Chapter 141: Vulnerable Qin Xiaochuan

“……”
“……”
“……”
……

The demons in the spectator stands had also fallen completely silent. Staring at Sikong Lang standing below, everyone’s eyes were filled with shock. Was this Sikong Lang operating at one hundred percent of his power? It was simply terrifying, resembling a released behemoth. The demonic aura emanating from Sikong Lang felt like an awakened beast crouching in the arena below. That dreadful pressure left the assembled demons feeling completely powerless, a crushing weight that stripped away any thought of resistance.

"C-Could it finally be complete?" Watching Sikong Lang complete his transformation, Zhang Yang froze instantly. He finally understood why his spiritual perception had malfunctioned earlier; it had been a self-protective instinct of his body. If he had truly perceived Sikong Lang’s full demonic aura directly, his mind would have exploded without a doubt. This was no joke.

*It seems this king has made a dangerous gamble!* Observing Sikong Lang’s fully transformed state, even the usually composed Young King Yama felt a bead of cold sweat trickle down his forehead. This fellow’s demonic aura was far too vast for Qin Xiaochuan to handle. It seemed he needed to make preparations in advance. With this thought, Young King Yama reached back to touch the rocket launcher strapped to his back, pulled the starter mechanism from his pocket, and pressed his thumb against the ignition button. If anything felt amiss, fleeing would be his top priority. If his father ever found out about these unauthorized escapades, getting his backside beaten into four pieces would be the least of his worries—he might even be thrown into solitary confinement. Just the thought of never being able to come out and play again made Young King Yama wipe away the cold sweat on his brow. If it really came to that, he might as well just die. Who knew how many years a stint in confinement would last? What if his father simply forgot about him altogether?

"F-Finally reached one hundred percent! After contestant Sikong Lang unleashed his full power, roughly a quarter of the audience in the venue was essentially vaporized by his demonic aura! What a terrifying presence! I wonder what kind of tactics contestant Qin Xiaochuan will use to counter such overwhelming pressure? Let us wait and watch!"

Staring intently at Sikong Lang’s movements, Qin Xiaochuan put his entire body on high alert. At this moment, Sikong Lang looked as though he were encased in a suit of muscle armor, his physique having expanded to at least twice its previous volume. His entire body was wrapped in thick, rope-like muscles, while his face was covered by prominent muscular strands stretching up from his neck. Like tangled tree roots, they crisscrossed beneath his eyes, giving him a deeply terrifying and intimidating appearance. His arms were similarly swathed in thick cords of muscle, resembling intertwined boughs of sturdy timber. Any trace of human musculature was completely gone from Sikong Lang’s arms, yet the dense, solid power radiating from them inspired an overwhelming sense of helplessness and defeat, much like facing a heavily armored combat mecha that left one with no opening to exploit.

“!!?”

While concentrating with all his might on the Sikong Lang before him, Qin Xiaochuan suddenly noticed Sikong Lang raise the thumb of his right hand, curl it inward, and then snap it outward with a swift flick. A bullet of compressed air shot forth from Sikong Lang’s thumb, striking Qin Xiaochuan squarely on the forehead. The velocity of this air bullet was astonishingly fast, and coupled with its invisible nature, it gave Qin Xiaochuan zero time to dodge. The compressed air round hit him dead in the forehead, sending him stumbling violently backward.

"Ah! Look! Why is Qin Xiaochuan suddenly backing away?!"
"Exactly! How on earth did Sikong Lang pull that off?!"
"Is this Sikong Lang’s attack? You can’t even see it!"
"Incredible! Sikong Lang is bound to win!"
"Why is Qin Xiaochuan clutching his forehead?!"
"Look! Qin Xiaochuan is bleeding from his forehead!"
"Was that from Sikong Lang’s attack just now?! It’s completely invisible!!"
"Simply amazing!"
……

Seeing Qin Xiaochuan suddenly driven backward, several spectators in the stands cried out in alarm. They hadn't even caught sight of how Sikong Lang had attacked before Qin Xiaochuan was forced to retreat. It was simply unbelievable! Was Sikong Lang at one hundred percent power truly this formidable? His attacks were so fast they couldn't even be seen; at this rate, forget about fighting back, Qin Xiaochuan wouldn't even be able to defend himself.

*Was that a finger-flick?* Clutching his forehead as fresh blood trickled down, Qin Xiaochuan realized the air bullet had broken through his defenses. Although slowed down by his spiritual energy, the immense destructive force had still grazed the skin of his forehead. It felt as though he had been struck by a small pebble; while his brain was unharmed, the sharp throbbing pain left him feeling slightly dizzy. *Using the compression force of his fingers to instantly shape air into a projectile—is this an air bullet? The power is truly astonishing!*

"Did you figure it out?" Watching the injured Qin Xiaochuan, Sikong Lang offered no respite for recovery, immediately delivering a warning: "Next comes the rapid fire!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~……!!"

Having just issued the warning, Sikong Lang began continuously flicking his thumb. Astonishingly fast air bullets were rapidly compressed and fired off one after another, hurtling toward Qin Xiaochuan. This type of air bullet was terrifyingly lethal—not only did it possess incredible velocity, but it remained entirely invisible to the opponent, forcing them to rely purely on instinct. Without time for further thought, Qin Xiaochuan hurriedly crossed his arms to form a defense in mid-air. *Such heavy attacking force! Is this the rapid-fire mode? I never imagined the impact could be this powerful. Just blocking these strikes is going to drain all my stamina.* While fending off the barrage, Qin Xiaochuan began to break out in cold sweat. This offense alone completely boxed him in; forget about counterattacking, he couldn't even move.

"Brilliant! Is this Sikong Lang’s attack?! Absolutely incredible!!"
"That finger-flick power has trapped Qin Xiaochuan so he can't even move!"
"So formidable!"
"Is this the true power of Sikong Lang?!"
"What is Qin Xiaochuan even fighting against? You can't see a thing!"
"That's compressed air bullets, don't you get it? Didn't you see Sikong Lang constantly flicking his fingers?"
"So powerful!"
……

Witnessing Sikong Lang’s assault, many demons in the stands dropped their jaws in astonishment. Using compressed air as a weapon—who would have thought of that? The force behind these air bullets was so immense that even Qin Xiaochuan had to block them with all his might. If this kept up, let alone counterattacking, whether he could even survive was questionable. The demons who had placed their bets on Sikong Lang finally relaxed their minds. It seemed their wager hadn't been misplaced after all; humans were ultimately just humans, utterly unmatched against demons when it came to sheer power.

"Ughh……! Dammit!" Finding himself continuously pinned down, Qin Xiaochuan finally snapped. Spotting a momentary gap, he leaped into the air and charged straight toward Sikong Lang.

"What……?!" Seeing that Sikong Lang didn't dodge, but instead raised his left hand and intercepted the blow of Qin Xiaochuan’s right fist using only the pad of his thumb, Qin Xiaochuan felt a surge of profound shock. What kind of strength was this?! Before he could process it, as Qin Xiaochuan hung suspended in mid-air, attempting to strike out with his left hand, Sikong Lang swung his right fist and slammed it directly into Qin Xiaochuan’s arm. A harsh, cracking sound of breaking bones echoed across the entire arena.

"Qin Xiaochuan!!" Seeing Qin Xiaochuan sent flying, Zhang Yang cried out in anxious alarm.

"Uwaaah~~~……!!" Stanching his backward momentum, Qin Xiaochuan bounced up from the ground, raised his right hand, and entered the firing stance for the Spirit Sphere. His left arm had just been shattered by Sikong Lang’s punch; though he didn't know how many pieces it was broken into, it clearly couldn't move anymore. "D-Dammit……!"

"Release it with all your power! This might just be your last chance."

Walking closer to Qin Xiaochuan, Sikong Lang did not pursue immediately, instead speaking down to him with a tone of utter disdain: "You are still far too weak!!"

"Don't look down on me—!!" Raising his right hand, Qin Xiaochuan unleashed the fully charged Spirit Sphere. The massive orb of energy shot toward Sikong Lang like a cannonball, its internal spiritual energy far more condensed than any previous sphere Qin Xiaochuan had fired.

Watching the incoming Spirit Sphere, Sikong Lang made no move to dodge. Instead, he took a deep breath, the blood vessels beneath his chest bulging outward as he expelled the compressed air accumulated within his body through a roar:

"HRAH—!!!"

With a deafening boom, that massive Spirit Sphere was actually shattered by the sonic wave of Sikong Lang’s shout, dissipating entirely into thin air.

"H-He shattered the Spirit Sphere with just a roar?!"
"A Spirit Sphere that huge is just gone like that!"
"Incredible!"
……

Seeing Sikong Lang defeat the Spirit Sphere using nothing more than his voice, the spectators in the stands were struck dumb with awe. That was a Spirit Sphere—Qin Xiaochuan’s full-powered attack!

"Judging by human standards, you still lack something," Sikong Lang said, his eyes turning icy as he looked down at Qin Xiaochuan, who was crouched on the ground in a daze. He was thoroughly unsatisfied with this outcome. Although the human had forced him to use one hundred percent of his power, once his ultimate strength was unleashed, Qin Xiaochuan once again appeared pitifully weak. Maintaining his cold tone, Sikong Lang continued, "And that is a sense of crisis!"

With those words, Sikong Lang dashed right up to Qin Xiaochuan and delivered a devastating punch to his abdomen. The immense impact sent Qin Xiaochuan flying backward, crashing straight into the opposite spectator stands. Although blocked by the hard stone flooring of the stands, the sheer kinetic force carved a massive crater into the seating area, resembling the explosion of an artillery shell. A dense cloud of dust erupted from the stands, and Qin Xiaochuan’s broken body sank deep into the fractured concrete.