Defeating Xiong Ba

Whoosh!

Seeing the Sword Qi completely worn away by his Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi, Xiong Ba finally let out a long breath of relief.

If even his ultimate trump card could not block the Sword Qi attack, then there would be no point in continuing this battle.

"Oh? It seems you really do have some skill. You actually managed to block this old man's killing move!" Sword Demon looked at Xiong Ba in surprise. He had not expected the strongest move of his Meridian-Severing Sword Qi to be blocked.

From afar, Li Chenfeng saw the liquid-like mass of true qi appear in Xiong Ba's hand. A glint flashed through his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled upward slightly.

This is Xiong Ba's ultimate move, the Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi. But compared to the original story, its power is far weaker now. And judging by Xiong Ba's condition, using it is already quite strenuous. He still has a long way to go before reaching mastery!

In his early years, Xiong Ba had taken the Three Absolutes Elder as his master and learned the three ultimate arts of fist, palm, and leg: the Frost Fist, Cloud-Purging Palm, and Wind God Leg.

After he and his senior brother had both achieved success in their training, the Three Absolutes Elder decided to bestow the Three-Part Return-to-Origin Manual upon either Xiong Ba or his senior brother, Xiong Wu.

In order to obtain the manual, Xiong Ba provoked his senior brother with words and won their contest. However, the Three Absolutes Elder saw through Xiong Ba's ambitions and ultimately passed the manual on to Xiong Wu.

Yet that very night, Xiong Ba poisoned and murdered his master at the banquet. The Three Absolutes Elder died on the spot, but to Xiong Ba's surprise, Xiong Wu still escaped with the Three-Part Return-to-Origin Manual at the final moment. Thus, Xiong Ba never obtained the true manual for the Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi.

Still, Xiong Ba truly was a martial arts prodigy seen perhaps once in a century. Relying solely on the Three Absolutes Divine Skill he had learned, he forcibly worked out a method to cultivate the Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi—and ultimately succeeded.

However, without the true cultivation method, progress through his own research alone was extremely slow. That was also why, after the World Society rose to power, Xiong Ba secluded himself in the First Tower to train.

On the World Society's side, Qin Shuang's face immediately lit up when he saw Xiong Ba escape danger. For that brief instant just now, he had thought his master was about to lose.

The people from the various sects, however, were deeply disappointed. If Sword Demon could truly kill Xiong Ba, they would no longer have to be the World Society's lackeys!

"Haha! If you can block one move, then can you block ten? Twenty?"

Laughing loudly, Sword Demon held the index and middle fingers of his right hand together like a sword. Sword Qi surged around his body, and in an instant, another Sword Qi identical to the previous one shot from his sword fingers straight toward Xiong Ba's Shanzhong Acupoint.

Xiong Ba's eyes widened with fury as he roared, "Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi!"

The fist-sized ball of true qi before his chest swelled again, eventually forming a shield in front of him.

Li Chenfeng's smile only deepened at the sight, because Xiong Ba's face had already begun to turn pale. This was a sign that he had overexerted his true qi.

It seemed that although the Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi was immensely powerful and could both attack and defend, it consumed an enormous amount of true qi.

However, Xiong Ba's Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi should have been paired with his self-created Three-Part Divine Finger to display its greatest power. Yet Xiong Ba had not used it until now. Had he not created it yet?

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Streams of Sword Qi flew from Sword Demon's hand, targeting the major acupoints all over Xiong Ba's body. Xiong Ba could only defend himself in a wretched state, with no power to counterattack at all.

Only the people involved knew the true situation.

Sword Demon appeared to hold an overwhelming advantage, but that was not actually the case.

Though his Meridian-Severing Sword Qi was exceptionally fierce and capable of cutting gold and breaking jade, it consumed just as much true qi. Especially with the move he was using now, he had compressed the Sword Qi to its very limit. Its power had doubled, but its consumption had likewise increased severalfold.

Apart from Sword Demon himself, Li Chenfeng was the only one present who could guess this. That was why he wore such a knowing smile.

Whoosh!

Another crimson Sword Qi came flying. The Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi shield before Xiong Ba had nearly dispersed, and this time, it finally failed to block the attack completely. The crimson Sword Qi pierced through the shield and instantly struck Xiong Ba in the chest.

Pfft!

Xiong Ba spat out a mouthful of blood.

A smile finally appeared on Sword Demon's sallow face. He had won this battle!

An uproar instantly erupted among the World Society's people. They had never imagined that Xiong Ba, who seemed like a demon god in their hearts, would actually be defeated!

And the one who had defeated him was a true demon—Sword Demon!

"Master!"

Qin Shuang could not help crying out. He planted his foot and prepared to rush over.

However, Xiong Ba, clutching his chest, waved a broad hand and stopped Qin Shuang from acting.

Raising his head, Xiong Ba looked at the wildly laughing Sword Demon across from him. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and straightened his body.

"Heh, Sword Demon truly lives up to his name. Your Meridian-Severing Sword Qi is indeed worthy of its unrivaled reputation!"

Hearing Xiong Ba's words, Sword Demon's laughter grew even louder. In his heart, Xiong Ba was about to bow his head!

But Li Chenfeng's expression shifted. From what he knew of Xiong Ba, he was not someone who would admit defeat so easily. Otherwise, he could never have built such a grand dominion.

Sure enough, just as Sword Demon was about to mock him a little, Xiong Ba spoke again.

"Since creating this ultimate art, this old man has never once used it. Today, I shall use you, Sword Demon, to test it. That will not disgrace its mighty name!"

The previously dispirited Xiong Ba instantly became imposing and majestic, his dominance unmatched. Then, his half-closed eyes abruptly snapped open, and he thrust out a finger.

"Jade-Breaking Gold-Splitting!"

Whoosh...!

As the finger struck out, even the surrounding air seemed to turn viscous. Li Chenfeng, standing dozens of meters away, felt an extreme pressure weighing down on him.

The finger force flew like an arrow, incomparably sharp, truly carrying the might to break jade and split gold. Li Chenfeng's eyes widened at once, for he knew this was the first finger of the Three-Part Divine Finger—fierce in attack and terrifyingly powerful.

Sword Demon's pupils contracted as he instantly felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him. His chest felt faintly constricted. Without hesitation, he retreated explosively, but Xiong Ba's finger followed like a shadow and reached him in the blink of an eye.

"Die!"

Xiong Ba jabbed a finger at Sword Demon's throat.

"Die? If you want to kill me, Sword Demon, then you must die first!"

At that moment, Sword Demon's heart suddenly clenched. His already savage face became even more horrifying. With an enraged roar, he thrust out his right sword fingers as well, meeting Xiong Ba's Three-Part Divine Finger head-on.

The two moved too quickly. Everyone around them was still reeling from the shock of Xiong Ba's defeat, but in an instant, the situation had turned into one where both sides would perish together!

Splurt!

Sword Demon thrust out his sword fingers. The moment the Sword Qi left his body, he darted to the side. Though he had just acted as if he desperately wanted to die together with Xiong Ba, he did not truly wish to die yet.

Xiong Ba's finger struck Sword Demon squarely in the shoulder. The finger force immediately penetrated his body, and Sword Demon felt half his body go numb at once.

At the same time, Sword Demon's Meridian-Severing Sword Qi also entered Xiong Ba's left chest, instantly leaving behind a bloody hole.