Chapter 32

"Rip!"

A gush of blood shot into the sky, and a crimson, fiery horn pierced through the sea of blood, exposing itself to the air!

It rose slowly, and the blood below formed a giant vortex, spinning at high speed.

Sharp bone spines, sharper than blades, emerged from the vortex. Below the spines was a head with six eyes glowing like red lanterns, and a sharp mouth like that of a crocodile.

Below the head was a long body, with a row of bone spines on the spine, reflecting red light. Four legs, like oars, supported its body, floating in the sea of blood.

The Blood Sea Crocodile, known for its speed, was a ferocious demon spirit. Despite only possessing the strength of the Ninth Wheel of the Qi Wheel Realm, its speed made it comparable to a demon spirit of the Qi Spring Realm!

Zheng Shiwing was unsure how strong the Blood Sea Crocodile was, but his intuition told him that this creature was not easy to deal with. If no one appeared in time... he might die here.

"Roar!"

The Blood Sea Crocodile opened its bloody mouth, and its four legs, like oars, paddled backward forcefully, merging its entire body into the sea of blood, making it impossible to find.

In the next moment, the sea of blood was split in two, and the blood waves surged around, sweeping toward Zheng Shiwing!

Although Zheng Shiwing couldn't see its figure, he vaguely felt that the Blood Sea Crocodile was right beside him.

He quickly performed the first, second, third, and even the fourth step of the "Eight Desolate Steps"!

His figure disappeared, and only his afterimages could be seen in the entire space.

The Blood Sea Crocodile could still track his movements. It opened its mouth and bit toward his back!

"Bad!"

A terrifying aura surged from behind! Zheng Shiwing's brows furrowed, and he drew the Shadowless Blade, performing the "One Shadow Blade" technique, which was as fast as lightning, slashing down fiercely!

The massive waves were split into two, and the Blood Sea Crocodile's body twisted, easily dodging the attack.

The "Eight Desolate Steps" combined with the "One Shadow Blade" had killed countless demon spirits! Zheng Shiwing never expected it to be ineffective against the Blood Sea Crocodile.

The Blood Sea Crocodile's speed was indeed formidable!

After dodging the Blood Sea Crocodile's attack, Zheng Shiwing gained some combat experience. He used his true qi to stimulate the soul seed to heal his body. The "One Shadow Blade" technique was used again, forcing the Blood Sea Crocodile to retreat.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Another slash!

The Blood Sea Crocodile's speed increased with each attack. At some point, as Zheng Shiwing was about to swing his blade, a thick tail pierced through the blade shadow and struck his abdomen fiercely.

"Bad! Eight Desolate Steps!"

Zheng Shiwing retreated at high speed but was still a bit too slow. His body was hit and flew backward, his abdomen burning with pain, almost causing him to faint on the spot.

"Soul Seed! Heal me!"

Zheng Shiwing roared, stimulating his true qi to heal his wounds. The torn wound quickly recovered, and by the time the Blood Sea Crocodile approached, the injuries were already healed.

It's now or never! In this life-or-death moment, Zheng Shiwing's true qi burst forth, and the soul seed's healing power was even faster than usual.

Crack!

The battle blade landed on the Blood Sea Crocodile's forehead, as if cutting into iron.

A painful roar erupted from the Blood Sea Crocodile's mouth, and its tail, like a steel whip, burst through the air. Zheng Shiwing wanted to raise his blade to fight again but found it stuck in the skull!

In a flash, Zheng Shiwing had no time to think. He immediately released his right hand and crossed his arms in front of his chest to block the violent strike!

Bang!

The tail struck, and Zheng Shiwing's sleeves were torn into rags. His body flew backward like a meteor.

Pain! Zheng Shiwing felt his arms burning as if doused in chili oil, and his bones were about to shatter.

The Blood Sea Crocodile, already enraged by its injuries, attacked even more fiercely. Its massive crocodile claw, as large as a table, struck the air with a thunderous sound and descended.

Soul Seed! Zheng Shiwing stimulated the soul seed to heal his injuries, and he punched out, the "Thunder Strike" technique causing thunderous explosions. The moment his punch collided with the crocodile claw, his body was thrown back, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mist.

The disparity in combat strength was too great!

For the first time, Zheng Shiwing felt a sense of powerlessness and defeat. This demon spirit was not only powerful in its explosive strength but its body was a terrifying weapon by nature.

Bang!

The crocodile claw struck again, and Zheng Shiwing raised his arms to block. His body was thrown back without any surprise, and both his arms were broken in the impact.

Roar!

Before Zheng Shiwing could steady himself, the Blood Sea Crocodile roared and charged down again.

Eight Desolate Steps!

The crocodile claw shattered the afterimage Zheng Shiwing left behind and swung its tail to strike his torso without turning its head.

This attack made Zheng Shiwing sense the presence of death. He bent his newly healed arm into a shield, hiding his entire body behind it.

Bang...

Zheng Shiwing was thrown back like a ball, crashing into the stone wall. The intense impact made him feel dazed, and everything around him became blurry.

Am I going to die? Zheng Shiwing shook his head violently, and the "Eight Desolate Steps" moved his body away from the danger zone. The Blood Sea Crocodile's claw missed its target, and its tail collided with Zheng Shiwing's "Thunder Strike" punch again.

Once... once... once... and again...

The soul seed's pulsations, which were initially very active, gradually slowed down under the stimulation of true qi.

The power of the martial soul... had reached its current limit! The healing of the injuries became slower...

Zheng Shiwing didn't know how many punches he had thrown against the Blood Sea Crocodile's tail, from the initial desperate struggle to the gradual instinctive swings.

Each swing made Zheng Shiwing feel like it was his last.

But with the help of the soul seed, he kept going.

The soul seed was tired... Zheng Shiwing almost instinctively swung his fists, struggling on the brink of death. The "Thunder Strike" technique, which initially required focused effort, became almost an instinctive action...

Another crocodile claw struck down, and Zheng Shiwing's soul seed had temporarily stopped pulsing, having reached its maximum power.

Eight Desolate Steps! Zheng Shiwing's legs, no longer supported by the soul seed, could no longer perform the technique, and blood spurted from his legs.

He couldn't move! Zheng Shiwing had never felt so close to death. The fatigue of the soul seed had also drained his spirit. The moment the swift crocodile claw struck, the soul seed moved again!

This movement, however, did not have any healing effect.

Zheng Shiwing felt that time, in this moment, seemed to slow down.

Everything! Was so slow!

The world seemed to slow down to a halt.

Is this what it feels like to be on the brink of death?

Zheng Shiwing didn't know and didn't think about it. Memories of the past... flashed through his mind at high speed.

The hatred of losing his supreme divine soul! The cold treatment from his family... and the countless moments of martial practice.

The cultivation of the "Thunder Strike" technique flashed before his eyes, looking the same as before, but feeling different.

Zheng Shiwing couldn't describe the feeling, but he felt that all his martial practice was overlapping, converging... a kind of fusion.

This fusion made him instinctively throw a punch...

This punch... Zheng Shiwing had a feeling that all his martial cultivation was condensed in this one punch! It felt like this punch could shatter the sky!

The Blood Sea Crocodile's scales all stood on end, a kind of instinctive fear, though it didn't know what it was afraid of.

The crocodile claw collided with the "Thunder Strike" technique. Initially, there was a moment of silence... then a powerful force exploded, shaking the ground.

The Blood Sea Crocodile's claw exploded into a cloud of blood, turning the four-legged creature into a three-legged monster!

Zheng Shiwing flew backward like a broken kite, staring in shock at the exploded claw. How could a limb that the Shadowless Blade couldn't cut be shattered?

Puff! A mouthful of blood spewed out, and Zheng Shiwing fainted and flew backward.

Punch Intent? Elder Huo, who had just arrived, stood at the cave entrance, staring in shock at the flying Zheng Shiwing.

He couldn't believe what he saw. This Zheng Shiwing had actually comprehended Punch Intent? How old was he? In the Qi Wheel Realm! Even in the Qi Spring Realm and above, only super geniuses had a chance to comprehend even a trace of Punch Intent!

Roar!

The Blood Sea Crocodile's angry roar interrupted Elder Huo's surprise.

The three-legged Blood Sea Crocodile was charging rapidly toward Zheng Shiwing, intent on devouring the young man whom Elder Huo greatly admired.

"Beast! Looking for death!"

Elder Huo leaped out, catching Zheng Shiwing in his arms. Without even looking at the charging Blood Sea Crocodile, he simply waved his wide sleeve, and the Blood Sea Crocodile exploded in mid-air!

Punch Intent! Elder Huo carefully examined the unconscious Zheng Shiwing in his arms. This was a profound existence that could only be comprehended when one's martial cultivation reached a deep level!

A special existence that could greatly enhance the power of a punch!

Even geniuses needed to reach a certain level of cultivation and have a stroke of luck to comprehend it.

Elder Huo rubbed his beard in excitement, "I never thought I would see someone comprehend Punch Intent on my territory in my lifetime. It's a great honor! Unfortunately... if he had also comprehended Blade Intent..."

"Never mind! Comprehending Punch Intent is already an extraordinary feat! In a life-or-death moment, he didn't run away like many others, but fought to the death! A young man who fears death but not wrongdoing, if he says he was wronged, he must have been wronged!"

"It seems the Xuanming Sect needs some cleaning up!"

Elder Huo carried the unconscious Zheng Shiwing out of the cave and gave him a fragrant pill.

After an unknown amount of time, Zheng Shiwing slowly opened his eyes, feeling as if his entire body was about to fall apart.

He tried to get up but heard Elder Huo's voice, "Don't move yet, and don't think about anything. Recall the last punch you threw, remember it! Feel it..."

The last punch? Zheng Shiwing's body instinctively trembled several times, and the last scene before he fainted reappeared in his mind.

A different punch!

An unprecedented punch!

Zheng Shiwing immersed himself in the memory of his punch, feeling it over and over again, afraid of forgetting this state, afraid of losing this feeling and never finding it again.

He knew this was a rare opportunity for his martial cultivation to elevate!