At the same time, the twin youths wielded hooked halberds in close coordination, blocking Father Chu and Li Gang's combined attack and rescuing Shen Quan.
After saving Shen Quan, Luo Tao glanced at his severed arm, a cold expression appearing on his face.
"Kid, you were able to take my axe head-on. Looks like you practice the Iron Armor Technique."
Luo Tao gripped his massive axe with both hands, his muscles knotted as he sneered. "But even if you've mastered the Iron Armor Technique, can it really withstand my Savage Elephant Axe?"
Holding his spear one-handed, Chu Kuang remained unmoved as he said coldly, "Try it."
"Then die!"
As soon as Luo Tao finished speaking, he let out a furious roar. His giant axe swept horizontally, howling winds surging forth as the black-rock ground instantly cracked and shattered stones flew everywhere.
Chu Kuang did not take the blow head-on. He flashed aside, his war spear shooting out like a black dragon emerging from the water, thrusting straight at Luo Tao's wrist.
Luo Tao twisted his wrist, using the axe blade to block. With a clang, sparks scattered as both men retreated a step.
"Your moves aren't bad either. Unfortunately, you still haven't reached the perfected realm."
Luo Tao sneered and strode forward, dragging his giant axe as he leaped more than thirty meters into the air. He brought down a Forceful Mountain Splitting Chop from above.
At that instant, Chu Kuang suddenly felt as though an ancient giant elephant were looking down upon him, leaving him rooted in place and unable to break free.
In an instant, Chu Kuang understood. This was the ultimate art that could only be mastered after cultivating the Savage Elephant Axe to perfection—Savage Elephant Soul Suppression.
Faced with such a strike, with no way to evade it, Chu Kuang could only push the Iron Armor Technique and Golden Bell Shield to their limits before forcibly using his spear to block the attack.
"Dodge!"
Father Chu's expression changed drastically. He was entangled by one of the twins and could no longer make it in time to help.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, a blast wave erupted. The ground beneath Chu Kuang's feet collapsed, burying half his body underground.
However, once everything settled, Luo Tao discovered in surprise that although Chu Kuang's breathing was unstable and even the Alloy Spear bore a deep mark, he did not seem to have suffered any serious injury.
"Impossible."
Luo Tao's expression changed abruptly. He immediately drove his giant axe downward with all his strength, engaging Chu Kuang in the most extreme contest of power.
Just as the two sides reached a stalemate, Shen Quan finished stopping the bleeding. Gripping an iron staff in one hand, he smashed it down from behind, intending to ambush Chu Kuang while the two were locked against each other.
"Perfect timing."
Seeing Luo Tao's attack coming, Chu Kuang seemed as though he had eyes in the back of his head.
He swiftly dodged the iron staff, then casually shifted his spear. The giant axe slid down the shaft, pinning the iron staff into the dirt.
Then Chu Kuang sprang free, spinning one hundred and eighty degrees in midair. The Alloy Spear erupted with terrifying force, smashing Shen Quan away as he coughed up blood.
With no iron staff to block it, the force of this blow not only severely wounded Shen Quan, but also shattered the armor over his chest.
Even so, Chu Kuang pressed his advantage without mercy. With a sweep of his sleeve, he drew upon his mighty internal force, sending another war spear flying out to pierce through Shen Quan's chest and nail him to the hillside.
"Little Shen!"
Watching Shen Quan die in battle, Luo Tao's expression changed sharply. He swung his axe again in a sweeping strike.
Chu Kuang no longer fought him head-on. Relying on Blood Battle in All Directions, he narrowly evaded the attack, then unleashed spear shadows like a torrential downpour, forcing Luo Tao to struggle to freely employ the Savage Elephant Axe Technique.
Luo Tao's axe attacks were heavy, but he turned slightly too slowly. In only a short time, he was struck repeatedly. Though the attacks failed to completely pierce his armor, they still left him at a considerable disadvantage.
Seeing this, Luo Tao roared. Axe-force winds whipped wildly as a set of Chaotic Gale Axe Technique strikes forced Chu Kuang back, temporarily opening some distance between them.
"This boy's strength is actually so extraordinary. If I don't get rid of him today, he'll become a major threat sooner or later."
After opening the distance, Luo Tao took a deep breath.
He looked around and found that the twins were locked in fierce combat with Li Gang and Father Chu, without falling much behind.
Father Chu only had one arm to begin with, and he was injured now. Only twenty percent of his peak strength remained. Li Gang was even more deeply poisoned; not only did he retain merely thirty percent of his strength, he was also growing weaker by the moment.
At this rate, Father Chu and Li Gang would soon be defeated and killed. Then they could join forces to surround and kill Chu Kuang.
With his mind made up, Luo Tao's fighting spirit surged.
He gathered his strength and attacked. The giant axe spun in a full arc with the force of rushing thunder, its powerful force winds sending shattered stones flying within thirty meters. Even boulders as large as millstones trembled as though they were about to be blown away.
A cold glint flashed through Chu Kuang's eyes as he continuously unleashed the Gold-Splitting Spear, but he remained at a disadvantage against Luo Tao.
Luo Tao's combat strength was simply too formidable. His Life Level had reached Level 8.1, and he was a martial artist who had perfected both internal and external cultivation. In theory, so long as he obtained a Source Energy Potion, his chance of breaking through to the Mortal Transformation Realm was no lower than thirty percent.
His powerful Life Level, combined with the perfected Savage Elephant Axe Technique, put Chu Kuang at an absolute disadvantage in direct contests of strength. He could only rely on the force of the Iron Armor Technique and Golden Bell Shield to dissolve Luo Tao's overwhelming power.
In truth, without the boosts from his traits, Chu Kuang likely would not even have been qualified to fight Luo Tao head-on.
At that moment, Chu Kuang's face was stern, but anxiety rose within him.
With his own strength, he could fight or flee when facing Luo Tao. But Father Chu and the others likely could not hold out much longer in their current condition.
"Maybe I can only take a gamble."
Chu Kuang murmured inwardly, then decisively widened the distance and took out the Vermillion Fruit.
The Vermillion Fruit was a rare Source Energy Treasure Medicine. It could greatly increase a martial artist's internal force and dramatically accelerate the progress of internal cultivation. Its market price exceeded one hundred thousand Federal Coin.
However, the Vermillion Fruit's medicinal power was immense. A martial artist below Life Level 8 who consumed it rashly could very likely explode and die.
Chu Kuang's Life Level was only 7.5, but his defense was exceptionally formidable. Therefore, he was prepared to take a risk and rapidly improve his strength.
"Though it's somewhat risky, my physique should be able to endure it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Kuang swallowed the Vermillion Fruit in one bite.
At that very instant, Chu Kuang felt an incomparably immense medicinal power fill his body. It felt as though his flesh would burst apart.
Seeing this, Father Chu's expression changed slightly. "Chu Kuang, don't!"
"You brat, you're courting death!"
Luo Tao gave a savage grin and charged forward, swinging his giant axe.
Chu Kuang forcibly suppressed the violent energy within him and wielded his spear in a life-or-death battle against Luo Tao, instantly driving the fight to its peak.
Boom—
Luo Tao's killing intent filled the skies. His Savage Elephant Axe seemed capable of splitting mountains, its terrifying force of tens of thousands of pounds crashing in again and again, every strike numbing Chu Kuang's hands.
And with every exchange, the internal force within Chu Kuang's body ran wild, nearly bursting his meridians several times.
Yet life and death held great terror. In such fierce battles of life and death, extreme danger also brought astonishing gains.
Amid their constant clashes, Chu Kuang felt the progress of his Golden Bell Shield advancing by leaps and bounds, almost visibly.
He could feel his adrenaline surging. Every breath and every collision of weapons felt so vivid.
This was a clash between life and death. He knew he might be injured, and he might die. These were gains that the abandoned Dark Domain could not offer.
After merely dozens of exchanges, Chu Kuang felt his Iron Bell Shield cultivation reach a certain bottleneck. The internal force in his body had filled to the limit, leaving only the final thread between him and the perfected realm.
And when Luo Tao saw that Chu Kuang remained undefeated after so long, with his aura instead growing stronger and stronger, he finally could not stay calm.
He suddenly erupted with all his strength, unleashing the ultimate skill of the Savage Elephant Technique, Savage Elephant Transformation, and brought his axe down at Chu Kuang with boundless force.
Faced with such a blow, Chu Kuang did not evade. Instead, he activated all his cultivation and strength, raised his spear, and took the strike head-on.
Bang—
With an ear-splitting clash of metal, Chu Kuang felt the overflowing internal force within his body instantly compress, then violently break through its limiting bottleneck.
It went through!
PS: Check the chapter comments.
Many people said Father Chu should not have gone to the Dark Domain, but please do not judge from an omniscient perspective. Think carefully about when Father Chu went to the Dark Domain. He went when Chu Kuang had just begun taking out Interest-Free Loans. Did Chu Kuang have money then? Chu Kuang was drowning in debt. Father Chu did not know Chu Kuang had a cheat ability. He only knew that his son had borrowed hundreds of thousands, money that would have to be repaid sooner or later. And the resources needed for future cultivation would only increase. As a father, he had to contribute something. He did not want to be like his own parents, completely neglecting his son. He wanted to do everything he could to give his child a little more hope. He risked his life to earn money. If he lived, a single Dark Domain Expedition could earn him several thousand to tens of thousands. Over time, that might amount to hundreds of thousands in income. Even if he died, he could leave behind a large death benefit. That would make his death worthwhile. That was simply a father giving his son a little fatherly love. Furthermore, no one below Life Level 7 was allowed to enter a Pioneer Dark Domain. He never imagined Chu Kuang could reach Level 7 and come save him, so he never thought he would drag his son down.
Lastly, there is only so much tolerance for wish-fulfillment fiction. If everything is nothing but gratification, then by three hundred thousand words it will basically become dull and tasteless. What makes a book compelling should be its worldbuilding, its characters, its ups and downs, and its ability to stir the reader's emotions. Even if Father Chu truly were a burden who made everyone curse him, even curse the author, I think that would still be better than making him nothing more than a simple background prop.
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