For a moment, Li Jia Yi felt like he was dying.
The tip of the Ning Shuang Sword was just inches from Li Jia Yi's throat; a slight push forward would have easily pierced it.
Fortunately, at the last second, the Sun Moon Twin Wheels struck the Ning Shuang Sword, deflecting its thrust. It grazed Li Jia Yi's neck, leaving only a tiny wound.
After the near miss, Li Jia Yi quickly leaped backward. Seeing Bai Ye preparing to pursue, he waved his hands, conjuring a scythe into his grasp.
"Cold Moon, Sever!"
Li Jia Yi swung the scythe toward Bai Ye, unleashing a crescent of silver light.
Bai Ye immediately brought his Frost Sword forward.
*Clang!*
The weapons met with a clear, ringing sound.
Bai Ye blocked the scythe attack. In that instant, Li Jia Yi opened his palm, revealing two grenades, which he hurled toward Bai Ye.
Bai Ye looked up and immediately formed a talisman.
"Earth Curse!"
As the talisman burned, two earth walls rapidly rose, forming a barrier before Bai Ye.
*Boom! Boom!*
Two deafening explosions ripped through the air, the fireballs shattering the earthen walls.
Yet, the moment the walls crumbled, Bai Ye leaped through the flames and smoke, raising his sword. But…
Li Jia Yi was gone again.
Bai Ye landed, using one hand to roll and absorb the impact. He glanced towards the other end of the street, where Li Jia Yi was sprinting away.
"Think you can escape?"
Bai Ye took a deep breath and pushed off the ground, chasing after Li Jia Yi.
They continued this chase, a brief pursuit, until Li Jia Yi burst into the subway station stairs. Bai Ye, not to be outdone, pursued him, leaping into the air.
"Flying Heavenly Sword Style, Dragon Hammer Flash!"
Mid-air, Bai Ye slashed downward. In the next instant, a breathtaking silver sword light streaked across the surroundings. The moment it struck the stairs…
*Rumble!*
A massive explosion!
The next moment, the stairs leading to the subway station collapsed, turning into rubble that cascaded downward.
Bai Ye descended, landing on top of the debris, and scanned his surroundings.
"Is he dead?"
Bai Ye mused. He felt that Li Jia Yi wouldn't die so easily. He couldn't explain why, but he had a gut feeling that this guy was more troublesome than he appeared.
*Boom!*
As Bai Ye was thinking, a loud noise echoed from beneath the rubble, followed by the debris above exploding outward.
Bai Ye quickly leaped up, descending from the ruins. Li Jia Yi, looking somewhat battered, climbed out from beneath the debris.
Li Jia Yi appeared disheveled, covered in dust, his clothes torn in many places. However, he held a massive tower shield in his left hand, clearly what had protected him, leaving him only looking worse for wear.
Without a word, Bai Ye leaped, bounding across the debris to Li Jia Yi's front, his Ning Shuang Sword slashing horizontally.
*Clang!*
Li Jia Yi quickly raised his shield, taking the blow. The immense force sent him tumbling backward onto the ground.
"Flying Heavenly Sword Style!" Bai Ye followed up, thrusting the Ning Shuang Sword into the debris and then flipping it upward: "Earth Dragon Flash!"
Instantly, silver sword light erupted from the rubble. Accompanied by the light, countless broken stones were flung upward by Bai Ye's strike, hurtling towards Li Jia Yi.
Li Jia Yi quickly raised his tower shield in front of him and cowered behind it.
*Clang, clang, clang…*
The falling debris continuously hammered against the shield, the impact forcing Li Jia Yi to retreat.
Bai Ye leaped down from the debris again and kicked the tower shield with immense force.
This time, Li Jia Yi couldn't hold on, rolling onto the ground. However, Bai Ye couldn't press his advantage. The Sun Moon Twin Wheels, after circling once in the air, sliced towards Bai Ye's back.
Li Jia Yi's combat experience was more seasoned than Bai Ye had anticipated. Facing the Sun Moon Twin Wheels, Bai Ye had a choice: either turn to block the attack or risk a blow to his back while forcing a killing strike against Li Jia Yi.
It seemed Li Jia Yi was taking a significant loss, sacrificing his own safety to injure Bai Ye.
But would Bai Ye make that choice?
Of course not!
*Clang!*
Bai Ye spun around, his sword meeting the Sun Moon Twin Wheels and deflecting them.
If Li Jia Yi were his final opponent, Bai Ye would certainly reveal his ferocity, willing to sustain injuries to defeat him. But Li Jia Yi was not.
Therefore, Bai Ye had to remain calm and consider future battles.
With the Sun Moon Twin Wheels momentarily stalled, Li Jia Yi finally had a chance to recover.
"Sun Moon Divine Radiance!"
Li Jia Yi uttered a soft cry, and the Sun Moon Twin Wheels suspended in the air began to glow.
Bai Ye raised an eyebrow. "Trying to run again?"
Bai Ye had encountered the Sun Moon Divine Radiance before. It unleashed a blinding flash of light that impaired vision, allowing for either an attack or an escape.
An attack…
Bai Ye felt Li Jia Yi lacked the courage for that. The Flying Heavenly Sword Style was formidable in close combat and incredibly fast. Even without sight, Bai Ye could rely on his hearing to prevent Li Jia Yi from succeeding.
So…
Bai Ye immediately took out a deck of playing cards. The moment the light erupted, he activated his Paper God ability, flinging the cards forward.
In the next instant, Bai Ye felt a stinging sensation in his eyes and involuntarily closed them.
On the other side, Li Jia Yi intended to flee, but he didn't even have a chance to turn. A dense volley of playing cards flew towards him, obscuring a large area and leaving him nowhere to dodge.
Li Jia Yi could only raise his tower shield, deflecting the incoming cards.
This round of wits and courage was clearly a draw. When the radiance finally faded, Bai Ye unhesitatingly charged forward again.
Li Jia Yi used his tower shield to block Bai Ye's advance, quickly retreating. But at that very moment…
Bai Ye suddenly curved his lips into a smile.
"That tower shield…" Bai Ye said, "It must be heavy, right?"
Li Jia Yi's heart skipped a beat. Then, he saw Bai Ye vanish before him, a swift sidestep bringing him to Li Jia Yi's flank.
*Puff!*
The Ning Shuang Sword thrust out, piercing Li Jia Yi's side.
Li Jia Yi gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and continued to retreat, simultaneously activating the Sun Moon Twin Wheels to slash at Bai Ye again.
Feeling the rush of wind from behind, Bai Ye released the sword hilt and leaped upward, spinning his leg to kick the Sun Moon Twin Wheels away. Landing, he twisted his ankle, pivoted back to face forward, and kicked the hilt of the Ning Shuang Sword.