Pale blue light flickered faintly. Xu Fu’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold, predatory calm as he stared at John Chou, his sharp eyes like a beast locking onto its prey.
John Chou grew serious as well. Ghostly energy seeped evenly around his body, and the sword Belle in his hand gleamed with a chilling light. I watched John Chou in surprise—so sharp, so fierce. The gleaming blade of Belle gave me that impression.
But the Belle I gripped was dull and lifeless. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of confusion.
“It was the same last time, wasn’t it? Only this time, we have the advantage in numbers—and you’re a bit short-handed.”
Xu Fu spoke coldly. John Chou slowly drew Belle across the air—I saw a flash of swordlight, a streak of red. With a whoosh, John Chou was suddenly in front of Xu Fu, Belle slicing down.
In a split second, Xu Fu stepped back and swept Zhanlu in his hand—clang, clang—two sharp sounds. They separated. Xu Fu glanced at Zhanlu, then let go of it.
“Looks like I’m at a disadvantage when it comes to swordplay with you.”
As Zhanlu vanished, my eyes widened. There was a chip in Zhanlu’s blade, while Belle in John Chou’s hand remained pristine.
Xu Fu tore off his long robe, revealing a tight black outfit and bulging muscles. His frame was suddenly a bit smaller than John Chou’s.
“It’s always been like this. We start by testing each other, but in the end you gain the upper hand, injecting Deathbane Aura into my heart and sending me into a long slumber. If those other bastards hadn’t come back, maybe you would have destroyed my body too.”
John Chou gave a cold, mirthless smile.
“The ending will be the same this time, won’t it?”
Xu Fu let out a mocking laugh. In a blur of shadow, a flurry of fists appeared before John Chou, but he dodged calmly, not missing a single beat, evading every blow from Xu Fu.
Thunderous roars echoed behind John Chou as chaotic air currents swept toward us. I raised my hand to shield my face from the stinging sand.
Xu Fu’s punches came short and fast, compressing John Chou’s space to dodge, faster and faster. The pounding heartbeat, now like thunder, grew louder and clearer.
Their fight grew more and more intense. My eyes struggled to keep up. My body had almost recovered, so I stood up.
With a crash, I heard a sharp crack. As I looked over, John Chou gripped Belle in both hands, struck by Xu Fu. Sizzling sounds filled the air as their violent collision sparked bursts of fire.
With a bang, John Chou crashed down beside me, instantly forming a huge pit in the sand. Waves of sand quickly engulfed me.
I burst out of the sand immediately. John Chou was already on his feet, slowly floating upward.
“Watch closely, brother.”
I nodded, my gaze following John Chou upward. Xu Fu spread his arms wide, and two Abyssal Vortexes appeared on either side of him. He clenched his fists, and a grinding noise echoed.
Suddenly, John Chou accelerated, thrusting Belle straight at Xu Fu’s brow. With a boom, Xu Fu’s open arms snapped shut, his fists crashing down on John Chou.
With a clang, Xu Fu’s long hair whipped in the wind. John Chou flipped upside down, gripping Belle with one hand. Xu Fu’s hands joined together, grinding noises filling the air as the Abyssal Vortexes squeezed the space, producing a piercing, shrill sound.
Belle’s tip was still pressed against Xu Fu’s brow, but it couldn’t break through at all.
I watched the duel in silence, barely breathing. Their attacks were stripped of any excess, pure and lethal.
Suddenly, with a whoosh, John Chou shot away from above Xu Fu. With a boom, Xu Fu raised his hand, and two masses of twisted black matter shot skyward.
A huge pull appeared in the sky, making the black sand on the ground tremble violently. My body was slowly being drawn upward as well.
John Chou drifted through the air like a leaf in the wind, moving erratically, as if dodging something. Xu Fu turned slightly, a wicked smile on his face.
“Looks like it’ll be hard to settle this quickly. John Chou, how did you regain your strength?”
Blood Red Particles floated around Xu Fu. He grabbed a handful and opened his palm. The particles danced on his skin.
“If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I’d have been hit by your Bloodbane Power again. Heh, you really are a devious bastard.”
“Right back at you.”
John Chou hovered above Xu Fu, looking down at him with a half-smile.
“Aren’t you worried about your sister? She’s locked in a desperate fight!”
John Chou said nothing. With a whoosh, Belle in his hand lunged at Xu Fu again.
Clang after clang rang out as Xu Fu tightened his fists, blocking every strike from John Chou.
“She’s your sister, John Chou. What if she…”
In a flash of red light, Xu Fu dropped to the ground, half-crouched, staring at the wound on his shoulder. Black blood oozed out as John Chou hovered above, smiling faintly.
“Save the talk for after the fight, Xu Fu. I’m not Zhang Qingyuan. If you want to use your philosophy here, you picked the wrong man.”
Xu Fu turned, glared at me, then smiled and shot upward again, his fists launching a barrage at John Chou in the air.
I swallowed hard as a wave of intense heat surged around me. Glancing over, I saw a raging volcano spewing steam, its crimson magma erupting violently. Adam Dale stood at the base, with Lao Chongyuan beside him, his face pale and wary as he scanned the surroundings.
There was no sign of Mona Ouyang or Basil Bertram, but from the look of things, the two now held the advantage. All it would take was one final push to finish them off.
Immediately, I turned to look skyward. The fierce battle between Xu Fu and John Chou raged on, blood-red light flickering in the air. Xu Fu moved so fast he was nearly invisible, leaving only afterimages as he relentlessly pursued John Chou.
Though my strength had recovered somewhat, it was far from complete. Xu Fu’s movements filled me with dread; with such speed, he could finish me in a single blow. Against him, I had no chance to fight back.
Still, I waited quietly for the right moment. If Xu Fu revealed even the slightest weakness, I would unleash all the power I’d gained straight into his heart.
“John Chou, stop dodging. If this keeps up, it’ll never end.”
Suddenly, Xu Fu halted. A flash of red light crossed my vision as John Chou appeared opposite him.
“Isn’t that what fighting is all about?”
Xu Fu stopped moving, his arms dropping to his sides. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and started to laugh.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. I’m no fool—I know exactly what Zhang Qingyuan is hiding in his body right now. Heh.”
My heart skipped a beat—Xu Fu had stopped moving, as if waiting for John Chou to make his move.
"Brother, don't worry about things on my end. You should head outside and check the situation."
I grunted in response, just as John Chou suddenly shouted.
"You damn corpse demon, open the entrance to the Dreamspace."
A violet ring of light appeared not far behind me. I drifted over and flew straight out.
The moment I exited, a biting current slammed into me. I instinctively shielded myself with both arms, crashing to the ground under the force of the impact.
The situation was dire—fighting erupted everywhere. I immediately searched for Yixue Han. I remembered she had chased Feng Feng behind the hotel earlier, with Dong Bixing following.
Red-haired Ji Yuner was still locked in combat with Shengmie, but I couldn't spare her a thought. I flew toward the area colored like a sea of spider lilies.
"What's wrong, Miss Yi? Shall we continue, or do you want to sit down and talk things over?"
Feng Feng hovered in midair. On the ground, the sprawling sea of spider lilies had been crushed, leaving a swath of devastation. Yixue Han sat among the flowers, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth—she looked in bad shape. Dong Bixing stood nearby, fists raised.
I watched in silence. Suddenly, Dong Bixing lunged forward, fists raised.
"Ninefold Extremity."
My eyes widened in shock as both fists unleashed the full force of the Surface Fist Extremity.
With a thunderous crash, Yixue Han stretched out her arms, summoning a mass of spider lilies before her. In an instant, they burst into fragments.
"Miss Yi!"
I cried out in alarm as Bloodbane Aura surged through me, its color turning gray, then tinged with red under the influence of curse power.
I caught her—one hand grabbing Yixue Han as a wave of force hit, the other raised. With a crack, the Ghost Domain opened instantly, and I dragged Yixue Han inside.
"Miss, are you alright?"
As soon as we entered, Steward Zhuang rushed over, trying to help Yixue Han up. But she glared at him coldly, brushed off his hand, rose by herself, wiped the blood from her mouth, and stared at me in anger.
"Why did you come here?"
I stammered, feeling awkward under Yixue Han’s gaze.
"Now isn’t the time to act tough. You shouldn’t rely on instinct, Miss Yi—yours isn’t complete."
I swallowed hard. Suddenly, Steward Zhuang grabbed me and pulled me to my feet.
With a crash, my Ghost Domain was shattered by a surge of force.