Though Jin Qing was aware of this fact, he found himself powerless to turn the situation around. In a direct confrontation, he was at a disadvantage, neither able to match Wu Yuan’s speed nor find a way to escape. However, he refused to give in without a fight.
“Keep chasing me if you want. Let’s see who gives up first!” Jin Qing bellowed, his movements as swift as the wind. His tactic was to hit and run, evading a head-on strike with Wu Yuan.
“Hmph!” Wu Yuan’s eyes remained cold, his mind unaffected. He maintained a high level of concentration, closely monitoring Jin Qing’s every move to prevent him from making a break for it. Killing Jin Qing swiftly? Wu Yuan had attempted it, but it proved to be impossible.
With a force of a million catties, even a regular second-grade divine weapon or third-grade divine weapon can inflict severe damage on a Grandmaster expert if the impact is concentrated on a single point. I could kill one in two or three strikes.
Even without spirit battle armor, it would take hundreds of exchanges to determine a victor, with neither of them managing to disarm the other. In terms of skill, they were evenly matched. In terms of strength, Wu Yuan won by a hair. Overall, the disparity in power between them was marginal.
Moreover, the impact of their blows first passed through their weapons before being transmitted to the battle armor. And as long as the attack landed within the defensive scope of the spirit battle armor, even in vulnerable areas like the head, neck, and groin, the majority of the force would be absorbed by the armor. The remaining force was designed to be dispersed throughout the armor, rendering the actual damage inflicted on the body inconsequential.
In other words, a Grandmaster equipped in spirit battle armor was practically unkillable in combat against opponents of similar strength.
If I were a full-fledged qi refiner, I could employ arcane arts to tie him down, then unleash a barrage of attacks to annihilate him. If I were a powerful body refiner, capable of unleashing millions of catties of force in a single blow, I could smash him to pieces in one punch!
Spirit battle armor wasn’t without limits. If the threshold of its force absorption capacity was exceeded, the armor wouldn’t be able to mitigate the excess impact, inevitably leading to grave injuries for the wearer. If the force was powerful enough, the spirit battle armor might even shatter.
Unfortunately, though I received heavenly endowed eldritch tattoos, they remain dormant until I reach my human potential. I haven’t even taken the first step on the path of the eldritch warrior. Wu Yuan sighed.
For now, he was still just a mortal martial artist.
…
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Both experts alternated between battling and running. Jin Qing would suddenly halt and change direction abruptly, attempting to shake Wu Yuan off. But Wu Yuan, with his unwavering focus, would promptly adapt and quickly resume chasing.
Damn it! There’s not a single river or jungle in this Fourth Eldritch Realm. Jin Qing gritted his teeth.
If there were a river he could dive into, both he and his pursuer would be impeded by the currents of the water, and he could prolong the fight. Or if the terrain were more intricate, he could hope to elude Wu Yuan despite his slower speed. But the Fourth Eldritch Realm offered nothing of the sort, with only sandy desert in sight.
Charge! Jin Qing, fueled by reckless abandon, leaped into the gaping canyon before him. It was a dark abyss, stretching for what seemed like an eternity. As for the potential danger? He had no time to dwell on such matters.
Wu Yuan followed suit without a second thought. A cacophony of rumbles and dull explosions could be heard from the canyon as they plunged into its depths. The ground quaked, mirroring the intensity of the battle unfolding.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere in the inner region near the Redsoil Mountain Range, a man in black armor reclined atop a hill.
It’s already day four, yet I’ve barely gained anything. All that time in the Eldritch Chamber, and only a Redwood Spirit Fruit and a Purplewood Spirit Fruit to show for it. Yue Shanzhong shook his head in disappointment. The Redwood Spirit Fruit was of little value to him.
Over the past few days, Yue Shanzhong had not actively searched for Jin Qing. Grouping up with him promised safety, but it also raised the issue of sharing the spoils.
In the midst of his contemplation, the earth beneath him trembled ever so slightly. As a Great Grandmaster, Yue Shanzhong possessed keen senses and instantly realized that something was amiss. Bending down, he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
At that moment, two figures emerged from a fissured chasm just a few hundred meters away. One black and one yellow figure burst out from the heart of the earth, accompanied by a storm of shattered rocks and sand. Several large chunks of pulverized demonic beasts flew out of the canyon, blood and gore painting the ground red.
Boom! Boom! The two figures clashed once more upon landing, obliterating everything in their vicinity.
This! Yue Shanzhong’s eyes widened with disbelief. That must be Jin Qing, and the one wielding the flaming red saber is Shadow Blade. He’s completely overwhelming Jin Qing? Impossible! How could Shadow Blade’s power have escalated so rapidly?
He had always acknowledged Jin Qing’s strength and secretly harbored a tinge of envy towards the man.
With this level of speed and power, Shadow Blade must be on the brink of entering the Heavenly Rankings. Yue Shanzhong felt incredulous.
This massive improvement had taken place in just two short days.
Not good. They may not have noticed me yet, but once they realize I’m nearby and I get dragged into their battle… The thought of being caught in the crossfire compelled Yue Shanzhong to beat an immediate retreat.
Whoosh! With a swift motion, he glided across the ground, disappearing into another crevice.
…
“Shadow Blade, you’ve been chasing me for over eight hours. Are you still unwilling to give up?” Jin Qing bellowed with unbridled fury, his composure beginning to crack.
For eight whole hours, he had fled for his life, venturing into the treacherous depths of a dark canyon and encountering a horde of redsoil assassins along the way. In the end, their fierce clash had obliterated not only the majority of the redsoil assassins but also a great number of Redwood Spirit Fruits and the demonic beasts guarding them.
Whenever Jin Qing blocked Wu Yuan’s attacks, his speed slowed as well. In the end, he failed to shake off Wu Yuan despite his best efforts. If one were to calculate the total distance the two had traveled since the beginning of the fight, one would get a staggering 6000 li, equivalent to crossing the full length of the Fourth Eldritch Realm several times.
“I’ve told you before, Jin Qing. Escape is futile. You may be able to hold on for eight hours. But what about 16 hours, or 40 hours? I don’t believe your stamina will last forever.” Wu Yuan’s killing intent knew no bounds.
After such an arduous and prolonged fight, weariness was starting to take its toll on his body, despite his greater strength and the aid of the blood-red mist. Hence, he was convinced that Jin Qing was nearing his breaking point, and was determined to finish him off.
Argh!! Jin Qing, on the other hand, was growing increasingly frustrated and desperate. If this was the world outside, he would have various methods to deal with the situation, even if he couldn’t shake off Wu Yuan. For instance, he could flee to Great Jin toward the residence of the Heavenly Rankers.
Or, he could charge into the Cloudstride Sect’s headquarters, holding the lives of the disciples on Cloudhill hostage.
Unfortunately, this was the Fourth Eldritch Realm. Even if he planned to threaten Wu Yuan with Bu Yu’s life, he had no idea where to begin searching for her.
It wasn’t easy for me to achieve a breakthrough. I’ll be a qi refiner soon, I can’t afford to die here! Jin Qing’s mind raced as he considered his options.
Survive! I must survive! He repeated to himself.
…
As time ticked on, the total distance covered by Wu Yuan and Jin Qing now increased to over 10,000 li, their paths twisting and turning countless times within the Fourth Eldritch Realm.
The clash of blades between the two combatants reverberated through the realm, drawing the attention of the other treasure hunters like Song Guang, Li Yan, and Song Jun from far and wide.
“In just two days, Shadow Blade has grown this strong?”
“Spirit Battle Armor! I’ve never seen this particular suit before.”
“It must have been obtained from the Eldritch Chamber.”
“Shadow Blade must have reaped a bountiful harvest from the Eldritch Chamber. Given his talent, the rewards he received must be unimaginable.”
Fueled by curiosity, Song Guang and Li Yan chose to trail the battling duo as they crossed paths once again. Over the course of the sixteen-hour chase, Wu Yuan found himself utterly spent, while Jin Qing teetered on the brink of collapse.
“Jin Qing’s agility is waning.”
“Shadow Blade’s strength is still at its peak!”
“They’ve gone back into the canyons.”
Song Guang and Li Yan, positioned twenty li away from the combatants, watched the battle in awe. Never before had they witnessed a battle of this level: two quasi-Heavenly Rankers equipped with spirit battle armor, locked in a life-or-death fight.
As a tremor coursed through the earth, Li Yan and Song Guang slowly inched back, not daring to draw too close to the battle. Even Song Guang, who possessed his own set of spirit battle armor, was taken aback by the sheer intensity of the clash.
Finally, the chaos began to subside, replaced by an eerie silence that stretched across the realm.
“It has grown quiet.”
“Did they venture deeper into the canyon?”
Boom! An earthy yellow figure soared into the sky, interrupting Li Yan and Song Guang’s thoughts. It was none other than Wu Yuan, brandishing a fiery red saber in one hand. In the other, he held a lifeless body clad in black armor.
Bam! The body crashed heavily onto the ground as Wu Yuan released his grip. The motionless body lay like a discarded dog amidst the debris-laden landscape, devoid of any signs of life.
Witnessing this scene, Song Guang and Li Yan were left speechless, realizing that the horrifying battle had reached its final act.
Wu Yuan emerged victorious. Jin Qing was dead!
…
The sight of Jin Qing’s lifeless body struck Song Guang and Li Yan like a thunderclap. They had always believed that equipping spirit battle armor equated to being unkillable. Yet, today, a quasi-Heavenly Ranker wearing spirit battle armor had met his demise! It was not a death by superior technique, but by sheer brutal force.
“This Shadow Blade is too terrifying!”
“Quasi-Heavenly Ranker…”
“On average, only one Heavenly Ranker is born every few decades among the thirteen continents of the Middle Land. The experts of Great Jin will lose their minds when they learn of this.”
“With his power, Shadow Blade is destined to become a Heavenly Ranker soon,” Song Guang and Li Yan whispered to each other.