Chapter 573

"I laugh at your ignorance and short-sightedness. You can't even see your opponent's true strength. A surprise attack tactic? Do you think you misjudged my strength, which is why you lost a move in our last exchange?"

Si Ming leaned back slightly, raised his left knee slightly, extended his right index finger, and shook it. "Today is the day when the gap between our strengths is the smallest, because I'm still injured and can't use my full strength. I only used about 70% when I used my ultimate move at the end. Once my injuries heal—where do you get the confidence to think you can beat me next time?"

Lin Qingtong returned the favor verbatim, her anger flaring, but unlike before, she didn't respond to provocation. Instead, she gave a cold laugh, "I believe what you say, so I can't let you leave alive today."

"Oh, you seem quite confident. Looks like you're still holding back," Si Ming, extending his right hand and beckoning with his five fingers, speaking in the tone of a villainous boss. "Come on, give it your all and please me."

Lin Qingtong snorted, and then several thin Guanzi, which looked a bit like insect antennae, suddenly emerged from the severed end of her right arm. They quickly burrowed into the cut of the arm that had fallen to the ground, and then pulled back forcefully like cables, causing the severed arm to stick back to her shoulder. Then, countless tentacles wriggled at the cut ends of the two wounds, and new flesh grew, and in the blink of an eye, it was completely healed.

"Its regenerative ability far surpasses that of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster. This is a characteristic of a metal body. Those blood vessels and meridians may look the same as those of a normal person, but their essence is already different. Even if you destroy my entire arm, as long as I still have enough Metal Cells, I can regrow it in one minute."

Lin Qingtong pulled out the Collapse Sword with her right hand, casually swung it to prove that her arm had no aftereffects, and then looked at Si Ming defiantly. "Originally, I only wanted to teach you a lesson and did not intend to kill you, but since you have reminded me, I cannot let you go back safely. Remember, underestimating your opponent is the worst mistake a martial artist can make."

However, Si Ming did not show the surprise Lin Qingtong expected. Instead, he sighed, spread his hands, and said, "What a disappointment. I thought your trump card was transformation, like turning into Tekkaman or a Transformer or something. In the end, it's just a common regeneration ability. It's really unimaginative."

Fist Intent provoking Lin Qingtong's anger, she snapped, "So what if I lack imagination? As long as it's practical, that's enough! Your nonchalant attitude ends here. You'll be laughing about this in a minute!"

"Yeah?"

Si Ming arrogantly extended his five fingers, palm facing Lin Qingtong, then suddenly clenched his fist. In an instant, a blade of light flashed, and Blood Sha Qi erupted. Lin Qingtong's reattached arm snapped off!

"Sorry, I fought too many regeneration monsters recently, so I developed a bad habit: I always want to leave something on my wounds, otherwise I don't feel at ease."

Lin Qingtong glanced at the severed arm, then quickly rubbed her left hand into a knife shape and chopped off the flesh at the cut, recreating the process of reattaching the severed limb.

Then, the Blood Sha Qi erupted once more, and this time it was no longer limited to the severed arm. Blood-red blade light burst forth from every part of Lin Qingtong's body, flying out and bringing with it puffs of blood mist.

"Uh... leaving something on a wound is just a metaphor, a rhetorical device, not the literal meaning. Seriously, how could you misunderstand that? Am I overestimating your intelligence?"

Faced with Lin Qingtong's angry gaze after being deceived, Si Ming could only offer this explanation.

The Asura Divine Power is the power of bloodline, so this power is most likely to remain in the blood. If Lin Qingtong wants to use physical methods to remove the Blood Sha Qi, the fastest way is to drain the blood from her body, rather than cutting off the flesh at the wound. Or, if what flows from her body is engine oil, then Si Ming will have no way to deal with it.

"Do you have any other trump cards? If not, I won't be polite. But don't worry, I won't kill you. Instead, I'll capture you and hand you over to Qingqing for judgment. She'll decide your fate. Knowing her as I do, as long as you admit your mistakes and apologize, she'll definitely forgive the harm you caused her."

Lin Qingtong let out a sorrowful laugh and said, "I'd rather die than accept her kindness!"

He immediately drew his sword with his left hand, mustered his remaining strength, and with a death wish, unleashed a desperate One Sword.

"That's not up to you!"

Si Ming raised both hands, channeling his divine power, and a phantom image of the moon's reflection in the lake appeared behind him. The surrounding air turned into vortexes, creating layers of resistance for Lin Qingtong, weakening her power and causing her to lose control of her body.

Si Ming slapped his left hand, knocking the Collapse Sword, which was less than half its strength, out of his grasp. He then gathered frost energy in his right hand, intending to capture the person with the Ice Silkworm Heavenly Net Hand.

Just then, a long, deep sound suddenly came from the void.

"Palace!"

As if a bronze bell were ringing in his ear, Si Ming's body trembled slightly, his Qi and Blood boiled, and he lost consciousness for a moment. Lin Qingtong seized the opportunity, transformed her left hand into a blade, and slashed out with all her might, breaking through the vortex and turning to escape.

"Don't go!"

Si Ming quickly recovered, calmed his mind with his internal energy, and pounced down like a hawk, using the "Vulture Demon Bone Shattering" move to grab Lin Qingtong.

At this moment, a figure emerged from the darkness, moving with ghostly Movement Method past Lin Qingtong and exchanging a palm strike with Si Ming.

Both men let out a muffled groan. Si Ming's strength was astonishing, and his external skills were far superior. He shattered his opponent's hand bones with a single palm strike. However, his opponent's Internal Cultivation far surpassed his own, and his True Qi was quite strange, even possessing a shock effect. It swept through his meridians, causing utter destruction. His Blazing Sun True Qi was completely unable to resist it, collapsing upon contact and instantly penetrating his dantian, disrupting his internal organs.

Si Ming was forced to retreat back into the pile of rubble. Looking up, he saw that the person who came to rescue Lin Qingtong was a woman wearing a peacock mask. Judging from her curvaceous figure, she was undoubtedly a woman, and most likely a beautiful one at that.

Although he thought this to himself, he said aloud, "A cowardly fellow who doesn't even dare to take off his mask, he must be an ugly monster!"

"I'm not the only one who likes to wear masks; don't you like wearing masks too?"

The Peacock Woman displayed superb lightness skills, her figure as swift as a swallow. With a few light steps, she shifted her momentum, dissipating the impact. Then, she rubbed her injured hand and complained, "What a greenhorn! He doesn't even understand the principle of chivalry."

"Only beautiful women deserve to be treated with tenderness and pity. Are you beautiful? You don't even dare to show your Zhenmian. You must be too ugly to be afraid of scaring people when you take off your mask... Hmm, in that respect, you do have a good sense of public morality and know how to be considerate of others."

"You're wrong. On the contrary, I'm afraid that if you see my face, you'll be ashamed and hurt yourself. That doesn't fit my aesthetic, so not removing it is out of compassion."

"You make it sound so real, then go ahead and pick it!"

While Si Ming was rambling on to distract himself, he circulated his qi and adjusted his breathing. The Bodhi Golden Body took effect, and after a few breaths, his internal injuries were almost completely healed, and even the foreign True Qi that had invaded his body was neutralized.

Lin Qingtong only had one trump card: rapid regeneration. Si Ming, on the other hand, had a whole host of trump cards: Asura Divine Power, Vajra Demon-Subduing Power, Solar Prominence Eruption, Divine Sight Illusory Observation Art... and the Bodhi Golden Body, which on the surface offered almost no benefit to martial prowess but could play a significant role in actual combat. Therefore, the outcome of the battle was decided from the very beginning.

"The mask isn't something I can't take off, but not now. There will be a chance for you to see my true face in the future, and I hope you won't be too surprised then."

The Peacock Woman chuckled and quickly left with Lin Qingtong.

"Sorry, I have very little patience and can't wait that long. I just want to see your true face now, whether you're a beauty or an ugly duckling!"

Si Ming clasped his hands together, his back bearing the angry expression of Vajra Demon-Subduing Power. The previous exchange of blows had made him realize that the Peacock Woman's strength surpassed Lin Qingtong's; at least her Internal Cultivation had reached the Spirit Transformation stage, making her an enemy that could not be defeated without paying any price.

"Great Brahma Sacred Palm!"

With a powerful push of his feet, the ruins below crumbled instantly, the air exploded, forming a ring of air. Si Ming shot out like a missile, pushing forward with his left hand, creating a huge golden swastika symbol that streaked across the night sky like a meteor.

"Young virgins are easily impatient, but being impatient won't get you any pleasure from this older sister. Just be patient and wait. In time, she'll not only take off her mask, but also lift her skirt to let you catch a glimpse of her allure."

The Peacock Woman laughed and joked, making no attempt to defend herself, allowing Si Ming to advance unimpeded.

However, when Si Ming got within five meters of his opponent, he felt an invisible barrier of energy blocking his way, as if he were stuck in a quagmire. Although he could continue to move forward, his strength was constantly weakened, and the True Qi he had gathered was rapidly dissipating, making him feel as if each day was an eternity.

After Si Ming crossed the five-meter distance, the power of the Great Brahma Sacred Palm was reduced to only 30% of its original strength. The Peacock Woman raised her palm and used the recoil to accelerate her escape, disappearing into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

"What kind of martial art is this? AT Field?"