Chapter 23
"Damn it, he's too massive. It's hard to fully control his movements," Li Ji muttered under his breath. He had hoped to pin Hulk down using his knees, trapping him beneath him to unleash a combo of punches. But he quickly realized that Hulk's sheer size was preventing him from holding him down.
"Hulk!" With a roar, Hulk planted one hand on the ground and tried to push himself up, attempting to shake off Li Ji. Li Ji gritted his teeth and pressed his right knee into Hulk's chest, forcing him back down for a moment, before slamming his fist into Hulk's face again. "Stay still!"
"Hulk! Hulk!" The green behemoth struggled, his body shaking violently with each attempt to break free. Li Ji could feel the growing intensity of Hulk's rage. With every movement, Hulk's strength seemed to multiply.
"Knock me out, damn it!" Li Ji had no choice but to unleash a barrage of punches. His fists hammered down relentlessly on Hulk's head, aiming for his temples, hoping to knock him out and finish this fight. But Hulk barely flinched, his body sinking several inches into the earth with each hit. Instead of faltering, Hulk's power only seemed to grow.
"You're gonna regret that!" Li Ji roared, his muscles bulging as he summoned all his might. With a furious swing, his fist crashed into Hulk's temple, sending the giant flying through the air, landing roughly dozens of yards away.
"Hulk!" Hulk bellowed, rising to his feet despite the damage. His injuries were already healing at a terrifying rate, his green skin rapidly knitting itself back together.
"Damn it!" Li Ji cursed, frustration boiling over. He had hoped one well-placed blow would end this, but now Hulk was back up and angrier than before. Hulk clearly knew that Li Ji's patience was starting to wear thin. The ground beneath Hulk's feet cracked as he stomped down, leaving deep prints in the earth. With a violent swing, Hulk's massive fist collided with Li Ji's face. Li Ji barely had time to react, and the force of the punch sent him flying.
"Not bad," Li Ji grunted, regaining control in mid-air. He wiped the blood from his lips, his eyes burning with rage. He could feel the anger welling up inside him, but he knew he had to keep a cool head. Hulk may have the strength, but Li Ji had the control.
"You're powerful, sure, but you're also fragile," Li Ji taunted, a small energy sphere appearing in his palm. He flicked it at Hulk, the ball of concentrated air blasting a five-meter-wide crater into the ground beneath Hulk's feet. Hulk jumped back in shock, crashing through several trees in the process.
"I wonder if you can take another hit like that," Li Ji said with a smirk, the energy still crackling around him. For Li Ji, this fight wasn't even close. Hulk was strong, fast, and resilient, but his brute force was no match for the energy-based attacks Li Ji had perfected over the past two years. What once required focused energy blasts now came naturally to him.
Hulk, undeterred, let out another deafening roar. "Hulk!" he screamed, pounding his fists into the earth as if trying to replicate Li Ji's air bomb. The result was a few small cracks, but nothing on the scale of what Li Ji could do. This only infuriated Hulk further, and he roared even louder.
"Quiet down already, will you?" Li Ji shot another air bomb, this time landing just beneath Hulk. The shockwave sent Hulk reeling, shaking the very earth beneath him. Though Hulk's healing factor was doing its best to keep him together, his appearance was growing more ferocious with every passing second.
"Hulk!" Hulk squatted down, then leaped into the air, charging at Li Ji like a missile.
"Here it comes!" Li Ji muttered, dodging the incoming attack just in time. As Hulk soared past him, Li Ji grabbed him by the neck, using his speed to slam Hulk down into the ground. The impact was massive, but Hulk immediately fought back, using his enormous strength to force Li Ji's hands off.
"No!" Li Ji realized something was wrong. Hulk's power was beyond anything he'd faced before—far stronger than it had been just moments ago. Li Ji barely had time to react before Hulk grabbed his arm and pulled him toward him with terrifying force. They both crashed into the earth, shaking the ground beneath them.
"Cough." Li Ji pushed himself off Hulk, coughing up blood as he struggled to stand. His heart was still pounding in his chest, but the fight was far from over.
Hulk wasn't faring much better. He had taken a hard fall, landing on his back, but even with his incredible healing, he was still groaning in pain.
"I get it now," Li Ji said, his voice cold. "I need more training. This fight's taught me a lot about myself." His breath steadying, Li Ji stepped toward Hulk, his eyes cold as he looked down at the fallen giant.
"Honestly, I really want to finish you off with a Ji Qigong blast," Li Ji mused, standing over Hulk. "But you've left a pretty good impression on me with your 'movies,' so I'll let you go—for now. But don't think this means I'm sparing you. You've got a lot to answer for."
Li Ji's fist crashed down just inches from Hulk's face. The force of the blow knocked Hulk unconscious.
Li Ji stepped back, contemplating. "Is Banner even still inside there? Or is this Hulk now just a mindless monster?" He paused, thinking. "No, wait. He's probably just in the early stages of turning into the Hulk—he hasn't figured out how to revert yet. In the movies, the Hulk disappears for years, and then when he shows up again, he's able to switch back and forth, right? Maybe being in China is messing with that somehow."
"But if he can't turn back into Banner, what the hell do I do with him?" Li Ji muttered. It was a problem that needed solving. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew there would be consequences.
With a sigh, Li Ji made a decision. "Alright, the simplest solution is probably the best. I'll carry him out of here. He's too big for regular transport, but I can at least get him back to Kunlun."
Li Ji tied one of Hulk's feet, took to the air, and flew off. As he soared, he grumbled to himself. "This is what I get for trying to solve all my problems with power. Now I'm stuck carrying a giant green man like some kind of pack mule."
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