Young Master Liu gave a cold laugh. "Japanese Ninjutsu, didn't you claim to be invincible? It should be you showing mercy to a mere boy like me."

Yuko Ogura let out a few cold chuckles, then suddenly flicked her wrist. The silk ribbon in her hand whipped out with a sharp hiss, sounding exactly like a venomous snake—no, it was a genuine viper.

Only then did everyone clearly see that the ribbon she held had truly transformed into a deadly serpent, its mouth agape, revealing blood-red tongues and black fangs, hissing as it lunged toward Young Master Liu. Liu’s expression remained unchanged; he merely twitched the talisman in his hand. In a flash of purple and yellow light, the victor was decided. Daoist mantras shimmered mid-air, and the purple viper was violently repelled, leaving small droplets of blood staining the ground below.

Yuko Ogura swiftly moved her hand, and the purple snake vanished instantly. She let out a light, seductive laugh, gazing alluringly at Liu. "Daoist Master, you are truly merciless. That purple snake was merely my way of greeting you; I never imagined you would resort to such lethal force so quickly."

Before Liu could respond, Yuko’s expression shifted abruptly. Her gaze, now sinister and sharp like the serpent she had wielded, fixed upon him. "I underestimated your Gang Qi, Daoist Master. It seems Yuko Ogura must show you a bit of color herself."

Saying this, just as she had upon her arrival, her body began to writhe in a grotesque, serpentine fashion. A nauseating transformation slowly overtook her, accompanied by heart-stopping moans that sent shivers down everyone's spines once more. This time, her body elongated and thickened. Her skin cycled from white to red, then to black. When she finally stopped twisting, her body had become a deep, dark purple. The woman had morphed into a cylindrical form, over two meters tall, thick and robust. Only her head remained unchanged; her limbs were gone, replaced by... a serpentine tail.

A gasp of sheer horror escaped the onlookers. It was incomprehensible that a slender woman could instantly become a human-headed serpent monster.

To everyone’s stunned silence, Yuko—now this monstrous form—let out a soft, delicate giggle. She then reared her long serpentine body high, slowly curving the tail forward. "Daoist Master," she addressed Liu, "I am preparing my attack. You had best be cautious."

Liu suddenly roared with cold ferocity: "Hold!" He pointed at Yuko, his face contorted with fury. "You are a Half-Demon. Do you not know that demons are forbidden from warring against humans? You defy the Heavenly Dao, and both the Demonic and Human paths will unite to annihilate you."

Yuko’s face flickered. She retorted, "I am a Half-Demon, but I long ago broke ties with the Demonic Path. Are you familiar with the espers of America and Europe?"

Liu paused, then nodded slowly. "I know. You have not only betrayed the East but the demonic way as well. Are you now a Ronin or a member of the European/American Blood Clan?"

Yuko sneered coldly. "Senior is indeed sharp. What path I follow now is irrelevant. What matters is that I am now American, a member of the American Esper community. I fear no Human Path, Demonic Path, or Heavenly Path. Enough idle chatter. We serve different masters. Senior, be wary, for I am about to strike."

Liu shook his head. "Since you have embraced the Half-Demon form, you should focus on diligent cultivation, free from mortal greed. If you insist on competing with me, I fear you will destroy the cultivation you have worked so hard to attain."

Yuko laughed loudly, her eyes blazing blood-red as she glared fiercely at Liu. "No matter how strong you are, you are merely a practitioner of Daoist arts. Let me show you the might of a Half-Demon." With a twist of her body, her thick, long tail swept towards Liu with a deafening whistle, an overwhelming tempest of speed and power.

The crowd, already confused by the back-and-forth about paths and demons, watched as Yuko, now a giant serpent, lashed out. The sheer demonic force stirred up a powerful gale, causing the skin on their faces to sting as if scraped, even from ten meters away, making it hard to keep their footing. A wave of distress washed over them. Old Scholar Jia, his concern overriding his composure, yelled out to Liu, "Kid Liu, watch out!"

But Liu seemed not to hear Jia’s shout, nor did he seem to notice the colossal tail bearing down on him. He stood perfectly still, unmoving.

The tension in the crowd was agonizing. Jia even drew his whip, bracing to rush forward. Just as the giant tail was about to sweep across Liu’s body, Liu let out a sharp whistle and sprang upward, executing an impossibly close dodge of the blow carrying immense force.

A wave of relief swept over the onlookers. In mid-air, Liu flicked his talisman, which transformed into a blinding white light. Following his gray silhouette, the light shot like a swift sword directly toward the serpent's vital spot—the Qicun.

At this moment, the force of Yuko’s horizontal tail sweep had not fully dissipated, and the resulting wind battered those standing behind Liu, sending them stumbling. However, her massive, thick body brought a grave disadvantage: inflexibility. Seeing the extremely fast attack Liu had calculated and executed, Yuko, her head skewed awkwardly, watched in horror as a grey-white radiance zeroed in on her neck. But all her power was currently concentrated in the tail, and her body simply could not twist in time.

Powerless, Yuko emitted a horrible screech. She managed to turn her head slightly, opened her mouth, and spat a jet of black mist carrying reddish filaments toward Liu.

Liu saw the talisman, now hardened by his Gang Qi into blade-like points, about to pierce the serpent's Qicun. That black mist suddenly flew right into his face. Liu cursed inwardly, executed a flawless "Iron Bridge" maneuver, yet still threw the talisman straight toward the giant serpent's body.

The black mist Yuko spat grazed over Liu's head before dispersing. The red filaments, having lost their momentum, splashed onto the ground. Where they landed on the crystal floor, a sizzling purple vapor immediately rose, and where the smoke cleared, the crystal surface was dotted with spots of corrosion.

In that split second, Liu's talisman pierced the serpent's body. Yuko let out a piercing scream, whipping her body around violently. Her eyes fixed on Liu, who had landed gracefully after securing his strike, looking back with malevolent intent.

Liu shook his head with a hint of regret, then smiled faintly at Yuko. "You should know, Half-Demon, that exposing your true form grants you your greatest demonic power, but it is also your greatest vulnerability, especially as a giant serpent where maneuverability is key. It was fortunate that you chose to expend your vital essence to block me just now; otherwise, if I had struck your Qicun, you might have destroyed all the cultivation you so painstakingly acquired."

Yuko glared at Liu with fierce rage, her eyes seeming ready to devour him, yet a flicker of genuine fear showed through. She was momentarily speechless, unsure how to argue. Her massive serpentine body began to tremble. Due to her sheer size, the others couldn't discern the extent of any injury to her back, but they sensed that perhaps due to the effect of the black mist she spat, Liu’s talisman had not struck her Qicun precisely.

Liu sighed softly. "You are not my match, and now you are injured by my Gang Qi and have also expelled some of your vital essence. Do not persist. Retreat and tend to your wounds."

The human-headed, snake-bodied Yuko shook her enormous bulk with impotent fury, glaring one last time at Liu. At that moment, the bald man standing near James behind her stepped forward with a chuckle. His smile was captivating, revealing a mouthful of brilliant white teeth that contrasted sharply with his dark skin.

He performed a half-bow toward Liu, speaking in astonishingly standard Mandarin. "The Daoist Master's skills are truly formidable. I know that in the mysterious East, in China, there are many miraculous individuals. I confess I am no match for the Daoist Master."

The crowd was left bewildered by the bald man’s honest-seeming smile and humble words. What was this fellow trying to pull?

Liu chuckled softly. "What is it you wish to say?"

The bald man let out another honest chuckle, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, a glint of cunning in his eyes. "I mean to say that while I believe I cannot match the Daoist Master in skill or Daoist arts, I wish to compete in something else."

Liu and the others froze. Fan De Biao suddenly yelled loudly at the bald man, "Go to hell! What kind of trickery are you planning?" Then, turning back to Liu, he urged, "Young Master, don't fall for this bald head's bait. Let's stop the nonsense and just beat these Americans and their running dogs, grab the treasure, and report back to the surface, that's all we need!"

Hearing Fan De Biao, the others voiced their agreement. Those not of our kind must have wicked intentions. These foreigners were clearly here to covet the rare treasures of our great nation and surely harbored no good thoughts.

As the group babbled their opinions, Liu turned back, raised a hand to quiet them, and then smiled at the bald man. "What competition do you propose? I hope you Americans will recognize insurmountable difficulty and withdraw. Our great China has always been a land of propriety. Propose whatever contest you wish. But I hope that once the contest is over, you will promptly leave and cease plotting against China any further. This is the final measure of our tolerance toward you."

Liu's words were powerful and resolute. The bald man and James, standing behind him, couldn't help but change expression. James stepped forward, stood beside the bald man, and signaled him to retreat. After watching the bald man walk back to their side with a look of resignation, James turned, his face grim, and said to Liu, "You are exceedingly arrogant, but you Chinese have an old saying: 'There is always a higher mountain above the mountain.' Let us place a wager. Each side will nominate three people for three rounds: Esper abilities, martial arts, and sorcery. A best-of-three contest. The winner takes the treasure; the loser leaves. What does the Daoist Master think?"

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