"Even with backup, what do I have to fear?!" Ying Bokong sneered, throwing his hands out in the shape of eagle claws, and snorted, "Lei Wubei, I admit your Profound Qi cultivation is slightly superior to mine, by a hair's breadth, but the key to victory isn't solely dependent on Qi levels. Today, you're lucky; I'll open your eyes. I'll use this peerless martial art I just created on you, the Fifth Supreme! Gah-ha-ha..."
Amidst his laughter, Ying Bokong's figure accelerated again, becoming more elusive, like a phantom spirit without substance. Suddenly, the world filled with the whistling of eagle claws, sharp gusts of wind crisscrossing and piercing from unbelievably strange angles, forming an inescapable net!
If this were an eagle, then it was the eagle's soul attacking!
Ghost Eagle Nine Claws!
"A fine eagle claw technique!" Lei Wubei boomed out an appreciative cry, utterly captivated by this wondrous, never-before-seen claw skill. With a fierce roar, he struck back with all his might!
Chii-chii-chii... Lei Wubei ultimately suffered from this marvelous martial art that had never appeared in the world before. His body was raked by three consecutive gashes from the Great Supreme Eagle's claws. Lei Wubei knew things were bad, but though alarmed, he remained composed. He backed away steadily, foot by foot, while Ying Bokong pressed his advantage relentlessly. With a long cry, he launched his second move!
Up until this point, the Great Supreme Eagle had only fully grasped the first two forms of the Ghost Eagle Nine Styles. Seeing his first strike succeed, his confidence soared.
He struck swiftly while the iron was hot!
Pa-pa-pa... With a series of popping sounds, Lei Wubei was struck several times. Suddenly, he roared, black energy suffusing his body, Profound Qi gathering like a tsunami. As the Fifth Supreme, Lei Wubei, having been forced into this desperate situation by Ying Bokong, finally dropped all restraint and went all out, unleashing his Cold-Blooded Fatal Finger!
With a deafening BOOM, both figures staggered back simultaneously.
Lei Wubei stared, almost disbelievingly, at the five bloody claw marks on his chest, then abruptly raised his head: "What is the name of this divine eagle claw skill? How many forms does it have?"
Ying Bokong's face flushed crimson, his chest heaving violently. He sneered, "How does my new move taste! This is called the Ghost Eagle Nine Styles! As the name implies, it naturally has nine forms. Did you get an eye-opener?!"
"Nine forms? Such a miraculous technique has nine forms? Ghost Eagle Nine Styles?! Truly worthy of the name Ghost Eagle!" Lei Wubei groaned, "Ying Bokong, you are indeed different! There is something highly suspicious about today's events. I have no further interest in wasting time bickering here with you, so I shall let it go for now. Hmph, I will find you another time!"
Ying Bokong laughed heartily, "How was the taste of my unique, ultimate move? If you wish to spar again, this Venerable One awaits anytime!"
"Ying Bokong, considering we are both among the Eight Supremes, I warn you again: stay away from the Jun family, and you can guarantee your safety!" Lei Wubei snorted, "The Jun family has simultaneously offended two major powers. Now, adding me to the mix, I will not hesitate to strike if necessary! Ying Bokong, when I decide to annihilate the Jun family, I do not wish to see you present! Otherwise, I will not let you off so easily!"
"Annihilate the Jun family? Why?" Ying Bokong scoffed, "Since when does Ying Bokong require Lei Wubei's permission to act? Wait until you have the confidence to break my Ghost Eagle Nine Styles before spouting such nonsense!"
"Unrepentant! You court death!"
Lei Wubei let out a low hum, his body shot upwards, vanishing without a trace in a swoosh! Seeing the situation turning against him, Lei Wubei immediately withdrew. Ying Bokong's Ghost Eagle Nine Styles were truly bizarre and unpredictable, each move stronger than the last, making him feel a powerful threat, stripping away his previous certainty of victory. If Ying Bokong truly had backup nearby, it would be easy for his lifelong reputation to be washed away!
Therefore, Lei Wubei decisively retreated far away!
Ying Bokong stood silent for a long moment, then suddenly sighed softly, "That was close! Too close!"
It was not for nothing that the man ranked in the top five among the Eight Supremes.
Though the battle ended in what appeared to be a draw, Ying Bokong knew that, in reality, he had lost. While mastering the first two forms of his Ghost Eagle Nine Styles yielded significant gains, he had revealed his hand completely, making it almost impossible to achieve unexpected victories later. This meant he had exhausted all his ultimate trump cards, while the opponent's Cold-Blooded Fatal Finger had only just begun! It had only been countered by the sheer marvel of his two peerless eagle claw moves. Moreover, ever since that inexplicable muffled sound, both men had searched the surroundings but found no trace. From that moment on, neither was truly focused on the fight anymore.
They both feared that while they fought each other—the snipe and the clam—someone else would reap the fisherman's profit! This was something they absolutely had to guard against!
If the two had fought until the end, mutual annihilation would have been a certainty!
To kill two Supremes in one fell swoop! What a mad and glorious reputation that would bring! Which profound practitioner in the world wouldn't crave it? Thus, after exchanging just two fierce blows, they tacitly agreed to stop fighting!
If he hadn't just mastered the Ghost Eagle Nine Styles and fully comprehended the first two forms, he likely would have suffered a terrible humiliation today! Lei Wubei's strength was genuinely and substantially above his own!
Truly worthy of the title Cold-Blooded Supreme!
Thinking about it, he should actually be grateful to the person who made that sound, regardless of their intentions.
It seemed he needed to hurry; the Ghost Eagle Nine Styles must be thoroughly integrated in the shortest time possible! With a sigh, Ying Bokong flew away.
Before the two of them left, the great expert of the Jun family had already departed.
At that moment, the Young Master Jun was boiling with inexpressible anger!
Regarding Lei Wubei's words, the great killer Jun was furious to the extreme!
Yes, that was true! Their Jun family was temporarily entangled in grievances with two major powers, but that didn't mean their Jun family was a doormat for anyone to step on!
What was that—"The Jun family has simultaneously offended two major powers. Now, adding me to the mix, I will not hesitate to strike if necessary! Ying Bokong, when I decide to annihilate the Jun family, I do not wish to see you present! Otherwise, I will not let you off so easily!" Recalling Lei Wubei's words, Jun Mo Ji was filled with rage.
This was clearly threatening Ying Bokong to leave the Jun family immediately! Damn it, it took him so much effort to trick a Supreme into becoming a guard; was that easy? So what if you are the Fifth Supreme?
Blast it! Daring to oppose me, forget being just the Fifth Supreme; even the First Supreme, Yun Bichen, what of him? Wait until I have the chance, and I will play you to death!
Why wait for an opportunity? Why not start playing right now and see who can outplay whom!
Jun Mo Xie's anger surged from the depths of his heart, and vicious thoughts took hold.
Damn it, you old undead bastard, you've lost four of your ten disciples; it seems that's not enough! I can't deal with you right now, nor can I deal with your disciples who have reached the Complete Heaven Profound Realm, but those crippled disciples you wish to assassinate—aren't they easy targets for me?
Don't you care about your disciples? Then I will make that old man grieve until his heart breaks!
When the Evil Lord is enraged, he disregards everything!
The great killer Jun suddenly recalled the Jun family ancestral teaching: If there is a bird, one must act as the fledgling—upright and imposing, to hell with everything else!
That's right, to hell with everything, to hell with your grandmother's bear! Jun Mo Xie cursed, instantly unleashing Yin-Yang Evasion at full speed, disappearing in a flash back toward the city, heading straight for the Li family compound!
I don't care if you're the so-called Fifth Supreme or Sixth Supreme; if I don't make you cry your eyes out today, I'll tear off my own manhood and make it a kite for you! In his fury, his speed along the way was far greater than when he arrived...
Searching everywhere, inside and out, he found absolutely nothing!
Could those people not be staying at the Li residence? This was troublesome; what was going on? The Young Master Jun scratched his scalp in confusion, finally stomping his foot and plunging underground with a shua, slowly searching inch by inch, listening for any movement above, and looking for secret rooms beneath.
One courtyard... two courtyards... ten... Finally—a faint voice from above caught Jun Mo Xie's attention:
"...Profound Beast Sinew Crossbow... this is vital; be extremely careful... it's a good item indeed..." Just these fragmented words drifted into Jun Mo Xie's ears, instantly making him vigilant. Following the source of the sound, he slowly drew closer.
The Profound Beast Sinew Crossbow that I was scheming about—someone else here is also coveting it? This is quite an unexpected gain!
"If this batch of Profound Beast Sinew is combined with Adamantine Mother Metal to forge supreme crossbows, their destructive power will be immense. Never mind ordinary soldiers; even Earth Profound Masters might lose their lives to a surprise attack from a crossbow! Truly a rare weapon of murder! It's a pity that this time, we must reluctantly give up!" one voice sighed with deep emotion.
"Why give up?! Junior Brother Li, this matter cannot be let go so easily! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for your Li family as well; those things are all ready-made! Moreover, after special manufacturing, the destructive power of that batch of crossbows will be terrifying! Are you going to let go of this chance? Why?" another voice asked anxiously.
Jun Mo Xie could recognize that voice—it was his Eldest Senior Brother, Lei Jianhong, speaking urgently, as if trying to persuade someone.
"Eldest Senior Brother, how could I not know how important this batch of crossbows is?" A clear voice, possessing extreme elegance, reserve, and ethereal quality—just listening to the tone of voice, one could imagine how extraordinary the speaker's demeanor must be.
He continued: "But this time, ten Senior Brothers came to help me in Tianxiang City, and I, Li Youran, have done nothing for our sect. Instead, I have been constantly receiving the teachings of my Master and the affection of my Senior Brothers and Sisters, truly feeling undeserving. Now, because of my troubles, four Senior Brothers have been permanently buried in Tianxiang, and three Senior Brothers are crippled for life, causing this younger brother immense regret... How could I possibly have the face to ask my Seniors to exert themselves further for me? If any other Senior Brother were to suffer misfortune, wouldn't I, Li Youran, be worse than a beast?"
"Junior Brother Li, why speak so formally? We are martial brothers; your affairs are everyone's affairs!" Lei Jianhong urged anxiously, "Furthermore, if that batch of crossbows truly falls into the hands of the Second Prince, who knows what that idiot might do? It will certainly be a huge threat! If the Second Prince succeeds because of this, then not only the Jun family but your Li family, which is a staunch force supporting the current Emperor, will also be endangered! Junior Brother! This matter cannot be delayed. You have always been decisive; why are you being so sentimental now?"