Chapter 977: Truly a Monster (3rd Update)

"BOOM~~~~~~~~~"

The Heavenburning Flames hurtled forward at terrifying speed. In the mere instant that Qiu Shui Fu Yan froze in shock, they had already arrived with a deafening roar — like a towering crimson tidal wave, or a savage army transformed from demon beasts, carrying the might to destroy heaven and earth and the momentum to annihilate everything, crashing down before Chu Feng.

Before the Heavenburning Flames, Chu Feng was like an ant standing before a flood, utterly unable to contend. In a mere instant, he was swallowed by the ferocious fire.

Moreover, the terrifying Heavenburning Flames did not stop after devouring Chu Feng. Instead, waves of heat surged skyward, roiling and churning, continuing to barrel toward Qiu Shui Fu Yan — because she had always been the true target. She was the one Huangfu Haoyue intended to kill.

"Hahaha! Ignorant brat, who do you think Huangfu Haoyue is? With borrowed cultivation, you dare try to contend with him — an eighth-grade Martial King? You're simply courting death!!!"

Watching the surging, roiling Heavenburning Flames that had consumed a vast stretch of void and could burn everything to nothing, Murong Mingtian burst into triumphant laughter. For he knew exactly how terrifying the Heavenburning Flames were — and even more so, how terrifying Huangfu Haoyue's version of them was.

"Heavenburning Flames can burn all things between heaven and earth" — this was no mere figure of speech. Huangfu Haoyue's Heavenburning Flames could truly accomplish this, for he had long since cultivated the Burning Heaven Holy Cult's supreme treasure — the Burning Heaven Mystic Art — to perfection. The flame mark upon his forehead was the proof.

And so, after the ferocious Heavenburning Flames swallowed Chu Feng, Murong Mingtian was certain that Chu Feng's death was inevitable. How could a mere fourth-grade Martial King hope to withstand the Heavenburning Flames?

But compared to Murong Mingtian's secret joy, Qiu Shui Fu Yan, Zi Ling, and the others felt as though they had plummeted to the bottom of a frozen valley. An indescribable grief began surging within their hearts — they hadn't even had time to cry out, yet their eyes had already reddened.

They all believed Chu Feng could not possibly withstand those ferocious Heavenburning Flames. Though the flames' aura seemed limited, they could feel that their actual destructive power was far more terrifying than the Earth Forbidden Martial Art Jiang Qisha had used before.

"RUMBLE~~~"

However, just when everyone thought Chu Feng had perished, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from within the Heavenburning Flames. At the same time, those surging, heat-waving flames abruptly froze, suspended in midair.

"BOOM!" Most strangely of all, when another thunderous boom sounded, the Heavenburning Flames began spinning in place, contracting inward — as if at the center of that sky there existed a bottomless abyss that was devouring the ferocious flames.

Finally, the ferocious Heavenburning Flames vanished entirely. And in that moment, a figure emerged into everyone's sight. He was not tall, yet extraordinarily imposing. This person was none other than Chu Feng.

"Chu Feng!!! It's Chu Feng! He's not dead! Not only is he alive — he blocked the Heavenburning Flames!"

"Heavens, how strong is this Chu Feng?! It was one thing to handle Jiang Qisha, a fourth-grade Martial King, and Murong Mingtian, a seventh-grade Martial King — but now he can actually contend with Huangfu Haoyue, an eighth-grade Martial King? Has this boy truly become such a monster?"

"No, wait — look carefully. The lightning covering Chu Feng's body is extraordinary. And his cultivation right now isn't just fourth-grade Martial King. His cultivation has risen — he's now at the fifth-grade Martial King level."

Sharp-eyed observers had already noticed the changes in Chu Feng.

At this moment, dazzling lightning armor covered Chu Feng's body. As the lightning armor surged and roiled, his aura shifted — he had broken through to the fifth-grade Martial King realm. And this was the source of Chu Feng's confidence, for the fourth-grade Martial King was not his limit.

"Impossible! How can this be?"

However, compared to everyone else, when Murong Mingtian witnessed Chu Feng's transformation, his expression grew even more spectacular.

In truth, he had long known that Chu Feng possessed some means of boosting his cultivation. The reason he had been so confident, so certain of victory, was because of the Immortal Conversion Mystic Art.

He understood the Immortal Conversion Mystic Art well. He knew that after borrowing its power to gain another person's cultivation, all other methods of boosting one's strength — whether forbidden medicines or any other means — would be rendered ineffective. It was impossible to first use the Immortal Conversion Mystic Art to elevate one's cultivation and then further enhance it through some other method. That simply could not be done.

Yet now, Chu Feng had actually used that lightning armor to boost his cultivation further. How could he not be shaken? When Chu Feng had been a fourth-grade Martial King, he had utterly defeated Murong Mingtian — a seventh-grade Martial King. So now, at the fifth-grade Martial King level… who knew whether he might even defeat Huangfu Haoyue, an eighth-grade Martial King?

"Surprised? Indeed, I used the Immortal Conversion Mystic Art to borrow Senior Piaomiao's power and obtain my current cultivation. Under normal circumstances, I would be unable to further boost my cultivation through forbidden medicines or any special martial art."

"But let me tell you — this lightning armor of mine is neither a forbidden medicine nor a martial art. It is an ability inherent to my own body. It carries no backlash and faces no restrictions. Even the Immortal Conversion Mystic Art cannot bind it." Chu Feng said with a mocking smile. He knew exactly what Murong Mingtian was thinking — and he also knew the full extent of his own abilities.

"What? It's an innate ability?"

Hearing Chu Feng's words, everyone present was struck with astonishment once more. An ability that could elevate one's cultivation by an entire grade regardless of one's current realm — that was simply too powerful.

In that moment, the gazes fixed on Chu Feng burned with intensity, for they finally understood why he was so monstrously powerful. This boy was no ordinary person — at least judging from the lightning armor's ability, Chu Feng commanded powers that ordinary people simply did not possess.

"Hmph! Even if you can boost your cultivation, so what? Your combat strength is formidable, but Huangfu Haoyue's may not be inferior to yours. You may be a genius of the Eastern Sea Region now, but when Huangfu Haoyue first made his name, you were still in your mother's womb."

Despite the impossibility of it all, Murong Mingtian was not overly afraid. Instead, he pointed at Chu Feng and bellowed: "Kill that boy! Use any means necessary — leave nothing behind!"

"BOOM~~~~~~"

The moment Murong Mingtian's words fell, Huangfu Haoyue struck again. It was the same Heavenburning Flames — but this time, both the area they covered and their ferocity were several times more terrifying than before.

When these flames erupted, even the spectators watching from a great distance felt waves of unbearable heat washing over them, forcing them to retreat yet again. The flames were simply too terrifying — at such a horrifying temperature, even if the fire couldn't reach them directly, it would still be enough to reduce them to ash. Huangfu Haoyue was truly getting serious now.

PS: The power went out last night, but since I'd been keeping the lights off, I didn't even realize. Around 3 AM, I was typing away when my computer suddenly shut down — only then did I realize the power was out. To make matters worse, my phone had died too, so I couldn't even send a notification. The most painful part? After the power came back this morning, a huge chunk of what I'd already typed hadn't been auto-saved, and I had to rewrite it all. O, M, G~~~~

This was yesterday's third chapter.