With his back to her, the corners of Liu Yu's mouth curved almost imperceptibly.
When "saving a damsel in distress," it was better to appear upright and honorable. Ideally, he should avoid a sneak attack.
In the words of his previous life, this approach would earn him more affection points.
Looking straight at Black Fiend, Liu Yu wore a "grave" expression, yet his eyes remained as calm as still water.
Only now did he get a clear look at Black Fiend's appearance.
The man was tall and muscular, with rough, bronze-colored skin. A deep scar ran from the corner of his eye down to the side of his mouth.
He looked like a vicious demon, inspiring fear at first sight.
Black Fiend was quite wary of the cultivator who had suddenly appeared and was sizing Liu Yu up as well.
After sweeping him with his divine sense and discovering that he was only at the sixth layer of qi refining, Black Fiend immediately relaxed.
"Each man should sweep the snow from his own doorstep, not concern himself with frost on another's roof."
"You're only at middle qi refining, fellow Daoist. I advise you to stay out of other people's business, lest you draw fire upon yourself!"
Black Fiend spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
His words brimmed with threats.
Although this newcomer's cultivation was lower, scaring him away and avoiding further complications would be the best outcome.
Buzzzz!
Having spoken, the Black-and-White Fiends unleashed their spiritual pressure at full strength.
They tried to pressure Liu Yu in both body and mind, making him recognize the difficulty and retreat.
Hearing those words, Yan Qun'er could not help biting her lip.
Her bright eyes fixed on the figure ahead, and she visibly grew nervous.
"Hmph!"
"You two dare attack a cultivator of our Primordial Yang Sect? Your audacity truly knows no bounds! Do you really have no fear of being hunted down by our sect?"
"Senior Sister and I belong to the same sect. We ought to watch over and help each other. How could I cling to life and fear death?!"
"Today, I, Liu Yu, will stand with Senior Sister through advance and retreat alike. You two can forget about getting your way!"
Liu Yu snorted coldly, condemning the Black-and-White Fiends' conduct with "righteous words and stern resolve."
Then he declared his unwavering stance: he would stand with his senior sister through advance and retreat alike, never shrinking from death to save his own life.
After speaking, he turned back and nodded slightly to Yan Qun'er, giving her an encouraging look.
Seeing Liu Yu's look, Yan Qun'er felt a little more at ease.
Then, as some thought occurred to her, a faint smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.
"Since you insist on wading into muddy waters, you can go to your death together!"
Those high-sounding words grated terribly on Black Fiend's ears, and a vicious gleam flashed in his eyes.
Fearing that a long night would bring too many dreams, he immediately made a hand signal.
The next instant, the Black-and-White Fiends struck simultaneously, launching a ferocious attack!
Black Fiend swung his long saber magical artifact, wreathed in black vapor, his muscles bulging as he exerted his strength.
Wherever the blade swept, wind roared like a tiger, every strike cutting through the air with a fierce howl.
Liu Yu dared not be careless. He immediately took out the Giant Wood Sword, formed hand seals with both hands, and poured in his magical power.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a green broadsword roughly ten feet long and two feet wide. Green radiance flowed across its blade as it flew to meet the enemy cultivator.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Giant Wood Sword and the black saber clashed repeatedly, producing deafening, ear-piercing crashes.
The Giant Wood Sword was an exceptional middle-grade magical artifact, and Liu Yu's divine sense was slightly stronger than that of an ordinary late qi refining cultivator.
Unfortunately, his cultivation was one layer below Black Fiend's, so he still fell on the back foot.
Although the long saber in Black Fiend's hand looked extraordinary with its swirling black vapor, it was actually just an ordinary middle-grade magical artifact.
Even with the man's tremendous physical strength, his weapon in hand, and cultivation one layer higher, the power he actually unleashed was only slightly greater than that of the Giant Wood Sword.
Thus, although he held a slight advantage, he could neither win quickly nor damage the Giant Wood Sword.
This showed how substantially a fine magical artifact could increase the strength of a qi refining period cultivator.
And the greatest factor affecting a magical artifact's power was the quality of the artifact itself.
At the same cultivation level, the difference in strength between someone wielding a superior-grade magical artifact and someone wielding a lower-grade magical artifact was enormous.
When a superior-grade magical artifact faced a middle- or lower-grade magical artifact, the battle would usually be one-sided unless other factors intervened.
Next came cultivation, magical power, and divine sense.
Even if an early qi refining cultivator possessed a top-grade magical artifact, they could not unleash its power at all.
It was like a five- or six-year-old child swinging a heavy sledgehammer. Their cultivation and magical power simply could not bear the burden, and they might instead injure themselves.
They could not possibly defeat a qi refining perfection cultivator wielding a superior-grade magical artifact.
Last came divine sense.
Divine sense improved the efficiency of magical power circulation, allowing cultivators to control their magical artifacts more precisely and unleash their proper power.
The greater the range of their divine sense, the greater their magical artifacts' attack range.
In this battle, Liu Yu's advantages in divine sense and magical artifacts offset Black Fiend's advantages in cultivation and tremendous strength.
Clang, clang!
Liu Yu controlled the Giant Wood Sword, trading blows with Black Fiend and keeping him occupied without giving him a chance to approach.
The Black Tortoise Shield circled his body, leaving the enemy cultivator no opening.
The shield had suffered some damage in the previous battle, and there had been too little time to repair it.
But with no other defensive magical artifact, he could only make do.
The Black Tortoise Shield's spiritual glow was now dim, and it looked to be in very poor condition. Liu Yu dared not let it take the opponent's slashes head-on.
With the black saber in hand, Black Fiend combined his tremendous physical strength with the magical artifact's power, making his attacks extremely forceful.
But he was not a body cultivator, after all. His body remained vulnerable, and he dared not let the Giant Wood Sword strike him.
As a result, he could not fight freely and felt thoroughly stifled.
For some unknown reason, Black Fiend kept wielding the black saber by hand and never brought out another magical artifact.
It was unclear whether this was due to his cultivation method or a restriction of some secret art.
After exchanging several rounds, Liu Yu found that he gained nothing from direct clashes and stopped meeting strength with strength.
Instead, he sent his magical artifact at places Black Fiend had to protect, forcing him to fall back and defend.
"Damn it!"
Black Fiend roared furiously again and again, but there was nothing he could do.
Liu Yu did not want to push him too far either. After all, he was currently injured and had no intention whatsoever of fighting him to the death.
He only wanted to buy time until Yan Qun'er's reinforcements arrived.
With that in mind, he kept Black Fiend occupied while observing the situation on Yan Qun'er's side.
Bang! Bang!
Yan Qun'er controlled the Jade-Green Bracelet and the Blue Orb, fighting fiercely against the seasoned White Fiend.
The Jade-Green Bracelet was actually a superior-grade magical artifact suited to both offense and defense. Not only was its defense formidable, its offensive power was also quite impressive.
A superior-grade magical artifact capable of both attack and defense was even more valuable than the Golden Dragon Sword. It would probably cost at least six or seven hundred spirit stones.
Watching this, Liu Yu marveled inwardly.
Now that a fellow disciple was helping her, Yan Qun'er was no longer as panicked as before and had regained some composure.
Her pretty face was icy with uncontrollable anger. By now, she was attacking with all her strength, holding nothing back.
Clang, clang! Bang!
Her slender, fair hands were a pleasing sight as they rapidly formed seals. Yan Qun'er controlled the Jade-Green Bracelet in a succession of attacks, and it held a commanding advantage even against two weapons.
Almost every strike drove back both the nail-shaped magical artifact and the black spear, their spiritual light flickering.
They could only parry, with no strength left to counterattack.
At the same time, her other magical artifact, the Blue Orb, shone with brilliant blue radiance.
Like a meteor in the night sky, it hurtled straight toward White Fiend.
Although it was only a middle-grade magical artifact, its power was still quite impressive.
Yan Qun'er already possessed excellent magical artifacts, and her cultivation was one layer above the Black-and-White Fiends'. With help now at hand, her mind had steadied completely.
Relying on her advantages in several areas, she actually forced the seasoned White Fiend into an utterly disadvantaged position.
"Brat!"
White Fiend inwardly cursed Liu Yu over and over for meddling, but he dared not be the slightest bit careless against the fiercely approaching Blue Orb.
Whoosh!
He hurriedly reached for his storage bag, took out a small umbrella magical artifact, and opened it in front of himself.
Then he took out a Vajra Talisman, turning it into a golden barrier that enclosed both himself and the small umbrella magical artifact.
Only after doing all this did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Thanks to Xiao Jinling, Tianxia Shuyou 160, Ai Zou Le Feng Ting Le, Mu Yuyan, Xiao Heidi, Xiaoye Cangxue, Hunan Junfa, Bu Wang Chuxin, bing-Suiyuan, Yi Nian Bu Wang, and the other readers for their recommendation votes!
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