The crimson spear tip tore through the air, carrying the demonic entity fragment's sinister grin and Xu Zhan's murderous intent pushed to its absolute limit. Like the gaze of Death itself, it closed upon Tang Xiaoqi's chest from less than three chi away. That icy killing intent nearly pierced through his skin, freezing his heart.
There was nowhere to dodge, nothing to block.
In this life-or-death moment, the power born from Xiaoqi's survival instinct and unyielding will overcame the agony of his flesh wounds and his depleted spiritual energy. He did not attempt to parry that unstoppable spear strike, for that would have been as foolish as a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Instead, he poured all his remaining spiritual power, along with the strength purchased through burning his soul, into his legs.
"Swimming Dragon Nine Turns - Diving Dragon Emerges."
His footwork became mysterious and profound. His body, as if losing all weight, left a nearly solid afterimage in place while his true form slipped sideways and backward at an inconceivable angle and speed, barely escaping in that critical instant.
This was the ancient Body Movement Technique he had comprehended within the Heavenly Dao Palace secret realm, and it saved his life at this moment.
Hiss.
The crimson spear, carrying destructive force, instantly pierced through the afterimage he left behind. The afterimage shattered like bubbles. The spear tip, undiminished in momentum, fiercely stabbed into the translucent obsidian ground that imprisoned countless wailing souls.
Boom.
Stone fragments mixed with scattered soul energy debris flew in all directions as the ground was blasted into a deep pit.
By a hair's breadth, he had avoided a fatal blow. Though Xiaoqi had dodged the vital point, the savage gale force swept across his left shoulder. His protective spiritual light shattered like paper, and a clear sound of bone fracturing came from his shoulder blade. Fresh blood instantly dyed his robes red, and the intense pain made his vision darken. His body swayed as he nearly collapsed.
"Xiaoqi."
Mu Qingfeng suppressed his churning qi and blood, sending out a gentle water-blue spiritual light to support Xiaoqi's retreating form while quickly pressing a point on his shoulder to temporarily seal the gushing blood and pain. Liu Yun also stabilized herself, raising her sword to shield Xiaoqi. Her phoenix eyes blazed with killing intent as she stared at Xu Zhan who was lifting his spear again. The previous exchange had taught her how terrifying this puppet truly was.
However, Xu Zhan, or rather, the demonic entity fragment controlling him, gave them absolutely no time to catch their breath.
With one strike missed, there was not the slightest fluctuation in Xu Zhan's hollow scarlet eyes, as if he had merely executed an instruction that failed to achieve optimal results. He twisted his wrist, and the crimson spear let out an even more violent hum. The demonic patterns on the spear blazed brilliantly. His entire person transformed into another black hurricane. This time, it was not a straight thrust but rather, he flourished the spear into countless shadow images, transforming into a violent storm that encompassed Xiaoqi, Mu Qingfeng, and Liu Yun like a torrential rain.
Every spear shadow was solid and real, containing the terrifying demonic Yuan from the Golden Core stage. They tore through the air, emitting ghost wailing and god shrieking-like shrill cries. Before the spear shadows even arrived, that fierce spear pressure already made the three of them feel as if their skin was being sliced by knives, their breathing difficult.
"Gui Water Barrier." Mu Qingfeng cried low, his hands dancing rapidly. Layer upon layer of thick water-blue light curtains appeared before the three of them, attempting to delay the spear shadow's assault.
Liu Yun's sword light was like a dragon, transforming into a cold sword curtain. She precisely struck at those most threatening spear shadows. Each exchange of sword and spear erupted with continuous sounds of clashing metal and sparks of energy explosions. She poured all her strength into every strike. The wounds on her tiger's mouth tore open again, blood flowing along the sword hilt, but her eyes remained ice-cold and firm. She did not retreat a single step.
Xiaoqi endured the sharp pain in his left shoulder and the empty, powerless feeling within his body. He deployed the Swimming Dragon Nine Turns to the extreme, difficultly shuttling and dodging within the dense spear shadows. He dared not attempt a direct confrontation. Any single spear shadow was enough to cause him severe injury or even death. He tried to get closer, tried to find that one-in-ten-thousand opportunity to touch his father, to awaken the will buried deep beneath the demonic energy. But Xu Zhan's spear technique was flawless, attack and defense integrated, sealed tight like a drum. It gave him absolutely no opportunity to get close.
What made his heart even more agonizing was that, in such close-quarters combat, he could more clearly feel the dead, completely controlled demonic energy emanating from his father's body. He could also sense, deep within that demonic energy, a faint almost undetectable fluctuation of Xu Zhan's own soul, filled with infinite pain and struggle.
That fluctuation, like a spark beneath ten thousand zhang of ice, clearly existed yet could bring no warmth. This onlypierced his heart even more deeply.
Father, he can still feel pain. He is still struggling.
This realization brought not hope, but made the battle before him even more cruel. What he faced was not a cold-blooded killing machine, but a blood relative whose soul was being tortured endlessly while his body was driven by enemies to kill him.
"Why, why is it like this," Xiaoqi shouted silently in his heart. Every time he dodged his father's merciless killing move, it felt like his heart was being cut by that spear blade.
"Hee hee hee, painful? Despairing?" The demonic entity fragment's nauseating mockery resounded once more in his mind. It seemed to thoroughly enjoy this spiritual torment. "Watching your close relative raise a butcher's knife against you, while you must fight for your life, isn't this feeling wonderful? This is the price of defying this Lord. Xu Zhan, work harder. Let your good son experience what it truly means, fatherly love is like a mountain. Hahahaha."
Under the demonic entity fragment's malicious urging, Xu Zhan's assault became even more frenzied and bizarre. Within the spear shadows, invisible mental shocks that directly struck the soul began to appear. Sometimes he would suddenly change techniques, imbued with toxic corrosive demonic energy that caught people off guard.
The water curtains Mu Qingfeng had set up shattered layer by layer. Liu Yun's sword curtain was also continuously compressed, more blood dripping from the corners of her lips. Xiaoqi's dodging space grew smaller and smaller. Several times he had been in grave danger. If Mu Qingfeng and Liu Yun had not risked their lives to rescue him, he would have long since been pierced through by the spear.
He was struck again by a bizarre spear shadow on his right leg. Though he avoided the vital point in time, a deep gash reaching to the bone was cut open on his leg. Blood drenched the ground, and his movements became even more sluggish.
A feeling of powerlessness, like a cold swamp, slowly devoured him. Facing his father who had been enhanced by the demonic entity, whose power had become even more terrifying, even the combined efforts of all three of them could only barely hold on, being pushed around miserably. Defeat seemed only a matter of time.
Could it be that he truly must die here, at his father's hands? Or be forced to raise a weapon against his father?
This thought was like a poisoned thorn, deeply embedded in Xiaoqi's mind. He looked into those still hollow scarlet eyes filled only with killing intent. His heart was filled with infinite sorrow and unwillingness.