"Tsk!" Bai Ye smacked his lips. "What a troublesome ability!"
Hyoukyo suddenly grew excited, looking at Bai Ye and asking, "You also think my Blood Demon Art is strong, don't you?"
Bai Ye glanced at Hyoukyo. "It's just troublesome."
Hyoukyo didn't seem to care what Bai Ye said, continuing to press, "How does it compare to Lower Rank Five?"
"Not at all," Bai Ye replied. "I'll cut you down anyway."
As Bai Ye spoke, the Nanming Lihuo Sword swept forward again.
With a hum of the blade, the Nanming Lihuo Sword transformed into a streak of light, striking forward.
However, Hyoukyo immediately beat his drums again, causing the room to spin and positions to shift. The streak of light formed by the Nanming Lihuo Sword missed its mark, landing in empty space.
Hyoukyo declared, "Your attacks can't hit me."
"That's not necessarily true," Bai Ye smirked. "I can just make the attack cover the entire room."
*Snap!*
As Bai Ye spoke, he snapped his fingers crisply.
In an instant, the streaking sword light exploded.
*Flowing Light Through the Heavens (The sword light shattered, transforming into one hundred and eight streams of shimmering light for attack)*
The shattered sword light dispersed into countless streams of light, radiating outwards from the point of explosion.
No matter how Hyoukyo spun the room, the space itself remained the same size.
Therefore...
In that moment, the entire space was engulfed by the exploding streams of light.
This sudden barrage seemed to leave Hyoukyo helpless, staring blankly at the flying lights.
Then...
*Puff, puff, puff...*
Several streams of light struck Hyoukyo's body, piercing him repeatedly.
The immense force even sent Hyoukyo flying backward, slamming him against the far wall.
Blood flowed continuously.
However, for a demon, injuries of this degree were not a major issue.
To kill a demon, one must either expose them to sunlight, sever their head, or dismember them to a point where regeneration or recovery is impossible.
Thus, the bloody holes in Hyoukyo's body, though gruesome, were not fatal.
However, the sudden onslaught left Hyoukyo momentarily stunned, and then enraged.
"How can I possibly be defeated by a mere human? Impossible, impossible..." Hyoukyo roared. "Blood Demon Art, Speed Drumming!"
Hyoukyo's hands moved with unimaginable speed, becoming a blur of motion as he continuously beat his drums.
*Thump, thump-thump, thump, thump-thump-thump...*
The drumming was no longer singular but formed a distinct rhythm.
Instantly, the room began to spin again, its layout shifting with even greater speed than before.
As the room turned, the surrounding streams of light intersected, rapidly filling every corner of the chamber. Simultaneously...
Scratches from claw attacks began to appear, their power clearly amplified, increasing from three to five.
At this moment, the room seemed on the verge of shattering.
Bai Ye teleported twice in quick succession, repositioning himself in a corner.
Bai Ye saw through Hyoukyo's intention: he was trying to employ a strategy of mutual destruction, injuring the enemy while taking damage himself.
The scattered streams of light continuously struck Hyoukyo's body, but as long as his head wasn't severed, he paid no mind to his injuries. He knew that once Bai Ye was dead, these wounds would heal quickly.
However, the room's frantic spinning, combined with the sonic claw attacks, made Hyoukyo's own offense unpredictable.
The claw marks appeared out of nowhere, making it impossible to predict the timing or pattern of the attacks.
In fact, it wasn't that Bai Ye couldn't discern the patterns, but rather that Hyoukyo himself couldn't.
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. If that was the case...
Then he didn't need to discern them!
Killing Hyoukyo would end everything!
"Five Spirit Curses!"
*Thunder Strike!*
Bai Ye produced ten talismans at once, fanning them out. The talismans immediately burst into flames.
Then...
*Rumble, rumble, rumble...*
The sound of thunder echoed, and streaks of azure electricity appeared, coursing through the entire house and advancing forward.
The next moment, accompanied by the sound of drumming, Hyoukyo's claw attacks reappeared.
*Boom!* One of the electric currents was shattered, exploding into countless arcs of electricity that scattered in all directions.
But it was inconsequential. Bai Ye had produced ten talismans precisely to account for such situations.
Although Thunder Strike was an offensive technique, it was being used here for...
Cover!
Bai Ye himself plunged into the lightning, using the Thunder Strike's electricity to move forward.
*Boom, boom!*
The sound of thunder and lightning exploding echoed, as the electrical arcs surrounding Bai Ye were shattered one by one, scattering into arcs of electricity.
This was the downside of Hyoukyo's relentless attacks. While the trajectory of his claw strikes was indeed difficult to predict,
However...
Hyoukyo himself couldn't distinguish the trajectories, making it impossible for him to accurately penetrate the lightning and strike Bai Ye!
Then...
Bai Ye leaped out, passing through the dissipating electrical arcs, and appeared before Hyoukyo. He then grabbed Hyoukyo's head.
*Bang!*
Bai Ye held Hyoukyo's head and forcefully pressed it downwards, slamming him onto the ground.
The drumming stopped at this moment, the constantly spinning room returned to normal, and the claw attacks ceased.
Hyoukyo stared blankly at Bai Ye, his face filled with unwillingness.
"My Blood Demon Art..." Hyoukyo murmured. "Is it truly inferior to Lower Rank?"
"No, it's not inferior, but for me!" Bai Ye stated. "They are both too weak."
*Puff!*
The moment Bai Ye finished speaking, he reached upwards.
The surrounding streams of light condensed, reforming into the Nanming Lihuo Sword, which returned to Bai Ye's hand.
Then...
*Puff!*
Bai Ye raised his sword and brought it down, piercing Hyoukyo's throat. He then swiftly swiped to the side, severing Hyoukyo's head.
All returned to calm.
Looking at the head rolling to the side, Bai Ye slowly stood up and opened the door, which was covered in claw marks, preparing to leave. Just then, he saw a figure sprinting towards the entrance.
Bai Ye couldn't help but smirk.
"No, no, it's not what you think," Crow Maru quickly waved his hands. "This is a misunderstanding. I didn't intend to trap you, actually..."
Bai Ye didn't give Crow Maru a chance to explain. He slowly bent down, his hand gripping the hilt of the Nanming Lihuo Sword, assuming a drawing stance.
"Thunder Breathing!"
Bai Ye took a deep breath, and then the sound of crackling electricity surged around his body.
Orange-yellow currents instantly enveloped Bai Ye's entire form.
The next second...
"First Form, Thunderclap and Flash!"
...