In the sky, two brilliant beams of light collided, producing a fierce impact that, under countless gazes, created a nearly blinding flash.
Then, a thunderous boom echoed through the entire Holy City, making many timid martial artists shudder.
Both the butterfly woman and Sun Shang seemed adept at mid-to-long-range attacks.
Green vines clashed repeatedly with seven-coloured beams, explosions ringing out continuously.
Both sides aimed to strike first, yet each was stubbornly blocked by the other’s defence, resulting in a temporary stalemate.
Such fighters typically feared being hit, as their defence wasn’t strong.
Sun Shang seemed to realise this, so suddenly, a massive vine appeared behind him, splitting into thousands of thin tendrils stabbing towards the butterfly woman.
She flapped her wings, creating a huge protective barrier identical to her wings, shielding her completely.
The tendrils struck the barrier relentlessly, sounding like rain pounding the ground after a downpour.
Sun Shang was shocked to find the butterfly woman’s defensive measures were extensive, especially this shield, which was remarkably resilient. Even with nearly all his strength, he couldn’t break it.
In terms of strength, the butterfly woman was likely no weaker than any Transcendent Realm martial artist, though she seemed severely lacking in experience.
Seeing this, Sun Shang let out a cold laugh.
“No matter how strong you are, lack of experience means I can deal with you.”
Bang!
Suddenly, a massive spike shot up from the ground towards the butterfly woman.
It was incredibly fast, aimed directly at her, bypassing the barrier.
Whoosh!
To Sun Shang’s surprise, she showed no panic at this sneak attack. With a sway, seven-coloured powder scattered down.
The powder was terrifying, sticking to the vines and turning them against Sun Shang, though with greatly reduced power.
This defence stunned many onlookers.
Her lack of experience might be true, but she was clever, her intelligence compensating for it.
“She’s quite troublesome,” Sun Shang muttered, frowning.
He had acted for two reasons: the butterfly woman was worth capturing, and he judged her strength as something he could handle.
“Now, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Sun Shang never considered himself a martial artist.
Martial artists followed rules, like avoiding special items such as thunderfire bombs in combat.
He had no such reservations.
He hadn’t used them earlier, fearing he’d kill the butterfly woman, as he wanted her alive, not dead.
But now, sensing her strength, he knew such measures wouldn’t kill her, so he had no qualms.
“Boom!”
A green pellet shot from his hand, exploding near her.
The terrifying impact sent her flying, her skin breaking and blood flowing, a shocking sight.
“Ah—!”
A piercing scream came from her mouth. The once lively, cute creature now had blood-red eyes filled with hatred.
Her flung body suddenly halted, then lunged at Sun Shang with incredible speed.
Despite excelling at ranged attacks, she closed in this time.
Her appearance subtly changed, becoming fiercer, even ferocious.
Her hands grew sharp claws, over three inches long, clearly extraordinary.
Sun Shang was stunned by the sudden change, too slow to dodge as her speed was overwhelming.
In desperation, he raised countless vines to form a shield, pouring nearly all his strength into blocking this fierce attack.
But the next moment, the shield shattered, her chilling claws growing larger in his eyes.
Pfft!
At the critical moment, Sun Shang avoided a fatal blow, but his shoulder was pierced, the bloody hole chilling to see.
On the arena, countless spectators were dumbfounded.
This was Miracle Hand Heavenly Venerable Sun Shang, a figure few in the Transcendent Realm could injure, let alone dominate like this.
Yet it didn’t end there. Sun Shang, pierced through, was sent crashing by a terrifying force, smashing through four or five palace walls, leaving human-shaped holes.
“Is this the same delicate butterfly woman?” Spectators swallowed hard, finding it unbelievable.
The contrast was stark.
Bang!
After a loud explosion, a bloodied Sun Shang emerged from the wreckage, his gaze icy, though his heart was filled with shock.
Only now did he realise he had completely underestimated this strange butterfly.
He had thought it a naive little demon, easily subdued by his methods.
Yet he was the one left in such a sorry state.
He needed more ruthless measures.
If explosives didn’t work, poison would.
As an alchemist, Sun Shang was adept with poisons, his strongest toxins daunting even Yin-Yang Realm martial artists.
Using it on the butterfly woman felt wasteful.
The materials for such poison were rare; he had only a small drop, gone once used.
Meant for self-defence, the butterfly woman’s fury now drove him to kill her.
He glanced at the other side, where Ling Xiao and Si Kong Xuan were playing cat and mouse.
As time passed, Si Kong Xuan’s speed slowed, while Ling Xiao’s didn’t. He occasionally struck the Nine Cauldrons Illusion’s barrier, then quickly retreated, leaving Si Kong Xuan helpless.
Initially, Si Kong Xuan could rely on his Transcendent Realm cultivation to outpace Ling Xiao, giving him no chance.
But after the butterfly’s attack, his strength dropped to Celestial Realm levels, erasing his advantage.
