417: Chapter 417 Unleashing Potential, Ghost Back Unfolds

In the Flesh Nest, the four stood facing each other.

An invisible heatwave swept across the area.

The air warped because of it, and the pervasive red light flickered uncertainly.

The surrounding tentacles that were still squirming earlier seemed to have met their natural enemy; they let out hissing sounds and retracted into the fleshy walls one after another.

Fang Cheng stood with his feet shoulder-width apart.

This was the most ordinary standing posture.

Yet his entire body seemed to be gathering a destructive power.

The carpet of flesh beneath his feet had already been scorched pitch-black, emitting a sizzling sound like hot iron searing flesh.

And in a vision only Fang Cheng himself could see, a translucent panel quietly emerged.

At the bottom of the panel, a skill that was originally grayed out was now rapidly flashing with a red light.

It was as if some Seal had been undone, releasing a majestic power originating from the deepest, most primal part of his body.

If he were to perform an internal inspection right now, he would see an extraordinary phenomenon inside his Dantian.

The originally calm sea of True Qi was boiling violently, with countless bubbles gurgling and churning upward.

And at the deepest part of the seabed, that dormant volcano had completely awakened.

The scalding lava broke through the crust's constraints, carrying life energy with it, and erupted violently with an unstoppable force.

This torrent of energy surged out along his Meridians, washing through every corner of his body.

The lactic acid, metabolic waste, and other fatigue-inducing 'toxins' accumulated during the battle were instantly vaporized and cleared away.

The muscle tears caused by violent impacts, internal organ bruising, and minor blockages in his Meridians were all completely smoothed out and washed clean.

Even the crisscrossing, bone-deep wounds on his body's surface stopped bleeding and began to scab over as this torrent of energy poured in.

New flesh grew frantically, causing his bruised and battered body to heal rapidly as if it were brand new.

Such a terrifying recovery speed had already transcended the boundaries of biology.

It was as if the process of cellular regeneration and repair had been accelerated by thousands of times.

This was not Fang Cheng deliberately guiding his True Qi to heal himself, but a great power bursting forth from the Origin of life.

In an instant, it allowed him to achieve a full-health resurrection in a sense.

"Potential Activation..."

Fang Cheng muttered in a low voice.

This hidden skill had almost been forgotten by him in a corner.

Aside from using it during the Early Stage of his fitness training to challenge his limits and speed up his skill leveling progress, he had basically never used it again.

It wasn't that he didn't value this skill; on the contrary, he valued it exceptionally.

Through many personal practices, Fang Cheng had long realized the best way to use 'Potential Activation'.

It was not for post-workout recovery, nor was it for challenging physical limits.

Rather, it was to activate a 'full health, full defense, pain-free' second phase during combat.

This was his true ultimate trump card!

An indescribable feeling of refreshment instantly spread throughout his body, and Fang Cheng couldn't help but let out a satisfied groan:

"Ah, so comfortable—"

This scene completely shattered the wishful thinking of the three members of the Xiao Family.

"How is this possible!"

The young man's face was filled with disbelief: "You... aren't you just bluffing?"

The man in front of them had clearly looked exhausted just moments ago, so how could his Aura suddenly become so overwhelming?

Could it be that his battle with Minister Luo was actually effortless, and he had been pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger all along?

Beside him, Xiao Ming stared at Fang Cheng, who was wearing an evil ghost mask and covered in flames.

He seemed to recall some terrifying legend, shrank his neck, and quietly took half a step back.

The middle-aged man also had a solemn expression.

Staring at the almost tangible crimson-gold gaseous flames on Fang Cheng's body, thoughts raced through his mind.

Just what kind of rare special ability was this?

Or was the opponent using some secret technique to burn his own Qi and blood at all costs to heal his wounds?

Whichever it was, he could clearly feel that the vigorous Qi and blood inside the opponent's body, like a raging furnace, was absolutely genuine.

The middle-aged man took a deep breath.

A cold, dark energy quietly condensed in his palm.

Since the opponent seemed to have recovered his state, he also had to go all out.

After all, this was a powerhouse who could push Minister Luo Lie into a desperate situation, and he absolutely could not be underestimated.

However, Fang Cheng's transformation was not yet over.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A series of muffled sounds of muscle fibers rapidly expanding and stretching came from his upper back.

Like taut steel cables being released, all restraints were undone.

That soaring Aura actually rose once again!

The young man and Xiao Ming, standing to the side and rear, widened their eyes at this moment as they witnessed a bizarre scene.

The muscle groups on Fang Cheng's back seemed to instantly come alive, squirming and reorganizing in an exaggerated manner to reveal an even more ferocious form.

His latissimus dorsi flared out extremely, forming broad cheeks.

His trapezius muscles bulged high, forming a tightly furrowed brow.

The deep furrow of his spine turned into a straight bridge of a nose.

Most heart-stoppingly, on both sides of his shoulder blades, the infraspinatus and teres major muscles were forcibly stretched, forming twisted eye sockets.

Squeezed between them, the teres minor muscles, which were extremely difficult to see under normal circumstances, frantically congested with blood and bulged out.

They surprisingly formed a pair of 'devil eyes' filled with a violent expression.

A crystal-clear demon face, seemingly weeping, was thus vividly branded onto his back!

"Thi... what is this?"

The young man was somewhat dumbfounded and muttered to himself:

"Could it be... this guy is actually a monster in human skin?"

The visual impact and pressure brought by that demon face made him feel dry-mouthed, his breathing restricted.

The middle-aged man's pupils brightened and contracted slightly.

He could sense that after the opponent unfolded this demon face made of muscle, his strength surged once again.

It was as if at this moment, he was no longer facing a human.

But a ghost god who had stepped out of Hell, born solely for slaughter.

That invisible psychological pressure even caused his own Aura field to fluctuate slightly.

After further unleashing his Demon Back, Fang Cheng felt an unprecedented power surge from his spine to his entire body.

Every muscle and every bone seemed to be cheering for this.

Fang Cheng nodded in satisfaction, his gaze instantly becoming even more blazing, shooting like sharp arrows toward the enemies who dared to block him.

The 'crimson eye' floating in the air seemed to turn its pupil slightly, silently watching this battle that was about to erupt.

The middle-aged man had no fear.

He was a powerhouse who had entered S-rank for many years, one of the few top experts in the noble families.

How could he fear a guy who only knew how to use brute force?

Besides, his Domain ability was extremely special...

"Do it!"

The middle-aged man shouted sharply, setting up a triangular killing formation with his two companions.

The young man and Xiao Ming also suppressed the fear in their hearts, quickly shifting their positions to coordinate with the middle-aged man's attack.

Facing the fatal danger of a pincer attack from front and back, there was no fear in Fang Cheng's eyes; instead, they were filled with an increasingly blazing Battle Intent.

His figure stood motionless, his waist and hips sinking slightly.

His retracted right arm was already like a fully drawn bowstring, ready to strike.

His heart was like a motor turned to maximum power, pumping out a large amount of blood as hot as lava.

Under the infusion of a massive amount of Qi and blood, his muscle-swollen right arm quickly flushed red, even emitting curls of white steam.

It was as if that was a red-hot arm of steel.

Crack—

His joints twisted, emitting a spine-chilling series of cracks.

In an instant, Fang Cheng made the first move.

Bang!

The carpet of flesh beneath his feet instantly exploded into a crater, and charred bits of flesh mixed with airwaves blasted in all directions.

Fang Cheng's figure had already vanished from the spot, completely ignoring the young man and Xiao Ming who were attacking from both sides.

His eyes were like torches, locking onto the target that posed the greatest threat—

That middle-aged man who claimed to be an S-rank expert!

Before the fist even arrived, a sharp sonic boom had already torn through the air.

Facing this Aura-heavy punch, the middle-aged man did not dodge or evade; he simply raised his right hand quickly.

A mouth surprisingly split open in his palm, and a miniature vortex instantly formed in his hand, sucking in the surrounding airflow.

And the howling fiery fist also rushed straight ahead like a missile.

Just as this fist and palm were about to collide!

The middle-aged man's eyes lit up, thinking to himself that now was the time.

"Domain, Taotie!"

Darkness descended without warning.

It was as if an invisible barrier crashed down and suddenly closed.

The surrounding Flesh Nest, the two companions in black, along with all light and sound, vanished in an instant.

In this enclosed space, only Fang Cheng and the middle-aged man remained.

The flow of time also seemed to become viscous and slow.

And in front of Fang Cheng's fist, within the dark void.

A giant mouth covered in mucus and filled with sharp teeth appeared out of thin air, biting toward his burning Iron Fist.

However, Fang Cheng showed no fear.

At this moment, there was only moving forward, no retreat.

When rivals meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail!

His punching momentum did not decrease but instead increased, bursting with even more blazing golden flames.

A confident sneer curled at the corner of the middle-aged man's mouth.

One must know that the core of his ability was not attack, but rather 'devouring' and 'conversion'.

Once the Domain was deployed, it would construct an independent dimensional stomach bag, completely absorbing all forms of energy and impact force.

It could even be released after conversion to counterattack in an unexpected way.

The greater the opponent's attack power, the more terrifying the reflected damage would be!

Simply put, it was returning the blow in kind.

With this bizarre and unpredictable ability, he had once made countless self-proclaimed masters regret.

But in the next second, the smile on his face completely froze.

The giant mouth that devoured everything only lasted less than half a second upon contacting Fang Cheng's fist before emitting an overwhelmed wail.

Crack—

Fine cracks began to spread across the giant mouth.

Subsequently, it was completely blown apart by the violent power and began to burn furiously!

The middle-aged man's heart leaped, instantly realizing he had miscalculated.

The power contained in the opponent's punch had probably already exceeded the upper limit of his Domain's absorption and conversion.

No wonder...

Like a flash of lightning, the image of Luo Lie's previous beggar-like miserable state flashed through his mind.

Boom!

The dark Domain shattered at the sound, and the scenery of the real world came back into view.

The middle-aged man only felt an irresistible, massive force transmit from his palm.

The energy vortex used to neutralize the opponent's offensive was instantly pierced through, and the bones of his entire right arm cracked under the massive shock.

In Fang Cheng's crimson eyes, there was no emotion, only pure Battle Intent.

60 points of Strength, 60 points of Agility.

Coupled with the Qilin Arm increasing his arm strength by 500% and the Demon Back boosting his punching power by 100%.

How could it be so easily blocked!

Under the single punch, the middle-aged man flew backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily into the flesh-covered alloy wall behind him.

The sturdy wall was smashed into a clear human-shaped indentation, as if a portrait were embedded there.

The so-called 'hitting someone so hard they hang like a painting' was precisely this.

"Second Uncle!" "Second Master!"

The young man and Xiao Ming cried out in absolute terror.

"Cough... Go! Leave through the Spatial Gate!"

Coughing up blood, the middle-aged man was exceptionally decisive, immediately issuing the order to retreat.

He knew well that if they continued to fight, they would likely end up with the same fate as Minister Luo Lie.

Fang Cheng tapped his toes on the ground, preparing to fly up and deliver another punch.

In an instant, darkness shrouded them again, and that shattered giant mouth reappeared.

But this time, its target was not Fang Cheng; instead, it swallowed the seriously injured middle-aged man in one gulp.

A few seconds later, when the darkness dissipated, there was no sign of him left on the spot.

Even the figures of the other two black-clothed companions had disappeared.

Fang Cheng focused his gaze and happened to see the Spatial Gate that had not yet completely closed.

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, the gate doors closed, the rift rapidly shrank, and finally disappeared completely.

In the blink of an eye, he was the only one left in the entire Flesh Nest.

"...They ran?"

Fang Cheng felt a bit bewildered.

Weren't they going to fight?

How did it end after taking just one punch?

They didn't even have time to take their things...

Fang Cheng's gaze was still fiery, but he did not continue to pursue the three mysterious men in black.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but the abnormal state coming from inside his body forced him to stop.

Fang Cheng frowned slightly.

He clearly felt a wealth of power inside him, as if he had endless energy.

But an unprecedented sense of hunger submerged him like a tidal wave.

His stomach spasmed and contracted frantically, and a large amount of gastric acid churned, burning his esophagus.

Like a craving originating from the deepest part of his cells, it wailed in every corner of his body, desperately needing energy replenishment.

After a brief thought, Fang Cheng understood the reason.

During his previous battle with Minister Luo Lie, his Palm Technique skill leveled up, granting him attribute points.

He had increased his Strength to 60 points in one go, breaking through the physiological limits of the human body.

According to past experience, every time he broke through his limits, he had to consume a large amount of food to make up for the Origin consumed by leveling up and adding points.

But at that time, he was in the Inner World, surrounded by enemies, with absolutely no condition to eat.

Subsequently, in order to defeat Minister Luo Lie, he had repeatedly unleashed 'Qilin Arm' and 'Tyrant Body', using True Qi to enhance the power of his Punching techniques and Palm Techniques.

Therefore, he had consumed a large amount of Qi and blood, and his physical energy was nearly depleted.

As for the battle just now, it had completely squeezed his body to its limit.

Although 'Potential Activation' could instantly restore him to his Peak state, this energy did not come from nothing or appear out of thin air.

Even after mastering the 'Qigong' skill, he no longer directly extracted life force like in the past, but instead mobilized the True Qi stored in his Dantian.

But the hunger, after all, could not be exempt.

Because this was an inherent mechanism of living organisms.

Fang Cheng still remembered self-studying related knowledge in the library.

When the internal environment was out of balance and energy reserves were depleted, the hypothalamus would send out strong signals to eat.

Thus forming a survival instinct that involved multiple physiological mechanisms, such as nerves, hormones, and metabolism, working in synergy.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng immediately inspected his Dantian.

He found that the deep blue sea of True Qi had indeed hit bottom, nearing depletion.

"I need to quickly go out and find something to eat..."

Muttering to himself in a low voice, Fang Cheng turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the dark flesh and fascia beneath his feet.

A strange aroma drifted into his nose, appearing exceptionally alluring.

Like skewers from a barbecue stall, it emitted a mouth-watering, caramelized fat aroma.

Fang Cheng shook his head, brushing aside this bizarre thought.

He was a human, not a beast, so how could he eat such a disgusting thing?

He then took a step forward, preparing to leave this ghostly place.

However, when his gaze fell upon the 'crimson eye' floating in mid-air once again, he couldn't help but pause. (End of Chapter)