A vast expanse of wilderness.

    Chen Yun sheathed the Cinnamon Gold Demon-Slaying Sword and stood bare-handed, facing Lu Cheng who sat on the back of a strange beast, wielding a golden lance adorned with red plumes.

    The Cinnamon Gold Demon-Slaying Sword is designed for martial arts combat, but it is not suitable for comparing martial prowess.

    Without a suitable weapon, Chen Yun could only rely on his bare fists. This is a relatively weak aspect of his, but if he had a weapon and practiced the Dragon Slayer Technique, his combat prowess would undoubtedly be significantly enhanced.

    Lu Cheng didn't bother to check if Chen Yun had a weapon either; he simply held the red plume spear and looked down at Chen Yun.

    The two of them stared at each other, neither one making a move first.

    Suddenly, a gust of clear wind swept by.

    A withered yellow leaf drifted in from somewhere.

    What surprised Chen Yun was that the leaf actually "obstructed" his view.

    Meanwhile.

    BOOM!

    A thunderous explosion shook the ground.

    It seemed as if a meteor had struck the ground from the sky.

    Upon hearing such a loud noise, Chen Yun's heart beat rapidly for a moment. With a movement of his hand, a true qi ray shot out from his right palm, which was the gold character secret technique within the Dragon Slayer Technique.

    At first, the red light was no larger than a millet grain.

    However, in a blink of an eye, the true qi elongated into a long thread, rushing towards the source of the sound.

    Chen Yun had confidence in the Gold Character Secret Technique of the Dragon Slayer Technique.

    This technique, although a relatively basic martial arts killing method in the Dragon Slayer Technique, when the Gold Character Secret Technique is executed, it can turn true qi into an unstoppable force that can even penetrate steel.

    What startled everyone was that the elongated true qi suddenly snapped in two, scattering into dots of light that fell to the ground and vanished, as if it had been shattered by some powerful weapon, dispersing the condensed qi.

    Next, a flashing gold light rushed towards Lu Cheng's face!

    Chen Yun immediately inhaled the intense smell of lead mercury combustion. It was somewhat similar to the temperature exuded during the refinement of certain special pills.

    At the same time, he saw from the corner of his eye that a strange creature with a white-haired, ox-like body had its front hooves raised high, crashing towards him, accompanied by Lu Cheng on the flying beast's back thrusting with his golden lance adorned with red plumes!

    "Lu Cheng's martial arts skills are truly remarkable!"

    "One thrust from his lance dispersed the true qi I had released using the Gold Character Secret Technique?"

    Chen Yun was slightly surprised in his heart, realizing that Lu Cheng was not as easy to deal with as he thought!

    If it were in the past, he would probably have no choice but to endure such a situation with his bare body.

    But now Chen Yun is not the same as before.

    This time, having been in the Sun and Moon Lake Heavenly Realm for so long, besides fighting against strong individuals or spirit beasts like Yuan Chu, Shuǐhuí, Meilin, and others, there have been countless small and medium-sized battles. For example, when collecting certain celestial and terrestrial spiritual roots, one might encounter weaker spirit beasts.

    After so many battles, Chen Yun's combat experience has skyrocketed.

    Furthermore, since he had already achieved the first level of expansion for the Jade Sealing Token, and his true qi had been refined to the level of a high-level mage, activating a portion of the function of his essence spirit, his perception capabilities are far beyond what they were before.

    Now, as he observed Lu Cheng's fierce offensive approaching, Chen Yun immediately made a judgment.

    "This spear's power is boundless. If I were to be hit by it, I wonder if my sturdy body can withstand it."

    Chen Yun quickly analyzed how to respond.

    In a flash, the golden spear was about to pierce his face!

    Chen Yun's true qi surged through his entire body. Using the wind control technique, he retreated at high speed while using true qi to materialize a sword in his hand, which he then swept fiercely at the hooves of the flying beast before him.

    But, Lu Cheng suddenly changed his attack, deflecting downward and sweeping aside the sword strike with his long spear.

    It was also thanks to Lu Cheng's protective move towards his mount that Chen Yun managed to create some distance, but the sword he had materialized with true qi from his hand shattered into countless bright spots that dispersed.

    Within less than a blink of an eye, the two had engaged in several intense and heart-stopping exchanges.

    The spectators, Wu Kejiu, Qin Ming, and Longnu Sanjiu, among others, were somewhat stupefied as they watched. They had never expected that both combatants in the fierce battle before them possessed such exquisite martial arts skills.

    "Chen Sir's martial arts skills seem to be incredibly powerful," Wu Kejiu exclaimed in amazement, "I had no idea he was capable of such martial prowess, as he has always been involved in magical combat."

    Qin Ming nodded in agreement, "The master's martial arts skills should be superior to Lu Cheng's by a significant margin, but the lack of a suitable weapon has hindered him."

    Longnu Sanjiu, Ding Xu, Zhang Ling, and others did not speak. Their eyes were not as sharp as Wu Kejiu's or Qin Ming's. They could only see the interplay of light and shadows between Chen Yun and Lu Cheng. They knew that both combatants were incredibly skilled in martial arts. For a moment, they marvelled at the battle with a mix of awe and surprise, thinking that the two were evenly matched.

    Little did Chen Yun know that at that moment, he was somewhat surprised, "Lu Cheng's attack is so fierce, yet there seems to be no sign of external energy leakage. Could it be that he has already reached the realm of martial arts mastery?"

    He immediately noticed the abnormality.

    If Lu Cheng's previous attacks were anything to go by, even if he had retracted them, they should have released terrifying auras that would have shattered the ground.

    After all, between each attack and counterattack, Chen Yun could feel that Lu Cheng's power was still superior to his own. Therefore, it was highly unlikely that there was no trace of energy leakage in every move. He would definitely have caused significant damage to the surroundings.

    However, that was not the case.

    Lu Cheng's attacks seemed as if all of his strength were condensed into a single point, yet it was executed in such a way that no energy leaked out. It was like what Xie Ziran said, that he had refined his control over strength to a perfect art.

    This absolute control over power is something that a high-level mage in the mid-stage of cultivation cannot achieve!

    Chen Yun was really having second thoughts about Lu Cheng's strength.

    As Lu Cheng prepared to launch another attack on the flying beast.

    Chen Yun decided to strike back by planting his feet hard on the ground, activating the earth seal technique.

    A surge of immense power caused the ground to tremble suddenly.

    "Earthquakes and mountainquakes! See how you maintain your balance!"

    As Chen Yun pondered this, he waved his hands repeatedly, releasing hundreds of gold character secret techniques from his palms.

    As soon as the true qi broke free from Chen Yun's palms, it transformed into fast-flying arrows with icy tips and shooting rays of light.

    They rained down upon Lu Cheng like an arrowstorm!

    Earthquakes and mountainquakes, hundreds of gold character secret technique arrows!

    No matter how skilled a rider may be, it's impossible for them to evade these attacks while mounted.

    As Lu Cheng rode his mount, galloping and moving swiftly, he seemingly ignored the earth-shaking tumult, as if he were walking on flat ground.

    Even without wielding his spear, Lu Cheng moved rapidly between the gaps of the hundreds of shooting arrows from Chen Yun's gold character secret technique.

    In a blink, Lu Cheng was back in front of Chen Yun, riding his mount and lunging at him with his spear.

    Before the spear tip reached him, Chen Yun felt as if all the air in front of him had been vacuumed out, as if there was a "vacuum" right in front of him!

    As the spear lunged towards him, the space seemed to be compressed, and thick "air walls" appeared on both sides. The spear tip seemed to turn into a black hole, bearing down on Chen Yun!

    It was clear to anyone that this attack contained immense power!

    Wu Kejiu's heart leaped to his throat at that moment!

    Qin Ming's expression changed, and he looked very tense.

    The remaining Longnu Sanjiu, Ding Xu, Zhang Ling, and others were so tense that they could barely breathe.

    Facing this spear, Chen Yun knew that he couldn't evade it in time. He sank his waist, grounded himself, and his entire true qi suddenly erupted.

    In an instant, he shone with scorching and brilliant clarity, as if the sun had exploded!

    This was Chen Yun's currently strongest defensive technique, the Golden Light Spell.

    Although Chen Yun's mastery of the Golden Light Spell is still in the early to middle stage of cultivation, its defense capabilities are far from low. Even if compared to when he was a sword cultivator named Yan Chu, it would be difficult for him to break through it.

    I'll just watch how Lu Cheng breaks through the Golden Light Spell!

    Chen Yun exerted his strongest defensive power.

    However, what shocked him was that the spearhead easily penetrated through the clear qi released by the Golden Light Spell, and was right in front of him in an instant!

    Boom!

    The spearpoint struck Chen Yun's body hard!

    Chen Yun felt as if a high-speed train had struck him midway, leaving him bruised and sore, especially in his shoulder where the spear tip had left a charred mark.

    Although Lu Cheng's attack was fierce and almost unaffected by the defense of the Golden Light Spell, it was still repelled by Chen Yun's powerful physical body, the first stage of which had been achieved with his Jade Sealing Token. The spearhead couldn't even pierce Chen Yun's body at all!

    "What?" Lu Cheng was shocked and asked, "What kind of body do you have?"

    Not just Lu Cheng, even his mount, the flying beast, looked at Chen Yun with a look of disbelief and suspicion, as if it couldn't believe that Chen Yun's physical body was so strong.

    Wu Kejiu, Qin Ming, and Longnu Sanjiu, who were far away, all stared in disbelief!

    They had interacted with Chen Yun for so long that they naturally knew the release of clear qi was the Golden Light Spell.

    Who doesn't know how powerful the defense of the Golden Light Spell is?

    Even so, Lu Cheng's spear seemed to easily pierce through a piece of paper, breaking through the defense of the Golden Light Spell. It was evident that the strength of his strike was beyond imagination.

    What was even more shocking was that Chen Yun's physical body turned out to be stronger than the defense of the Golden Light Spell, directly withstanding the spear thrust and only emitting a burst of sparks!

    "This..."

    "Ah, how did Chen Sir cultivate his physical body?"

    "Terrifying! This level of defense power is truly shocking and awe-inspiring!"

    A group of people couldn't help but gasp in shock, all greatly surprised by Chen Yun's impenetrable physical defense.

    Chen Yun did not, like the others, become distracted. His attention remained focused on the ongoing battle.

    "Although Lu Cheng's strike pierced through the protective qi of the Golden Light Spell, it was still a physical attack, and could not harm my body that is impervious to blade and spear, and immune to fire and water."

    Alternatively, Lu Cheng's strike just now was a bit like Yan Chu's display of the Heavenly Divergence Sword Art.

    The power of this strike is extremely strong, capable of instantaneously breaking through the Golden Light Spell's clear qi, primarily because the power was condensed into a single point.

    However, an excessive pursuit of 'sharpness' will inevitably sacrifice other aspects, such as the actual forcefulness of the strike being not too fierce.

    Now that Chen Yun's Jade Sealing Token had reached the first stage of great completion, he was most afraid of the hard force vibrations causing damage to his internal organs. In contrast, Lu Cheng's overly sharp attack did not pose much concern, as it would hardly cause any harm. Therefore, this move would not hurt him.

    "The ability to control the power without breaking anything is Lu Cheng's strength, but also his weakness. Overall, his martial arts skills can be considered very advanced."

    Chen Yun mentally praised the other person in his heart and his gaze turned fierce, as he had found Lu Cheng's weakness.

    Discovering a weakness in a martial arts battle can still be compensated for by relying on one's powerful qi, but discovering a weakness in the martial arts itself is a fatal matter!

    Since Chen Yun has found Lu Cheng's weakness, it is now time to launch a powerful attack!

    Boom!

    A deep, rumbling roar like a rolling thunder exploded suddenly!

    Lu Cheng, still in a state of astonishment, felt a surge of thunderous electricity rushing towards him.

    Suddenly, Lu Cheng couldn't believe his eyes as he saw Chen Yun's figure swell against the wind, instantly transforming into a blue-faced beast with fangs and fiery-red hair. On his back, two wings of wind and lightning appeared!

    This was Chen Yun displaying his Dao body!

    Without any hesitation, the moment Chen Yun transformed into his Dao body, he immediately made his move. He grabbed the spear with one hand and, with the other clenched into a fist that was suffused with intense lightning and electrical energy. He delivered a swift uppercut, using the power of the Dragon Slaying Art's Five Elements Secret Technique to hammer down fiercely on Lu Cheng!

    Crack!

    A resounding boom like the thunder of lightning!

    Everyone saw Chen Yun's uppercut explode the head of the flying beast and continue its force, smashing into Lu Cheng's chin, which had momentarily been dazed by the previous blow.

    This punch was incredibly powerful, capable of shaking the heavens and earth. Although Lu Cheng hurriedly used a forbidden method to resist, he was still struck heavily by Chen Yun's punch. In an instant, he was thrown backwards, crashing into the mountain wall hundreds of meters away with such force that it burst apart!

    Such a powerful punch, capable of shaking the heavens and the earth, caused great shock among those watching from a distance, including Wu Kejiu, Qin Ming, and Longnu Sanjiu. They had never expected that Chen Yun would turn the tide of the battle with just one move. It was truly impressive!

    (Chapter ends)