Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

Sensing Zhu Kuilong's movements, the Divine Rope began to rise rapidly, ascending towards the clouds and the moon!

Zhang Renfeng had only a few seconds to think.

"..."

Decades later, when you are old and frail, sitting in a chair, and unable to move easily, will you regret not grabbing this rope tonight?

Zhang Renfeng gritted his teeth, took a step forward, and grabbed the end of the Immortal Rope.

"boom----!!!"

A fierce wind rushed towards him, as if slicing his face. The ground rose rapidly in his field of vision; the trees, grass, courtyard, and the villa standing on the ground all shrank at a rapid pace. A violent dizziness arose in his head, causing his internal organs to tremble.

This was something Zhang Renfeng had never experienced before. Even with his unparalleled bravery, he still felt extremely terrified when faced with the unknown.

“Illusion, this…this is all fake, it’s an illusion…” he emphasized again and again, clenching his teeth and refusing to look at the ground.

But it crashed headfirst into the clouds.

Countless clouds of various shapes flashed past his eyes, moving so fast that they uncontrollably entered Zhang Renfeng's mouth. As a child, he had always been curious about what clouds in the sky tasted like, whether they were soft and sweet like cotton candy or cloud cakes. But the cloud that hit his mouth today had a cold, crumbly taste.

Suddenly, the rope in his hand was pulled and slipped out of the tiger's mouth, which greatly alarmed Zhang Renfeng.

But instead of plummeting to the ground as expected, he landed on a cold, hard surface, rolled several times, and then got up again. The aftershocks of the fall were a fear lurking deep within human genes, and having just experienced it, his limbs trembled violently. It took Zhang Renfeng a while to recover before he clenched his fists again, regaining a little of his martial arts composure.

Looking around, all he could see was swirling mist and no one in sight. Even Zhu Kuilong, who had claimed he would "meet him in the heavens," had vanished.

"This is an illusion, it's fake..."

Zhang Renfeng convinced himself once again, then raised his voice and shouted, "Senior brother, it's that box, right? The box that the chief helped you find, I saw it!"

"Agarwood, cinnabar, and sandalwood, when ignited, can produce extremely strong hallucinations."

"There are also datura pollen, hyacinth seeds, and bluebells, which are all very strong hallucinogenic herbs. As long as the proportions are right, even if they are ground into powder, they can produce hallucinations after being absorbed by the body."

"As for the 'Wolf's Feather Grass' and 'Goose Palm Wind,' I don't know what they do... but I guess they're similar to anesthetic, right? They can numb a person's nerves, making it hard to distinguish between reality and illusion... The smoke that just came out of the cloud carpet must have contained these powders, right?"

……

No one answered him.

Zhang Renfeng held his breath and focused his attention even more intently, but still heard no sound. Breathing, heartbeat, footsteps—nothing. It was as if he had truly been thrown into deep space, some distance above the ground.

But the ground, or rather the clouds, gradually took shape.

Stone.

Zhang Renfeng was stunned. How could there be stones in the sky? Moreover, the patterns and shapes of these stone bricks, as well as this square platform, seemed familiar. It was a significant and indelible moment in his memory.

"How could this be?" At this moment, even Zhang Renfeng himself couldn't help but feel puzzled. He covered his forehead and muttered to himself, "Illusion magic, can it even do something like this?"

He knew perfectly well that he should be in his villa in San Quintak, New Austin, America, at that very moment.

This is the real thing!

But everything—this stone-built arena…everything he saw, heard, and felt—was exactly the same as the real thing. He even squatted down and touched the surface of the stone; even the texture was exactly the same as he remembered.

"Bang—!!"

While he was still hesitating, he heard a clear and resonant gong sound, and a figure leaped onto the stage and stood in the southwest corner of the arena.

The man stood tall and relaxed, as if this wasn't a life-or-death struggle for him, but merely a casual pastime. He cracked his neck, making a series of clicks, and coupled with his confident expression, he resembled a pampered leopard ready to hunt.

The moment Zhang Renfeng saw him, his composure crumbled completely. His astonishment overwhelmed his resignation, leaving him speechless and utterly incredulous!

"How...how could...this possibly happen?!"

----

Twenty-year-old Zhang Renfeng wore a short-sleeved outfit that showed off his perfectly sculpted muscles. His gait, stance, and physique all resembled the most perfect form in Zhang Renfeng's memory. His face was full of an unblemished, confident smile.

Nine years.

Was I really this dazzling nine years ago?

……

"Bang!"

Another gong sounded, much shorter than the last. Zhang Renfeng knew perfectly well that this was the signal for the battle to begin!

"Boom-!!"

Without the slightest hesitation, I pushed off the ground and sprinted forward!

Chapter 269: Where have you been? Is this still the West?

"Boom--!"

The sound of their fists colliding was hardly like fists hitting fists; it sounded more like two pieces of metal clashing together, almost sparking.

The two exchanged a punch, and the aftershock sent them staggering back several meters. Zhang Renfeng felt a tingling numbness in his hand.

It seems that the "youth storm" exists in various fields. He never thought that he would one day feel that youth is the best weapon.

Although he was only twenty-nine years old, theoretically still considered "strong" among the young and vigorous, the boy's spirited punch, with its unstoppable momentum and complete lack of restraint, still made him quite wary. After receiving several blows, he couldn't help but wonder why he had always used all his strength in those moves, focusing entirely on offense and leaving no room for defense or evasion.

"They really do... only care about winning and losing."

"Boom!!"

Using his elbow to deflect an attack, Zhang Renfeng slid back a few steps. After a moment of reflection, he smoothly dissipated the force of the blow with his footwork and drew his Volcano Pistol from his waist.

When he pointed the gun at his younger self, an emotion he couldn't describe welled up inside him. Even though he knew it was just a shadow created by magic, resentment and regret blossomed quietly deep within his consciousness like flowers that had taken root.

"boom!"

Gunshots.

He didn't pay attention to the process; it was like a dream, some parts were cut off. He only saw his younger self lying face up on the ring, his arms and legs in a natural "T" shape. There was no blood; perhaps he wasn't a real person from the beginning, but just a puppet made of stone.

"How could this be? I was shot so easily..." Zhang Renfeng was incredulous, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the muzzle of the gun in his hand and muttered to himself, "Generally speaking, I should have been able to dodge it."

"hiss……"

Like a wisp of dried-up embers, it was swept up by the wind and disappeared.

“That’s not real,” Zhang Renfeng murmured. “It’s an illusion.”

"It is indeed an illusion, but it is also a part of you. There is a saying that goes, 'What you think about during the day, you dream about at night.'"

Zhu Kuilong's figure slowly emerged from the darkness, draped in a cloud-patterned blanket and wielding a sharp sword. The wounds he had inflicted on the ground earlier had miraculously healed themselves. But Zhang Renfeng knew that illusion was ultimately just illusion; although it could deceive the senses, it could not truly erase internal injuries.

"..." Zhang Renfeng, unusually, did not refute, but deep down he agreed with Zhu Kuilong's point of view.

What he wanted to kill was that arrogant, conceited, and immature version of himself.

Zhu Kuilong's gaze softened slightly; perhaps at this moment, he felt a sense of relief.

"Roar----!!!"

A low growl that sent chills down your spine!

As the cloud blanket was lifted, Zhu Kuilong's physical body vanished, and emerging from beneath it was a large, white-browed worm with piercing eyes! Its claws, teeth, and fur all proclaimed its predator status. Its pupils, bright as amber, gleamed in the dim arena, and with a single roar, a strong gust of wind swept through from the far end of the arena, startling Zhang Renfeng into breaking out in a cold sweat.

The giant worm pounced on him with the force of a small mountain flying through the air, intending to crush him to pieces. Zhang Renfeng was in a sorry state, rolling to avoid it. As he got up, he misjudged the speed of the worm—the worm twisted its body swiftly, covering its face with its claws, leaving a claw mark on his face!

"Stab!"

Blood spurts!

"Oh...ah..."

Zhang Renfeng covered his scratched wound, the pain he hadn't felt in a long time making him angry.

His fear of illusion vanished in the face of this rage, and he transformed back into the fearless warrior. Only this time, facing a beast three times his size, something dormant in his primal genes awakened—he became ferocious and irritable; the adrenaline that should have been used for escape was forced out and channeled into battle.

"Roar--!!"

The tiger roared again and pounced, but Zhang Renfeng dodged to the side, stretched out his arms, and tightly gripped its neck. The enormous creature struggled in his hands, and the two tumbled and rolled around on the stone arena. Then, relying on his firm stance, Zhang Renfeng steadied himself and let out a roar no less powerful than a tiger's.

"ah----!!"

The force originates from the ground, passes through the waist and hips, and reaches the arms.

With a single step, his arms, forged from metal, slammed the massive worm, which resembled a reclining rock, onto the ground!

"boom!"

The moment it hit the ground, the giant worm shrank instantly, transforming into a golden monkey. The monkey squeaked and, taking advantage of the momentary loss of balance, kicked Zhang Renfeng in the jaw. After breaking free, it began fighting like an ape or gorilla, relentlessly striking its opponent with its arms. With no trees nearby for climbing, it used its powerful hind legs to leap back and forth around Zhang Renfeng.

The moment he darted out from behind, Zhang Renfeng suddenly turned around, grabbed him, and slammed him to the ground with a thud, shattering the bricks and stones.

“Whoosh——!!”

Several feathers shot out, leaving bloodstains on his cheek.

"what……"

The monkey beneath him transformed into a white crane. With its long, slender legs, it gripped Zhang Renfeng's arm and twisted it suddenly, sending a tremendous force through it! Zhang Renfeng cried out in alarm and had no choice but to leap up on tiptoe, spinning in the air to dissipate the force and prevent his arm from being broken.

Between offense and defense, the positions of the two have shifted once again.

The white crane transformed again, becoming a king cobra that coiled around its arm. The snake's mouth opened wide at the touch of the cold metal, its hissing tongue like a nightmare.

"laugh!"

He bit down hard on Zhang Renfeng's neck.

"top!"

Relying on his internal energy cultivation, Zhang Renfeng gritted his teeth and withstood the snake's fangs, then seized its vital spot. This was the snake's weakness; once its vital spot was gripped, it lost its strength. He gripped the snake tightly in his palm, roared, and swung it around like nunchucks, wielding it with unrestrained force! A series of thuds echoed as the king cobra was repeatedly slammed to the ground, bouncing back up, its bones cracking and popping.

“Come on, senior brother…” This series of extremely dangerous exchanges was undoubtedly a novel experience. A sinister smile appeared on Zhang Renfeng’s lips. “There should be one last one, right?”

Before the words were finished, the pitiful king cobra transformed once again into a bright green praying mantis, as tall as a person.

This is probably the only animal whose size is different from its original species. But thinking about it, it makes sense. If it were a mantis of the original size, there would be nothing to fight it; it would be crushed with one stomp.

"I've never paid attention to this before. So this is what it looks like up close." Zhang Renfeng wiped the blood from his forehead and exclaimed, "Senior brother, fighting with you has really taught me a lot."

"prick----!!"

The giant mantis responded by rubbing the serrated edges of its forelimbs together in a cross shape, like two sharp blades grinding against each other, producing sparks.

His figure swayed slightly, like a skilled swordsman with two swords. He didn't make any intimidating sound, but quietly and lightly pounced towards Zhang Renfeng!

Chapter 270: It feels so far away, like a lifetime has passed (Part 11)

"when!"

"when!"

"when!"

……

The sound of hammering metal in rapid succession.

After getting used to the praying mantis's terrifying head, Zhang Renfeng gradually adapted to its attack rhythm and frequency, and began to use his internal energy to forcefully counter it. This process became increasingly easier, and Zhang Renfeng realized the problem.

"Is that enough, senior brother?"

He kicked the mantis in the stomach, sending it flying several meters away. The mantis plunged its two large blades into the bricks of the arena, sending sparks flying and making a crackling sound. It finally managed to stop just before falling off the arena.

"Stop being obsessed with illusions. In the end, it's nothing more than a minor, unorthodox technique, not the true path." Zhang Renfeng gathered his strength, pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, achieving a state of inner turmoil, and said in a deep voice, "Let's have a fair and square fight."

The mantis froze.

After a brief silence, the enormous insect-like body slowly dissipated like embers, revealing Zhu Kuilong's figure. Compared to Zhang Renfeng, his steps were no longer as firm as before, and his breathing was somewhat disordered. It seemed that using illusion magic while simultaneously engaging in combat was no easy feat.

"cough……"

Zhu Kuilong clutched his chest and coughed slightly.

His hands were trembling slightly. He poured out a few small pills from the medicine bottle, then swallowed them with the warm wine from the gourd. After a moment, his breathing finally became easier, and his back straightened considerably. However, the exhaustion on his face did not fade; instead, it transformed into an abnormal excitement, and a flush appeared on his cheek.

“If you want to perform magic tricks, then perform magic tricks; if you want to practice martial arts, then practice martial arts.” Zhang Renfeng did not stop him from taking the medicine. His tone was very sincere as he advised, “If you mix the two together, it won’t work when you encounter a master who can overcome skill with brute force.”

"Heh..." Zhu Kuilong shook his head and sneered, "Are you trying to say that you are that one-in-a-million expert?"

"I really, really, really hate that about you!"

As if making a firm decision, Zhu Kuilong bit his tongue hard, using the pain to quickly awaken every part of his body. He mustered all his strength for one last gamble. His left hand gripped a corner of the cloud blanket, and his eyes met Zhang Renfeng's. In that instant, his mind was exceptionally clear, without the slightest hesitation.