"Hmph…" Xing Chen’s hands went numb, the sword he had thrust forward unable to advance another inch.
Yet, what was even more terrifying was that the fist which had knocked his longsword away suddenly swelled again, impossibly smooth and vast, erupting with a blinding flash of light like a cannon shell suddenly firing at close range!
It was externalized Battle Qi! And it exploded right up close!
Bad news! Xing Chen was shocked! He could only instinctively channel the Nine Dragons Body Protection!
Clang! Boom!
This Battle Qi, which had burst forth unexpectedly from the fist, struck Xing Chen’s chest with unadorned force!
Even with the Nine Dragons Body Protection active, Xing Chen was violently thrown back against his will by the sheer momentum of the punch, his insides churning violently, the pain unbearable!
“Boom…” Nia’s sword strike, imbued with the force of a thousand pounds of divine power, was also shaken back by Nick’s blow! Nia himself was forced backward repeatedly by the astonishing recoil!
Xing Chen, thrown back by the punch, had barely landed when he felt two streams of sword energy whistling toward him—Nick’s follow-up attack, giving Xing Chen absolutely no chance to catch his breath.
But Xing Chen’s reaction was just as swift. Almost simultaneously, he channeled his protective aura! His whole body bounced up like a rubber ball the instant he hit the ground, without any pause whatsoever. As he sprang upward, the Dragon Shadow Sword swept out lightly!
Swish-swish! Four bizarre, colorful streaks of light shot out like lightning! Targeting Nick’s vital points from all directions.
The Dragon Shadow technique was originally Xing Chen’s ultimate killing move, and now, with distance re-established, it was the perfect moment to attack!
Nick’s expression shifted slightly. The aggressive sword momentum he’d intended for the chase had to be immediately retracted to defend, sweeping away the four swirling, dancing streaks of sword energy.
Clang-clang-clang! The four Dragon Shadows were struck dead-on by four corresponding sword energies and flung away!
Xing Chen’s strangely swift Dragon Shadow killing move had been effortlessly neutralized.
However, Xing Chen had simultaneously used the opportunity to land back on the ground, stabilizing his footing!
And on the other side, Nia also managed to plant his feet and regain stability!
But both men were deeply shaken!
In just one exchange, Xing Chen and Nia had been simultaneously repelled by one punch and one sword strike from Nick! This revealed the astonishing depth of Nick’s power! He had almost succeeded in hunting them down!
This wasn't solely due to the inherent advantages of his equipment; it also showcased Nick’s rich combat experience!
Yet, Nick was also startled. What shocked him wasn't just Xing Chen’s bizarre Dragon Shadow technique, but even more so, Xing Chen’s miraculous protective Battle Qi.
He knew his Battle Qi had clearly struck Xing Chen’s chest! And it was a surprise attack when Xing Chen was completely unprepared! Even a Golden Warrior of the same rank struck like that would be severely wounded, if not killed. Yet, the current Xing Chen was not only unharmed but also capable of counterattacking!
Not only that, at the instant the Battle Qi hit Xing Chen’s chest, Nick sensed a powerful, scorching rebound force coming from within Xing Chen, easily neutralizing his Battle Qi attack! Such peculiar protective Battle Qi, such swift and divine Battle Qi control skills, were completely unexpected!
But facts were facts; Xing Chen had not only neutralized his moves easily!
After creating distance, Xing Chen immediately launched a fierce counterattack! Almost simultaneously as the four Dragon Shadows were scattered, another four Dragon Shadows shot out rapidly!
However, facing these fierce, incoming four Dragon Shadows, Nick didn't even bother with basic evasion! He merely roared loudly! Light surged across his entire body as his protective Battle Qi instantly detonated!
He charged straight toward Xing Chen!
Boom! Boom! The four Dragon Shadows were violently smashed aside!
The disparity in strength was simply too immense. Facing the astonishingly dense protective Battle Qi and the robust defense of the Thunderous Set, Xing Chen’s Dragon Shadow attacks couldn't even breach the defense!
What was even more terrifying was that the moment he smashed through the Dragon Shadows, Nick’s ghostly figure had already flashed in front of Xing Chen!
The cyan greatsword chopped down fiercely!
Xing Chen’s prideful speed offered him no advantage; Nick’s speed was even faster than his!
This simple, direct overhead chop gave Xing Chen no chance to dodge; he could only raise his sword to parry!
“Tsssk…”
Nick’s overwhelmingly heavy strike finally broke through Xing Chen’s offense, connecting with his longsword! The immense force almost ripped Xing Chen’s sword from his grip! Fortunately, the Dragon Shadow Sword was both tough and possessed astonishing elasticity, which mitigated some of the impact! Combined with Xing Chen using his nimble footwork to retreat opportunistically, he wasn’t instantly killed!
But even so, Xing Chen was left with his Qi Sea roiling from the force of that one strike. And his misfortune didn't end there. Almost as Xing Chen was knocked back, Nick’s greatsword followed through, sending two streams of sword energy chasing after him like inseparable shadows.
This was Nick’s terrifying stamina: not only was his strength prodigious and his speed astonishing, but crucially, once he seized an opportunity, he would unleash a continuous, frantic barrage of relentless combos, giving his opponent no chance to breathe!
This time, Xing Chen couldn’t manage to channel his protective Battle Qi in time! That previous head-on clash had already thrown his breathing into disarray!
He could only desperately twist his body to dodge, moving his vital spots out of the way!
Thwack! Slash!
The sharp, violent sword energy instantly pierced Xing Chen’s left rib, erupting—
“Waaah…” Repeatedly struck, Xing Chen finally couldn't hold back and spewed a mouthful of fresh blood, his internal organs feeling as if they were tearing apart. Then, his entire body slammed heavily onto the ground!
The intense pain almost made Xing Chen pass out!
But the moment he hit the ground, two more sword energies whistled towards him! Severely wounded, Xing Chen could only instinctively roll.
Though clumsy, he managed to evade those two deadly sword energies in a split second, faster than lightning!
Yet, Nick gave him absolutely no chance to recover!
The cyan greatsword swung wildly like a windmill, unleashing countless streams of sword energy that burst forth like continuous machine-gun fire!
Forcing Xing Chen to move like a rolling gourd, constantly tumbling over and over! Only by such precarious means did he manage to dodge the sword energies Nick shot out!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Xing Chen had lost count of how many times he’d skirted the gates of hell! On the other side, Nia was equally tense.
After regaining his footing, he charged toward Nick without regard for his own safety! Unleashing a frenzied offensive!
Sword strikes surged like a tide, completely enveloping Nick!
Facing Nia’s crazed assault, Nick dared not be careless and had to abandon the pursuit of Xing Chen. His sword transformed into a dark current, stabbing towards Nia’s chest and abdomen.
These two thrusts were exquisitely precise. If struck, Nia would certainly not survive!
However, facing Nick’s attack, Nia completely ignored it, gripping his sword with both hands and bringing it down overhead! Although his strength and speed were inferior to Nick’s, at this moment, he held the initiative. Moreover, Nick calculated that even if he managed to pierce Nia completely, he himself would hardly escape that crushing overhead blow!
Left with no choice, he had to pull back his sword mid-thrust and parry!
“Ding!” A sharp metallic sound! Nia’s massive downward strike was easily deflected by Nick!
However, the greatsword Nia wielded, deflected to the side, performed a light, sweeping rotation, using the recoil from the block to shift its momentum from bottom to top!
A move called "Lifting the Moon from Beneath the Sea!" targeting Nick’s lower body!
This change in maneuver was incredibly swift, forcing Nick to take large steps backward!
For a moment, the two fought at blinding speed, seemingly evenly matched!
This made Nick anxious and furious!
Despite possessing strength and speed far surpassing both of them, Xing Chen and Nia’s excellent coordination prevented Nick from gaining any significant advantage; at least, he hadn't managed to eliminate either of them yet.
But now, he was losing patience! No matter what, he had to take one of them out, lest the night drag on and complications arise.
However, Nia seemed to have seen through Nick’s thoughts long ago! When he saw Xing Chen forced into a desperate situation, he abandoned caution completely! He even gave up all defense!
Every move, every technique was a one-way street, a mutually destructive attack! This was the only solution Nia could currently conceive.
Even at the cost of his own life, as long as he heavily wounded Nick, this decisive battle would be considered a victory!
All of this happened in the span of a blink!
Nia’s desperate attack finally allowed Xing Chen to break free from the pursuit of Nick’s sword energy!
It also gave Xing Chen the chance to regulate his breath!
It was time to use the final trump card!