.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, brace yourself!"
Cheng Shijian gave a warning, then erupted with all his might.
In an instant, his entire body was enveloped in a scarlet aura, and his frame began to swell rapidly.
Within moments, he had transformed into an enormous figure towering tens of thousands of feet, his form blotting out the very sky.
"That's — Senior Cheng's Innate Divine Ability, Giant God's Descent!"
A cultivator recognized the technique. It was indeed Cheng Shijian's Innate Divine Ability.
Legend had it that upon activating Giant God's Descent, Cheng Shijian's body would swell massively, and a single strike from him could easily obliterate an entire Lower Realm.
Most critically, while Giant God's Descent was active, all of Cheng Shijian's attributes received a dramatic boost — utterly terrifying was the only way to describe it.
After activating his Innate Divine Ability, Cheng Shijian held nothing back, raining a relentless barrage of attacks down upon Xu Long.
The sheer magnitude of Cheng Shijian's overwhelming power even caused the formations within the combat zone to faintly buckle under the strain, on the verge of shattering.
Witnessing this, everyone was certain that Xu Long's defeat was inevitable.
But just then, a burst of brilliant golden light erupted from within the combat zone.
Xu Long's figure shot out from the rubble, hovering in midair.
His body was now shrouded in golden light, and Cheng Shijian could sense a faint oppressive pressure emanating from him.
Feeling that aura, Cheng Shijian's face filled with disbelief.
"How is this possible? Didn't he just break through to Immortal Monarch?"
Cheng Shijian pushed the thought aside.
"Heaven-Blasting Fist!"
But when Cheng Shijian's full-force punch slammed into Xu Long, the golden light blocked it entirely.
"What?!"
The powerhouses in the spectator stands witnessed this scene with faces full of disbelief.
They hadn't expected that anyone could block one of Cheng Shijian's strikes without a scratch while at the same realm.
"Fellow Daoist Cheng, since you've had your turn, it's mine now."
Xu Long smiled faintly, then Formed Seals with both hands. The Primordial Immortal Spear shot skyward.
The golden light enshrouding Xu Long withdrew from his body and attached itself to the Primordial Immortal Spear.
"Primordial World-Ending Strike!"
As Xu Long's words fell, the Primordial Immortal Spear expanded continuously, then thrust toward Cheng Shijian.
Sensing the terrifying power contained within the Primordial Immortal Spear, Cheng Shijian's expression turned grave.
His instincts told him this was not a strike he could withstand.
"But still, I want to try!"
Cheng Shijian let out a furious roar as Immortal Power surged from his body. A massive phantom of a Black Tortoise materialized behind him, then enveloped him within its shell.
This was a High-Grade Immortal Art — Black Tortoise Indestructible Body.
Cheng Shijian was confident that with the Black Tortoise Indestructible Body activated, unless his opponent surpassed him by an entire Minor Realm, it would be absolutely impossible to defeat him.
The next moment, as the spear struck Cheng Shijian, the terrifying power that erupted nearly shattered the Immortal Formation outright.
At the critical moment, it was the elders of the Immortal Refining Pavilion who intervened to maintain the formation, barely managing to hold it together.
The two forces locked in a stalemate, neither side gaining the upper hand.
But just then, Xu Long voluntarily withdrew.
With a raise of his hand, he recalled the Primordial Immortal Spear, then smiled and cupped his fists toward Cheng Shijian.
"Fellow Daoist Cheng, your strength is truly formidable. I've lost."
The powerhouses in the spectator stands wore expressions that said they had expected as much.
In their minds, Cheng Shijian was an invincible existence among those at the same realm.
Xu Long had only just broken through to the Immortal Monarch Realm — how could he possibly be a match for Pavilion Master Cheng?