"Monster..."
A look of horror washed over Zhao Wei's face as he subconsciously uttered the word.
"ROAR!!!"
The wilderness trembled as birds and beasts fled in terror.
The deafening, rumbling shockwave of the roar spread out, scattering the blood mist in all directions. All around, the leaves on countless trees rustled violently.
An incredibly fierce and brutal aura swept out like a tidal wave, layer upon layer, overwhelming everything. Even from a hundred meters away, Zhao Wei felt an oppressive tightness in his chest that made him want to cough up blood!
This aura!
It had definitely surpassed Harmonizing Force and was bordering on the level of a Dark Force master who had undergone a Second Rebirth!
Zhao Wei's expression changed.
He had a good idea now why Wu Dao had fled.
Because even if they all joined forces, it would be nearly impossible to defeat a monster comparable to a Dark Force expert!
Five hundred years!
Something that has existed for five hundred years was never as simple as a mere rock!
Once something gains sentience, even a pig can become something beyond a mortal's imagination!
Hooo...
Zhao Wei took a deep breath. As he stared at the monster in the clearing, his urge to retreat surged.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
The incessant roars made one's blood boil and their mind fall into disarray.
The blood mist dispersed.
The Flesh and Blood Tai Sui's original body—a grotesque mountain of flesh—had completely vanished. In its place stood a blood-red, demonic, muscular "old man" over ten feet tall!
This old man.
At first glance, it looked a bit like Mengqingshan and Eagle Shark had fused.
Malformed, swollen, blood-red muscles covered its body like layers of rock-like armor. Each muscle pulsed, as if breathing, pregnant with explosive power.
Its head was perfectly round, like a ball, with eyes on all sides. As they blinked, they flashed with a brutal, sinister light.
The most terrifying part was the "old man's" claws!
They were an enhanced version of Eagle Shark's!
It had ten claws, each nearly two feet long, that gleamed with the unsettling light of blood jade. With a single swipe, it cut through a tree as thick as a man's embrace as if it were slicing tofu.
There was no doubt.
Even an Iron Man...
...would be torn to shreds on the spot!
"Mimicry Ability?"
In the clearing, Mengqingshan's massive, pillar-like form had darted away the instant he sensed the transformation. He now stared at the boundlessly ferocious "old man," his expression grim.
He hadn't expected it.
He hadn't expected the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui to possess such a bizarre "Demon Technique."
His and Mr. Ya's earlier onslaught had not only been ineffective, but had actually provided the raw material for the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui's mimicry!
And it mimicked them with incredible speed!
In just a moment, it had copied nearly all of his and Mr. Ya's physical strengths, transforming into the terrifying monster before them!
Bordering on a Second Rebirth!
'This is trouble...'
Uncertainty flickered across Mengqingshan's ugly, twisted face. In a flash, he made his decision and roared at the equally stunned Mao Ba and Cloud Heaven Flow:
"Either we work together, or nobody gets it! If you disagree, we're leaving right now!"
Yes!
Facing the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui after its transformation...
...even someone as confident as Mengqingshan had lost all his nerve.
If Mao Ba and Cloud Heaven Flow showed any sign of wanting to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight, he would turn and leave without a second thought.
He possessed a Qi Sea Dantian.
He would have plenty of opportunities for Breaking the Cocoon in the future.
There was absolutely no need to risk fighting this Flesh and Blood Tai Sui to the death, only to face Mao Ba's group while wounded.
"My thoughts exactly!"
Mao Ba and Cloud Heaven Flow also understood that the current situation left only two paths: join forces or retreat. They agreed to Mengqingshan's proposal with almost no hesitation.
"ROAR!!"
While the three of them spoke, it wasn't as if someone had pressed the pause button on the second-form Flesh and Blood Tai Sui.
It was currently tied down by Mr. Ya, swinging its claws like a war machine and frantically destroying everything around it.
Trees in its path were snapped with a single swipe.
Boulders exploded on contact. It was the very image of a rampaging titan!
Even someone as strong as Mr. Ya...
...could only weave and dodge. With every hit he took, the sound of CRACKING bones could be heard.
Unstoppable!
"Zhao, are you still not coming out?!"
Mengqingshan's expression darkened further when he saw Mr. Ya get injured. Zhao Wei and Wu Dao were still watching from the sidelines!
"Brother Wu has already left. No need to wait for him."
Zhao Wei stepped out from the darkness, his expression uncertain as he spoke.
After Wu Dao left in a hurry, there was no trace of him. He hadn't returned, and it seemed he had truly given up on fighting for the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui.
It was unknown whether he was wary of the strength Mengqingshan and the others had revealed, or if he feared the ferocious power of the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui.
As for Zhao Wei himself...
To be honest...
He really didn't want to get involved in this mess.
Without Wu Dao, he was arguably the weakest competitor present.
If they turned on him afterward...
He might not get anything, and his life would be in danger.
But...
The temptation of the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui was too great!
He, Zhao Wei, unlike Mengqingshan, did not possess a Qi Sea Dantian.
Once his qi and blood decayed in his old age and sickness took hold, it would be impossible for him to even have a peaceful death!
If he could obtain a treasure like the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui, it could extend his life and lock in his qi and blood. Further advancement might be impossible, but living out the rest of his life peacefully for several more decades would be absolutely guaranteed!
Therefore...
He couldn't pass up even the slightest chance to extend his life, no matter how great the risk!
This was also why those three Inner Strength Loose Cultivators had stubbornly followed them into Canyun Mountain, even though they knew they couldn't compete with Divine Power.
There was no other reason.
When the prize was great enough, the slimmest chance of reward was enough to outweigh a mountain of risks!
"Useless, silver-plated coward!!"
Although Mengqingshan was suspicious when he heard Wu Dao had fled, he couldn't help but curse him out loud!
But in this life-or-death battle...
...he had no time for further thoughts.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Countless rock fragments exploded before Mengqingshan's eyes, shooting outwards. The Flesh and Blood Tai Sui had sent Mr. Ya flying, and he had crashed through a large boulder in front of the group.
THUD!
A pair of legs, like mountains, like pillars, descended from the sky.
An incredibly brutal Slaughter Qi, like the sea, like an abyss, pressed down on them, leaving them breathless.
In that instant...
...the group could no longer afford to hold anything back.
Like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each revealed their own unique powers.
They all played their trump cards, unleashing their full strength to face the foe!
KRAK! KRAK!
Mengqingshan took a deep breath and circulated his qi and blood. His eyes suddenly became bloodshot and bulged. His already huge physique swelled another size, and his aura surged.
But he was clearly overloading himself; the sound of his muscles and bones groaning and tearing under the unbearable strain could be heard.
"KILL!!"
His explosive roar was earth-shattering.
His massive, black, demonic body appeared before the Flesh and Blood Tai Sui as if teleporting. A black, giant fist the size of a millstone smashed solidly into its face, caving it in on the spot.
Haaa...
Zhao Wei also made his move. He exhaled a turbid breath, his hair and beard standing on end, his muscles rippling and writhing under his clothes like scurrying rats.
In an instant, veins bulged all over his body, his face contorted ferociously, and his muscles swelled. His arms and legs grew as thick and powerful as pillars, like a Barbaric Whale incarnate, filled with boundless power!
Giant Whale Skill!
The secret Horizontal Training of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall!
Back then, of the two founders of the Giant Whale Sect, one created the world-renowned Overlord Whale Fist, and the other created the Horizontal Training Secret Method, Giant Whale Skill.
This skill has nine layers.
It is said that each layer grants the power of one primeval giant whale, and at Great Success, one can fight an Innate master head-on!
Those at the peak of the Divine Power realm can only cultivate it to the second layer!
But even at the second layer, with the power of two primeval giant whales and the release of the Giant Whale Dominating Body, it was enough to dominate anyone below Breaking the Cocoon, and even contend with those in the early stages of Breaking the Cocoon!
Zhao Wei's talent was quite good.
In his fifty years in the Jianghu, not only did his Overlord Whale Fist reach the Grandmaster level, but his Giant Whale Skill also reached Great Success at the second layer, and he had long ago mastered the Giant Whale Dominating Body!
In terms of raw strength alone...
...he was not at all weaker than Mengqingshan!
Unfortunately...
...he did not possess a Qi Sea Dantian; otherwise, he could have gone much further in the future.
"Die!"
Since he had decided to enter the fray, Zhao Wei naturally had no intention of holding back. With a furious roar, he leaped into the chaotic battle.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of flesh colliding was horrifying!
He unleashed his Grandmaster-level Overlord Whale Fist, and when combined with the power of the Giant Whale Skill, his strikes were like a tsunami, a relentless, overwhelming barrage!
For a moment...
...the offensive power Zhao Wei displayed was actually no weaker than that of Mengqingshan, who had unleashed his second limit.
CLANG!
WHOOSH!
A sword and an iron ruler followed suit!
Mao Ba and Cloud Heaven Flow also joined the siege!
These two were no simpletons either.
Cloud Heaven Flow cultivated what was known as the Military Dao, the number one path for combat and killing among all Daos!
Moreover, since childhood, he had practiced the Inch Sword Technique created by the Sword Hero Yang Wufeng. Now, having reached the Grandmaster realm, his killing power was not to be underestimated.
This Sword Technique was extremely famous in Guangqing Prefecture.
Within an inch, I am invincible!
Indestructible, the bane of Horizontal Training!
According to legend, before reaching the Innate realm, Yang Wufeng relied on this Sword Technique to face three peak Breaking the Cocoon Horizontal Training experts. Without any grand, sweeping movements, he killed his enemies with minimal motion, all within the span of a few inches!
As the leading figure of the younger generation at the Fangcun Sword Hall, although Cloud Heaven Flow couldn't compare to Yang Wufeng in his youth...
...his killing power was not to be underestimated.
Slash, Thrust, Dot, Peel, Parry...
His movements were seamless and untraceable, his attacks a violent squall.
Within inches, his sword was as ferocious as a dragon, cunning and ruthless. The moment he entered the fight, he caused blossoms of blood to erupt on the body of the second-form Flesh and Blood Tai Sui.
The seemingly indestructible armor of flesh turned to tofu before his blade, and he immediately drew a considerable amount of the monster's ire.