Chapter 224: One Punch and Battle Qi
Looking at his reflection in the ice.
Li Meng touched his smooth mask.
"Xiao Bai, this appearance looks really strange!"
"No matter how strange, it's still better than the master showing his face."
"That's true. But, isn't there any magic to change my appearance?"
"There is, but it's easy to see through."
"Alright then, strange it is."
"Master, when will you set out?"
"Let's wait a bit longer. That human woman hasn't come yet."
Li Meng took off the mask and stood up.
"Before that, let's go see Yue E!"
Saying this, Li Meng walked out.
Leaving the throne hall, Li Meng headed west.
He exited the Throne Tribe through the western gate.
"Where is the King going again?"
"Who knows!"
"The King will come back soon, right?"
"Probably… maybe."
In the dim forest, after walking a while, Li Meng arrived at the riverbank.
With a leap, Li Meng's figure shot forward like a cannonball, landing steadily on the water's surface.
This time, there was no layer of ice on the water.
Li Meng stepped on the surface and sprinted.
Wherever he passed, ripples spread across the water.
In the blink of an eye, Li Meng's figure disappeared at the end of the river.
---
The Next Day, Black Mountain Marshlands.
In the afternoon, the scorching sun shone upon the land.
In the southern waters of Black Mountain.
A figure suddenly appeared on the water's surface.
"Yue E! Yue E!"
The loud voice echoed across the land and sky.
Some Lizardmen noticed the commotion and their expressions changed drastically. They hurriedly ran back to the tribe.
Standing on the water, Li Meng gazed at the endless white waters around him.
Suddenly, his eyes fixed on the west.
In that direction, a massive shadow moved beneath the water.
Soon, the giant shadow approached Li Meng.
"Boss! Boss!"
Without any splashing, Yue E's enormous body gently surfaced.
Her gigantic head appeared right beside Li Meng.
"Boss, why did you become so small?"
Yue E's eyes, larger than plates, stared directly at the boss.
If not for the familiar scent from him, Yue E wouldn't have recognized this tiny figure as her boss.
Li Meng grinned and pulled off his clothes.
His body swelled visibly, growing from two meters to a towering 5.5 meters in height.
"Boss, you're huge!"
Yue E looked at her now gigantic boss in amazement.
"How about it? Handsome, right?"
Li Meng struck a pose.
His muscular body was well-defined, tall, and powerful.
Picking up a package from the ground, Li Meng tossed it to Yue E.
Yue E opened her mouth and swallowed the package whole.
Inside the package were not only magic crystals but also fragments of Xiao Bai's split body.
"Yue E, your boss will soon be heading out on a long journey. It'll be a while before I return."
"A long journey? How long?"
"A few years, maybe. Not sure."
"Just a few years? That's like a nap."
Hearing this, Li Meng chuckled.
To a species with a long lifespan, a few years was but a blink of an eye.
As the Swamp Crocodile King, Yue E naturally had a lengthy lifespan.
"You should go out and explore too. Head to the ocean. There are plenty of magical beasts to hunt and devour. I've become this strong; you can't stay a weakling!"
"Boss, the ocean is dangerous."
Yue E shook her massive head, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes.
"Just don't stray too far from the continent. Run if you encounter something you can't handle."
Hesitant, Yue E nodded slightly.
"Boss, are you really that strong?"
Yue E's question left Li Meng momentarily stumped.
Since he'd never faced a worthy opponent, he had no clear sense of his strength.
Although he had defeated the Flame Demon Lord and the Ghost Beastman at the Garrison Fort, neither of them posed a challenge.
From the moment the battles began, Li Meng knew he wouldn't lose.
The Flame Demon Lord and the Ghost Beastman didn't qualify as true powerhouses—at least not in his eyes.
"I guess I'm strong. Ten of you wouldn't be a match for me."
"I… I don't believe it. Boss, I'm really strong!"
Although Yue E's expression wasn't visible, her disbelief was evident.
Li Meng grinned and stretched his arms.
"Let's test it then. Use your strongest skill to attack me!"
Yue E quickly shook her massive head.
"No way! You'll die!"
"I won't. I'm strong."
"Then… you'd better dodge, Boss."
"No dodging. Dodging defeats the purpose."
"Then forget it, Boss. I believe you're strong."
"Yue E, you're no fun. Your boss doesn't like boring people."
"I got it, Boss!"
Yue E's massive body dove back into the water.
The enormous shadow moved away before resurfacing several hundred meters away.
"Boss, take this!"
Yue E opened her mouth, spitting out a water ball.
The water ball roared toward Li Meng.
In the blink of an eye, it was upon him.
Li Meng curled his lips slightly and swatted the water ball with his hand.
The resulting wave and water spray shattered the water ball.
"Yue E, is that all you've got?"
Angered by her boss's mockery, Yue E roared.
"Boss, you've made me mad!"
With a deafening roar, Yue E opened her mouth again.
Magical energy surged, forming an even larger water ball.
This time, the water ball carried immense magical power, sending waves rolling in its wake.
"Bring it on!"
Li Meng grinned, stepping forward with his right foot.
Clenching his right fist, he threw a punch.
A powerful shockwave exploded forth.
The water ball, a hundred meters away, burst apart with a thunderous bang.
The shockwave continued, lifting a massive column of water and slamming into Yue E.
The impact flipped Yue E upside down along with the water column.
Such was the terrifying power of the Divine child's *Monster Strength* skill.
Even the force of the air stirred by his fist carried immense destructive power.
No, that wasn't mere air—it was magical energy.
"Xiao Bai, this must be battle qi."
Li Meng could feel a strange energy erupting as he threw his punch.
"Yes, Master. When did you learn to use battle qi?"
"Uh… I don't know. It just happened."
"…"
So this was battle qi?
Li Meng stared at his fist in wonder.
Though invisible, the space around his fist seemed to distort.
"Xiao Bai, does battle qi have attributes?"
Li Meng recalled the Sword King Carlos.
His techniques, rather than pure battle qi, resembled magic—long-range, terrain-altering attacks.