A Battle of Life and Death

The Sword Qi, wrapped in blazing flames, skimmed across the ground. Violent fire elements instantly melted and then incinerated the grassland that had been frozen by the Beast Armor, leaving behind patches of scorched earth still spitting sparks.

Even from five paces away, the Beast Armor could feel the heat wave crashing into it. The true Pure Yang Fire made the Ice Serpent feel fear rising from its bloodline. This was instinctive suppression from the hierarchy of elements, unrelated to strength. If a Powerful Being who wielded Taiyin Water had been present, perhaps they could have remained calm. But it was merely a Level 2 Demon Beast with an affinity for frost. Before the fire of the five elements, that little frost energy simply was not worth mentioning.

"Hiss... hiss..."

Under the Ice Serpent Beast Soul's control, the Beast Armor continuously let out the distinctive cries of a serpent. Its azure snake eyes kept darting about, while the Frost Armor covering its body endlessly drew frost elements from the air, rapidly increasing its defensive power. It seemed that even this terrifying Monster Beast had no intention of surrendering without a fight and waiting helplessly for death.

After the condensed ice arrows collided with the Flame Sword Energy Li Mu had unleashed and were completely shattered, the Ice Serpent Beast Soul realized that ordinary attacks could not contend with the Pure Yang Fire. With a sharp hiss, great quantities of frost elements coiled around its hands, forming a pair of frost gauntlets. Then it threw a punch straight at the Sword Energy Moon Blade already close at hand.

The dense frost power seemed capable of freezing the entire space. Though the Sword Qi imbued with Pure Yang Fire was unstoppable, it ultimately had no source to sustain it. Beneath the Beast Armor's earth-shaking punch, it could initially contend against the force, but was soon suppressed by the deep-blue frost elements. With a thunderous boom, it dissipated into the air.

"Looks like my earlier judgment that the Ice Serpent was poor at close-quarters combat was disastrously wrong. Though it's a serpent-type Monster Beast, as long as it's a Monster Beast, physical combat is one of its compulsory lessons. I really was laughably foolish before."

Thinking of how nearly all his previous judgments about the Ice Serpent had been far removed from reality, Li Mu could not help sighing at his own immaturity. If not for the Simulation System, and if he had not been lucky enough to refine a pill that happened to counter the enemy's abilities, today might truly have been the end of his life after transmigrating here. Looking at it that way, he still had a bit of protagonist's halo around him.

The Ice Serpent possessed extremely rich experience in fighting in the wild. The instant the Flame Sword Energy dissipated, he had already shot forward, pouncing toward Li Mu. Every step was accompanied by a heavy boom. With Frost Armor covering him, his overall weight had become astonishing. Moving so swiftly under such pressure placed an enormous burden on the body, but that was not something the Ice Serpent needed to consider. After taking possession through the Sacrifice Technique, he had only one goal: kill the prey before him.

Li Mu did not hesitate either. Every muscle in his body tensed. His earlier underestimation of the enemy had already brought painful consequences, and the effects of the Pure Yang Sky Burning Pill could end at any moment. He had to go all out within this limited time.

As the flaming Shadowless Sword swung, several more streaks of Flame Sword Energy shot through the air. Li Mu's figure immediately began shifting positions as well. The Li Family Sword Style was famed for its speed, and its cultivation was supplemented by Movement Technique training. Though it could not compare to those legendary peerless lightness arts that allowed one to shift shapes and trade places, covering a thousand miles in a day, this Movement Technique was undoubtedly the most suitable for displaying the Li Family Sword Style.

Very quickly, the two clashed at close range. Pure Yang power erupted within Li Mu, filling every cell with vitality. When he used this Movement Technique now, he was actually twice as fast as usual. Empowered by flames, the Shadowless Sword became even swifter and fiercer. Thrust, cleave, slash—every move was difficult for the Ice Serpent to handle. Before long, slash marks appeared across its Frost Armor.

But unlike before, Li Mu had deliberately left Pure Yang Fire within those sword marks. If the Ice Serpent wanted to repair them, it would have to consume several times more frost energy. This placed it in a dilemma. Once it devoted a large amount of frost power to repairing the armor, it would inevitably fall into a disadvantage during exchanges with Li Mu.

Gritting his teeth, he stopped pouring excessive frost energy into the Frost Armor. After all, this body was not his. He was now merely a wisp of Beast Soul. In the end, if the owner of this body had not used the Sacrifice Technique, he would not have become a soul body. Although the secret art forced him to act according to the caster's designated objective, the choice of how to fight still rested with him.

In the end, the Ice Serpent chose to engage Li Mu in a direct, fist-to-fist offensive. The dazzling frost gauntlets struck again and again, continuously colliding with the Shadowless Sword burning with raging flames. Sword Qi and fist force, a sea of fire and an icy rain—one man and one beast fought a battle of life and death within the forest. The grass and trees that had just been burned as though a prairie fire had swept through them were frozen solid the next instant beneath ice three feet deep. Mountain rocks exploded, and trees were incinerated.

The battle raged until heaven and earth darkened. The aura constantly spilling out drove away every bird and beast within ten li, turning this place into an absolute forbidden zone within the Black Dragon Mountain Range.

Though Li Mu's momentum soared to the heavens, he still had to divide his attention during the battle to prevent the aftershocks from affecting Nie Xiaoyu, who lay there with her fate still uncertain. The Ice Serpent was cunning to the extreme, condensing ice arrows from time to time and shooting them at the girl lying on the ground. Whenever that happened, Li Mu had no choice but to abandon his offensive and rush to relieve her. He had also tried several times to check on Xiaoyu, but the Ice Serpent forced him back each time. This Monster Beast actually understood how to make Li Mu hesitate like a rat fearing to break a vase.

With this back and forth, Li Mu, who bore the Pure Yang Fire, unexpectedly failed to gain the upper hand in a battle that should have been a one-sided crushing victory. He could only fight the Ice Serpent to a draw.

"Damn it, how is this a Monster Beast? Not even human cultivators could be this cunning. I can't drag this out any longer. The Pure Yang Sky Burning Pill's effects are limited. Once I lose the suppression of the Pure Yang Fire, I'm simply no match for this beast."

Li Mu was extremely anxious, because he discovered that the Pure Yang Core shining brilliantly within his dantian had seemingly shrunk by a quarter compared to before. During its fusion with the Golden Vortex, enormous amounts of Pure Yang power were stripped away and sent through his meridians to every part of his body. By this estimate, the effects of the Pure Yang Sky Burning Pill could perhaps only last for another half an incense stick's time.

"This Frost Armor is practically an unsolvable existence. With my current strength, I can't break through its defenses at all. What should I do? The effects are almost over. Am I really going to die here in the Black Dragon Mountain Range today?"

Li Mu exchanged more than a hundred blows with the Beast Armor possessed by the Ice Serpent, yet he could never breach the Frost Armor's defenses. Even though he left behind more and more Pure Yang sword marks, the pill's remaining duration was likewise growing short. Sensing Li Mu's anxiety, the Ice Serpent no longer traded attacks with him. Instead, it began prioritizing defense, seeking to exhaust him and stall for time.

The Ice Serpent had brought its tactics to the utmost extreme. At the height of Li Mu's strength, it chose to confront him head-on in order to drain his Pure Yang power. After discovering that this bizarre increase in its opponent's strength was time-limited, it immediately shifted from offense to defense. Such analysis of the battlefield was something even ordinary human cultivators would not possess.

After swinging out another streak of Flame Sword Energy to force back the Beast Armor, Li Mu retreated several steps as well. He took a deep breath and looked at Nie Xiaoyu, who remained unconscious in the distance. A sudden resolve appeared in his eyes.

"What kind of man lets a woman suffer in his place? Xiaoyu, I'm afraid I'll be taking the first step today. But don't worry—your brother keeps his word. Even if I have to stake my life on it, I'll cut this little snake beneath my sword!"

The hot blood deep in Li Mu's bones could finally no longer be restrained after being continually cleansed by Pure Yang power. To win Nie Xiaoyu a sliver of hope for survival, he was preparing to risk his life.

"Little snake, I'll show you now what a real man is!"

Spitting out the blood foam in his mouth, Li Mu tightened his grip on the Shadowless Sword. The flames along the blade suddenly blazed even more fiercely.