Rumbling...
Though Ying Chen unleashed a punch, the sky thundered with a chorus of thunderous roars, an unending drone.
It was as if a colossal bolt of lightning was rolling within the clouds, poised to descend at any moment.
Vast ripples bloomed in the void, obscuring everyone's sight. For a time, they could only vaguely discern Ying Chen suspended mid-air and the Hidden Dragon Daoist perched atop the dragon's head. The two stood in confrontation, motionless.
"Why aren't they moving? Is it a stalemate, forcing them to hold their ground?"
"In a duel between masters, one seeks the instant to strike for a kill. They're definitely waiting, waiting for the opponent to show a flaw."
"You've watched too many movies. I bet the outcome is already decided, and the other person, having lost the ability to fight back, can't move, or dare not move. As for who won or lost, I don't think I need to say more, right?"
"You mean... the Immortal Hidden Dragon won? But Ying Chen's momentum just now seemed impressive! Those punches he threw were like the God of Thunder himself had descended, even the thunder in the sky echoed..."
"You know nothing! Does loudness mean strength? Don't you know the saying, 'The dog that bites doesn't bark'? So, even though Immortal Hidden Dragon appears calm and silent, he's actually the one that truly bites..."
Mid-sentence, the speaker suddenly clapped a hand over their mouth.
Then, they looked fearfully at the Hidden Dragon Daoist.
He had almost, just barely, escaped saying, "The Hidden Dragon Daoist is a dog!"
Fortunately, he was quick-witted and shut his mouth at the critical moment.
Judging by the Hidden Dragon Daoist's continued motionless posture, he likely hadn't noticed or wasn't angered.
Otherwise, he would have already been a corpse.
"Whoosh," the man breathed a sigh of relief and continued to watch the two battling figures.
But soon, everyone noticed something was amiss.
How much time had passed, and why was there still no movement from the Immortal Hidden Dragon?
More importantly, even if he wasn't moving, why was the vortex beneath his feet slowly crumbling?
Conversely, Ying Chen remained firmly entrenched in the air, as stable as a mountain.
Could it be...
Swish!
Everyone's expressions instantly changed.
They all thought of one possibility.
"No, no..."
They shook their heads repeatedly, unwilling to accept this possibility.
Because to admit it would mean their defeat, the defeat of Hong Kong!
Yet, reality continued to unfold in a direction they desperately wished to avoid.
Crack, crack...
The vortex beneath the Hidden Dragon Daoist's feet had already shattered by more than half!
The vortex, which had once reached the heavens, was now less than the height of a tree!
And it continued to descend!
The Hidden Dragon Daoist stood upon it, unmoving, showing no intention of stopping it!
Clearly, it wasn't that he didn't want to stop it, but that he was powerless to do so!
In the blink of an eye, the Hidden Dragon Daoist, who had once looked down upon all beings and scorned the mortal world, tumbled into the dust!
And Ying Chen became the one to be looked up to by all, receiving their awe and worship!
Plop!
Li Fengcheng collapsed to the ground.
He muttered to himself, "Impossible, impossible... how could this be?"
He simply couldn't believe what he was seeing!
He had spent immense wealth and effort, only for it to end like this. How could he be reconciled?
"No! Immortal Hidden Dragon is definitely fine! All of this is an illusion! An illusion created by Immortal Hidden Dragon, a desperate gambit!"
"The ultimate victor will surely be Immortal Hidden Dragon!"
Li Fengcheng roared.
Strangely, Li Fengcheng's desperate cry of a vanquished foe found an echo in one person present.
"That's right, Mr. Li has foresight. My uncle master will never be defeated!"
"All of this is merely an illusion. In reality, my uncle master is brewing new power! Once he has completed this brewing, he will surely make that Ying Chen perish!"
It was He Chongxu.
Upon hearing He Chongxu's words, Li Fengcheng wept with joy.
He had just spoken casually, but it turned out to be true?
"Hahahaha, I knew Immortal Hidden Dragon would be fine!" Li Fengcheng burst into laughter.
At this moment, the long-accumulating thunder in the sky seemed to have finally received its orders, its permission, and with a sudden rumble, it cascaded from the nine heavens.
The terrifying momentum, coupled with Ying Chen's indifferent gaze, created a scene of unparalleled slaughter and chilling coldness!
Ten thousand thunders transformed into a colossal purple electric python, striking the vortex beneath the Hidden Dragon Daoist, which was now less than a third of its original size.
Instantly, fire erupted, and the vortex shattered.
The Hidden Dragon Daoist then fell from the air, landing with a thud, like a dead dog, his fate unknown.
"..."
Seeing this, Li Fengcheng was dumbfounded.
He Chongxu was also dumbfounded.
They had just finished praising the Hidden Dragon Daoist, only for him to perform a "die to show you" act, slapping their faces in front of everyone?
"Heh."
In the air, Ying Chen glanced indifferently at Li Fengcheng and He Chongxu, letting out a faint chuckle.
Clearly, Ying Chen had heard their boasting.
And this scene, rather than the Hidden Dragon Daoist slapping their faces, was Ying Chen slapping their faces!
"Fist intent reaching the divine, this is true fist intent reaching the divine!"
Someone present exclaimed.
They had only heard before that when fist intent reached its highest level, it could be like a god, evoking the power of heaven and earth.
But in reality, even martial arts masters of the Heavenly rank merely simulated some of the majestic aura of heaven and earth with their fist intent.
They did not truly evoke the power of heaven and earth.
Ying Chen, however, was now demonstrating what true fist intent reaching the divine looked like. With a pair of fists, he not only shattered the Hidden Dragon Daoist's Thousand-Eyed Inverse Scale but also evoked the response of lightning, sending the Hidden Dragon Daoist plummeting to the dust!
"We... lost?"
Everyone present, who had been clinging to hope, now looked like defeated roosters, their faces ashen, filled with fear and despair.
On the contrary, Wu Sansheng and Liao Yifan exchanged glances, then excitedly embraced each other.
"I knew Mr. Ying would be fine!"
"Long live Mr. Ying!"
The two jumped and shouted with joy.
They were completely unaware of how indecent and unbearable their actions appeared to others at that moment.
"Did you see clearly?"
Ying Chen descended from the air, as if stepping down a staircase.
As he walked, he asked Xiao Bao.
Xiao Bao's eyes were filled with fervor and longing as he nodded repeatedly, "I saw clearly!"
"Fist reaches beyond the heavens!"
Upon hearing Xiao Bao's words, Ying Chen asked no further.
What he could do was now done.
As for whether Xiao Bao could truly achieve the ideal of "fist reaches beyond the heavens," it was up to him alone.
Ying Chen had only been willing to go to this extent and strike a thousand and one punches to defeat the Hidden Dragon Daoist because he saw a shadow of Meng Zi in Xiao Bao.
Otherwise, Ying Chen wouldn't have needed to expend such effort. Even though the Hidden Dragon Daoist's Thousand-Eyed Inverse Scale was indeed quite lethal, in Ying Chen's opinion, one punch would have sufficed.
"Hmm?"
The moment Ying Chen's foot touched the ground, his eyes narrowed, and he looked at the Hidden Dragon Daoist on the ground.
He had sensed something amiss from the Hidden Dragon Daoist!