The battle between Itjenetjer and Horemheb put immense pressure on the others.
Huang Liang desperately wanted to defeat Howard quickly, but he felt somewhat powerless at the moment. He had to divert his Mental Power to fight off the surrounding pressure, and was unable to concentrate fully, which greatly reduced the power of the scalpel in his hand.
Of course, Howard wasn't much better off, and he was also powerless to attack him at the moment. The two stood face to face, waiting for an opportunity.
Hong Kui, standing nearby, was in a much worse situation. He was struggling to hold on, while the black-clad man opposite him clearly had stronger Mental Power than them. Despite the pressure from Horemheb and Itjenetjer, he was still able to calmly attack Hong Kui.
Huang Liang wanted to help Hong Kui, but he dared not underestimate Howard on the other side. Although Howard seemed to be struggling to withstand his attacks earlier, he wasn't sure if it was just an act. And since the start of the battle, Howard hadn't launched a single attack yet; perhaps he was accumulating strength, waiting for Huang Liang to reveal an opening so he could deliver a fatal blow.
Horemheb's Lion's claw shattered Itjenetjer's face. Black sandstorms swirled haphazardly across the sky and earth.
Just when Huang Liang thought Itjenetjer had been completely suppressed and Horemheb was about to win, he saw a small black whirlwind condense within the black sandstorm. It protruded from the top of the sandstorm, twisting and turning like a black snake.
Huang Liang realized something was wrong. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it wasn't a black snake at all, but a scorpion's tail, which suddenly swiftly stung the Great Sphinx.
Horemheb sensed danger and tilted his head to the left, dodging the scorpion's tail attack.
A giant black scorpion appeared in the black sandstorm opposite, its long tail swaying erratically in the air.
The Lion pounced, but the scorpion nimbly dodged and then tried to sting the Lion's body with its tail. The Lion seemed to be very wary of the scorpion's tail, trying its best to avoid it, and then pounced again, attempting to tear the scorpion's body apart with its claws. The lion and the scorpion fought back and forth like that, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Seeing Hong Kui growing weaker under the attacks of the men in black, Huang Liang had no choice but to make a decision. He once again concentrated his spiritual blade, willing to be injured by Itjenetjer and Horemheb's sandstorm in order to eliminate Howard and the book.
The blade flashed out again, Howard dared not meet it head-on. He raised his mental shield to block, while simultaneously retreating rapidly to avoid the attack of Mental Power.
It's clear that Howard doesn't intend to fight Huang Liang head-on. He's waiting, perhaps waiting for the men in black beside him to take care of Hong Kui, and then they can work together to deal with Huang Liang. Judging from the current situation, as long as he can hold off Huang Liang's attacks, it's only a matter of time before Hong Kui is defeated by the black men.
Huang Liang was getting anxious as his attacks failed.
Hong Kui had clearly reached his limit and could no longer withstand the black-clad man's mental attacks. The Soul of Ice slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. The mental barrier protecting him that had emanated from the Soul of Ice also disappeared.
Huang Liang knew he was in trouble and planned to abandon Howard to rescue Hong Kui. But as soon as his attack relaxed and before he could even move, Howard launched a fierce counterattack, giving him no chance to rescue Hong Kui.
Hong Kui knelt on the ground and suddenly roared, unleashing an extremely strong and unusual Mental Power from his body.
Huang Liang knew this was a sign that Hong Kui was about to become a wolf.
Sure enough, white fur grew on Hong Kui's face, his eyes turned blue, his lips protruded, and two fangs emerged from his mouth. In no time, he transformed into a giant white wolf.
Hong Kui, now transformed, was clearly much stronger than before. He completely neutralized the black-clad man's fierce attacks and even occasionally used his claws and fangs to attack him.
Huang Liang felt a pang of regret. If Hong Kui hadn't exhausted his Mental Power while melting the iceberg to obtain the Soul of Ice, the White Wolf's power would have been far greater than it is now. The two of them working together should have been able to completely defeat Howard and the man in black.
The situation has now become balanced again. Itjenetjer and Horemheb are evenly matched, and Hong Kui in his transformed state is also on par with the black man. Relatively speaking, Huang Liang had a slight advantage when facing Howard.
Huang Liang felt his opportunity had come and increased his attack speed, but Howard didn't engage him head-on, so he couldn't take him down for the time being.
If it continues like this, and Itjenetjer nor Horemheb can gain the upper hand, then it will depend on whether Hong Kui in his transformed state or Howard can hold out longer.
If White Wolf couldn't hold out first, then the Man in Black could support Howard and launch a counterattack against Huang Liang. Huang Liang knew he absolutely couldn't withstand the combined attack of two people. If he could take down Howard first, he could then attack the Man in Black together with White Wolf, and victory would be assured.
Just as the stalemate reached its climax, he sensed Howard's mental state falter for a moment, creating a slight opening in the tight defense. Although Huang Liang found this strange—in a different setting, under less dire circumstances, Huang Liang would certainly have been more cautious—at this moment, he knew the opportunity was fleeting. He immediately gathered all his strength and unleashed a single strike. For this strike, he even abandoned all his defense; if someone attacked from the side at this moment, he probably wouldn't have the Mental Power to protect himself.
He had also considered that this might be a trap. Howard's relaxed Mental Power just now was likely due to tactical communication with the man in black beside him. He thought the worst possibility was that the man in black would abandon Hong Kui and come to ambush him, which would have a high success rate.
But if that were the case, he believed Hong Kui would not stand idly by. With White Wolf's fierce attacks, it would be difficult for the man in black to defend himself while distracted, and Huang Liang's own life-risking strike at this moment would not allow Howard to escape unscathed.
To his surprise, Howard not only didn't block his blade, but instead mobilized all his Mental Power to cooperate with Itjenetjer's Poison Scorpion in attacking Horemheb.
At the same time, the man in black, who was locked in a fierce battle with the white wolf, suddenly turned and launched a full-scale attack on Horemheb.
This was completely unexpected by Huang Liang, but it became his best opportunity. As he unleashed his full power with his sword, the white wolf also pounced on the man in black.
The situation changed in an instant. The dream world cannot be measured by time, but if it must be described, it happens in the blink of an eye.
Howard and the man in black's change of direction briefly shielded Itjenetjer from the pressure of the Great Sphinx Horemheb had transformed into.
Huang Liang's blade struck Howard's back without resistance, instantly shattering the mental world Howard had built.
But at the same time, the giant scorpion that Itjenetjer had transformed into freed itself, and with a flick of its tail, it struck the white wolf that was lunging forward.
The white wolf was whipped in the waist and thrown violently to the ground.
The scorpion's tail landed on the ground, its tip hooking onto the Soul of Ice, and with a whoosh, it swept the Soul of Ice into the black sandstorm.
Another man in black was slammed into the sand by Horemheb's Lion claw.
In an instant, the wind swept away the clouds, and all the dust settled. Everything returned to its original state, with an endless ice field all around and nine Sun shining eerily on the earth in the sky.