Chapter 122: Only One Way Forward—Battle! (Second Update)

"Get lost!"

Feeling the sudden gale of wind attacking from behind, Ke Bei didn't even look back. He swung his arm with a violent, sweeping motion, striking backward with all his might.

*Bang!*

His fist, carrying immense power, shattered the air. Accompanied by a piercing sonic boom, it swept fiercely toward Han Qi, a Mid-level God King clad in purple battle armor.

"Hmph."

Han Qi had not expected the human before him to react with such keen agility. With a cold snort, he bent his body sharply to evade Ke Bei's sweeping arm, while his own fist, enveloped in dense purple light, slammed heavily into Ke Bei's back.

*Boom!*

The massive force sent Ke Bei’s body flying forward instantly. At the same time, the purple energy slithered into Ke Bei’s body like a venomous snake, beginning to frantically devour his life force.

"Nether Purple Fire, come out!"

Struck by the Mid-level God King, Ke Bei used the momentum to increase his speed. With his indestructible body protecting him, pure physical attacks—even from the God King realm—could not harm him!

As his body flew toward the exit of the crystal palace, feeling the purple energy devouring his insides, Ke Bei let out a low growl. Internal energy surged madly toward his brow, and the Nether Purple Fire erupted, instantly incinerating the intruding energy into nothingness. Just as Ke Bei prepared to rush out of the palace, the moment the cyan-white cold air at the entrance touched his body, purple flames flared up violently. Enveloped in the shimmering fire, Ke Bei took a fierce step and crossed the threshold of the crystal palace.

The instant he cleared the palace, Ke Bei pushed off with his feet again, sprinting wildly toward the mouth of the cave!

"Where do you think you can run?"

The muscles at the corners of Han Qi's eyes twitched slightly. Dense purple energy erupted frantically, and in an instant, his domain blanketed the entire valley, encompassing a radius of fifty kilometers!

"Stop right there!"

The Mid-level God King in the purple armor roared, and the purple energy within the domain hammered down relentlessly upon the fleeing Ke Bei.

Suddenly, Ke Bei’s running pace faltered as his entire body felt as if it had been pinned down by a massive mountain. His feet smashed two deep craters into the ground.

The pressure from all sides squeezed his body mercilessly. Han Qi was a Mid-level God King, ten times stronger than the Low-level God he had fought earlier! The terrifying pressure was likewise ten times greater.

"Hmph! This trick again!"

Ke Bei let out a cold snort, his expression unchanging. He was no longer the novice he once was. Three months of cultivation had allowed him to master the first-layer secret technique of the Qitian Tower, complete the ultimate quest for the beginner martial arts, and obtain the full versions of the Indestructible Body Divine Art and the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art. His body was now tempered to a level more terrifying than any demonic beast.

While this pressure could pose some threat, it was no longer enough to crush his bones as it had before—not even at ten times the intensity!

*Boom!*

Ke Bei clenched his fists tightly, the veins on his forehead bulging like writhing serpents. His muscles, glowing with a faint golden luster, tensed up, bulging and coiling together like strands of steel wire. With a low roar, he pushed off the ground with all his might. His body instantly broke free from the invisible pressure. The Nine Yang Divine Art internal energy surged from his dantian, and he unleashed the Lingbo Micro-steps. Like a dragon breaking free from its chains, his body shook off the purple light particles surrounding him and lunged toward the cave exit.

With his speed erupting to terrifying levels, Ke Bei reached nine times the speed of sound, even within Han Qi's domain. In the blink of an eye, he bolted out of the cave and fled rapidly toward the west.

Han Qi, who had just stepped out of the crystal palace, watched Ke Bei’s receding back, a flash of astonishment in his eyes.

"Wing-Ku losing to this human… it was no injustice."

"To be able to reach nine times the speed of sound within my domain! This boy is likely the most heaven-defying talent among humans in the last hundred years. Such terrifying potential—among the God race, only *that one* could compare in the last century..."

The Mid-level God in the purple armor glanced at the translucent crystal palace, his gaze drifting as a long-sealed memory slowly surfaced in his mind.

Twenty years ago, it was this very crystal palace that had imprisoned a young God-race boy named "Jiang"—the most gifted individual in the history of the race—for three years.

In just three short years, that boy, known only by the single name "Jiang," had broken through from the High-level God realm directly to the peak of the God King realm!

"Jiang" had shattered the crystal palace, fought ten peak-level God Kings single-handedly, and then left the Heavenly Corpse Mountain with the palace in tow, never to be seen again.

Watching Ke Bei flee, the Mid-level God King could not help but think of that legendary figure.

"He must be killed today! Otherwise, in three years, the human race will have another terrifying entity in their ranks!"

After a moment of hesitation, cold, murderous intent erupted from the Mid-level God King’s purple eyes.

*Boom!*

With a heavy stomp, Han Qi transformed into a bolt of purple lightning, chasing after Ke Bei. With fifty kilometers under his domain, a Mid-level God King's speed was already terrifying; now, within his own domain, Han Qi was faster than ever.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

In just three breaths, Han Qi caught sight of Ke Bei. He was now less than five hundred meters away.

"Damn it, he's fast as hell!"

Hearing the whistling gale behind him, Ke Bei’s expression shifted slightly. His internal energy surged frantically as he pushed the Lingbo Micro-steps to their limit. His body moved in eerie, uncanny ways, leaving behind trails of afterimages as he sped westward.

"Trying to escape within my domain?"

Han Qi raised an eyebrow, let out a cold snort, and unleashed a brilliant burst of purple energy. Stepping through the void, his speed increased once more!

Five hundred meters! Four hundred meters! Three hundred meters!

Han Qi had hit his limit, closing the distance in the blink of an eye!

One hundred meters! Fifty meters! Twenty meters!

"Screw you!"

Feeling the wind whistling behind him, Ke Bei’s face darkened. He gritted his teeth and spun his body in a bizarre, swirling motion, leaving a series of afterimages. He knew that relying on speed alone to escape was now impossible. If it were a Low-level God King, he might have had a chance, but against a Mid-level God King, escape was nearly impossible; the King was simply too fast.

Even the uncanny Lingbo Micro-steps could not shake off a Mid-level God King, especially while trapped within his domain, where the invisible pressure kept Ke Bei’s speed restricted.

"Damn it, I'm done running!"

Ke Bei came to a sudden halt. Since he couldn't run, he would have to fight!

*Boom!*

The moment he stopped, Ke Bei focused his mind, and the Nether Purple Fire engulfed him completely. Facing a God King, he dared not be careless. He couldn't withstand the King's strange energy attacks, so he would have to rely on the Nether Purple Fire to maneuver!

"So, a little thing at the Transcendent Realm like you managed to pass through that cold current—it was all thanks to this purple flame, eh?"

Han Qi stepped through the air, looking down at Ke Bei with a deep, resonant voice.

"What? Do you think that just because you have those purple flames, I can't hurt you?"

Han Qi descended slowly, glancing at the rising flames with a look of feigned indifference. Though he spoke with disdain, his heart was in turmoil. When he was dozens of meters above Ke Bei, he had felt the terrifying heat of the flames; now, standing less than twenty meters away, he found the fire even more extraordinary.

"You can try!"

Ke Bei shrugged nonchalantly. The Nether Purple Fire was known as the "God-Slaying Flame," and with his current strength, he could fully withstand the pressure of this Mid-level God King.

As for physical attacks, with Ke Bei’s current bodily strength, even a God King could not harm him in the slightest! And with the Nether Purple Fire to guard against energy attacks, he had nothing to fear!

Since he had chosen to fight, he would fight with everything he had! What use was there in worrying? Whether he could hold his own against a God King would be decided by the outcome!

"You're courting death!"

Han Qi’s expression changed instantly. He was a dignified Mid-level God King; how dare a lowly Transcendent Realm human be so arrogant in his presence!

*Boom!*

With a dark expression, Han Qi unleashed waves of purple energy, and the fifty-kilometer domain began to shrink rapidly.

*Crack, crack!*

As the domain contracted, the invisible pressure grew stronger. Ke Bei narrowed his eyes, standing tall and straight. He did not budge an inch, but the hard stone beneath his feet could not withstand the immense pressure, sinking inward inch by inch!

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The purple energy radiating from Han Qi intensified as the domain shrank until it was only a hundred meters in diameter. By then, Ke Bei’s legs were buried deep within the solid rock, which had been pulverized into fine dust.

"Go to hell!"

It felt as if a mountain weighing millions of pounds was pressing down on him, but Ke Bei’s spine remained rigid. With a roar, his golden-hued muscles tightened, and a massive force erupted from the soles of his feet. He leapt upward, and the Nether Purple Fire transformed into a fire dragon, charging fiercely toward the Mid-level God King in the purple armor!