The words had barely left his mouth.
The Nuo Opera Mask on the old man's face, its colors restored, suddenly shone. Its patterns seemed to come alive, slowly flowing across its surface.
"The Nuo Opera Mask can transform into Martial God Power."
The old man murmured softly, his voice echoing through the space.
The next second...
Boom!
A Crimson Blood-Qi Wolf Smoke several times denser than Jiang Ran's shot skyward from the old man's hunched body.
As the blood qi churned, it seemed to carry the grim sounds of clashing weapons and marching troops.
The entire underground space was bathed in crimson.
Jiang Ran furrowed his brow at the sight.
The old man used... the Blood-Qi Circulation Method too!?
And judging by his blood qi, he had clearly reached the Blood-Nourishing Realm.
Before Jiang Ran could think it through, the old man moved.
His hunched figure left a blurry afterimage where he had stood.
When he appeared again, he was already standing before the five-meter-tall Vajra Phantom.
The old man looked up at the wrathful, imposing figure. Beneath the Nuo Opera Mask, the corner of his mouth seemed to lift in a nearly imperceptible smile.
Then he raised his withered right fist.
He threw a punch.
Simple and direct.
There was nothing fancy about it. Pure blood qi gathered at his knuckles.
Jiang Ran's Combat Intuition screamed a warning. The Vajra Phantom had already crossed its arms in front of itself.
Clang!!
The instant fist met arm, the crash of metal rang out, shaking dust loose from the entire underground space.
Jiang Ran felt an overwhelming force surge through the Vajra Phantom's arms. Its golden light flickered wildly.
He staggered back several steps, each one leaving a deep depression in the floor.
The old man remained where he was, perfectly still.
He merely drew back his fist and looked at Jiang Ran calmly from behind the Nuo Opera Mask, as though that punch had been no more than a casual blow.
Jiang Ran steadied himself, his brow furrowing.
Ever since he had entered the world of supernatural combat, he had relied on Dragon-Tiger Fist to attack, Golden Bell Shield to defend, and Eight-Step Cicada Chase to maneuver.
Buddha's Wrathful Vajra was his trump card.
This self-contained fighting style let him dominate opponents of the same rank.
They simply couldn't match his versatility.
He could even fight those of a higher rank.
That was because level-three Buddha's Wrathful Vajra gave him an almost fifty-percent boost across the board.
That was how Jiang Ran had been able to activate Buddha's Wrathful Vajra and slap the Hairy Person to death when facing its true form earlier.
But the same fighting style also meant that once he activated Buddha's Wrathful Vajra, if he still couldn't suppress his opponent...
He would have only one final punch left.
Unless...
A thought suddenly flashed through Jiang Ran's mind.
Back when he had been in the Blood Sensing Realm, the supernatural abilities he activated, including Buddha's Wrathful Vajra, Dragon-Tiger Fist, and Golden Bell Shield, could only affect his own body. He couldn't extend them to the Vajra Phantom.
The phantom had been more like a shell.
He could use it to fight, and it could enhance his strength and defense, but it couldn't inherit the abilities' special properties.
But now, he had reached the Blood-Flow Realm.
His blood qi surged like a great river, and his control over it far surpassed what it had been before.
Could he combine the form of Dragon-Tiger Fist with the force of the Vajra Phantom...?
Would it work!?
The moment the thought occurred to him, the old man spoke from ahead:
"You seem surprised, young man."
"Looks like you don't understand Shamans."
With that, the old man smiled.
"Praying for rain and calling for clear skies is Shamanism. Communing with ghosts and gods is Shamanism. Using martial power to suppress evil... that, too, is Shamanism."
Before the words had even faded, the old man charged at him again.
At the same time, the several masked men remaining behind the old man moved as one.
Their various ranged supernatural abilities gathered once more, sealing off Jiang Ran's escape routes from every direction.
Jiang Ran's gaze sharpened.
There was no time to experiment.
He would have to take a chance.
If it didn't work, he could still use his final punch.
As his thoughts raced, Jiang Ran chose not to meet the old man head-on.
The Vajra Phantom planted both feet and leaped into the air, its massive body soaring straight over the old man and charging toward the masked men behind him.
The ranged abilities carved streaks through the air and struck the Vajra Phantom head-on.
Explosions rang out one after another.
Buddha-light rippled violently across the phantom's surface, but it held together.
Jiang Ran had already landed.
Rumble!
The ground shook, and dust billowed into the air.
The masked men clearly hadn't expected Jiang Ran to leap right over the old man and attack them. Their movements faltered for a moment.
Now!
A cold glint flashed in Jiang Ran's eyes as the Vajra Phantom raised its right fist.
He drew a deep breath. The blood qi in his body surged violently. No longer limiting it to his own body, he poured it frantically into the manifested Vajra Phantom!
Vmmm...!!
Crimson blood qi erupted from Jiang Ran's body like a volcano.
In an instant, it stained the entire Vajra Phantom red.
Next, the energy of Golden Bell Shield appeared across the phantom's surface, forming a pale golden membrane over the blood qi.
And most importantly...
Dragon Form and Tiger Form wrapped around the right fist, emerging along the arm—but not on Jiang Ran's own body. They appeared directly on the Vajra Phantom's enormous hand!
A low dragon's roar sounded, and tiger stripes rippled faintly.
Black flames rose from the Underworld Binding Gauntlets, spreading across the phantom's fist as well.
It worked!
The corners of Jiang Ran's mouth lifted slightly.
As expected, the Blood-Flow Realm gave him enough control and precision over his blood qi to extend the power of his abilities to the Vajra Phantom.
The next second...
The Vajra Phantom's massive fist, wreathed in Dragon Tiger and black flames,
came crashing down on the masked men standing together.
As Dragon Tiger roared, the giant fist struck the ground.
Bang!!
The ground exploded, leaving a crater several meters across.
The masked men didn't even have time to scream before the giant fist reduced them to scattered fragments.
Their masks and corpses shattered together, leaving no trace of life.
Only then did the old man turn around.
He looked at Jiang Ran. Surprise seemed to flicker in his eyes behind the Nuo Opera Mask, but he soon returned to his usual calm.
"It's no use, young man."
He shook his head, his voice still as placid as a still well.
"Face me."
"No one will blame you for dying to bring back the First Sage."
Jiang Ran slowly turned around, and the Vajra Phantom turned to face the old man with him.
Looking through the phantom at the stooped old man, he spoke softly:
"Have you... gone too long without anyone to talk to?"
"Otherwise..."
"Why do you talk so much!?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Ran gave the old man no time to react.
The Vajra Phantom leaped again, smashing the remaining masked men who were trying to retreat straight into the ground.
Then, using the footwork of Eight-Step Cicada Chase,
he charged straight at the old man.
Dragon-Tiger Phantom roared around the golden fist. Black flames coiled around it, and blood qi surged.
The fist shot forward...!
The old man's eyes narrowed. For the first time, his lips tightened beneath the Nuo Opera Mask.
He raised his right fist. Blood qi erupted once more as he met the giant fist head-on.
Their fists collided.
Clang!!
A ring of shockwaves burst outward, sending a wall of blood several meters into the air.
But the result was entirely different this time.
The old man's frail body was flung backward.
Behind the mask, he seemed stunned with disbelief.
He tried to adjust his position in midair, but Jiang Ran gave him no chance.
The Vajra Phantom stepped forward, predicted his trajectory, and brought its fist crashing down toward where he was about to land.
The old man's pupils shrank.
Rumble!!
The ground shattered, sending rocks flying.
The old man was driven deep into the earth by the blow.
Jiang Ran's expression remained calm. There was not a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
Strike while he's down. Finish him.
The Vajra Phantom raised both fists. Crimson blood qi and Dragon-Tiger black flames mingled around its knuckles.
Then the fists rained down into the crater like a storm.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every blow made the ground tremble.
Rocks and dust rained down from the cavern roof, and the blood pool churned without pause.
Jiang Ran slammed down more than a dozen punches in one breath. Only when nothing moved in the crater did he finally stop, panting slightly.
Maintaining such an intense assault consumed a tremendous amount of blood qi.
However...
Just as Jiang Ran was about to stop and check, a strange melody suddenly drifted up from the bottom of the crater.
It sounded like a clay flute, or perhaps a vertical flute—ancient and desolate.
At the sight of it, Jiang Ran raised his right fist again and slammed it down with all his might!
Boom!!
A force rebounded against him, and the giant fist was actually knocked slightly upward.
In the crater, the dust slowly cleared.
A figure gradually floated up from the depths.
It was the old man.
His hair was disheveled, his shaman's robe filthy, and blood covered his body. He looked utterly battered.
But the Nuo Opera Mask on his face shone with a blinding light.
Its colors flowed, its patterns stirred, as though it were alive.
The old man hovered in midair, slowly moving his hands before him and stepping to some kind of rhythm, as if performing a sacrificial ritual.
His aura kept climbing with every movement.
His Crimson Blood-Qi Wolf Smoke shifted from red to dark gold, thick as mercury.
At the same time, he began chanting softly:
"Souls, return! Why leave your constant dwelling and wander to the four quarters?"
"You left the place where you found joy and departed for that land of ill omen."
"Souls, return! The east is no place to rest."
"Taller than the thousand-fathom cliffs, his soul alone is sought..."
The eerie music echoed through the underground chamber.
With every line he chanted, the old man's aura surged higher.
Dark golden qi and blood began to gather like smoke, faintly outlining a phantom behind him.
He wore a tall crown and ornate robes, and held a jade tablet in his hand. His features were blurred, yet his bearing was imposing beyond measure.
As if an Ancient Great Shaman had emerged from antiquity.
The Mixed Martial Artist's core skill, Combat Intuition, at that moment...
sent Jiang Ran the strongest sense of impending danger he had ever felt.
If he didn't throw that punch now...
He would die!!!
There was no time to think.
Jiang Ran made his choice on instinct.
The Vajra Phantom drew back its right fist, clenching it at its waist.
All the qi and blood in his body surged violently, pouring toward his right fist.
In his dantian, his qi and blood spun furiously, nearly drained away.
Jiang Ran closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the depths.
The blood-red Lotus Brilliance, still waiting to bloom, slowly turned within his consciousness.
He murmured softly, his voice calm:
"Lotus Brilliance..."
As the words fell,
a point of crimson light appeared on the knuckles of the Vajra Phantom's enormous right fist.
Then the light blossomed, transforming into a lifelike blood-red Lotus Brilliance that hovered before the fist.
The Lotus Brilliance turned slowly, golden runes flowing across its petals.
Black flames coiled around it, while the Dragon-Tiger Phantom wound about its sides.
And Jiang Ran's voice followed, delivering the final two words.
"...Bloom!!"
The Vajra Phantom's right fist, carrying the blood-red Lotus Brilliance, shot toward the old man, who was still chanting and dancing in midair...
It struck with a thunderous boom.
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