Chapter 5296 Not Worth Squat
Tianyu City, the Tianyu martial stage.
This martial stage was enormous but had long since broken down. The bricks were cracked, and there was no way to activate a protective barrier. Essentially abandoned for countless years, the stage was seldom used. However, today, according to Tianyu City’s “rules”, it had been reactivated.
Seeing the martial stage’s state, people couldn’t help having doubts about whether or not it could endure the power of the two combatants. If it crumbled midway through, it would truly be embarrassing.
A sea of people gathered around the stage, with almost everyone present except for the guards.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Long Chen stood there. Facing him, Liao Yong already had his sword in hand, his aura rising. The might of a Heaven Saint started to seep into the air.
Liao Yong’s aura was very powerful and condensed. When his manifestation appeared, his icy killing intent surged, enveloping the stage. Many were worried for Long Chen, especially since Liao Yong was notorious for his cruelty. It was clear that he wasn't going to hold back today.
“Draw your weapon!” Liao Yong demanded, pointing his sword at Long Chen, his Doyen power coursing through his Heavenly Fate Disk.
“With this level of strength, you’re not worthy of dying by my weapon,” Long Chen replied calmly.
“Die!” Liao Yong roared and lunged at Long Chen, aiming his sword straight for Long Chen’s heart.
On the other hand, Long Chen didn’t move at all, causing startled gasps to erupt from the crowd. Some of the female disciples even covered their eyes, too afraid to witness what they thought would be a fatal strike.
Liao Yong’s sword pierced through Long Chen’s chest, but Liao Yong was shocked to see Long Chen’s body fading away.
Startled cries rang out as they realized Liao Yong had merely stabbed Long Chen’s afterimage. Using some strange movement art, Long Chen then appeared behind Liao Yong.
Taking his time, Long Chen casually lifted his foot and kicked Liao Yong in the butt. The force sent Liao Yong flying, tumbling across the martial stage and smashing several holes into the ground. He rolled all the way to the edge of the stage, almost falling off.
Every expert present was shocked to see Long Chen’s bizarre movement art. After using this move, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking completely at ease as he stared emotionlessly at Liao Yong.
While Liao Yong wasn’t injured, he felt so humiliated that his blood boiled rapidly. With a roar, he charged back at Long Chen.
This time, Liao Yong used multiple movements arts, his afterimages filling the air as he pushed himself to the limit.
Pow!
His afterimages vanished as Long Chen slapped him across the face, sending him flying once more. Like before, Liao Yong tumbled to the edge of the stage, ultimately stopping at the edge of the martial stage.
To everyone’s surprise, he was stopping at the exact same spot with the exact same posture. However, this time, a deep, red handprint marked his face, so detailed that even the veins of Long Chen’s palm could be seen on it.
Dazed and disoriented, Liao Yong stumbled as he tried to rise. It took him four attempts to stand, and once he did, he could barely keep his balance. His vision swam, and stars danced before his eyes.
Before he found his balance, he clenched his teeth and raised his sword high, charging forward.
“You idiot, look where you are facing!”
Hearing that, Liao Yong hastily retracted his attack. As his muddled vision gradually cleared up, he realized he was on the edge of the martial stage, about to swing at the audience.
Everyone in the crowd was staring at him, their bewildered expressions only adding to the burning humiliation on Liao Yong’s face. He wished he could disappear into the ground.
Turning back, he saw Long Chen still standing calmly in the center of the stage, his face utterly emotionless. The sight almost drove Liao Yong insane.
“If you have any guts, fight me directly!” roared Liao Yong.
Long Chen tilted his head slightly, a mocking smirk tugging at his lips. “Haven't I been facing you directly? I used my foot on your butt, and my hand on your face. The results speak for themselves—you simply aren’t a match for me.”
“They are nothing more than cheap tricks! Do you dare to face my sword head-on!?” Liao Yong snarled, his rage consuming him.
Long Chen smirked. “You couldn’t beat me in skill, so now you want to rely on brute force?”
Long Chen knew that the cultivators of Tianyu City were too used to fighting the Stone Spirit race and Gold Lion race, which resulted in them favoring head-on confrontations. This focus on brute strength made them lack finesse in their techniques.
Through just two exchanges, Long Chen had identified Liao Yong’s fatal weakness. Liao Yong was bound to lose if the fight continued like this. Realizing his disadvantage, Liao Yong was left with no choice but to provoke Long Chen this way.
“Do you dare to or not?!” shouted Liao Yong through gritted teeth.
“Come. I will use my hands to fulfill your dream,” Long Chen replied with a shrug, his tone indifferent.
All of a sudden, Liao Yong’s body lit up as he pointed his sword at the sky. When the sword trembled, runes flowed along it, and a powerful aura surged around him. Taking advantage of Long Chen’s promise to face the attack head-on, he used a technique that required time to gather its strength.
This was clearly a powerful magical art, though it wasn’t practical in real combat. After all, the time it took to accumulate energy was far too long. Any opponent would have interrupted him long before he could finish.
However, Liao Yong was indeed quite smart. He had trapped Long Chen with his taunts, forcing Long Chen to withstand this attack. Still, Long Chen just stood there without a care in the world.
In the crowd, Li Yunhua shouted, “Long Chen! Stop him before he finishes channeling his energy! If you let him, he can multiply his power tenfold!”
“Tenfold?” Long Chen raised an eyebrow, impressed by the art’s potential. A magical technique capable of raising someone’s power by that much was indeed rare.
“It’s too late! You can die now!” Liao Yong sneered.
In a flash, an ear-piercing sound rang out as the sword sliced through the void. Even seasoned experts in the crowd were alarmed, sensing lethal danger from the blow.
This indomitable sword came crashing at Long Chen, but a hand covered in starlight suddenly caught it, halting the attack midair.
“What?!”
Everyone watching was instantly petrified.