As the battle dragged on, He Jiemin's situation grew more and more dire. Even when he went all out, he was still unable to suppress Lin Yun. This made him realize that his options were now severely limited. If he wanted to resolve this, there was only one method left.
Without any hesitation, He Jiemin began to push his power to its absolute limit.
"To be able to force me to this point, you truly have some special ability, you brat," he said, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with a murderous glare. "But it is your great misfortune to be facing an incredibly powerful opponent. With your current strength, it is impossible for you to defeat me."
Who could have imagined that such a young man could so easily suppress him in battle, leaving him with no chance of victory? And this was despite the fact that his own strength was supposed to be far superior to Lin Yun's. He simply could not understand it. This boy was clearly inferior to him in terms of cultivation realm, so how did he manage to surpass him at every turn in this fight?
But it was obvious no one was going to answer that question for him. He could only rely on his own abilities to feel his way forward.
Faced with He Jiemin's threats, Lin Yun paid them no mind. He simply raised the Orochi Sword in his hand. At the same time, he tapped his scabbard with his other hand. Instantly, two more swords flew out.
He knew He Jiemin had reached the point of desperation. This entire affair concerned the Shangqing Temple, the Crimson Ghost Sect, and the whole of the Daye Dynasty. No matter what these factions were plotting, Lin Yun could not allow their plans to succeed. The Shangqing Temple, for its part, clearly did not want Lin Yun to reveal the full truth of the matter, as that would interfere with their arrangements with Prince Zuo Cheng.
To ensure this secret was kept, He Jiemin was now prepared to fight Lin Yun to the death.
"You have now thoroughly enraged me," he roared triumphantly. "And an enraged member of the Shangqing Temple is not someone a young brat like you can possibly withstand!" As he spoke, the power within his body began to burn like a raging fire.
Under normal circumstances, the Chongqing Bird would have been worried for Lin Yun's safety. But it had seen too many similar situations before, not to mention that Lin Yun was covered in protective treasures. Those treasures alone would be enough to keep him from dying. Besides, what did He Jiemin's petty tricks amount to? Lin Yun had no need to worry.
"This fellow is about to risk his life now. It looks like you'll have to end this battle soon," the bird commented. "Dragging this out for too long won't do you any good either."
The moment the Chongqing Bird's voice faded, the three swords in front of Lin Yun shot forward. They moved through the air, each executing a different sword style.
The Great River Sword Style.
The Myriad Blossoms Sword Style.
And the Seven Kills Sword Style.
The three sword forms attacked He Jiemin from three different directions simultaneously. This caused the pressure on the fully powered-up He Jiemin to multiply instantly. Even the strength he had gained by burning his own life force seemed to be far from enough.
However, He Jiemin wasn't overly concerned. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood onto his own sword. The blade instantly lit up with a brilliant glow.
"To be able to force me to this point, you should be proud. But today, you will die without a doubt."
Lin Yun just pursed his lips. "If words could kill, you'd probably have died a thousand times by now."
He Jiemin snorted with rage. He knew more words were useless.
The instant the three sword forms closed in, He Jiemin's body spun. The sword in his hand rapidly unleashed dozens of streams of sword Qi. A series of explosions rang out, and the colliding forces condensed into a black hole that slowly began to devour the starlight around it.
Shrouded within this chaotic energy, no one could see He Jiemin's figure. Even Lin Yun momentarily lost track of his opponent and could only continuously expand his killing intent domain to try and pinpoint his location.
But he quickly found that it was impossible. He Jiemin's speed was simply too fast. Like a ghost, he was already gone by the time Lin Yun could even sense his position.
Just then, Lin Yun's body violently twisted to the side. He Jiemin had appeared before him out of nowhere, his sword thrusting directly at Lin Yun's heart. If he hadn't been prepared, he would have been run through.
But He Jiemin paid it no mind, continuing to press his attack with a relentless barrage of strikes. Lin Yun could only execute his sword-controlling arts, manipulating the three swords to form a protective barrier around himself. Countless streams of sword Qi shot out, but they were completely unable to stop He Jiemin.
If this stalemate continued, it wouldn't be long before even Lin Yun's Yuan Qi was completely depleted.
He Jiemin's goal right now wasn't to kill Lin Yun quickly. For him, it was enough to simply stall for time and prevent Lin Yun from leaving. In the end, if they took each other out, He Jiemin would have completed his mission.
The Chongqing Bird, of course, also knew this, but for now, they had no way to break the deadlock. With He Jiemin's incredible speed, even Lin Yun's superior movement techniques couldn't keep up.
This was the first time Lin Yun had encountered such a troublesome opponent. The others before had been difficult, but he could always find some weakness. But He Jiemin had no intention of leaving here alive, which made him an even more dangerous foe.
Seeing the battle situation grow more and more perilous, Lin Yun couldn't think of any particularly good solutions.
But just then, he heard the Chongqing Bird's voice. "Fighting this guy head-on gives you no advantage. Your current movement technique can't catch him. But don't forget, the treasures you possess are not so easily dealt with either."
Lin Yun instantly understood what it meant. Right now, He Jiemin's speed was his greatest asset, allowing him to suppress Lin Yun at every turn. If he could neutralize that speed, the outcome was easy to imagine.
And for Lin Yun, although he couldn't break through He Jiemin's current state, that didn't mean he had no way to attack him.
At this thought, the corners of Lin Yun's lips curled upwards into a smile. At the same time, he quickly pulled back, creating distance between himself and He Jiemin.
To any outside observer, this move looked incredibly foolish. Even Fang Yu'er began to worry. In his current state, it really didn't look like Lin Yun could possibly defeat He Jiemin. But she had no other choice. Just a moment ago, the men from the prince's mansion had surrounded her. She didn't have Lin Yun's ability to escape.