Chapter 173: Besiege

Chapter 173: Besiege

Li Pin's expression was ice cold.

With his senses hyper-attuned to the surroundings, he instantly tracked the sword’s trajectory as it shot through the air toward him.

As the sword cut through the air, it was accompanied by an ear-piercing whoosh. Just as it was about to pierce through Li Pin’s back, Li Pin swiftly spun around. The Lingfeng Sword moved like a streak of light, meeting the incoming blade with a powerful thrust.

Clang!

Metal clashed! Sparks flew!

The sword trembled violently from being parried by the Lingfeng Sword and was flung aside.

However... Zhao Sha’s weapon was a heavy sword, weighing over thirty pounds. The sword's gravitational potential energy and force reverberated through the collision and shook Li Pin, causing his charge to falter slightly.

Just then, a startled cry pierced the sky. "Watch out!"

Almost as soon as Li Pin turned to deflect the killing blade, the Orc Warrior, gripping its battle ax, sprang into action. With a low and sudden roar, the Orc Warrior hurled its massive, table-sized battle ax with all its might, sending it hurtling toward the nearest target—Li Pin. The ax carried with it a suffocating, foul wind as it flew.

Its sheer size, the stench it carried, and the overwhelming killing intent of a high-tier ferocious beast were enough to make every cell in the body tremble in fear....

Li Pin's expression became rigidly focused. In an instant, he entered the special state once again.

The trajectory of the incoming giant ax became crystal clear before his eyes, and then...

It slowed! It slowed and slowed until countless escape methods flashed through his mind.

However... with Zhao Sha's precisely timed sword strike, which caused him to lose his balance, coupled with the terrifying explosive force with which the Orc Warrior threw its ax, any action he took would result in injury.

Unless...

"Infinite!"

Li Pin considered the risks of entering the Great Sun Infinite transcendent state—it could leave his Vitality, Qi, and Spirit drained for days. However, at that moment, a figure that had been keeping pace beside him suddenly burst forward with incredible speed.

Su Feiyu!

She had clearly unleashed some sort of secret technique. Additionally, her proficiency in body techniques, much like Qi Feng's, allowed her to accelerate and overtake him. With a forceful thrust, she drove her sword directly into the enormous ax approaching with tremendous force.

Clang!

Sparks flew! Shockwaves erupted!

When the sword and ax met, a sound akin to a sharp spike piercing everyone's eardrums erupted.

Su Feiyu's full-speed strike, executed with unparalleled precision, had hit the side of the battle ax.

Just this exchange was enough testament to her position as a seeded candidate that the Taibai Kingdom had meticulously nurtured. The Kingdom had high hopes for her to secure a top-three position in the upcoming World's Top Martial Competition, and she certainly did not disappoint.

However... no matter how exquisite swordsmanship was, it became futile in the face of overwhelming power. Although Su Feiyu's sword had accurately intercepted the massive ax nearing her, the sheer force it carried in it, capable of crushing everything, broke her short sword on the spot.

That terrifying, violent power even engulfed her entire body, forcefully hurling her through the air. The explosive shockwave shredded the sleeve of her sword-wielding arm to smithereens. It was similar to how a frail human would fare when trying to intercept a speeding car in a foolish attempt to knock it off its course—it was nothing short of brutal!

However, Su Feiyu’s efforts weren’t entirely in vain. The massive ax she intercepted with precision was slightly deflected. Though the change in angle was minimal, Li Pin, with his keen senses, captured it precisely.

As Li Pin shifted sideways, the massive, spinning ax narrowly grazed past him with its suffocating wind pressure. The violent wind above even swept him off his feet, tearing a large hole in the front of his garment. Yet, Li Pin let himself be swept up by the violent wind. With a twist of his body and a series of agile movements, he quickly regained his balance.

A heavy sound reverberated as a violent shockwave surged through Poison Fang. The Quasi-Martial Saint, who had faced countless life-and-death battles, saw himself become horrified.

Realizing that the best outcome for him was to be thrown back and incapacitated by the force of Li Pin's attack, Poison Fang's eyes flashed with a fierce resolve. He knew he had to act before the explosive force could fully spread through his body.

He quickly withdrew the dagger that had fallen into the empty space, gathered his remaining strength, and aimed it viciously toward Li Pin's head.

"Die!"

In this narrow encounter, where both sides risked everything, Poison Fang was willing to trade injury for death. Even if his chest were shattered, he was determined to drag Li Pin down with him.

Crack!

Bones shattered.

Poison Fang's chest caved in as several ribs broke under the impact. It was as if he had been struck by a speeding car, violently thrown back, and crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Simultaneously, the dagger he had fiercely thrust downward nearly pierced through Li Pin's head. However, the force of the collision had already flung Poison Fang away, causing the dagger to slice just past Li Pin's head, taking a few strands of black hair with it.

This was the essence of a duel between martial artists. Life and death hung by a thread.

A single advantage could turn the tide of battle.

Li Pin's gaze didn’t waver. As Poison Fang was sent flying, he advanced swiftly, switching the sword to his left hand. The muscles in his left arm tensed, and with a surge of boiling qi and blood coursing through his arm, he unleashed a stunning crescent slash.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

An ear-piercing wave of sound erupted as Li Pin's arcing slash clashed directly with Zhao Sha's descending short sword.

The Quasi-Martial Saint had appeared to be heading straight for Su Feiyu to kill her, but their real target had always been one person, Li Pin.

Killing Su Feiyu was merely a tactic to force Li Pin into combat with the three of them. Su Feiyu was already severely injured, so killing her was a matter of time. But Li Pin...

If Li Pin chose to flee instead of facing them, he could rat on them to the committee. Given their brutality toward other contestants, at best they’d be disqualified; at worst, they’d face even death.

Therefore, Li Pin and Su Feiyu had to die.

The flying sparks and Li Pin's icy expression created a stark contrast.

His expression remained unchanged. After blocking Zhao Sha's attack with a single sword strike, his right hand moved with lightning speed.

Fast! Extremely fast!

This speed even surpassed the Emei Twin Dagger Green Bird launched simultaneously.

His hand was almost brushing against the Emei Twin Dagger as he precisely cut into her arm. Leveraging his longer reach, his fingers spread wide and clamped down hard on her wrist.

Crack!

As soon as his fingers dug into Green Bird's wrist, they seemed to turn into steel pincers, instantly shattering the bones in her wrist.

Despite being a Quasi-Martial Saint who had experienced countless battles, Green Bird's face turned pale from the intense pain, and a flash of fear appeared in her eyes.

1. Emei is a famous mountain in Sichuan Province in China, and one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China, using it in this context refers to a Chinese martial art which originates from that region. ☜