"Eight Realms of Sorcery!"
At this moment, this was the only phrase echoing in everyone's minds.
Ordinary people might not understand the divisions of martial arts and sorcery realms, but everyone present was a member of Hong Kong's elite.
They knew precisely what the "Eight Realms of Sorcery" signified!
Across the entire realm of mystics, only a handful of the five great sects could boast a few eighth-realm powerhouses!
For any other sect, let alone the eighth realm, even reaching the seventh realm was an extreme rarity!
If an eighth-realm powerhouse were to emerge in such a sect, the entire sect would ascend to prominence, becoming the foremost sect beneath the top five!
Even the five great sects would extend congratulations and invite such an eighth-realm powerhouse to serve as an honored guest.
This was the prestige of an eighth-realm powerhouse!
This was the might of an eighth-realm powerhouse!
Unexpectedly, He Chongxu, with his technique "He Yin," had forcibly elevated his own realm to the eighth realm of sorcery.
Although this was only temporary, it was still enough to shock everyone!
This meant He Chongxu had definitively secured his position as the foremost mystic master in Hong Kong.
This signified that He Chongxu had now become the undisputed spokesperson for the mystic community in Hong Kong, his word absolute!
Though the crowd was rendered speechless by He Chongxu's imposing pressure, their minds were already racing with calculations.
He Chongxu, an eighth-realm powerhouse, against Ying Chen, whose realm was unknown, theoretically, victory was a foregone conclusion, with no room for surprise.
Therefore, the victor of this battle would undoubtedly be He Chongxu.
Consequently, the one hundred million dollars previously transferred to Ying Chen could be saved.
No, not saved, but directly handed over to He Chongxu!
At that time, they would have to respectfully praise He Chongxu for "eliminating a menace for the people"!
Otherwise, missing this opportunity to curry favor would make it exceedingly difficult to even catch a glimpse of He Chongxu in the future!
In an instant, the collective mindset shifted.
Almost unanimously, everyone turned their allegiance to He Chongxu.
They completely forgot how He Chongxu had previously disregarded their lives, intending to eliminate them alongside Ying Chen.
He Chongxu, sensing the increasingly fervent adoration emanating from the crowd, knew that the tide had turned.
His spectral form, merged with the celestial crane, became even more solid.
The pressure it exuded grew more intense.
Many people fell to their knees, their teeth chattering and bodies trembling, on the verge of burying their heads in the dirt.
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
...
He Chongxu glanced at Ying Chen and shouted again.
His voice reverberated through the venue, endless and persistent.
It was as if they had entered a divine realm, with He Chongxu as the deity, his pronouncements shaking the entire domain.
Others could only submit to his divine might, unable to extricate themselves.
But as the echo of his voice faded towards its end, He Chongxu's brow suddenly furrowed. He noticed Ying Chen still standing in his original position, motionless!
It seemed that neither the immense pressure generated by He Chongxu nor the divine pronouncements could affect Ying Chen!
Furthermore, it wasn't just Ying Chen who was unaffected; even Zhuang Ruoting, standing beside him, seemed completely unharmed!
Zhuang Ruoting also stood as if nothing had happened, showing no sign of submission to him!
This could not help but enrage He Chongxu.
"You two... deserve to die!"
He Chongxu spat out the words coldly.
In the next instant, his figure suddenly moved.
A crane's claw, as vast as a mountain range, was raised high and then descended upon Ying Chen and Zhuang Ruoting!
As the crane's claw descended, it seemed to eclipse the entire sky, leaving only an endless darkness!
Zhuang Ruoting's expression changed drastically.
Instinctively, she tried to flee.
However, He Chongxu's crane claw encompassed nearly half the venue; where could Zhuang Ruoting possibly escape to?
Just as Zhuang Ruoting was about to be crushed by the crane's claw, Ying Chen, who had been motionless, finally moved.
Ying Chen casually waved his hand, saying, "A petty trick, you embarrass yourself by displaying it."
Then, a scene that was both horrifying and astonishing unfolded.
With a mere flick of Ying Chen's hand, the crane's claw was actually sent tilting to the side!
Concurrently, a piercing, unsettling sound of distortion accompanied it.
Crack!
As the distorted sound reached its apex, the entire crane's claw suddenly snapped!
With a thud, it broke off and rolled onto the ground, landing with a tremendous crash!
"..."
Everyone was dumbfounded.
The guests who had just placed their absolute faith in He Chongxu were now thrown into disarray.
Wasn't he an eighth-realm powerhouse?
Wasn't he supposed to be invincible?
How could he have a crane's claw broken off by Ying Chen in their very first exchange?
Where was the might of an eighth-realm powerhouse?
Where was the dignity of an eighth-realm powerhouse?
The collective mindset shifted once more, with a portion of the scales in people's hearts tipping back towards Ying Chen.
He Chongxu himself was also filled with shock and disbelief.
After all, he hadn't lied just now!
He had indeed reached the eighth realm of sorcery with the aid of He Yin!
At this level, dealing with a mere mainland country bumpkin should have been effortless!
Who would have thought that not only could he not subdue the opponent, but he also had a leg broken off by Ying Chen's counter-strike!
Even now, He Chongxu couldn't comprehend how Ying Chen had managed it.
An eighth-realm powerhouse, not a third or fourth-realm, how could they be so easily defeated with a single blow?
"It must be a coincidence, it must be a coincidence! He must have discovered an unstable fusion point between me and the celestial crane!"
"Try again!"
"I refuse to believe he can break it off with one blow again!"
He Chongxu muttered to himself, and then, against his better judgment, raised his other crane's claw.
With the added force of his wings, the colossal crane's claw rose into the air and then descended with a roar.
Its power was more than double that of before!
Forget Ying Chen; even Iron Man would likely be flattened by this crane's claw!
Surely Ying Chen was doomed this time?
The guests couldn't help but think.
But to their utter astonishment, a scene beyond their wildest imagination unfolded once more.
Ying Chen, with a look of faint amusement, delivered another casual slap!
Slap!
This time, not only the crane's claw, but the entire celestial crane, like a rubber ball, was sent flying high into the air!
Crack!
First came the sound of a broken crane's claw.
Then followed the sound of a broken crane's wing.
Finally, the sound of a broken crane's neck.
By the time all sounds ceased, the celestial crane transformed by He Chongxu was completely unrecognizable.
It looked like a plucked, dead chicken, its feathers disheveled, its body scattered. Though its entire form was still spinning in the air, it was clear it was utterly ruined.
Bang!
Finally, after spinning in the air for several tens of seconds, He Chongxu's body crashed to the ground.
The onlookers gasped as they took it in.
He Chongxu had been struck back to his original form by Ying Chen's single blow!
There was no longer any semblance of a celestial crane.
He was just a middle-aged man with broken bones and fractured limbs, lying on the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
His fractured ribs had pierced through his skin, an agonizing sight!
The crowd, unable to bear it, turned their heads away, simultaneously casting looks of awe towards Ying Chen.
One blow, the entire fight was just one blow!
Since Ying Chen began his battle with He Chongxu, he had employed no other methods!
He Chongxu unleashed his crane feathers, Ying Chen broke them with a single slap;
He Chongxu performed his "Tian Yue He Xue," and Ying Chen again broke it with a slap;
He Chongxu used his ultimate move, He Yin, and in the end, it was still broken by Ying Chen's slap!
It seemed there was nothing in this world that Ying Chen couldn't solve with a single slap!
Perhaps he should be called "Slap Immortal" from now on!