BOOM— Suddenly, the Magma Emperor's body lost all support and collapsed heavily into the seawater.
SPLOOOSH— Waves shot skyward, but the Magma Emperor's flesh did not actually sink to the ocean floor. It was not a last-ditch trick from the Magma Emperor — it was a vast, enormous golden barrier that had risen from beneath the water to cradle his body.
It was Chu Feng. It was Chu Feng's barrier technique. Chu Feng had used his barrier arts to hold the Magma Emperor aloft.
And more than that — the mouth that had been biting down on the Magma Emperor had already let go. Chu Feng had fully freed himself from the grip of the Magma Emperor's colossal hand.
He stood in midair, his hands constantly shifting through one intricate hand seal after another, moving so fast that only afterimages remained.
Suddenly, Chu Feng's movements stopped. He pointed a finger down at the Magma Emperor below and bellowed: "Restrict!"
WHOOOOSH— In that instant, countless streams of golden barrier light — like chains — shot from his fingertip. But those chains grew larger as they flew, each one swelling to over a dozen meters thick, until they densely wrapped around the Magma Emperor's body, binding it tight.
CRACK— CRACK— Under the restraint of those barrier chains, the Magma Emperor's supposedly indestructible flesh began to split apart with crack after crack, crumbling just like stone.
"What have you done?! What have you done to my body?!"
The Magma Emperor was still roaring, but compared to before, his voice no longer carried that overwhelming force of intimidation. It was weaker by several orders of magnitude.
Even the ferocity in his gaze had dimmed considerably.
"Chu Feng, what… what's going on?" At the same moment, the four Sacred Beasts stared at Chu Feng in utter bewilderment.
They were simply too curious — curious to know what kind of technique Chu Feng had used to bring the Magma Emperor, whom they remembered as ruthlessly savage, to such a desperate state.
"Seniors, take a look at my current cultivation level. That is your answer," Chu Feng said to the four Sacred Beasts.
"That… that's impossible?!" Upon hearing Chu Feng's words, the four Sacred Beasts' expressions grew even more dramatic.
Because at this very moment — after activating his Lightning Armor and Lightning Wings — Chu Feng's cultivation was no longer the Eighth Level Martial Emperor.
It was the Ninth Level Martial Emperor!!!
In other words, even without the Lightning Armor and Lightning Wings — the two techniques that boosted his cultivation — Chu Feng's true cultivation had already reached the Seventh Level Martial Emperor.
But before, Chu Feng had clearly been only at the Sixth Level Martial Emperor. That could only mean one thing — he had broken through.
"Chu Feng, are you saying… you were able to break through by using the Magma Emperor's body?" The four Sacred Beasts were both shocked and thrilled, unable to hold back their questions.
"Exactly. The Magma Emperor's flesh contains a tremendous amount of the energy of heaven and earth. That energy is an absolute treasure for my cultivation, and as long as I make contact with his body, I can absorb it."
"Moreover, the Magma Emperor's body is quite unique — very different from ours. Once I begin absorbing and refining that energy, his flesh will fall outside of his control. Even his soul will be affected."
"That is why I told you, seniors, that I could handle the Magma Emperor on my own," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"So it really was true." With their suspicions confirmed, all that remained in the eyes of the four Sacred Beasts was excitement.