The Favored Son of Heaven

Chapter 423: Soaring Dragon and Wailing Tiger

Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales

Martial Madman’s shoulder sank suddenly the moment the back of his claw came in contact with Qin Fen’s elbow; he dared not make solid contact with Qin Fen’s Dragon Elbow. The slight contact was like an electric shock, he promptly withdrew his arm using the shockwave and just happened to avoid Qin Fen’s ten-ton elbow drop.

Almost at the same time, Qin Fen’s Eighteen Dragons Gathering the Wind and Clouds had given rise to violent gales with the momentum of spreading clouds and hard rain, slapping Martial Madman’s face.

There was no release of true energy, just the gales set off by the fist pressure as they kept hitting Martial Madman’s cheeks, which were protected by true energy, like tens of thousands of knives.

The true energy that should have been released was completely gathered on the fist; its might far above than when released outside. If this Eighteen Dragons Gathering the Wind and Clouds truly hit the target, if this punch reached his head, regardless of how tyrannical the protective divine art Martial Madman was practicing, perhaps the Sacred Martial Hall would have a headless corpse lying on the ground.

Martial Madman promptly crossed the tiger claws and raised them up, raising them towards that dragon-like punch instantly. He was hoping to push it up, forcefully altering the path of that punch.

However, Qin Fen’s Eighteen Dragon Gathering the Wind and Clouds was accompanied by the rising aura of power of previous Dragon Cannon. Whether it was the spirit, or aura of power, or the strength, all had truly reached his peak since his debut! Owing to which, the Martial Madman’s fist stance was pushed back from the countershock.

Qin Fen’s every move was mixed in with the emotions of a large group of martial artists, forming an unparalleled momentum that had never been seen before. The energy erupting from the Eighteen Dragons Gathering the Wind and Clouds was as if it could blast anything in its path into nothing.

Martial Madman hadn’t expected that this sudden offense by Qin Fen could actually rise to such a level that Qin Fen would seize the initiative with the most violent and brutal methods. To his dismay, he could not seize the control which he should have regained with the advantage of his star-class.

In lightning-fast exchanges, everything was blown away by that boxing techniques with unparalleled momentum. He did not receive much of the intended effect at all.

Martial Madman’s red eyes flickered with surprise again and again. Much to his surprise, the young martial artist, who was not his opponent half a year ago, had transformed and sublimated to such a level during the special training. Not only is his star-class enough to be a martial dao master, even the power showcased by his every move is also far stronger than an ordinary martial dao master!

On the battlefield where blades were everywhere, a small accident may lead to serious injuries and that was only if one was lucky. Death would not be a surprising outcome.

Martial Madman gathered his wits in a flash as that tiger-like spine of his moved constantly and his shoulders shook. Suddenly, his back muscles bulged up as blue veins around his neck also rose at the same time, giving the impression that tens of black snakes were coiled around his throat. Immediately after, he clasped his fingers; the air passing through his fingers issued a series of explosive sounds as if there were hundreds of firecrackers hidden inside his knuckles.

A tiger roar reverberated as true energy from his dantian rush through his throat, resisting Qin Fen’s thunderous fists and roars.

All beasts prostrated before a tiger’s roar! A tiger walking through the jungle would cause the wind and cloud to change, cause the mountains to tremble!

Martial Madman’s roar contained the essence of a tiger. His temperament gradually became like that of a tiger; in the face of a hostile force who dared to challenge the status of the king, he would never bow his head!

Only Martial Madman remained in Qin Fen’s world; how could he not know the other guy’s mentality and reaction? Seeing his opponent reacting by flipping his right arm, Qin Fen immediately punched straight at Martial Madman’s oncoming claws.

BOOM! Under the powerful impact and pressure of both sides, pieces of blade flew everywhere; they were no less inferior to real bullets, they even outdone the bullets. As a metal fragment brushed past Qin Fen’s ear, a drop of red liquid was instantly carried away by the metal fragment.

Thousands of metal fragments had wounded Qin Fen at several places, and the Martial Madman wasn’t spared the least either. It wasn’t that their protective divine art was lacking, but rather because the force generated from the collision between the two was too strong, even their bodies were unable to resist the flying blade fragments.

As both sides’ fists and claws clashed with each other, Martial Madman superimposed his claws on one another and fiercely pushed and clasped down! His blood billowed as all his veins bulged twice their usual size. He hastily approached Qin Fen and lifted his knee suddenly!

This raise of his knee was like a swordsman suddenly drawing a short blade when approaching. A powerful gale caused the clothes at Qin Fen’s abdomen to flap. Apparently, the true energy was released outside! Hitting a Bull Across a Mountain!

At super close range, Martial Madman decisively chose an offense with a relatively smaller impact. He used his knee to carry out attacks like Air Splitting Palm!

Initiative! Martial Madman needed to seize the initiative. The tiger claws pressing Qin Fen’s arms were already at their limit, perhaps they could not hold Qin Fen down for another minute longer. He could only resort to combat skills that could release true energy outside and force the opponent to retreat!

Even if it was an air splitting attack, both opponents were far too close! Martial Madman was sure that even if Qin Fen had practiced Golden Bell Shield to the extreme and had already started practicing Unbreakable Diamond Body, Qin Fen would not dare to take the air splitting knee head-on! Even a steel plate would be split asunder quite easily. Not to mention the fact that it was followed by a real knee blow as well!

This blow was one of Martial Madman’s ultimate skill from the Tiger King Fists. Usually, he resorted to this move only when he was fighting someone of a higher level. And combined with the Neo Muay Thai’s knee strike, even a large-scale mobile armor would be scrapped on the spot along with its pilot.

Because he had to risk his life for this move, Martial Madman paid special attention to not showing it in front of others. However, at this moment, Qin Fen had continued to unleash superb punches. It could already be said that he had cornered the tiger; if Martial Madman could not take the initiative, it still couldn’t be said for sure that he wouldn’t be completely defeated like Cai Renying that day, facing Qin Fen’s fury of punches, wave after wave.

After all, Martial Madman wasn’t a quasi-martial master like Cai Renying. He was a genius martial artist never seen before in the Sacred Martial Hall, not to mention the fact that he was a sixteen-star main star-level peak martial artist! Even if Qin Fen had started the fight with several superb punches, it was nigh impossible to defeat Martial Madman with an ever-rushing aura of power like he had defeated Cai Renying.

This knee strike carried the power to shatter the earth and shake the heavens! The air burst with a crack and swish; immediately, Qin Fen felt that oppressive tearing force upon his abdomen. His clothes at his stomach were torn to piece by the pressure, revealing his eight-pack! Immediately, Qin Fen felt a searing hot pain coming from his abdomen as if someone was polishing him using sandpaper and he would bleed out about any moment.

If it was any other fifteen-star martial artist, nine out of ten times he or she would choose to avoid the knee strike that could shatter the earth and shake the heavens, and then try to counterattack. But Qin Fen was different; several life and death battles had made him understand one fact very clearly: never lose the momentum in a battle.

Retreat, and against a genius martial artist likes of which had never been seen in Sacred Martial Hall before? Then, Cai Renying’s yesterday would be his today!

Once he retreated, he would retreat again! And with another retreat, the outcome of the battle would be fixed: defeat!

Martial Madman didn’t retreat; he knew a retreat was tantamount to a defeat. Qin Fen was obviously aware of the very same fact.

Amidst the intense battle, Qin Fen stretched one leg forward, like a flood dragon entering the sea, twisting constantly! His loose trouser kept on flapping due to the true energy as his leg entangled with Martial Madman’s raised leg.

Qin Fen’s Yin and Yang Limitless Twin Dragon from the Martial Emperor Dragon Fists, an expedient skill whose fast rhythm and arbitrary change in yin and yang he could not control. But now, his strength had risen continuously. His long leg was like a flood dragon entering the sea, the yin and yang force kept on changing, pulling that breaching knee down with force.

What’s this!? The surprise in Martial Madman’s eyes skyrocketed, once more. I thought that this ace in the hole could force Qin Fen to back down, but who would have thought that his martial senses would be so sharp. My move had not been even completely displayed and yet it had forcefully interrupted.

Martial Madman’s thigh was turned, twisted, flicked, and pulled in a flash! Four kinds of forces erupted one after another. This move from Qin Fen could even strangle an elephant in an instant, even twist column of pure steel in the blink of an eye!

At the same time, Martial Madman’s leg was pulled, Qin Fen’s body completely expanded and contracted in an instant! His muscles were as hard as iron. Immediately after, his body slammed into Martial Madman’s chest like a full-powered mobile armor.

With Martial Madman’s claws sealed before his chest, the clinging Qin Fen punched his two fists!

At this moment, all of their strength and true energy finally clashed with each other head-on.

Owing to this clash, both sides’ bodies shook slightly. Qin Fen’s clothes made ripping noise before his martial attire was torn to pieces in the blink of an eye, revealing his strong body. Unable to hold his grip on the ground, he retreated again and again. Several dozen sabers that were in his path of retreat were either shattered to pieces or rose into the air and crashed into his strong muscles, as sounds of metallic collisions rang out.

Martial Madman fared no better than Qin Fen. He kept trying to hold his grip, but nonetheless, he was unable to stop his retreat. And the several dozen sabers in his path of retreat were sent flying into the air. Luckily, only his hair was cut by the bunch of steel sabers.

In the next moment, his long hair scattered about, fluttering in the wind as he retreated, giving the impression that he was a devil who had just crawled his way out from hell.

Qin Fen’s eyes flickered with a sharp gleam as he plunged his feet into the ground fiercely in the next moment, stopping his body from retreating right then and there! Next, he flexed his knee before his figure shot up straight! He had taken the initiative to rush up to Martial Madman again!

It may seem that Martial Madman’s claws had defended exquisitely but he wasn’t attacking Qin Fen. In fact, he was on defense at that moment. And owing to Qin Fen’s wild and strange power, he was sent flying, his moment culled in half in a flash.

The discerning people could clearly see that the one to have grabbed the initiative in this round was Qin Fen! In the end, he had grabbed the initiative he had wanted.

Qin Fen’s advancing hands didn’t have the slightest intention of stopping. The sabers that still tumbling in the air around him were grabbed and thrown out like flying swords!

The blades flew forward like meteor pursuing the moon. As Martial Madman put his arm before his body to push a part of blades away, he saw Qin Fen’s figure quickly getting bigger as it advanced rapidly.

I will seal his fists this time for sure! Just as this thought flashed in Martial Madman’s mind, his two tiger claws reached out, consciously or unconsciously, pressing towards Qin Fen’s fists.

BOOM! The ground quaked with a deafening explosion; hundreds of knives rose into the air from shock simultaneously! Martial Madman was filled with glee. I finally caught them firmly this time…

Before this gleeful thought could finish flashing, Martial Madman was shocked as he heard a fierce swishing sound coming from the front, along with an overbearing pressure.

Third fist!? That’s not right! That’s a Hammer Head! Martial Madman’s red eyes flickered again and again. No matter how much he wanted to, he could not avoid it. The only thing he could do was push the protective divine art to the limit. Only, what he couldn’t completely understand was why this young opponent gave up all his advantage, he even threw away the momentum and initiative which was grabbed with so much difficulty, and used the Hammer Head to determine the winner when theoretically, his sixteen-star true energy coupled with his protective divine was stronger than fifteen-star Qin Fen’s protective divine art.

That’s right! Martial Madman couldn’t avoid the Hammer Head, no matter how. Qin Fen had the complete initiative on the battlefield. And it was used in exchange for a Hammer Head at this moment, which was more than sufficient. If he still let the opposite party avoid it, then all the time and effort he had spent to grab the initiative would have all been for naught.

Has Qin Fen gone crazy? Most of the martial artists who saw this scene were shocked. How could Qin Fen, who had such wonderful control over the battle all the while, make such a stupid mistake? You only have a fifteen-star protective divine art, you think your Golden Bell Shield is already…

BANG…BOOM…BAM…

After three deafening crashes and a forehead was covered in blood, Martial Madman’s feet finally left the ground as his body flew back at a high speed, disbelief clearly visible in his eyes. He couldn’t believe this outcome, the golden stars circling around in his eyes.

How is this possible? Even in the final moments, Martial Madman was flying out of the Mountain of Blades, he was still staring at the bent Qin Fen, who was still standing still, blankly. Why is this young man’s protective diving art so tyrannical? Does he usually practice his protective divine art more? Impossible! He doesn’t have that kind of time!

What is his protective divine art? Martial Madman crashed into the ground heavily. After his protective divine art had been broken, several dozen blade fragments had lodged into his body, some fragments had even pierced through him. Fortunately, his vital true energy had not yet scattered and was still providing him basic protection.

Martial Madman slid for dozens of meters before coming to a stop after his body touched the ground. His brain was still unable to understand Qin Fen’s protective true energy. In that collision, I smashed apart at least three protective divine art.

Iron Mantle, Golden Bell Shield, and even the Golden Buddha Indestructible Body which he has still not completely practiced!

After breaking three protective divine art, there was still a fourth protective divine art!? Martial Madman looked at Qin Fen helplessly. Only at this moment did he finally understand why this young opponent had exchanged all the initiative for that simple Hammer Head.

Qin Fen gasped for breath as he straightened his body slowly, his facial muscles twitching again and again because of the pain. This was not the pain not just from the Hammer Head but also the pain caused by the blade fragments that had lodged into his body.

The most terrifying aspect of the Mountain of Blades wasn’t fighting on it but the moment when the victor was decided and the loser’s true energy protection disappeared, which resulted in death.

Qin Fen may have won but this win was somewhat risky. For this full power blow, apart from relying on the specialty of his protective divine art, he had also used that brutal strength of his to blast his opponent straight out of the Mountain of Blades, but this had caused a momentary shortage in his true energy at the same time.

Naturally, ordinary blades could not penetrate his body but the pressure generated from the clash between both sides had caused the blades’ momentum to rise sharply, giving them adequate strength to pierce through his physical defense.