Inch Power Defeats the Three Heroes

"I never thought there'd come a day when we fought side by side." Li Taibai stood with his sword in hand, looking at Ling Feng and Ye Fan beside him.

The three of them had once openly and secretly competed against one another, yet now they had to join forces against the same person. The irony was almost laughable.

Ling Feng snorted coldly, battle intent blazing in the White Tiger's vertical pupils. "This will only happen once."

"Take this seriously. This time is different." Ye Fan spoke in a deep voice as Soul Power suddenly boiled around him. His third Soul Ring shone brilliantly. "Third Soul Skill, Qilin Battle Armor!"

Golden scales instantly covered his entire body, forming a savage suit of armor. The horns became even sharper.

With the battle armor equipped, his aura surged—every attribute increased by one hundred percent: speed, strength, defense, toughness, recovery, Soul Power intensity, Mental Power...

Every single one had doubled. His combat power instantly rose several times over, faintly approaching the level of a Soul Emperor.

"Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Battle Armor!" Ling Feng followed immediately. His third Soul Ring lit up, and a suit of White Tiger armor covered his entire body. Its claws and fangs gleamed coldly as his aura soared as well.

Just like Ye Fan, all his attributes doubled, and his aura became as vast and imposing as a prison.

Li Taibai flicked his wrist. The Green Lotus Sword hummed as his third Soul Ring bloomed. "Third Soul Skill, Sword Intent Realm!"

Pale cyan sword qi swirled around him. His Soul Power intensity increased by one hundred percent, his speed surged by one hundred and fifty percent, and his Soul Power recovery speed reached an astonishing two hundred percent.

Moreover, every swing of his sword carried additional armor-piercing force.

Qian Renxue stood opposite the three of them and praised them. "Your Soul Skills are powerful. Your martial spirits are all of extremely high quality. Your auras were already close to that of Soul Kings, and after these boosts, you've actually begun to touch the threshold of Soul Emperors."

"A boosting Soul Skill can raise your strength to such a terrifying extent."

"You're very clever. You knew ordinary Soul Skills couldn't possibly hit me, so you all used boosting Soul Skills."

"It's not over yet." Li Taibai suddenly raised his sword, its tip angled toward the heavens. He began reciting poetry in a clear voice filled with boundless heroic spirit:

"Zhao's knights wore flowing tassels; Wu hooks gleamed like frost and snow."

"Silver saddles shone upon white steeds, swift as shooting stars."

"Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace across a thousand miles."

"When the deed is done, brush off your sleeves and depart, hiding both self and name."

As the verses fell, the Sword Intent around him became increasingly condensed under the system's enhancement. Every line of poetry strengthened the realm by ten percent.

This was an ability he had exchanged for in the system shop, fusing Sword Intent into poetry. At his current level of over forty, he could only control these four lines.

With the effects stacked, his combat power rose another forty percent. His sword qi nearly materialized, slicing through the surrounding air.

"Very good." Qian Renxue rolled her wrists, battle intent rising in her golden eyes. "Come. Let me see whether you can still bring me any surprises."

Before her words had even faded, the three of them attacked at the same time!

Ye Fan took the lead. The Qilin Battle Armor flashed with golden light as his fist, wrapped in scorching Soul Power, smashed toward Qian Renxue's face.

Ling Feng became a streak of white lightning, circling in from the side. The White Tiger's claws tore through the air, sealing off all her avenues of retreat.

Li Taibai's figure flickered as the Green Lotus Sword transformed into countless points of light. Sword qi crisscrossed, weaving an impenetrable net of blades that descended from above.

The three worked together with unexpected coordination. Their attacks connected seamlessly, locking Qian Renxue firmly in the center. Violent energy sent waves of air rolling outward, turning Hu Liena and the others pale.

Yet Qian Renxue showed no hint of panic. Inch Step activated beneath her feet, and she moved through the shadows of fists and flashes of swords.

Ye Fan's heavy punch brushed past her shoulder and slammed into the ground, sending shattered stones flying.

Ling Feng's claws came within a hair's breadth of touching her clothes, yet always remained just one step too slow.

Li Taibai's sword net seemed flawless, yet she continuously evaded it at unbelievable angles. Amid the crisp clashes of sword edges, not even a strand of her hair was cut.

At times, she turned sideways and used the force of Ye Fan's punch to alter her direction.

At other times, she raised a hand and casually brushed aside Ling Feng's claw strike, guiding him along with the motion until he nearly collided with Ye Fan.

Facing Li Taibai's sword net, she suddenly dropped low and slid along the ground. Sword qi whistled over her head, kicking up a cloud of dust.

After dozens of exchanges, the three attacked like a raging tide, yet they had not even touched the corner of Qian Renxue's clothes. Instead, she used their strength against them, creating a trace of disorder in their coordination.

"Ha!" Qian Renxue seized the opening. Inch Step activated, and she instantly appeared before Ling Feng's chest. She threw a punch, producing a dull bang.

Ling Feng grunted, but instead of retreating, he advanced. His left hand shot out to seize Qian Renxue's wrist, a cold smile flashing in his eyes.

As long as he caught her, Ye Fan and Li Taibai's attacks would immediately follow!

Qian Renxue reacted with incredible speed. She twisted her wrist free of his grasp and kicked out with her left leg, striking Ling Feng in the abdomen.

Ling Feng was forced back a step. Taking the opportunity, Qian Renxue slid across the ground toward Ye Fan, braced her right hand against the floor, and swept her left leg out with spinning force directly at his face.

Clang! Ye Fan raised an arm to block. Armor and foot collided with a metallic ring. The enormous force made his feet sink, and he was actually knocked half a step backward.

Using the force of that kick, Qian Renxue flickered across the ground several times and instantly circled behind Li Taibai.

Alarm surged in Li Taibai's heart. He instinctively swung the Green Lotus Sword backward in an upward slash, sharp sword qi forcing Qian Renxue to retreat half a step.

"Use your martial spirit! You can't win without it!" Ye Fan roared. The Qilin Battle Armor shone even brighter as he charged again, his fists raining down like a storm.

"It's too early to say that." Qian Renxue's figure blurred. Inch Step activated, and she appeared behind Ye Fan once more.

"My defense is difficult for even a Soul Emperor to break. You...?" Ye Fan was about to say more when he felt a heavy blow land on his back.

Inch Power!

Qian Renxue punched the center of his back, and the force of her fist directly penetrated his body.

Boom!

A muffled explosion sounded from within Ye Fan's body, and he felt his organs trembling violently.

Before he could recover, the second, third, fourth, and fifth layers of force followed one after another, all striking his flesh.

"Pfft—" Ye Fan spat out a mouthful of blood. The golden glow on his armor instantly dimmed as his body flew away and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Ye Fan!" Ling Feng roared. A charged punch carrying the phantom of a White Tiger smashed fiercely toward Qian Renxue.

"Good!" Qian Renxue advanced instead of retreating. She planted herself in a horse stance, clenched her right fist, and threw a punch of her own.

Bang!

The two fists collided with an earthshaking boom, and a shockwave spread in every direction.

Ling Feng felt an overwhelming force surge toward him, numbing his arm. Just as he was about to exert more strength, he felt a strange force flow through his arm and enter his body. Five successive layers of force tore through his meridians like an invisible drill.

"Ah! What is this?!" Terror appeared on Ling Feng's face as the Soul Power throughout his body instantly descended into chaos.

"You should fall too." Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened. She raised her left leg and delivered a side kick that struck Ling Feng precisely in the face.

Ling Feng's body spun three times in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

In the span of a single breath, Ye Fan and Ling Feng were defeated one after the other.

Li Taibai looked at the two men lying on the ground, his eyes filled with terror. The hand gripping his sword hilt trembled slightly.

How was this possible? After their boosts, the two clearly possessed combat power close to that of Soul Emperors, yet they had been defeated so easily?

In the instant he lost focus, Qian Renxue had already closed in like a shadow.

Li Taibai instinctively thrust his sword forward, but Qian Renxue neither dodged nor avoided it. Her two fingers clamped precisely onto the blade of the Green Lotus Sword.

Crack! Her fingers exerted force, and the Green Lotus Sword actually bent slightly between them.

Li Taibai was horrified and was about to pull back his sword and retreat when Qian Renxue spun around. Her right elbow, carrying a fierce gust of wind, smashed viciously into the center of his back.