Chapter 111: A Hard-Fought Victory

“Haha! Your idea is far too simplistic,” Zhang Xing sneered at Liu Feng. Suddenly, amidst a flash of golden light, he heard boisterous laughter. Then, the golden aura around his opponent faded, revealing Liu Feng unharmed.

“How is this possible? I distinctly felt my palm strike your body, yet you show no sign of injury,” Zhang Xing said, astonished as he stared at Liu Feng.

Liu Feng said nothing. Clenching his right hand into a fist, a dazzling golden light burst forth, radiant as a miniature sun. His body surged forward swiftly, his golden fist hurtling like a meteor, aimed at the momentarily stunned Zhang Xing.

Zhang Xing hesitated briefly before regaining composure. He knew this was a contest and any distraction could be fatal. As the fist came crashing down, he slammed both palms forward, summoning two colossal glowing hands that slammed into Liu Feng’s fist with a roaring gust.

“Bang! Bang!”

Two thunderous clashes resounded as Liu Feng’s golden fist shattered both glowing palms. Undeterred, his fist struck Zhang Xing’s palms directly.

“Crack!” The collision rang sharply. Zhang Xing grunted and was propelled backward, retreating swiftly.

Liu Feng showed no mercy. Seeing Zhang Xing's fall back, he sprinted forward and quickly closed the distance. Without hesitation, he unleashed another devastating punch, his golden fist imbued with wild, untamed power, aimed squarely at Zhang Xing’s chest.

“Damn it!” Zhang Xing growled in frustration. He was being forced back repeatedly—an unfamiliar and infuriating position, since he had always been the one to corner his opponents without mercy.

Suddenly, Liu Feng’s fist struck Zhang Xing’s chest with a resonant clang, sending him soaring through the air before crashing down some distance away.

Yet Liu Feng furrowed his brow. He sensed his punch had collided against a shield—it had failed to pierce through Zhang Xing’s body.

“How can this be? This Liu Feng boy isn’t even well-known. How could he have done so much damage to Zhang Xing?” murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“Exactly. Zhang Xing is a favorite in this tournament. To meet such a fierce opponent in the first match is surprising,” others whispered.

Some spectators who supported Zhang Xing watched in disbelief as he was battered so severely by Liu Feng.

“Damn you, Liu Feng! You’ve truly enraged me now!” Zhang Xing roared in fury, hearing the murmurs from the stands. Suddenly, he flipped his palm to reveal a long, azure whip.

“I’ll end this battle with my Shattered Star Whip,” Zhang Xing declared, gripping the weapon firmly.

He swung the whip with both hands, summoning a vivid azure spectral image of the whip—a massive beam-like form—whistling fiercely as it struck downward toward Liu Feng’s head.

Liu Feng remained calm, his expression unchanged. He swiftly swung his right fist, a golden meteor crashing down with thunderous force, intercepting the whip’s strike.

“Bang!”

His golden fist shattered the whip’s spectral image, then struck the whip’s body itself.

The clash rang out with a metallic clang, the violent shockwave erupting like a volcanic explosion, sending ripples through the arena and gouging a massive crater in the stone floor.

Zhang Xing staggered from the impact, retreating three steps in quick succession.

“Your whip is tougher than I expected. My fist didn’t break it,” Liu Feng remarked with a slight shake of his head, clearly unsatisfied with the result.

“This weapon was forged by a Realm One cultivator. How could you possibly destroy it?” Zhang Xing snapped bitterly.

“Is that so? I’m not convinced,” Liu Feng said coolly as his golden fist surged forward again. A destructive aura burst forth, embodying shattering and crushing power, rapidly hammering toward Zhang Xing’s body.

“You’re courting death. No one to blame but yourself. Explosive Strike!” Zhang Xing roared, channeling all his energy into his whip.

“Buzz buzz buzz!” The whip trembled violently as a raging power surged forth like relentless tidal waves, slamming furiously toward Liu Feng.

“Clang clang clang!”

The golden fist and the whip clashed repeatedly, ringing out fierce metallic sounds. The residual energy rippled outward like a hurricane, smashing the arena floor in multiple places, leaving a series of pits of varying sizes.

“Who exactly is this Liu Feng? His fists can go toe-to-toe with a weapon forged by a Realm One cultivator,” murmured the crowd.

“It’s unbelievable that a mere mortal’s flesh and blood can withstand direct clashes against such resilient metal,” others exclaimed, mouths agape in astonishment.

“They’re really tough to deal with,” a competitor nearby remarked. “If I encounter Liu Feng, I’ll have to rely on ranged attacks. A head-on fight would be unwise. Zhang Xing’s going to lose.”

“Explosive Rupture Strike!” Zhang Xing bellowed, frustration mounting after dozens of unsuccessful attempts to subdue his opponent. He gathered his fierce energy into the whip, which began to vibrate violently. A tidal wave of force surged outwards, warping the air as he swung the whip fiercely at Liu Feng.

“Annihilation!” Liu Feng shouted back, his golden fist streaking like a shooting star, charged with thunderous might, enveloping Zhang Xing from all sides.

“Clang clang clang!”

Their weapons met with explosive sparks. Waves of violent energy radiated outward, shattering the stone platform within a radius of dozens of meters.

Fragments flew wildly, striking unprepared spectators and throwing the stands into chaos.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The two combatants continued their fierce exchange, their unyielding power relentlessly battering the already devastated arena.

“Haah!” Suddenly, Liu Feng let out a furious shout. Both fists ignited with golden flames, an overwhelming force erupting as he struck fiercely at Zhang Xing’s whip.

“Crack!” The azure whip shattered explosively. Zhang Xing was sent hurtling backward, crashing hard onto the ground, coughing up blood in successive bursts.

Liu Feng pressed forward swiftly, preparing to deliver the final crushing blow.