I was considerably astonished inwardly, yet the trials of the preceding six gates had already significantly sharpened my strength, especially my command over speed, which had increased manifold.
The strange Dou Qi within my body was swiftly channeled into both arms!
The Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger was lightly guided, imparting a yielding force as it brushed against the wildly sweeping blade edge!
Simultaneously, both feet executed a sharp, mid-air step!
Clang! Boom!
The instant the blade and dagger met, a fierce shockwave assaulted me, shaking me uncontrollably into flight; however, I had already used this very powerful impetus to propel myself into the air!
Following this, I unleashed the 'White Crane Spreads Its Wings' maneuver, driving downward with my feet, sending the Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger like a meteor, piercing toward the Dark Minotaur King's crown!
This move not only evaded the Dark Minotaur's attack but, seizing the moment when its technique was fully committed, infiltrated its overhead vulnerability—truly ingenious!
"Roar!" The Dark Minotaur King let loose another immense bellow!
Its reaction was equally swift!
With a massive stride, its powerful physique retreated like lightning!
It instantly dodged my incredibly fast thrust; moreover, as it pulled back, the colossal Guan Dao swept towards me, churning up layers of air currents!
A rapid succession of changes in maneuver, utterly seamless, without the slightest pause! The gleaming blade light and surging Dou Qi advanced upon me like a violent storm, like the surging waves of the Yangtze River!
Missing its mark, I was instead cast into peril, deprived of even the slightest chance to dodge or shift!
With no other recourse, I forced myself to draw a breath, activating the strange Dou Qi within my body to weave a shield of energy around myself!
The Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger, now infused with profound Dou Qi energy, swept out in a crescent arc to meet the blow directly before my chest!
Clang! Boom!
Amidst the dull roar, I actually took the Dark Minotaur King's instantaneous slash head-on!
I felt as if my entire body had been blown apart!
A tearing pain, piercing to the bone, suddenly ripped through me!
The turbulent Dou Qi energy within my body surged and churned like a volcano on the verge of eruption!
What was worse!
This heavy, powerful strike had knocked me flying uncontrollably toward the great hall's wall!
The gap in power was simply too vast. In just one exchange, I had suffered a major loss!
Had it not been for the defensive power of the Nine Dragons Body Protection, I would surely have been cleaved in half by that blow!
Damn it, this is outright cheating! Speed, power, defense—it far surpasses mine. How am I supposed to fight this thing! There isn't even a sliver of a chance to win!
However, the behemoth before me offered no more time for complaints!
"Roar!"
Another thunderous roar!
The blurry afterimage of the Dark Minotaur King reappeared above me, ghost-like, seemingly out of thin air!
The snow-white Guan Dao was raised high above its head, then brought down with savage force!
The piercing blade aura seemed powerful enough to tear the very fabric of space itself!
"Ah!"
This move again! It was exactly like the Dark Woma Patriarch's lightning-fast assault, giving me absolutely no opportunity to land! Even more terrifying than that incredible speed was the Minotaur King's ridiculously overwhelming power! I absolutely cannot be hit, or death will be certain!
But after the battle with the Dark Woma Patriarch, I had already devised a method to counter high-speed attacks!
My thoughts flashed, and the Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger darted toward the ground like lightning!
Ding! A sharp, crisp sound!
Utilizing the rebound force transmitted from the dagger striking the ground!
My retreating body changed direction almost impossibly, shifting five meters sideways with divine skill!
Clang! Boom!
This immensely powerful slash missed again! But it pulverized the bluestone floor near the corner of the hall into dust, scattering outwards and carving a wide, deep pit.
My goodness! The sheer destructive force of this single strike was terrifying, just like the Dark Yellow Springs Patriarch's sledgehammer! One hit, and several lives wouldn't be enough!
Yet, the instincts forged through countless battles allowed me, the moment I evaded, to seize the opening left by the Dark Minotaur King's failed attack!
Almost exactly as the Guan Dao struck the ground in vain!
I calmed the surging, tumultuous Dou Qi within my body!
At the same time, I channeled it once more into the Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger in my hand!
Then, I lunged swiftly toward the Dark Minotaur King, thrusting directly at its face!
When it comes to speed, I am not slow either; after clearing those six gates, I clearly feel my own speed has escalated rapidly. While not as abnormal as the Dark Woma Patriarch, it's not far off!
Good heavens, Dark Minotaur King!
It didn't even blink!
Its massive head dipped sharply! The two horns on its head, like a pair of long spears, merely flicked out!
Clang! A crisp sound—the massive bull horns deflected my Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger with supernatural skill!
Accompanying this was a furious roar! The powerful sound wave actually shook my focus, nearly throwing me back! My originally continuous offensive sequence experienced a momentary, slight hesitation!
In that brief instant, the Dark Minotaur King’s Guan Dao swung violently—it was the 'Sweep Across a Thousand Armies'—slashing across my waist!
The sequence of changes in maneuver was incredibly fast! Damn it, it can do that too! You win! These horns aren't just for show! One miscalculation instantly plunged me into danger!
I could only lean back and tumble!
Whoosh! The sweeping Guan Dao missed its target!
However, before I could even roll up to my feet!
The sweeping Guan Dao, having missed, suddenly flipped, unleashing a curtain of blade energy twenty meters long! Changing from a sweep to a downward chop, it struck like lightning!
My God! Does this monster's Dou Qi have no limit! And its speed is ridiculously fast! It gives me absolutely no chance to catch my breath!
Instinctively, both legs pushed off! I sprang away, like a spring compressed to its limit, skimming the ground and flying far into the distance!
Clang! Boom!
This downward chop again blasted a large pit into the ground! Crushed stone sprayed everywhere, Dou Qi surged! The entire hall rumbled as if it were about to collapse! It's even more terrifying than the berserk Dark Yellow Springs Patriarch!
What was even more astonishing was its combat technique and strategic awareness, far exceeding the norm! It seemed to have anticipated my counter-maneuver, as the Minotaur King advanced swiftly, blade raised, like a meteor chasing the moon, the moment its chop went wide!
The Guan Dao was raised overhead again, condensing into a great blade of Dou Qi!
This brute gives me no moment to breathe! Its tactic is the same one the Dark Woma Patriarch used against me back then! Once it gains the advantage, it launches a relentless barrage! I absolutely cannot let it close the distance! Otherwise, the next moment will surely be my doom! Especially given the Dark Minotaur King's terrifying speed and destructive power capable of crushing everything—even my Nine Dragons Body Protection couldn't withstand it!
My thoughts raced! The Dou Qi energy within my body instantly flooded into the Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger!
Swish! Clang!
A resonant crash! 'Ten Thousand Li Soul Chaser' shot out like a cannonball, instantly colliding with the rapidly approaching afterimage!
"Roar!"
As if taken by surprise by this move, the Dark Minotaur King let out a hasty, fierce roar; the Guan Dao, held high, violently slashed out a dense wave of golden blade energy, colliding head-on with the incoming 'Ten Thousand Li Soul Chaser'!
Clang! Boom!
With a massive explosion, the two streams of Dou Qi energy instantly burst into a dazzling ball of light! The Dark Minotaur King’s powerful body was involuntarily forced back several steps! And the Guan Dao, due to this violent impact, was actually knocked high into the air! Exposing the vital weak spot on its chest!
Good heavens! This strange Dou Qi inside me, once unleashed, has formidable power! Even the Dark Minotaur King can't gain an advantage when facing it head-on!
This realization invigorated me; it seemed I wasn't entirely without a chance!
Seizing this rare opening, I hurled the Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger in my hand like a throwing knife! Simultaneously, I quickly rose and reached for the space pouch on my back, drawing out another dagger! No matter what, I must seize this rare opportunity!
The thrown dagger was condensed with a large amount of Dou Qi energy, and I threw it with immense force—its power easily measured in thousands of jin! I was confident it could pierce the Dark Minotaur King's armor! However, I knew clearly that this single move wouldn't be enough to kill it! To kill it, I would need that move—the one that could freeze time and space! But I also knew that move could not be used carelessly; it required the perfect moment!
The thrown dagger instantly struck its chest! The opening was wide, and it was completely off-balance, incapable of defending itself!
Yet, the Dark Minotaur King suddenly leaned backward! A swift, small backward flip, its body brushing the ground! As it leaned back, its thick legs struck the unexpected Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger like lightning! Not only that, but the struck dagger actually reversed direction, flying back toward me like a lightning bolt!
"Ah!" It was a textbook 'Dead Rabbit Kicks the Eagle'! And the timing and angle were judged flawlessly!
I was greatly alarmed! I quickly sidestepped! Instantly evading the dagger flying back at me! The golden afterimage whistled past my cheek, trailing a blast of scorching air, before it violently slammed into the wall behind me!
This was followed by a heaven-shaking boom and a downpour of wildly scattering debris!
My heavens! I didn't expect the Dou Qi energy contained within the dagger I threw to be so astonishing! And the Dark Minotaur King’s somber, blood-red eyes showed a flicker of horror. It seemed it, too, was startled!
But it was only for that single instant!
The Dark Minotaur King immediately adjusted its posture! Then it roared like thunder! Its massive body appeared before me out of nowhere, as if teleporting! The gleaming Guan Dao slashed wildly forth!
"Ah!" This move was identical to Luo Yan's 'Tiger Roar Soaring Sky'! I didn't even have time to evade! The suffocating blade light was already descending upon my head! It was a simple slash, yet it seemed to encompass the entire sky, containing everything between heaven and earth, brewing an endless killing intent! What kind of swordsmanship is this? It seems utterly unavoidable, utterly unblockable. I can't dodge it, I can't block it!
Damn it, I’ll risk it all! If I don't use that move now, I might never get another chance!
At this moment, I no longer dared to hold back! The strange Dou Qi within my body was instantly pushed to its strongest limit under the control techniques of the Kaioken!
The wondrous sensation returned! Heaven and earth, even the entire space, ceased to exist; all that remained was a fiercely burning great fire, and that singular, bright, hazy blade light! The flow of everything in the entire space inexplicably stopped, as if frozen! Everything became incredibly clear, incredibly slow! That downward-cleaving blade was so clear, so slow! Likewise, the fire, which had gathered and was ready to erupt in my hands, was also frozen and slowed! Even having tried my utmost, I still couldn't increase its speed by even a fraction!
But it was a blessing that this ball of flame managed to skirt around the bright blade light and violently crash into that hazy figure!
"Boom..."
A dull roar, scorching air currents—as if I were at the epicenter of an explosion! My whole body was uncontrollably thrown up! Clang! Then I smashed hard onto the ground!
When I regained my senses! The only things visible before me were swirling fragments, and the Guan Dao, spinning upward before lodging straight into the ground!
Although I had anticipated it! I was still stunned by the scene! Holy cow! This move is too powerful! It actually instantly killed the Dark Minotaur King!
I stared blankly at the Three-Pronged Water-Splitting Dagger in my hand, somewhat dazed. It's simply invincible! Although it was only for a brief moment, I truly couldn't imagine who could defeat me in that state!
A moment of invincibility!