Mang Gu's outer garment suddenly burst open, the beast hide tearing into shreds that scattered everywhere.

A surging, untamed, ancient power erupted from within Mang Gu's body. Muscles coiled tightly, veins bulged like thick, dark threads rapidly shifting and repositioning beneath his skin.

It was as if an unseen artist, wielding a divine brush, had clearly mapped out the sinews and meridians within him, connecting them to form a distinct pattern.

In mere seconds, the configuration of Mang Gu’s entire meridian system had been completely rearranged.

The bulging, blue veins, after their transformation, looked like the markings of a tattoo, sketching the outline of a massive, majestic Blue-Horned Savage Bull across his body.

As his muscles swelled, the depicted horned bull conveyed an exaggerated sense of power, threatening to burst forth from him at any moment.

"Savage God Green Vein Strength!"

Many martial artists in the surrounding tavern suddenly cried out in shock.

"The Savage God Green Vein Strength is a sacred-level martial technique of the Savage Wilderness Sect—it is no trivial matter. Legend says Mang Gu was born with extraordinary talent, his body’s meridians naturally thicker than ordinary people's. When he employs the Savage God Green Vein Strength, his veins pulse and bulge, and boundless brute force explodes from every bone and sinew in his body."

"Mang Gu is hailed as the strongest force among the younger generation of the Endless Sea. Without relying on various secret treasures or profound insights, Mang Gu’s sheer, terrifying might—not to mention martial artists of the same realm—would be hard for even an ordinary Nirvana Realm martial artist to withstand."

"Indeed. It is said Mang Gu once unleashed a punch that caused a Nirvana Realm martial artist to explode and die. A Nirvana Realm martial artist wishing to defeat him must utilize their formed Sea of Consciousness, applying spiritual suppression and refining their vital essence to slowly wear him down; only then might they have a chance to win."

"That kid is finished. Daring to clash head-on with Mang Gu—he simply doesn't know how to live!"

...

The surrounding onlookers shouted loudly, shamelessly naming the miraculous technique of the Savage Wilderness Sect.

Under the gaze of those in the hot spring pool and the surrounding martial artists, Mang Gu’s body, mapped by the bulging blue veins forming the Blue-Horned Savage Bull pattern, resonated with continuous, explosive cracks like firecrackers. His ferocious aura climbed higher and higher.

"Get out!"

A bellow erupted, its sound wave akin to a collapsing mountain tide, causing the water in the hot spring to boil, churning up huge waves.

Mang Gu stood in the pool; his two-meter frame forcefully stretched another ten centimeters, becoming like an ancient savage god, overflowing with an unstoppable, terrifying presence.

In mid-air, his imposing figure flashed like lightning, instantly stopping ten meters in front of Mang Gu, deliberately choosing not to strike directly from above.

"Come on!"

Mang Gu’s expression was ferocious, his pectoral muscles hard as black iron. He violently hammered his chest, bare-fisted, fully displaying his wild arrogance.

Shi Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression as cold as deep ice. He slowly inhaled the humid, salty air.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, his equally imposing body gradually withered. His muscles retracted, and he suddenly appeared leaner by a full circumference.

As his physical form desiccated, a soaring, sinister energy rushed forth—all the negative sentiments of violence, despair, loathing, and slaughter swirled with the white mist covering the hot spring's surface, condensing into a strange, silver-white substance that enveloped his entire being.

To outsiders, it looked as if his body was clad in silver armor, gleaming brightly, radiating an overwhelming, evil aura.

His physical transformation was diametrically opposed to Mang Gu's.

Mang Gu, driven mad, saw his muscles swell and his height increase, his aura skyrocketing.

Shi Yan, becoming truly calm, found his muscles tightening, his imposing frame slightly gaunt, yet his surging, profound vital essence was suddenly saturated with an intensely wicked quality, causing an involuntary chill to rise from the depths of one’s heart.

"Since childhood, no martial artist of the same realm has ever dared to engage in a direct, full-force collision with me." Mang Gu grinned ferociously, licking his lips like a bloodthirsty beast. "You are strong. After hitting me with your full power once, you weren't even slightly injured. No wonder you are so arrogant."

Shi Yan's eyes were sharp as cold blades. He curled his lips slightly into a harsh, mocking smile.

"Let's go again!"

Mang Gu let out another fierce roar and stamped his foot. The earth beneath him shuddered violently, and the bluestone floor of the hot spring bath shattered instantly under his sole.

Countless surges of brute power exploded from his foot.

Centered on him, the bluestone floor within a fifty-meter radius suddenly exploded, as if struck simultaneously by hundreds of massive hammers.

Mang Gu remained motionless, but within fifty meters around him, bluestones fragmented. As these stones flew outward, they dragged the blue seawater along, forming countless water arrows that shot skyward.

Amidst the surrounding rain of water arrows, Mang Gu suddenly moved!

Like a colossal mountain coming alive, Mang Gu strode toward Shi Yan, crushing everything in his path. The ground quaked with every step, and explosions echoed ceaselessly throughout the bathhouse.

Tens of thousands of tons of pool water, drawn by some unseen force, entirely solidified and clung to Mang Gu’s body.

As he advanced, the pool water behaved like viscous solid matter, piling onto Mang Gu until his body seemed to grow ever larger. Just as he reached Shi Yan, the tens of thousands of tons of water lifted him into the air.

Like an ancient giant, Mang Gu extended an iron fist. Countless water droplets shimmered dazzlingly on his knuckles; every single drop contained a fierce force capable of crushing an ordinary Low Realm martial artist to dust.

"So strong!"

"This brute truly possesses astonishing divine strength. To condense his flesh and vital essence like this, managing to attach tens of thousands of tons of seawater and infuse that explosive power into those massive water droplets—this brute truly deserves his reputation as a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Savage Wilderness Sect!"

"By gathering that terrifying power, on the verge of explosion, within the flexibility of water droplets, he neutralizes the violent kinetic energy, preventing it from detonating immediately... This brute isn't truly mindless. Anyone who could conceive and achieve this level is certainly not a fool."

"Yes, this brute is genuinely formidable. No wonder it's said he can stand undefeated against Nirvana Realm martial artists; he certainly has the capital!"

The crowd stared down, eyes wide, faces filled with disbelief.

Many people who should have been bathing had long since fled, clutching their heads, scrambling up to the nearby taverns regardless of their dampness, staring down from above.

"The combat prowess ranked second on the War Scroll is indeed worthy of admiration," Ye Changfeng muttered, nodding subtly from the windowsill, then suddenly glanced at Lin Yaqi and chuckled, "Senior Sister, if you were to face Mang Gu without using any secret treasures, just relying on pure physical strength to collide, what do you think the outcome would be?"

Xia Xinyan’s beautiful eyes lit up, and she looked toward the young girl beside her with surprise.

She was unaware of Shi Yan's relationship with the other two. However, seeing Shi Yan seated at the same table, she naturally assumed Ye Changfeng and Lin Yaqi were his friends, so she had been secretly observing them since she arrived.

Both Ye Changfeng and Lin Yaqi gave her a strange feeling; she vaguely sensed a heart-stopping aura from them, realizing that Ye Changfeng and Lin Yaqi must have extraordinary backgrounds and certainly high cultivation realms.

Now, hearing Ye Changfeng's seemingly casual question, Xia Xinyan was startled.

Mang Gu was famed as the second-ranked young powerhouse on the Endless Sea War Scroll, possessing unstoppable brute force. Yet, after witnessing his power, Ye Changfeng asked such a question. Did he truly believe this small, cute girl was even stronger than Mang Gu?

"The chances are fifty-fifty," Lin Yaqi frowned, thinking seriously. "In a pure contest of strength, we might draw, but in a true fight to the death, he would certainly be the one to die." The young girl looked arrogant and supremely confident.

Xia Xinyan was astonished, a flicker of doubt crossing her eyes, unsure whether Lin Yaqi spoke the truth.

"Mm." Unexpectedly, Ye Changfeng agreed with a nod, his expression as if it were the most natural thing. "If it were a fight to the death, the one dying would naturally be the brute below. I don't doubt that at all. But I believe that even in a pure contest of strength, if Senior Sister fought desperately, you would have the greater chance of winning."

Lin Yaqi tilted her head and snorted proudly, "Of course."

The astonishment in Xia Xinyan’s eyes grew deeper.

"Boom!"

Just then, strange vortices manifested out of thin air within the bath pool below. These vortices condensed the pool water, swirling constantly above the bath, directly swallowing the massive water droplets imbued with explosive power falling from above. Every time a giant water droplet fell into a vortex, an earth-shattering explosion erupted from the pool.

As the pool fractured, not a single one of the ferocious water droplets condensed by Mang Gu managed to reach Shi Yan; they were all swallowed and neutralized by the suddenly appearing vortices.

Amidst Mang Gu's roars, Shi Yan, still below, took advantage of the sudden vortices to fly up. Stepping on the waves, countless evil mists condensed within his body. Like a hidden dragon emerging from the sea, he shot toward Mang Gu.

Blinding flashes of light suddenly erupted between Shi Yan and Mang Gu.

It appeared as if both had condensed a giant column of water, channeling all their power within, crashing fiercely together with a momentum that could shatter mountains and split the earth.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

The two giant water columns collided, splashing countless water arrows, each carrying a terrifying energy that made one tremble.

The water arrows sprayed out like a dense curtain in all directions.

Amidst the sharp, piercing whistles, the twelve surrounding taverns that had remained standing suffered devastating damage.

In an instant, five more taverns were riddled with holes by the deluge of water arrows and collapsed on the spot.

The remaining seven taverns wobbled precariously but were jointly supported by the martial artists above, preventing their immediate collapse.

But the battle between Shi Yan and Mang Gu continued!

PS: Four updates today! Little Ni dares to ask for monthly votes ~ To be continued)