Chapter 22: The Strength of the Mountain

The massive force of the black bear, accompanied by a thunderous boom, slammed heavily into Li Yuanheng.

"Rumble!"

Although Li Yuanheng had not expected this fellow to attack without a word, he was no pushover. A sharp barb instantly sprouted from his shoulder to deflect the terrifying energy pouring into him. But a moment later, he realized he was wrong! This guy definitely didn't have an A-rank talent; it had to be S-rank or higher! His tough, sprouted barb had been snapped clean off.

"Bang!"

Under the immense strength of the "Bear Soul Possession," Li Yuanheng’s body was sent flying sideways. This sudden turn of events shocked those at the main banquet table.

"SS-rank? No, it should only be S-rank."
"That power just now, it wasn't the strength of a bull; perhaps it was some even more terrifying creature."
"Hahahaha, good! My South City has gained another fierce warrior!"

Jiang Yunhan was also stunned by Dashan’s strength; it far exceeded any talent amplification they had ever known. Li Yuanheng was a powerhouse they had recruited from afar. He had expected this man to have the victory in the bag, never imagining he would encounter such a formidable rival.

Lü Xingji stroked his chin, seemingly deep in thought, while Lang Fei stood up and began to applaud. The crowd looked at Li Yuanheng, who was struggling to get up from the ground, and then at the giant Dashan, whose stature had surged and who stood as immovable as a mountain. This was a clash of top-tier combat power in the apocalypse!

"Heh, you’re also S-rank, aren't you?" Li Yuanheng wiped the blood from his lips, a touch of malice appearing as he looked at Dashan’s aggressive figure.

"I won't tell you. You called Brother Xiao a pretty boy, so I have to kill you." Dashan slowly approached, intent on ending the fight.

Li Yuanheng had never imagined that the reason for his death would be so absurd! His heart was bleeding. He decided to strike first; a long spear appeared in his hand—no, it was his own talent, his fangs! S-rank talent: "Sea Urchin’s Fangs"! In terms of raw lethality, skill-based talents were far superior to strength-based ones. The fang was exceptionally sharp, thrusting straight toward Dashan’s heart.

It was hard to imagine the sheer destructive power of this strike, which seemed capable of piercing through anything. Even the air on both sides of the path hissed as the spike tore through it.

"Smash him!" Dashan roared, stepping forward and swinging his massive hand downward, completely unafraid of Li Yuanheng’s talent-manifested fang.

The onlookers had not expected Li Yuanheng to unleash such a heaven-defying technique while on the defensive, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of dread, as if they could already see Dashan being impaled.

"Boss Jiang just said that humanity's advantage lies in using tools; why does this big oaf insist on using his bare flesh to withstand a talent spike?"
"It's too brutal. I really didn't expect Li Yuanheng to have a trump card under these circumstances!"
"After this battle, wouldn't it be fair to call Li Yuanheng the strongest under the three founders?"

The crowd sighed in regret; this giant who had stunned everyone with his debut was about to die before their eyes. Perhaps, this was the apocalypse. Jiang Yunhan actually didn't want to see the two fight to the death; both were scarce talents in this end-times world. But he had no way to intervene; this was their right in the apocalypse. Lü Xingji stood up excitedly, standing beside Lang Fei. A death match between two S-rank talents! On the fifth day of the apocalypse, it was perhaps a bit too soon.

"Brother Xiao..." Chen Xiao shook his head, signaling for Tang Shirou to remain calm. He knew Dashan’s abilities best of all. In his previous life, even a one-armed Dashan had rampaged through Jiangbei. In this life, he was at his peak!

Li Yuanheng was strong. But Dashan was stronger!

"Coo-coo-coo-coo-coo—"

As Chen Xiao had expected, something unexpected happened! With a sound of shattering that shook the earth, everyone witnessed an incredible scene! Dashan’s palm, like an indestructible Buddhist seal, swept across, and nothing could resist it! The long, sharp spike splintered inch by inch! Under that palm, it had no toughness to speak of and was smashed to pieces. And Li Yuanheng, with eyes wide in shock and an expression of utter disbelief, was beaten to death by Dashan on the spot!

What others couldn't understand, Chen Xiao could. That palm strike was the A-rank "Iron Palm" executed under the S-rank "Bear Soul Possession"! With the combination of these two talents, the strength was almost comparable to an SS-rank talent! People like Li Yuanheng stood no chance. This was the power of dual talents!

"How can human flesh resist the rules of a talent?"
"This is too terrifying. What kind of monster did he eat?"
"I’ve only seen such horrifying scenes during the Second-in-Command’s battles!"

On both sides of the path, those who had been eating and drinking stopped, completely dumbstruck. Li Yuanheng’s death determined the ultimate winner of the welcome ceremony: Dashan. Because no one dared to step forward anymore... Li Yuanheng had been the one they considered most likely to be number one! And yet? He had been beaten to death!

Next came the ceremony for distributing the keys. Everyone returned to their feasting; after all, opportunities to eat and drink like this were rare. Dashan got the key and delivered it to Chen Xiao immediately.

"You are strong, Dashan."

Chen Xiao recognized who the visitor was.

"Brother, our South City has gained another powerful one!" Jiang Chuxue spoke first, happy for Jiang Yunhan.

Lü Xingji also walked over, looked Dashan up and down, and asked, "What exactly did you awaken?"

Dashan glanced at Chen Xiao, and after receiving a nod of approval, he scratched his head and said, "I awakened a blind bear."

"What the hell? A blind bear!"