Chapter 518: Green Ape
Yuan Ling who pulled out the pitch-black spear, quickly thrust it into the snow and said with a smile, “From what I saw, your physique seems decent. How about we have a comparison first?”
Chen Chao shook his head. “Why go through all that trouble?”
But Yuan Ling disregarded him and said, “No matter what you think, I'll fight you barehanded within an hour.”
Chen Chao sighed and muttered, “So arrogant, you're not going to survive this.”
Despite his words, Chen Chao quickly unsheathed his saber, also placing it in the snow, then twisted his neck, making a series of cracking sounds.
Yuan Ling sneered disdainfully, and took a heavy step forward, sending countless gusts of wind and snow flying, his demonic qi surging. He then stomped towards Chen Chao with large strides. In terms of physique, demons had a natural confidence that was unmatched by anyone.
Chen Chao originally did not want to compete on this front, but being looked down upon by a demon did not sit well with him. Since that's the case, let's see whether the physique that you demons are proud of is more impressive or if my physical prowess can outmatch you!
The two charged forward and finally collided. At the same time, a tremendous sound erupted between heaven and earth, like thunder rolling through the clouds. The snow accumulated around them was all lifted into the air, swirling towards the sky. In the midst of the heavy snowfall, the wind and snow rose from the ground, filling the entire scene with white.
Yuan Ling struck first, aiming a punch at Chen Chao's head. This young demon, Yuan Ling, was someone Chen Chao was familiar with from the booklet given by the Lord Warden Commander. According to the records, Yuan Ling had previously fought against the frontier troops. His true form was that of a gigantic green ape, with a physique far superior to ordinary demons and immense strength. He had once encountered a thousand-man cavalry in the desolate northern plains, slaughtering most of them before eventually being severely injured and fleeing. No one could hold him back.
That battle had made Yuan Ling famous among the frontier troops. However, back then, Yuan Ling was only at the Bitter Sea Realm. Now that he had advanced to the Great Beyond Realm, he became much harder to deal with after his cultivation realm had skyrocketed.
Originally, this sort of young talent should have focused on cultivation, but he preferred to roam the desolate northern plains, targeting small groups of frontier troops for brutal ambushes. His methods were merciless, and those targeted by him rarely ended up with intact corpses.
The General's Office had tried to besiege him several times, and in the most recent attempt, they sent several Great Beyond Realm experts to ambush him. Yet, after slaying two of them, Yuan Ling had escaped back into the desolate north.
There were naturally many young demons with higher cultivation realms and greater combat power than him, but Yuan Ling was arguably the most troublesome.
Chen Chao bent his elbow to block Yuan Ling's powerful punch while simultaneously sweeping his leg sideways towards Yuan Ling's waist. Yuan Ling sneered, his fist coming down with even greater force, clearly intending to break Chen Chao's leg with a single blow.
The overwhelming demonic qi accompanied the descending punch. If it struck Chen Chao's leg, it might indeed cripple him and significantly reduce his combat ability. However, Chen Chao quickly lifted the leg supporting him off the ground and delivered a heavy kick towards Yuan Ling's descending fist.
With a loud bang, the clash of qi and demonic qi resulted in neither of them willing to retreat, leaving only a contest of cultivation realms.
Yuan Ling's punch was firmly blocked, but he was not angered. Instead, he grabbed Chen Chao's ankles and pulled them apart with force, revealing a cruel smile as if he could already see Chen Chao being torn in two.
But after exerting his strength, Yuan Ling felt a momentary daze. Despite his full effort, Chen Chao's legs did not separate by much.
He could not accept this reality. His arms bulged with veins as he exerted himself again, letting out a muffled groan. However, Chen Chao managed to break free and kicked him squarely in the chest.
At the same time, the quick-reacting Yuan Ling slammed his arm horizontally against Chen Chao's chest.
Yuan Ling slid back several yards, while Chen Chao floated like a kite with a broken string, drifting through the air before finally regaining his footing not far away. He brushed the snow and wind from his chest and asked, “Is this all you've got, and yet you're so arrogant?”
Yuan Ling raised his head, not showing any panic at Chen Chao's unexpectedly strong physique. Instead, his eyes ignited with endless fighting intent.
This time, Yuan Ling charged forward with great speed, stirring up the wind and snow. His demonic qi surged, altering the trajectory of the wind and snow around him, making it seem to Chen Chao like a thousand-foot-long snow dragon had suddenly appeared in the sky, brandishing its claws and teeth as it pounced toward him.
When the two collided again, after the snow dragon shattered, Chen Chao struck the dragon's head with a punch, instantly crushing the dragon's horn. Then, the entire dragon's head was shattered into pieces.
But before he could completely destroy the snow dragon, Yuan Ling charged straight through the dragon's tail, using his unparalleled physique to slam into Chen Chao.
Chen Chao extended a hand to press against Yuan Ling's forehead amidst the snowstorm, while Yuan Ling delivered a heavy punch to his chest.
Chen Chao let out a muffled groan, but his stance remained firm. After forcefully withstanding the punch, he threw a punch at the same time towards Yuan Ling's head.
Another thunderous crash echoed as if the heavens themselves were beating drums.
But this was not over, it was just the beginning.
Soon, amidst the swirling wind and snow, the sounds of their clashes continued. The two exchanged hundreds of punches in a matter of seconds. Chen Chao's punches mostly targeted Yuan Ling's head, while Yuan Ling's punches aimed at Chen Chao's chest.
Both were vital areas, but despite being struck hundreds of times, neither suffered severe injuries or death.
However, at this moment, blood was already flowing from Yuan Ling's forehead, and Chen Chao's white robe had been shredded by the continuous blows.
After suffering hundreds of impacts to his chest, Chen Chao's flesh was already mangled.
It seemed that both of them had decided to continue without stopping, to see who would collapse first in this purely physical confrontation.
Amidst the wind and snow, the atmosphere was filled with a murderous intent.
After several hundred more clashes, Yuan Ling's spirit began to waver. But when he looked closely, he saw that the young martial artist across from him still appeared calm and composed. This made him feel incredulous. As a demon, he had a natural advantage in physical strength, yet he was on the verge of collapse, while his opponent seemed utterly unfazed.
Another 15 minutes passed, and the hour he had mentioned had long since elapsed. But he still had not managed to defeat Chen Chao in terms of physical strength.
This conclusion made him extremely frustrated.
Finally, before Chen Chao could throw another punch, Yuan Ling finally raised his elbow to block the strike aimed at his head.
Chen Chao pressed down with his punch, looking at the demon genius who had finally shown signs of weakness, and asked, “Is this all you've got?”
Yuan Ling who was already furious felt deeply humiliated upon hearing these words. With a roar, he forced Chen Chao's arms apart and aimed to punch Chen Chao's chest again.
However, though this punch came straight at him, Chen Chao quickly used his palm to press against Yuan Ling's wrist, skillfully deflecting the blow. Following that, Yuan Ling was solidly hit by another punch.
The punch left Yuan Ling dazed, but he could not escape the battlefield. Instead, Chen Chao grabbed his arm once more and smashed a punch straight towards his glabella.
“Don't want to fight anymore? But can you make that decision?”
Chen Chao was expressionless. At the same time, he exhaled a breath of white mist, his punches fell like rain, each one targeting Yuan Ling’s forehead.
In no time, Yuan Ling's forehead was already drenched in blood.
Yuan Ling let out an angry roar, his demonic qi surging as he broke free from Chen Chao's grip. His figure slid towards the long spear, but before he could reach it, Chen Chao who was relentless in his pursuit sent him flying with another direct collision.
Chen Chao continued to advance with a cold smile: weren't you the one who wanted to compare physiques, but now you want to quit when you can't win? In this world, things aren't that easy. Whether you get to hold the spear or not, it's not up to you to decide, it's up to Your Father!
Since falling at a disadvantage, Yuan Ling had been increasingly irritable. Originally, he saw the opponent as a slightly larger mouse. Even if it was muscular, he would eventually be toyed with and killed by himself, the cat. That was why he had not intervened earlier but waited until everything was over to appear.
But now, the situation had reversed, and it seemed like he had become the mouse.
Unable to shake off Chen Chao's relentless assault, Yuan Ling finally could not hold back. With a roar, a terrifying aura erupted from him. His dark green robe ripped apart, revealing arms that were growing green fur, and his once majestic face twisted into a ferocious snarl.
As Yuan Ling's body suddenly expanded, he quickly grew to over ten feet tall. At the same time, revealing his true form, Yuan Ling threw a punch. Unable to dodge in time, Chen Chao was hit and sent flying, crashing down into the snow and wind.
At this moment, Yuan Ling’s clothes had torn to shreds, and he had transformed into a towering giant ape with a height of over ten feet!
He then pulled out the black spear from the snow and threw it towards Chen Chao.
The spear flew swiftly, like a shooting star, leaving an eye-piercing white streak in the snow and wind.
However, with a clear sound, the spear was deflected back. Yuan Ling caught it again, looking towards the distance.
In the midst of the snow and wind, Chen Chao slowly got up, holding Cloud Mud in his hand. Wiping the blood from his mouth, he sneered, "So it turns out to be a green-furred beast."