I Lost

Li Guanqi naturally put away any lingering trace of contempt, and even Ye Feng wore a solemn expression. During their previous brief clashes, he hadn't sensed Xiao Chen to be overwhelmingly powerful. Though his opponent held trump cards, Ye Feng hadn't revealed his own ghost hand or other methods either. Yet now... His own sword could at most achieve a single Soul Release; as for Apocalypse... That truly required a Sword Ruins of extraordinary quality before one could possibly grasp the Apocalypse form. Xiao Chen... was no useless playboy! Boom! A formidable spear intent soared straight into the clouds, and soaring battle intent practically ignited the entire void. Under the crushing collision of terrifying forces, the void of the battlefield was torn in half down the middle, opening a massive spatial rift. Xiao Chen's spear intent had only reached the Spear Gall realm, but he had inhabited this stage for a long time. In an instant, two figures crashed together like wind and thunder. Clang! Clang! Clink-clang! Boom! Bang! Their attacks were a dizzying blur. On their respective paths of weapons, both were the utmost elite among their generation. Neither would make elementary mistakes; each thrust of sword and spear was fast as lightning. They parried, traded blows, and shifted stances in the blink of an eye, moving so quickly that the eye could hardly track them. The void between them was forcibly shredded by the colliding forces, and clashing metal erupted in continuous ringing chimes that echoed incessantly. After just moments, Xiao Chen's expression grew exceedingly solemn. Apart from the pure power of their cultivation realms, neither had unleashed wide-scale moves—yet precisely because of this, Xiao Chen felt even more keenly how extraordinary the man before him was! One had to realize that the Blood God Spear in his hands was about one zhang and three chi long and exceptionally thick. With a flick of his wrist, when the force traveled down the spear shaft to the spear tip, it carried easily tens of thousands of jin of force. Yet against such terrifying might, Li Guanqi dealt with it effortlessly. He wasn't relying on sword momentum to deflect the force; he was clashing head-on through pure physical tempering! Ye Feng's lips curled slightly. This fellow probably had no idea that his boss had been a monster practicing the dual cultivation of spirit and martial paths from the very start of his cultivation journey, did he? And... right now, Li Guanqi's physical strength was even more terrifying. Li Guanqi had obviously noticed Xiao Chen's strained reaction as well. Now that he had noticed, he would hold back no longer. The origin spirit within him burst with dazzling brilliance, and terrifying primal energy surged through his body. The Dragon Elephant Prison-Suppressing Art circulated with full force, his vital blood churning like the roaring of dragons and the trumpeting of elephants. And in a single stroke, Li Guanqi mobilized the full power of the technique's sixth tier! Clang! Thud! A violent explosive roar detonated, and the void within dozens of zhang around Li Guanqi abruptly shattered! An irresistible force surged through the Blood God Spear. Xiao Chen's face changed drastically, but it was already too late to block. The Blood God Spear was slammed violently backward, the shaft crashing straight into his chest. "Pfft!" The strike knocked Xiao Chen hundreds of zhang backward, his feet carving two pitch-black rifts in midair before he barely managed to steady himself. The webs of Xiao Chen's hands were split open and bleeding, both arms trembling uncontrollably. Looking up at Li Guanqi, he muttered in a low voice, "A Martial Void-grade physique! You practice the dual cultivation of spirit and martial paths!" Li Guanqi gave a slight shrug and flicked his wrist, flourishing a flower of sword blades. "It was that obvious, and you couldn't tell?" Xiao Chen pushed himself up and rolled his neck, the split skin between his thumbs and forefingers rapidly healing. He looked at Li Guanqi with burning eyes, licking his lips as a fierce light shone in his gaze. Stamping the Blood God Spear violently against the void, he slowly stripped off his upper garments and tied them around his waist, revealing lean, sinewy muscles and an upper torso crisscrossed with scars. His left foot kicked up the lower end of the Blood God Spear, sending it spinning rapidly through the air before he grabbed it firmly with both hands as it came down! Lowering his stance into a standard spear opening posture, he barked, "Again! No more wasting time with feeling each other out. Let's have a good, hearty fight!" With these words, the battle intent radiating from Xiao Chen surged even higher. Even Ye Feng couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration at the sight. For he could see that Xiao Chen's duel with Li Guanqi was no longer solely about Meng Wanshu. Instead, he was simply and purely facing an elite opponent, adopting the respect and resolve due to a true warrior. Seeing this, Ye Feng called out to Li Guanqi, "Boss, go easy on him." After speaking, a playful smile curled the corners of his mouth. He suddenly found this fellow rather interesting. The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward. He ripped off his white robe, which was slashed with spear marks. Even leaner, denser muscle was revealed, his bare skin covered in dense, crisscrossing scars. The clash between the two powerhouses had no room for flashy or ostentatious tricks. Every strike was lethal; if either failed to block a single blow, they would be instantly defeated and grievously injured! Watching from the sidelines, Ye Feng broke into a cold sweat in his palms. The intensity of their combat had long exceeded his own limits without unsealing his ghost hand! If he were to jump into the fray right now, he would probably be defeated within five breaths at most! By now, the sword shadows and spear glints around them had blended into a chaotic blur! The dense clatter of impacts could no longer keep pace with their speed. Their silhouettes darted and shifted across the void in a flurry of movement. Terrifying power discharged wildly. Relying on the reach of his spear, Xiao Chen advanced and retreated in measured cadences. Li Guanqi, on the other hand, pressed forward relentlessly like a beast of prey; the slightest lapse in vigilance would be swallowed whole in an instant. Gradually, Xiao Chen's stamina began to falter. Even with the reach advantage of his spear, Li Guanqi knocked it aside time and again with immense physical power. The pressure Li Guanqi exerted on him was too overwhelming, hemming him in without granting him a single moment to catch his breath. The slightest misstep would be caught instantly by Li Guanqi, who would then press his advantage and completely disrupt Xiao Chen's offensive rhythm. Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed. With a fierce sweep of his spear, he deflected Li Guanqi away! Shifting his footwork, he spun like the wind, the Blood God Spear weaving up and down in his hands before smashing down toward Li Guanqi! "Falling God Spear!!" The terrifying spear shaft flexed slightly as it descended, and the immense pressure compressed the surrounding space until it felt as rigid as a seal. The scarlet tassel on the spear erupted with scorching fiery power, burning the space along its path to utter cinders. Li Guanqi smashed out a ferocious fist, shattering the incoming force. His feet carved a swift half-circle across the ground, and with a sudden upward sweep, his sword momentum slashed toward the sky! This strike held incomparably immense primal energy and sword momentum, detonating in a roar! Terrifying purple-black lightning mixed with flames burst forth in an instant! "Immortal Slayer!!!" Boom! Surging sword intent flared in full bloom, manifesting into a zhang-tall phantom of Yanluo behind Li Guanqi! This sword strike... could slay immortals! Rumble! The spear glint shattered. A jet of blood sprayed from Xiao Chen's chest as a deep slash tore across him, extending from his left shoulder all the way down below his right ribs! Hurled backward through the air, Xiao Chen crashed down onto one knee, vomiting mouthfuls of blood. Propping his weight upon his spear with both hands, his body trembled slightly. Just then, a slightly hoarse voice slowly rasped... "I... lost."