This is what power truly is.

Wang Lun put away the black iron rod, drew out the Silver Wing Divine Armor, letting it hover above his head. He pointed his finger like a sword and tapped the armor, which promptly expanded, enveloping him in its protection.

“I refuse to believe you can withstand my full force!” Li Zhong roared.

The sinister energy on the black token thickened ominously.

“Kill!”

Li Zhong growled, his voice low and furious.

Suddenly, the black token slipped from Li Zhong’s grasp and shot toward Wang Lun.

Wang Lun launched himself forward, colliding fiercely with the token.

The sound of clothing being pierced resounded; his body was penetrated.

In that instant, Wang Lun felt as though his chest had been stabbed through. The pain was excruciating—he nearly collapsed.

The black token spun back to hover above Li Zhong’s head.

A twisted smile spread across Li Zhong’s face, smug and triumphant.

Wang Lun clutched his chest, staggering back seven or eight steps.

Three minute wounds seeped blood from his chest and abdomen, but none threatened his vital organs.

Yet, remarkably, these wounds began to heal swiftly.

Wang Lun focused his cultivation technique, regulating his body. Moments later, he regained his composure, and with a flick of his right hand—

Swish, swish, swish—sixteen steel needles shot toward Li Zhong at lightning speed.

Li Zhong’s expression turned grave; he wielded the token to block the needles.

But this time, the needles did not halt. They pressed onward, forcing Li Zhong to manipulate the token desperately to impede their advance.

Clang, clang, clang.

Sparks flew in every direction.

After tens of seconds, the needles were worn away, and Li Zhong breathed a sigh of relief.

By then, Wang Lun had already closed the distance.

Li Zhong instinctively retreated, his voice trembling with shock: “How is your magic so powerful… How is this possible?”

He could see that Wang Lun’s spiritual power was astonishingly greater than his own. But how could that be? Wang Lun was clearly several minor realms below him.

“That’s my secret, Li Zhong. You are not qualified to know,” Wang Lun replied coldly.

At such a moment, he felt no need to disguise anything, nor did he care to conceal.

Li Zhong, humiliated and enraged, charged forward once more.

“No matter who you are, you can’t stop me from avenging myself!” Li Zhong shouted.

Wang Lun remained silent, swinging the iron rod toward Li Zhong.

“I’m not afraid to admit it, this is my last resort. If this move cannot kill you, I, Li Zhong, will concede defeat!” Li Zhong shouted.

Suddenly, his skin darkened to a deep purple.

His head began to swell. The once one-hundred-and-fifty-pound frame ballooned to over two hundred and thirty pounds! He seemed inflated, his body expanding to two meters tall. Muscles bulged across his form.

Wang Lun’s iron rod struck the giant Li Zhong, but it was like striking stone. Aside from shattering the bones at Li Zhong’s shoulder, the rest of the force dispersed evenly, absorbed by Li Zhong’s muscles.

Li Zhong’s skin grew even darker, his head appearing ever more grotesque.

“What forbidden medicine did this man take to triple his physical strength?” Wang Lun marveled.

Li Zhong’s current state was terrifying; his physical power had increased five or sixfold.

“Hahaha, boy, taste my strength!” Li Zhong laughed madly.

This was his last trump card.

Wang Lun, though only a cultivator at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment, possessed combat power far exceeding others of his level. Knowing Wang Lun had formidable spells and treasures, Li Zhong opted for a brawl, intent on crushing Wang Lun with brute force and claiming his treasures afterward.

Swish! Swish!

Wang Lun and Li Zhong clashed fiercely, locked in close combat. Magic from both sides exploded in bursts, the spectacle immense.

Meanwhile, Bai Zongnan stood aside, waiting for his opportunity.

“Li Zhong’s move is certain to succeed. Wang Lun is being suppressed; I wonder how much longer he’ll last,” Bai Zongnan watched Wang Lun closely.

After employing the black token, Li Zhong’s power soared—enough to obliterate even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, let alone a mere Foundation Establishment novice.

“I must wait until Li Zhong has the advantage, then strike Wang Lun with a fatal blow,” Bai Zongnan schemed.

Wang Lun was an array master; Bai Zongnan suspected he carried many treasures. After killing Wang Lun, his first goal was to seize those treasures, then search Wang Lun’s corpse for anything of value.

But this time, Bai Zongnan was disappointed.

Wang Lun’s attacks were relentless, each strike aimed at vital points. Even when Li Zhong found an opening, Wang Lun could counterattack.

“Is Wang Lun really only at the initial Foundation Establishment stage? Why is he so formidable?” Bai Zongnan wondered anxiously.

Wang Lun was nothing like a typical Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But with the facts before him, Bai Zongnan had no choice but to wait.

Half an hour later, Li Zhong’s spiritual power finally ran dry.

Li Zhong dropped from the air, slamming his palm onto Wang Lun’s back.

Bang.

The forceful blow sent Wang Lun sprawling. Li Zhong rushed forward, raising the black token to finish him off.

Wang Lun had anticipated Li Zhong’s attack, and this time he did not evade.

“Die!” Li Zhong sneered, the token’s power surging—this strike would surely kill Wang Lun!

Yet as the token smashed down onto Wang Lun’s head, his skull suddenly caved inward, and from it, a white frost dragon burst forth, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged for Li Zhong.

Li Zhong panicked.

A dragon—its body covered in scales, coarse and cold, with horns protruding from its head, fierce and menacing.

A beast! Moreover, a rare flying beast.

“What is…” Li Zhong stared, unable to recognize it.

It was a frost dragon, a water-type beast, though Li Zhong did not know this.

But as the frost dragon opened its jaws to swallow him, he felt the threat instantly.

The chill was deadly!

Abandoning his attack on Wang Lun, Li Zhong dodged frantically. Though he escaped the dragon’s bite, its tail caught him, shredding his clothes and cracking the armor on his body.

“Beast!” Li Zhong roared in rage.

“Roar~~~”

The frost dragon let out an angry cry, mouth unleashing a blast of icy energy.

The cold froze the air instantly, forming a ball of ice that crashed toward Li Zhong.

Li Zhong was forced to flee.

Just then, a sword appeared abruptly, slashing toward Li Zhong’s waist.

This was a spell Li Zhong had cast earlier. As the sword light locked onto him, its speed was overwhelming; Li Zhong could only shift sideways, but was still struck.

“Damn vermin, how dare you ruin my plans!” Li Zhong bellowed, freeing a hand to slash behind him, hoping to force Wang Lun back and avoid his spell attacks.

But Wang Lun would not retreat so easily. Dodging nimbly, he simultaneously commanded the Silver Wing Divine Eagle and Golden Roc to attack Li Zhong.