Because of their earlier battle, Qi Ling had taken it for granted that only Ye Mingzhu could use the cloning skill, while Ye Mingyue must have mastered an invisibility-based stealth skill.
He had never imagined that this was precisely the trap the sisters had deliberately laid, meant to give Qi Ling that false impression and create this very opportunity.
Just then, Ye Mingyue appeared from another direction, charging swiftly toward Ning Rongrong.
With no other choice, Qi Ling forcibly changed direction and launched an attack at Ye Mingyue. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly enough that he could still reach Ye Mingyue and save Ning Rongrong.
But for the second time, when Qi Ling's attack reached Ye Mingyue, her figure turned into a phantom and vanished! This second figure was actually a clone too!
Make the real seem false, and the false seem real. The sisters' maneuver had accounted for every angle-it could be called seamless as a heavenly robe! They had shown everyone present what true geniuses were.
At that moment, Qi Ling instantly understood exactly what kind of trap the sisters had laid, but it was already too late.
To rescue Ning Rongrong, Qi Ling had forcibly changed his trajectory, leaving him at a point where his strength was spent and his defenses were wide open.
And this situation was clearly the result the sisters had so carefully engineered! They had feigned an attack on Ning Rongrong, but their actual target was Qi Ling!
Taking Ning Rongrong out would certainly increase their chances of winning, but through the battle just now, the sisters had discovered that keeping her around placed the greatest restraint on Qi Ling!
Otherwise, once Qi Ling was free of that restraint, the explosive power he had just displayed meant the sisters still had no guarantee of victory.
More importantly, although Ning Rongrong had outstanding support abilities, she had no recovery abilities! In other words, if Qi Ling was injured, he would receive no healing either.
That was why the two had devised this scheme, using Ning Rongrong as bait to lure Qi Ling into their trap and seize a chance to severely wound him!
Now that they had finally secured such an opportunity, the sisters naturally would not miss it. Ye Mingyue appeared beside Ye Mingzhu, and with flawless coordination, they thrust out their daggers together, attacking Qi Ling's completely exposed back.
"Combination technique: Blood Cross Slash!"
Trailing blood-red light, the two daggers carved a cross across Qi Ling's back! This was the strongest combination attack the two had honed since childhood, and no one struck by it had ever escaped unscathed.
"Ah!" Ning Rongrong cried out in alarm, but as a support-type Soul Master, she could do nothing but watch their attacks land on Qi Ling.
Faced with the sisters' attack, Qi Ling had no way to dodge and could only take the blow head-on with his body.
Anyone else struck by the sisters' combination technique would surely have lost the ability to resist and been forced out of the fight with serious injuries.
But Qi Ling was different. Having cultivated the Nine Revolutions True Dragon Art, his physique was already far beyond that of ordinary people, and he withstood the full-force strike the sisters had been poised to unleash!
Although he had avoided being severely wounded and losing the ability to fight, two glaring wounds still remained on Qi Ling's back, with blood flowing steadily from them and staining the ground red.
But Qi Ling did not check his injuries first. Instead, he immediately turned around and shielded Ning Rongrong, guarding against any follow-up attacks from the two.
Ye Mingzhu and Ye Mingyue had indeed intended to do just that. If Qi Ling responded poorly, either continuing to attack him or turning their attacks on Ning Rongrong would have been a good choice.
Yet despite his pain, Qi Ling had immediately readied himself to defend and counterattack, denying them the chance to press their attack. With no other choice, they retreated, preparing to seek another opportunity.
Behind Qi Ling, Ning Rongrong stared at the horrifying wounds on his back. Trembling, she reached out to touch them, but fearing she would hurt him, she ultimately held herself back.
For the first time, she began to hate her own weakness. It was because she was such a burden that Qi Ling had been forced onto the defensive and suffered such serious injuries.
"Qi Ling, your wounds..." Ning Rongrong said anxiously. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have..."
"This isn't your fault, Rongrong. Our opponents are just too formidable," Qi Ling said. "Besides, without your support, I might have lost long ago."
Of course, Ning Rongrong could tell that Qi Ling was comforting her. While she was grateful for his gentleness, it also made her feel even guiltier.
"Qi Ling, why don't we..." Before Ning Rongrong could finish suggesting they surrender, Qi Ling interrupted her.
"Rongrong, get ready. Whatever happens next, don't be afraid!" Qi Ling said with a smile. "Get ready to welcome your first victory!"
Ning Rongrong did not understand why Qi Ling remained so confident, even declaring their victory, when their side had clearly been driven into a desperate corner.
What she understood even less was why she never doubted anything this man said, and even chose to believe him immediately.
After briefly regrouping, the sisters, Ye Mingzhu and Ye Mingyue, launched another attack on Qi Ling. They understood that they could not give him time to recover. The harder they pressed him, the greater their chances of winning.
At that moment, however, Qi Ling did something that took everyone by surprise!
Abandoning his previous passive defense, he reached out with his left hand and drew Ning Rongrong into his arms. Then, holding her against him, he began trading attacks with the sisters!
Even more astonishingly, despite using only one hand, Qi Ling actually fended off the sisters' attacks perfectly!
This was not simply because Qi Ling's Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils could predict the paths of his opponents' attacks, allowing him to choose the best response.
More importantly, through his positioning, he made the sisters interfere with each other, preventing them from attacking him simultaneously!
For two sisters whose coordination made them seem like a single person, their attacks interfering with each other should have been utterly impossible, yet Qi Ling had forced exactly that to happen!
Through his actions, he told everyone: You two sisters aren't the only geniuses. I, Qi Ling, am an even rarer prodigy in this world!
When their attacks began to obstruct each other, even nearly injuring one another, Ye Mingyue and Ye Mingzhu finally stopped. If this continued, they would no longer be pressuring Qi Ling-he would be pressuring them.
After disengaging from Qi Ling, the sisters began moving rapidly around the arena, using their unique footwork to confuse him. Then, as they crossed paths, they tossed out another smoke bomb and both entered an invisible stealth state.
Looking at the empty smoke, Qi Ling thought, Just as I suspected. Not only could both sisters use the cloning technique, but both could use the stealth technique too!
And now that they had both entered stealth, what they were about to unleash against him should be their trump card for deciding the match!
Who would win and who would lose would be decided in this next clash!