Star Martial Soaring Cloud

The sound came from behind the camp.

Unhurried, with a touch of laziness, a hint of roguishness, and a hint of barely concealed anger.

Everyone stopped moving.

Mabe Kuramoto's hand froze in mid-air, while Fukusen Sakura's ice blade hovered in front of Wang Xiao, unable to pierce even an inch.

Wang Xiao also stopped and turned to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Li Yu and Zhang Lian's eyes widened simultaneously, and color instantly returned to their pale faces—they knew that voice all too well.

"Senior brother! You're finally out!" Li Yu's voice trembled, but his next sentence abruptly changed, "I thought you were hiding in fear!"

Zhang Lian struggled to his feet, his voice trembling with tears as he yelled, "Why are you taking so long! I'm about to wet my pants! If you hadn't come out soon, your clever and quick-witted junior brother would have been doomed here!"

Li Yu rolled her eyes: "You, clever and quick-witted?"

"I'm better than you!" Zhang Lian retorted confidently.

"Alright, alright, senior brother is still the most handsome."

Their eyes were red as they stared intently at the figure emerging from the stone chamber, fearing that everything before them was just an illusion.

Zhao Shuheng stood at the edge of the crowd, his gaze passing over Ling Cheng and looking towards the stone chamber further away.

There, Xiao He's stone chamber remained tightly closed, the stone door unmoving, and not a breath could be heard.

His brows were furrowed tightly, and his fingers clenched the hem of his clothes so tightly that his knuckles turned bluish-white.

Four people tried to break through the barrier. Wang Xiao came out, Ling Cheng came out, Yuan Kong gave up halfway, leaving only Xiao He...

"Senior Brother Xiao, please don't let anything happen to you!" he prayed silently in his heart.

Ling Cheng's clothes were tattered, his hair was disheveled, and his face showed signs of fatigue, but his eyes shone like two stars.

It was a radiance that emanated from within, not the brilliance of vitality, but the natural radiance that flowed when one's essence, energy, and spirit reached their peak.

Another Dragon Gate God Realm expert!

"Oh, interesting." Asakura Gen, hovering in mid-air, looked down at Ling Cheng with a mocking smile. "These days, even people are eager to die?"

He certainly has the right to be arrogant.

In his view, what kind of trouble could two greenhorns who had just entered the Dragon Gate Divine Realm possibly cause?

Ansei Ichiro died because he was careless and was caught off guard by a junior who didn't play by the rules.

This couple were not pushovers like An Shengyilang—they could unleash their supernatural powers instantly without needing to form hand seals, and their control over the primordial energy of heaven and earth and their application of supernatural powers were already consummate.

What makes two newcomers think they can fight against them?

"Brother Lu Yang, I don't like hitting women," Ling Cheng said slowly, his tone still languid, "especially ugly and strange old women."

He paused, his gaze falling on Mabekura Gen, a cold glint in his eyes: "Leave this old man who keeps farting here to me."

As he spoke, he walked towards Mabekura Gen.

Wang Xiao glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He knew perfectly well that Ling Cheng's claim of "not liking to hit women" was just an excuse he made up.

Sensing with his divine sense, Mabe Kuramoto's aura was clearly stronger and more violent than Fukusen Sakura's.

Ling Cheng took the initiative to block the toughest challenge, leaving the relatively easier one to him.

Just like when he stood up at Qingming Cliff.

"Kid, you're quite confident." Mabe Kuramoto looked down at Ling Cheng, who was approaching step by step, his turbid eyes surging with rage.

"Bullying an old man isn't exactly something to be proud of," Ling Cheng stopped, looking directly at his opponent with a nonchalant smile, "but unfortunately, some old fogies really should get lost. I guess I'll just have to use these hands to send you on your way."

He raised his hands and examined them in front of him, like a butcher looking at his knives.

"What a sharp tongue you have." Mabe Kuramoto sneered, his killing intent growing stronger. "I just don't know if your strength matches your stubbornness."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly waved his right hand, and a pillar of crimson fire shot out from his palm, transforming into a roaring fire dragon that rushed straight at Ling Cheng!

This is not a test; it's a real, deadly move.

Mabe Kuramoto went all out from the start, wanting to let this arrogant brat taste death right from the beginning.

Ling Cheng did not dodge.

He gripped the longsword at his waist with his right hand—the sword was badly worn, its scabbard wrapped in tattered strips of cloth, and its tassel was so thin that only a few loose threads remained.

But the moment his fingers touched the hilt, the sword seemed to come alive instantly. The blade trembled slightly and emitted a deep hum, as if responding to its master's call.

With a soft click, the longsword was drawn.

There was no fancy opening move, no dazzling sword light, just a simple swing of the sword.

But the moment the sword was swung, flames suddenly burst forth on its blade.

That was no ordinary flame, but a pure, crimson-gold flame, so hot that it ignited the air, causing it to crackle and pop.

The fire dragon and the sword fire collided with a deafening roar!

"boom--!"

A deafening roar shook the heavens, and waves of fire swept outwards from the two people in all directions.

The rubble on the ground was whipped up by the blast wave, turning into dust that then melted into glassy fragments in the high temperature, which fell to the ground with a crackling sound.

Mabe Kuramoto's pupils suddenly contracted.

He clearly sensed that the fire-based divine power contained in Ling Cheng's sword strike was on par with his own in terms of power control, proficiency in the divine power, and application technique.

"How is this possible?" His voice was filled with disbelief and shock.

He has been in the Dragon Gate Divine Realm for fifty years, and through daily arduous cultivation in the central region of this Demon Island, his control over the fire element has reached its current level.

But this kid opposite him has only just entered the Dragon Gate Divine Realm, how could he possibly have such attainments...?

"You crawl slowly, why don't you allow others to run fast?" Ling Cheng shook off the sparks on his sword, his smile still unbeatable, "Don't be so surprised, after all, I am also a Taoist."

"Taoism?" Mabe Kuramoto frowned, his face full of doubt.

"Sigh, you've wasted your life at your age?" Ling Cheng sighed, his face saying, "You don't even know this?" "What does Taoism emphasize? It emphasizes inheritance and awakening. I already knew these things; I'm just taking them back now."

He paused, tilting his head to look at Asakura Gen: "Does saying this make you feel any better?"

Mabe Kuramoto's face darkened.

It wasn't out of anger, but out of fear.

The young man spoke casually, but the information he conveyed sent a chill down his spine.

Inheritance and awakening—this means that Ling Cheng's supernatural powers were not cultivated from scratch, but rather were instincts engraved in his blood and imprinted in his soul.

He only needs to cross the Dragon Gate, and those dormant powers will surge back like a tide.

Such a person cannot be judged by common sense.

"Alright, then I'll see just how much power you've awakened!" A fanatical glint flashed in Mabe Kuramoto's eyes. He raised both hands simultaneously, each palm condensing a crimson fireball. At the same time, he opened his mouth, spewing out a blazing white pillar of fire!

Three fire-based divine abilities simultaneously blasted towards Ling Cheng!

"Hey, why are you spewing fire all of a sudden!" Ling Cheng yelled, swinging his sword with his right hand. Crimson-gold flames surged on the blade, colliding head-on with one of the fireballs.

At the same time, his left hand slid rapidly through the void with his sword-like fingers. Wherever his fingertips passed, a light blue aura condensed and took shape, transforming into a water dragon that entangled another fireball.

Water and fire share the same origin; ice and fire can blend together!

Ling Cheng intercepted two of Mabe Kuramoto's three supernatural powers, but the pillar of fire spewed from his mouth was already upon him!

Instead of retreating, Ling Cheng advanced, his footwork suddenly changing, his figure shifting to the side like a ghost. The pillar of fire whistled past his shoulder, scorching his robes until they were slightly smoking.

"Primordial Body! You are actually a Primordial Body!" Mabe Kuramoto's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he stared intently at Ling Cheng, as if he had discovered a rare treasure.

"What? Is it wrong for me to be so naturally gifted?" Ling Cheng patted the ashes off his shoulder, his tone still irritating.

Mabe Kuramoto took a deep breath, suppressing his shock. His cloudy eyes darted around, and suddenly a strange smile appeared on his face.

"Young man, are you interested in joining our Mabe family?" He deliberately softened his voice. "We will do everything in our power to nurture you and help you achieve the supreme path."

If it were any other mixed-element body, he might not have lost his composure like this.

However, Ling Cheng is a hybrid of water and fire elements—the Mabe family and the Fukusen family have been linked by marriage for generations, and their lifelong goal is to cultivate a genius who can control both water and fire elements at the same time.

They tried for decades and spent countless resources, but still failed to achieve their goal.

And now, a ready-made water-fire hybrid body stands before him.

"Oh?" Ling Cheng raised an eyebrow, pondered seriously for a moment, "It's not impossible."

A flash of wild joy appeared in Mabe Kuramoto's eyes.

"I just don't know, should I be your father or your grandfather?"

Mabe Kuramoto's smile froze instantly, his face turning ashen, like the bottom of a pot.

"My dear grandson, don't get sick from all this anger." Ling Cheng waved his hand, his tone like he was coaxing a child. "Call me 'Grandpa' a couple of times first, let me hear if it sounds right. If it does, the deal is done—from this moment on, the Ma Bei family will change their surname to Ling. I'm the grandpa, and I'm in charge. Is that alright?"

"You're asking for it!"

Mabe Kuramoto was completely enraged.

His hair stood on end, and the crimson aura around him surged to its peak, even scorching and distorting the void beneath his feet.

"Fire Dance - Annihilation of the Eight Desolations!"

His hands moved so fast that they were just afterimages. Streams of crimson-gold flames burst forth from his palms, fingertips, and even his pores, transforming into eight enormous fire dragons that simultaneously pounced on Ling Cheng from eight directions!

This is one of his trump cards: the simultaneous unleashing of eight dragons can burn down the entire wilderness.

Each fire dragon was hot enough to melt metal and stone. When all eight were unleashed at once, even the air was burned away, and Ling Cheng's body instantly became a vacuum.

Ling Cheng's expression finally became more serious.

He held a sword in his right hand and made a sword-finger gesture with his left hand, simultaneously activating his water and fire supernatural powers to condense a rotating Tai Chi diagram in front of him.

Water and fire intertwine and flow within the Tai Chi diagram, forming a giant vortex that sucks all eight fire dragons into it.

However, Mabekura Gen was a powerful figure who had entered the Dragon Gate Divine Realm for decades, and the power of this attack far exceeded that of his previous ones.

The Tai Chi diagram only lasted for three breaths before cracks appeared. The moment the fourth fire dragon was sucked in, the Tai Chi diagram exploded, and Ling Cheng was sent flying backward by the violent shockwave.

"Kid, die!" Mabe Kuramoto laughed wildly. Although most of the eight fire dragons had been consumed, two remained, roaring as they pounced on Ling Cheng, who was flying backward.

This attack would either kill Ling Cheng or severely injure him.

But his laughter abruptly stopped.