Envy-Inducing [Skill]

Bai Shen retracted his thoughts after a brief moment of surprise, his true qi surging within him and pouring into his arm.

The Evil-Slaying Saber, which had been pressing down, suddenly stopped, causing Kong Wu to frown. Then, as if discovering something, he raised his saber and kicked at Bai Shen.

Bai Shen reacted just as quickly, striking Kong Wu's foot with his palm. Both men were pushed back.

The long sword in his hand was now wreathed in black lightning. With a casual swing, he carved a sword mark into the ground.

"Not only is his physical body powerful, but his senses are also extremely sharp," Bai Shen mused inwardly.

He glanced at the uniquely shaped saber in Kong Wu's hand, confirming there was no true qi fluctuation from it. Bai Shen then raised his sword and attacked.

The black lightning coiling around his sword was potent. Forget ordinary iron weapons; even some lower-grade magical artifacts couldn't withstand a few blows.

The sword swung at a mysterious angle. Kong Wu didn't dodge, meeting the attack head-on with his saber.

As the sword and saber clashed, the black lightning suddenly expanded, countless tiny sparks striking the Evil-Slaying Saber.

Seeing this, Bai Shen inwardly felt confident.

This strike would cleave straight through the saber and land directly on Kong Wu's neck.

However, what happened next made him widen his eyes in disbelief.

The Evil-Slaying Saber sustained no damage from the black lightning. Instead, his own sword let out a crack, and a small notch appeared from the saber's strike.

In the instant Bai Shen was stunned, Kong Wu seized the opportunity. The muscles in his back bulged, and he channeled all his strength into the Evil-Slaying Saber.

The sword snapped, and the Evil-Slaying Saber pressed down.

Just as Bai Shen was about to be cut in half, Kong Wu suddenly frowned and twisted his body slightly.

The broken sword, far from losing its power, saw the black lightning intensify. The severed tip spun rapidly, flying towards Kong Wu with the lightning.

Even with an instinctive dodge, the tip still struck Kong Wu's shoulder.

The descending Evil-Slaying Saber also found no purchase.

A golden curved saber blocked the Evil-Slaying Saber from below.

Bai Shen, holding the broken sword in one hand and the curved saber in the other, braced himself with bent knees to block the attack.

The wooden box behind him had fallen to the ground, and it was now empty.

After this exchange, both men retreated.

Bai Shen held up his broken sword, his expression grim.

While this sword wasn't a magical artifact, it was the finest long sword he could find in the mortal realm, just a hair's breadth away from being one.

Yet, the strangely shaped great saber in Kong Wu's hand, despite having no true qi fluctuations, had easily severed this sword.

A great saber comparable to a magical artifact, yet without any true qi fluctuations.

An ordinary person who could match a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator relying solely on physical strength.

The events of this night made Bai Shen feel as if the world was changing too quickly.

Across from him, Kong Wu pulled out the severed sword tip and paused slightly, looking at the bleeding wound.

After his attribute points were added, his [Strength] had surpassed Bai Shen's.

Based on previous experiments, anyone with a [Strength] attribute lower than his should not have been able to harm him.

Yet now, although the wound was shallow, merely a flesh wound, Bai Shen had inflicted damage with a lower [Strength] attribute.

Was this... the power of [Skill]?

Could it enhance one's own attack power?

Kong Wu licked his lips, his smile widening.

Meanwhile, Bai Shen stared at the spot where the black lightning had struck Kong Wu, seeing only a shallow scratch. In mere moments, the bleeding had stopped, and he was filled with disbelief.

No one knew the power of the Yin Thunder Swordplay better than he did.

Even a tiny wisp of that seemingly small black lightning could shatter a stone the size of a human head.

Furthermore, at the last moment, he had increased his true qi input, adding even more Yin Thunder to the severed sword tip.

Yet, the damage caused was merely a small scratch on Kong Wu's body??

His physical strength was comparable to, if not greater than, that of a Bronze Corpse.

Boom!

The ground where Kong Wu stood erupted with a loud noise, cracking open.

The long Evil-Slaying Saber once again swung towards Bai Shen.

He laughed wantonly, his gaze fixed on Bai Shen, which made Bai Shen feel a chill of unease.

"This lightning-wielding [Skill] is so cool!"

"I want it. System, if I kill him later, make sure this [Skill] drops!"

With such thoughts, Kong Wu's killing intent intensified.

Bai Shen, however, stumbled back a few steps in a panic, his eyes subtly scanning his surroundings before he finally settled down.

With the Asura Corpse Scripture running at full power, all the little true qi he had left was poured into the golden saber.

The golden saber immediately lit up, illuminating the entire wooded area.

"Not good!"

Feng Yang, who had been intimidated by Kong Wu's formidable display, instinctively shouted when he saw this, "A top-grade magical artifact! Constable Kong, don't go head-on!"

Just as Feng Yang finished speaking, Kong Wu and Bai Shen were already engaged in close combat.

Bai Shen used the last of his true qi to wield the golden saber and unleash his family's saber technique, the Five Tigers Severing Gold Saber.

The saber technique was merely an ordinary move among martial artists, but the saber in his hand was a top-grade magical artifact.

Bai Shen's father had once encountered a dying cultivator and picked up this saber.

Afterward, with this saber, he had carved out a fearsome reputation in the outlaw world.

Now, Bai Shen, as a cultivator, could better utilize the power of this top-grade magical artifact, unlike his father who could only rely on its inherent sharpness in combat.

As the Evil-Slaying Saber clashed with the saber, Kong Wu felt as if he were chopping into a mountain. The force transmitted back made his wrist tremble.

After a brief stalemate, the golden saber flashed with light again, and Kong Wu was sent flying backward at an even faster speed.

Bai Shen's arms trembled as he bent over, gasping for air.

The meridians that had been filled with true qi were now empty.

He had lost his combat ability.

Yet, Kong Wu's Evil-Slaying Saber remained completely undamaged.

He himself had not sustained any injuries.

If this continued, Bai Shen would be finished here.

Fortunately, he still had a backup plan.

A flurry of thoughts crossed his mind, but not much time had passed.

Kong Wu's body was still flying backward.

The next moment, while airborne, Kong Wu used his astonishing physical strength, tensing his waist muscles, and turned his direction in mid-air. He used the momentum of his backward flight to fiercely slash at the empty space.

His face still wore a brutal smile, but his eyes were as calm as an abyss.

In his field of vision, an attribute panel floated.

[Zhu Yin Sheng] [Vitality: 197] [Strength: 26] [Skills: Gold Splitting Hand, General Outline of the Demon Statue Talisman Canon (incomplete), Blood Burst Technique, Spirit Descent Technique] [First Impression of You: Obsessed (That Yang energy, churning like boiling water, is truly an excellent sacrifice).]