Chapter 358: Chapter 79: One Step Ahead, Always Ahead
Using wood to ignite fire, the Innate Fire Qi blazed and surged, blowing up in flames that transformed the forest into purgatory.
The ground was torn apart, countless roots buried deep in the soil burst and cracked under the force of the flames, spewing fire like lava erupting.
Although not as formidable as the ambush in Cave Heaven Blessed Land, the display Jiang Li wielded today was still decidedly powerful. If not for the limited battlefield and the considerable energy consumption, he could even make this technique a standard move.
Xiang Huaiyi, with his Sharp-Hearing Ear, detected the opportunity at the first moment and activated his Protective True Qi to shield himself. However, since his Dao Fruit chose speed over physical resilience, even with precautions, his figure staggered under the heavy blow, vomiting a mouthful of fresh blood which was then incinerated by the flames.
His body endured repeated impacts and heat waves, making it difficult for him to escape this purgatory.
However, the other two fared better.
"Heavenly Gang Kanglong."
Wan Dingtian shouted furiously, a golden light shielding him, taking the shape of a dragon, his Divine Power imposing, withstands the intense explosions and the scorching flames unyieldingly.
On the other side, in the bright red fierce light, a red Big Dog absorbed the flames, using the Heavenly Dog’s consuming ability to protect itself effortlessly.
Jiang Li had once used this move to kill Zuo Zhao and severely injure the Fourth Prince, but for these two—a man and a dog—it was still not a deadly threat.
Had it been like back then in Dunjia Heaven and Earth, where the Wood Element Qi had transformed into forests, he might have had a chance at victory. But the forest here was not like it had been that day; replicating that battle’s victory was exceedingly difficult. Most importantly—
Jiang Li did not pursue his victory.
At the explosion’s onset, the wheelchair had already moved to the edge of the forest, with its back to the intense flames and heat waves, facing the current successor of Kunxu Immortal Palace.
It was a diversionary tactic.
Escaping the fifth-rank encirclement, he aimed at their weakest point.
"Red Cloud Scattering Flower."
Bu Yusheng, confronting Jiang Li now, harbored no covetous desires as before, his moves were filled with a killing aura, no longer lusting after Jiang Li’s body.
Indeed, after being humiliated by Jiang Li’s Strong Hand Splitting Skull, if she were still preoccupied with other thoughts, Jiang Li would question her intelligence.
The Flying Shuttle broke through the sky, carrying the piercing sharpness of the Gold Element towards the speeding wheelchair.
Jiang Li executed a palm strike, the intense heat scorching the air, twisting vast swathes of it, and covered the Flying Shuttle in extreme temperatures.
Innate Fire Qi burned everything and grew stronger; Jiang Li used Fire Qi to set the forest ablaze, not only did his power not weaken, but he also drew on the raging Fire, escalating the potency of the Innate Fire Qi. As he struck now, no flames were visible, yet the extreme temperatures melted everything.
Fire naturally overcame gold, and having cultivated the Wind Queen’s Strange Gate, Jiang Li amplified this suppression to its limit, and his strike instantly constrained the Flying Shuttle.
"Explode!"
Bu Yusheng uttered softly, and the Flying Shuttle burst open, numerous needles exploded forth, colliding and generating Thunder Sound, forming a cloud of Red Cloud.
The Innate Fire Qi squeezed against this Red Cloud, the colliding needles attempting to pierce through the Fire Qi but were forcefully suppressed by the heat capable of twisting air, the Thunder Sound shook the air, causing it in turn to affect the Invisible Fire.
The two forces pressed and collided, emitting continuous, strange noises, seemingly at a standoff, only to have the equilibrium broken by successive bursts of Essence Qi.
Suddenly, Jiang Li’s acupoints released seven flows of Essence Qi, rushing ahead to merge with the Innate Fire Qi. In an instant, the Eight Qi combined, enveloping the Red Cloud, forming a massive Qi mass that resembled Heavenly Thunder, streaking through the sky.
"Boom!"
Thunder Sound roared, leaving Bu Yusheng feeling stifled and disoriented, her True Qi vibrating through her body.
The Red Cloud Scattering Flower Needle was an instrument she had sacrificially cultivated, not dissimilar to Sword Cultivators’ Flying Sword. Although it wasn’t exactly a life-bound instrument, it was still closely linked with Bu Yusheng.
Now, as the Red Cloud Scattering Flower Needle was wrapped in Innate Eight Qi, not only did it become a threat to Bu Yusheng, but the potency of the combined Eight Qi also continually eroded the marks Bu Yusheng had left on the needles, naturally limiting her.
And at this moment, the Qi mass was nearing.
The colliding needles transformed into Red Cloud, merging into the Eight Qi, pressing against each other, colliding violently—utterly chaotic and wildly fierce.
The chaotic Qi Mechanism caused Bu Yusheng to feel alarmed, and she immediately waved her long sleeves, weaving layers of Qi Force together, which formed a united front like fabric, blocking her front.
"Fine Craftsmanship."
The True Qi was seamless, acting like Heavenly Clothes on her body, blocking the Qi globes.
The eight qi clashed, vying to devour everything, but within a short period of time, they struggled to refine the strange True Qi that resembled Heavenly Clothes.
However, at that moment, a grand and distant Qi Mechanism had begun to rise from Jiang Li’s body, as a phase of the moon slowly ascended behind him.
A step ahead, always a step ahead, even though Bu Yusheng blocked this strike, she could hardly withstand this calculated killing move.
This grand Qi Mechanism was not emanating from Jiang Li himself but was a killing move left by his master within him.
And Bu Yusheng was still intercepting the Qi globes at this moment; if she needed to use her trump card, she would have to withdraw her move, take Jiang Li’s strike first, then unleash a fourth-grade technique.
From Jiang Li’s arrival to facing this situation, not even three breaths of time had passed, and Bu Yusheng had already fallen into a perilous position; even her fourth-grade trump card could not bring her much safety.
The person before her was too accurate in seizing the opportunity, always a step ahead, attempting to put someone to death with just three moves and two stances.
In such a situation, Bu Yusheng had to bring out her backup plan if she had one.
"Ah~"
A long, drawn-out sigh, filled with unresolvable sorrow, tugged at the heartstrings, pulling at buried emotions, and stirred a burgeoning feeling.
In that instant, an image of his senior sister seemed to appear in Jiang Li’s eyes, with his master’s beautiful face also reflected in his pupils.
Even his Pure Yang Daoist Heart struggled to suppress this bubbling sentiment.
It was this deep sigh that affected Jiang Li thus.
A pure white figure appeared behind Bu Yusheng, a captivating yet ethereally beautiful face flickering in and out of sight amidst pure white clouds, stirring the deepest emotions and desires within one.
Kunxu Immortal Palace’s Third Palace Master—Su Nu.
Jiang Li had seen this beautiful woman before, but then, Su Nu had not revealed her unbelievable Bewitching Technique, nor had she shown the capability of the fourth grade.
But now, she had made her move, letting Jiang Li witness the power of the fourth rank.
The Qi globes were suppressed by an Invisible Power and rapidly dissipated; the moon phase behind Jiang Li also turned elusive, like the moon in water, rippling.
The fourth-grade technique left on Jiang Li matched against a true fourth-grade power, and it was ultimately crushed, almost pulverized.
Without hesitation, Jiang Li placed his right hand on his wheelchair’s handle, turning the wheelchair around, moving the moon phase to the front.
High above, like the Nine Heavens Goddess, Tianxuan suddenly appeared, taking over the moon phase.
She had been beside Jiang Li all along!
She was waiting for the opponent to make a move.
Taiyin’s brilliance shone, revealing itself under the gloomy sky, and the moon phase materialized, as if the real Taiyin Star had descended to the mortal realm.
On the opposite side, Su Nu waved her hand to move Bu Yusheng aside, turning the pure white qi into dense clouds that surged forward.
The two collided, silently annihilating each other, the space seemingly split in half, divided into different heavens and earths. No thunderous momentum was seen, yet the atmosphere was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine.
Then, Taiyin’s brilliance overwhelmed the pure white clouds, striking Su Nu.
Just as Jiang Li was a step ahead, Tianxuan too had seized the early advantage; she directly took over the moon phase, while Su Nu had to protect Bu Yusheng, conceding the tactical advantage at the initial contact.
"Immortal Queen does not intervene, yet wishes to scheme against this palace?"
Tianxuan, with a thin smile, directed the starlight, the ferocious Star Essence converging into a large star.
"Seven Killings and Army Breaking, Yang Ling enforces cruelty."