Chapter 103: At the Foot of Severed Dragon Mountain
Bang!
Two figures collided above the deep ravine, plummeting downward like massive boulders. As they struck the soft, wet earth, great splatters of marsh mud erupted around them.
The impact, enough to shatter heavy machinery, passed through their bodies—and yet, instead of being crushed to pieces, one of the figures adjusted his posture in the very instant they landed, using the momentum of the fall to spring from the ground and charge once more at his opponent!
Crash!
Heels dug into the earth, sending mud and water flying in every direction.
A gap of tens of meters was crossed in a single stride!
How is he able to recover even faster than I can? The question flashed through Yang Luo’s mind. Thus, as he pushed himself up from the ground, he did not counterattack when Lin Heng bore down on him, but instead raised both arms like a shield, bracing himself to withstand Lin Heng’s first assault.
A fist!
Then a palm!
Followed by another fist!
The first punch slammed into Yang Luo’s crossed arms. He tried to lock Lin Heng’s arm in place, but Lin Heng’s palm shot upward, breaking the hold, and then another fist drove forward, landing squarely on Yang Luo’s chest!
Boom!
The ground beneath their feet was soft marsh mud, offering no friction or support. Under this blow, Yang Luo was sent hurtling backward dozens of meters, his body crashing into the mountainside!
Years of miasma and damp had left the rocks here coated in moss, their surfaces slick and softened. Yang Luo’s back sank halfway into the mountainside from the force of Lin Heng’s punch!
Lin Heng, sensing the advantage, prepared to press the attack. As he rushed forward like a thunderbolt, Yang Luo’s eyes flashed with something strange.
It wasn’t because Lin Heng’s strength was too great.
It was because his attack was too weak!
That last punch had seemed overwhelming, hurling him dozens of meters and embedding him in the rock. Yet Yang Luo felt that the force behind it was not as strong as it appeared—it hadn’t even made his blood surge, not even slightly injured him!
This meant that, in terms of power, there was at least a fifty percent gap between them!
If that’s the case… What gives you the right to put on airs before me?
A cruel grin spread across Yang Luo’s face. With a long howl, he braced his back against the rock and, without hesitation, hurled his fists at Lin Heng, meeting him head-on!
The next instant, their fists and palms clashed, filling the air with thunderous blasts.
Boom!!
……
While Lin Heng and Yang Luo battled below—ushering in the first clash between superhuman beings in this world—the sky above the Duanlong Mountain platform thundered with the rotors of helicopters. Rope ladders dropped, and the uniformed Jiang Chao’an nimbly climbed onto the platform. Without preamble, he addressed the hastening Xu Jingyuan:
“How far has the situation progressed?”
Xu Jingyuan pointed grimly toward the ravine below the platform.
“They’re fighting down there… This is unprecedented. It’s hard to estimate how long their battle might last, or whether we’ll be able to intervene in time.”
“Can we send drones down for a look?” Jiang Chao’an asked immediately.
Xu Jingyuan, evidently having considered this, replied at once, “The terrain beneath Duanlong Mountain is extremely complex, with abnormal magnetic fields—a natural signal dead zone. The signal generators we’ve managed to bring in aren’t sufficient for drone operation here. So, after consulting with the railway authorities, we’re mobilizing nearby units—especially armored vehicles—to scout the valley floor. That may be the only way we can hope to influence the battle below.”
Can’t we send personnel to investigate first?
Jiang Chao’an had barely formed the question before the answer presented itself.
Boom!
A tremendous roar echoed from the depths of the ravine, making the entire mountain tremble. The force was so overwhelming that both Jiang Chao’an’s body and his spirit were shaken. He even wondered whether it was truly just two people fighting below—or two armored divisions?
He met Xu Jingyuan’s gaze; both saw confusion and helplessness in the other’s eyes.
“So… these are superhumans…”
……
Thousands of kilometers from the battlefield.
Above what humans call the Pacific Ocean.
Xi Gu lay upon the surface of the sea, appearing no more than a drifting speck. From high above, he would have been invisible to the naked eye.
No one would imagine that within his body resided the power to overturn the entire Pacific in an instant, halt the planet’s rotation, and plunge the entire solar system into darkness.
Within his eyes, beams of electromagnetic waves from thousands of kilometers away converged. Photons recomposed themselves into a vivid three-dimensional tableau: the live battle between Lin Heng and Yang Luo, sharp and clear as reality.
“The first superhuman battle recognized by humanity has finally arrived. My original vision… has taken a step forward.”
Xi Gu’s lips curled with a subtle smile.
“Sadly… a mere fight lacks so many necessary elements—the world’s eyes upon it, a breathtaking tournament, the underdog’s triumphant story, cheers that resound across all lands…
“…But all of that will come, it will all come… and it won’t be long.”
A smile played about his mouth, but as his gaze shifted, electromagnetic signals from elsewhere entered his eyes.
“Oh… they’ve already begun to trace me?”
……
Tokyo.
Special Intelligence Headquarters.
A man smoked as he leafed through stacks of documents, but what drew his greatest attention were the names circled in red, specially marked:
They were—
“Suyuan Onamino-kami”
“Suyu Bookstore”
And “Mana Mizuhara.”
……
Back to the foot of Duanlong Mountain.
The battle raged on.
The recent exchange of fists and palms had already determined the outcome between Yang Luo and Lin Heng in the span of a breath.
The mountainside behind Yang Luo, centered on his back, was cracked with a web of fractures, the largest stretching dozens of meters long and several meters deep.
A trace of blood tinged Yang Luo’s gums from that last blow, but such injuries were meaningless to one whose body and resilience had surpassed the limits of humanity. He merely wiped the bloody froth from his lips and looked at the man he had struck with his full strength—whose ribs and arm had cracked audibly and who now lay dozens of meters away—his expression one of disappointment.
“So… that’s all you amount to?”