Chapter 160: Falling Short at the Final Hurdle

"An endless sea of blood, with corpses as boats!"

Xibao shouted like a madman, finally unleashing the ultimate technique of the "Bloodstain Saber." Wherever his long saber flew, waves of blood surged to the heavens, enveloping the entire world and making it difficult to breathe. The combat domain felt as though gravity had been doubled, imparting an extreme sense of heaviness that made every step arduous.

"A mountain of corpses with no path, where slaughter is the trail!"

Not stopping there, Xibao did not pause, immediately following up with the second technique. The moment this technique was unleashed, the majority of his vital blood had already overflowed, greedily absorbed by the Bloodstain Saber. The Bloodstain Saber then automatically shot forward with a whoosh, initiating a fiercely intense assault. From this moment on, the Bloodstain Saber broke free from his control, and as a vessel slave, Xibao had stepped onto the final point of no return.

"Destroy all passionate lovers in this mortal world!"

To Lekai's surprise, Xibao roared out the third technique right after. Even Xishan had not managed to unleash this technique, which showed that his realm completely surpassed Xishan's!

The moment the third technique was released, the atmosphere of the entire combat domain instantly changed. What was once bloody and tyrannical now gave rise to a strange, decadent aura. Even more terrifying than bloody cruelty, it was a despairing negative emotion rising from the depths of the heart. The flying elements all over the sky seemed capable of stirring up the inner weaknesses and inner demons buried deep within a person's soul.

Even inhaling the slightest wisps of it would cause anyone to instantly collapse!

"Hold your breath, quickly!" Lekai's expression changed drastically as he shouted urgently. Operating the "Illusion God Art," intense pillars of light abruptly burst forth from his eyes, shattering the dimness before him.

Without needing Lekai's reminder, Li Xiuxiang also knew that things had taken a turn for the worse. The air seemed filled with terrifying toxins.

With the execution of this technique, Xibao's entire body was thoroughly demonized. His full head of dark hair instantly turned grayish-white and whipped about wildly, while his eyes horrifyingly transformed into two blindingly crimson orbs, completely obscuring his pupils. Compared to Xishan gouging out his own eyes, Xibao's state appeared far more powerful and terrifying!

Even his voice had grown hoarse and grating, as if he had aged several decades overnight: "Lekai, you're a dead man."

Lekai said coldly, "Are you even Xibao anymore?"

Xibao burst into laughter, his voice resembling a night owl: "Of course I am! Lekai, you forced me into this. And you too, Li Xiuxiang—disregarding the laws of the empire and committing illegal acts first, so don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Lekai felt a secret shock in his heart. He had not expected Xibao to be this formidable; even after unleashing the third technique, he had not lost his sanity.

Li Xiuxiang shouted sternly, "Xibao, you detestable demonic cultivator, harming the populace and slaughtering the innocent, today we shall act on behalf of heaven and eradicate you, even if it means facing the punishment of the empire!"

"Then you'll have to see if you have the ability to do so!"

Xibao grinned hideously, flinging his hands wide open as if embracing the entire universe, and then brought them together with a fierce clap.

The strange currents filling the sky seemed to be grasped by his hands, abruptly condensing into physical substance and gathering toward the center.

Lekai and Li Xiuxiang's expressions shifted instantly. With the combat domain shrinking like this, the pressure had increased by far more than twofold!

These gray currents were like bacteria penetrating every pore; not only did they invade through breathing, but even the slightest contact with the skin would result in instantaneous infection.

This forced the two of them to divert a massive amount of energy merely to protect themselves, naturally causing their offensive power to drop significantly.

However, Li Xiuxiang's strength was undeniable. Wielding ninety thousand ancas of force, imbued with formidable lightning energy and channeled spiritual Qi, his short sword crackled with popping electrical currents as it danced up and down around him, piercing, drilling, slashing, and hacking with supreme agility.

Li Xiuxiang's combat style brought a refreshing sensation to Lekai. His weapon was no longer a static object fixed in his hand, but something linked to his mind and spirit, acting like an extension of his limbs capable of executing movements ordinary limbs could not, attacking from every conceivable angle. This combat style differed from the "Bloodstain Saber"; it was entirely manipulated by its master, worthy of being called completely arbitrary and effortless.

Although Li Xiuxiang's strength was greatly affected within the Blood Sea combat domain, his short sword's long-range capabilities might have vanished, but its close-quarters combat remained fiercely formidable. He was like a Thousand-Handed Guanyin, flashing back and forth without a single blind spot.

With such assistance, Lekai was naturally completely at ease. Leaving the main offensive to Li Xiuxiang, he utilized his flexible movement technique, keeping his focus locked onto the "Bloodstain Saber" and launching "Phantom Kills" against it from time to time.

Even a formidable entity like the "Bloodstain Saber" had no defense against this supreme divine art of the Immortal Empire. Every time it was struck by Lekai, the "Bloodstain Saber" would shudder violently, causing the entire Blood Sea combat domain to tremble along with it.

Although it was the first time witnessing Li Xiuxiang in action, the cooperation between the two was utterly seamless. For a moment, despite Xibao unleashing the third technique of the Bloodstain Saber, he could do nothing against them.

After the domain shrank, viewed from the outside, one could see red, white, and gray colors entangling on the plaza, flying and crisscrossing continuously as if countless experts were engaged in a fierce battle. This level of combat completely surpassed ordinary understanding, so intense that it was a rare sight even on Lichen Star.

Though merely watching through the giant screen, everyone held their breath and widened their eyes, unwilling to miss a single frame.

Whether it was Xibao's eeriness, Li Xiuxiang's ethereal grace, or Lekai's tenacity and composure, each possessed a distinct style that was unforgettable.

By this point, the battle had reached a stalemate.

Although Xibao relied on the sharpness of the Bloodstain Saber to successfully trap the two within, Li Xiuxiang's short sword attacks and Lekai's bizarre, powerful mental assaults left him with no way to guard against everything, making him suffer immensely.

On the other hand, although the pair worked together flawlessly, inflicting injury on Xibao—who maintained control over the entire situation—proved extremely difficult.

Any unusual movement could not escape his perception, and within his combat domain, his reactions defied common sense. Flashing to and fro, he was not the least bit inferior to Lekai's "Returning Step Technique."

"To think you two would join forces—there's no point in continuing this fight! Lekai, I'll take your life on New Year's Day, you better prepare yourself!"

With a savage grin, Xibao's body shot upward like a lightning bolt straight into midair. At the same time, the strange currents on the ground let out a whistling sound and, like an illusion, instantly vanished into the "Bloodstain Saber." Bolstered by this massive surge of energy, the evil blade swelled drastically, suddenly transforming into a giant saber measuring a zhang in length. Blazing with roaring flames, the fire paradoxically gave off a bone-chilling sense of coldness.

The giant saber slashed downward, and the entire world came to an eerie standstill, as if every living thing in existence had ceased to move save for this single blade. Though visible to the eye, one was utterly incapable of moving an inch.

Witnessing this scene, no matter how detached Li Xiuxiang usually was, his face lost all color. The intense sense of crisis was enough to make one panic.

"Phantom, shatter!"

Lekai felt the exact same crisis. Targeted and locked onto by the evil saber's full-strength attack, anyone below the three-star level would likely find it impossible to break free.

The formidable and unique nature of the "Illusion God Art" manifested itself at this moment. The vortexes spinning rapidly within his eyes allowed his powerful mental force to instantly pierce through the deadlocked illusion. The intense pressure served as the driving force that compelled a breakthrough; at this very moment, Lekai's potential was stimulated once more. In the nick of time, feeling a sudden surge in his heart, he opened his mouth and shouted these words aloud.

Along with these words spewed forth was a mental attack unleashed in a bizarre manner!

The invisible mental force bombarded the giant saber, producing no sound whatsoever. Instead, it strangely adhered to the blade, instantly spreading like bacterial fission, blanketing the entire weapon in a flash and wrapping around the gigantic saber entirely.

Then, at Lekai's shouted command of destruction, the entire blade suddenly decayed as if rotting, shattering into countless flying fragments that danced across the sky.

Li Xiuxiang stared in shock as the massive evil saber, less than a meter from his forehead, suddenly transformed into blood-colored debris that bounced off in all directions, leaving him feeling dazed for a brief moment.

Xibao and the "Bloodstain Saber" had vanished without a trace. Across the entire plaza, the gloom had lifted; apart from the thoroughly devastated ground, not a shred of evidence remained to prove that Xibao had ever existed there.

Lekai's face turned pale as he slumped heavily onto the ground, breathing heavily.

The technique "Phantom, shatter!" he had just executed had consumed his entire reserve of mental energy.

If Xibao had struck just once more, the two of them would have undoubtedly perished. Fortunately, Xibao had already retreated far away.

"Brother Li, thank you for your help. If you hadn't arrived in time, I fear I would have already become a ghost beneath Xibao's blade."

Lekai said with a wry smile.

"Brother Li is too polite. In truth, Xiuxiang should be the one thanking you for saving his life. Demonic cultivators are truly eerie and terrifying, defying all conventional logic. Now that he has escaped, killing him in the future will likely prove extremely difficult."

Li Xiuxiang also wore a wry smile. This incident could hardly be considered a bad thing for him.

Having always sailed smoothly through life, he was considered an undefeated expert among his peers and even among adults. If things continued this way, no matter how good someone's temperament was, they would inevitably breed arrogance and complacency. Yet this time, he had faced life-and-death crises twice in succession, allowing him to reflect more deeply upon himself.

Lekai pondered for a moment. "Now that Xibao's true face has been exposed to the public, surely we can deal with him now?"

"True face? Brother Li is oversimplifying things. Aside from the major families hailing from Lichen Star, ordinary citizens know nothing of demonic cultivators. To sanction a noble, one must possess irrefutable evidence. Do you really think Xibao would leave us any evidence?"

Lekai stared at Li Xiuxiang in shock and cried out, "You mean to say we did all that work for nothing, and I still have to fight him again?"

"I'm afraid so. Eradicating Xibao will likely only come down to that single path." Li Xiuxiang said solemnly, "Though the laws of the empire are like dog shit, when unfolded, they must still be followed."

Lekai mused for a moment. "You mean Xibao can still accuse the two of us regarding tonight's incident?"

Li Xiuxiang laughed. "He certainly has that right, but who would pay him any mind? However, if you wish to participate in the Genius Tournament, you can no longer take private action against him. Otherwise, the headquarters will disqualify you. They certainly don't have the time or mood to care whether Xibao is a demonic cultivator or not."