King of Martial Arts

"Invincibility is the loneliest thing of all!"

Though those words sounded unbearably pretentious, they perfectly described He Heng's true feelings at this moment—the heartfelt sentiment of every supreme martial artist. Life was lonely as snow.

Fortunately, He Heng knew that the Great Heaven World was vast beyond measure. Countless powerful experts awaited his challenge, endless mysteries awaited his exploration, and infinite Great Daos awaited his pursuit. The process would be boundlessly splendid, washing away all loneliness.

But what about the foremost experts of each world, in the eyes of people like God and Tang Zichen? There was already no road ahead of them. Would their loneliness not be even more terrifying?

No wonder Tang Zichen had repeatedly wanted to die in the original Dragon Snake. No wonder people like Dugu Qiubai existed. The path of seeking the Dao was lonely by nature. Others could never walk it with you to the end; one could only rely on oneself, walking farther and farther down that long road... until the day one's own Dao perished.

Who in this world could avoid death? No one.

No matter how peerlessly powerful you were, how your aura swallowed the cosmos and you ruled the rise and fall of heaven and earth; no matter how unmatched your elegance, how heroic your life, how supreme you stood beneath the heavens—at the end, who could escape the death of their Dao?

Those who sought the Dao did not seek immortality and indestructibility. They sought the infinite splendor along the Great Dao. On that long road of seeking, they kept loneliness as company and walked farther before the day their own Dao perished. That too was a different kind of flavor.

So-called loneliness and death were merely the most magnificent scenery on the road of seeking. They were willing to keep them company.

He Heng had long possessed such awareness. Every seeker of the Dao possessed such awareness!

Whether others understood or not, He Heng had no regrets. He only needed to understand the road he had chosen; it was enough that he did not regret it. What did other people's opinions, or the honor and disgrace of all things, have to do with him?

"In this world of Dragon-Snake Romance, there are probably only a few people left who can be my opponents." He Heng carefully recalled the experts who had appeared in the original Dragon-Snake Romance. "With my current strength, ordinary Core Strength masters are no match for me. Even a powerhouse like Yan Yuanyi would find it difficult to make me go all out. In this world, only God, Tang Zichen, Ba Liming, and Wang Chao can serve as my opponents now."

"Among them, God should currently be the strongest, while Wang Chao is the one most worth anticipating. But he has only just fled the mainland. He likely has yet to reach the realms of Shatter Void and See God Unbroken, much less cultivate that invincible fist intent. Now is not the time to fight him." He Heng temporarily gave up on challenging Wang Chao, because he knew that Wang Chao had developed that supreme fist intent only by remaining invincible all the way. The current Wang Chao was still far from the peak Wang Wudi and needed more time.

"Of the remaining three, I have already seen Tang Zichen. Though her Dao of Utmost Sincerity is profound, it has merely touched the edge of the Human Law Realm. She is not much stronger than I am now, so there is no need to see her again. As for God, he is the one I know best. I joined the God Organization several years ago and met him more than once, but I do not wish to fight him yet. That leaves only Ba Liming. His realm should only be somewhat higher than Yan Yuanyi's, but his horizontal training is perfected to the peak. In combat power, he surpasses Yan Yuanyi by far. Fine, then let me witness the fist intent of this Red Guard-born King of Martial Arts: 'Emperor Star Drifting, All Under Heaven Revolt.'"

Having made up his mind, He Heng changed into a more formal set of clothes and strode outside.

At this very moment, Ba Liming, the King of Martial Arts, was still eating prison food in some jail. With He Heng's status, finding him was naturally not difficult.

After calling in a few favors, He Heng successfully located the prison where the man was held and immediately headed there.

He Heng went at night, but given his family background, the warden naturally did not dare say much and gave him an extremely enthusiastic reception.

Frowning slightly at the fawning warden before him, He Heng waved his hand. "Enough. You should know why I came. Take me to see that man."

"It is naturally no problem if Young Master He wishes to see him, but that Old Master is truly too dangerous. If anything happens to someone of your status, I will not be able to answer for it!" The warden looked troubled. Having worked here for so many years, he understood that Old Master's terrifying nature better than anyone. Every so often, the man would snap another iron chain, like some Primordial Fierce Beast! He was utterly terrified at the thought of a young master whose background could crush him coming to see such a dangerous prisoner.

"Enough nonsense. Take me there when I tell you to, or do you not want this job anymore?" He Heng's expression darkened. He gave the warden a cold look, then shouted angrily.

"All right, please follow me." Startled badly by He Heng's rebuke, the warden did not dare say another word and hurriedly had someone lead the way.

Following him, He Heng soon arrived before a prison block of thick iron doors, high walls, and barbed wire. At once, he heard huge stomping sounds coming from a cell in the middle. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! The ground shook as though an earthquake had struck, while the sounds inside resembled a string of firecrackers.

He Heng could sense someone practicing fists and kicks inside the enclosed room. Fist wind surged, striking the walls until they trembled with sharp slaps, like Giant Waves smashing violently against the sky!

"What a King of Martial Arts." He Heng laughed heartily. A World-shattering aura erupted from his body and swept toward the cell. With a casual gesture, he had the warden and the others open the door, then ordered them to wait outside as he strode in alone.

In the darkness, He Heng saw Ba Liming's appearance. Unlike the other reform prisoners, he was not bald. His hair was nearly half a foot long, pitch-black without the slightest hint of gray. Especially when he inhaled, every strand stood upright as if electrified. When he exhaled, it fell back down.

Angry hair can stand on end—this was its finest portrayal.

His facial skin was excellent, and he looked like a middle-aged man. Only the beard on his chin and his long hair made him seem somewhat older.

His beard was thick and abundant, covering both cheeks, each hair like a sword or spear shaft, seemingly sharp enough to prick someone.

None of that was what drew the eye most. What truly caught one's attention were the enormous steel shackles on his hands and feet! The iron links were as thick as eggs and extremely long, perhaps three or four meters, coiled around his body like ropes. The hand shackles were secured with a huge square iron lock, as large as a child's head.

The shackles on his feet were the same, except they also dragged two lead balls as large as basketballs.

This entire load had to weigh two or three hundred pounds. Yet bound to him, it seemed lighter than silk.

Hearing the cell door open and the lights switch on, the man sat on the bed with his eyes closed, utterly motionless. His breathing was even, his hair rising and falling with each breath, as though he paid no attention whatsoever to the outside world.

Huge shackles and iron chains, a beard like swords and spears, hair standing upright! Seated on the bed, he had a turtle-like frame and crane-like back, with large drooping ears. His hands were broad, large, and long. Everything about him revealed an exceedingly ancient, mysterious, World-shattering explosive power hidden within his body!

Such a man sat on the bed with his eyes closed in rest, unmoving, yet no one could help but focus their gaze upon him.

"Haha, Ba Liming." He Heng laughed loudly, his icy gaze falling on him.

"Who are you? You actually know my name. And why have you come looking for me?" Ba Liming's voice was exceedingly deep and powerful. It resounded like rumbling thunder, making the entire prison tremble.

Rather than fear him, He Heng was delighted. "Why else would I seek you out? Naturally, to exchange a few moves. It cannot be to discuss our ideals in life with you, can it?"

"You want to compare fists with me? Can that little frame of yours handle it?" Ba Liming swept a contemptuous glance over He Heng and shook his head. "No. With that frame, I could beat you to death with one punch. No fight."

"Hmph. Anyone can boast. We will see the truth with our hands!" He Heng knew that his Great Dao Nameless Fist had reached completion, concealing his aura to an extreme degree. Unless he truly made a move, no one in this world could see the depth of his martial arts. Thus, he was not surprised by Ba Liming's response. But he had come to fight this time, and fighting was not optional!

"Take my punch!" He Heng suddenly roared, his voice like a tiger's howl and lion's roar, incomparably violent as it shook the cell. His body shot forward like a rainbow, taking several swift strides before throwing a punch at Ba Liming with a thunderous boom. Explosive sounds rang through the air like thunder.

The leisurely Ba Liming's expression changed drastically the instant He Heng roared. This time, he had truly misjudged him. This was indeed an expert—an expert powerful beyond measure! Seeing the force of He Heng's punch, Ba Liming abruptly rose. Mighty strength rumbled through the ground, shaking the room. The Great Iron Chain wrapped around his body suddenly whipped into motion with a clatter, like two massive iron spears thrusting fiercely toward He Heng's throat and head.

He Heng remained calm. One hand seized the iron chain, while the fist of his other hand continued hurtling toward Ba Liming.

Ba Liming's face changed as he felt the overwhelming force in the hand gripping the chain. He immediately released the other end and swept it toward He Heng's chest.

He Heng's gaze sharpened. He twisted aside to evade the sweeping chain, altering the trajectory of his fist and allowing Ba Liming to dodge it. The punch could only smash violently into the bed.

With a crack, the concrete bed split cleanly in two and shattered into pieces.

"Haha, I really did misjudge you. You are an expert. Let's go again!" Having dodged He Heng's punch, Ba Liming roared excitedly from the side. His fist intent surged, and with a single flash of movement, he crashed toward He Heng like a mountain driven by a suffocating gale.

This punch was launched with incredible speed and ferocity, like a mountain collapse and tsunami, like thousands upon thousands of soldiers charging together. Its force was overwhelming, shaking heaven and earth.

This was the Baji Quan's Close Body Lean!

PS: I have noticed that many people want me to include Galaxy Emperor, but Dragon Snake truly does not include Galaxy Emperor. Galaxy Emperor is simply too exaggerated, and I cannot properly incorporate its setting. So this Dragon Snake is purely Dragon Snake; do not think about Galaxy Emperor anymore. Thank you.