“Qianjun, why are you in such a hurry? He hasn’t lost yet.”
Wu Xiang smiled and said, “Haven’t you noticed? Up to now, Ling Xiao hasn’t even used the power of his martial spirit. His martial spirit is no ordinary one.
And there’s that mysterious soul secret art of his. For the Marquis of Eastern County to think he can win this fight so easily, isn’t that just wishful thinking?”
“You’re right, how did I not think of that!”
Po Qianjun withdrew the foot he had already stepped forward with and turned his gaze back to the shattered ground.
Boom!
A figure leapt straight out of the pit. The Marquis of Eastern County, who had just approached the edge, was caught off guard once again.
Even though he dodged quickly, he was still struck by Ling Xiao’s ferocious body. Two front teeth flew out, and the man himself toppled backwards onto the ground.
Ling Xiao did not rush to press the attack.
Instead, he retreated several steps in succession, shaking out his slightly numb arms.
Although the ambush had landed on the Marquis, the damage dealt to his opponent was minimal, yet Ling Xiao himself had suffered considerably from their earlier collision.
Fortunately his body was tough enough, otherwise he would certainly have fallen apart by now.
The advantage of a Cave Heaven realm warrior possessing a Cave Heaven domain was simply too great.
Even though the Marquis’s Cave Heaven domain was as immature as Jiao Batian’s had been, it was still an advantage Ling Xiao did not have, and that put him at a clear disadvantage.
It seemed he would have to use the Mountains and Rivers Martial Spirit.
Only by using the Mountains and Rivers Martial Spirit could he nullify the opponent’s Cave Heaven domain.
Otherwise, this fight could not continue.
“Pfft!”
Ling Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood.
It had been a long time since he was truly injured, yet this kind of wound did not frighten him at all. On the contrary, it ignited a fierce fighting spirit within him.
Killing the Marquis of Eastern County was actually possible!
After all, the Marquis had already been forced to use his Cave Heaven domain. What else was there to fear?
“Ling Xiao, I will ask you one last time. What exactly happened to my son Ming Liu? If you tell the truth, this marquis can grant you a relatively painless death. Otherwise, I will make sure you die in agony today.”
The Marquis believed victory was assured, so he was in no hurry to attack.
While continuing to gather inner strength, the black flames burning on his long black sabre grew even denser and darker.
At the same time, he questioned Ling Xiao about his son Ming Liu.
“I told you already. I killed him. If you manage to stay alive, you might still find his grave.”
Having spoken, Ling Xiao took a deep breath.
The next instant, explosive power surged from his body.
Armour formed of intertwining black and white light and shadow covered him completely.
One half blazed with heat.
The other half chilled with frost.
The interplay of yin and yang dramatically increased his defence.
If he faced another attack as powerful as the one before, it would no longer leave him in such a sorry state.
Mastery of Heaven and Earth!
The moment the Mountains and Rivers Martial Spirit appeared, Ling Xiao entered a realm far beyond Unity of Heaven and Man.
He seemed to become the sovereign of this space, in complete control of everything within it.
In that instant, laughter and jeering abruptly ceased.
The warriors of the City Lord’s Mansion stared at the youth in horror.
They could not comprehend how such terrifying power could be hidden inside a body that did not even look particularly imposing.
The most nervous of all was the Marquis of Eastern County himself.
He even sensed the breath of death.
The level of mastery Ling Xiao displayed at this moment simply did not belong to a Heaven-Human realm warrior. It was more like the divine beings of ancient times who commanded the laws of heaven and earth.
How could this be possible?
It had to be an illusion!
Yes, an illusion!
With such low cultivation, how could this fellow possibly possess such a terrifying realm?
“Boy, I don’t know what trick you’ve pulled to make your aura suddenly so powerful, but looking strong on the outside while being hollow within is useless. Today, the only path left for you is death!”
Perhaps to cover his panic, the Marquis roared in fury.
“Are you afraid?”
The corners of Ling Xiao’s mouth curved into a cold smile as he mocked him.
“Afraid? This marquis, afraid of you? Ridiculous!”
No matter what, the Marquis would never admit that Ling Xiao had seen through his heart.
Whoosh!
Regardless of what the Marquis said, Ling Xiao’s attack began without warning.
Light-and-Shadow Evasion!
Ling Xiao’s body instantly transformed into a streak of light too fast for the naked eye to follow. In scarcely the blink of an eye, he was already upon the Marquis.
That speed was unheard of.
At the very least, the Marquis had never seen anything like it from Heaven-Human or even Cave Heaven realm warriors.
The Marquis’s expression changed drastically.
No longer holding anything back, his body began to transform rapidly.
At last, he revealed the true appearance of the Nether Phoenix clansman.
That ferocious face and black wings were their most distinctive features.
At the same moment, an aura twice as powerful as before exploded from his body, and the black sabre in his hand swung down viciously once more.
It slashed straight towards the incoming streak of light.
However, Light-and-Shadow Evasion was not a technique meant for direct confrontation.
As though perfectly calculated in advance, the streak of light grazed the very edge of the black sabre and shot towards the Marquis’s back at an extremely strange angle.
In a flash, Ling Xiao materialised, and the Golden Crow Sword stabbed without hesitation towards the Marquis’s heart.
Everyone’s hearts leapt into their throats.
If Ling Xiao could kill the Marquis with this strike, the battle would be over.
If he failed, no one knew how the Marquis could possibly be killed. Things would become very troublesome.
Ding~~!
Zzzzt!
When the Golden Crow Sword struck the Marquis, it actually produced the strange sound of metal clashing against metal. The piercing screech of friction allowed the warriors of the City Lord’s Mansion to breathe a sigh of relief.
Yet it made the warriors of the Restoration Society nervous once again.
“Good lad, to think you mastered such a terrifying move. But it’s useless. Your technique may be fast, yet it lacks power. Breaking my defence is utterly impossible.”
As he spoke, the Marquis spun around abruptly, his sabre slashing viciously from the waist towards Ling Xiao, clearly intending to cut him in two.
Clang!
When the black sabre struck Ling Xiao, it too produced the sound of metal striking metal.
“You can’t hurt me? It seems your attack isn’t much either. You can’t break my defence.”
Ling Xiao gave a cold laugh, then vanished once more. Immediately afterwards, everyone heard the constant ringing of metal in the air.
Having entered the Mastery of Heaven and Earth state, he was no longer restricted by the Nether Flame Cave Heaven.
So from now on, all he needed to do was keep attacking relentlessly until he shattered the Marquis’s turtle shell.
As for the sudden increase in the Marquis’s defence, Ling Xiao guessed it was the combination of his transformed body’s toughness and a fully compressed Nether Flame Cave Heaven.
The uses of a Cave Heaven domain were not limited to just one form.
When greatly compressed, it could be used for defence or attack, far more versatile than most people imagined.
