Jin Ming’s body suddenly vanished.
His presence disappeared in an instant.
The outer disciples watching let out gasps of shock.
This situation was likely only clear to inner disciples of the Mortal Realm, or hall masters and elders.
Ling Xiao’s brows furrowed tightly.
True, his combat strength was undeniably formidable.
One could even say it wasn’t inferior to a Mortal Realm First Layer martial artist.
Yet the gap in cultivation still left him unable to do many things.
For instance, right now, even in his Soul Entry state, he couldn’t sense Jin Ming’s presence.
So, he gave up trying to locate him and instead prepared to counterattack.
“Ah!”
Someone let out a startled cry.
They saw Jin Ming suddenly appear behind Ling Xiao, launching a ferocious attack, like the leg of a mammoth, aimed straight at Ling Xiao’s head.
This sudden strike was incredibly fast.
Even an ordinary Half-Step Grandmaster, or a Mortal Realm First Layer martial artist, might not block it, let alone dodge.
Ling Xiao instantly judged that dodging was pointless, so he thrust out his left hand, throwing a punch.
If he couldn’t dodge, he’d meet it head-on.
In that moment, a flicker of surprise flashed in Jin Ming’s eyes.
Clearly, he thought Ling Xiao wouldn’t react in time.
In the past, Mortal Realm First Layer martial artists he’d defeated had no response to his sudden assaults.
*Boom!*
*Crack!*
Ling Xiao’s left arm seemed to snap, his body sent flying.
Yet even in this state, Ling Xiao landed gracefully in the distance, showing no trace of disarray.
“What terrifying power!”
Ling Xiao glanced at his left arm. His Heavenly Dragon Scale Armor was shattered, and the bones were broken along with it.
“Die!”
Jin Ming’s body vanished again.
“This trick again?”
Ling Xiao let out a cold smirk.
His left arm crackled as the bones fully healed.
He hadn’t used his gold to exchange for spirit stones, so he had enough to use “Golden Restoration.”
Though it was part of a larger technique, he’d isolated it and turned it into a secret art.
As long as he had gold, even severed limbs could be restored, that was Golden Restoration.
Jin Ming vanished and reappeared abruptly.
His attack was still ferocious.
But this time, Ling Xiao dodged with ease.
Earlier, he could only clash head-on because he didn’t understand the attack.
Now, he’d seen the flaw in this move. Let alone once, even ten or twenty times, Jin Ming wouldn’t land a hit.
After all, Ling Xiao’s movement technique was far superior.
Cloud Dragon Divine Travel!
Like a dragon, seen one moment, gone the next!
Combined with his understanding of array principles, he could use minimal true essence to execute intricate steps.
Jin Ming couldn’t predict his movements.
Jin Ming seemed stunned, thinking it was a fluke. He believed his speed surged in his Beast Fury state, and with a surprise attack, Ling Xiao shouldn’t have dodged.
So, he launched several more attacks.
Yet each time, Ling Xiao evaded, each dodge more effortless than the last, even showing signs he might counterattack.
Jin Ming’s judgment wasn’t wrong.
While dodging, Ling Xiao was probing for Jin Ming’s weaknesses.
Jin Ming’s Beast Fury Body, though fearsome like an ancient mammoth, was just a martial art, and a lower-tier one at that.
However, Jin Ming had practiced this defensive technique for so long that he’d reached mastery. In terms of performance, it outshone Ling Xiao’s current techniques.
In his Soul Entry state, the Mountain River Martial Soul’s analytical power worked swiftly.
Ling Xiao discovered Jin Ming hadn’t just cultivated the Beast Fury Body, his body contained traces of mammoth blood.
Like Ling Xiao, he’d awakened some mammoth cells.
But Jin Ming’s awakening was unconscious and minimal, only two cells.
Ling Xiao, however, had awakened thirty golden dragon cells.
Of course, newly awakened cells were in their infancy.
The dragons and mammoths within were like newborns.
Though Jin Ming’s cell awakening was slight, he’d perfectly fused the mammoth blood with his body, greatly enhancing his physical strength.
At this rate, in a month or two, Jin Ming could likely break into the Mortal Realm.
What a pity. If you hadn’t crossed me, Ling Xiao, you wouldn’t die today!
Ling Xiao couldn’t find a specific weakness in the Beast Fury Body.
Or rather, the technique was both entirely flawed and flawless.
The key was whether the attacker had enough power to break through its terrifying defense.
If they could, the Beast Fury Body was meaningless, worse than ordinary attack techniques.
“Damn kid, scurrying like a rabbit!”
Jin Ming, unable to land a hit, was exhausting himself heavily.
He stopped attacking, panting heavily, glaring at Ling Xiao, seemingly pondering how to pin him down.
Otherwise, Ling Xiao’s elusive movement technique made him impossible to hit, too tricky to handle.
“Tired?”
Ling Xiao spoke calmly, unruffled.
His left arm was fully restored, only the clothing there slightly torn.
“You’re telling me you’re not tired at all?”
Jin Ming refused to believe Ling Xiao could dodge his attacks repeatedly without any fatigue, impossible.
“Heh, try me and find out!”
Ling Xiao suddenly launched an attack.
Though his arm was healed, the pain lingered, and he’d make Jin Ming feel it too.
Divine Prison King Fist—Impermanence Strangle! Ghost King Annihilation!
Both fists struck.
A terrifying surge of power.
*Boom!*
Jin Ming didn’t move, standing firm, letting Ling Xiao’s fists slam into him.
But the impact sounded like hitting a mammoth’s body, no effect, and Ling Xiao was thrown back by a rebound force.
He landed ten zhang away.
“Hahaha, tickling me?”
Jin Ming laughed scornfully.
Indeed, his defense is stronger than mine! Ling Xiao thought.
This guy’s body, while not on par with an ancient mammoth, was terrifying enough.
The destructive power of the Divine Prison King Fist couldn’t breach it.
But his attack wasn’t wasted.
What seemed ineffective was part of his plan.
“Mammoth Water Absorption!”
Suddenly, Jin Ming aimed both hands at Ling Xiao, like a mammoth’s trunk, generating a massive pulling force.
The shadow of a mammoth behind him grew clearer.
