Devoured Completely!

He curled the five fingers of his right hand sharply, his knuckles bulging as they condensed into the shape of a dragon claw. Golden true qi poured into his fingertips like molten gold, hissing as it forced out a six-inch-long, blindingly sharp, and icy-cold edge.

With a flash of movement, the golden claw lunged toward Wang Xuan's face with the momentum of a thunderbolt. The claw wind was as sharp as a blade, causing ripples in the air; if this strike truly connected, it wouldn't just tear his face apart—it would likely rip half his skull clean off.

Facing this lethal blow, Wang Xuan did not retreat a single step, nor did his expression change; instead, a fierce battle intent ignited in the depths of his eyes.

He swung his left arm, his sleeves fluttering wildly, and pressed his palm directly against the incoming golden dragon claw!

True qi surged in his palm, faint, dark light swirling within it. Before the golden claw could touch his skin, two vastly different forces collided in mid-air, emitting a dull explosion that threw the surrounding air into chaotic turbulence.

"Energy Absorption Technique!" Wang Xuan let out a low shout.

Before his palm even brushed the opponent's fingertips, a massive, irresistible suction force erupted. It swept outward like a gluttonous beast swallowing the sea, causing the surrounding air to spin rapidly and emit a whistling, howling sound.

The dragon claw, saturated with golden true qi, was caught off guard by the suction. Its trajectory shifted by half an inch, grazing past Wang Xuan's ear. The sharp wind it carried left his earlobe burning with pain, and several strands of his hair were sliced off by the force, drifting to the ground.

However, the power wrapped around the dragon claw was too fierce and rigid; the suction of the Energy Absorption Technique could only force a slight deflection, failing to halt its forward momentum entirely!

The five golden fingers snapped shut with a crisp "crack," locking onto Wang Xuan's wrist like iron pincers, his knuckles turning pale from the exertion.

The five fingers tightened frantically, the force akin to a crushing weight of a thousand jun. The six-inch-long, sharp true qi at the fingertips pierced Wang Xuan's skin without resistance, digging deep into the flesh and burrowing along his meridians toward the gaps in his bones.

A piercing, bone-deep agony surged straight to his brain. Veins bulged on Wang Xuan's forehead, and he let out a muffled grunt, yet he kept his palm tightly clenched. The suction of the Energy Absorption Technique did not diminish in the slightest, and the true qi and golden light tangled and collided violently at his wrist, hissing incessantly.

Even with his wrist clamped tight and pain racking his body, Wang Xuan's expression remained unchanged, the battle intent in his eyes burning ever brighter, showing not a hint of panic.

His right hand moved with lightning speed, brushing across his waist in a motion so fast it left only an afterimage.

"Clang!"

A clear, resonant sound of a blade leaving its sheath echoed through the area, like a dragon's roar piercing the heavens or the clash of gold and iron—piercing yet melodious.

A long blade with a faint blood-red hue suddenly unsheathed. The blade was crystalline and bright, yet it was faintly wreathed in an ethereal blood-colored halo. The moment the blade light appeared, it brightened the surrounding world, the cold aura chilling to the bone.

The blade light was unimaginably fast, like an uncatchable bolt of lightning. It was so fast that one could not see the shape of the blade; one only felt a blur before the bright light descended like an inverted Milky Way, hacking straight toward the opponent's golden forehead!

Divine Blade Slash!

The blade wind wailed like a ghost, carrying the ruthless determination to perish together. It hacked down, intending to split that golden skull in two. There was no buffer, no path of retreat; to strike without regret was the true essence of the Divine Blade Slash!

"Clang!"

A massive boom exploded, making eardrums ring. It sounded like a thousand-jun hammer striking a giant bronze bell—dull yet domineering—with the echoes lingering in the air for a long time.

The Blood Blade, carrying the force of a thousand jun, slammed into the opponent's golden crown. The moment the edge touched the scalp, the Blood Blade was violently repelled by a massive force, and Wang Xuan's arm holding the blade jerked backward, his web between thumb and forefinger numbing.

Wang Xuan's pupils constricted, his gaze sharp as an eagle's. He clearly saw that where the blade had passed, the opponent's golden scalp had been sliced open by an inch-long gash. A trickle of bright red blood slowly seeped out, sliding down the cheek and forming a jarring contrast with the golden skin.

Who could have imagined that the unstoppable Divine Blade Slash would only manage to scratch the opponent's scalp!

When the Blood Blade struck the skull, there was none of the expected smoothness; instead, a harsh, grating sound of friction erupted. The texture was shockingly hard, comparable to ten-thousand-year black iron. The blade vibrated, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch further. A counter-shock force surged along the blade into Wang Xuan's arm, numbing his knuckles and nearly causing him to lose his grip on the Blood Blade.

The Grandmaster Player opposite him still wore a wooden expression, as if it weren't his own skull that had been struck. Yet, in those previously dull eyes, his pupils suddenly contracted. The Divine Blade Slash was too fast—so fast that he hadn't even had time to form the instinctual thought to dodge.

Even though the skull was as hard as black iron and had blocked the blade, the sharp blade intent and immense force of the Divine Blade Slash had still vibrated into his brain. A violent wave of dizziness swept over him, his consciousness turning into a chaotic, muddy mess. Even the scene before him began to blur; he could no longer maintain any semblance of clarity.

Yet, his body, completely detached from his disordered consciousness, moved uncontrollably. It was the power of the contract driving him by force. Even though his brain was nearly crashed and his mind was clouded, the golden dragon claw gripping Wang Xuan's wrist tightened once more. The golden true qi at the fingertips surged again, digging deeper into the wound, while his other free hand instinctively condensed into a dragon claw, striking directly at Wang Xuan's heart with fierce power.

Wang Xuan's right hand was still tightly gripping the Blood Blade, and the blade, having been repelled by the counter-shock, had not yet been retracted. The numbness in his wrist spread up his arm, his strength dissipated, and he had no time to retract the blade to block this sudden strike.

At this critical moment, he simply gave up on forcing it. He relaxed his wrist, and the Blood Blade fell from his hand with a "clatter," hitting the ground and kicking up fine stone debris.

Immediately following, he splayed the five fingers of his right hand, palm facing forward. Without a moment's hesitation, he pressed it directly against the incoming golden dragon claw.

"Bang!"

His palm collided violently with the dragon claw, and a dull explosion erupted. Two vastly different forces raged and countered each other at the point of impact. Violent shockwaves swept outward, blowing dust into the air and making his robes flutter wildly.

A savage, domineering force surged from the opponent's dragon claw like a thunderbolt through his arm, shaking Wang Xuan's entire limb until it felt sore and numb. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, and even his bones emitted faint, dull groans of strain.

He gritted his teeth, his right hand pushing hard against the golden dragon claw. He exerted force from his fingertips, his five fingers in turn locking onto the opponent's wrist. His knuckles turned white, the force so great it nearly embedded itself into the opponent's flesh.

The properties of the Throat-Locking Grappling Hand erupted instantly. A wisp of chilling, bone-piercing true qi leaked from his palm, burrowing into the opponent's fingers like a venomous snake, attempting to infiltrate their meridians.

However, the opponent's layer of golden skin was as thick as armor and indestructible. No matter how the chilling true qi drilled and pierced, it was blocked firmly outside. Unable to find even a sliver of an opening, it could only wander fruitlessly on the surface of the skin, emitting faint hissing sounds.

Instead, the opponent's fingers tightened further, the force like rolling stones applying pressure. The sharp golden true qi at the fingertips, like countless tiny needles, dug fiercely into the gaps of Wang Xuan's bones along his wounds. With every fraction of an inch it penetrated, the piercing pain intensified, stabbing straight into his marrow.

"Click-clack—"

A teeth-grinding sound of bone friction suddenly came from Wang Xuan's left hand, sounding extremely harsh.

The Lesser Vajra Indestructible Body he was circulating had only held for less than three breaths before the bones in his left hand began to twist and deform. His five fingers were crushed together by the opponent's dragon claw, the bone fragments beneath his skin grinding and pressing against each other, emitting crisp, splintering sounds. The sharp true qi took the opportunity to burrow even deeper, causing the veins on his forehead to bulge and cold sweat to slide down his temples.

Wave after wave of excruciating pain washed over his mind like a tide, each pulse carrying a tearing sensation.

A thought suddenly struck him. Although the Energy Absorption Technique could absorb energy from a distance, the closer the proximity and the larger the contact area, the stronger the suction, allowing him to push the technique to its peak.

The tighter the opponent squeezed, the closer their contact, and the higher the efficiency of the energy absorption!

A massive suction force erupted from his left wrist, pouring fiercely into the dragon claw that was gripping him.

Following that, a stream of true qi, pure beyond belief and mixed with scorching blood energy, surged into Wang Xuan's body like a breached floodgate, flowing continuously through the opponent's fingers and palm.

At the same time, fragmented martial arts insights separated from that blood energy, slowly piecing themselves together in his mind like shards, gradually forming the outline of a divine technique.

"Haa... haa!"

Being forcibly drained of blood energy and true qi—even though he had already been plunged into a deep coma by the massive force and blade intent of the Divine Blade Slash, his brain completely crashed—his body could not help but emit an unconscious, painful groan.

In the brief, lightning-fast exchange between the two, the five Brocade Guard members who had been sent flying by the shockwaves of their clash met vastly different fates.

Three of them had no buffer whatsoever, crashing straight into the wooden walls of the tavern. With a thunderous "boom," they punched three holes through the structure, flying out like kites with broken strings. They landed heavily on the street outside with a dull, heavy thud, their bodies stiffening instantly. They stopped moving entirely, clearly having breathed their last.

The other two were slightly luckier; instead of being thrown out of the tavern, they slammed hard into the load-bearing pillars on the second floor. After a muffled "thud," both men simultaneously spat out a mouthful of bright red blood, which splattered against the mottled wooden pillars, a shocking and gruesome sight.

One of them went limp, his head lolling to the side as his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot without even a groan.

The other managed to stay upright, clutching his chest tightly with one hand. Blood seeped continuously between his fingers, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were tinged with blue, and even his breathing came in trembling gasps. He lifted his head with great difficulty, his gaze sweeping over Wang Xuan and the Grandmaster Player, who were locked in a fierce struggle nearby. The two were surrounded by raging energy, like two out-of-control monsters, their momentum terrifying.

He staggered toward the hole in the wall, trembling as he pulled a cylindrical object from his robes. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled the fuse at the top with a sharp tug.

The moment the fuse was pulled, a dazzling flare of fire erupted, shooting into the sky with a piercing whistle that tore through the air above the tavern.

The fire burst in mid-air with a thunderous roar that shook the heavens, clearly audible even in the furthest corners of Yuhang City. Pedestrians on the street and distant vendors were instantly startled by the sudden explosion, stopping in their tracks to look up.

The explosion also startled Wang Xuan, who was currently absorbing energy with all his might. He had been balancing the use of the Energy Absorption Technique to devour the opponent's internal energy and blood essence while carefully organizing the surging power within his own body, fearing that a single misstep would lead to a backlash from the massive energy. The sudden roar and the flare in the sky caused his eyes to sharpen instantly.

No more time for finesse.

Energy Absorption Technique, maximum output!

A terrifying suction force erupted wildly from the points where his hands met the opponent's, acting like two bottomless, invisible whirlpools. The rotation speed increased rapidly; he stopped trying to refine the energy and instead began to ravenously drain everything from the opponent's body: internal energy, blood essence, vitality, and even the incomplete fragments of martial arts insights. It all poured into Wang Xuan's body like a broken dam, unstoppable and without a moment's pause.

It was at this moment that the Grandmaster Player, who had been in a deep coma with his brain effectively shut down, suddenly regained a glimmer of life in his eyes. His previously vacant, unfocused gaze gradually cleared. The excruciating pain of having his internal energy and vitality violently ripped away forcibly shattered the unconsciousness brought on by the Divine Blade Slash, allowing him to barely break free from his catatonic state.

"Energy Absorption Technique... paired with the Indestructible Diamond Divine Skill... very good!"

He spoke with great difficulty, his voice still hoarse but clearer than the unconscious gasps from before. Every word seemed squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an indescribable strain. His chest heaved violently, clearly enduring extreme agony.

"It's a pity... I... cannot tell you..."

A flash of urgency crossed his eyes, his brows furrowed as if there were some vital information he desperately wanted to convey to Wang Xuan. His lips moved rapidly, but the words died on his tongue, blocked by the contract that kept him silent.

Wang Xuan looked at him and nodded.

"I understand."

The golden radiance covering the Grandmaster Player's body dimmed at a visible rate, shifting from a blinding gold to a dull bronze, then to a pale yellow. The golden claw that had been gripping Wang Xuan's left hand began to develop fine cracks. Crack, crack. The cracks multiplied, as if the porcelain were about to shatter, and the golden sharpness on his left dragon claw crumbled inch by inch.

Conversely, on Wang Xuan's side, his left hand—which had been crushed and deformed, its bones shattered—began to recover rapidly under the nourishment of the surging blood essence pouring into him. The bruising beneath his skin faded, and the broken bones were enveloped by the blood essence, tingling as they knit back together.

As one waned, the other waxed.

The suction of the Energy Absorption Technique drained the opponent's very last shred of internal energy. The golden skin faded completely, returning to a normal flesh tone, then began to wither and lose its luster. Following the last drop of energy and blood, his entire body began to crumble inch by inch, turning into a pile of ash.

"The Energy Absorption Technique at the limit realm is truly tyrannical. 'Draining marrow and sucking bone' isn't enough to describe it; it is simply... cannibalism!"