Hoo!
The momentum of the incoming spear, which swept across the sky like a tidal wave, collided with Xiang Pangyun’s war blade. Dongbo Xueying flexed both arms, twisting the spear shaft with such force and rotation that it formed a startling arc, as if a dragon had erupted from the water, continuing its thrust toward Xiang Pangyun.
“Clang!” Xiang Pangyun dared not meet the force head-on, gripping his blade with both hands to deflect and retreat rapidly.
“How did his strength surge so suddenly? This increase is just too incredible!” Xiang Pangyun couldn’t believe his eyes. “Some martial arts techniques do have methods to push the body to the limit, allowing a temporary surge in power. But such a drastic increase is unheard of!”
A doubling of strength was simply astonishing.
It was like two ordinary soldiers.
One with a hundred jin of strength, and another with two hundred jin—clearly, the stronger one could dominate the weaker.
But when both were already powerful—one with fifty thousand jin, and the other with a hundred thousand jin—the gap in battle became even more pronounced. The difference of fifty thousand jin in force was immense. If their skills were comparable, the weaker one might perish in just two or three moves.
“Die!”
Dongbo Xueying advanced swiftly, his spear like a dragon, launching continuous attacks.
Puh!
The spear tore through the air in an instant, aiming for Xiang Pangyun’s face. Xiang dodged frantically, using his blade to block repeatedly.
“Block!” The thrust shifted instantly into a crushing force, sending Xiang Pangyun flying backward, crashing into a nearby rock formation, which cracked and shattered into countless pieces.
“Die! Die! Die!” Dongbo Xueying’s spear strikes came faster and faster, each one aiming to take a life. With the advantage in strength, Dongbo’s relentless spear attacks created a suffocating sense of danger, as if death could come at any moment.
…
Elsewhere,
The Black Moon Centipede swiftly descended onto the Snowstone Castle.
Bai Yuanzhi said, “Brother Zong Ling, Brother Tong San, and Qing Shi, quickly come aboard! We will ascend to high altitude… so that Lord Dongbo can fight Xiang Pangyun more confidently. If you remain here, Xiang Pangyun might come after you if he can’t defeat Dongbo, and use you to threaten him.”
“Thank you, Grand Magus!” Zong Ling quickly replied, then urged, “Tong San, Qing Shi, let’s hurry up.”
The Black Moon Centipede was a rather large alchemical creature, its body long enough to comfortably carry seven people. If they squeezed, ten could even fit.
Zong Ling, Tong San, and Qing Shi quickly climbed aboard and sat down.
Hoo!
The Black Moon Centipede began to twist and soar into the sky.
“Qing Shi,” Ji Rong whispered softly.
Qing Shi, sitting behind her, glanced at Ji Rong. His mood was no longer the same as during the day.
Earlier, carefree because of his girlfriend’s issues and his older brother’s domineering nature, he had spoken some hurtful words in a fit of rebellion. But now, witnessing that battle—especially seeing his brother in mortal danger—had completely erased his earlier resentment.
All he felt now was anxiety and concern.
And with his anger gone, he could now reflect more objectively on what he had said to his brother earlier in the day.
“At the time, I thought my brother was only giving one side of the story, much of it guesswork. But in reality… Ji Rong was also only giving one side! Compared to that, my brother’s words were backed by intelligence from the Longshan Pavilion. The Longshan Pavilion monitors the entire world, and their information is more reliable.” Qing Shi thought to himself, realizing how young and impulsive he had been.
“Young lovers often act recklessly, especially when it’s their first love, and at sixteen, the most impressionable age.”
But faced with his brother’s life-threatening danger, he had calmed down. Though simple-minded, he was not foolish—he was actually quite intelligent.
“If the Longshan Pavilion’s intelligence is completely accurate…”
“Then Ji Rong’s parents are both extremely hypocritical and ruthless people, and Ji Rong herself is no different at her core. An entire family like that… all of them?” Qing Shi shivered involuntarily.
“Not good!”
Before the Black Moon Centipede had even reached high altitude and before Qing Shi could speak to Ji Rong, Magus Bai Yuanzhi’s expression suddenly changed drastically.
Qing Shi, Zong Ling, Tong San, and the others all looked down.
The situation had indeed changed once again.
Xiang Pangyun, previously dressed in dark red robes, had a layer of crimson energy flowing over his body, making him appear like a crimson figure. That crimson glow was his protective Aura of Rivalry! But now, that protective aura had completely vanished, and his aura had grown significantly stronger. Even from high above, they couldn’t help but feel fear.
“It’s been thirty years since I last gave my all! Even that old man Si Lianghong was unwilling to truly fight me to the end. Dongbo Xueying, you are the one who has forced me to give my all. You should feel honored to die by my hands!” Xiang Pangyun’s ferocious aura surged. His eyes, previously just faintly crimson, were now completely blood-red.
His Aura of Rivalry surged and consumed rapidly within.
Even his protective aura had been drawn inward to fuel this surge.
The rate of consumption skyrocketed—and so did his power!
The most advanced Aura of Rivalry techniques usually had methods for desperate situations. But Dongbo Xueying’s technique, the “Flame Three-Stage Method,” was merely a low-tier mid-grade technique, lacking such desperate measures. Even if it did, it wouldn’t matter—his body was far stronger than his Aura of Rivalry, and even an increase in Silver Moon-level Aura of Rivalry wouldn’t help him much.
“Boom!”
The two clashed.
Dongbo Xueying was repeatedly forced backward, dodging frantically.
“Not good,” Dongbo’s face changed drastically. “This is Xiang Pangyun’s true power? Compared to the five hundredth-ranked warrior on the Longshan List, I’m still far behind.”
He had already activated his bloodline and was giving his all!
“Whoosh!”
A white light flashed past in an instant.
Dongbo Xueying dodged with lightning speed, his spear tip colliding with the white light, slightly deflecting it as it swept past.
The surrounding rocks and trees were sliced through in perfect alignment.
“How fast that blade is!” Dongbo dodged desperately.
Xiang Pangyun had long since mastered his strength, his weapon no less refined than Dongbo’s, and his sword techniques were equally formidable—no less refined than the “Dark Ice Spearplay”! And his experience far surpassed Dongbo’s. With the overall advantage, Dongbo immediately felt the pressure. Each defense became more difficult.
…
High above, Qing Shi, Zong Ling, Magus Bai Yuanzhi, and the others on the Black Moon Centipede grew tense. Kong Youyue and Ji Rong also had complex emotions, watching anxiously below.
“Is he going to die?” Ji Rong, though nervous, seemed somewhat hopeful.
“Dongbo Xueying,” Kong Youyue’s heart was conflicted. If Dongbo died, it would mean her earlier rejection of him was wise. But on the other hand, she didn’t truly hate him. After spending so much time together, he was someone she had grown familiar with. If he died, she would feel uneasy.
“Brother!” Qing Shi was extremely anxious, and so were Zong Ling and Tong San.
They were the most anxious of all.
Dongbo Xueying was the most beloved person in their lives. Zong Ling and Tong San had watched him grow up since childhood, treating him like their own son. How could they not feel anxious and worried?
But there was nothing they could do—they could only watch helplessly.
…
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dongbo Xueying’s movements were like lightning. After his power surge, his speed was astonishing. His spear techniques became a blur as he defended repeatedly, pushing himself to his absolute limit.
But Xiang Pangyun was even faster, his sword techniques sharper and more ferocious.
The area around the summit of Snowstone Mountain was in ruins. Many trees and rocks had been shattered.
“I can’t keep this up,” Dongbo Xueying’s forehead was drenched in sweat. “This is too exhausting. If this continues, I may lose my life at any moment.”
“Escape.”
While fighting, Dongbo always kept a close eye on his younger brother and the others. When Grand Magus Bai Yuanzhi brought his brother, Uncle Zong, and Uncle Tong aboard the Black Moon Centipede to high altitude, Dongbo no longer had much to worry about. All he needed to do now was… survive!
Swoosh!
Taking advantage of a clash of weapons, Dongbo instantly used the recoil to launch himself backward, flying two or three hundred meters in an instant, then sprinting rapidly into the distance.
He fled!
“Flee? Do you think you can escape?” Xiang Pangyun sneered, his figure flashing as he gave chase, clearly faster by a slight margin.
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