You Call This a Spar?

"Damn it!"

Ning Chen was horrified. His survival instinct made him react without thinking, immediately summoning his Emperor-Slaying Sword and holding it horizontally before his chest in an attempt to block.

Clang!

A deafening clash of metal rang throughout Pope Hall.

Ning Chen felt an utterly irresistible, terrifying force surge through the blade.

That power was tyrannical, overbearing, and utterly unstoppable!

The Emperor-Slaying Sword in his hand let out a strained wail and nearly flew from his grasp!

His entire body was sent flying.

Bang!

Ning Chen slammed heavily into a massive stone pillar more than ten meters away, then collapsed to the ground in a sorry state.

"Pfft..."

His throat sweetened, and he uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood.

A searing pain flared through his chest.

"H-How is this possible?!"

Supporting himself with one hand on the ground, Ning Chen stared in disbelief at the woman in the distance, who held an iron sword and slowly walked toward him.

What the hell was going on?!

Why was this woman's attack power so absurdly strong today?!

He was a rank forty-nine Soul Ancestor now!

His body had been tempered by the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eyes, making it as tough as a Soul Sage's.

On top of that, he had the passive enhancement of the Scorching Heaven Evil Emperor Armor and the sharpness of the Emperor-Slaying Sword!

And yet... and yet he could not even withstand a single strike from her without soul power?

That made no sense!

During their previous training sessions, she had been strong, but never outrageously strong to this extent!

Back then, she had mostly used technique and experience to suppress and guide him.

But today...

That strike had not been training at all.

She was trying to kill him!

Teacher, are you seriously going all out?!

As Ning Chen looked at that cold, breathtakingly beautiful face drawing nearer and nearer, his scalp nearly exploded.

"What?"

Bibi Dong walked up to him, stopped, and pointed the tip of her sword at his throat. Her tone was full of mockery and disdain.

"Is that all you can do?"

"You cannot even take one of my strikes without soul power?"

"Is this what your so-called 'training' has made you—so weak and fragile?"

Ning Chen: "..."

Weak and fragile my ass!

That strike of yours just now—forget a Soul Ancestor, even a Soul Emperor would have to kneel!

You call this a spar?

This is attempted husband murder... no, damn it! Attempted disciple murder!

Ning Chen roared wildly in his heart, but he did not dare say a single word aloud.

He knew there was no use reasoning with this woman while she was still angry.

He could only endure the agonizing pain in his chest, struggle to his feet, wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and tighten his grip on the Emperor-Slaying Sword.

"Again!"

Ning Chen gritted his teeth, his gaze growing ever more unyielding.

"Heh. Overestimating yourself."

Bibi Dong looked at his stubborn expression. Though her words were mocking, a trace of heartache flashed deep in her eyes.

However, that heartache was quickly swallowed by even fiercer anger.

"Since you are so eager to die, then I will grant your wish!"

The moment she finished speaking, the iron sword in her hand transformed once more into a sky full of sword shadows, engulfing Ning Chen!

This attack was even denser and sharper than the last!

For a moment, sword energy crisscrossed all of Pope Hall, while the sound of metal clashing rang without end!

Ning Chen pushed both his mental strength and soul power to their limits. Relying on the ghostlike movement technique of the Scorching Heaven Sword-Shadow Step, he struggled to evade and block amid the countless sword shadows.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Every collision left his palm numb and sent his blood and qi churning.

Bibi Dong, meanwhile, was like an elegant yet merciless grim reaper. Every swing of her iron sword precisely sealed off all his avenues of retreat, forcing him into peril again and again.

"She is too strong..."

The longer Ning Chen fought, the more alarmed he became.

Not only was Bibi Dong's strength outrageously great today, but her speed and reactions were so fast that he could not catch them at all.

Every attack and every move he made seemed like a child's trick before her, effortlessly neutralized.

He even had the feeling that she had not used her full strength at all.

She was like a cat toying with a mouse, enjoying the thrill of forcing her prey step by step into despair.

"Damn it, this woman..."

Ning Chen wailed inwardly.

If this continued, he would sooner or later be worn to death.

He had to find a way!

He had to find a way to break this deadlock!

Just as Ning Chen's mind raced, desperately searching for a solution.

Bibi Dong seemed to lose patience.

"It is time to end this."

She coldly spoke those few words.

The next second, the iron sword in her hand suddenly erupted with an incomparably terrifying surge of soul power!

A ten-meter-long purple sword aura formed instantly and chopped down at the already exhausted Ning Chen!

"Holy shit!"

The instant Ning Chen saw that sword aura, he froze.

Didn't you say you wouldn't use soul power?!

You sneaky bastard, where is your sense of fair play?!

"Damn it! I am going all in!"

At the brink of life and death, Ning Chen could no longer worry about anything else.

With an angry roar, the soul power within him erupted wildly without reservation!

Yellow, purple, purple, and black—four soul rings rose from beneath his feet!

"First soul skill, Sword Slashes the Eight Desolations!"

The Emperor-Slaying Sword in Ning Chen's hand was instantly wrapped in a layer of dark black flames. Using every ounce of his strength, he charged head-on toward the descending purple sword aura!

Boom!

Eight violent flame sword auras erupted successively from the Emperor-Slaying Sword, each stronger and fiercer than the last, crashing one after another into the purple sword aura!

Yet before Bibi Dong, Ning Chen's all-out strike appeared utterly feeble.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The first seven flame sword auras were effortlessly crushed almost the instant they touched the purple sword aura.

Only the last—and strongest—sword aura managed to hold it back for a brief moment.

But only moments later, accompanied by a piercing explosion, the eighth flame sword aura shattered as well!

The purple sword aura merely dimmed slightly before continuing its descent toward Ning Chen!

"It is over..."

As Ning Chen watched the purple sword light rapidly expand in his pupils, a deep despair welled up within him.

He had already given everything he had, but the gap between their strength was simply too vast.

Yet the searing pain he had expected never came.

Just as the sword aura was about to strike him, it abruptly stopped less than a centimeter from his forehead.

The fierce sword wind blew his hair flat behind him and even left a faint white mark on his forehead.

Ning Chen slowly opened his eyes and saw Bibi Dong's cold, breathtakingly beautiful face right before him.

The iron sword in her hand still remained in its downward-slashing posture.

"Huff... Huff..."

Ning Chen panted heavily, cold sweat already soaking his back.

For that instant just now, he had truly thought he was going to die.

"What? Are you scared already?"

Bibi Dong looked at his pale, disheveled state and continued:

"When that woman held you in her arms earlier, weren't you enjoying yourself?"

"Why are you such a coward now?"

The moment Ning Chen heard that, he understood.

Just as I thought!

This woman is really taking her anger out on me because of Sister Lingyuan!

Damn it, this jealousy is completely unreasonable!

Ning Chen felt utterly wronged.

But he also knew this was not the time to plead his case.

He looked at the woman before him, who was clearly still furious, while his mind raced in search of a way out.

However, before he could come up with anything.

Bibi Dong suddenly withdrew her iron sword.

Seeing this, Ning Chen had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the matter was finally over.

But the next second, his vision blurred.

Bibi Dong's figure instantly appeared before him.

Then, a slender jade foot with perfect lines viciously kicked him in the chest!