This strike seemed like the pinnacle of blade techniques.
Under this strike, the world seemed to plunge into complete darkness. In the midst of it, a crescent moon suddenly emerged, releasing an astonishing brilliance. In that moment, one could only perceive the moon's boundless beauty—so alluring that it was almost impossible to resist. It evoked the urge to open one's arms and embrace it. Some mysterious force pulled the heart and soul entirely into that vision.
ROAR!!
Even Yi Tianxing found his spirit drawn in by the crescent moon. But just as his mind began to sink, a resounding dragon's roar echoed through his consciousness, instantly snapping him back to awareness.
"Such a domineering, bewitching strike! This has already begun to touch the realm of Blade Intent (Dao Yi). How could Liu Bao possibly cultivate his blade technique to this level? This is practically impossible—unless he possesses an utterly heaven-defying talent for the blade. But that's unlikely. There's something fishy about this."
The thought flashed rapidly through Yi Tianxing's mind.
But he quickly suppressed it.
A fierce battle will flared in his eyes.
The essence of the Shattered Jade Spear Technique surged forth. The blood-jade war spear he had previously envisioned once again appeared in his mind. The spirit of the spear—"better shattered jade than intact pottery"—flooded into his heart like a tidal wave.
Fixing his eyes on that crescent-moon-like blade light, he thrust the war spear in his hand forward.
As he did, a wave of tragic, resolute aura erupted like a tide from the spear.The True Dragon Qi within his body poured into it, and a flowing brilliance lit up the weapon.
Swish!!
Shattered Jade Spear Technique — Flawless White Jade Illuminates the Nine Provinces!! (碎玉矛法——白玉无瑕耀九州)
In an instant, the steel spear radiated a white-jade-like glow, emitting a flawless luster. Nine spears appeared at once, striking out toward the oncoming crescent moon.
Against that hauntingly beautiful moon, the spears were like nine falling stars—glorious and radiant.
They collided with the moon all at once.
It was a stunning sight.
The melancholic brilliance of the crescent moon clashed with the shining meteor-like spears, each carrying an unstoppable, do-or-die momentum.
ROAR!!
At the same time, a pair of black-and-white scissors appeared from nowhere. In an instant, they transformed into two monstrous black-and-white pythons, crossing through the void to slice toward Liu Bao's waist. The speed of the Yin-Yang Shears was at its limit, leaving no room to dodge in the chaos of battle.
Liu Bao had poured nearly all of his essence into that single blade strike.
When he saw the twin serpents coming at him, panic flickered in his heart.
But he wasn't out of options.
A flash of light covered his body—a set of pitch-black demonic armor appeared, enveloping him entirely. Black demonic energy swirled over its surface, emitting an ancient aura, as if a demon had crawled out of the abyss.
Clang! Clang! Clang!Crack!!
Blade and spear collided.
On the platform, it was like the crescent moon crashing into the stars.
The resulting light engulfed the entire arena.
The sound of weapons clashing rang loudly, and the shockwaves made the Life-and-Death Platform tremble.
"What's going on? Why can't I see what's happening on the stage?"Yang Yanping had already stepped onto the city wall, staring into the void with surprise.
"They've begun to touch the realm of martial intent," Huang Chengyan murmured. "The clash of Blade Intent and Spear Intent. It's said that when any martial skill is cultivated to its peak—when one's essence, energy, and spirit merge into it—it transforms into true martial intent. Blades manifest Blade Intent, swords manifest Sword Intent. At that level, it's all about willpower. Even divine abilities can be cut down. It's a battle of wills."
The techniques had reached such a pinnacle that it caused hallucinations—visions of crescent moons and stars—not just in the eyes, but deep in the heart. Anyone immersed in such an intent might never awaken, dying without even knowing how. Perhaps even in death, they wouldn't be able to break free of that realm.
Maybe what they were seeing wasn't true martial intent—but it was incredibly close.
"Who will win?"Cai Yan asked, concern in her eyes.
"I don't know," Huang Chengyan shook his head, eyes locked on the platform, dreading what he might see.
The blinding light around the arena faded.
The fierce battle had stopped.
They saw Liu Bao's curved blade embedded in Yi Tianxing's left shoulder. It had pierced flesh but gone no deeper, wedged there.
Meanwhile, Yi Tianxing's broken spear had stabbed directly into Liu Bao's chest. The demonic armor was gone.
"How did you block my Demon Blade? That strike was unstoppable, the embodiment of Blade Intent. How could you stop it?"Liu Bao stared at Yi Tianxing, his eyes full of disbelief.
"Because I've never been just a Qi Cultivator. Your blade is fierce, and the Demon Blade helped you manifest Blade Intent. But your training time was too short. My spear technique is no less than yours. The power behind your strike couldn't match mine. No matter how sharp your technique—brute force crushed it."Yi Tianxing spoke slowly.
"I'm not willing!!"Liu Bao howled to the sky.
Crack!!
With a crisp sound, Liu Bao's body snapped in half. Blood and viscera spilled onto the arena. Only his unwilling cry remained.
He had stepped onto the arena with full confidence, certain his strength and hidden cards would win him the fight. But he had not anticipated this outcome.
He had many unfulfilled ambitions. He hadn't yet built a great Xiongnu Empire, yet here he was—dying anonymously on this stage.
Worst of all—he had essentially handed a precious gift to his enemy.
He was devastated. That gift had been prepared for himself. And now, Yi Tianxing had inherited it.
Swish!!
A burst of blood-colored light engulfed Liu Bao's corpse, pulling it into the Life-and-Death Platform until nothing remained.
"That was close... I'm still not strong enough. That blade really was terrifying. If I weren't a body cultivator, with such a powerful physique, I would've died to that strike."
Yi Tianxing felt a chill even in hindsight.
Though brief, that moment had been a clash of everything they had.
The blade was strange—even Shattered Jade Spear couldn't block it completely. Eight of the spear shadows had been destroyed by targeting their weak points in bizarre ways.
But it had still clashed with his real spear. It was meant to cut through it, but underestimated the over 10,000 jin of force channeled through it.
And the blade truly did carry a demonic nature. After breaking apart, it veered past the spear and slashed at Yi Tianxing directly. If not for his incredibly tough body and the fact that much of the blade's power had already been spent—it would have cut through him.
But in the end, he had the upper hand. His Innate Yin-Yang Eyes were formidable, and the Yin-Yang Shears were a brutal killing divine power. One snip, and even the demonic armor had been shredded—cutting Liu Bao in half.
"That armor must've been a unique Fate Aperture Divine Ability," Yi Tianxing pondered.
Now that Liu Bao was dead, the Xiongnu could no longer stir up much trouble.
"But… how do I leave this place?"
The arena was enclosed in a blood-colored barrier. Once inside, one couldn't escape. Now that the battle was over, the barrier should've lifted.
Swish!!
Just then, the platform trembled violently. A blinding blood light erupted without warning, enveloping Yi Tianxing completely.
"What's happening?"Yi Tianxing's heart skipped a beat.
But then, a stream of information surged into his mind.
Realizing what it was, Yi Tianxing's eyes gleamed with surprise and delight.
"Well played, Liu Bao. You really did prepare something extra. So the Life-and-Death Contract had another transformation. But all of this… is now my great opportunity. You made the wedding gown for me."
Yi Tianxing almost felt like thanking Liu Bao.
It turned out, the Life-and-Death Contract was more than just a dueling pact. Once signed, it prevented any external interference, guaranteeing only one survivor.
But it had an advanced function—Sacrificial Mode. The sacrificer could target a specific opponent and, depending on the quantity of the offering, edit parts of the contract.
Of course, the extent of changes was limited.
But some crucial conditions could be altered.
In this case, Liu Bao had edited two major clauses:
Designated duel with Yi Tianxing.
Wagered everything he owned—should he win, he would obtain everything from Yi Tianxing, including control over Xuanhuang Village. Every treasure, every resource, would become his.
In essence—the winner takes all, and the loser loses everything.