“Bastard! This marquis will kill you!”
Perhaps rage and roaring could dull the Marquis of Eastern County’s fear.
His voice drowned out every other sound in the Xianglong Trading Company, like the bellow of a wild beast.
No matter what method Ling Xiao had used, the Marquis now had no way back. Only by killing Ling Xiao could his terror truly subside.
This time, he poured the entire Nether Flame Cave Heaven into his attack.
Suddenly, a gigantic hand descended from the sky and slammed down onto Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao, weakened after unleashing two consecutive attacks, could not dodge.
The enormous palm, formed of pitch-black Nether Flame, smashed him flat against the ground.
Pfft!
Once again Ling Xiao was wounded. He spat out a mouthful of blood and his face grew noticeably paler.
Although the Light-and-Shadow Battle Armour protected him, his inner energy was limited. Most of it had already been spent on offence, leaving the armour severely weakened.
Injury was inevitable.
Yet this was still the best possible outcome.
Any ordinary Heaven-Human realm warrior would have been crushed to death by that single strike.
“Die, die, die! Let’s see what you can do now!”
The Marquis believed he had Ling Xiao pinned and unable to fight back. Much of his fear melted away.
He stepped closer, intending to finish Ling Xiao once and for all. He no longer wished to prolong the fight.
This boy possessed terrifying potential the Marquis himself lacked. Every time he was knocked down, he rose again, stronger and more frightening than before.
The battle had to end quickly.
Boom!
The massive Nether Flame hand shuddered under a violent impact.
Boom!
Another tremendous force struck the hand.
Even pinned to the ground, Ling Xiao still possessed horrifying strength to resist the gigantic Nether Flame palm.
Boom!
Yet again. Cracks finally appeared on the Nether Flame hand.
The light radiating from Ling Xiao did not dim. Instead, it flared even brighter.
Consecutive breakthroughs?
Everyone stared in stunned disbelief.
They had seen fast breakthroughs before, but never anything like this. In a single fight, advancing from early Ninth Layer to mid-Ninth Layer was already astonishing.
Yet what was happening now?
Another breakthrough?
Late Ninth Layer?
Boom!
At last, beams of light pierced straight through the Nether Flame hand. The enormous palm disintegrated.
The Marquis stood frozen for only a moment, yet in that brief lapse Ling Xiao broke free from his powerful restraining technique.
“Marquis of Eastern County, show me everything you’ve got. Today I will make you accept your defeat completely!”
Facing the Marquis now, Ling Xiao’s confidence surged once more.
The Marquis had first been wounded by Wu Xiang, then suffered countless cuts from Ling Xiao. They seemed minor, but over time his body had become riddled with injuries and his strength had plummeted.
After Ling Xiao used the Void Shadow Croc to bite off one of the Marquis’s arms, the man no longer held the slightest advantage.
There was no need for tricks any more.
Next, Ling Xiao would clash with the Marquis through pure, overwhelming power.
He sheathed the Purple Lightning Sword. The Golden Crow Sword pointed straight at the Marquis.
A cold smile lifted the corners of Ling Xiao’s mouth.
Behind him, the colossal phantom of a monstrous beast appeared. The Taotie let loose a roar that made everyone tremble.
“A direct clash? You think this marquis would fear you?”
What the Marquis feared most were Ling Xiao’s strange, unpredictable attacks. A straightforward frontal assault held no terror for him.
Ling Xiao had now adopted a completely head-on stance.
What was there to fear?
Even Wu Xiang thought it unwise for Ling Xiao to abandon his strengths for this style of fighting.
But he said nothing.
He believed his little martial brother always had reasons for his actions.
If he chose a direct confrontation, there had to be a purpose.
Wu Xiang chose unconditional trust.
The warriors from the City Lord’s Mansion erupted in jeers.
“Marquis, since the boy courts death, grant him his wish.”
“Yes, kill him!”
“Kill that idiot!”
They all believed Ling Xiao had grown arrogant after his earlier successes and was now underestimating his opponent. It was foolish, but they loved it.
Because this way, Ling Xiao was finished.
“Nether Flame Ghost Slash!”
The Marquis needed no prompting. His fear stemmed from Ling Xiao’s unknown techniques, not from the boy’s raw power.
In a contest of strength against strength, he felt no fear.
“Taotie Apocalypse!”
Ling Xiao faced the Marquis without the slightest hesitation.
He trusted his own analysis.
The Marquis of Eastern County standing before him was no longer the same man he had been at the start.
This strike would utterly crush him!
As the terrifying giant beast roared and charged towards the Marquis along the line of the Golden Crow Sword, the Marquis suddenly noticed the Nether Flames on his black sabre shrink back.
It lasted only an instant. He could no longer pull out of the attack.
Boom!
Blade met sword.
Black Nether Flame clashed against the profound meaning of shadow.
The collision was clean, deafening.
The ground beneath their feet cracked inch by inch, then exploded in a chain of blasts. Stone slabs were pulverised into dust.
Black flames and strange shadows intertwined, unleashing tremendous destructive force, as though some monster had rampaged across the battlefield.
Everyone around fell silent, staring in shock at the two figures shrouded in energy and smoke.
Who had won?
That question gripped every heart.
The terrifying aura pressed down so heavily that breathing became painful. Their skin stung as if sliced by raw energy.
Yet no one thought of leaving.
This battle concerned the very survival of the Holy Dynasty Restoration Society.
It also concerned the dignity of the City Lord’s Mansion of Lanton City.
When the smoke cleared, both figures became visible again.
The Marquis still held his sabre in a two-handed grip. Suddenly he threw his head back and laughed wildly towards the sky.
Ling Xiao stood there, leaning on his Golden Crow Sword, his face deathly pale and his body shaking uncontrollably.
Blood poured from his eyes, mouth, ears, and nose. He looked utterly wretched.
At this sight, the hearts of the Holy Dynasty Restoration Society warriors sank completely.
Devastating!
Yet in the end, all their efforts had been in vain. They had lost.
“Protect Ling Xiao! He must not die!”
Wu Xiang struggled to his feet.
Though Ling Xiao had been defeated, they could not give up. Even if every one of them died here, they would not let the hope of the Holy Dynasty, would not let their brother, be buried with them.
“Yes!”
At this moment the Restoration Society warriors felt only disappointment, yet none intended to retreat.
The fight had reached this point. Though Ling Xiao had lost, he had also grievously wounded the Marquis. If they fought with everything they had, victory was still possible.
