"This is..."
Xiao Tianyi's expression suddenly changed, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. His body stiffened, unable to move, and in that instant, he felt a sense of danger.
Xiaodouding, as the Saintess of Wan Duo Kū, was particularly adept at witchcraft, especially in the realm of 'jincu' - literally 'jing bug' magic. The number of jincu bug types cultivated here runs into the hundreds, yet it is this specific strain of jincu known as 'yingjing jincu' that has rendered Xiao Tianyi unable to move. This is achieved by attaching itself to an individual's shadow and controlling their movements, thus giving the caster total mastery over their victim through the power of shadow manipulation.
The shadow bug has a strong controlling power, but Xiao Tianyi is no ordinary person. Now, he has awakened the strength of his previous life as Ye Liangchen, a master swordsman, and his natural strength has also reached the second level. Facing the shadow bug, he still has enough power to fight back.
Xiao Tianyi gritted his teeth and allowed all of his spiritual energy to flow through his entire body, unleashing a terrifying afterglow. He was slowly regaining control of his body and making it clear to the shadow bug that he was not to be trifled with.
Who is the true owner of this body?
"Never."
Xiaodouding gritted her teeth and all around her, the jincu bugs lurking concealed their presence, ready to pounce on Xiao Tianyi. The bugs of varying colors and types surged towards him like a tidal wave.
A cold glimmer appeared, followed by a streak of swordsmanship that shot straight up into the sky, spanning over dozens of miles. In an instant, it cut down the majority of the oncoming jincu bugs, pushing back Xiaodouding's attack.
"I said, your tricks are merely trifling."
Xiao Tianyi swept his longsword, summoning a few sword auras behind him, cutting down all the shadow bugs. Then he raised an eyebrow and charged Xiaodouding with his sword drawn.
Fu Bo, seeing this, extended his hands from his sleeves and struck out with a pair of palms once more.
Kuo Shan Zong is famous for its martial arts. Over thousands of years ago, the ancestors of Kuo Shan Zong defeated their enemies with a single hand, opening the Heaven and Earth Fist. In a flash of lightning, the reputation of Kuo Shan Zong has gradually declined over the centuries.
But within these three hundred years, a single man emerged from the heavens to pick up the grand reputation of Kuo Shan Zong; and that mighty reputation, which echoed throughout the Nine States, namely the "Mountain Shoulder Fist" and "Open Heaven Palm" of Kuo Shan Zong, also made a grand return to the world and spread throughout all nine states.
The one who picked up the grand reputation of Kuo Shan Zong is none other than the current Fu Bo. With a single "Open Heaven Palm," he caused the mountains and forests to tremble, and the heavens to collapse and the earth to split. Two palm prints, as if destroying heaven and earth, were slammed down on Xiao Tianyi, sending him staggering back dozens of meters.
At the same time, he also wielded a sword.
"Fu Bo"
Upon seeing this, Xiao Douding, who had barely escaped the attack moments before, quickly regained her composure and issued a reminder.
Fu Bo confidently smiled, "Don't worry, everything is under control."
With that, Fu Bo's hands danced, transforming his palms into fists. His robes fluttered in the wind, and as he struck out with that punch, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted in the space without warning. Following this, a punch seemed capable of shattering the heavens was unleashed, shattering Xiao Tianyi's sword aura and smashing towards his chest with fierce force.
"With Fu Bo's assistance, we're in a stable position this time... As my brother said, we can't let him have any chance of surviving... I'll do as he instructed..."
Xiao Douding happily spoke, turning to look at Fu Bo beside her, but the rest of her words were swallowed back into her mouth.
Chen Mo's expression flickered, sensing the looming danger, he hurriedly approached to see that two deep footprints had appeared under Fu Bo's feet. The ground beneath him shattered, and a concave palm print had emerged on his chest.
Suddenly, Fu Bo felt a sharp pain in his chest, spewing out a mouthful of blood mist. His eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, and he unwillingly gazed ahead.
"Master, something is wrong."
Fu Bo struggled to utter a sentence, his right hand covering the concave punch mark on his chest, panting heavily and displaying a vigilant expression.
"It's enchantment."
Chen Mo immediately recognized the situation and spoke with a serious expression.
The expert in witchcraft and insect control, Xiaodouding, also immediately noticed something was amiss, "It's different from Miao Feiyu's enchantment..."
"That's right, their enchantments are different, each with their own merits... Xiaodouding, don't confront him directly. Aid me from the side."
As Chen Mo picked up a stone, he threw it towards the enemy before they could react, sending it flying accurately towards their chest.
Normally, with just the fourth-level power of Xiao Tianyi, it would be hard for him to withstand Chen Mo's attack. However, with Le Yuchi's second-level strength, facing such an assault, he easily blocked it off with a light slash of his sword.
Xiaodouding, seeing this, said outright, "Let me handle it."
As she spoke, Xiaodouding's small satchel opened again, and a swarm of black mist billowed out. Then, a variety of colored butterflies rose up around her, swirling around her like a whirlpool.
"Go"
Xiaodouding pointed with her finger, and the butterflies that were fluttering like petals flew towards Xiao Tianyi.
"Unable to withstand a single hit."
Xiao Tianyi snorted coldly, raised his sword to strike, but once again found his body immobile. Straining his neck, he turned around just in time to see an image bug attach itself to the shadow behind him.
"Good opportunity."
Chen Mo immediately reached into his space ring and grabbed a dagger, throwing it towards Xiao Tianyi.
"Although it's just an image bug, it also dares to restrain me? Have you forgotten the failure of your previous attack? Haha, you seem to only remember eating and not the pain.
Xiao Tianyi sneered with a cold laugh, stubbornly channeling his spiritual energy to counter the shadow bug. The previous group of several shadow bugs had only managed to hold him for a moment, but with only one now, it should be even easier to deal with.
However, after his previous movement, a swarm of butterflies that danced like petals surrounded him, encircling him without attacking, leaving him in a stalemate once again.
"Only a shadow bug can hold you back?"
Xiaodouding laughed as she spat out a sentence, watching the dark shadow approach. Her red lips curved into a smile, "You're going to lose."
Crack
The dart pierced through his body, passing through Xiao Tianyi's abdomen, and blood gushed out, staining the entire ground.
But before Xiaodouding could feel too joyful, she saw that Xiao Tianyi's abdominal wound quickly healed in the next instant, with the blood receding...
Xiaodouding was surprised, but she heard a cry of pain behind her, it was Chen Mo's voice.
Chen Mo covered his abdomen, where a wound identical to Xiao Tianyi's appeared, bleeding uncontrollably.
"This... how could that be..."
Chen Mo's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at Xiao Tianyi with an expression of disbelief. The latter's face had a sneer.
"Don't you realize yet that you've already said it yourself. I'm only fourth-level, and enchantments can trace the direction of your spiritual energy. You're using brute force and can kill me at will, but what if I reach third-level? Then what?"
"It can also trace the source according to the target of the attack."
Chen Mo seemed to have suddenly realized something, muttering in a low voice, "You... you've already reached the third level?"
"No. After being injured by you last time, my enchantment had a breakthrough and just reached the third level."
Xiao Tianyi laughed haughtily, "So, next, it's your turn to die."
As he spoke, the sky above became dark and stormy, with rumbling thunder. A bolt of lightning suddenly appeared above Chen Mo's head.
"No one is allowed to harm my brother."
Seeing Chen Mo injured so severely, Xiaodouding's heart filled with anger. Her small hand swept through the air, sending a swarm of colorful butterflies flying towards Xiao Tianyi with a determination to perish together with him.
In the next moment, Xiaodouding's entire body was covered in ragged, torn clothes, and numerous wounds appeared on her. The bloodstained clothes added a few red touches to her appearance, but she looked sicker than ever.
"Haha, do you really think that with my third-level strength, I can only trace the source of the attack back to the target? Butterflies may be the targets of attack, but they are also being imbued with your spiritual energy... "
Xiao Tianyi laughed triumphantly, his gaze on the collapsing Xiaodouding, who looked like a withered flower or broken willow, without a trace of compassion. With one hand holding his sword horizontally, he took step after step towards Chen Mo.
"Chen Mo, you have repeatedly ruined my good fortune. It's time for a conclusion today."
