Defeat

"Enough, Qing'er, that's enough. I want to toy with this bitch slowly; don't go and kill her."

Green Snake walked over slowly, gently patting the head of the massive serpent named Qing'er.

He then looked down at Huang Rongyue, whose lips were purple and whose body was limp and dying, leaving her completely at his mercy.

At this moment, Huang Rongyue's long hair was disheveled.

She was naturally exquisite, and in her white dress, she resembled a pure lotus flower.

Her extreme weakness only added to her beauty, evoking a sense of pity in any who beheld her.

Green Snake clicked his tongue repeatedly, his eyes gleaming as if he were looking at a celestial being.

"Submit to me, or die," Green Snake said, tossing his dagger up and down with a playful smirk.

Just then, Huang He's voice rang out again: "If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one!"

A moment later, he let out a miserable shriek, clearly overwhelmed and having fallen into his enemy's trap.

Huang Rongyue was burning with anxiety, desperate to struggle.

But as she barely managed to writhe, the exertion only drained her remaining strength faster, leaving her gasping for air and utterly spent.

This fragility only heightened her allure!

She fell into complete despair; the Huang Family was finished!

Green Snake's heart raced.

"Miss Huang, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."

"I'll give you two choices."

"First, submit to me willingly and hand over your desperate trump card, and I might spare the Huang Family."

"Second, I take you by force, then make you watch as the Huang Family is wiped out and your father dies right before your eyes. How about that?"

He grinned hideously, his Green Snake mask pressing close against Huang Rongyue.

Just then, a sudden alarm bell rang in his heart, and he hurriedly turned around.

He saw a ghostly figure gliding toward him, a fist crashing down with the force of a thunderbolt.

In the blink of an eye, Green Snake scrambled to dodge.

With a deafening boom, the spot where he had been standing collapsed, sending dust and debris flying.

The Green Python, having received its orders, released Huang Rongyue and slithered rapidly to Green Snake's side.

"Blood Ghost, you son of a bitch, you finally showed up!" Green Snake landed steadily, his fury igniting at the sight of the blood-colored mask.

"My Xiao Qing was on the verge of breaking through to the Blood-Exchange Realm, but you cut in and ruined it."

"You stole my Sandalwood Purple Bamboo, and I'm going to kill you for it!"

Lu Li sneered in disdain, having no intention of wasting words on this madman.

His gaze was sharp as lightning as he took a deep look at Green Snake.

He saw that the man's strength was roughly on par with Huang Rongyue's.

With that, his heart settled; he had the victory in his grasp.

Seeing Lu Li remain silent, Green Snake continued on his own: "Blood Ghost, I assume you're still at the Organ-Refining stage, right?"

He gestured to the blood-qi smoke swirling around him: "I am already advancing toward the Blood-Exchange Realm. Do you see the blood-qi smoke around me?"

"I'll give you one chance: serve me, or you'll have no path but death."

Ignoring him, Lu Li pulled a small bottle from his sleeve and poured some antidote into Huang Rongyue's mouth.

Immediately, Huang Rongyue's complexion began to improve at a visible rate, and the dark purple on her lips slowly faded.

This sight made Green Snake's pupils contract sharply.

"Xiao Qing, attack!" Green Snake barked.

He hadn't expected Lu Li to be so well-versed in poisons, actually capable of neutralizing his Green Snake Saliva Powder!

It wasn't that he feared Lu Li, but rather he feared a fully recovered Huang Rongyue.

Her Mountain-Sinking Peak-Breaking technique was truly overbearing; if he had to face it, he wasn't confident he could dodge it.

If his combat power were compromised, it would be nothing but trouble.

Above all, he had come here under the guise of an assassin.

His collaborators even included forces from the government.

As a universally loathed assassin, he was forced to preserve his strength as much as possible.

"That beast is yours," Lu Li said in a hoarse voice to Huang Rongyue.

With the toxins in her body mostly neutralized, Huang Rongyue flipped to her feet, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at Blood Ghost.

At his words, her lips parted, as if she wanted to say something.

However, considering that both the Green Snake and the Green Python were nearing a breakthrough and were evenly matched in strength, she said nothing more.

In her heart, a trace of worry emerged regarding Blood Ghost facing the Green Snake.

All she could do now was to quickly finish off that beast, so that she could free up her hands to assist Blood Ghost.

"Be careful, don't take him head-on, I'll help you once I'm free!" she said quickly, then immediately struck out with a palm toward the giant python charging at her.

Lu Li, meanwhile, pushed his Flying Swallow Step to the limit and stomped down heavily.

The formidable force kicked up a gale, sending roof tiles flying in all directions.

He charged ferociously toward the Green Snake, mobilizing every ounce of his strength; the moment he struck, he gathered his full killing intent, confident in a decisive blow.

The Green Snake had initially dismissed him, thrusting his dagger straight at Lu Li.

But with a single straight punch, Lu Li smashed the blade until it bent.

The dagger had been transformed into a miniature Malay Kris.

"What?" He hadn't engaged directly before, as his attention was primarily on Huang Rongyue, whom he considered the true threat.

As for Blood Ghost, he had dismissed him as nothing more than an afterthought.

He never expected that a single punch would destroy his weapon, making his heart bleed.

He had spent forty-nine days just quenching this dagger with poison!

It didn't end there; the force traveled from the dagger into his palm, instantly splitting the web of his hand and causing blood to gush out.

The sensation spread from his palm to his forearm and shoulder, leaving his entire arm trembling and unbearably numb.

"What tyrannical strength!"

Just as he was struck with horror, Blood Ghost's figure suddenly vanished from before his eyes, only to reappear behind him in an instant.

The Green Snake hurriedly employed his movement technique, but Lu Li caught up with ease.

Left with no choice, the Green Snake turned and threw a punch.

With a bang, a massive cloud of white powder billowed out, obscuring the sky and sun.

This was his entire supply of Green Snake Saliva Powder; such a quantity was enough to poison half the city.

A sharp, piercing cry suddenly rang in his ears, like the trumpeting of a giant elephant, deafening and jarring.

A gust of wind swept through, dispersing the white powder, and the Green Snake's arm was suddenly twisted, his body unable to stop retreating.

His feet carved a deep trench into the rooftop.

Finally, he slammed his feet down, barely managing to stop at the edge of the roof beam.

His left arm was now shattered, and his right arm was barely functional.

He looked at Lu Li and saw him standing tall, his energy vigorous, steady as Mount Tai and unmoved, which made his heart sink.

Lu Li had long anticipated the opponent's poison arts and had been keeping Antidote Powder in his mouth the entire time.

He had used this trick several times already, so he naturally wouldn't fall for it.

"Blood Ghost, I concede." The Green Snake began to beg for mercy: "I will trade a secret for my life."

Lu Li's advancing footsteps paused slightly.

In that very instant, the Green Snake suddenly leaped up and lunged toward Huang Rongyue.

As long as he could join forces with Xiao Qing to capture Huang Rongyue, he could trade her life for his own.

However, he had underestimated Lu Li's speed and his level of vigilance.

The moment he moved, Lu Li followed suit, grabbing him in an instant and smashing him into the ground with a single punch.

At the same time, Huang Rongyue also erupted with ferocity.

She swung out with Mountain-Sinking Peak-Breaking, creating a sonic boom, and ruthlessly shattered the giant python's skull.

Blood flowed freely, brain matter splattered everywhere, and the giant python's body spasmed and convulsed.

She spat out a mouthful of blood, her aura wilting.

Glancing at Blood Ghost, she gritted her teeth and made her way to his side.