Chapter 108: Engagement

“Clatter, clatter, clatter...” Clumps of earth fell continuously from above and in front. Suddenly, Lu Zhe, trapped within the pillar, raised both arms and swung them downward with a fierce motion, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

“Roar!!”

In an instant, the immense roar echoed far and wide. The riddled cave suddenly showered with falling stones, and even the once still and ancient lava began to ripple slightly. The powerful roar shattered the pillar imprisoning Lu Zhe into countless fragments that scattered like rain, forcing everyone around to hastily raise their hands to shield themselves.

“Damn it!” The man whose technique had been forcibly disrupted by Lu Zhe roared angrily. Quickly forming hand seals, he slammed both palms onto the ground and shouted loudly, “Advanced Xuan Technique: Ensnaring Triangular Tower!”

At his command, the ground beneath his palms cracked open with a fissure as thick as a baby’s arm, rapidly extending forward until it reached close to Lu Zhe. The fissure then abruptly split into two, winding left and right before curving back, ultimately merging again.

From above, the cracks formed a triangle, enclosing Lu Zhe within.

Then, with a thunderous boom beneath Lu Zhe’s feet, three massive, sturdy earth blocks rose from the ground like walls, forming a triangular enclosure around him. With a rumbling sound, these three earthen walls converged inward, merging into a single solid object resembling a triangular prism.

Seeing the triangular prism take shape, the man didn’t cease his hand movements. Soon after, he formed another seal, pressed his palms together forcefully, and declared, “Advanced Xuan Technique: Beast-Trapping Quadrangle Cage!”

At his words, a booming sound erupted around the triangular prism. Huge earth walls, even larger than before, ascended from the ground, forming a quadrangular enclosure around the prism. Then, a gigantic square earth block descended from above, sealing the four walls like a lid.

Breathing heavily, beads of sweat mixed with streaks of blood rolled down the man’s forehead. The strain of consecutively casting two advanced Xuan techniques weighed heavily upon him.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked at the towering cube before him, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth. “Hmph, let’s see how you get out this time.”

With that, after one last glance at the massive cube, he turned and strode back toward his comrades.

---

However, before he had taken many steps, a tremendous crashing noise from behind halted him abruptly.

He stopped, eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at the cube.

“Bang, bang, bang...”

The collisions grew louder, the heavy thuds reverberating through the quiet cave, each one shaking the heart with an unsettling rhythm.

“Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—boom!”

At last, the relentless pounding ceased with a tremendous roar. From the cube directly ahead, a blood-red arm suddenly thrust outward.

“What?!” The crowd, along with the man, stood dumbfounded.

With a deafening sound, another arm emerged. Moments later, as the two arms slowly retracted, Lu Zhe burst forth from the cube with an earth-shattering force, leaving everyone stunned.

Emerging from the cube, Lu Zhe hunched over, head bowed, breathing heavily. Then, gradually straightening his body, he lifted his gaze toward the crowd. His bloodthirsty eyes sent a chilling shiver through all who met his gaze.

“Are you kidding? This is even possible?” The man who had fought Lu Zhe looked at him in shock.

Lu Zhe’s crimson eyes swept quickly over the crowd before resting on his opponent. With a mighty roar, he lunged forward at the man.

The man showed no fear. His eyes narrowed coldly as he planted his feet firmly, clenched his fists at his abdomen, muscles taut, veins bulging. A visible swirl of earthy yellow spiritual energy began to coil around his right arm.

The yellow energy spun rapidly, like a vortex wrapping tightly around his right hand. As Lu Zhe closed in, the man called out, “Intermediate Xuan Technique: Spiral Earth-Shattering Fist!”

---

With a heavy impact, the right fist struck Lu Zhe’s right cheek.

Lu Zhe let out a soft grunt and quickly flew to the left, but only a short distance. Midair, he spun and landed, crouching low and clutching the earth beneath him to absorb the residual force, leaving a long furrow in the ground before coming to a stop.

“That punch pays back for your earlier slap,” the man sneered coldly.

Turning sharply, he kicked off the ground with his right leg and surged forward like a shooting star.

“Roar!” Lu Zhe roared skyward, smashing his arms into the earth, creating two substantial craters before charging forward, mirroring his opponent’s assault.

The two collided at lightning speed, instantly locked in combat.

“Bang, bang, bang.”

The sound of their clashes echoed relentlessly, causing hearts to race with every resounding blow.

After exchanging no fewer than thirty moves, the two were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand. Suddenly, they broke apart, each stepping back to observe the other silently, motionless.

The man’s tattered clothes bore fresh blood from the fight, while Lu Zhe’s body glowed crimson, wounds bleeding—whether from this battle or old scars reawakened remained unclear. Their strength was evenly balanced, an impasse.

Suddenly, Lu Zhe, who had kept his head bowed, lifted it and let out a mighty roar. Though none were surprised at this anymore, what followed left everyone utterly speechless.

Lu Zhe’s body began to mutate once again...