Chapter 367: Laughing Tiger

There was no need to force the issue. The masked man was already airborne, with nothing to leverage against, making agile evasion difficult. For Li Hongjiu, who wore a faint smile, the matter was already concluded once the masked man was forced into the air.

Inside the whirlwind, one person drifted helplessly with the wind, while the other freely and effortlessly maneuvered, circling at will, speeding up or slowing down as desired. Li Hongjiu, controlling his speed at will, quickly circled and caught up to Shi Chun. Another sword flew from his hand; he wanted to see how the masked man, with his clumsy movements in the wind, would evade it. If the masked man couldn't dodge it, Li Hongjiu was confident that no one below the Human Immortal realm could withstand the power of this leveraged strike. It would at least severely injure them, if not cripple them.

Throughout the pursuit, he had basically confirmed that this was unlikely to be an elder. If it were, they wouldn't have been chased so embarrassingly. Could it really be Shi Chun? To be able to directly kill someone of the Grand Attainment realm with a High Martial Apex cultivation – this cross-realm killing was more intriguing to him than divine fire. The facts seemed to align with his expectations, but only "seemed" because reality presented a slight deviation. The masked man's clumsy and unstable figure somehow managed to narrowly avoid the flying sword's seemingly unavoidable strike with an absurd, jerky motion, though he appeared flustered.

Shi Chun could have dodged more cleanly, but as before, he feigned weakness to lull his opponent into a false sense of security. After he dodged the sword, Li Hongjiu, as expected, circled past on the wind nearby. Shi Chun, feigning panicked movements to deceive him, launched an immobilizing substance with a palm strike to intercept Li Hongjiu. The facts also proved that while direct confrontation wasn't winning, underhanded tactics were effective. The immobilizing substance successfully hit Li Hongjiu, and he, being a mortal after all, quickly felt his movements slow down, immediately realizing he had been tricked. He also realized that the masked man wasn't actually panicking; his panic was merely a show for him. From this one encounter, he sensed the masked man's insidious cunning. At the same time, he nearly broke out in a cold sweat, not from Shi Chun, but from himself. Because of his momentary inability to move, the sword he had recalled using the wind's momentum nearly impaled him. It had grazed right past his arm.

Simultaneously, he channeled his power at will, gathering momentum through his body's energy, releasing it from within. A sudden flicker of subtle electric arcs, barely discernible amidst the commotion, flashed around his body, instantly breaking the immobilizing spell. As he had thought, he had witnessed the immobilizing technique when observing the previous battles. He had already contemplated and learned to counter it by channeling wind through his fingers. Had he not been confident, he wouldn't have dared to engage in close combat with this masked man.

Seeing Li Hongjiu's graceful figure disrupted and stiffened, Shi Chun immediately knew his ambush had worked and rejoiced. He was about to charge forward with his saber to kill his opponent, but a flicker of cautious doubt suddenly appeared in his eyes. He had previously been forced to use the immobilization spell in plain sight, and his opponent had clearly seen it, yet still dared to confront him directly. Wasn't he afraid? With a change of thought, his body, which had just begun to stabilize, continued to sway. Prioritizing safety, he pulled out the Immortal-Binding Sash and flung it out, intending to use the magical artifact to strangle his opponent.

In fact, within the whirlwind, all forces were under Li Hongjiu's control and perception. Even without looking back, he knew the masked man had used the Immortal-Binding Sash again – he was getting experienced at it. His body suddenly moved, and with a flick of his sleeve, he glided higher, narrowly evading the sash's netting attack. He actually felt an urge to curse. He had intended to use the opponent's trick against him, feigning immobilization to lure the masked man closer into a trap. But unexpectedly, the masked man didn't act like a normal person; despite knowing he was immobilized, he didn't dare to approach and instead just threw a magical artifact at him. Was it not overly cautious to use a magical artifact on someone who was immobilized? This didn't seem like the person who had dared to flaunt his power in front of various sects earlier. If he hadn't been watching closely, he might have thought it was someone else.

When Shi Chun saw the guy suddenly bounce back and dodge his magical artifact attack, he immediately understood what was happening. He also cursed inwardly. This seemingly harmless, smiling person was actually a smiling tiger, too treacherous. "Good thing I've been ambushed countless times; I'm full of tricks, there's no room for your crooked schemes this time." More than anything, he was terrified. A fifth-grade magical artifact couldn't finish him, and the immobilization spell couldn't hold him. What kind of monster had he encountered?

The flying sword circled back within the whirlwind. Li Hongjiu raised his hand, caught it, and with another swing, the sword was again in front of Shi Chun, who then flung it out once more. Then Shi Chun once again appeared flustered, narrowly dodging the strike.

Just as Li Hongjiu unhurriedly floated past him at a close distance, Shi Chun seized the moment while his opponent was unprepared and separated from his sword, leaving him momentarily defenseless. Shi Chun launched his second surprise attack, suddenly breaking through the wind horizontally with immense speed, as if walking on flat ground in the void. He charged through the wind, launching a fierce, sideways thrust. This wasn't a straightforward attack; this was a living person suddenly charging directly at him, an attack capable of adapting its moves to Li Hongjiu's evasive maneuvers. Saber gleam flashed wildly, hacking at Li Hongjiu's figure.

Although Li Hongjiu could move freely in the wind, this "freedom" actually relied on moving with the current. He couldn't go against the flow, so his evasive movements were limited to certain angles. Shi Chun had observed this very point: that the smiling tiger would momentarily be without a weapon for defense. Noticing these two combined weaknesses, he decisively seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, which was both ruthless, steady, and precise. The occasional subtle flashes of lightning illuminated the scene clearly. The disciples of Yanbao Sect, watching from below, were also astonished, unable to comprehend how the masked man could suddenly burst forth with horizontal movement within the powerful whirlwind. Xu and You, hiding in the shadows, also vaguely witnessed it.

That saber strike indeed terrified Li Hongjiu. He was completely unprepared because Shi Chun's charge defied all logic; there was nowhere to leverage oneself in the air, especially in such strong winds. Even a Human Immortal might not be so agile. How did this fellow manage to rush over? At this very moment, certain "peculiarities" he had found odd while observing earlier battles – the masked man's apparent ability to leverage himself in mid-air during his clashes with the Oblivion Valley group – were now finally confirmed. It was real! Most critically, the masked man had chosen an incredibly cunning angle for this attack, positioned slightly behind him and using a wind-assisted move. To parry, Li Hongjiu would have to execute a wind-opposed move. He had no time to reach for his Qiankun pouch to conjure another weapon to defend himself.

The opponent had calculated every move, aiming to kill him with a single strike in his own domain. This time, he was truly forced into a purely evasive stance, pushing his ability to move with the current to its absolute limit. In an intricate interplay of moving with and against the current, his sleeve suddenly billowed with air. Instead of being carried away by the wind, it seemed to surge against it, moving towards the saber's edge, almost stunning Shi Chun. Was he intentionally seeking death? Then, Li Hongjiu's figure in the wind suddenly propelled itself away at an even greater speed. The sheer peril of his instantaneous escape from beneath the saber's gleam was indescribable, truly a narrow escape.

Bang! An external explosion sounded, scattering pieces of cloth. The saber had still struck Li Hongjiu's sleeve, causing an explosive sound. Startled, Li Hongjiu glanced at his now bare arm. He then raised his arm, caught the sword returning on the wind, and turned to face the masked man. At this moment, there was no trace of disorder in the masked man's stance. He was already charging wildly through the wind with his saber raised, unequivocally telling him, "I was just pretending before!"

The group of Yanbao Sect disciples, looking up, were shocked. Their Uncle-Master seemed to have suffered a loss; his sleeve was torn. Was his arm alright? They truly found it hard to imagine that their Uncle-Master, with all his abilities, would actually suffer a disadvantage against this masked man. Xu and You were also startled, deeply feeling that the higher-ups were indeed taking this championship much more seriously than usual.

Watching Shi Chun charge with his saber, Li Hongjiu, gazing intently, slowly revealed a smile. Bare-chested, he pointed his sword towards the sky, then swiftly spiraled upward around the swirling whirlwind at a speed Shi Chun couldn't match. Once in mid-air, Li Hongjiu suddenly slashed his sky-pointing sword. The swirling clouds in the sky immediately gathered from all directions, then poured downward, funneling into the whirlwind. The Yanbao Sect disciples, along with Xu and You, immediately lost sight of what was happening within the whirlwind. The former rejoiced, thinking that if things were obscured, they would see how the masked man could continue fighting their Junior Uncle-Master. Xu and You, on the other hand, exchanged startled glances, unsure what to do. The crucial point was that even if they rushed to help, they couldn't; they weren't Li Hongjiu's match even without the obscuring mist, and charging in now would be suicidal.

However, the most surprised was Li Hongjiu. He failed to strike Shi Chun down with another sword, and instead saw Shi Chun charging at him again with his saber. He immediately realized that the mist he had introduced could not obscure the opponent's spiritual vision at all. Li Hongjiu continued to launch sword after sword, but Shi Chun managed to evade them all. When he couldn't completely dodge, he would raise his saber to block defensively. As long as he didn't face the terrifying strike head-on, the explosive power of the demonic art protecting Shi Chun's saber was enough to deflect most of the attack's force, allowing him to trade blows with Li Hongjiu. Yet, he still couldn't do anything to Li Hongjiu. He wasn't as fast as Li Hongjiu in the wind. Although he appeared to be constantly chasing and attacking, he was actually in a passive, defensive position.

This wouldn't do. The other person could afford to prolong the fight, but he couldn't. If the commotion attracted people from various sects, it would be troublesome. So, even without a clear plan, he had to find a way. As he sped through the cloudy whirlwind, he unexpectedly flipped his hand and pulled out a bronze mirror — the "Three Corpses Mirror" he had acquired from Oblivion Valley earlier. He didn't know how to use it, but he could figure it out on the spot. Seizing the window of opportunity where his opponent couldn't immediately harm him, he quickly decided to try it. Before long, with some blind fumbling, the bronze mirror actually emitted a dark ray of light.

The Yanbao Sect disciples, along with Xu and You, all saw the dark light flickering out from the cloudy whirlwind. It looked familiar. Could it be...? Their faces filled with surprise and doubt. Shi Chun didn't know if he was using it correctly or if it would even work. First, he confirmed it was a magical artifact without a spirit, and using it would consume his spiritual power. No matter, it was glowing anyway. Without further thought, he lifted the gaze of his right eye's special ability, locked onto Li Hongjiu's position, and immediately directed the mirror's light towards him. He hoped that by simply using it haphazardly, he could directly kill Li Hongjiu.

Shi Chun didn't know how Li Hongjiu felt when struck, but Li Hongjiu, suddenly enveloped by the dark light, was somewhat bewildered. What was happening? Why did he suddenly feel like he had plunged into endless darkness? He couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anything. He immediately realized something was wrong. Although he didn't know what would happen next, he had already guessed that Shi Chun was behind it. The unknown was the most dangerous. He didn't dare hesitate for a moment and immediately ascended at full speed, giving his opponent no chance to get close. No matter how fast he was, he couldn't outpace the light emanating from Shi Chun's hand.

Unable to escape even at full speed, Li Hongjiu raised his sword to the sky. Immediately, electric serpents churned above. As he shot into the air, the moment his sword tip touched the overhead electrical light, thousands of electric serpents converged towards it. He pointed his sword downward, and it was as if he had pulled a glittering electric net down from the high sky. With his left hand, he pressed two fingers together onto the sword's blade. His bare right arm gripped the sword as if drawing a bow, and countless electric serpents immediately converged to form a giant sword, over three meters wide. Its immense power seemed capable of piercing all illusions and sweeping away all petty obstacles. It instantly illuminated the endless darkness, revealing Shi Chun below, holding a mirror, dumbfounded and wide-eyed. With genuine shock in his soul, combined with his masked bandit appearance, he looked like a comical clown.

That light was too powerful. Whether it was the Yanbao Sect disciples looking up or Xu and You, all were stunned by this incredibly shocking scene. It was as if dawn had broken, and even people far away turned to look.

"Cultivate my lightning sword, to shake the heavens and earth!"

As Li Hongjiu's cold, angry roar echoed, the giant sword in the air seemed to burst forth from the electric net, descending with true thunderous force, striking directly towards Shi Chun.