Chapter 83

Ding Lingdang's face was full of excitement, her honey-like smooth skin faintly emitting a red glow. Her body remained completely still, but the eight strings of bells tied to her beautiful feet suddenly began to vibrate wildly, producing a "clinking" sound.

Unlike the pleasant sound of ordinary bells, this sound was like the clash of swords!

When the clinking sounds formed a continuous string, Ding Lingdang suddenly launched into action!

"Whoosh!"

Only a clear afterimage remained at the original spot, and Ding Lingdang appeared in front of Peng Hai with an eerie movement!

Her arms completely transformed into two shadows, and waves of white mist swirled around her, forming tangible air cannons that rained down on Peng Hai's head!

Peng Hai's face was calm, and he took a few steps back.

With each step, his feet, which seemed extremely light, left spider-web-like cracks in the ground, sending countless pebbles flying, forming a sparse barrier in front of him.

Ding Lingdang's fierce punches hit these pebbles, shattering them, but the force dissipated, unable to touch a single hair on Peng Hai's body.

"Peng Senior, you really have a set of skills!"

Ding Lingdang's eyes sparkled, and her entire body seemed to be burning. A large amount of crimson aura shot out from her 36,000 pores, like thousands of fire snakes swirling around her, making her whole body appear somewhat distorted.

Peng Hai's aura also surged, with faint sounds of wind and thunder. Faint black mist rose from his limbs and pores, condensing into a sturdy armor around his body.

Although their forms did not change, their auras were dozens of times stronger than before. The red and black auras spread out, completely enveloping a range of several meters around them.

In the middle, where the two auras met, a "crackling" sound could be heard, as if two armies were clashing.

Crisscrossing scars appeared on the ground, and the rocks turned to dust under the force.

"Again!"

Ding Lingdang let out a long cry, her breath forming an arrow, creating a beautiful wave of air in front of her. This time, her form completely disappeared, replaced by a hundred-meter-long fire snake. The fire snake, like a living creature, coiled around Peng Hai, completely enveloping him!

In the center of the wildly dancing fire snake, a black mist rose, transforming into a soaring eagle. The eagle, with its beak and claws, aimed at the fire snake's vital point and pecked down fiercely!

The two fought faster and faster, the fire snake and the black eagle tearing apart and recondensing repeatedly.

At first, the shapes of the snake and the eagle were clear, but later they intertwined, forming a massive, black and red cloud. Thunder roared within the cloud, and strong winds whipped up sand and stones. The ground was ravaged as if by a meteor shower, leaving dozens of craters several meters deep, with white mist rising and steam billowing!

Li Yao stood several hundred meters away, his heart swaying, completely entranced.

This was not the Tianyuan World but the Little Gray Domain with ten times the gravity, yet they could still put on such a magnificent battle!

This was the power of cultivators, so strong, so fierce, and so irresistible!

And this was just the peak of the Qi Condensation stage, the lowest level in the entire cultivation world.

If it were higher stages like the Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, or even the Nascent Soul stage, equipped with divine weapons and powerful magical treasures, it would be—

From one end of the universe to the other!

No wonder humans have dominated the universe for 40,000 years, slaughtering countless alien races, and are known as the "strongest combat race in the endless star sea"!

"It won't be long before I become such a cultivator, and even stronger than them!"

Li Yao felt a strong envy, jealousy, and a desire to surpass them. Every part of his body, from his bones to his muscles, organs, and cells, itched, eager to start cultivating right away!

Several hundred meters away, the two auras floating in the air suddenly solidified and then vanished like bubbles in the sunlight, revealing Peng Hai and Ding Lingdang again.

Ding Lingdang was covered in injuries, like she had just been burned in an oven, emitting hot steam.

Peng Hai stood above her, a massive metal sphere floating behind him. The metal sphere had nine openings, and nine restless spiritual energies instantly condensed.

"Spiritual Energy Floating Cannon?"

Li Yao's eyes bulged. This was a magical treasure equipped on crystal warships. Where did Peng Hai get it from?

Ding Lingdang screamed, "Senior Peng, you cheated!"

Peng Hai smiled, "Junior Sister Ding, I only said I would use peak Qi Condensation strength to fight you, not that I wouldn't use magical treasures!"

Ding Lingdang was furious, "I could tolerate swords and knives, but this is a cannon!"

"Oh, I picked the wrong one."

Peng Hai grinned, and the Spiritual Energy Floating Cannon fired at full power. Nine light beams converged, mercilessly blasting Ding Lingdang without any consideration for her well-being!

Ding Lingdang's last layer of spiritual energy shield was shattered, and she fell like a boneless fire snake.

After a mountain-shaking tremor, a deep crater several meters deep appeared in the center of the ground.

Ding Lingdang, with a look of resentment, fainted.

Peng Hai whistled and slowly descended from the air, walking calmly towards Li Yao.

Li Yao looked at the Spiritual Energy Floating Cannon above Peng Hai's head and then at his calm face, hesitating to speak.

"Do you think I, known as the Demon Blade, a sword cultivator, used a cannon in the fight—seems a bit despicable?" Peng Hai asked with a smile.

"A little bit," Li Yao blinked, unsure how to comment on Peng Hai's fighting style.

"Defeating the enemy is the goal, and the fighting method is the means. As long as you can defeat the enemy, whether you use a sword, a knife, your fists, or a cannon, what's the difference?"

Li Yao felt a stir in his heart, sensing a deeper meaning in Peng Hai's words.

Peng Hai snapped his fingers, and the Spiritual Energy Floating Cannon silently disappeared, as if it had never existed.

He patted Li Yao's shoulder and said earnestly,

"Li Yao, you and I have similar backgrounds, both struggling from the bottom. We are like pebbles polished by waterfalls for tens of thousands of years. Even though we look smooth on the outside, we have an unbreakable determination inside. Once we set a goal, we will pursue it no matter what, even if we hit a wall, we will find a way to break through and continue!"

"However, there is more than one path to the goal, and more than one way to achieve your dreams."

"Deep Sea University is indeed a holy place for alchemists, but joining the Great Wasteland Combat Academy to learn how to use various magical treasures, understanding their advantages and disadvantages in real combat, and what kind of magical treasures frontline warriors need... With this experience, you might be able to create more powerful and practical magical treasures when you return to study alchemy!"

Li Yao pondered, and Peng Hai's words stirred his heart.

Peng Hai smiled and continued,

"Don't decide right now. This is a major decision in life. You have a month to think about it. Of course, even if you ultimately choose Deep Sea University, I will fully support you! It's getting late, and I have to return to the demon beast wasteland to drink and eat meat with my old comrades by noon the day after tomorrow. You can continue practicing here. Ding Lingdang will wake up in ten minutes, and she can arrange everything for you."

"Brother Hai!"

Just as Peng Hai was about to leave, Li Yao suddenly called him.

"Is there something else?" Peng Hai asked with a smile.

Li Yao hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind and gathered his courage, "Brother Hai, this might be a bit abrupt, but—can you show me the true strength of a high-level Foundation Establishment cultivator?"