Chapter 285 – Becoming My Stepping Stone, A Hundred Times More Glorious Than Being the Lord of Penglai

Divine Elephant Style. Devour the Dragon!

The dark golden martial deity strength traced an intricate You Long-like pattern across the level two platform.

In the next instant, this pattern rapidly dissipated with a sound resembling an elephant’s trumpet.

Simultaneously, the light in this small area also vanished.

The light seemed to be swallowed by something.

And that something was Lu Yuan’s fist!

With an expressionless face, Lu Yuan’s fist, slowly but quick, aimed at the old man in green before him.

The double-headed four-armed phantom of the elephant man above his head appeared blurry and twisted, nearly disappearing.

His fist projected a collapsed, sunken darkness.

No one could see it clearly; Lu Yuan’s fist was making incredibly rapid, minimal-distance impacts at a wildly exaggerated frequency.

True Intent, inner strength, and muscle – Lu Yuan compressed countless eruptions of these three forces into a single punch in an inconceivable manner.

This punch represented the pinnacle of the divine elephant style system.

It was the ultimate embodiment of the “power” core of the divine elephant style martial arts.

Without an exceptionally strong physique and extraordinary skill, it would be impossible to achieve.

This was the result of a moment of inspiration for Lu Yuan, a brilliant creation by pure chance.

It was also the culmination of his relentless journey, the natural fruition of his maddening accumulation and growth as a pure martial artist.

Divine Elephant Devours the Dragon!

“If I could infinitely stack the power of this punch, I could even shatter a true dragon from mythical legends with a single hit!”

Lu Yuan’s eyes gleamed with determination. The moment he threw the punch, he saw the old man’s face contort wildly, his eyes filled with terror as he desperately tried to escape.

But the terrifying suction and devouring power from the punch’s accumulated strength held his body firmly in place, even pulling him towards Lu Yuan’s fist.

Booming Whoosh.

Amid the eruption of high-speed vibrations from his fist, Lu Yuan’s heart remained extraordinarily calm.

He heard rumbling within his body, and his mental power spread like water, accelerating the unfathomable, wondrous transformation inside him.

Divine Elephant Devours the Dragon was a milestone summary in Lu Yuan’s own martial arts journey.

This punch he created…

Brought him even closer to his unique realm of the extraordinary grandmaster realm in martial arts.

Boom!

Lu Yuan’s punch was fully unleashed.

It was as if a nuclear bomb had exploded on the level two platform!

From the white square far away, those who were watching the battle saw the sudden dimming of light on the level two platform, followed by a sudden, dazzling brightness.

Immediately afterwards came an earth-shattering boom.

Nearby, the grandmasters standing on the level three platforms were temporarily deafened, with incessant ringing in their ears.

Some even had blood seeping from their mouths and noses, a result of the powerful and invisible shockwave impacting their Five Viscera.

These individuals, who were once regarded as the pinnacle of the pure martial artist system, now clutched their chests in shock and retreated wildly, their understanding of martial arts deeply shaken.

They couldn’t comprehend, how was it possible that without any evil energy wave, solely relying on a mortal body and pure martial arts skill, could this be accomplished?!

They were grandmasters… but now felt insignificant, like mere ordinary people.

Boom–

As the aftershocks dissipated, Lu Yuan stood calmly on the high platform, still maintaining his punching posture.

Yet, there was a flicker of disturbance in his eyes.

He saw that half a meter in front of him, the entire level two platform had completely collapsed and shattered.

Five figures stood quietly in front of him.

His fist was imprinted on the chest of a more than two-meter-tall muscular man, whose black clothes were ripped by his bulging muscles.

The man’s face twisted in pain, his hands raised in a defensive posture.

A switch of opponent?

Lu Yuan blinked and spotted the green-clad old man he had initially targeted, now hiding behind the muscular man. The old man’s two arms pressed hard against the muscular man’s back, his face equally contorted with pain.

Along with the old man, there were three others.

On the level two platform, the Five Elders of Penglai were now forming an odd formation, in a stance resembling a transfer of power. It looked as though they were channeling the Strength of all five into one body, forcibly withstanding Lu Yuan’s divine elephant devours the dragon punch.

“…The Five Elders of Penglai specialize in a combined attack technique, where the five of them together are almost invincible on land.”

Xu Weiguo’s words echoed in Lu Yuan’s mind.

He instantly understood.

It seems that what he’s witnessing now is indeed the so-called combined attack skill of the Five Elders of Penglai.

“Five Cycles of Rebirth!”

While pondering, Lu Yuan saw the black-clad muscular man in front of him let out a low roar.

The man’s arms rose and aimed a double-ear-piercing move fiercely at Lu Yuan’s temples.

“Well done.”

A flash of light flickered in Lu Yuan’s eyes. Without even looking, he responded directly with another punch:

Divine Elephant Devours the Dragon!

The second execution was more skillful and fluid than the first.

The move placed a tremendous burden on the body, but Lu Yuan’s current state welcomed the challenge. The greater the burden, the greater the stimulation for his internal cyclical transformation!

Boom!

Once again, light fluctuated between dim and bright.

The exploding sound was even more muffled compared to before.

Terrifying aftershocks burst from the level two platform, sending rippling waves through the sky.

As the light dispersed, everyone saw that on the level two platform, the two figures’ fists were pressed against each other.

The surrounding air was so distorted and dense with the colliding and compressing auras, it almost felt like a tangible liquid.

Just one look would make anyone feel an inexplicable sense of suffocating oppression.

“Impressive…”

With a peculiar light dancing in his eyes, Lu Yuan gave a low shout: “Again!”

The eyes of the black-clad muscular man before him widened as if he wanted to say something, but before he could utter a word, Lu Yuan’s third divine elephant devours the dragon punch came.

Boom!

“Again!”

Boom!

“Well, well, one more punch!”

Boom! Boom!

Lu Yuan and the black-clad muscular man, burdened by the four individuals behind him, continuously exchanged punches.

There were no flashy techniques between them, only a relentless clash of pure Strength.

Lu Yuan continued to unleash divine elephant devours the dragon again and again. The repeated use of this move placed an immense burden on his body, causing large patches of muscle and capillaries to rupture.

A thin mist of blood even seeped through the surface of his skin.

Yet, with each clash, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

The True Intent of the elephant deity, now only fifteen meters tall, shrank significantly with each exchange, merging into Lu Yuan’s body bit by bit.

Ten meters…

Nine meters…

Seven meters…

Five meters…

When the magnificent True Intent and aura around Lu Yuan had only one meter left to be absorbed into his body, his entire form was drenched in blood, looking like a blood-soaked figure.

Boom!

Lu Yuan threw out an exceptionally brilliant punch… only to strike empty air.

“Uh…”

He paused and realized-the black-clad muscular man standing before him had withered into a shriveled, frail old man lying on the ground.

Beside him, four more figures lay sprawled.

Lu Yuan took two steps forward and looked down at the black-clad old man who had just been exchanging punches with him.

The old man’s eyes stared at him with a fierce gaze. He coughed up blood and spoke in a labored, resentful tone, “Our strength has declined… only half of our peak power remains… If we had used the five cycles of rebirth at our full strength…”

Before the old man could finish, disappointment and regret already clouded Lu Yuan’s face.

“Even at full strength, the power is only twice as much as now?

In that case, this combined attack skill is rather underwhelming. Even tied together, the five of you don’t offer much resistance; not enough to satisfy me…”

As he spoke, Lu Yuan sighed lightly, and the blood seeping from his skin retracted back into his body.

The burden and damage from repeatedly using divine elephant devours the dragon had completely healed.

His physique had undergone another transformation.

The internal cycle within his body was fully formed.

The blood threads that had emerged from his limbs and bones were now converging at the center of his chest, forming a small blood-red vortex.

This vortex encircled the Hundred-eyed Nether Crow Feather that had been concealed in his chest, and the two seemed to have established some sort of mysterious resonance.

Ever since he acquired the Hundred-eyed Nether Crow Feather, Lu Yuan hadn’t been sure of its use beyond unlocking the panel. Now, it seemed as if he had inadvertently triggered a mechanism, giving him the sense that he could soon harness the power of the feather.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

As Lu Yuan pondered this, the old man in black at his feet made a series of strange noises. His eyes glared fiercely at Lu Yuan, as if enraged by his earlier words. His body convulsed suddenly…

And then he spewed a large amount of blood, his eyes rapidly dimming.

He was dead.

Lu Yuan watched the black-clad old man perish and then observed the remaining four members of the Five Elders of Penglai. The life force within them was quickly fading.

A flicker of emotion rose in Lu Yuan’s heart but was soon suppressed.

He lifted his head and looked at the figure bathed in a radiant glow on the highest platform.

Since his arrival in Penglai until now, this figure hadn’t moved an inch.

If it weren’t for the slight aura emanating from this figure, one might have thought it was just a statue-or a dead body-placed there to look at.

“Lord of Heaven… Wu Chao.”

Lu Yuan gazed at the figure in the radiant glow.

“Just a little more…”

He touched the spot on his chest, his mind replaying the tales Xu Weiguo had told him about the legendary experiences of Wu Chao, the Lord of Heaven.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and steadied his turbulent emotions.

Then, with eyes gleaming, he began ascending the final steps toward the high platform.

At that moment, the entire martial saint island of Penglai fell into a profound silence.

Only the clouds in the sky moved silently.

Everyone fixated on the distant figure steadily ascending the steps.

At the figure’s feet lay the defeated Five Elders.

Above the figure’s head stood the Penglai Lord, enshrouded in radiant light.

In a daze, it felt as though-

The old legends were gradually coming to an end, while a new myth was being written…

Finally.

Lu Yuan ascended the platform.

He looked calmly at the figure within the radiant light.

Lu Yuan could sense that the figure within the radiant glow was also looking at him.

“You… are the first to reach me in this manner in a hundred years.”

“You’re quite impressive.”

A serene middle-aged man’s voice emanated from the cascade of glowing light.

Lu Yuan remained silent, standing quietly.

“I’ll give you an opportunity.”

The figure in the radiant glow continued in a gentle tone, “Kneel before me now. I will take you as my disciple. In this era, you’ll become the sole inheritor of the heavenly palace style martial arts. And in the future, you’ll be the second Lord of Heaven of Penglai.”

“How about it?”

A gaze pierced through the radiant light, falling on Lu Yuan’s face, as if awaiting his response.

Lu Yuan stood in silence.

Then, slowly raising his head, he calmly met the gaze.

“I’ll give you an opportunity as well.”

Lu Yuan softly said,

“Become my stepping stone. This will be a hundred times more glorious than being the legendary Lord of Heaven of Penglai from a bygone era!”

There was a resounding “ding…” as he finished speaking.

Lu Yuan felt everything on the highest platform freeze.

The clouds, the radiant glow, the air… everything stopped moving.

Then.

He heard a man chuckle softly.

Immediately after.

The radiant glow split open, and a middle-aged man, ordinary in appearance and build save for his jade-like, expressive eyes, stepped out gracefully.

With a serene smile, he approached Lu Yuan in a few strides.

Then, lightly throwing a punch towards Lu Yuan’s head, he nonchalantly said, “First form of the heavenly palace style-Stand Southward Sky!”

Lu Yuan squinted, calmly watching as the figure approached.

At the very moment the opponent threw the punch, his entire demeanor subtly transformed.

The originally domineering and fierce aura of the divine elephant was totally subdued.

What emerged instead was a profound, icy atmosphere, like the mysterious underworld itself.

Lu Yuan, his expression tranquil, responded with a punch of his own.

This punch was raw and experimental, being used for the first time.

The name of the punch-

[underworld crow style-Dead Nation of Penglai]

…