At the cost of his blood and energy, Ming Qi managed to dodge the opponent's powerful and domineering attack. However, he knew the opponent's attack would not stop there. The moment he dodged with the speed of his Blood Shadow Step, he was already prepared to counterattack.
Sure enough, amidst the cloud of dust, the first thing that appeared before Ming Qi was the sharp blade of the black-clad woman.
The woman's blade seemed to have precisely calculated Ming Qi's movements. After several rounds, she had completely mastered his rhythm.
However, if the opponent truly regarded Ming Qi as an inexperienced rookie, they would be gravely mistaken.
It could be said that Ming Qi's combat experience was far greater than anyone else on the field.
When it came to controlling the rhythm, Ming Qi was even more refined.
Swish!
With a flick of his longsword, a burst of sword energy emanated. Ming Qi dodged the blade's attack, but instead of retreating, his body advanced, charging directly forward. This time, however, his footwork was far more refined. Aided by the Blood Shadow Step, it was even faster and more precise than before.
"Meng Ling, blood energy!"
As his body moved at lightning speed, Ming Qi resolutely called out to Meng Ling for help.
Although it was a one-on-one duel, Ming Qi knew he couldn't lose.
Even if the victory was somewhat inglorious, Ming Qi didn't care at this point.
Only by winning could he have a chance of escaping safely.
With Ming Qi's voice, a blood-red pill leaped from the ring. Ming Qi grabbed it with his left hand and quickly swallowed it.
This was the pill Meng Ling had refined in the Valley of Despair using the blood energy of a black viper. Although he didn't know its name, the blood energy contained within it was incredibly powerful.
As soon as he swallowed it, Ming Qi felt an inexplicable agitation rising up, his entire body turning a shade of blood red, and even his breath was imbued with the scent of blood.
Amidst the surging blood and energy, Ming Qi's speed suddenly increased by more than double.
The Blood Shadow Step is a unique technique situated between good and evil, and it draws its power from the energy of blood and energy. Imagine how terrifyingly fast it becomes once it reaches a certain level.
The black-clad woman witnessed Ming Qi's transformation, and her face was filled with surprise. Sensing the blood energy permeating the air, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you a demonic cultivator?"
"So what if you're a demon?"
Ming Qi didn't argue. His blood energy surged as he moved, and he slowly raised his sword.
Although he had activated the Blood Control Technique at this point, he didn't immediately unleash its most powerful move, the Azure Blood Sky Slash, to prevent any unforeseen events.
So, in the gap between the advancing forces, Ming Qi swiftly thrust out seven swords.
Seven streams of sword energy formed in a line in the air, then rapidly transformed and combined, forming the Azure Dragon phantom of the Eastern Constellation Heavenly Official Sword Formation.
Ming Qi swung his sword, and a sword formation imbued with the mysterious Heavenly Official Sword Qi swept through, whirling with gusts of wind, within five steps of the black-clad woman.
Within five steps, that was considered close range.
Ming Qi launched his sword formation, giving the opponent no chance to breathe. He swung his sword again, and in the blink of an eye, seven more sword energies flew out.
Western Constellation Heavenly Official Sword Formation, White Tiger Phantom!
In the space of a breath or two, two sword formations followed.
Swish!
The black-clad woman's reaction was also astonishingly fast. The moment Ming Qi launched the sword formation, she soared into the air without hesitation, her figure once again hovering low in the sky.
Then, the black-clad woman could be seen holding her long sword upside down with one hand, performing a graceful spin in the air, a 360-degree circular blade energy formation perfectly formed.
To create a perfect circular blade energy the instant they soar into the air is a piece of cake for a powerful innate cultivator, but for an acquired cultivator, it's truly astonishing.
But now, after completing this stunning feat at low altitude with lightning speed, the black-clad woman showed no sign of stopping. As she plummeted, she gripped her long sword with both hands and unleashed two more slashes of blade energy. These two intersecting blade energy lines perfectly intersected the center of the previous circular blade energy.
"Cross Samsara Break!"
The moment the black-clad woman landed, her long sword spun in an arc, sweeping across the surrounding ground in another sweep!
This time, the blade energy emanating from the blade's edge seemed to rise from the ground, echoing the blade energy circle spreading in the distance!
The black-clad woman's move was so clean and agile. From soaring into the air to landing on the ground in the blink of an eye, she was able to unleash so much power with such precision that it transcended mere swordsmanship.
However, Ming Qi naturally wouldn't give her any chance. Seeing the black-clad woman soar, he gripped his sword with both hands and took a decisive step forward.
At the same time, a cloud of blood began to gather on the sharp blade.
The air rang with the sound of sword energy colliding. The black-clad woman's Cross Samsara Slash and Ming Qi's Heavenly Official Sword Formation clashed violently, a wave of pure, invisible and intangible energy surging back and forth, blowing the long hair and clothes of both men in the wind.
"Brother, it's been a while since I've fought like this. Do you think she'll be happy?"
Among the five spectators, a young man holding a crossbow watched the two men's exhilarating battle with some envy.
"Don't you think? If I lose, we'll all lose everything."
The burly man leaning on a large stick glared at the young man, ignoring the black-clad woman's question of happiness and focusing solely on the outcome of this duel.
"It doesn't matter. Even if the boss loses, he still hasn't agreed to let them go." The young man didn't seem to be worried about this at all.
"Hey, Xiaowu, can you think less childishly than you do?"
The tall man holding the whip nearby also glared at the young man, seemingly completely disapproving of his belief that his intelligence was below five.
"Why?"
Xiaowu scratched his head in confusion, somewhat bewildered. He truly didn't understand. The issue they were discussing didn't seem to involve high IQ.
"Are you an idiot? If you can't even beat the boss, how can we?"
The burly man with the stick almost wanted to knock Xiaowu unconscious with one blow.
"Then, shall we go help now?"
Xiaowu said unsurely.
I had expected my proposal to draw another round of ridicule from the other bosses, but who knew that the moment he said it, the burly man with the stick slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, that's a good idea. Let's go!"
The five men straightened their stances and were about to charge when they were shocked to discover that the two combatants had been obscured by a vast red cloud. Only vague silhouettes could be seen flitting between them, making it impossible to distinguish who was who.
For a moment, the five men were at a loss for a target.
Blue Blood Sky Slash!
Blue Blood Sky, the sword tip drinks blood!
This was Ming Qi's most powerful attack. Fueled by the rich blood energy, Ming Qi used it to push the battle to its climax.
Fighting with blood—this was Ming Qi's most intuitive understanding of the current battle.
Indeed, without the blood energy elixir Meng Ling had given him, he would have had no chance in this one-on-one duel. Even if he could seize the opportunity to win, his own strength limited him. He could even conclude that the black-clad woman's strength would guarantee a complete victory against Zhao Fenghua!
A thick blood aura filled the surrounding space to its fullest with Ming Qi's sword strike. His blade seemed to be carving a blood-themed hell of reincarnation.
Clang!
A sharp, ear-shattering sound of metal clashing pierced the pervasive cloud of blood aura.
Then, the black-clad woman was seen flying backwards from the blood aura.
Puff!
The moment she flew out, her face darkened, and a gush of liquid erupted from her mouth.
When wounded, blood naturally erupted, but this time, the blood the black-clad woman spewed out wasn't bright red, but rather a pale red tinged with gold!
At the very moment the golden and red blood spurted out, the woman in black swept her right hand across her chest like lightning, instantly wiping away all traces of blood.
Dangdangdang!
After taking three steps back, the woman in black finally steadied herself, her long sword held upside down, still maintaining her majestic and imposing stance, though now her face had paled noticeably.
The five men, unable to care for anything else, simply stood in shock behind the woman in black, gazing with horror at the blood aura that still lingered ahead.
They'd lost their heads; this was something they'd never experienced before!
"You win," the woman in black said slowly, gazing at the fragment of the sword's edge revealed in the blood aura.
"You're very strong."
The sword's edge flicked through the blood aura, and the surrounding blood aura instantly dissipated, revealing Ming Qi, standing upright.
Ming Qi, sword in his right hand, stood still.
Indeed, the black-clad woman was truly formidable. With such strength, if placed in the Biyou Sect, she could easily challenge all the outer sect masters. Even those who had just reached the Xiantian stage might not be her match.
"Who are you? As a reward for the duel, tell me."
Ming Qi didn't waste any time discussing other matters. Knowing the other party wouldn't agree, he simply dropped the subject.
The black-clad woman was silent for a moment before finally speaking: "The Star-Killing City Private Dragon Mercenaries."
Hearing this name, even the usually composed Ming Qi was moved. Star-Killing City—a name that, according to common sense, shouldn't appear in such a small place as this one—yet it had. What was going on?
"Are you truly mercenaries from Star-Killing City?"
Ming Qi wanted to confirm whether the other party was deliberately concealing the truth, but with the black-clad woman's nod, he knew there was no need to confirm anything further. Judging from her fighting style, she wasn't one for concealment.
"Can you tell me who your boss is?"
"No."
Originally, Ming Qi had assumed their boss must be the Lihuo Sect. But now it seemed that while the Lihuo Sect was arrogant, their status as a third-rate sect didn't necessitate hiring the mercenaries from Shaxing City.