After all, his main purpose in coming here was to temper his increasingly tenuous realm and, incidentally, earn some bounty money.
Only by choosing the life-and-death mode could he guarantee the pressure would be immense.
[Mode selected. Life-and-death mode initiating!]
[Countdown: 10... 9... 8...]
When the crowd saw that "Divine Emperor" had actually chosen the life-and-death mode, the once-noisy spectator stands fell silent. Every Martial Artist stared, stunned for a long moment, before an even more fervent uproar erupted.
"Holy shit, is this guy insane? He went straight for the life-and-death mode? And he even got a notification, which must mean this is his first time using a training robot, right?"
"Even the Martial Arts Association’s bounty is just for defeating the Martial Arts Emperor in combat mode, and so far, no one has even lasted twenty minutes against him. And this hotheaded rookie just waltzes in and starts a life-and-death match?"
"Well, that’s a new one. What an eye-opener!"
"Hahahaha! I can already picture him getting mercilessly thrashed by the Martial Arts Emperor to within an inch of his life. He’ll probably be psychologically scarred for life, don’t you think?!"
After a moment of shock, the crowd snapped back to reality.
Gloating expressions appeared on all their faces.
After all, they were all Martial Artists who had been, to some degree, brutalized by the Martial Arts Emperor. Many of them were even starting to develop a phobia of the "Emperor."
And that was just from using the combat mode.
As for the terrifying life-and-death mode, even the most crazed fighters couldn’t help but feel a chill run down their spine when faced with the Martial Arts Emperor’s horrifying combat prowess.
Yet here and now, this hothead had shown up and picked the suicide difficulty right from the start.
However, just as everyone was imagining Li Chang’an getting brutally dominated, Li Chang’an, on the arena floor, struck even faster than the Martial Arts Emperor!
The crowd only saw a figure flash across the stage. "Divine Emperor," who had been standing still, suddenly vanished. The Martial Arts Emperor’s reaction was also incredibly fast.
It raised its arm to block in a near-instant.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
In midair, Li Chang’an’s leg lashed out like an iron whip, striking three times in the blink of an eye. The Martial Arts Emperor raised its arm to parry, but the immense force of the blows still drove it back several steps.
Sensing his opponent’s powerful, steel-like body, Li Chang’an grew excited. He felt as if his muscles and blood had instantly begun to boil.
He hadn’t had a chance to truly let loose since gaining his power.
’This so-called Martial Arts Emperor feels a lot like me, but after trading blows, I can clearly tell there are differences in the details.’
’This counterfeit Martial Arts Emperor’s body didn’t inherit the talent of the Barbaric Martial Saint, so its strength is significantly weaker than my own.’
’Furthermore, the meridian circulation patterns within this counterfeit’s body seem somewhat similar to my Nine Heavens Chaos Technique. But my current version has already been upgraded to the Martial Scripture, and I’ve even learned a few techniques that only Cultivators can use.’
’With one side waning and the other waxing, there’s a world of difference between this bootleg emperor and the genuine article.’
’But this bootleg emperor has one advantage: its body isn’t made of flesh and blood. That means I can unleash my full power without worrying about breaking it or killing it.’
After landing three consecutive kicks, Li Chang’an used the momentum to spring backward.
The Martial Arts Emperor sensed an opening and charged forward at high speed, intending to tie Li Chang’an down and use its techniques to defeat him.
But even as Li Chang’an used the momentum to fall back, he was already prepared for this.
While still in midair, he suddenly opened his mouth and spewed a torrent of scorching, blazing fire directly into the Martial Arts Emperor’s path.
The Martial Arts Emperor tried to dodge, but Li Chang’an’s flames were too fast, and his timing was perfect.
Thus, even though the Martial Arts Emperor reacted, it couldn’t completely evade the roaring inferno.
Half of the Martial Arts Emperor’s body was set ablaze. A normal person would have been screaming in agony.
But the Martial Arts Emperor was just a training robot—or, to be blunt, an emotionless Puppet. Pain wasn’t part of its factory settings.
As long as its core wasn’t destroyed, it could continue to fight.
Of course, being on fire was still a problem.
The Martial Arts Emperor lunged forward, attempting to spread the flames to Li Chang’an, while also rolling on the ground, trying to smother the fire against the arena’s solid floor.
But no matter what it tried, the flames clinging to it showed no signs of going out. Instead, like maggots on bone, they began to spread to other parts of its body.
The technique was called the Fireball Skill, one used by Cultivators.
Although the bootleg version of the skill Li Chang’an had reverse-engineered with his Heaven-defying Comprehension couldn’t fully replicate the properties of Spiritual Power, he had managed to copy most of its destructive force.
With the hit landed and the Martial Arts Emperor burning fiercely, Li Chang’an showed no intention of letting up. He closed in, cast a Fire Resistance Skill on himself, then grabbed the Martial Arts Emperor and unleashed a punch with all his might.
The force of his punch was immense. It struck the Martial Arts Emperor’s already charred chest, completely caving its torso in. Seeing the counterfeit "Martial Arts Emperor" still trying to resist, he violently grabbed one of its arms and ripped it clean off.
Black metal screeched and groaned.
Li Chang’an could feel sweat beading on his skin. His qi and blood surged through him with every heartbeat like water from a pump, and his previously tenuous Cultivation began to solidify amidst the unrestrained combat.
In truth, he didn’t lack combat experience or an understanding of the Martial Dao.
His only deficiency was a lack of intense battles in the real world, which had prevented his flesh, soul, and power from fully integrating.
Now, in this arena, he had rediscovered the thrill of combat that came with being a Martial Artist.
Driven by the seemingly endless strength surging through him, Li Chang’an proceeded to rip off the Martial Arts Emperor’s other arm and both its legs.
The "Emperor" that others saw as a horrifying specter was now, before Li Chang’an, nothing more than a toy to be casually dismantled.
The Puppet was limbless, flames still searing its torso.
After another volley of brutal strikes from Li Chang’an, the Puppet finally lay motionless on the ground.
...