But just as Xiong Ba was gloating, a trace of cold mockery flashed through Lu Xiaotian's eyes. He braced his saber with both hands, holding it against the bear paw crashing down like a small mountain. Xiong Ba was still standing upright, leaving his chest wide open. But Lu Xiaotian was already pinned beneath him. The mana in his body and the strange power brought on by the Devouring Soul Art had both been driven to their limits, leaving his face flushed and swollen. He couldn't spare any strength to deal with Xiong Ba, even if he'd wanted to.
"Roar!"
Xiong Ba opened his jaws and spat out a flesh-red pearl, its surface roiling with savage mana, straight at Lu Xiaotian's head. If it struck cleanly, it would likely smash his skull to pieces. Lu Xiaotian's heart lurched. Gritting his teeth, he sent two sharp incisors flying from his storage pouch. He could no longer summon any other strength, but the incisors were talismanic spirit artifacts and didn't need mana to control—only his divine sense. One flew on each side of the pearl, meeting the red light it unleashed. Runes flashed across their surfaces, but Wang Tuoguai had already worn them down considerably when he'd fought Lu Xiaotian, and they had yet to be fully repaired. Now, after taking Xiong Ba's mighty strike, fine cracks began to spread across them as their runes danced. Lu Xiaotian's heart ached, and his killing intent deepened.
Xiong Ba hadn't noticed the cold mockery in Lu Xiaotian's eyes. He was about to pour on more strength when, without warning, the scabbard at Lu Xiaotian's waist—mostly hidden beneath his clothes—transformed into a withered-vine hand. Its fingers pressed together into a hook like a bird's beak, then pecked straight at Xiong Ba's chest.
A deadly danger