Cao Benqi grunted and staggered back three steps, each one making the arena tremble violently.
Before he could steady himself, a third wave of flames crashed down like a tsunami. The flame patterns on his halberd dimmed under the force of the blade strike.
Cao Benqi roared and slammed his enormous palm toward Ling Xuan.
Ling Xuan spun and retreated, his blade slashing diagonally with the motion. Cao Benqi suddenly changed his move and swept his giant halberd sideways.
Ling Xuan leaned back to dodge. The halberd grazed the tip of his nose, and the gust of air it stirred made his breath catch.
He slashed back at Cao Benqi's wrist, but Cao Benqi raised his halberd to block. The halberd's edge and the blade locked together, unable to budge.
They both exerted their strength at once. Flames and the Law of Space collided wildly, twisting the surrounding air into a vortex. Beneath the shadow of Cao Benqi's enormous palm, Ling Xuan looked especially small, yet resolute.
Ling Xuan suddenly bent low and twisted, slipping like a nimble serpent into a gap in Cao Benqi's defense. The Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear traced a tricky arc.
Cao Benqi's massive body turned a little sluggishly. As he sidestepped, Ling Xuan used the momentum to leap into the air, spinning as he unleashed "Blade Domain Whirlwind Kill."
Three afterimages intertwined into a net and descended over Cao Benqi.
Crimson light flared around Cao Benqi like surging lava. His halberd's blade instantly split into nine spikes, which wove strange Mysterious Patterns in the air. "Nine Abyss Soul-Locking Halberd!"
The spikes shot out like serpents from their holes, weaving and stabbing through the blade net. The clash of metal rang out like thousands of drums beating in unison, sparks flying against Cao Benqi's ten-meter-tall body.
"Is that all you've got?" Cao Benqi swung his massive halberd wildly, each blow stirring up gusts as immense as mountains.
Crimson halberd shadows clashed with the scarlet blade net, making the arena's protective barrier ripple with spiderweb cracks.
Relying on his profound Law Comprehension, Cao Benqi's broad, powerful halberd strikes concealed deadly moves, forcing Ling Xuan to keep changing his approach.
Scarlet-gold flames surged around Ling Xuan as the divine power of the Xiantai Realm poured into his weapon. The path traced by the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear warped space. "That's what I should be asking you!"
They fought at blinding speed, flames and crimson light crashing against each other. The entire arena seemed to have been thrown into a boiling furnace, and waves of scorching air hurled loose stones from its edges.
Cao Benqi suddenly bellowed and raised his crimson halberd over his head. The flame patterns on its shaft writhed as if alive. "Crimson Flame True Fire Art!"
In an instant, countless burning halberd streaks burst from the Void. Every streak carried an aura of destruction, raining down on Ling Xuan like a meteor shower.
Ling Xuan stepped through the Youlong movement technique, his body turning into a streak of scarlet light as he darted between the halberd streaks.
The Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear unleashed a continuous series of "Flame Blade First Bloom" strikes, shattering each approaching halberd streak. But as their numbers swelled, his defensive perimeter steadily shrank, and wisps of smoke rose from his sleeves and coat as the aftershocks scorched them.
At the critical moment, Cao Benqi's massive figure appeared behind Ling Xuan like a specter.
His great halberd, wrapped in crimson Origin Force and trailing a shrill, air-splitting whistle, came crashing down toward the back of Ling Xuan's head!
Outside the arena, Ling Xue's heart clenched. She cried out, "Third Brother, watch out!"
Ling Yue and Mother Ling stared tensely at the screen.
Father Ling looked worried, but forced himself to sound calm. "Don't worry. Third Brother can teleport, too."
Even so, the veins stood out on his tightly clenched fist.
Sure enough, the battle on-screen took another sudden turn.
At the last possible moment, ripples spread through the space around Ling Xuan, and his figure vanished like a fading illusion.
The next second, he appeared above Cao Benqi. His Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear blazed with searing white flames as he twisted around and slashed!
Cao Benqi was both shocked and enraged. His enormous body spun around at once, and his crimson halberd hurriedly rose to block.
"Boom!" The earth-shaking crash sent Cao Benqi flying like a mountain struck by a meteor. His massive body gouged a hundred-meter trench into the arena.
Before the dust had settled, Ling Xuan had already turned into a streak of red light and chased after him. His "Sun Piercing Slash" tore through the sky like a rainbow piercing the sun.
"You think you can kill me? Dream on!" Crimson light surged around Cao Benqi to its absolute limit. His entire body suddenly doubled in size, and a giant flaming serpent coiled around his halberd.
"Heaven Dominator!"
The flaming serpent collided with the blade light that blotted out the sky. A storm of scorching energy rampaged outward like a wild horse breaking free, tearing the surrounding protective barriers to shreds.
Ling Xuan felt a terrifying suction force. He could barely hold on to the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, and the tremendous impact left him teetering.
Cao Benqi seized the opportunity to control the giant serpent. Its steel-whip tail swept out and slammed into Ling Xuan.
In an instant, Ling Xuan flew backward like a cannonball and smashed into the ground, leaving a crater several meters deep. Blood poured from the corner of his mouth.
Cao Benqi pressed his advantage, charging at Ling Xuan like a meteor. His enormous body surged forward as his great halberd whirled wildly, filling the air with terrifying halberd shadows.
At this critical juncture, Ling Xuan's figure once again traversed the Void and vanished without a trace.
"Where are you?" Cao Benqi's blazing, meteor-like charge came to an abrupt halt. He closed his eyes and focused intently on sensing the spatial fluctuations around him.
Unfortunately, although Cao Benqi was powerful, he was only Star Level for now. Sensing the spatial fluctuations of the Great Void Art was still far beyond him.
"I don't believe you can keep hiding forever." Cao Benqi concentrated on sensing his surroundings, his Origin Force taut and ready to erupt in a devastating attack. It seemed that the moment Ling Xuan showed himself, Cao Benqi would strike him with overwhelming force.
"So strong. Without the Great Void Art, I'd be lucky to make it through the Trial Tower's first level. The gap really is huge. Even my Xiantai Realm cultivation can't suppress him. No wonder he'll become Yan Di, who'll shake the universe in the future." Hidden in the Void, Ling Xuan watched Cao Benqi like a hawk, carefully studying every flaw.
"What's wrong, kid? Afraid to come out? You think hiding until the end will win you the fight?" Cao Benqi was riding high, his pent-up frustration from earlier spilling out all at once. "How long are you going to hide in your shell?"
He roared furiously, his big mouth running nonstop. "You shouldn't call yourself Yanmo. You should call yourself a turtle!"
Ling Xuan emerged from the distant Void with a cold smile, his eyes full of icy intent. "Fine. I should say, you've managed to anger me. I was going to give you a dignified end, but since you don't want one, I'll grant your wish."
"Anyone can talk big. You can't fight back against my attacks." Cao Benqi sneered and appeared in front of Ling Xuan in an instant, slashing at him with his halberd and its unstoppable momentum.
He might have been arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. He knew better than to give his opponent a chance to catch his breath, and he had no intention of foolishly waiting for Ling Xuan to use his ultimate move.
After all, it wasn't just in movies that villains died because they talked too much. Cao Benqi hadn't lived for over two hundred years for nothing.
Unfortunately for him, Ling Xuan was ready. He opened his mouth and spat out a breath of the Great Dao: "Innate Grand Void Qi!"
This stream of energy contained the power of the innate Grand Void. Wherever it passed, the surrounding space twisted beyond recognition.
Cao Benqi's massive body suddenly found itself directly in front of this Chaos Dao Qi, which was said to break through anything. He cursed inwardly. "Damn it!"
Relying on instincts honed through countless battles, he sensed that he couldn't block the energy head-on. His body bent backward in an impossibly strange limbo, letting the Void Dao Qi just barely graze him. His hands still gripped the halberd, holding it in a horizontal slash.
But such an extreme change in posture also left him unable to continue his attack, and Ling Xuan easily blocked it.
The surface of his body, where the Innate Grand Void Qi had grazed him, burned with pain, as if it had been completely dissolved.
Looking at Cao Benqi's nearly undefended posture, Ling Xuan sneered and flipped his hand.
A huge, pitch-black hand seal instantly formed in the Void.
"Void Great Hand Seal."
"Smack!" A crisp sound rang out as a bright red handprint appeared on Cao Benqi's face, sending him flying backward.
Before he could regain his footing, a second pitch-black hand seal whistled toward him and smacked the other side of his face.
Then came a third, a fourth...
Ling Xuan controlled the Void Great Hand Seal, slapping Cao Benqi from side to side. His massive body lurched back and forth under the blows.
Cao Benqi was shocked and furious. He tried to dodge, only to find that an invisible force had locked down the entire space. There was nowhere to go.
All he could do was roar in fury. "Ling Xuan! You despicable coward! Is this all you can do, use cheap tricks? If you've got the guts, fight me head-on!"
The only response was one pitch-black slap after another, each landing with brutal force.
P.S. The Xiantai First Heaven is about the same as Universe Level, so this isn't an unreasonable matchup. Cao Benqi has the advantage in Law Comprehension, while Ling Xuan has the advantage in basic strength.
But once the Great Emperor Secret Technique comes out, Ling Xuan takes the lead in the law aspect, too.
Thanks to Nan Zhuyu for sending two monthly votes.
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