Xu Linglong narrowed her eyes and studied Yuyang Daozi for a moment.
By all logic, Yuyang Daozi's cultivation was lower than Chu Xingchen's. Whether killing or capturing first, he should have been the priority target.
But this man was wearing nearly half of Taodao Sect's finest treasures.
He undoubtedly had plenty of emergency teleportation talismans on him as well, making him far harder to capture than Chu Xingchen.
Chu Xingchen thought he had seized an opportunity, but had she not also exploited the opening he had exposed?
Xu Linglong tightened her grip on the pitch-black long sword. Today she would see just what this Chu Xingchen was made of — his fortune obscured and uncertain, like chaos itself.
"Shifting Moon, Parting Shadows."
Xu Linglong's voice remained fervent as she raised the black sword and struck at Chu Xingchen from across the distance.
As the sword rose, a pitch-black moon ascended behind Xu Linglong, blotting out the sky.
As the sword fell, the black moon radiated aurora light, transforming into endless black current that surged forward.
Chu Xingchen's eyes narrowed slightly. He raised Wanban and called out.
"Luoyu Great Art!"
Noble energy surged from the tip of Wanban's blade, crashing toward the black current to destroy it.
But the black current was unlike ordinary spiritual energy. It did not disperse or shatter when struck by the Noble Energy — its structure was abnormal, scattering outward in all directions upon impact, splashing like ink.
In moments, the surroundings were nearly entirely dyed in black current.
Yuyang Daozi pressed forward as well. The spirit treasure in his hand transformed into a bolt of lightning as he shouted coldly.
"Divine Art — Nine Heavens Thunder!"
Crimson thunder, bearing an aura of destruction, crashed down toward Xu Linglong.
Though Yuyang Daozi had not yet reached the Body Integration realm, he was at the peak of the Deity Transformation realm.
Disciples of the Eighteen Immortal Sects could be considered one full realm above ordinary cultivators in the Central Plains — let alone a core disciple who had been carefully nurtured.
The might of this strike was something Yuyang Daozi could unleash as a Deity Transformation peak divine ability. Xu Linglong would not dare to truly treat it as an ordinary Deity Transformation cultivator's attack.
Xu Linglong's eyes flashed purple. Black current surged from her left hand, coiling toward the crimson thunder.
The seemingly clumsy and feeble black current actually managed to forcibly block the Nine Heavens Thunder, holding it at bay for a moment.
The purple in Xu Linglong's eyes grew brighter as she stared directly at Yuyang Daozi.
But at the same moment, a mysterious aura emanated from the purple Supreme Spirit Robe that Yuyang Daozi wore.
The purple in Xu Linglong's eyes rapidly faded. She snorted coldly, and the black current in her left hand wavered for an instant.
Yuyang Daozi maintained his righteous expression. The might of the thunder in his hand grew even stronger, as though he had no idea what Xu Linglong had just attempted.
Perhaps he knew, but simply did not care.
Yuyang Daozi had worn this Supreme Spirit Robe at all times ever since sparring with Chu Xingchen — specifically to guard against one or two top-tier cultivators who specialized in sinister illusion arts.
After all, without reaching the Great Vehicle realm, his divine sense and perception had not yet peaked. Dealing with extremely powerful illusions remained troublesome.
This was a classic case of learning from experience.
Xu Linglong shot Yuyang Daozi a cold glare. For the time being, there was truly nothing she could do against him in his full divine armor.
Her eyes flared purple once more as her gaze shifted to Chu Xingchen.
Chu Xingchen indeed did not possess any of the protective artifacts that top sects treated as treasures. No strange light radiated from him either.
Moreover, he was boldly meeting Xu Linglong's gaze without flinching.
A flicker of delight stirred in Xu Linglong's heart. This boy was unexpectedly a fo—
In that instant, Xu Linglong's thoughts ground to a halt.
In her vision, the world turned upside down. Peach blossom trees covered the mountains and plains. Where Chu Xingchen had stood, a massive peach tree now grew, and beneath it, a man and woman leaned against each other...
Xu Linglong's divine sense was still extended outward and had not been interfered with by the illusion, so she could still confirm her actual situation.
Without a doubt — from that single glance, the one who had fallen under the illusion was herself.
A smile appeared on Xu Linglong's face. How interesting.
She narrowed her eyes, and the purple light in them flared. The peach blossoms before her all dissolved and faded away.
"You really can do a bit of everything, and you're quite skilled at it too." Xu Linglong's words brimmed with amusement.
"You're genuinely troublesome. But today happens to be my lucky day. If I let you live much longer, I might not have another chance."
Chu Xingchen's Wanban glowed with azure light as a stream of water descended from the heavens, coiling around his body.
"I have a suggestion for you."
"Oh?" Black current poured from Xu Linglong's fingertips, spreading madly in all directions. She laughed softly. "Do you have some dying words you'd like to share?"
Chu Xingchen raised Wanban. The falling heavenly water slowly condensed.
"Save the big talk for after you win. Otherwise, you just end up looking like a clown."
"Ying Ling Great Art — Supreme Goodness Like Water!"
Yuyang Daozi ceased charging his Nine Heavens Thunder, allowing the black current that Xu Linglong controlled to roll toward him.
But the black current was entirely blocked by Yuyang Daozi's layers upon layers of protective treasures and artifacts.
Yuyang Daozi formed a hand seal. His spiritual energy surged skyward as he called out.
"Divine Art — No Taboos!"
As his words fell, a beam of golden light shone upon Chu Xingchen as he raised his sword to strike.
The azure water coiling around Wanban took on flecks of shattered gold.
Chu Xingchen's expression remained calm as he brought Wanban down.
All things fell silent. Sword intent surged.
A thread of azure light — impossibly thin yet blindingly brilliant — flashed forth.
Under the azure light, this space could finally no longer withstand the clash. It began to collapse and disintegrate, dissolving into pure, boundless black.
Xu Linglong's smile faded as she let out a soft sigh.
If she did not use her true abilities against this sword, she might not be able to endure it.
Yuyang Daozi's divine arts were also a major problem. If she swapped him for any other core disciple, even one at the Body Integration realm, things might have been somewhat better.
This amplification ability... was truly astonishing.
The bizarre black inscriptions that had been confined to Xu Linglong's hands slowly spread across her entire body. Her eyes turned fully purple, her pupils becoming pale pink.
The smile vanished from her face, replaced by cold indifference.
The black long sword in her hand dissolved into flowing black current. In an instant, it reshaped itself into a bizarre-looking black bow.
Xu Linglong drew the bow without an arrow. Black current climbed up to meet her fingers. She pinched the bowstring hard, and a strand of strange black blood seeped from her fingertip, merging into the bow.
Facing the azure light that arrived in the blink of an eye.
Xu Linglong released the bowstring!
A beam of black light, carrying an extremely eerie aura, shot forward.
Xu Linglong was not the least bit worried about whether the seemingly feeble black light could withstand that terrifying, pressure-laden sword strike.
Her expression was calm, her tone relaxed.
"That was just a warm-up and you're already feeling confident? Now begins a new round — I hope your mouth stays as hard as it was a moment ago."
Chu Xingchen reached up and removed his mask, revealing that smiling face of his, tinged with a hint of disdain.
The two beams of light collided in full.
Before the shockwave could even ripple outward, this space completely collapsed.
The annihilation of the space silently consumed much of the remaining energy, though some still overflowed outward.
But even just the overflow alone was enough to reduce an insignificant hill near Jiaxi Town to a massive crater.
The three of them stood suspended in midair.
Chu Xingchen surveyed the surroundings and spoke with a laugh.
"You're right — a new round has only just begun. I hope your mouth stays as stubborn as ever."
As the words fell.
Countless streams of spiritual energy streaked through the heavens above and the earth below, forming layer upon layer of formations, dense as stars.
[
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