Chapter 269: Breaking Through to the Profound Realm

The demonic armor on Liu Shan began to squirm and grow, eventually engulfing his entire head.

Now fully covered in the armor, Liu Shan appeared even more sinister and grotesque—his power more than doubled. With a roar, his massive frame charged straight toward Chen Fei.

To be precise—he charged at the blunt-edged greatsword in Chen Fei’s hand.

A thunderous BOOM rang out as their clash shook the air.

Liu Shan’s figure shuddered violently.

“That shell really is tough,” Chen Fei murmured softly.

With the demonic armor attached, Liu Shan’s defense had become terrifying.

Even the sharp-edged Unforged Greatsword had failed to break through.

This genuinely surprised Chen Fei.

Still, he remained unfazed.

“If one strike doesn’t work, then I’ll just use more!”

Though the greatsword looked heavy and clumsy, in Chen Fei’s hands it became a blur of black shadows.

Each swing clanged fiercely against Liu Shan’s armored form, again and again!

Liu Shan howled in fury, his aura boiling with power—but to the onlookers, he just looked like a powerless beast in a rage.

“Senior Brother Wang, who is this guy…?”

Most of the demonic cultivators had already fled, and now that the battlefield was calmer, those watching Chen Fei’s duel with Liu Shan were full of curiosity.

The medicinal strength that had sustained Wang Feng was fading.

Pain coursed through his body—he knew just how fragile he now was.

And yet, he gritted his teeth and endured.

“That’s the personal disciple of the Grand Elder—Chen Fei!”

Wang Feng smiled weakly, his eyes holding a trace of gratitude as he looked at Chen Fei’s figure.

He’d once believed that his fate had been sealed. But Chen Fei’s arrival had restored the honor of the Heavenly Apex Sacred Ground.

“As expected of a sacred ground’s personal disciple. His strength is truly incredible!”

“Liu Shan’s power was already at the peak of the Origin Realm—and with the demonic armor, even early-stage Profound Realm experts would find him difficult! And yet he’s being thoroughly suppressed!”

“Saint Son Chen is simply unmatched!”

The surrounding cultivators didn’t understand the full weight behind the title “Saint Son,” but they had heard of “Saintess” from other sects. Where there was a saintess, surely there was a saint son.

Wang Feng didn’t bother explaining. He just smiled and nodded.

“Junior Brother Chen’s strength… really does surpass mine.”

Yet even as they spoke, they could see how weak Wang Feng was, and the air around them grew heavy.

On the battlefield, Chen Fei was in full form. The Unforged Greatsword was unleashed without restraint—this battle could only be described as purely satisfying!

After all, it wasn’t every day one got to fight such a perfect training dummy.

“Get lost! Get off me!”

Liu Shan’s voice turned low and guttural. From his armor, a ferocious beast face emerged, and a surge of dark energy burst forth, momentarily disrupting Chen Fei’s sword rhythm.

Then that beast’s head manifested fully on Liu Shan’s back.

Seeing this, Chen Fei raised an eyebrow.

“A manifestation? He’s breaking through… to the Profound Realm?”

The demonic energy inside Liu Shan was surging, and the armor began to tremble.

Marks began forming inside it—as though something was crawling beneath the surface.

“Saint Son Chen! Stop him! He’s about to break through!”

“Damn it! Has he devoured that many lives to reach the Profound Realm?”

The spectators’ expressions changed drastically—they shouted in alarm.

Chen Fei already knew that letting Liu Shan break through would not end well.

Without hesitation, he gripped his sword with both hands and brought it down on Liu Shan, mid-breakthrough.

But now… the fight was starting to feel like beating a turtle with a stick.

The rebound force from each strike was growing stronger and stronger.

Even Chen Fei had to admit it—this was getting concerning.

Realizing he couldn’t stop the breakthrough with brute force, Chen Fei swiftly changed tactics and unleashed a Palm Thunder directly on Liu Shan.

Lightning enveloped Liu Shan in an instant.

But then—Chen Fei’s expression changed.

He leapt back in alarm.

Thunder was supposed to be a counter to demonic armor. But this time—it had acted as a catalyst!

In the wake of the lightning, Liu Shan’s energy underwent a transformation, and the beast manifestation behind him grew more vivid than ever.

Liu Shan had… successfully broken through!

“Chen Fei…”

Liu Shan’s face twisted with a grin. Perhaps due to his breakthrough, his sanity briefly returned.

“I should thank you! Without your thunderstrike, I might not have seized control back from the armor! Don’t worry—I’ll make sure to return the favor!”

Having entered the Profound Realm, Liu Shan now felt as though he could control heaven and earth—and that included controlling Chen Fei’s fate.

“Beneath the Profound Realm, all are insects!”

His arrogance swelled, and he stared down at Chen Fei with contempt.

He slowly raised his hand—demonic armor flowed obediently to his arm.

“Now it’s time you understood… what true power is!”

As his voice fell—Liu Shan vanished.

Chen Fei didn’t hesitate. He raised his Unforged Greatsword at once.

Liu Shan’s armored strike slammed directly into the greatsword, producing a thunderous boom.

Chen Fei’s arms went numb from the impact, but his eyes turned icy.

“So you’ve broken through… and that’s all you’ve got?”

“Chen Fei!!”

Liu Shan was furious. His teeth clenched, his gaze went mad.

“If you want to die so badly, I’ll grant your wish—Demonic March of a Thousand Miles!”

Behind him, the beast manifestation raised its head. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Chen Fei.

Chen Fei immediately felt as if a mountain had been dropped onto his body.

“So this is the pressure of a true manifestation? Not bad.”

Rather than panic, Chen Fei actually closed his eyes, carefully sensing the pressure.

Then, he looked up at Liu Shan.

A new “Axe Sigil” appeared, glowing on the surface of the Unforged Greatsword.

“Your might is impressive—but what a pity… you can’t fully control it.”

With a light chuckle, Chen Fei raised the sword.

“Let’s see how much longer your turtle shell holds out!”

“Arrogant!”

Liu Shan roared in fury.

From the demonic armor, dozens of tentacles sprouted, reaching up to catch the descending greatsword.

Black mist swirled around them—and then, they collided head-on with the greatsword.

A blinding flash erupted from the clash.

Even the spectators turned their faces away, squinting against the brilliance.

When they looked again, Chen Fei and Liu Shan were locked in place—floating midair, unmoving.

“Did… someone win?”

No one could tell.

The two looked like statues, suspended mid-battle.

Even the crowd held their breath, afraid to break the silence.

Behind Liu Shan, the beast manifestation opened its mouth wide.

Everyone watching felt their hearts skip a beat.

“Did Saint Son Chen… lose?”

“Your turtle shell isn’t so great after all.”

Chen Fei’s voice cut through the silence.

As he spoke, Liu Shan’s demonic armor began to bulge and crack.

Then came a soft pop—and the armor exploded into chunks of flesh, raining down.

The moment they hit the ground, the pieces ignited with black flames, turning to ash in the blink of an eye.

Wang Feng smiled.

“I knew it. Chen Fei… wouldn’t lose.”