The wind howled, carrying with it the roars of tigers, as it surrounded Lin Ce from all directions.
Within the black wind, one ghost after another rushed forward, some possessing the decaying corpses, others existing directly as spirits, to intercept them.
At this moment, Lin Ce didn't care about anything. His blood and energy were extremely vigorous. Every punch and kick was powerful and sweeping, carrying the momentum to kill gods and demons, and he pushed forward.
"I was afraid that it would be bad to harm this body, but now it seems that things can't always go as planned."
Amidst the black wind, the figure of the middle-aged scholar reappeared, uttering these words.
"Boom!"
Lin Ce threw a punch that caused the air to boom, shattering the figure into nothingness.
Now is the critical moment for him to escape the shadow of the black wind. He is unwilling to waste words and believes in the principle of taking action rather than speaking.
However, things did not go as he had planned.
"Aww~"
Amidst the deafening roar of the tiger, the rotting corpses that had blocked their way scattered and sank into the black wind like mud and sand entering the sea.
At almost the same time, within the black wind, a figure gradually solidified.
It was a black tiger, only about the size of an ordinary tiger, and it exuded a putrid stench.
Lin Ce understood that this was obviously formed from the decaying corpses found in the mountains and forests.
Although this black tiger was not as large as the previous tiger, it still brought Lin Ce a greater sense of oppression.
Clearly, the power contained within this black tiger's body far surpasses that of Tiger Two.
Tiger Two can already unleash a burst of energy several dozen feet long at will, so what kind of methods will Black Tiger, who is even stronger than him, possess?
Lin Ce's brows furrowed into a deep frown.
Having reached his level of martial arts cultivation, he naturally knew what lay ahead.
Martial artists of the seventh, eighth, and ninth ranks can respectively cultivate internal strength, external strength, and spiritual strength.
But regardless of the type of effort, they all ultimately fall under the category of acquired methods.
Going further up, it's no longer about acquired methods, but about innate abilities.
As a great demon who once surpassed the innate level, it wouldn't be surprising if it, now that it's still alive, displayed some innate-level abilities.
Lin Ce looked grave, but he knew he had no way to retreat.
"Ha~"
With a loud exhale, he cast all his thoughts aside and punched forward with his fist.
He pushed the sixth level (perfect) of "Mountain Breaking Fist" to its limit.
Apart from the extremely physically demanding combination move "Mountain-Breaking Flying Rock," this is already considered his peak combat power.
"Boom!"
Black Tiger's tail lashed out like lightning, colliding head-on with Lin Ce's fist.
The instant his fist made contact with the opponent's tail, Lin Ce felt a sharp pain penetrate his skin and seep into his flesh.
This single strike alone demonstrates that Black Tiger's offensive power far surpasses Tiger Two's several dozen feet of energy.
The skin membrane developed by the sixth level of "Mountain-Breaking Fist" is as thick as a drum, and with the fifth level (perfected) "Azure Rock Robe", the defensive power is strong enough to ignore the attack of unparalleled energy.
However, the black tiger's tail, as if wrapped in a layer of hazy fluorescence, stood out conspicuously in the dark environment.
The black tiger's tail struck his fist, causing his powerful defense to crumble like a house of cards.
The stinging sensation was extremely uncomfortable.
Lin Ce knew that his fist must have been turned into a bloody mess by this blow.
The stinging pain, like needle pricks, continued to penetrate deeper.
Like a wheel of blades, needles began to invade his bones.
A chill ran through Lin Ce's heart.
In fact, the skin membrane I've developed to this level is not entirely useless.
At least, by the time these blade-like needles struck the bones inside the body, they had already been reduced by more than half, leaving less than a third of their original power.
This unprecedented force, though powerful, was not enough to completely destroy his flesh and bones.
"Buzz~"
At this moment, the tendons and bones inside his body trembled violently, emitting the roars of tigers and leopards.
The needle-like rays that attacked like blades received a great boost and were eventually worn away by the thunderous roar of the tiger and leopard.
Lin Ce wouldn't let any opportunity slip by. At this moment, he had already gripped the black tiger's tail tightly with both hands, ignoring the stinging sensation that continued to invade his body, and pulled hard.
"Aww~"
Black Tiger roared to the sky, and his entire body was pulled to one side.
Aside from its sharp, needle-like techniques, in a simple contest of brute force, it seemed to be at a disadvantage against Lin Ce.
"Go on your way!"
After violently pulling on the black tiger's body, Lin Ce stomped his foot on the ground, his ankle sinking deep into the mud, and then threw himself with all his might.
"Boom!"
Black Tiger, who had initially held the advantage in the attack, was now unable to maintain his balance and was slammed to the ground by Lin Ce in an arc.
The ground shook.
Feeling the sharp needles constantly penetrating his body, Lin Ce exhaled.
"Is this the innate 'true qi'?"
He had to temporarily let go and step back.
Too much "true energy" invaded his body in a short period of time, and even he, who was able to make his muscles and bones resonate, found it difficult to completely neutralize it.
The force of this strike was immense, causing the fused black tiger's body to show signs of shattering.
However, it's only a matter of time before they coalesce again under the cover of that black wind.
Lin Ce understood that although he seemed to have won the first round of the battle, if the stalemate continued, he might not be the one to win.
With his mind clear, he didn't linger and continued carrying Yu Jiu as he sped away.
Tiger Two's earlier words were somewhat of a reference. The mountain lord was clearly not in good condition. The power he could exert at the moment was not much, and it was not to the point of being completely unstoppable.
However, Tiger Two clearly had no sense of being an ally; he simply wanted to use him as a vanguard to wear down the mountain lord's strength.
Having seen through this, Lin Ce was naturally unwilling to take the enormous risk of fighting that mountain lord to the death.
While carrying Yu Jiu and running, he vibrated the tendons and bones in his body to slowly wear down the invading "true energy".
However, since the battlefield is ultimately within his body, regardless of victory or defeat, it will be a huge burden for him.
As his "true energy" was depleted, his flesh and blood were also damaged, resulting in serious injuries.
If a different martial artist were to come, such injuries would be enough to jeopardize their very foundation.
No wonder that the mountain lord initially only wanted to rely on Yu Jiu's "sea mirage" to control him, rather than resorting to force.
After all, a body whose foundation has been damaged is not in the other party's interest.
Lin Ce's foundation was not damaged as a result.
It's all because of its "great ginseng efficacy".
This "Great Ginseng Skill" comes from Liu Tianwang of Tianwang Village, and it is indeed exceptional.
Although he was almost beaten into mincemeat by Lin Ce's giant iron club, Liu Tianwang was still alive and quickly recovered.
At this moment, his mastery of "Great Ginseng Skill" surpassed that of Liu Tianwang. His blood surged like a great river, nourishing the damaged parts and rapidly restoring them to their original state.
In fact, because of the destruction and reconstruction, this part has become even stronger.
But compared to other things, this benefit is nothing.
As Lin Ce was dissipating the "true energy" needles that had invaded his body, he discovered that his flesh and blood seemed to have memorized the shapes of these "true energy" needles in the process.
Having been stuck at the ninth rank of "external strength" in martial arts, unable to develop "internal strength" and "qi strength," a new power began to gradually emerge from the depths of his flesh and blood at this moment.
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