Chapter 256: Fighting Alone Against Wang Yin

In the temporary operating room, a bearded doctor, along with several other medical professionals, was simultaneously treating Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen. During this time, they were transplanting the Flood Dragon Marrow from Bai Zhenzhen to Zhang Yu, and then restoring Bai Zhenzhen's original spine.

Zhang Yu, despite having taken a large dose of painkillers, remained mentally clear. He felt the various surgical tools moving across his body while listening to the telepathic instructions from True Lord Spark, who stood before him. According to True Lord Spark, time was short. Zhang Yu had to seize the opportunity to learn during the next hour and a half, even while the surgery was underway.

True Lord Spark's telepathic voice said, "With the Flood Dragon Marrow, your physical strength will increase by 1.0 level, which should narrow the gap between you and Wang Yin in terms of raw physical power. Additionally, the Dragon's Might technique within the Marrow can suppress cultivation methods, preventing him from unleashing the most powerful forms of the World-Toppling Tyrant Fist: Sky-Devouring and Spirit Surge.

"However, these alone won't be enough for you to win. That skin-armor on him was flayed from a cultivator with level 20 physical strength, then crafted through eighty-one processes. Combined with the Shadowy Blood Veil, which contains tens of thousands of living souls, it's incredibly difficult for you to harm him. And even if you manage to inflict a minor injury, the spiritual root within him will allow him to recover quickly. That spiritual root is called the Sun-Moon Spiritual Root, a Celestial Spiritual Root unobtainable in the first layer. Although he crippled his own cultivation and severed the fusion between his spiritual root and physical body, it wouldn't be difficult for a wealthy person like him to acquire another Celestial Spiritual Root. This spiritual root can convert spiritual energy into vital energy to heal injuries, and also convert vital energy back into spiritual energy to restore it. As long as his spiritual energy recovers, his injuries will heal. Even if you can break through the Shadowy Blood Veil and his skin, any injuries inflicted would be minor, and he would recover instantly."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu's brows furrowed deeper. He had thought the opponent's skin-armor was a significant obstacle, but he hadn't expected the Sun-Moon Spiritual Root to be another hurdle, even if he could penetrate the skin. Zhang Yu asked, "Does that mean I can't win against him?"

True Lord Spark smiled faintly and telepathically replied, "Of course, there's a way." With that, he extended a hand and pressed a finger against Zhang Yu's glabella. The next moment, Zhang Yu felt a shooting star impact his sea of consciousness. After swirling for a bit, it finally came to a stop. Zhang Yu looked closely and found it was a golden brick. He asked, puzzled, "What is this?"

True Lord Spark explained, "This is the magical artifact Deng Bingding mentioned he would lend you. This artifact is called the Soul-Shattering Brick, and it specializes in attacking the soul. As long as you can use this artifact to harm Wang Yin and break his soul, you will immediately win this battle, and he will have to return to the upper layers to heal his soul. However, if you use the Soul-Shattering Brick directly, it will surely be blocked by his Shadowy Blood Veil and the skin, making him wary and making it much harder to succeed again. Therefore, you must first break through the Shadowy Blood Veil and his skin, then use the Soul-Shattering Brick by surprise to win."

Listening to True Lord Spark, Zhang Yu felt like he had gone in a circle, only to end up back where he started. Didn't he still have to break through the opponent's dual layers of defense? As if knowing Zhang Yu's thoughts, True Lord Spark continued telepathically, "Actually, the method is already in your hands. The Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force you've cultivated is a former military-grade cultivation method. It can accumulate various forces and spiritual energies into your True Qi, multiplying the power of any martial art you wield. However, before, you were just unleashing brute force and hadn't truly grasped the profound mysteries of this technique. Since your attacks can strike multiple times and stack multiple layers of power, why limit yourself to just one type? You must understand that the superposition and interaction of different forces can yield far more powerful and profound effects than simply using one type of force. It's like asking whether someone is more formidable only using straight punches, or by skillfully combining punches, palm strikes, and grappling?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu's mind seemed to explode, and various brilliant ideas immediately flooded his thoughts. Seeing the change in his expression, True Lord Spark smiled faintly and said, "I already know the weaknesses of the Shadowy Blood Veil and the skin-armor. Next, I will teach you..." By the time the surgery was complete, Zhang Yu already knew how to fight Wang Yin.

True Lord Spark telepathically instructed from the side, "I've already told you the fighting strategy. For the remaining time, focus on cultivating the Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force. Improve it as much as you can; every bit of progress will increase your chances of winning. At the same time, use this opportunity to adapt to the Flood Dragon Marrow."

Zhang Yu glanced at the still-unconscious Bai Zhenzhen, took a deep breath, and prepared to begin cultivating the Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force. Before starting, he remembered something. Zhang Yu looked at the doctor and said, "Give me medicine." The doctor asked, puzzled, "What medicine?" Zhang Yu replied, "Any medicine will do. The stronger the medicinal properties, the better."

After consuming a pile of elixirs provided by the doctors, Zhang Yu felt his body surging with spiritual energy and vital energy. Only then did he begin cultivating the Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force. This cultivation method only consisted of three moves, and Zhang Yu could practice it once every ten seconds or so. Especially after realizing the urgency of the situation, he paid no attention to precise energy circulation or standard postures. He simply focused on speed, determined to practice as many times as possible before the battle began.

During this practice, Zhang Yu felt the Flood Dragon Marrow mobilizing the major tendons throughout his body, augmenting his strength and directly raising his physical intensity by one level. Now, every punch and kick unleashed power far exceeding his past capabilities, as he gradually adapted to this new physical structure. At the same time, this physical structure constantly drained spiritual energy from Zhang Yu's body. If not for the support of his Qi Sea Spiritual Root, he would likely have been depleted of spiritual energy by this structure in less than ten minutes. With this frantic practice, the level of Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force continuously increased. It rose from level 5 to 6, then to 7... 8... With each successive increase, vast amounts of cultivation memories surged into Zhang Yu's mind. Yet, he merely assimilated them silently, continuing his practice in the fastest, most effortless, and most perfunctory manner, completely disregarding the quality of each repetition.

"Time's up." As Wang Yin sent someone to give the reminder, Zhang Yu stopped his movements and asked, "Is there any more medicine?" Several staff members quickly approached and said, "Mr. Zhang! Let us help you equip your protective gear." Zhang Yu's heart stirred when he heard this. He wondered if this was the protective gear purchased with funds allocated by Deng Bingding. Was it meant to increase his chances of winning?

He watched as the staff members stuck small posters onto his body, layer by layer. Zhang Yu's mouth twitched. "These are the protective gear?" he asked. The staff member applying the posters explained, "These are combat posters specifically designed for battles between powerful individuals. To prevent the posters from being damaged or destroyed during combat, the company specially manufactured these fire-resistant, freeze-proof, acid-proof, and puncture-proof combat posters. When worn, they provide even better protection than combat suits."

"Damn it... so posters are tougher than combat suits, huh?" Zhang Yu rolled his eyes inwardly upon hearing this. "Stick a few more layers on my chest," he instructed. "And don't forget the inner thighs." At the same time, several other staff members approached and said, "Mr. Zhang, these are the lines you need to say when you enter the arena." Looking at the medicine and the script they brought, Zhang Yu's gaze flickered. "Is the live broadcast of this battle popular?" he asked. The staff member nodded repeatedly. "Oasis Group has been actively promoting it, and now the live channel has the highest number of viewers! Here's the contract. Please sign it if everything is in order."

Zhang Yu quickly signed, watching sums of money flash before his eyes. In an instant, he had nearly ten million more. He mused inwardly that this money was earned remarkably fast. After completing all battle preparations, Zhang Yu slowly made his way towards the battlefield.

Behind Zhang Yu, a hint of worry flashed in True Lord Spark's eyes. "Why were that kid's movements so full of errors when he was just cultivating? After more than an hour, I couldn't see any improvement? Was he too nervous? Or hadn't he adapted to the Flood Dragon Marrow yet?"

Zhang Yu looked at the level 11 Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force displayed on his Feather Scroll, and a surge of confidence suddenly rose within him. The level 11 Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force not only allowed him to open eleven empty apertures in his True Qi, storing the power for eleven strikes, but also granted him the special effect of level 10. "After reaching level 10, Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force can not only accumulate one's own power, but each empty aperture can also store one strike's worth of power from an opponent." Now, having seized the time to raise Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force to level 11, Zhang Yu suddenly recalled the changes in the 'Sacrificial Ox Mind Art' in his mind. As he walked towards the designated battlefield, he gazed at the remnant ox in his visualization, noticing specks of blood on its white back forming lines of text, seemingly a few verses of an incantation. "What does this mean?"

Just as Zhang Yu repeatedly tried to decipher the meaning of the incantation without success, wails and screams echoed from ahead. Wang Yin, surrounded by thousands of blood shadows, spoke calmly, "With the money I just earned in the past hour and a half, I've bought over a hundred thousand more living souls of mortals. These mortals have no cultivation, are foolish and ignorant. Their souls are the most valuable part of them. Instead of rotting in the first layer, let them shine brilliantly in my hands..."

Zhang Yu, slightly taken aback by these words, looked up and around. Indeed, countless cameras of all sizes were pointed towards the battlefield. He wondered how many places this was being live-streamed to. Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Live streaming to the first layer will enhance his prestige and promote the acquisition and sale of living souls as a fast-moving commodity, which will facilitate his next plan. And live streaming to the second layer and above, that's still to publicize the purchasing power and cost-effectiveness of the lower layers, hoping to encourage more people from above to participate in the transformation of the first layer, right? Or... is it also to promote the effectiveness of me, this 'product'?" At the same time, Zhang Yu noticed that whenever a camera swept past, the expressions of the Oasis Group staff would change. Some quickly dodged to the side, thinking, "Damn it, don't film me. What if I get noticed by the big shots above?" Others moved closer to the camera, anticipating, "It's just selling physical bodies, isn't it? The higher-ups are offering spirit coins. As long as the price is fair, there's definitely profit to be made!"

Meanwhile, Wang Yin continued, "Mortals, whether born or raised, are incredibly simple; they require almost no immortal cultivation resources. Our corporation has decided to promote immortal cultivation farming techniques in the first layer, establishing human farms for large-scale, industrialized cultivation. We will drive down the price of mortals completely!"

Listening to the opponent's incessant promotion, Zhang Yu snorted coldly, took out a bottle of potion, drank it, and then likewise began to speak: "Hundred Spirits Pharmacy, a hundred things work, your exclusive medicine manager..." Meanwhile, Yu Xinghan, watching the live broadcast, cursed, "Are you kidding me? He's been reading for five minutes and hasn't stopped. How much money did that kid make?" Just then, the scene changed, and Yu Xinghan's gaze sharpened. "It's finally starting."

Zhang Yu took step after step, moving faster and faster, gradually transitioning from a quick pace to a full sprint, rapidly closing in on Wang Yin, who was still speaking his lines. "I don't care if you haven't finished talking. I don't have time to wait for you!" The Flood Dragon Marrow in Zhang Yu's spine twisted, like a great dragon stretching its body, causing his physical form to erupt with surging power and increasing his sprint speed by another third. Surging True Qi gushed from his body, leaving a long trail on the battlefield as he sprinted, making Zhang Yu appear like a white giant dragon, opening its maw to fiercely lunge at Wang Yin.

At the same time, Zhang Yu let out a furious roar, and the Dragon's Might technique within the Flood Dragon Marrow abruptly activated, sweeping across an area of a hundred meters. Facing the oncoming Dragon's Might, Wang Yin was well-prepared. He didn't activate his cultivation method at all. Although his mind was shaken and he experienced a moment of rigidity, he didn't suffer the intensified dizziness that would result from a cultivation method being forcibly stopped. While Wang Yin didn't lack physical structures capable of resisting the Dragon's Might, he had crippled his own cultivation. Just bearing the weight of his current skin-armor was his limit; he couldn't burden himself with a second physical structure. Therefore, he chose not to circulate his cultivation method. "Although the Sky-Devouring and Spirit Surge forms, which require a cultivation method, cannot be used, and I can't monopolize spiritual energy," he thought, "The World-Toppling Tyrant Fist doesn't necessarily need to be paired with a cultivation method."

Wang Yin's right arm slightly bent, his hand forming a fist seal, and surging spiritual energy converged towards his right fist. World-Toppling Tyrant Fist — Earth-Shattering Form! With a thunderous roar, accompanied by the outpouring of spiritual energy, Wang Yin's punch caused a spiritual energy explosion. Then, as if a chain reaction had begun, the surrounding spiritual energy exploded in a continuous series, all detonating towards Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu let out a low roar, directly activating the overload of his Martial Dao Sacred Embryo and the 'Zen' character burst of the Spring-Autumn Endless Zen. Combined with the surging medicinal power from the elixirs he had taken earlier, which coursed through his body, and the Flood Dragon Marrow mobilizing his entire body's strength from his spine, Zhang Yu instantly reached an unprecedented peak state. He thrust out both palms, sometimes forming fists, sometimes open palms, blocking, or swirling... Various martial arts techniques, accompanied by the Formless Cloud True Qi, were unleashed at will, parrying Wang Yin's fist attacks one by one. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! Each strike pushed back the surging spiritual energy explosions. Zhang Yu's heart was certain: "As expected, with Wang Yin's cultivation method suppressed, his fist techniques have significantly reduced in power."

Zhang Yu tore through his opponent's fist techniques, charging forward like a wild dragon, reaching the opponent's face. Their gazes met through the Shadowy Blood Veil, and their intense battle intent seemed to collide in the air, creating a silent roar. Nine Heavens Cloud-Empty Force — Eleven Consecutive Strikes! On the other side, Wang Yin scoffed inwardly, "Without a cultivation method, the long-range attacks of the World-Toppling Tyrant Fist diminish too much in power. As expected, it needs to be at close range to achieve maximum power." He formed a fist seal with both hands, and spiritual energy surged throughout his body. World-Toppling Tyrant Fist — Heaven-Toppling Form!