Chapter 789: Brutal Beating
But what puzzled the crowd even more was...
The same question lingered in their minds.
This shouldn't be happening...
Why wasn't the Merman Emperor using any skills?
Where was his secret realm talent?
What about his equipment?
And...
What happened to his overwhelming attributes?
Why wasn't he utilizing any of them?
Moreover...
Was it just their imagination, or had the Merman Emperor lost the oppressive aura he once projected?
It was as if... he had been weakened!
What the heck was going on!?
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Because Ling Zhan's second wave of attacks had begun!
He released his grip on the Merman Emperor's leg, stepped forward, leapt high into the air, and aimed a powerful right hook directly at the emperor's head!
Seeing this, the Merman Emperor dared not take it lightly.
He had finally realized the truth!
This non-specialist had targeted him from the beginning!
The suppressive state affecting him was the work of this non-specialist!
He was the prey.
The cold-eyed non-specialist before him was the hunter!
Damn it...
Even a battle-hardened War God like him couldn't help but curse internally.
Where the hell did this monster come from!?
At this moment.
Ling Zhan's fist, as large as a sandbag, was closing in on the Merman Emperor's face.
With a swift push-off from his toes, the Merman Emperor retreated rapidly.
Having already suffered a headshot once, he didn't dare risk another inexplicable explosion.
The cooldown for his Life on the Line talent was 60 seconds.
Until then, all he could do was dodge!
But Ling Zhan's combat experience was unmatched.
With the SS-grade eye talent, Eye of the Ten Thousand Demons,
He could see every muscle movement and reaction on the Merman Emperor's body with crystal clarity.
In fact...
The Merman Emperor's movements appeared like a slow-motion film, frame by frame, within Ling Zhan's eyes.
As his right hook cut through the air, Ling Zhan immediately canceled the punch without hesitation. His precise control over his body ensured he wouldn't suffer any muscle strain.
Canceling the punch, his hand morphed into the shape of a serpent, darting forward.
The Merman Emperor had no choice but to retreat again!
But Ling Zhan wasn't going to give him a second chance!
The serpent-like hand quickly transformed into a claw, latching onto the Merman Emperor's shoulder!
Then... with a powerful yank downward!
Crack!
The crowd saw the Merman Emperor groan as his shoulder dislocated and fractured!
His entire arm went limp, signaling that it was now useless.
Before anyone could react.
Ling Zhan's storm-like offensive resumed!
With a pull on the Merman Emperor's limp arm, the 3-to-4-meter-tall emperor was dragged like a fragile maiden straight into Ling Zhan's grasp!
Of course...
The Merman Emperor wasn't about to go down without a fight. He raised his right fist once again, aiming for Ling Zhan's head!
He knew full well that his head might explode again, just like earlier.
But he had no other options!
No one outside understood the depth of his despair.
Even with his attributes boosted by 300%, his attacks were ineffective against this non-specialist!
Furthermore...
As a War God, renowned for combat expertise, he was completely outmatched by this non-specialist in terms of technique!
The techniques Ling Zhan was using were from a fighting style called "Dragon Kingdom Martial Arts."
It was something the Merman Emperor had mocked countless times.
To him, it had always been nothing more than flashy, impractical moves.
But who could've predicted that today, he'd be utterly defeated by what he once ridiculed!
Bang!
As expected.
His punch was effortlessly caught by Ling Zhan's palm, without inflicting any damage.
It was a bizarre sight.
Normally, even when a punch was blocked, both parties would sustain minor injuries.
This mechanic was commonly referred to as the "clash" mechanic in games.
It applied to melee combat and close-quarters weapon clashes.
When two opposing attacks collided, both sides would typically lose a small amount of health.
Of course...
The side with lower attributes would lose more health, while the stronger side would lose less.
But this mechanic was negligible, as the health loss ranged from 10 to 500 points.
However...
After catching the Merman Emperor's punch, neither of them lost any health.
What did this mean?
It meant the Merman Emperor's attack had dealt zero damage!
How was that possible!?
What the Merman Emperor didn't know was...
All of his punch-based attacks would no longer harm Ling Zhan.
The reason lay in...
His SS-grade innate talent!
Void Adaptation Armor!
This talent ensured that once Ling Zhan experienced a specific type of attack, he would become immune to future attacks of the same type from the same opponent!
So after enduring the Merman Emperor's initial punch using Thorn Armor, Ling Zhan had completely nullified any further punch-based attacks from him!
"Your Majesty, farewell!"
At this moment.
Ling Zhan wasn't about to give the Merman Emperor time to recover from the shock.
After blocking the punch, his right leg shot upward!
Knee strike!!
With a resounding bang, Ling Zhan's knee struck the Merman Emperor's chin!
"Gah!!"
Blood, mixed with shattered teeth, spewed from the Merman Emperor's mouth!
The force of the strike caused his head to buzz and spin!
Before he could regain his senses...
Bang!!
A punch slammed into his abdomen!
It was like being hit by a speeding train!
His internal organs felt displaced.
Without his high-level attributes, secret realm talents, or equipment defenses, the level-190 War God was as fragile as paper before Ling Zhan!
This was the power of the Fairness Codex!!
In this moment.
Ling Zhan showed no mercy, leaping into the air to deliver a final blow to the barely-conscious, barely-standing Merman Emperor.
If this punch connected, with Life on the Line on cooldown, the Merman Emperor's head would explode again, and his body would suffer total physical death!
The entire audience held their breath!
But just when the critical moment arrived...
As expected, an unexpected event occurred.
The Grand Turtle Steward, standing nearby, wasn't going to watch his emperor die.
The Merman Emperor was under the Fairness Codex's influence.
But the old turtle wasn't.
Whoosh!!
The steward raised his dragon-headed staff, firing a razor-sharp water beam at Ling Zhan like a sword of pure magic!