The Legend Lives On (Continued)

Although the God of War God's Cultivation Body was being eroded by the white flames, on the other hand, the Military God also needed to divert some of his power to maintain the white flames. With the two sides offsetting each other, it was hard to say how much effect the white flames could play. In any case, after a series of fierce attacks, Ba Shenhuang had firmly gained the upper hand, causing Huang Yan to retreat step by step and only defend without attacking.

"Your white flames might be useful in large-scale battles, but they're completely useless in one-on-one situations."

Ba Shenhuang slashed down with his right hand, smashing Huang Yan's blocking arms with tremendous force, and grabbed his wrist in the process. He took the opportunity to step into Huang Yan's defensive circle with his right foot, while at the same time he swung his left hand in a large wheel-like palm strike, aiming straight for Huang Yan's face!

This move was originally a common "Fierce Tiger Forcibly Climbs the Mountain," but Ba Shenhuang mastered the timing and technique to perfection. Combined with his extraordinary cultivation and divine power, he transformed this ordinary move into a masterpiece, and the palm that fell was like the legendary Heaven-Overturning Seal crashing down on his head.

"To have the leisure to instruct your opponent during battle, Ba Shenhuang, you are too arrogant!"

High fighting spirit, fierce fighting, and passive defense caused Huang Yan to lose his usual composure. He no longer addressed him as "Divine General" or "Your Excellency," but instead called him by his name. He flicked his wrist like a whip, and the pores on his body closed, becoming as smooth as an eel, unable to withstand any force. He pulled out his hand and stepped back, avoiding Ba Shenhuang's palm strike aimed at his face.

Ba Shenhuang's left palm missed, but his momentum didn't drop but instead rose. He shifted his body to the side and rushed forward again, while simultaneously clenching his right fist and thrusting forward with a half-step collapsing fist.

Huang Yan placed his hands on his lower abdomen, as if cradling Golden Core elixir, to catch the impact of the fist. The moment they made contact, his body trembled, and an unparalleled divine power surged into his body along his arms, seemingly intent on destroying all flesh, bones, and internal organs. However, the muscles on Huang Yan's back expanded, as if unfurling a pair of wings, releasing all the shockwave that had seeped into his body, causing ripples to spread across the surrounding void.

However, Ba Shenhuang's offensive did not stop. After a half-step collapsing fist, he followed with a half-step forward charge, only this time he changed his fist into an elbow, aiming at Huang Yan's chest, turning the vibration into an impact, and the force was more pure and powerful than before.

Huang Yan let out a low roar, his hands soaring like dragons as he used the Nine Heavens Silk-Coiling Hand to firmly block Ba Shenhuang's elbow strike. The two Cultivation Body clashed again, and their Qi and Blood surged once more.

Before his Qi and Blood could recover, Ba Shenhuang exerted his strength again. His elbow remained still, but his upper arm rebounded like a catapult, his five fingers turning into claws and stabbing towards Huang Yan's face. Although his fingers did not have sharp nails like the Stiff Corpse King, his finger strength was even greater. Once he grabbed it, five big holes would definitely be left, and even wearing a helmet would be useless.

At this point, Huang Yan had nowhere to retreat. When he wrapped his hands around Ba Shenhuang's elbows, it was as if his hands were being held back by the other party. Whether he retreated or loosened the binding silk, he would be attacked like thunder. He had no doubt about this.

Just as Huang Yan was about to be pierced by the five fingers, the white flames on the ground suddenly sprang up like snakes hunting their prey. Part of the flames coiled around Huang Yan's forehead to form a shield, blocking the five fingers, while another part attacked Ba Shenhuang's chest.

With a loud bang, the two were shaken back. Ba Shenhuang took three steps back, while Huang Yan retreated all the way to the edge of the stone lotus, crashed into the wall, swayed, and two streams of blood dripped from his nose.

Although Bai Yan blocked Ba Shenhuang's claw attack in time, Ba Shenhuang turned the claw into a palm strike, using the technique of hitting a cow from across a mountain to give Huang Yan a concussion. Fortunately, he was powerful and had strong True Qi to protect his brain. If it were an ordinary Nascent Spirit Transformation, this palm strike alone would have been enough to knock him unconscious on the spot.

This series of offensive and defensive exchanges occurred in the blink of an eye; a slight misstep could lead to total defeat, and this level of combat had already lasted for over a thousand moves.

"Arrogance or humility are nothing but illusions; in the end, a martial artist's strength speaks for itself."

Ba Shenhuang patted his chest, shaking off the remaining white flames.

Huang Yan circulated his internal energy to dispel the discomfort within his body and suppress his Qi and Blood. He then said, "Arrogance caused you to miss the best opportunity to kill me. If you had used your ultimate moves from the beginning, I would probably be dead by now. But you were worried that the residual force of your ultimate moves would destroy the surrounding stone walls, giving me a chance to escape. So you deliberately engaged me in a prolonged fight, exhausting my stamina and internal energy, forcing me to accumulate injuries, thereby increasing your chances of killing me. Unfortunately, those who seek perfection often achieve the opposite of their goal. After the soaring dragon reaches its zenith, it will the Proud Dragon Repents overreaching ambition. Things will be different from now on."

Ba Shenhuang asked, "How are they different?"

Huang Yan did not answer with words. Instead, he circulated his palms, and the white flames on the ground gathered in his palms, burning silently without emitting heat, yet becoming increasingly dazzling. He then pushed his palms forward, leaving a white trail that was difficult to erase for a long time.

Ba Shenhuang his palm to meet the attack, and the two fought again to test their Foundation. After a moment of impact, his expression suddenly changed, and he let out a muffled groan as he was forced back on the spot, crashing into the stone wall just like Huang Yan had done before.

Ba Shenhuang looked down at the sword wound on his chest. The wound, which had stopped bleeding, started bleeding again, and it was boiling blood. He felt his body temperature rise sharply, as if he were in a furnace, yet a chill penetrated his internal organs, and even his breath was covered with ice crystals.

"Is your fire poisonous?"

"No, the poisoned sword is the one from before."

"But I didn't notice anything unusual when I was stabbed."

"Because the poison on the sword is a dead poison, it can only be activated by my Pale Flame. With your unparalleled cultivation, if you had detected the poison immediately, even a supreme poison like the Three Paths Gu might not have been able to harm you. Only this kind of undetectable dead poison can circulate throughout your body and seep into your limbs and bones as you circulate your power, making it impossible for you to expel."

As they spoke, Huang Yan launched another attack, his palms imbued with white flames. His palm strikes were both soft and strong, like waves of a mighty river crashing one after another. Ba Shenhuang struggled to parry, but his Cultivation Body was only at 70% due to the corrosive effects of the poison, and the battle situation immediately reversed.

"Compared to you, I do lack practical experience, but military strategy can also be applied to tactics. The way of military formations and the way of martial combat are interconnected. When you are capable, feign incapacity; when you are ready, feign inactivity; lure the enemy with profit; seize them when they are in disarray; prepare against their strength; avoid them when they are powerful; provoke them when they are angry; humble them when they are arrogant; exhaust them when they are at ease; sow discord among their allies; attack where they are unprepared; strike when they are not expecting you."

Huang Yan's hands moved like dragons, unleashing another Nine Heavens Silk-Coiling Hand technique. However, the same move yielded a completely different result. His hands completely entangled Ba Shenhuang's fists, and then, using the force against him, he pressed down on Ba Shenhuang's fists and launched a counterattack against himself.

With a loud bang, Ba Shenhuang was struck hard in the chest again, staggering back several steps and spitting out a mouthful of blood. He felt the alternation of hot and cold within his body, and the unpredictable changes in yin and yang, making it difficult to activate his protective Gang Qi. Even his external martial arts techniques were affected, and his defensive capabilities were greatly reduced.

"This poison is specifically designed to counter my Black Phoenix Dharma Body. It seems I'm not the only one looking forward to this battle; you are too."

"It's not just poison; my Pale Flame was also deliberately cultivated to counter your Black Phoenix Dharma Body. As a Legalist School, knowing yourself and your enemy is merely the most basic requirement."

Ba Shenhuang was silent for a moment before speaking, "So, your act of pretending to run away was to lower my guard, to prevent me from realizing that I had been poisoned, and you had already calculated that I would stop you."

"I've already said it: feign weakness when you are capable, and feign inaction when you have the ability. Others might not fall for this trick, but you certainly will, because you are the War God!"

Huang Yan raised both palms, and the pale flames transformed into blazing sword light, whistling out and forming a net that filled the small space. The scorching wind and heat waves quickly touched his eyebrows.

"Eight Phoenixes... Ugh!"

Ba Shenhuang wanted to unleash his ultimate move to decide the outcome, but he felt the chaotic alternation of Yin and Yang within his body, preventing him from pushing his Cultivation Body to its extreme. Helpless, he could only hastily change his move, using the fourth move of the Hegemon Annihilates Sages Fist, "Reverse Heaven and Earth," which instantly distorted space and tore apart the sword net.

However, the shattered Pale Flame Sword-Ray did not dissipate immediately. Every second, it left its mark, impacting the inner wall of the Stone Lotus and splattering out tiny, painful fragments. Ba Shenhuang was not spared either. Normally, with his protective Gang Qi, such tiny attacks would not have harmed him at all, but now he felt a persistent stinging pain.

"Burn Blood and Wither Spirit!"

Huang Yan pressed his advantage, unleashing scorching flames from his acupoints. In doing so, he evaporated all the surrounding moisture and burned even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to ashes. His entire body, wreathed in pale flames, charged forward.

"Nine Evils God-Extinguishing Palm!"

Unable to unleash the Eight Phoenixes Defy the Dao, Ba Shenhuang could only resort to a second-best option: gathering destructive evil energy in his palm, causing undercurrents to surge and devour all light.

The two clashed with powerful attacks, neither gaining the upper hand in terms of strength. They retreated, but Ba Shenhuang was once again scorched by the Pale Flame, and his internal True Qi was also affected, showing signs of "spontaneous combustion" and quickly dissipating.

"The legend of the God of War God ends today!"

Huang Yan rose into the air, raised his palm, and the pale flames moved as nimbly as elves. Under his control, they condensed into a majestic silver-white dragon, which roared out with a furious roar.

Ba Shenhuang looked up at the approaching dragon. In the silvery light of the fire, his face remained unwavering, his confidence undiminished. "As War God, how can I perish because of defeat?"

He opened his palm downwards, and the earth suddenly cracked open. A demonic halberd, engraved with ghostly runes and exuding boundless killing intent, burst forth from the ground and landed in his palm. Powerful True Qi condensed on the halberd and shot out, transforming into a giant blade that could pierce through the clouds and shatter the sky.

"Rahu Sun-Shattering Slash!"

The giant blade slashed upwards in reverse, leaving a deep, dark crack in the void, and with a streak of crimson sparks from the friction as it swept across the atmosphere, it slashed fiercely at the pale dragon.