Just dodged artillery fire, now lasers from above, this damn plateau has ambushes too

The wind on the plateau carried the stink of sulfur and scraped painfully across his face. Gou Kong had only just stepped out when he drew his foot back again, his brows knotting tight.

That fight with Dodoria just now had gone way too damn smoothly.

He lowered his head and looked at the bruises still lingering on his knuckles. The sense that something was off grew heavier and heavier in his heart.

According to the scouter's readings, that pink-skinned toad's combat power was several thousand points higher than his. Experience, stamina, combat technique—he had him beaten in every area. Even with the Energy Body-Forging Technique activated, Gou Kong should at most have barely been able to clash with him. How could he possibly have pinned him down and hammered him with over a hundred punches without even giving him a chance to fight back?

"Damn it. I got too carried away after winning just now. I actually didn't notice something was wrong..."

Gou Kong spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and cursed that pink-skinned toad eight hundred times in his heart.

Just as he was thinking it over, the wind suddenly changed.

The fierce wind that had only been carrying dust and sand instantly turned into a sharp gale with a cutting edge, scraping his cheeks raw. Dust filled the sky, whirling in spirals until he could not even open his eyes. The wind on this plateau was stable year-round, so why had such a huge disturbance suddenly kicked up?

Before he could figure it out, a terrifying energy fluctuation suddenly exploded behind him!

Gou Kong's scalp prickled in an instant. Almost by instinct, he stopped in his tracks and whipped his head around.

Dozens of meters away, Dodoria, who should have been beaten into a pulp, was swaying on his feet. A pair of blood-red eyes stared fixedly at him, the corners of his mouth stretched all the way to his ears. Inside his open mouth floated a purple energy sphere compressed to the extreme, its dazzling light dyeing even the surrounding dust a purplish black.

"Fuck! This bastard was playing dead?"

Gou Kong sucked in a breath of cold air, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out across his back.

He knew that victory just now had come too strangely!

How could that pink-skinned toad pass out that easily?

He had clearly taken those hundred-plus punches on purpose, pretending to be unconscious while waiting for Gou Kong to lower his guard, storing up enough energy for a sneak attack!

If he had not learned the technique for sensing ki from Bardock earlier, he would probably have been blasted into cosmic dust by now!

"Good thing I found out and didn't let you trash get your way! But at this distance, you couldn't escape even with wings! Little monkey, die for me!"

Dodoria let out a vicious laugh and violently spat out the energy sphere in his mouth.

Boom—!

A thick purple beam tore through the air with a deafening roar. The rocks and gravel along its path were instantly ground into powder, and wherever it passed, even the ground was shaved down by three feet!

The raging shockwave swept shattered stones straight at him. Gou Kong could not even open his eyes, let alone dodge.

The distance was too close. The moment he started the Flight Technique, he would be hit head-on. Aside from taking it directly, there was no second path at all!

But his stamina was already almost drained!

He had just traded over a hundred punches head-on with Dodoria, and the side effects of the Energy Body-Forging Technique still had not faded. His muscles were so sore and swollen he could barely lift them. Taking a long-charged blast head-on now—how was that any different from seeking death?!

Block?

Or dodge?

Dodge?

There was no time!

Block?

Nine times out of ten, both his arms would be blown apart!

Gou Kong's mind spun at lightning speed, and in the next second, he clenched his teeth.

To hell with it! Even if he couldn't block it, he had to block it!

He couldn't just stand there waiting to die!

He hesitated no longer and madly poured energy into his body. He no longer cared about taking it step by step, or worrying about tearing his muscles. He shoved every bit of energy he could mobilize straight into his muscles in one breath!

His muscles, which had shrunk after he withdrew the body-forging technique, bulged again in an instant. Blood vessels throbbed wildly beneath his skin, as if they would burst open in the next second. Soreness and pain spread through his nerves all over his body, but he did not even furrow his brow. He crossed his arms in front of him and took the sturdiest blocking stance he could.

Thud—!

The energy cannon slammed solidly into his arms!

The terrifying impact surged through his arm bones and into his entire body. Gou Kong felt as if all his internal organs had shifted out of place. His feet slid backward uncontrollably, carving two half-meter-deep trenches through the hard rock underfoot. Even the soles of his specially made combat boots were smoking from the heat of the friction.

He clenched his teeth so hard his gums bled. His arms trembled as if they were about to snap, yet he stubbornly did not shift his blocking posture by even half an inch.

If he relaxed even slightly, his entire body would be swept away by the blast, leaving not even dregs behind!

"Damn it, how long did that toad hold this back..."

Gou Kong sucked in cold air from the pain. He could clearly feel the power of the energy cannon still rising. Dodoria was obviously dead set on blasting him to pieces with this one strike.

His stamina and energy were both almost bottoming out now. If he kept taking it head-on, there was only death waiting for him. He had to find a way to break the deadlock!

Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind.

He understood the properties of energy clashes better than anyone!

As long as it was an energy attack, when two forces collided head-on, if both sides kept pouring energy in, they would produce a mutually repulsive force. That was exactly how he had managed to endure until now!

Since he could not withstand it head-on, why not change the direction?

Right!

Push it from the side!

A ruthless glint flashed through Gou Kong's eyes. Forcing down the stabbing pain in his arm bones, he slowly drew the energy in both arms toward his palms, condensing it into two small energy spheres, then carefully controlled his body and shifted to the left.

If he drifted even the slightest bit off, the aftershock of the blast would catch him. At that point, not even the gods could save him!

His palms were slick with cold sweat, and even his breathing had turned as light as possible. He edged over bit by bit, and only when his toes had completely left the spot where he had been standing did he finally let out half a breath of relief.

"Move aside, damn you!"

He let out a low roar and slammed both palms against the left edge of the energy cannon, pushing sideways with all his might!

Screeech—!

The circular energy pillar and the energy spheres in his palms ground against each other, letting out an ear-piercing noise. The next second, the trajectory of the energy cannon really was forced off course!

The thick beam of light brushed past Gou Kong and blasted by, pulverizing the layer of rock where he had just been standing into dust. The pit it blew open was over a dozen meters wide, and scalding shards of stone sprayed everywhere.

"It worked!"

Gou Kong could not help feeling wildly elated. The instant the energy cannon was pushed off course, he used the recoil to leap backward, flipping in midair as the energy spheres condensed in his hands shot free, hurtling straight toward Dodoria, who still had not reacted!

That pink-skinned toad clearly had not expected him to escape from under the cannon fire. Seeing the energy spheres coming straight at him, Dodoria broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly tried to raise his fists to block, but how could his speed compare to Gou Kong's?

Bang!

Gou Kong landed steadily. When he looked back, he saw his energy spheres slam squarely into Dodoria's face, knocking the bastard backward, his whole face covered in blood.

Dodoria's face was full of shock as he instinctively shouted, "How did you get here...!"

Dodoria had been hit so hard he saw stars, unable to squeeze out even a complete sentence. He staggered down from the pile of shattered rock, his arms flailing wildly toward the direction of the stone mountain Gou Kong had just blown apart.

Gou Kong shouted at the top of his lungs, "You try some of this too!"

Before the words had even fallen, the purple energy cannon condensed in his palm had already blasted out!

The thick beam of light swept across, leaving not even scraps of the dozen-plus mushroom-shaped rock mountains ahead. They were directly vaporized in the violent explosion, the blinding glare so intense no one could keep their eyes open.

Falling rocks came crashing down from high above like rain, and the thunderous roar shook the entire plateau.

Gou Kong had just been about to press the advantage and finish him off when his brow suddenly twitched.

A sound of something tearing through the air came from overhead!

It was too fast. His naked eye could not catch its trajectory at all. Almost by instinct, he rolled backward, and the place where he had been standing was instantly pierced through by a scarlet laser, the rock melted into a deep pit that smoked with blue fumes.