Chapter 191: Battling Cao Su
The Military Suppression Department was already showing signs of chaos. Cao Su normally didn't meddle in worldly affairs, but now that the fight had come to her doorstep, she couldn't possibly sit back and do nothing.
An equally awe-inspiring aura erupted from Cao Su, rivaling Chen Dong's. A towering, majestic Outer Appearance giant materialized and rose, enveloping her as it confronted Chen Dong's own Outer Appearance head-on.
"Damn, the Domain Lord is making her move!"
"What are you waiting for, you idiot? Run! You want to die standing this close to an Outer Appearance battle?"
The personnel from the Military Suppression Department quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Chen Dong's slightly angered voice rang out, "I have no intention of making an enemy of the Military Suppression Department. I only came here to clear up a misunderstanding and have you rescind my wanted notice."
Cao Su said coldly, "You've already beaten up our people, and you call this clearing up a misunderstanding?"
"Xu Zong attacked first!"
"The honor of my Military Suppression Department isn't something you can just trample on. Whatever you want, I'll have to take you down a peg first!" The will to fight had already ignited in Cao Su's eyes.
Chen Dong's gaze hardened. "It seems a fight is unavoidable. So the Military Suppression Department is this tyrannical. In that case, don't blame me for what happens next!"
"You beat up my people, and now you have the gall to call us tyrannical! Do you really think being in the Outer Appearance Realm means you can do whatever you want?!" Cao Su let out a cold shout. Her Outer Appearance assumed a fundamental martial stance, and as her intention moved, the form followed. Like a ferocious tiger descending a mountain, it shot straight toward Chen Dong's Outer Appearance.
Chen Dong sneered, "We're fighting with Outer Appearances, and you want to compete with fist techniques!" Countless bolts of lightning sparked into existence, and one as thick as a bucket struck Cao Su's Outer Appearance directly.
BOOM! With a tremendous roar, the lightning exploded against Cao Su's Outer Appearance. The strike completely disrupted the momentum of her charging tiger form, robbing it of its ferocious intent. It now looked more like a cat than a tiger.
Chen Dong's Outer Appearance gathered lightning into its palm and struck its opponent's abdomen. As Cao Su's giant form was forced back, it managed to land a palm strike on the shoulder of Chen Dong's Outer Appearance.
A cloud of dust billowed up from the impact. Chen Dong's Outer Appearance took a single step back, while Cao Su's stumbled and fell into the river.
The members of the Military Suppression Department were shocked. 'Could it be that even the Domain Lord is no match for Chen Dong?'
Chen Dong immediately dispersed the lightning around his Outer Appearance, then leaped into the river. He threw a punch downward, churning the water and creating monstrous waves.
Amidst the churning spray, a cry rang out: "Halberd, come!" The Dark Gold Halberd shot into the river. Enveloped by celestial energy, it transformed into a massive Celestial Spirit Halberd, large enough for an Outer Appearance giant to wield.
Beneath the water, the halberd parried Chen Dong's Outer Appearance Giant Fist. With a backhand motion, it swept out horizontally. Chen Dong's Outer Appearance closed the distance for close-quarters combat, striking with fists and elbows, aiming specifically for the hand Cao Su used to grip her weapon.
The members of the Military Suppression Department didn't dare get close to watch, but they could tell how fierce the battle was from the geysers of water shooting dozens of meters into the air.
As the two Outer Appearances fought, they sank deeper and deeper, stirring up countless whirlpools and massive waves.
Cao Su's True Fire had been ignited; she was fighting in earnest now. She couldn't believe that someone as young as Chen Dong could possess such a profound mastery of the Outer Appearance Realm. Normally, maneuvering a massive Outer Appearance made it sluggish, but Chen Dong's was both agile and immensely powerful. On closer inspection, she saw it even had Celestial Spirit inscriptions—something her own Outer Appearance lacked.
'If I don't use my real skills now,' she thought, 'the Military Suppression Department's reputation will be utterly ruined.'
So, with a cold shout, the Dark Gold Halberd in her Outer Appearance's hand flashed with light. A single cleave forced Chen Dong back. Then, with a flick of her wrist, the halberd's single form multiplied into a thousand phantom images, all stabbing toward Chen Dong's Outer Appearance.
The Celestial Spirit energy circulating around Chen Dong's Outer Appearance pulsed, then coiled around its fists. It launched itself forward, meeting Cao Su's fierce and domineering halberd attack head-on.
Countless phantom halberds, carrying an unstoppable force, pierced through the turbulent river's surface and shot toward the sky. At the same time, the riverbank trembled as the force of Chen Dong's punches penetrated the deep water to shake the very riverbed.
After the violent collision, both of their Outer Appearances could no longer hold their form and shattered simultaneously. Chen Dong glanced at the Dark Gold Halberd in Cao Su's hand. 'That Divine Artifact is something else. If she didn't have it, she wouldn't have even managed a draw in our Outer Appearance clash.'
Cao Su knew she was relying on the advantage of her Divine Artifact, but that wasn't her problem. 'If anyone's to blame, it's you, Chen Dong, for not having one.' The coldness in her eyes did not diminish as she raised her halberd and thrust it straight at him.
Chen Dong's hands seemed to stick to the halberd's blade as he redirected its path, then spun in close with a palm strike.
Cao Su pulled her halberd back to block him, then swung it in a sharp upward arc, intending to disembowel him.
Chen Dong blocked the upward arc with his knee and slammed a Mountain Lean into her celestial-energy-infused guard. The force sent Cao Su flying back through the water, and she smashed hard against the stones on the riverbed.
Before Cao Su could stabilize herself, Chen Dong lunged forward with a flying knee for the finishing blow.
Cao Su hastily dodged, and the massive boulder she had been slammed against shattered into pieces.
At this moment, Cao Su had to admit that Chen Dong's strength surpassed her own. But even so, she could not lose this fight. She brandished her halberd, closed her eyes to circulate her True Qi, and when she opened them again, her Outer Appearance had materialized once more.
Chen Dong's cold gaze swept over her. 'Cao Su has quite a few treasures on her. If she weren't wearing some kind of protective armor, that last Mountain Lean would have definitely injured her. But right now, she doesn't look hurt at all.'
With a single leap, Chen Dong jumped out of the river, and Cao Su immediately gave chase.
Chen Dong shouted, "There's no need to keep fighting! I surrender, I give up, alright?!" After this continuous battle, the effects of any alcohol he'd consumed had completely worn off. Thinking it over, he realized there was no point in fighting the Military Suppression Department.
The colossal Outer Appearance blotting out the sky stared coldly at Chen Dong. "Surrender?"
Cao Su also breathed a sigh of relief. If they kept fighting, she wasn't certain she would win. Chen Dong was not as easy to defeat as she had imagined; his cultivation was terrifying, and his Outer Appearance Realm was even higher than hers. As long as she could preserve the Military Suppression Department's honor, there was no need to push such an expert to the brink. Since Chen Dong had surrendered, it gave her a graceful way to de-escalate the situation.
Chen Dong didn't want to fight anymore. 'This Cao Su has too many treasures,' he thought. 'Her True Qi is still abundant. She must have a Divine Artifact that replenishes it.'
Neither side wanted to fight anymore, and a hush fell over the scene.
"Since you've surrendered, you brat, you might as well let us take you into custody!"
Just as everyone was breathing a sigh of relief, an incredibly arrogant voice chose the worst possible moment to ring out.