Brainless

Guang Long's charge also faltered slightly.

Azure Cicada Martial Soul? Never heard of it.

It was actually-

In that instant of distraction.

Hu Fangyuan moved.

He stepped forward with his left foot, clenched his right fist, and charged straight at Guang Long.

He drove the Copper Bone Gu at full power.

His bones crackled, their density increasing another notch throughout his body. A faint glow of fire coated his fist as he poured the power of Fire-Refined Scarlet Force into it.

Bam!

Their fists collided viciously.

The tremendous crash made even the surrounding air tremble.

Guang Long felt a tremendous force surge through his fist, heavy and hard, carrying a scorching power that burrowed along his arm into his meridians.

He grunted and staggered three steps backward.

Hu Fangyuan also retreated half a step.

Guang Long's strength was indeed considerable.

"Again!"

Guang Long roared and charged again. His fists hammered out in turn with howling gusts, every punch carrying the Ironclad Dragon's brute might.

Hu Fangyuan neither dodged nor evaded.

He activated Water Refining Azure Furnace with his left hand.

A curtain of water spread half a meter in front of him, thin yet dense.

Guang Long's fist smashed into the water curtain, and the flowing water dispersed thirty percent of its force.

Just then.

Hu Fangyuan thrust his right hand forward.

Fire-Refined Scarlet Force!

Several Fire Needles pierced through the water curtain, shooting straight at Guang Long's face.

The firelight illuminated Guang Long's face.

He hurriedly tilted his head.

The Fire Needles grazed his cheek, scorching his skin painfully.

In that tiny opening.

Hu Fangyuan's figure flickered as he closed in on him.

His right fist, wreathed in faint firelight, drove straight at Guang Long's heart with tremendous weight and force.

Bam!

The punch landed squarely on Guang Long's chest.

Guang Long grunted, his upper body arching backward.

Fortunately, under the Ironclad Dragon's Martial Soul Possession, iron scales covered his entire body!

Dark gray scales rapidly spread across his chest, overlapping layer upon layer to take the punch head-on. Yet its force still jolted his blood into turmoil, sending him staggering two steps backward.

Having landed his blow, Hu Fangyuan did not press his luck.

With a tap of his toes against the ground, he immediately drifted backward.

Guang Long had barely steadied himself when he saw Hu Fangyuan retreat. How could he let him go?

His Soul Power surged violently, and overlapping scales on his right arm gleamed with a dark gray metallic sheen. Sweeping his arm sideways, he reached to seize Hu Fangyuan in an embrace. His arm whipped up a fierce wind, slamming over like an iron door, seeking to lock Hu Fangyuan firmly against his chest.

If that hold caught him solidly, the Ironclad Dragon's strength could snap his bones outright.

Hu Fangyuan would not be foolish enough to take it head-on.

He had already planned his retreat the moment his blow landed.

He pressed his left hand downward.

Water Refining Azure Furnace!

The film of water on the ground instantly surged up, forming two walls of water between them.

Boom!

Guang Long's arm slammed into the water wall.

The water burst apart, splashing everywhere.

The water wall dispersed most of his force.

In that brief delay.

Hu Fangyuan had already retreated over thirty feet away.

He brought his hands together.

Fire-Refined Scarlet Force! Water Refining Azure Furnace!

The two Soul Skills combined.

The Heaven Refining Furnace appeared before him, humming as its mouth suddenly erupted.

Scalding water mixed with flames surged out, forming a curtain of boiling water forty to fifty feet wide. Trailing billowing white steam, it descended over Guang Long's head.

Sssizzle-

The boiling water splashed onto Guang Long's scales, instantly raising great clouds of white mist.

Guang Long grunted, his steps faltering.

The scalding water seeped through the gaps between his scales, burning his skin painfully. The Ironclad Dragon Martial Soul had given him formidable defenses, but not the ability to ignore pain.

In a brief instant.

The curtain of boiling water dispersed.

Guang Long stood where he was, his chest heaving, his scales dripping wet, traces of blood seeping through their gaps.

He stared fixedly at Hu Fangyuan, his eyes turning completely red.

Hu Fangyuan, who kept dodging and was slippery as an eel, had thoroughly enraged him.

"Brat! You're asking for death!"

Guang Long roared.

First Soul Skill: Ironclad Charge!

He kicked fiercely off the ground with both legs.

Thud!

His feet stamped two shallow pits directly into the ground.

His body hunched, every scale standing on end, Guang Long hurtled straight at Hu Fangyuan like a cannonball fired from its barrel.

His speed had more than doubled.

Even the air along his path shrieked from the impact.

This was the Ironclad Dragon's second Soul Skill, an all-out charge of astonishing power. Few Soul Masters of the same rank dared take it head-on.

Hu Fangyuan's gaze sharpened.

Perfect!

He neither dodged nor evaded, his hands rapidly tracing circles before him.

He drove Water Refining Azure Furnace at full power.

Layer after layer of water curtains rose before him.

One layer, two layers, three layers...

A full seven water curtains overlapped one another.

Boom!!

Guang Long slammed into the water curtains.

The first water curtain instantly burst apart.

The second, the third...

One water curtain after another shattered in succession.

Water splashed everywhere, and white mist filled the air.

Guang Long's momentum weakened with every layer.

By the time he broke through the seventh water curtain, he had lost most of his speed.

Just then.

Hu Fangyuan pointed with his right hand.

Fire-Refined Scarlet Force!

Dozens of Fire Needles lined up in a straight line, shooting head-on along the path of his charge.

The Fire Needles aimed precisely for three vital points: his face, throat, and heart.

Guang Long was charging too fiercely to dodge.

"Hah!"

With a low roar, he tilted his head and thrust his shoulder forward.

He took the Fire Needles head-on with his shoulder.

Pfft, pfft, pfft!

The Fire Needles struck the scales on his shoulder, burning several small holes and sinking deep into his flesh.

Guang Long grunted, his charge unabated.

But that tiny hindrance was enough.

Hu Fangyuan's figure flickered, sliding three feet sideways.

He just cleared the path of the charge.

Guang Long rushed past, brushing close beside him.

His momentum was too fierce for him to stop, and he charged several more steps before steadying himself.

He had just turned around.

Several Water Threads shot in from the side, winding precisely around his ankles.

The Water Threads instantly pulled taut.

Hu Fangyuan was controlling them with his left hand.

At the same time, Gu Yue's attacks arrived.

Several Ice Spikes fell diagonally from above, heading straight for the top of Guang Long's head.

Two Wind Blades also sliced toward the joints behind his knees.

The two worked together with perfect timing.

Guang Long was both startled and furious.

He wrenched himself free with a violent heave.

Snap!

He forcibly snapped the Water Threads.

But in that brief delay.

The Ice Spikes had already reached the top of his head.

He hurriedly looked up, crossing his arms to block.

Clang, clang, clang!

The Ice Spikes struck the scales on his arms in succession, shattering into ice fragments.

But the Wind Blades behind his knees had arrived as well.

Hiss-

A Wind Blade sliced into the bend of his knee, opening a cut.

Though it was not deep, his leg buckled.

Guang Long dropped to one knee.

"Bastards!"

He roared, jerking his head up to look at Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue.

One stood in front, the other to the side.

One farther away and one closer, they coordinated so tightly that not a drop could slip through.

Guang Long was utterly enraged.

Bracing both hands against the ground, he stamped his foot fiercely.

His second Soul Ring lit up again, shining even more brightly than before.

"Earth Dragon Turnover!"

He slammed both palms into the ground.

Boom!

The ground shook violently.

Several Earth Spikes erupted beneath Hu Fangyuan and Gu Yue simultaneously.

The Earth Spikes were thick and sharp, carrying the Ironclad Dragon's earth-attribute power.

This was the Ironclad Dragon's earth-type Soul Skill, capable of stirring the earth and rock underground for a surprise attack.

Hu Fangyuan's gaze flickered.

With a light push of his foot, he drifted backward.

At the same time, he pressed his left hand downward.

A ring of water spread across the ground.

The Earth Spikes burst through the ground and stabbed into the water ring, where the flowing water dispersed most of their force.

Gu Yue's figure also flickered, the wind element buoying her body as she floated two steps backward, avoiding the Earth Spikes.

Both of them dodged with ease.

Guang Long seized the chance to get to his feet.

His chest heaved as he panted heavily. He had wounds in several places-his shoulder, knee, and chest-all seeping blood.

After fighting this long, I haven't even touched the corner of his clothes?

He stared fixedly at Hu Fangyuan, his gaze vicious.

This brat is as slippery as an eel, and he keeps unleashing one Soul Skill after another.

I can't break through with a head-on charge, and I can't hit him from a distance either.

"Brat, stop dodging if you've got the guts!" Guang Long shouted harshly.

Hu Fangyuan stood opposite him, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Just because you're brainless, do you think I'm as brainless as you?"

Guang Long's expression stiffened.

He had indeed wanted to force his opponent into a head-on clash. The Ironclad Dragon excelled at close-quarters combat, with advantages in both strength and defense. But Hu Fangyuan simply refused to take the bait, keeping him at a distance and wearing him down with water and fire.

If this keeps dragging on, I'll be the one who suffers.