The Battle Outside the City

Lei Gang's expression hardened, and a huge Battle Axe appeared in his hand. He swung it to meet the Sword Qi.

The two attacks collided in midair, erupting with a deafening boom that shook heaven and earth.

Chen Zhengqing was forced back by the powerful shockwaves, while Lei Gang stood firmly in midair, unmoved.

Clearly, Chen Zhengqing had been at a disadvantage in their first exchange.

After all, Chen Zhengqing's Early Golden Core cultivation was still weaker than Lei Gang's Mid Golden Core cultivation.

The two confronted each other again.

Lei Gang said arrogantly, "You're no match for me. Why insist on fighting?"

"The result will be the same either way. You might as well hand Yang Lingtian over directly!"

Chen Zhengqing's expression was solemn, but there was no fear in his heart. He replied, "Hmph, enough nonsense. We'll talk after the fight!"

Lei Gang flew into a rage. "Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"

His figure flashed instantly, transforming into a bolt of lightning as he pounced toward Chen Zhengqing.

His Battle Axe carved an arc through the air, accompanied by a sharp howl as it chopped toward Chen Zhengqing's head.

A cold, resolute gleam flashed through Chen Zhengqing's eyes. He shook the Spirit Sword in his hand and met Lei Gang's Battle Axe head-on.

Their weapons collided again in midair, producing a sharp metallic clang.

Terrifying shockwaves of energy rampaged through the air, even tearing apart the flowers, grass, and trees on the ground.

A battle between Golden Core experts was truly terrifying!

Chen Zhengqing was forced back several steps, while Lei Gang stood rooted to the spot, unmoving as a mountain.

Lei Gang still held the upper hand in this exchange.

However, Chen Zhengqing was not discouraged. Instead, an even stronger fighting spirit flickered in his eyes.

He gave Lei Gang a deep look, then suddenly drew in a sharp breath. The aura around him surged explosively.

His Spirit Sword swept through the air in a semicircle, its tip pointing toward Lei Gang.

The Spirit Sword was like a silver snake, swiftly winding toward Lei Gang.

Lei Gang's expression grew slightly solemn. He had not expected Chen Zhengqing's battle prowess to be so formidable.

He was considerably stronger than some Early Golden Core experts Lei Gang had encountered.

Originally, Lei Gang had intended to end the battle quickly, but now things had become somewhat troublesome.

Chen Zhengqing's Spirit Sword was like bolt after bolt of lightning, repeatedly slashing toward Lei Gang.

His Sword Qi grew increasingly fierce. One could even feel powerful arcs of electricity leaping through the air.

Lei Gang had no choice but to defend with all his strength. His Battle Axe swept through the air in one arc after another, blocking Chen Zhengqing's attacks.

At that moment, Chen Zhengqing suddenly spun around, transforming into a whirlwind.

His Spirit Sword swept through the air in a semicircle before he instantly unleashed several slashes.

Every slash carried powerful Sword Qi and hacked toward Lei Gang like lightning.

This was a martial technique. Chen Zhengqing knew that the opponent before him was extremely strong, so he had no choice but to use his martial technique from the very beginning.

Faced with such powerful Sword Qi, Lei Gang remained unmoved and received every strike.

However, his figure was still forced back several meters.

Although Chen Zhengqing had managed to force Lei Gang back slightly, his expression remained solemn.

He knew that his opponent had yet to use a martial technique.

Yet even after using one himself, he could only fight Lei Gang to a draw.

"Not bad. Your strength is impressive. No wonder you dared to provoke me," Lei Gang said, slightly surprised.

"However, you're ultimately only at the Early Golden Core stage. Your defeat is already decided. I'll merely have to spend a little more time."

Although Chen Zhengqing's displayed strength had surprised him somewhat, Lei Gang still looked down on him inwardly.

"As cultivators, how can we speak of defeat? If we're going to fight, then let's fight to our hearts' content!" Chen Zhengqing remained unwilling to admit defeat.

His figure flashed, and he continued battling Lei Gang fiercely.

After using his martial technique, every one of Chen Zhengqing's strikes was incomparably domineering, leaving Lei Gang struggling to respond.

However, Wu Gang had yet to use a martial technique.

Overall, the two seemed evenly matched.

The battle appeared to have reached its climax, with every collision generating terrifying shockwaves.

The powerful fluctuations of energy alarmed several Golden Core experts within Tianchen City.

People nearby also watched this rare spectacle from a distance.

After all, no battle this fierce had taken place near Tianchen City for several decades.

In a place like this, Golden Core experts already stood at the very top and rarely made a move.

Among the clouds high above Tianchen City, Tang Deyou wore a malicious grin.

He muttered to himself, "The Great Elder's suggestion really worked."

"By spreading word throughout the other cities that Lei Gang's son had knelt before the Chen Family's live-in son-in-law, Lei Gang really couldn't sit still."

Lei Gang seemed to sense the attention of the others. To display his strength, he planned to defeat Chen Zhengqing quickly.

"Sky Breaking Art!" Lei Gang shouted, beginning to unleash the most powerful martial technique he had learned.

In an instant, the wind rose and the clouds boiled, while fierce winds raged everywhere.

Terrifying pressure spread out, and his aura was far stronger than before.

The spectators watching nearby felt as if enormous pressure, like Mount Tai crushing down from above, had descended upon them.

Even more powerful strength began gathering in Lei Gang's Battle Axe. His figure transformed into a bolt of lightning in an instant and shot straight toward Chen Zhengqing.

The ground trembled faintly under this tremendous force, as if cheering for Lei Gang's ferocious attack.

Chen Zhengqing's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly urged every ounce of strength in his body, constantly resisting Lei Gang's frenzied assault.

In an instant, Chen Zhengqing fell into a disadvantage once more and was suppressed completely.

The several Golden Core experts in the distance were also slightly moved after sensing such a violent aura.

"Lei Gang is too strong. Chen Zhengqing isn't his opponent."

"Still, Chen Zhengqing is only an Early Golden Core expert, yet he managed to fight Lei Gang to this extent. That's already impressive."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After several minutes of fierce battle, Chen Zhengqing finally could not hold on any longer and was violently knocked to the ground.

With a bang, Chen Zhengqing crashed into the earth like a meteor, creating a huge crater.

At that moment, he was spitting blood, his face pale. Clearly, he had suffered severe injuries.

In a concealed location, Liu Yingxue, Chen Yiyue, and Yang Lingtian had been watching the battle.

When they saw Chen Zhengqing knocked down, their hearts all tightened.

Anxiety deepened on Liu Yingxue's face as she began blaming Yang Lingtian. "It's all your fault, Ling Tian."

"If you had known when to stop back then and hadn't made Lei Daben kneel, this wouldn't have happened."

Yang Lingtian did not know how to respond. If he could, he also wanted to fight for his adoptive father.

But when facing a Golden Core expert, his own strength was simply too insignificant.

This made him feel even more deeply that this was a world where the strong were revered, and his determination to grow stronger burned more fiercely.

But right now, he had to think of a way to break the deadlock. He did not want his adoptive father to die here.

Otherwise, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Everyone looked toward the direction where Chen Zhengqing had fallen and shook their heads.

"He lost. Chen Zhengqing has been utterly defeated!"

"I hope he admits defeat on his own. If he keeps fighting, he'll probably leave his life here."

"The other Golden Core experts in Tianchen City have no intention of rescuing him either. It seems they all want to see the Chen Family decline!"

Lei Gang was still suspended in midair, a smug smile spreading across his face.

He shouted toward Chen Zhengqing in the crater, "Chen Zhengqing, you should know the gap between us by now, right?"

"You'd better admit defeat and hand over Yang Lingtian!"

But the response he received was a single word: "No chance!"

Suddenly, powerful Sword Qi shot into the sky. Brilliant, dazzling light burst from the crater where Chen Zhengqing lay and pierced the heavens.

Chen Zhengqing then soared into midair along with the sword light, confronting Wu Gang once more.

Lei Gang was genuinely startled. He then looked at the Spirit Sword in Chen Zhengqing's hand.

Feeling the waves of heaven-shaking Sword Qi radiating from the Spirit Sword, he cried out, "A Mid-grade Spirit Artifact? It's actually a Mid-grade Spirit Artifact!"

The other Golden Core experts watching were also shocked. Their expressions became uncertain as their gazes locked tightly onto the distant battlefield.

A Mid-grade Spirit Artifact was a rare treasure even to them.

They had never expected Chen Zhengqing to possess one!

Only a second-tier artifact refiner could forge a Mid-grade Spirit Artifact, and the required materials were extremely rare.

Moreover, no second-tier artifact refiner had ever appeared in any city within a thousand-li radius, making Mid-grade Spirit Artifacts extraordinarily scarce.

This Mid-grade Spirit Sword was one of Chen Zhengqing's trump cards. It had been given to him years ago by his benefactor, Yang Lingtian's father.

Now that he was in such a difficult situation, he had no choice but to reveal the Mid-grade Spirit Sword.

After his shock, Lei Gang quickly calmed down, his tone still disdainful.

"Hmph, so this is your trump card. No wonder you're still so confident."

"But so what if you have a Mid-grade Spirit Artifact? You still can't defeat me."

"The gap between us isn't something a single Mid-grade Spirit Artifact can make up for."

Chen Zhengqing said nothing. Instead, he secretly gathered his strength.

In an instant, the aura around him surged, and a violent force burst from his body.

At the same time, he gripped the Mid-grade Spirit Sword tightly. Its tip trembled as wave after wave of powerful Sword Qi erupted from him.

Then his figure vanished from where he stood. Urging the Mid-grade Spirit Sword forward, he unleashed his martial technique and attacked Lei Gang.

Feeling the Sword Qi, now far stronger than before, Lei Gang's expression hardened. He began taking Chen Zhengqing seriously.

He then summoned every ounce of his own strength, gripped the Low-grade Spirit Artifact Battle Axe, and charged directly into Chen Zhengqing's attack.

The two figures collided once more. Terrifying shockwaves of energy erupted like thunder on a clear day, deafening everyone.

Their attacks seemed filled with destructive power, as if they could tear the entire world apart, striking fear into the hearts of all who watched.

As the two figures continued crossing paths in midair, their attacks collided in a tempest of wind and rain.

The nearby spectators hurriedly retreated to avoid being caught in the terrifying battle shockwaves.

Their faces were filled with astonishment. They had never witnessed such a terrifying battle.

"My heavens, how did Chen Zhengqing suddenly become so strong?"

"It seems the sword in his hand has changed." A Foundation Establishment expert cried out in alarm.

Like him, many people did not recognize that the Spirit Sword in Chen Zhengqing's hand was a Mid-grade Spirit Artifact.

They lacked the knowledge of Golden Core experts. They rarely even saw Low-grade Spirit Artifacts, let alone Mid-grade Spirit Artifacts.

Terrifying shockwaves continued to resound through the air as the two fought an extremely close battle.

With the support of the Mid-grade Spirit Sword, Chen Zhengqing's strength soared, and he no longer fell into a disadvantage.

Of course, he had not gained the upper hand either.

"Chen Zhengqing, stop making a pointless struggle. You won't be able to hold out much longer!" Lei Gang shouted.