The Black Hound Stars consisted of seven men, all dressed in black martial attire and wearing black masks. They had mastered a coordinated offensive technique, working together seamlessly and displaying strength greater than that of seven ordinary early Innate Realm experts. They faced Ding Ning, Gao Jian Fei, Mu Wan Qing, Mo Wen, Jing Lei, Cheng Feng, and Beitang Zilong.
Ding Ning's swift saber and Gao Jian Fei's swordsmanship were practically invincible at the Postnatal Peak. Mu Wan Qing had compared and fused the Asura Blade Technique with the Dream Slaying Saber Technique, comprehending a saber path of her own. The three of them had essentially taken half a step into the Innate Realm.
Mo Wen cultivated a technique called the Blood Shadow Evil Art. It was strange and unfathomable; with every layer he practiced, it stole a portion of his soul. Complementing the Dream Slaying Saber Technique perfectly, it transformed him into a bloodthirsty fiend the moment battle began.
Jing Lei, Cheng Feng, and Beitang Zilong had all been taught by Beitang Zilong's father, Beitang Ao. Beitang Ao was the Military Sima who commanded the Cosmos Unit's Star Department of the Dragon Guard. His mastery of the Heavenly Mysterious Big Dipper Sword was extraordinary. Under his careful instruction, the three ranked among the very best of their generation.
Even though the seven Black Hound Stars possessed higher realms and worked together more harmoniously, all of it seemed pale and powerless before the overwhelming talent of Ding Ning's group.
The Pig Black-Faced Lord appeared so fat that he could barely walk, but his movements were actually nimble. His punches were fast, accurate, and vicious. Facing him, Heng Feijing had no choice but to defend himself with the Tiger Break.
Yet Heng Feijing had his own pride. He also intended to temper his Martial Way through this fight and seek an opportunity to enter the Innate Realm. Thus, he refused all help from others. Of every ten moves, he defended against eight and attacked with two, comprehending saber intent amid adversity while patiently waiting for the perfect chance to counterattack.
Among the twelve battlefields and nearly fifty combatants, the duel between Qin Shuang and Long Xiling was undoubtedly the most dangerous.
Even among mid-Innate Realm experts, Long Xiling was a top-tier existence, while Qin Shuang was only at the Postnatal Peak. They were separated by two minor realms, as well as the vast gulf between the Innate and Postnatal realms!
Long Xiling's palm technique was called the Sea Dragon Surging Waves Palm. It excelled at close-quarters combat, its palm force vast and surging like an endless river, then breaking loose like a flooded Yellow River, unstoppable once unleashed!
The pressure it brought Qin Shuang was utterly incomparable to that of Duan Yanqing, an Innate Realm martial artist who relied on technique and long-range attacks.
Qin Shuang held nothing back and fought with all his strength. He alternated between the Heavenly Frost Fist and the Innate Formless Finger Sword, using the Heavenly Frost Fist's ingenuity, the Righteous Sword's spirit, the Flick Sword's density, the Soft Sword's finesse, and the Toe Sword's speed to counter the wildness, ferocity, viciousness, and ruthlessness of Long Xiling's palms.
Although Qin Shuang was shaken and injured several times, coughing up blood, he stubbornly held on and tangled himself in close combat with Long Xiling.
Ever since he began cultivating the Innate Formless Divine Art two years ago, Qin Shuang had discovered that his internal force was different from ordinary martial artists'. It was not only more profound than that of others at the same realm, but could also continuously regenerate during battle, giving him the feeling that it was inexhaustible and grew stronger the more he used it.
In his battles with others—including his earlier solo fight against the Four Great Villains—he had never suffered from a lack of stamina due to depleted internal force.
At this moment, Qin Shuang grew fiercer the longer he fought. With him at the center, sword qi crisscrossed within fifty paces, interlocking like jagged teeth. The dense Innate Formless Finger Sword formed layer upon layer of nets, trapping Long Xiling within.
Long Xiling remained calm. Wherever his palm force reached, the finger-sword qi split apart. He wanted to see just how long a Postnatal Peak brat could keep recklessly consuming his internal force.
Yet after a hundred moves, Long Xiling's expression changed slightly. Even after fighting this long, he could not sense the slightest weakening in Qin Shuang's internal force. The discovery left him utterly astonished.
Long Xiling immediately stopped passively countering each move and chose to attack proactively. He drew circles with both palms, pulling them in before thrusting them out. With a single Dragon Soaring Across the Four Seas, he struck directly at Qin Shuang.
His palm force surged like colossal waves, destroying everything in its path. The countless strands of sword qi that had originally separated the two shattered like fragile reeds before that overwhelming force.
With nowhere to dodge, Qin Shuang circulated his Heavenly Frost Qi. The Frosty Moon Embrace froze into ice and wrapped around his arms as he used them to shield the vital points around his body.
With a bang, Qin Shuang was sent flying into the air by the collision, blood spraying wildly from his mouth.
The successive injuries did not make Qin Shuang retreat. Instead, they roused the bloodlust buried deep in his heart.
Although Qin Shuang's hands had gone numb from the impacts, he still gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, raising them above his head. Leaving only his thumbs out and pressing them together, he brought them down from the air in a crushing motion—the two Hegemonic Swords struck as one!
A gigantic sword qi, more powerful than any move Qin Shuang had ever unleashed, descended from above and struck directly at Long Xiling.
The giant sword split Heaven and Earth Open, forcing even Long Xiling to take it seriously. He gripped his right forearm with his left hand, focused his internal force into his right hand, and unleashed the Flood Dragon Emerges from the Sea with a single palm. Dragon roars reverberated in all directions as his palm force rose skyward like a flood dragon, meeting the Hegemonic Sword's doubled power head-on.
Another deafening boom rang out. Qin Shuang was sent flying dozens of meters like a kite with its string cut. Yet that sword had still managed to leave a bone-deep gash across Long Xiling's face.
The fact that a Postnatal Peak expert could injure a mid-Innate Realm expert was something Qin Shuang could be proud of!
The Twelve Zodiacs alone had held back most of the Dragon Guard, and they had the upper hand in most of the battles!
Seeing this, the martial artists in the distance who had been watching finally summoned their courage. They drew their weapons and charged at the convoy guarded by the Dragon Guard.
Among the Dragon Guard who had yet to fight, only the five Squad Leaders Li Wenxiu, Guo Dalu, Lin Taiping, Xiang Hong, and Li Panggui remained.
After a brief discussion, the five decided that Li Wenxiu's squad and Situ Shuiling would continue guarding Ni Pusa, the wounded, and the captives, while everyone else faced the incoming enemies.
Facing nearly a hundred martial artists surging toward them, the four Squad Leaders Guo Dalu, Lin Taiping, Xiang Hong, and Li Panggui led from the front. Though Zhang Tan, Liang Aniu, He Xiaohe, Yan Qi, Nangong Chou, Mei Ruijia, Mei Runan, Feng Qiwu, Wu Meng, Ge Zhong, Li Fu Sheng, and Nian Cangsheng were all injured, not one of them showed fear. They held the enemy at bay outside the convoy.
An unprecedented melee erupted on the official road of Qing Province!
The two sides were the Dragon Guard, the special organization known as the Southern Guard of the Great Shang Dynasty, and nearly a hundred martial artists from the underworld and orthodox factions of Tai Province and Qing Province, who had temporarily set aside their differences and grudges to fight over Ni Pusa.
Everyone fought with all their might, because in such a chaotic battle, one careless mistake meant losing an arm or a leg. With bad luck, one could even lose one's life!
Seeing the enemies gathering in ever greater numbers and one Dragon Guard member after another falling into danger, Li Wenxiu could no longer hold back. "Zhong Ling, Shuiling, keep an eye on Ni Pusa. Everyone else, cut loose! Wipe out this entire group of enemies!"
Qin Sirong fought through her worsening injuries, drew her long sword, and joined the battle. After all, when the nest overturned, no egg remained whole. A serious injury was still better than death—and even if she died, she would fight to the end!
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