Ling Xiao’s sudden shift in technique left the Eastern Commandery Marquis with no way to predict or counter properly. He could not wait for the opponent to move first.
By refusing to follow the marquis’s rhythm, Ling Xiao had already seized the upper hand.
Once again, the marquis fell for Ling Xiao’s calculation. Although he dodged swiftly evaded, a charred gash still appeared at his waist.
The air filled with the smell of scorched flesh.
Ling Xiao stood there and smiled at the marquis, who had barely avoided the strike again. “So this is what you meant by ‘seeing through me’?”
The marquis’s expression flickered between gloom and rage. It was extremely unsightly.
He had thought he held Ling Xiao in the palm of his hand, yet the moment Ling Xiao truly attacked, he realised he had understood nothing at all.
Ling Xiao was far more terrifying, and far more cunning, than he had imagined.
Combat strength was not solely a matter of cultivation.
Intelligence played a huge part.
Fighting a cunning youth was exhausting.
The marquis wanted to hurl more threats, but Ling Xiao gave him no chance. The next assault arrived instantly.
Ling Xiao’s attacks were lightning fast.
Each strike came from a completely different angle and used an entirely different move. This made defence incredibly frustrating for the marquis.
Originally, he should have been the one suppressing Ling Xiao. Instead, the scene had become Ling Xiao constantly attacking while the marquis constantly defended.
Even in defence, new wounds kept appearing on his body.
Although each wound seemed minor, every cut was a fresh humiliation.
A First Cave Heaven warrior was actually being overwhelmed by someone with only early Ninth Heaven cultivation. Where was his face? Where was his dignity?
Everyone watching was stunned speechless.
Po Qianjun and Feng Yaorao no longer knew how to describe their feelings.
“I previously thought he was at most Ten Directions Heaven,” Po Qianjun muttered. “Now I see I was wrong. I’m afraid his cultivation has already stepped into Cave Heaven realm.”
“No,” Feng Yaorao shook her head. “His cultivation is exactly what he’s showing: early Ninth Heaven. The reason he displays such terrifying combat power is that he completely controls the flow of battle.
Every move the Eastern Commandery Marquis makes is within his grasp. The marquis must feel utterly stifled.”
By an odd coincidence, the marquis himself felt exactly the same.
Fighting Ling Xiao truly made him feel wronged and humiliated.
It was as if a cat that intended to toy with a mouse had instead been toyed with by the mouse.
The cat was certainly stronger than the mouse, but the mouse was too sly.
All those tricky, underhanded attacks and cunning schemes left the cat completely unable to cope. The more they fought, the more alarmed the cat became, and the more losses it suffered.
“I can’t let this continue!”
The marquis knew the current situation was extremely unfavourable for him.
Losing face was a small matter. If he actually fell to this young brat, he might lose his life.
Moreover, this brat claimed to have killed his son Ming Liu. Whether it was true or not required investigation, but the boy absolutely had to die.
“Brat, this marquis has had enough of playing. Die!”
As a Cave Heaven realm warrior, the marquis naturally possessed the signature power of that realm: a Cave Heaven Domain.
He suddenly roared. Celestial Origin Force poured out of his body without reservation, flooding the entire space.
The black flames no longer merely wrapped his fists; they spread rapidly, forming a complete domain.
Ling Xiao was now completely trapped inside this sea of black fire.
“Netherfire Cave Heaven! It’s over.”
As the marquis’s furious shout fell, Ling Xiao’s originally swift movements became stiff and sluggish.
The flames acted like burning ropes, coiling around his body and rendering him almost unable to move.
“Let’s see where you can run now!”
The marquis had been reluctant to use his domain because it consumed too much inner energy, and as someone only at early First Cave Heaven, his mastery over it was far from perfect.
But he was now riding a tiger and could not dismount. He had no choice but to deploy it, or he would never be able to kill Ling Xiao quickly.
A pitch-black greatsword suddenly appeared in his hands.
Even denser energy and flame gathered on the blade. The surrounding netherfire continuously poured into it.
The weapon grew enormous and terrifying.
Ling Xiao was still struggling. With his body bound, he could neither attack nor dodge. Facing the incoming strike, he could only resist desperately.
“Hahaha! Hahahaha! You can’t move now, can you, brat? You can already be proud for forcing me to use Netherfire Cave Heaven.”
“Netherfire Demonic Blade: Slash!”
The colossal black blade swung down with the marquis’s full strength.
It was as though space itself was torn apart, carrying unstoppable, horrifying power.
Ling Xiao raised the Golden Crow Sword to parry. Black and white energies condensed into the Light-and-Shadow Divine Cone, spinning with explosive force to meet the descending demonic blade.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion rang out.
Like a volcano erupting, the full power of both attacks was released at once, surging towards the sky and in all directions. The onlookers hastily retreated, terrified of being caught in the terrifying shockwave.
Even so, some could not withstand the sonic boom and fainted on the spot, foaming at the mouth in an embarrassing state.
Ling Xiao’s brows creased slightly.
The force behind that strike was indeed frightening. Even though he had used the Light-and-Shadow Divine Cone to block it, he still felt his body falling uncontrollably before smashing hard into the stone pavement below.
The earth shook. Crimson blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
“Wooo~~”
Seeing this, the city lord’s mansion warriors let out a collective cheer of relief.
For a while now Ling Xiao had been suppressing the marquis, leaving them suffocating with frustration. Now that Ling Xiao had been smashed into the ground with a single slash, the pent-up resentment in their chests finally found release.
Jeers and mocking laughter mingled together.
The Eastern Commandery Marquis laughed as well.
As expected, a Cave Heaven warrior held an absolute advantage over a Celestial Realm warrior. No amount of cunning could bridge that gap.
“Brat, now you understand this marquis’s might? Too bad it’s too late for regrets. You dared use my son to threaten me. You have touched my reverse scale!”
The marquis strode towards the crater, his thunderous voice echoing through the rear courtyard. The faces of the Restoration Society warriors turned ugly.
They felt helpless, disappointed, and furious.
“Brothers, regardless of whether Lord Ling Xiao can beat that bastard, we will fight to the end alongside him!”
Po Qianjun roared.
Truthfully, Ling Xiao had already done incredibly well to last this long.
An early Ninth Heaven warrior facing a First Cave Heaven opponent was simply not on the same level.
To leave so many wounds on the marquis and fight with such ferocity was already worthy of praise.
From now on, it was their turn to fight.
Even if they lost, they would lose with backbone.
