A Clash of Strength

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a hundred blows.

Huyan Lie's saber strikes came like a raging storm, yet he still couldn't break through that layer of dark-gold crystal armor. Shi Gandang, meanwhile, defended steadily but couldn't find an opening to counterattack, and could only keep up his passive defense.

"If this continues, Huyan Lie will expend more true qi. He's bound to lose in a drawn-out fight," Nangong Liuli said quietly.

"Not necessarily," Beiming Xue said coolly. "Look at Shi Gandang's crystal armor."

Nangong Liuli peered closely and saw that the marks left by the Crimson Flame Saber on the crystal armor covering Shi Gandang's arms were slowly spreading and deepening! Although Shi Gandang kept repairing it with dark-gold streams of light, the repairs were clearly falling behind the damage!

"The Crimson Flame True Fire has an 'incinerating' property!" Nangong Liuli suddenly realized. "Huyan Lie is using high-speed attacks to keep stacking the incinerating effect, weakening Shi Gandang's defense!"

Sure enough, another fifty exchanges later, a crack an inch deep had appeared in the crystal armor on Shi Gandang's right arm! Along the edges of the crack, the Crimson Flame True Fire clung like a maggot in the bones, relentlessly eating its way inward!

Shi Gandang's expression finally changed.

He let out a low growl and stopped holding his ground. His right fist, carrying the force to shatter mountains, smashed toward a fading afterimage!

Prison Suppressing Fist, First Stage—Earthshaker!

His fist wind struck like a hammer, smashing into the afterimage, which shattered on impact. But it was only an afterimage. Huyan Lie's true body had already appeared at his left, and the Crimson Flame Saber slashed upward at an angle!

Crimson Flame Nine Slashes, First Slash—Prairie Fire!

The flaming Blade Aura struck the crystal