Chapter 220: Desperation

Chen Wenwu was already badly startled by the sudden turn of events. His body was injured, his internal organs ached, and seeing the two figures descending like gods of death, their combat intent raging, he was naturally terrified.

There was no time to think.

Hearing the words "Kill Chen Wenwu first," he immediately retreated after landing, then turned and activated his Spirit Mist Invisibility technique. He darted off the stone bridge, flew onto a nearby building, and vanished in a puff of smoke.

That was the fastest he had ever moved in his life.

A single thought crossed his mind as he cursed the two of them under his breath: "They only dare to pick on the weak!"

According to Li Weiyi's plan, the first move offered the best chance to directly kill Hua Yuzi.

Hua Yuzi was indeed very strong, far surpassing ordinary inheritors. In a one-on-one fight, he could overwhelm an opponent within dozens of moves. However, apart from Luan Shenglinyou, Ge Xiantong, and Zuo Qiuhong, who would dare claim they could defeat the combined forces of two inheritors?

No inheritor was simple.

They could all contend with even the weakest Dao Seed Realm cultivators.

Even someone as powerful as Cang Li, before reaching perfection in the Seventh Sea, would fall to the combined might of Dragon Court and the Heartless Golden Ape.

It could be said that even at the peak of his power, Hua Yuzi would struggle to defeat Li Weiyi and Yang Qingxi acting together within the first five moves.

"Clang!"

The light from the Grand Profound Needle was blinding, but Hua Yuzi dared not close his eyes. He forced a surge of spiritual energy into the flowing silver mask on his face.

The silver mask detached from his face, transforming into an incredibly mysterious silver shield insignia that blocked Yang Qingxi's first and most dangerous sword strike aimed at his brow.

"Whoosh!"

Li Weiyi unleashed the Compassion Vessel Enlightenment Finger from a distance, conjuring thousands of snowflakes. This immensely powerful attack arrived simultaneously with the Grand Profound Needle. In Hua Yuzi's current state, how could he block two deadly moves at once?

After enduring the coffin lid's impact, he swung out his Hundred-Character Scripture artifact, a silver ruler, which he hadn't had time to fully activate.

"Boom!"

The silver ruler shattered the finger-force beam.

The explosion of light pierced through the night sky, and the energy ripples spread for hundreds of meters.

Li Weiyi secretly marveled at Hua Yuzi's terrifying combat power. To block their first combined assault in such a desperate situation was nothing short of miraculous.

As this was a meticulously planned ambush, there was no chance for Hua Yuzi to catch his breath.

While unleashing the Compassion Vessel Enlightenment Finger, Li Weiyi's Yellow Dragon Sword slashed diagonally downward, trailing a crescent-shaped yellow sword light.

Even the residual force of the sword light was enough to carve a cracked groove into the stone bridge, despite its protective array.

"Puff!"

Hua Yuzi's recently conjured protective spiritual energy was shattered by this sword light. He coughed up blood again and stumbled back several steps, his internal spiritual energy unable to condense effectively.

At this moment, he utterly hated Chen Wenwu.

If Chen Wenwu hadn't fled and had blocked them for a few breaths, Hua Yuzi was certain he could have instantly turned the tide of the battle.

The two attacked so rapidly that Hua Yuzi couldn't even attempt to escape; any attempt to turn would have resulted in instant death.

The shield insignia formed by the flowing silver mask could not withstand Yang Qingxi's sword.

"Rip!"

The Grand Profound Needle, like a flash of lightning, pierced Hua Yuzi's neck.

The sword tip emerged from the back of his neck...

Strangely, Hua Yuzi's expression remained unchanged. He gritted his teeth and let out a grunt, then struck Yang Qingxi in the chest with a fist.

This punch was delivered purely with his formidable physical strength.

Yang Qingxi's protective spiritual energy and combat intent were both pierced. Finally, it was her artifact battle armor that stopped Hua Yuzi's fist. She flew back several yards, landed on one knee, supporting herself with her sword. Gritting her teeth, she spat out a mouthful of blood, her eyes cold as she swiftly surged back into the attack.

Yang Qingxi knew very well that if she could kill Hua Yuzi tonight, her father and grandfather would have ample reason and confidence to protect her life in front of the various influential families of Tanzong.

Killing Hua Yuzi would be enough to make her and Suizong famous throughout the land, and it might even earn her the attention of the Second Palace Master.

So, she would fight with all her might!

There would never be another chance like this to change her destiny, absolutely never.

"Ah..."

Hua Yuzi was caught off guard, and though he punched Yang Qingxi away, he was also struck by Li Weiyi's sword, which sliced off a portion of his scalp and even a small piece of his skull.

Li Weiyi's sword had originally aimed to sever his neck, but Hua Yuzi's swift speed allowed him to evade it.

Hua Yuzi was not human, so Yang Qingxi piercing his neck with a sword was not fatal. However, having his scalp and skull shaved off by the Yellow Dragon Sword caused him unbearable pain, and a strange power invaded his head, spreading throughout his body.

At this moment, he couldn't fully mobilize the spiritual energy within his body, nor could he immediately refine the intrusive power. Moreover, he still had to contend with the relentless, continuous attacks from both opponents.

"Bang!"

Yang Qingxi stabbed Hua Yuzi in the heart.

The sword tip was blocked by his artifact battle armor, but the armor hadn't been fully activated, so it couldn't dissipate much of the penetrating force.

Hua Yuzi was flung backward...

Li Weiyi followed closely, swinging his sword swiftly.

"Splurt!"

The sword tore through Hua Yuzi's artifact battle armor, leaving a foot-long bloody gash on his chest, revealing the bone beneath.

Yang Qingxi descended from above, unleashing a fatal sword strike aimed at Hua Yuzi's brow.

"You... seek death..."

His enraged roar echoed through the night, shaking the stone bridge until it could no longer withstand the force and collapsed with a crash.

Hua Yuzi, who had endured three of their attacks, finally managed to mobilize enough spiritual energy, and a six-colored radiance erupted from within him. Even the blood from his wounds turned iridescent.

"Whoosh!"

His robes tore, six-colored feathers sprouted from his skin, and his arms transformed into wings...

In an instant, he reverted to his true form, becoming a gigantic six-colored peacock over ten meters long. Its magnificent tail feathers fanned out, burning with fire, as it collided with the silver river of energy, also over ten meters long, that was descending from mid-air.

"Thud!"

The silver river of energy exploded, and Yang Qingxi was struck by his tail feathers, blasted away covered in blood, barely recognizable.

However, her desperate sword strike had also embedded the Grand Profound Needle deep into Hua Yuzi's body.

Although Hua Yuzi had transformed into a giant six-colored peacock, the wounds inflicted by the Yellow Dragon Sword became even more shocking, growing larger as his body expanded. Particularly, the sword wound on his chest and abdomen was several meters long and half a meter deep.

Li Weiyi's attack failed. Hua Yuzi's claw tore through his protective spiritual energy, striking him as if he'd been hit by a five-fingered mountain. His bones cracked audibly, and he was instantly severely wounded.

Against a master of this caliber, once he recovered and stabilized, any of his attacks would be incredibly difficult for the current Li Weiyi to withstand.

This was also why he hadn't released the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor.

Against Hua Yuzi, they had only a precious moment or two, a window where speed was their only advantage. At its current stage, the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor's attack power was unlikely to inflict a fatal wound on Hua Yuzi and would instead hinder Li Weiyi and Yang Qingxi's own attacks.

Li Weiyi quickly retreated, seeing the enormous six-colored peacock, its eyes bloodshot, charging again. He also saw the two attendants on the left and right, having stabilized their injuries, rushing over, and the fleeing Chen Wenwu returning as well.

Knowing that the tide had turned and despite his unwillingness, he had to leave.

"Run!"

Li Weiyi roared, pulling back the severely wounded Yang Qingxi, who was still determined to fight to the death.

"No! There's still a chance, a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, I won't give up..." Yang Qingxi's hair was disheveled, and her murderous intent was palpable.

"Slap!"

Li Weiyi delivered a heavy slap across her face.

Even if they managed to kill Hua Yuzi, being surrounded by Chen Wenwu and the two attendants in their current severely wounded state would undoubtedly lead to their death.

Yang Qingxi clenched her fists, turned her head, and glared coldly at Li Weiyi. She spat out a mouthful of blood, then calmly said, "Let's go!"

The two jumped off the broken bridge and plunged into the water.

The river water was unusually cold, but because it flowed down from Mount Taoli and absorbed spiritual energy, it hadn't frozen.

Yang Qingxi activated her Water Evasion technique. Li Weiyi clung tightly to her neck, hearing the incredibly fast and eerie sound of rushing water.

She was too severely injured, and carrying another person, she only managed to flee four li along the river before coughing up a large mouthful of blood.

The technique ceased...

They surfaced from the water.

Li Weiyi sensed something, looked back, and his scalp instantly tingled.

He saw a gigantic, six-colored bird silhouette flying along the winding river, tracking them by their spiritual aura. The terrifying killing intent sent shivers down one's spine even from several li away.

Hua Yuzi possessed a spiritual energy perception as sensitive as that of the Twin Phoenixes, which was how he knew Yang Qingxi had stolen the five crates of Spring Coins. At this moment, he was using this same perception to determine the direction of Yang Qingxi's water evasion.

Yang Qingxi finished regulating her breath, her face deathly pale. She stammered, "Go... I can evade once more..."

Li Weiyi's eyes were fixed on the enormous bird silhouette rapidly approaching in the air. "No, we're not running! Since it dares to chase us alone, we'll send it on its way."

Previously, Li Weiyi had feared being encircled by Chen Wenwu and the two attendants, worrying they wouldn't be able to escape. But Hua Yuzi's speed was too great, creating a significant distance between him and the three pursuers on the ground.

This distance was Li Weiyi's opportunity to strike.

And he would only have one chance to strike.

"You're going to fight again? We're both severely wounded. We absolutely cannot fight again; there's no chance," Yang Qingxi said.

Li Weiyi replied, "Exactly! If you think we have no chance, he'll think the same. He's also severely wounded."

A frantic combat intent appeared in Yang Qingxi's eyes. "Alright! Let's see whose life is tougher then!"

"What rank of energy?"

"Sixth rank."

"Very good. If you can withstand one of his attacks and survive, he will surely die today. As long as you're still breathing, I will definitely take you with me."

After handing her the Ghost Banner, Li Weiyi quickly submerged himself in the water and vanished.

"Why aren't they running anymore?"

Although Hua Yuzi's head had been wounded by the Yellow Dragon Sword, he hadn't completely lost his mind. The reason he pursued them was that he knew how severely wounded Yang Qingxi was and that she couldn't escape far.

Yang Qingxi stared intently at the rapidly approaching Hua Yuzi. The wildness in her eyes receded, replaced by an unprecedented state of rationality and calm as she infused spiritual energy into the Ghost Banner.

Within the Ghost Banner, a dark mist gradually began to swirl.

Releasing the Ghost General required time. For a battle between masters where life and death were decided in an instant, this time was too long!

Hua Yuzi knew there was a Ghost General inside the banner whose combat power was no less than his own. How could he give Yang Qingxi a chance to release it? So, he flapped his wings violently, accelerating to maximum speed, and swooped down, intending to tear her to shreds beforehand.

"Whoosh!"

Li Weiyi leaped out of the water to its right, his feet stepping on a shimmering yellow dragon outline. He instantly appeared directly above the six-colored peacock's head, a full ten zhang above the water's surface.

Five combat intent projections appeared behind him, five figures of Li Weiyi simultaneously performing martial arts moves.

Both hands gripped the sword hilt, raising it above his head.

In that instant, he unleashed one hundred and forty percent of his combat power, reaching the level of an inheritor.

"Whoosh!"

A sword qi, longer than the six-colored peacock's body and like a dazzling bolt of silk, slashed across its neck.

"Splurt!"

Its body and head separated, blood gushing like a waterfall.

The river water turned red.

The headless peacock's body plummeted, splashing a large amount of water.

It then floated to the surface.

When Chen Wenwu and the two attendants arrived, they witnessed only this shocking and horrifying scene. Their hearts sank, and they cried out internally, "Heavenly lord, it's over!"