In the blink of an eye, the two had already clashed. Yang Kai's fist struck fiercely against Nu Lang's palm, but it was immediately caught by his five fingers, which gripped it tightly.
Simultaneously, the Yuan Qi within both of them erupted violently, colliding at the point where their fists met.
"Hmm?" Nu Lang's eyes showed a hint of surprise as he realized that the Yuan Qi within Yang Kai was extraordinarily domineering, so much so that even he could not withstand it for long.
How could this be possible? The disparity in strength between them was significant; there was no way Yang Kai could pose a threat to him. Yet, the reality before him left Nu Lang no choice but to treat the situation cautiously.
If this stalemate continued, Nu Lang feared his five fingers would be severely burned.
With this thought, Nu Lang abruptly withdrew his hand and leaped back a few steps, using the brief moment to quickly neutralize the scorching Yuan Qi that had invaded his body.
Glaring at Yang Kai, Nu Lang was even more astonished. Despite the exchange, he hadn't managed to crush Yang Kai's fist!
Although five deep indentations were left on Yang Kai's hand, the result fell far short of his expectations! In his mind, that grip should have crushed Yang Kai's entire fist.
This brat... is indeed formidable. No wonder he managed to kill my junior brothers. It seems his victories were not mere flukes, Nu Lang thought with a growing sense of solemnity.
Yang Kai shook his fist and glanced at it briefly. When he looked up again, the madness in his eyes had only intensified.
All along, he had been suppressing his true power, letting the boiling of his blood, the pain from his wounds, and the pressure from his enemy push his indomitable will to new heights.
Only when his unyielding spirit and determination to win had reached their peak could his mysterious martial arts technique unleash its full potential.
Now, the moment had arrived!
There was no need for Yang Kai to hold back any longer.
Suddenly, a scorching heat surged from deep within his bones, spreading throughout his body. Yang Kai felt as though he had transformed entirely.
In the past, whenever the unyielding spirit within him was accidentally triggered, Yang Kai had been somewhat bewildered, winning battles in a daze.
But this time was different. He could clearly feel an immense power spontaneously generating within his bones, flowing into his meridians, infusing his flesh and blood, and rapidly enhancing his strength.
"Come at me again!" Yang Kai roared like a ferocious wolf hunting in the wilderness, his eyes locked onto Nu Lang, as he unleashed another attack.
Once again, it was a simple, unadorned punch.
"Courting death!" Nu Lang sneered. Although he was surprised by Yang Kai's Yuan Qi, he didn't believe for a moment that Yang Kai could truly harm him. As long as he withdrew in time, no matter how bizarre the Yuan Qi, it couldn't hurt him in the slightest.
Meanwhile, he could continue to injure Yang Kai over and over again. Sooner or later, he would crush Yang Kai's entire fist! In fact, Yang Kai's reckless approach suited Nu Lang's style perfectly.
Smirking coldly, Nu Lang's large hand reached out once more to grab Yang Kai.
In this second confrontation, Nu Lang felt something was amiss. The power contained in Yang Kai's punch was noticeably greater than before, and the Yuan Qi it unleashed was also more ferocious.
It was almost as if Yang Kai was now fighting at the level of the fifth layer of the Kaiyuan Realm!
But so what? Whether at the fourth or fifth layer of the Kaiyuan Realm, they were all the same in Nu Lang's eyes—utterly insignificant and easily killed.
With each successive exchange, Yang Kai's injuries worsened, his fists drenched in blood, and his body was forced to retreat, looking increasingly battered. Nu Lang, seeing his advantage, pressed forward relentlessly, his claws slicing through the air, leaving streaks in the darkness as he launched a frenzied assault on Yang Kai.
Yang Kai remained silent, countering with unyielding resilience. Each time Nu Lang attacked, Yang Kai met it with a punch—left and right, his rhythm unwavering. Although his hands were badly injured, he managed to block every one of Nu Lang's strikes, preventing him from delivering a fatal blow.
In the darkness, the muffled sounds of their collisions echoed repeatedly. With each impact, Yang Kai was forced to retreat several steps, his injuries worsening. However, there was no trace of panic in his eyes; instead, they were filled with unwavering determination, a conviction that victory was brewing within him, ready to erupt at the crucial moment.
"How is this possible?" Nu Lang was utterly shocked. On the surface, it appeared he had the upper hand, given that his cultivation was far superior to Yang Kai's. If he couldn't gain the advantage in such a situation, all his years of training would have been in vain.
Yet, Nu Lang was secretly suffering. His ten fingers had been scalded by Yang Kai's scorching Yuan Qi, each fingertip covered with blisters as if they had been burned by fire. The excruciating pain radiating from his fingertips made him gasp involuntarily.
But it wasn't just the pain that shocked Nu Lang—it was Yang Kai's strength.
In their first exchange, Yang Kai's power was indeed as Nu Lang had observed, a mere fourth-layer Kaiyuan Realm level, hardly worth mentioning.
But in the second exchange, his strength had surged to the fifth layer of the Kaiyuan Realm.
By the fourth exchange, the power in Yang Kai's fists and the Yuan Qi he unleashed had reached the sixth layer of the Kaiyuan Realm!
By the seventh exchange, it was the seventh layer!
By the twelfth exchange, it was the eighth layer!
It was as if, with each passing moment, Yang Kai's strength continued to rise, defying all logic and surpassing imagination.
And yet, this progression showed no sign of stopping.
Nu Lang's expression grew increasingly horrified. He had no idea how much further Yang Kai's strength would climb. If it reached the Qi Transformation Realm, there would be no hope for him to win, as Yang Kai's Yuan Qi was simply too overpowering.
After half a stick of incense had burned, Nu Lang found himself unable to face Yang Kai directly any longer. He could no longer gain the upper hand; each exchange saw Yang Kai standing firm as a rock, while he was forced to retreat repeatedly.
Nu Lang had no choice but to rely on his agility, using flexible and unpredictable moves in a desperate attempt to find an opening to deliver a fatal strike to Yang Kai.
But Yang Kai's defense, though simple, was airtight, leaving Nu Lang no opportunity for a decisive blow.
Kaiyuan Realm, ninth layer! Nu Lang's eyes trembled as he realized that Yang Kai's strength had indeed increased yet again, reaching the pinnacle of the Kaiyuan Realm.
However, the fluctuations in Yang Kai's Yuan Qi finally stabilized, showing no further signs of rising. This discovery allowed Nu Lang to breathe a small sigh of relief.
Although he himself was only at the first layer of the Qi Transformation Realm, which theoretically was just one small realm above the ninth layer of the Kaiyuan Realm, that small realm still represented a significant difference.
Thus, Nu Lang remained confident that he could kill Yang Kai.
He must have taken some sort of strength-enhancing pill to achieve this, but regardless of the pill, there would surely be side effects. At his core, Yang Kai was still at the fourth layer of the Kaiyuan Realm, and in terms of Yuan Qi reserves, he couldn't possibly compare to Nu Lang! Nu Lang decided to bide his time, waiting for Yang Kai to exhaust his strength before delivering the final blow.