Chapter 217: Chapter 212: Immovable Golden Body

Suspended in the air, He Long desperately tried to regain control of his body and stabilize himself. But the force from Mu Chen’s punch, unleashed after he set down the Profound Jade Box, was simply too immense. So much so that He Long, despite being in the Martial King Realm, found himself completely unable to control his movements.

What He Long didn’t realize was that the power behind Mu Chen’s punch wasn’t merely from setting down the Profound Jade Box. Mu Chen had actually activated his Taotie Secret Technique, channeling the entire strength of his body into that single fist.

Feeling helpless, He Long glanced toward Mu Chen’s previous position, only to be shocked to find that he had vanished without a trace. At that very moment, a sharp whistle cut through the air. He Long didn’t even need to look to know that Mu Chen was closing in on him again. ’Damn it!’ he thought, before finally tilting his head up to look.

The sight that met his eyes was alarming. A long, slender, silver chain, emanating a pure red and blue glow, was whipping toward him. Judging by the fierce shriek of it cutting through the air, one could only imagine the tremendous power it carried.

He Long’s expression hardened. Thunder Light flared all over him, and within moments, his body was tightly wrapped in a layer of it, making him look just like a Thunder Cocoon. Indeed, that was what it was: He Long’s Defense Battle Skill, Thunder Cocoon! It possessed formidable Defense Power.

CLANG!

How much power could the Shattered Star Lock Chain generate when swung by Mu Chen under the effects of the Taotie Secret Technique? When the chain struck He Long’s Thunder Cocoon, the cocoon visibly caved in, so much so that it slammed against the Thunder Dragon Spear He Long held inside.

WHOOSH! He Long’s backward momentum was finally halted, only for him to be sent flying in a new direction. His entire body slammed into the ground, blasting a massive circular crater into the arena floor.

Cough, cough...

A series of coughs echoed from the crater. The Thunder Cocoon slowly dissipated, revealing the pale face of He Long within. A thin trickle of red flowed from the corner of his mouth. Mu Chen knew that while the protective Thunder Cocoon had negated most of the damage, the sheer concussive force had still rattled his opponent’s internal organs.

"Damn it! I can’t believe a Five-Ring Martial Spirit is beating me this badly! Unforgivable! This is absolutely unforgivable! Lightning Piercing!"

With a great roar, He Long’s body was once again covered in Thunder Light. A CRACKLE of thunder erupted from within him. He was baffled as to how Mu Chen had managed to evade his previous attack, so he decided to test him again and see if it had been a fluke!

He Long held the Thunder Dragon Spear level in front of his chest with both hands. As he channeled his Thunder Attribute through it, the faint, phantom image of a dragon formed from lightning appeared around the spear. Though the image wasn’t solid, it exerted immense pressure on Mu Chen. This was no ordinary attack.

Just as expected, once the draconic lightning phantom took shape, the Thunder Dragon Spear let out a sudden hum. In that instant, the lightning flared, giving birth to a sharp aura that felt as if it could pierce through anything. Combined with He Long’s own frenzied momentum, any normal person witnessing this would have immediately thought of retreating. But unfortunately for He Long, his opponent was no normal person. He was Mu Chen.

"Little Spirit, defensive formation."

A purple glint flashed through Mu Chen’s eyes. He had already seen through He Long’s Combat Skill and, in that same instant, determined the correct response: a direct, frontal defense. Anyone else would have thought to either flee or dodge. But how could they have known? This Thunder Element Combat Skill, Lightning Piercing, was a tracking technique that locked directly onto an enemy’s aura. Once launched, no matter where you tried to dodge, the attack would materialize and pierce you from within. The only way to counter it was to remain steadfast and meet its every change with a single, unyielding defense. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The Shattered Star Lock Chain instantly responded to Mu Chen’s command. Its long, slender body retracted, wrapping itself tightly around him. But that wasn’t all. At Mu Chen’s command, the Water Attribute Elemental Power in the arena suddenly surged. Bing Lingling. A thick Profound Ice Wall materialized around Mu Chen, encasing both him and the Shattered Star Lock Chain in ice. Only the chain’s Spiral Blades were left floating outside. This was to allow Mu Chen to observe his surroundings; his consciousness was linked to the Shattered Star Lock Chain, meaning anything it saw was transmitted directly into his mind.

He Long was absolutely stunned by Mu Chen’s reaction. He could have understood if an opponent who knew him well or had fought him before reacted this way upon seeing him use Lightning Piercing. But this was his first time meeting Mu Chen. Furthermore, Lightning Piercing was one of his family’s most secret Combat Skills. There was no way Mu Chen could have ever seen it. So how could he have mounted such a perfect, instinctive defense?

’Can he really see through the weaknesses and flaws of my Combat Skills?’

Once the thought took root, it was like a seed that he couldn’t shake loose. He Long didn’t intend to stop casting Lightning Piercing, however. The Combat Skill was the type to cause a backlash; if he were to cancel it now, he would suffer significant damage. So, He Long continued to gather the power of thunder, refusing to believe that his Spiritual Treasure Soldier, combined with a destructive Thunder Attribute Attack, couldn’t shatter a simple wall of Profound Ice!

A moment later, when the lightning on his spear became blindingly intense, He Long finally moved. He was so fast that he was even quicker than Mu Chen had been when using the Taotie Secret Technique!

"Lightning Piercing!"

Roaring the name of the Combat Skill one more time, He Long thrust the Thunder Dragon Spear, wreathed in Thunder Light, directly at Mu Chen’s outer Profound Ice Wall. BANG! The outcome was predictable. How could a mere Profound Ice Wall withstand the Thunder Power channeled through a Spiritual Treasure Soldier? It shattered upon contact, turning into countless ice fragments that dissolved into a faint, dissipating mist.

But Mu Chen’s defense consisted of more than just the Profound Ice Wall. The wall was only meant to weaken the blow; his true defense was the Shattered Star Lock Chain. After being with him for so long, he knew its Defense Power was second to none. At times, not even his Profound Jade Fan could match its defensive capabilities.

DING! With a crisp ring, the Thunder Dragon Spear finally made contact with the Shattered Star Lock Chain. Under the immense Explosive Power of the spear, the chain dented deeply. Protected within, Mu Chen was surprised by this. But just then, one of the two golden rings below the Spiral Blade suddenly flashed. The silver body of the Shattered Star Lock Chain seemed to become plated in a golden light, and the dented section instantly snapped back, repelling the Thunder Dragon Spear.

He Long staggered, and the lightning concentrated on his Thunder Dragon Spear instantly dissipated. The Lightning Piercing technique had been broken. He stared in disbelief at the Shattered Star Lock Chain, which had turned from silver to gold, his face a mask of confusion. It wasn’t just him; even Mu Chen himself didn’t understand why his weapon had suddenly changed like that.

It wasn’t until a sweet and cheerful girlish voice—that of Yanran—sounded in Mu Chen’s mind that he finally understood what had just happened.

"Master, don’t be surprised. I just used a Special Battle Skill I gained from my First Transition. It’s called Immovable Golden Body. It triples the defense of the chain body, so naturally, his Lightning Piercing couldn’t break through."

Mu Chen was taken aback. "Then the skill you gained from your Second Transition must be even more powerful, right?" he asked instinctively.

The Shattered Star Lock Chain giggled. "Powerful? You’ll know soon enough, Master."

Dark lines formed on Mu Chen’s forehead. ’Now that it can talk, the Shattered Star Lock Chain has become far too human,’ he thought. ’It even knows how to be mysterious.’ But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Humiliated and enraged, He Long was already charging at him again.

"Just die!"

With his proudest Combat Skill so easily defeated, He Long’s reason gave way to fury. He swung his Thunder Dragon Spear and launched a frenzied assault on Mu Chen. The arena erupted with flashes of silver thunder and shards of ice-blue Profound Ice. The constant shockwaves of Primordial Power from their exchange filled the air, leaving the crowd of students staring, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, at the two flickering figures on the stage.

Lingyun’s mouth hung open, her gaze flickering as she watched the sky. "Is this really a fight between a Martial Spirit and a Martial King?" she murmured.

Di Cang sighed. "It is, and it isn’t."

As an elder and a Martial Venerable, Di Cang had to admit that in all his years, this was the most spectacular battle he had ever witnessed. Its intensity even surpassed some fights he had seen between Martial Emperor Level experts, which was why his answer was so ambiguous.

If it were anyone else, would you even call it a battle between a Martial Spirit and a Martial King? A single First-Ring Martial King could instantly crush three Nine-Ring Peak Martial Spirits, never mind actually fighting them. The only reason this battle was so exhilarating was Mu Chen. Without his uncanny ability to perform Tier Jumping, a fight this incredible would be impossible.

Qin Yuan also stared blankly at the sky. It was only now that she truly understood how Mu Chen, as an Eighth-Ring Martial Master, had managed to continuously jump tiers and break the long-held records in the Tower of Calamity. His combat prowess was simply terrifying—so much so that it defied all comprehension. As someone who had experienced the path of cultivation, she knew full well the enormous gulf between a Five-Ring Martial Spirit and a Third-Ring Martial King. And that wasn’t even the whole story. His opponent was a Third-Ring Martial King of the Thunder Attribute, wielding a Spiritual Treasure Soldier. With that kind of power, he could likely defeat a Fourth-Ring Martial King.

By that logic, Mu Chen’s true combat strength was nearly on par with, or even surpassed, that of a Fourth-Ring Martial King. At this thought, Qin Yuan looked up at the white figure in the sky and gave a bitter smile. ’It seems Qin Chuan didn’t lose unfairly in the slightest. The "advantage" he had at the start was just Mu Chen playing around.’