Having seen how terrifying Iron Fist's Demon Flame was, Li Yun had good reason to be wary.
With that wariness in his heart, the blade in his hand no longer moved as freely.
His attacks still looked domineering, still seemed capable of splitting mountains and cracking the earth, but he was always guarding against another sudden burst of Demon Flame. His movements inevitably faltered.
Something about it felt deeply wrong.
Li Yun found it deeply uncomfortable, too.
He secretly resolved to find an opening and launch a surprise attack with his talent, so he could finish off the demon Qu Huo. Unfortunately.
Unfortunately, no such opening came.
Qu Huo's punches were still a little too fast, forcing Li Yun to retreat again and again.
It was perilous.
Gradually, though, Li Yun noticed something.
He realized that Qu Huo's Demon Flame didn't seem to be something he could unleash whenever he pleased.
Qu Huo seemed to rely more on the speed of his punches. Several times, he had clearly had a chance to close in and burn Li Yun with Demon Flame, yet the flames had not appeared.
How could a battle-hardened expert allow himself to make that kind of mistake?
Li Yun quietly guessed that the Iron Fist's Demon Flame required Qu Huo to gather power in advance, and that after releasing it, he had to gather power all over again.
At that thought, Li Yun's mind began to race.
His heart suddenly steadied.
As his long blade danced, the sluggishness that had bothered him vanished.
His Blade Light turned domineering once more, driving Qu Huo backward instead.
Qu Huo flew into a rage.
As his fists moved, though, his attacks began to falter, just as Li Yun's had moments before.
Clearly, his state of mind was affecting his performance.