One Step Away

"How is this possible..."

It wasn't just Jiu Namo who expressed the same surprise; Ye Wangduan was also stunned by the incredible scene after just one glance. His distraction was immediately seized upon by Si Shuiyun.

"Wolf Shadow Thousand Kills!"

The shadows on the ground suddenly surged, like a swarm of black pythons churning upwards. One by one, they leaped up and forcefully broke through the black and white vortex. Ye Wangduan hurriedly dodged, but was still struck by a knife, and blood immediately gushed from his chest.

Having broken free of her restraints, Si Shuiyun glanced in Liu Qingqing's direction, guessed what was going on, and immediately turned her attention back to Ye Wangduan. She brandished her long spear and launched a continuous offensive. One after another, black shadows danced wildly like pythons, wave after wave, making it hard to breathe.

In terms of overall strength, Ye Wangduan is still inferior to Jiu Namo. Si Shuiyun has a great chance of winning against him. Considering Liu Qingqing's current situation, she judged that there was no need to exchange opponents. A one-on-one fight would be a good arrangement.

On the other side, Jiu Namo quickly adjusted his mindset. Although he still couldn't understand what had happened to the other party and why his Cultivation Body had suddenly increased so much, the facts were already in front of him, and there was no point in thinking about it anymore. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made up his mind.

A black storm rose from the ground, Jiu Namo's aura continued to rise. The temperature of his body surface rose rapidly, as if steam was emanating from his dark skin. A dark shadow twisted behind him, forming the image of Barbarian Race demon god.

Liu Qingqing noticed the change in the other party, dispersed the True Qi gathered in her palm, and watched quietly without interrupting.

With a roar, a black storm burst forth, the ground cracked open, and the re-emerged Jiu Namo grew to 2.5 meters tall, his body covered with a layer of burning black energy, as if he were attached to something. He took a step forward, and the black energy churned beneath his feet, leaving behind a series of pitch-black footprints.

Jiu Namo said, "Thank you for waiting and for not intervening, but I will not hold back. Of course, I cannot hold back either; in this state, I cannot control my own power."

As if to prove he wasn't lying, a surge of black energy suddenly erupted from beneath his feet, tearing the ground open and creating a long, crackling gash that spread towards Liu Qingqing.

"This power within me wasn't something I acquired through my own efforts. This battle is actually somewhat unfair to you, but everyone's circumstances and talents are different, so it's inherently unfair. Therefore, I want to at least ensure you lose without regrets."

Liu Qingqing's toes suddenly stopped, and the dark crack paused in front of her foot, like a black snake that had been crushed to death.

"Hahaha, you're right. If everything has to be fair, where will those opponents who were defeated because of my last-minute breakthrough go to cry out for fairness? In battle, it's all about the victor taking all!"

With a domineering roar, Jiu Namo's fists unleashed a thousand waves, like a tidal wave of death crashing down on Liu Qingqing. At this moment, the strength he displayed was even greater than that of his teammate Dong Hanwen.

Liu Qingqing didn't retreat an inch, her slender hands striking out directly at the opponent's face. There was no cleverness or the use of softness to overcome hardness; it was a head-on collision. Her petite body contained unfathomable energy.

With lightning speed and agility, the two engaged in a fierce battle. Every collision was as loud as thunder, and the scattered residual force stirred up the wind and clouds, forcing the referee to activate a formation to prevent the residual force from injuring the audience.

After a series of direct confrontations, it was actually Jiu Namo was the first to be repelled, causing a gasp from the crowd. Although they all knew that Liu Qingqing had undergone a tremendous change, the difference in appearance between the two was too great. Jiu Namo was almost three times the size of Liu Qingqing, and he was shrouded in black aura, like a demon god. No matter how you looked at it, he was the stronger one in the contest of strength, but in the end, he was the first to succumb to the impact.

Fortunately Jiu Namo himself was not so surprised by this result. Only by personally experiencing it could one realize how terrifying the power was contained in that delicate body. He thought that even if Dong Hanwen had advanced to the Nascent Spirit Transformation, came, he would be sent flying in the same way. Moreover, the palm technique used by the other party was very strange, and it had a subtle effect on restraining his Black Water Overbearing Force.

In fact, Liu Qingqing used the Evil-Warding Palm of the Evil-Slaying Sword Sect, which is a set of palm techniques derived from the "Evil-Slaying Sword Art". It also inherits the characteristics of breaking evil and eliminating filth. The Black Water Overbearing Force is cultivated with fierce energy, so it is not surprising that it is restrained. It is only Jiu Namo cultivated the Tai'a Immovable Body that he was able to offset some of the force. If it were anyone else, they would have been seriously injured long ago.

The burst of energy couldn't last, so a quick victory was necessary. The moment he landed, Jiu Namo slumped his back, flicked his right hand backward, and slowly turned his body. A massive black aura swirled around him, demonic flames filled the sky, and his imposing presence seemed to engulf the entire arena.

"Heaven-Chaos Great Hand Seal!"

A jet-black handprint, three meters tall, shot out, taking away all the black energy from Jiu Namo's body. This handprint carried a powerful suction force, causing the rubble on the arena to fly towards it and be pulverized upon contact.

Liu Qingqing's body was also swept up and thrown towards the black handprint. Her face was calm and fearless. Her vast True Qi was activated, and her hands shone with dazzling light, like a god descending to destroy all demons and monsters.

"The Evil-Warding Sacred Might!"

The tiny light imprint collided with the pitch-black handprint, but like the sun melting snow, it easily dissolved the black energy. After Liu Qingqing pierced through it, she continued her momentum and directly struck the immobilized Jiu Namo with both palms.

Holy light burst forth, and even the Tai'a Immovable Body could not withstand the impact of the vast Yuan Power. It instantly broke down, Jiu Namo was sent flying, falling headfirst into the lake. He had already fallen into a coma when he was struck by the palm, and the referee quickly rescued him from the lake.

At this point, the outcome of the second round was already decided. Even though Liu Qingqing did nothing but watch from the sidelines, it still put immense psychological pressure on Ye Wangduan. He made a careless move and was caught off guard by Si Shuiyun, who swept him out of the ring with a smooth and fluid combo.

In the guest seats, when Pan Hong saw his disciple being knocked away, he couldn't help but get up to check on his injuries. However, he heard Ji Shichen's Secret Voice Transmission his ear. "I'm sorry, I promised to let my disciple go easy on me, but I couldn't keep my promise. I'm sorry."

Pan Hong's face darkened. He thought to himself that women were indeed all petty, even Spirit Transformation Grandmaster were no exception. But he couldn't say anything, as the more he said, the more embarrassed he would become. He could only leave the table, holding his breath.

"Well done, now it's a 1-1 tie, we're back to the planned steps."

Ke Chajing proudly high-fived Si Shuiyun and Liu Qingqing, and the other team members also offered their congratulations. Although they were curious about the changes that had occurred in Liu Qingqing during the battle, they knew it was her secret and none of them asked.

Si Ming said to Liu Qingqing, "You've played a crucial role once again."

I feel that my childhood sweetheart is a quiet person who, when she does speak, is amazing; every time she makes a move, she can have a huge impact.

Hu Jixian squinted and smiled, "Not only that, the current situation is even better than planned. Heavenly Black Martial Arts has already played three cards: Dong Hanwen, Jiu Namo, and Ye Wangduan. The only one left who is still usable Xiang Donglai. The rest are not worth worrying about; they have been forced to the brink of disaster."

Heavenly Black Martial Arts Club's strategy was to gamble everything on Dong Hanwen and his three teammates to secure three victories. Now, this strategy has clearly failed. Relying solely on Xiang Donglai and the other bench players to win two more matches is simply a joke.

Leaving aside Si Ming, their exceptional ace, the Second Martial Arts Club also has three mainstays: Hu Jixian, Ke Chajing, and Nie Wanzhi, as well as a "burst-type" Chen Shimi. Even if they lose the first two rounds, they still have a chance to turn things around.

In contrast, the Heavenly Black Martial Arts Club has a frighteningly low margin for error. Losing a round makes their hopes slim. Of course, this is related to their overall strength. In terms of overall strength, the Heavenly Black Martial Arts Club is not as good as the Linked Mountains Second Martial Arts Club. Therefore, the latter can afford to lose, while the former cannot.

Si Ming rubbed his hands together, eager to play, and said, "It's my turn for the third round, isn't it? I can't wait!"

Hu Jixian replied, "No, you might have to play in the fourth or fifth game. Although at this stage, the opponent's chances of winning are slim, it's still best to be cautious and not give them any chance to turn the tide. You are a boulder hovering over their minds; you are the most threatening when you don't fall, but once you do, it will actually make them feel relieved."

"The same treatment as a nuclear bomb?" Si Ming shook his head. "Forget it, you're the strategist, you decide."

"For the third round, let's let..." Hu Jixian looked around and quickly made a decision, "Chen Shimi will play."

Although Nie Wanzhi is also a good choice, as long as the opponent does not send Xiang Donglai, there is enough chance of winning. However, one can't be too careful. What if the opponent also has a "Liu Qingqing" with unknown explosive methods? It would only add more waves. It would be better to send Chen Shimi, who also has secrets, so that there is still a certain chance of winning against Xiang Donglai.

If the current situation were unfavorable to the Second Martial Arts Club, Hu Jixian might have opted for stability. However, since the situation was in his favor, he was willing to take a gamble and see if Chen Shimi could get ahead.

"Next, it depends on how Heavenly Black Martial Arts Club chooses. If they have the courage to take a gamble and send Xiang Donglai fight, they can still retain a sliver of hope for victory. If they are afraid of Si Ming fighting and want to use an inferior horse to exchange for a superior one, then this final can end early."

Hu Jixian smiled like a fox guarding a chicken coop.

Chapter 796 Just One Step Away

In the end, Heavenly Black Martial Arts Club didn't dare to gamble and sent out Xiang Donglai. Instead, they sent out an ordinary regular player, who wasn't even a main player.