Chapter 194 - 192: Three Souls—Unsealed

Chapter 194: Chapter 192: Three Souls—Unsealed

BOOM—!

The instant Fu Juemin’s palms met the giant claw, the bones in his arms let out a grating, cracking sound, unable to bear the strain.

The solid stone ground beneath his feet caved in, and countless spiderweb-like cracks spread frantically outward from the point of impact.

A terrifying shockwave kicked up a cloud of dust, forming a murky wave of earth that expanded in all directions.

Luo Zhengxiong’s enormous, bloated body leaned forward slightly, putting nearly his entire weight behind the strike.

He narrowed his eyes, staring at the point of impact. As the dust gradually settled and he saw the scene below, Luo Zhengxiong let out a soft "Hmph," a trace of surprise flashing in his golden, vertical pupils.

"HUFF—WHEEZE—HUFF—WHEEZE—"

Heavy, bestial panting echoed from the bottom of the crater, each scorching exhalation blowing away the surrounding rubble.

In the center of the giant crater created by the collision, a figure was half-buried in earth and stone, yet he maintained a posture of holding his hands up, having forcefully stopped the giant claw that was pressing down on him.

The figure’s upper body was covered in bulging muscles, tense like the gnarled roots of an old tree. Across his chest and arms, bright orange-red light patterns emerged from beneath his skin, resembling ancient totems being set ablaze, flickering with each breath.

The figure panted, his powerful body emitting the sound of massive mechanisms tightening layer by layer. Bit by bit, he forcefully pushed the giant palm off his head.

"You can actually withstand my True Dragon Strike?"

Luo Zhengxiong felt the force surging up from beneath his palm. He spoke slowly, his voice a hoarse sound like grinding metal. "I’m finding myself more and more interested in you."

Before his words had even faded, the figure holding him up abruptly looked up—

Two brilliant points of light, like demon stars, suddenly flared within the dust!

BOOM!

The next second, the crater exploded!

Amidst a spray of earth and rock, a black shadow shot out like a thunderbolt. A low roar, like that of a tiger, echoed through the spacious underground passage as a black hurricane swept past!

RIIIIP—

Luo Zhengxiong leaned back slightly as his black and gold, dragon-patterned commander’s uniform burst apart. Several chi-gold clasps flew off, revealing the coarse, dark green, and densely scaled skin beneath.

Fu Juemin landed several dozen feet away, his gaze fixed solemnly on the spot where he had just struck Luo Zhengxiong.

He had just used the Void Split Claw Skill from the Tiger Form of his Five Beasts Qigong. With the advantage of his Snake Scale Gloves and the immense strength of his Demon Body, he could have shattered a body of pure cast steel.

Yet, when it landed on Luo Zhengxiong, it had only torn his clothes... It hadn’t even broken the skin.

’This guy has been working with Westerners for so many years, secretly capturing who knows how many living people for experiments. To think he used all the results of his research on himself...’

In Fu Juemin’s eyes, the Luo Zhengxiong before him was a chaotic, evil amalgamation—a twisted product of Demon Fiends, ambition, and debased technology.

WHOOSH—

While he was lost in thought, a thick shadow, accompanied by a piercing whistle, came hurtling toward him at an unbelievable speed.

Fu Juemin had no time to dodge; he could only raise his arm to block.

BANG!

A terrifying force, like a mountain flood, crashed down. He was sent flying, slammed deep into the adjacent wall, and brought down a shower of large rock fragments.

"Cough—"

Fu Juemin pushed away the rubble, struggled out of the crater in the wall, and spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm onto the ground. Before he could even steady himself, the whistling sound returned!

He tapped his toes, his body soaring upward like a great bird. A ferocious arm, as thick as a water vat, grazed his afterimage and sank deep into the wall behind him.

Fu Juemin stomped hard on Luo Zhengxiong’s arm, using the momentum to launch a counterattack—

BOOM!—

BOOM! BOOM!

BANG!

Inside the passage, thunderous explosions rang out continuously. A fierce battle had erupted!

But after only a few breaths’ time, Fu Juemin’s figure was sent flying once again.

THUD—SZZZZ—

Fu Juemin’s feet were slightly apart. With his arms crossed and body slightly bowed, he was pushed back from the center of the battle all the way into the metal passage before finally coming to a stop.

His feet had carved two long, twisted grooves into the metal plating of the floor. He released his Fundamental Seal, slowly lowered his trembling arms, and lifted his head to stare intently at the nearby Luo Zhengxiong, gasping for breath.

Ever since he had comprehended the Demon Body, apart from Li Tong in his complete form, this was the first time he had faced an opponent who could completely overpower him in terms of strength.

God knows how many Demon Fiend traits Luo Zhengxiong had grafted onto and fused with his body. His physique, strength, and even speed all surpassed Fu Juemin’s.

After several direct clashes, Fu Juemin’s [Copper Hide] was on the verge of shattering. The bronze, tattoo-like totem patterns on his body showed faint signs of cracking.

The gap was too vast. The fight between him and Luo Zhengxiong was like a child brawling with an adult.

His opponent’s only weakness was probably his overly bloated and clumsy physique. If they were in an open area, he might have been able to think of another way, but in the confines of this tunnel, Luo Zhengxiong alone practically blocked all room to maneuver. A simple extension of his arm could reach him... He had almost no space to move or circle around.

"Deputy He is dead. If you are willing to take his place, I might consider sparing you... of course."

Luo Zhengxiong walked toward Fu Juemin step by step on two thick, elephant-like legs. A greedy and bewitching voice emerged from beneath his black iron mask. "You will have to obediently hand over your technique for perfectly fusing with Spiritual Limbs."

Fu Juemin watched him, a wildfire of frustration, helplessness, humiliation, and resentment igniting within him, burning so hot it felt like it was scorching his very flesh and bone.

Suddenly, he became calm.

"You know something?"

Fu Juemin spoke slowly, his voice devoid of emotion. "Growing up... not even my own parents ever hit me this hard."

The slowly advancing Luo Zhengxiong’s eyes widened slightly, as if he had never expected such a response.

But Fu Juemin had already spread his arms and whispered, "Three Souls—Unleashed!"

BOOM!

It was as if invisible shackles had shattered in response!

An aura far more tyrannical and violent than before erupted from within Fu Juemin, and a thick, dark cloud of energy rapidly expanded outward.

The dense, orange-red light patterns bulged and brightened from beneath his skin. Thick muscles, like coiling pythons, proliferated wildly under the light patterns, and his bones began to pop and crack, inch by inch—

Fu Juemin began to grow taller, to expand.

His originally slender and well-proportioned figure rapidly mutated in a grotesque direction. In just a few seconds, he had swollen to a height matching Luo Zhengxiong’s.

No, he was even more bloated, more deformed!

At this moment, he was like a colossal statue of flesh and blood built entirely from muscle and bone, radiating a tangible aura of chaos, evil, and violence.

"Haaa—"

Fu Juemin let out a long breath. Only two points of scarlet light remained where his eyes were, fixed on Luo Zhengxiong. He uttered a single word in a low voice: "Again."

"Spiritual Limbs... Frenzy?!"

Luo Zhengxiong stared at Fu Juemin’s transformation, stunned for a moment before bursting into contemptuous laughter from behind his mask. "A mere imitation in form—"

Before he could finish, an inhuman giant fist—wrapped in layers of bone, gnarled muscle, and glowing Copper Hide—smashed viciously into his face!

BOOM!

The black iron mask instantly twisted, deformed, and then burst apart!

Without the mask to conceal it, the lower half of Luo Zhengxiong’s face was completely exposed—revealing a gaping maw that stretched nearly to his ears, filled with countless sharp teeth.

He staggered back two steps, his thick elephant legs stomping several deep pits into the ground. He shook his head, then casually grinned a hideous smile.

WHOOSH—

A ferocious arm, covered in blue-black scales and looking as if cast from dark green pure steel, suddenly returned the punch, smashing into Fu Juemin’s chest and blasting away a chunk of muscle and flesh!

BANG—

The two massive bodies slammed into each other. There was no more technique, only a contest of pure brute force, like two monsters engaged in the most primitive and savage of brawls within the cramped, narrow passage.

The dull thuds of flesh-on-flesh impacts continuously boomed through the passage, shaking the walls and causing the lights to flicker.

"Good! A good fight!"

Luo Zhengxiong laughed maniacally, his voice mixed with bestial roars. "It’s been too long since I achieved my True Dragon Body! Too long since anyone could be a worthy opponent! Haha..."

However, the battle lasted for less than ten breaths before it was over.

With an earth-shattering explosion, a "Meat Mountain" suddenly burst apart!

Amidst the flying chunks of flesh and blood, a savage-looking Luo Zhengxiong slowly emerged. His commander’s uniform had long been reduced to tattered rags, which he casually tore off and discarded.

His deformed yet powerful body was completely exposed under the dim lights, appearing like a true Great Demon manifesting in the world.

A broken figure lay somewhere dozens of feet away from him, and the surrounding Demon Fiend test subjects slowly began to close in.

"So what if you let your Spiritual Limbs Frenzy? Before my True Dragon Body, you’re still too weak!

Too weak!

So weak... you’re like an insect!"

A somewhat unsated smile played on Luo Zhengxiong’s inhuman face as his long, scarlet tongue licked his lips.

He casually pushed aside the test subjects blocking his path and walked forward, step by step.

Fu Juemin lay flat on the ground, waves of tearing pain wracking his entire body. He gazed up at the tunnel’s ceiling, his expression strangely calm.

’Three Souls in One Body is the most perfect state of the [Demon Body]. It requires me to use my will and skill to control and harmonize the power of my three great Talents to achieve a relatively stable balance.’

’But if I give up this balance and completely release the restraints on the power of the three Talents, then...’

’My strength will receive another significant boost.’

’Of course...’

’This period of boosted strength, exchanged for a loss of control, is extremely short. My body will soon be unable to withstand the Frenzy of the three Talents and will "collapse." ’

’"Three Souls—Unleashed" was a concept that had existed in Fu Juemin’s mind ever since he developed his [Demon Body]. Today, he had finally put that concept to the test.’

A shadow gradually fell over him. The hoarse growls of the test subjects and the heavy footsteps of Luo Zhengxiong grew closer and closer.

’Should I run?’

Fu Juemin’s eyes flickered as he asked himself.

’I still have a bit of Innate Primordial Qi left, enough to activate [Shadow Control] and leave, but... after fighting this hard, to just run away like this...’ Fu Juemin felt a sense of unwillingness.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind like a bolt of lightning.

’Maybe... I can try one more time!’

Once the idea took root, it spread like wildfire, impossible to suppress, burning hotter and hotter.

Fu Juemin’s eyes suddenly brightened. His body, which had been lying flat, shot up without warning. Without even lifting his head, he swung a reverse Hand Blade chop!

The terrifying power of his residual Demon Body sliced through the air like a giant guillotine, cleanly dicing a nearby test subject into two bloody halves as if chopping vegetables.

An invisible power surged into him. On his character panel, the last bit of Golden Energy in the Skill Energy Slot was replenished.

A new golden "+" lit up in his Cultivation Technique column.

Fu Juemin’s expression was calm. Without a moment’s hesitation, he tapped it—

Dragon Elephant Wisdom... Great Success!