Boom!
Two massive figures collided violently in the center of the arena.
The force of it was like two boulders plummeting from the sky and smashing into each other. The dull crash made countless spectators' eardrums ache, and some were even knocked right out of their seats.
Szzzzzt—
Blue arcs of electricity leaped wildly between them the moment they made contact, like countless tiny thunder serpents, hissing in a way that made everyone's scalp crawl.
Lei Ao's body was like a human-shaped high-voltage generator, every inch of muscle brimming with furious lightning power. The electricity burrowed through Yan Kui's pores, trying to paralyze his nerves and burn his organs to a crisp.
"Now this is interesting!"
Yan Kui growled.
In the past, an attack powered by elemental inner force like this would indeed have given him trouble.
But now, his Savage Boar Ramming Technique had reached mastery, and his internal organs were wrapped in layer upon layer of a rubbery, resilient substance. The lightning power bored into him like a mud ox plunging into the sea. It surged back and forth through the thick layers, bringing waves of numbness and stinging pain, but it could never break through his defenses or cause any real damage.
Meanwhile, his Mysterious Iron Body withstood Lei Ao's physical charge head-on.
Crack!
Both of them staggered back three steps. The granite floor beneath them couldn't withstand the force of their recoil and burst apart.
Four deep furrows were carved into the ground.
"What?!"
Lei Ao's eyes were full of shock.
He had awakened a trace of the ancient exotic beast "Thunder Rhinoceros" bloodline. He was born with divine strength and commanded thunder. Every opponent he'd charged into before had either suffered broken bones and torn tendons or been electrocuted into a charred husk.
Yet this big, dark-skinned man had actually matched him blow for blow?
And... his lightning didn't seem to have much effect?
"Again!"
Yan Kui only got more excited as the fight went on.
The thrill of fists meeting flesh, of meeting force with force, set his blood ablaze.
He stamped down hard and shot forward again.
Brute Bull Strength! Power increased by 50%!
His fists rained down like a storm, each blow carrying a sharp whistle of wind.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Lei Ao refused to back down. Roaring, he swung his fists to meet them.
The two of them launched into the most primitive kind of brawl right in the middle of the arena.
No dodging. No blocking.
You punched me, I kicked you.
The spectators in the stands went completely wild.
"Hit him! Beat him to death!"
"How brutal! Now this is real black-market boxing!"
"Lei Ao! Use your ultimate move! Don't try to outmuscle him!"
Lei Ao was suffering in silence.
Did he want to keep trading blows?
He'd realized that no matter how they fought, he was the one taking the worst of it!
His opponent's skin was too hard! It was even tougher than the skin of someone with an exotic beast bloodline! And his strength kept growing. Every punch that landed felt like a hammer smashing into Lei Ao, making his organs churn.
"This can't go on!"
A vicious glint flashed through Lei Ao's eyes.
Roar—!
He suddenly threw back his head and let out a long, piercing roar. The lightning patterns on his body flared to life.
A terrifying aura erupted from within him.
His body began to swell. His skin turned a purplish blue, and a single horn sprouted from the center of his forehead, wreathed in dazzling lightning.
Bloodline Burst: Thunder Rhinoceros True Form!
This was his trump card, the key to his reign over the Asura Arena. Once activated, it doubled his strength and the power of his lightning, but came with a heavy price: he would be left weak for half a month afterward.
"Die! Thunderous Charge!"
Lei Ao lowered his head, aiming his horn at Yan Kui. His entire body became a gigantic bolt of blue lightning as he charged forward with the momentum to destroy everything in his path.
Even a warrior at the peak of the Viscera Refining Realm wouldn't dare take this attack head-on!
The entire arena held its breath.
Everyone thought Yan Kui would dodge.
But he didn't.
He watched the thundering beast charge toward him. There was no fear in his eyes—instead, a feverish smile spread across his face.
"Bring it on!"
He, too, took a deep breath.
The two dormant forces within him erupted at the same time.
Brute Bull Strength! Savage Charge!
Savage Boar Ramming Technique! Full power!
His body didn't grow larger, but his muscles instantly tensed to their limit. A dusky red sheen rose across his skin, intertwining with its natural black to form a strange, deep crimson.
Boom!
He charged forward too.
Not to evade, but to collide!
He would meet the greatest challenge in his strongest form!
"Madman! He's insane!"
A spectator cried out from the stands.
In the next instant,
red and blue light smashed together violently in the center of the arena.
Booooom!!!
A deafening crash, ten times louder than before, erupted and drowned out every rumble of thunder.
It was the destructive sound of bone smashing against bone.
A terrifying shock wave swept in every direction, twisting the iron railings around the arena as if an invisible giant hand were kneading them. The nearest spectators felt their chests tighten and were knocked unconscious, blood streaming from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths.
Dust billowed, blotting out the sky.
Everyone stared fixedly at the center of the arena, forgetting even to breathe.
Who had won?
A few breaths later, the dust settled.
One person still stood in the center of the arena.
He was drenched in blood, his clothes in tatters, yet he stood tall like a Demon God.
It was Yan Kui!
A charred wound marked his chest where the lightning horn had struck. A patch of skin had even been burned and curled up at the edges. But that was all—it was only a superficial injury.
Across from him,
Lei Ao lay on the ground.
The lightning horn he'd been so proud of had been snapped off at the root!
Worse, the violent collision had caved in his entire chest. Broken ribs pierced through his skin and jutted out, while his limbs twisted at grotesque angles. He looked like a rag doll smashed to pieces by a child.
"Cough, cough..."
Blood gushed from Lei Ao's mouth, mixed with flashes of lightning and fragments of his organs. His eyes quickly lost focus.
"W-what... kind of... technique... was that..."
"Savage Boar... Ramming."
Yan Kui grinned. Though he was covered in wounds, his smile was radiant.
Lei Ao's eyes widened. He seemed unable to accept his death.
The mighty Thunder Rhinoceros Bloodline had lost to... a pig?
Yan Kui paid no mind to how he felt. He walked over and rested one hand on Lei Ao's head.
"I'll be borrowing your life."
[Slain the king of the Asura Arena (awakened exotic beast bloodline), plundered Life Essence.] [Origin Power: +3.5] [Detected fluctuations from a high-tier exotic beast bloodline...] [Conditions met. Hidden system function activated—] [New Function: Essence Plunder!] [Description: The Crimson Modifier can analyze the corpses of high-tier creatures and selectively extract their bloodline essence and innate traits. Extracted essence can be converted into pure Origin Power or may grant the host corresponding physical resistances or traits.] [Detected a trace of Thunder Rhinoceros Bloodline essence (12%). Plunder and assimilate?]
"Assimilate!"
A tingling wave of heat flowed through his palm and into his body. Yan Kui felt that a restless element had entered his blood. It was still faint, but his constitution had undergone another subtle change.
Plenty of Origin Power!
Yan Kui clenched his fists, feeling the seemingly endless power coursing through him.
"Black Iron Tower! Black Iron Tower! Black Iron Tower!"
A tsunami of cheers erupted from the stands.
A new king had been born!
Yan Kui stood in the center of the arena, basking in the glory of victory.
Just then, the woman in the qipao approached with a group of attendants, carrying a tray.
"Congratulations, Lord Black Iron Tower!"
Her eyes were full of admiration and awe. "Here's your prize money for tonight, a total of three thousand taels of silver! And this is a little gift from our boss: a Bone Forging Pill!"
"Three thousand taels?"
Yan Kui looked at the silver notes and pill on the tray and nodded with satisfaction.
That was enough to see him through a good while of spending in Tianwu City.
"Thank your boss for me."
Yan Kui put the things away and turned toward the exit without a hint of reluctance.
"Lord Black Iron Tower, will you come back tomorrow?" the woman called after him.
"I won't."
Yan Kui waved his hand.
The Asura Arena no longer offered much of a challenge. With Lei Ao dead, the rest were nothing but barnyard fowl and stray dogs.
Besides, he'd saved up enough Origin Power.
Next, it was time to take care of business.
"The Black Market... challenge their halls... fuse..."
Yan Kui walked out of the Drunken Life Dream Death Tower and gazed up at the star-filled sky.
His path of ultimate martial arts had only just begun.
Before you continue