Chapter 159: Bloody Battle on the Long Street III

Although the battle domain amplified his power, facing Li Xiuxiang's fully charged strike, Xi Bao could not help but change his expression. He let out a muffled groan and staggered back several steps, a stream of fresh blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. Before it even hit the ground, however, it was absorbed by his saber.

Staring at mid-air with eyes full of terror, a look of even more intense ferocity grew in Xi Bao's eyes. In his highly tense state, he failed to notice that his vital essence was flowing out at an accelerated rate, being greedily devoured by the Blood-Trace Saber in his hand.

The brilliant beam of light had been deflected high into the air, revealing itself to be a short sword roughly two feet long, across whose surface crackled and spread countless strands of tiny lightning.

At this moment, Li Xiuxiang's slender figure descended from the air. With a gentle tip of his toe, he redirected the lightning-engulfed short sword, sending it plunging down once more. The pearlescent lightning seemed to tear the blood-red world apart in a dazzling and mesmerizing display.

"To think it's the lightning attribute! He truly lives up to his reputation as a genius among geniuses. Such an ability is rare even among billions." Although injured, Yue Kai was in no serious condition. Witnessing Li Xiuxiang's display of power, he could not help but voice his admiration.

Beyond the traditional and common five elemental origins of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, there existed countless bizarre energies between heaven and earth. For instance, the realm of extraordinary physical might... the Battle Wolf Empire! The giant empire that terrified the universe with its dark forces, and the Gemini Empire famous throughout the world for its thunder and lightning...

The physical strength of the Battle Wolf Empire was revered as "battle power," which could also be considered a rather primitive form of energy; only by detonating it could its divine might be unleashed. The people of this empire were born with immense strength yet rarely possessed elemental attributes. Yue Kai had thought himself a unique exception, but to his surprise, Li Xiuxiang was one as well.

At this moment, Li Xiuxiang had no idea that this fierce battle was being broadcast globally by the little butler, Xianxian; otherwise, he would never have exposed his trump card right from the start.

Lightning power was said to be the embodiment of divine punishment—a force supposedly created by heavenly deities to chastise disobedient mortals. Majestic and domineering, it was naturally the ultimate weapon for offense, possessing not only terrifying speed and immense power but also the unique ability to deter evil spirits and petty demons.

The Blood Sea battle domain was undoubtedly such an evil existence. Under the attack of the short sword, even the powerful battle domain trembled violently, seeming on the verge of collapse at any second.

Swish!

The lightning pierced through the air, plunging once more toward the crown of Xi Bao's head, leaving him no time to attack Yue Kai.

"Li Xiuxiang, have you forgotten the laws of the Empire? Besieging a noble is a capital offense."

Xi Bao roared in fury. The Blood-Trace Saber in his hand seemed like an extension of his arm, moving with unbelievable speed to deflect the short sword once more, though he was forced to take another step back, his face turning pale. He finally understood the feeling Yue Kai had experienced earlier: being battered by sheer force from someone stronger than oneself was an indescribably agonizing sensation, which only further fueled the ferocity in his heart.

The Blood-Trace Saber worked by establishing a mental link with its master, deliberately guiding the weapon-slave to amplify their negative emotions until it completely devoured their original consciousness, turning them into a "monster" that only knew how to kill. A completely berserk sacrificial offering was the only way to maximize the life potential of a weapon-slave. This method was undoubtedly extremely evil and terrifying. Unaware that they were weapon-slaves in the first place, they were utterly powerless to resist such temptation, ultimately stepping into an abyss of eternal damnation where even their souls were devoured.

Yue Kai's eyes were flooded with spiritual power. Although everything remained crystal clear amidst the sea of blood, the sight of Xi Bao's eyes turning entirely blood-red and fresh blood gushing from his wrists like a bizarre stream sent a chill through him. Not a single drop was wasted; it was entirely consumed by the Blood-Trace Saber. Yue Kai felt a surge of horror—this was precisely the script of Xiishan's destruction repeating itself!

Spiritual power spread outward like a tidal wave, instantly blanketing a three-kilometer radius, yet he found nothing. This result caused Yue Kai's heart to sink to the absolute bottom. It meant that the mastermind was not nearby at all. To be able to remotely control the Blood-Trace Saber from such a distance—the strength of this person was likely far greater than he had imagined.

Yet, if this person possessed such formidable strength, wouldn't it be effortless to eliminate them? Why go to such elaborate lengths?

Just as Yue Kai's thoughts raced, Li Xiuxiang descended like a god of war; formidable yet tinged with a scholarly grace. With two fingers pressed together like a sword, he gave a casual, light flick, and the short sword seemed guided by an invisible thread, changing direction rapidly at his gesture and launching a storm of attacks upon Xi Bao.

Xi Bao brandished the Blood-Trace Saber, weaving a dense, impenetrable web of blades. Within his own battle domain, every subtle change was under his perception; this level of attack was still not enough to injure him.

"Brother Yue, are you alright?"

Li Xiuxiang ignored Xi Bao entirely and instead called out to Yue Kai.

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Li, I am well. But Brother Li must be extremely cautious; this is the battle domain of an evil cultivator. Landing rashly like this is very dangerous." Yue Kai's voice betrayed no abnormality, but he spoke only after Li Xiuxiang had touched the ground.

The moment Li Xiuxiang stepped into the Blood Sea battle domain, he experienced firsthand the terrifying nature of the domain. He had not meticulously cultivated the "Illusionary God Art" as Yue Kai had. Although his spiritual power was not weak either, facing the various suppressive forces of the "Blood Sea Domain," his strength was instantly reduced to its lowest point. The boundless sea of blood felt like a true Asura hell, delivering an incomparably shocking impact to someone encountering it for the first time.

Li Xiuxiang suddenly froze, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him accompanied by a strong urge to vomit. At that exact moment, his connection with the short sword was severed, and it dropped to the ground with a clatter.

"To dare step into the Blood Sea domain—truly courting death! Prepare to die!"

Xi Bao was ecstatic, his spirits soaring. With a flash, the Blood-Trace Saber lunged forward howling like a little demon that had spotted a feast, unable to contain its eagerness.

Blade lights flickered as the tip of the Blood-Trace Saber quivered, instantly unleashing eighteen ultra-high-frequency strikes that covered virtually all of Li Xiuxiang's vital points. Had he been hit, even if he survived, he would surely have been severely injured and left entirely incapacitated.

However, in his euphoric state, he seemed to have forgotten the presence of another person.

At this critical juncture, Yue Kai activated his "Returning Step Footwork," lunging forward ahead of time to yank Li Xiuxiang away. At the same time, channeling his spiritual power into his eyes, he roared fiercely at Li Xiuxiang, "Brother Li, guard your true heart! Do not let yourself be deceived by illusions!"

This shout, infused with Yue Kai's spiritual power, exploded directly inside Li Xiuxiang's mind like a clap of thunder, instantly dispersing all the gloom. Li Xiuxiang snapped out of it as if waking from a nightmare, his face etched with terror. Before his eyes lay a crimson expanse, with countless blade edges enveloping both him and Yue Kai like swarms of clawing demons eager to devour everything.

"Evil cultivation is truly formidable! I lowered my guard for a moment just now. Fortunately, Brother Li was here; otherwise, Xiuxiang would have been in grave danger!"

Realizing the situation, Li Xiuxiang felt a lingering fear. Although his willpower had been tempered to an extraordinary degree of resilience, how could anyone remain unmoved in the face of death?

Those who do not respect life are simply unworthy of living!

A martial artist dared to risk their life, but they treasured it all the more!

Foam flecked the corners of Yue Kai's mouth, yet his face remained utterly serene, as if he were standing upon a picturesque mountain peak rather than a bloody hell. Li Xiuxiang felt deeply inferior in the face of such equanimity.

Though Li Xiuxiang had momentarily lost his composure, he was, after all, a super expert at the first-star "Great Accomplishment" realm, a full tier higher than Xi Bao. With Yue Kai's assistance, he instantly re-anchored his spirit, erecting an impenetrable defense of spiritual energy. The howling winds and bloody rains outside could no longer affect him. Although this measure required a massive expenditure of spiritual power and would significantly reduce his combat effectiveness, lacking the "Illusionary God Art," he had no other choice.

Even with his strength somewhat diminished, he was still a formidable asset. In particular, the short sword he controlled was unfathomably mysterious, its offensive strikes leaving no trace whatsoever. However, this sword attack apparently also required spiritual power, leaving him with no choice but to temporarily abandon it.

Li Xiuxiang grabbed the short sword, his figure soaring into the air. As he brandished it, True Qi surged wildly, and the white sword light tore visible gasps through the Blood Sea domain like a genuine flash of lightning.

"Ahhh! I'll slaughter you all! Damn Yue Kai! Damn Li Xiuxiang! Damn humans!"

Xi Bao's voice echoed across the entire Azure Star through the giant screens, leaving every viewer utterly horrified. The scene before them was far too shocking; anyone with half a brain could see that something was terribly wrong with Xi Bao. In particular, the frequent close-ups of his eyes on the big screen made people's hearts pound with inexplicable dread.

Blood-red eyes and monstrous murderous intent—these were simply not features a normal human should possess!

Unaware that he was trapped in a doomed situation, Xi Bao roared frantically, channeling his vital essence into the Blood-Trace Saber as if it were worthless. Receiving such a delicacy, the evil blade trembled with excitement, further fueling the berserk fury within Xi Bao's heart.

Yet no matter how powerful he became, he could no longer inflict effective damage on the two men. Yue Kai's "Returning Step Footwork," paired with his own spiritual attacks, would deliver a vicious blow to the "Blood-Trace Saber" whenever an opening arose. Li Xiuxiang was no weakling either; although the Blood Sea battle domain restricted his most powerful techniques, wielding the short sword and relying on lightning's innate suppression of evil entities posed a tremendous threat to Xi Bao. Neither Yue Kai nor Li Xiuxiang's attacks were ones Xi Bao dared to meet with his physical body alone. This forced him into a state of frantic multi-tasking where he stumbled from one crisis to the next.

For the first time, Yue Kai experienced the benefits of having a teammate. Not only was Li Xiuxiang's cultivation talent monstrous, but his combat aptitude was equally astonishing. Once he adapted to the environment, his true methods began to unfold. Although his attacks carried a scholarly grace and seemed ethereal, only the person on the receiving end knew how terrifying they were. Those seemingly casual strikes carried a horrifying force of at least ninety thousand anks—to brush against them meant certain death, and to be touched meant instant annihilation!

Enraged though he was, under the coordinated assault of the two combat geniuses, Xi Bao's disadvantage remained glaringly obvious. In less than the time it took to burn half an incense stick, he was pinned down by Li Xiuxiang and severely injured multiple times by Yue Kai's "Illusionary Shadow Kill." Because the Blood-Trace Saber shared a mental link with him, suffering spiritual attacks meant he suffered just as much, a feeling even more aggravating than being slashed directly by a blade.