Inside the barrier gate, after a brief exchange of blows, the black monster once again spoke in mockery: "Chu Feng, if that's all you've got, you won't be able to defeat me."
With that, the black monster's armor opened, and a sound like the cry of a cicada emanated from within its body.
Chu Feng's brow immediately furrowed in pain, his movements freezing for an instant.
The black monster seized that opening and thrust straight toward Chu Feng's face.
But just as the attack was about to land, Chu Feng dodged aside. At the same time, the divine spear in his hand moved even faster — like a bolt of lightning, it struck the black monster directly.
Fortunately, the black monster reacted quickly enough. As it retracted its armor, it concentrated its defensive power at a single point, managing to block Chu Feng's strike. Even so, the tremendous impact sent it flying a considerable distance.
"You... weren't affected?"
After steadying itself, the black monster stared at Chu Feng, bewildered.
It knew that Chu Feng had not actually been affected by that move. Chu Feng had only pretended to be affected, then launched a surprise attack while its guard was down — that was how the spear had pierced through. If not for the fact that it could concentrate its armor's defensive power at a single point, it would not have been able to withstand that blow.
But what it couldn't understand was why Chu Feng had been immune in the first place.
"Senior, that technique of yours — it's a soundwave skill, isn't it?"
"Just blocking your ears would do the trick," Chu Feng said.
"Interesting." The black monster smiled meaningfully.
Chu Feng made it sound so simple — just block your ears?
But were its methods really that straightforward?
Chu Feng had indeed blocked his ears, but not in the way an ordinary person would understand. He possessed an extraordinary level of control over his own body, soul, and martial force, which was how he had managed to neutralize the attack. In short, the same method could only be effective in Chu Feng's hands.
"Since you've got some real skill, brat."
"Then I'll stop holding back."
The black monster smiled faintly and launched itself at Chu Feng once more.
This time, the black monster's combat power had recovered to the level it had displayed against the New King and the others.
Sure enough, it had never truly been weakened — it had simply been deliberately suppressing its strength.
Once again facing the black monster in battle, Chu Feng found himself at a severe disadvantage. After only a brief exchange, he was immediately pushed onto the defensive, able only to guard without the opportunity to counterattack. If this continued, even his defenses would crumble, because the opponent was not only powerful but also extraordinarily fast.
"Senior, you said your combat power had dropped — how is it already back up?" Chu Feng asked.
"I said it dropped. I never said it couldn't recover."
But Chu Feng was not afraid. He formed a hand seal, and a wisp of golden qi flowed from his fingertip, coiling around his entire body. An immortal aura drifted around him ethereally.
In that moment, Chu Feng's combat power surged.
"That is...?"
Upon seeing this, the faces of Ye Xiancheng and his parents — which had just barely calmed — changed drastically once more.
They recognized it at a glance. It was the inherited martial technique of their Ye Clan Immortal Family.
The Three-Stage Divine Restriction — Immortal Dao Body Shield.
And then, another wisp of golden qi flowed from his fingertip.
But this wisp was different from the previous one. It did not immediately form anything, nor did it attach itself to Chu Feng's body. Instead, it transformed into a talisman — a talisman radiating a sacred aura that penetrated through the layer of the Immortal Dao Body Shield and entered Chu Feng's legs.
Chu Feng's speed increased correspondingly. Even against the black monster operating at its full strength, Chu Feng was now able to hold his own.
"How... how does he know that?"
Even Ye Xiancheng's eyes went wide as he blurted out in shock.
Because it was once again the inherited martial technique of his Ye Clan Immortal Family.
The Three-Stage Divine Restriction — Immortal Dao Movement Technique.
"Could it be... from back then?"
A look flickered across Ye Xiancheng's face.