The sword light flashed, splitting the air with a thunderous roar.
In an instant, Zhao Xuhe's head was taken off by the sword light. However, before the head could hit the ground, his body suddenly exploded, turning into a field of bones.
"I wonder which fellow disciple is waiting for me here?"
After the bones shattered, a stream of Yin Qi flew out and eventually reformed into Zhao a hundred meters away, with a few traces of panic still lingering on his face.
However, before he could finish his words, the sword light followed him like a shadow.
Swoosh——!
The next second, Zhao Xuhe's head soared into the sky again, yet it once again turned into a sky full of bones. The Yin Qi retreated another hundred meters, revealing his figure.
"I...."
Rumble!
"You...."
Crack!
"Enough!"
Dozens of sword lights filled the space. After killing Zhao more than ten times, Zhao Xuhe finally managed to grasp a fleeting moment to dodge all the sword lights.
With a wave of his large sleeves, a blood-colored smoke instantly billowed out, protecting his entire body in the center. He then swallowed several Qi Pills to restore his injuries and Qi before focusing on his surroundings.
"Lü Yang, it's you!"
Zhao Xuhe immediately discerned that the sword light, which had killed him more than ten times, was the Supreme Heaven Sword Mastery, instantly revealing Lü Yang's identity.
Yet, even so, he was still indescribably shocked.
Because he deeply experienced the power of that sword light, something that couldn't be achieved at the Early-phase of Qi Refining. In just a few days, Lü Yang had already reached the Mid-phase of Qi Refining.
"This person definitely has got a windfall!"
Thinking of this, Zhao Xuhe forced down his anger, a thrill of secret delight rising in his chest. "Well, well… today really is my lucky day. I'll be taking his fortune."
Outside the Maze array, Lü Yang appeared solemn.
"This is really troublesome...."
He had thought his strikes ruthless enough, yet Zhao Xuhe still managed to cling to life, surviving blow after blow.
'He even recognized my identity.'
However, he was still concealed within the Maze array, controlling his flying sword from a distance, and his chances of victory remained higher.
At the same time, Zhao also noticed the existence of the Maze array. Although it was just a simple trapping array, he could easily break it given a little time. However, with Lü Yang's presence and his Qi only at fifty percent of its peak, it wasn't something he could deal with immediately.
Thinking of this, Zhao eyes turned, and he suddenly spoke:
"Brother Lü, honestly speaking, we have no enmity between us....."
"Go!"
Lü Yang wouldn't waste his time talking with Zhao, giving him the chance to recover. He immediately formed the Sword Technique and continued his attack.
"Tsk! You had your chance to play nice."
Seeing this, Zhao Xuhe's eyes grew cold, and he gave up on dragging out time, instead making a Daoist hand seal and summoning a Golden Iron Seal into the air.
This item, the Primordial Magnet Metal Seal, possessed the power to draw in all metallic objects, making it especially effective against flying swords. It was Zhao Xuhe's hidden trump card, reserved for the future war against the disciples of the Celestial Sword Pavilion. Yet now, he had no choice but to bring it out early—to counter Lü Yang's sword light.
"Fix!"
Zhao Xuhe activated the Seal, accurately capturing a sword light as it slashed towards him. With a single seal, the sword light was instantly subdued, unable to move or escape.
Lü Yang's expression remained calm upon seeing this.
He was still in peak, while Zhao Xuhe was in a low point. This kind of Qi-consuming tug-of-war instead worked in his favor, so he wasn't worried at all.
"My biggest advantage now is hiding in the array. Zhao can't locate my position, so even if he has a way to turn the tables, as long as I don't show myself, it won't be of any use. Just keep wearing him down, and I'll surely be the one to win."
So Lü Yang decided firmly, I won't reveal myself.
"Flying Sword? Forget it!"
"Anyway, you won't be able to refine my Flying Sword in a short time. Instead, you'll have to consume Qi to suppress it, which suits me just fine. Let's see how long you can hold out!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Lü Yang stood outside the array, a stream of pervading White Qi floating from his crown to form a giant Qi Handprint several feet wide, pressing into the array.
Zhao Xuhe's face immediately turned dark when he saw this, knowing that his plan had been seen through by Lü Yang.
"Bastard!"
Zhao Xuhe couldn't help but curse. Both of them were at the Mid-phase of Qi Refining, yet Lü Yang was so cautious, which gave him no chance to caught Lü off guard.
He still had the strength to fight to the death, but even if he managed to kill Lü Yang, he would be unlikely to survive himself. After finally securing a rare opportunity, Zhao Xuhe could not accept such an outcome.
As he watched his Qi getting drained more and more, Zhao Xuhe could no longer endure it, and shouted: ".....Brother Lü, do you know what I've obtained on this Panlong Island? A Third-Grade Foundation Method! If Brother Lü stops now, I will share the Method with you!"
"Third-Grade Foundation Method?"
Outside the array, Lü Yang abruptly stood up upon hearing this, True Qi Ninth Grade Thirty-Six Stages, no way to Foundation Establishment below Seventh Grade, no Golden Core below Third Grade.
And now, Zhao Xuhe had unexpectedly offered a method that could cultivate Third-Grade True Qi, with potential to reach the Golden Core in the future!
What a great opportunity!
"No, wait...."
Lü Yang took a deep breath, forcing down the surge of greed before it could take hold. He sat back down, coldly analyzing the situation.
This man is dangling benefits just to draw me out. The moment I step outside, I'll fall into his hands.
"Brother Lü," Zhao Xuhe called from within the Maze array, still trying to bargain. "Can we reach an agreement?"
A voice suddenly echoed from all directions:
"Idiot. If I kill you, the technique is mine anyway."
"Brother Lü, you misunderstand." Zhao Xuhe chuckled, shaking his head. "Opportunities are determined by fate. This Third-Grade Foundation Method is a chance I earned over three lifetimes of painstaking cultivation. It is not tied to you. Even if you kill me, the technique will leave on its own—you still won't obtain it."
"What?"
Lü Yang froze, his expression flickering.
A cultivation method tied to fate itself… something that would fly away even if forcibly seized?
But in the next heartbeat, his eyes narrowed, and he sneered.
"If that's true, then why should I negotiate with you at all?"
Zhao Xuhe hurriedly explained:
"You originally have nothing to do with this technique. But if I willingly share it, 'unrelated' becomes 'related'. That is the difference."
"Fine…"
Lü Yang fell silent for a moment, then spoke:
"Write the technique down for me, and I'll let you out."
"Agreed."
Zhao opened a jade box, revealing two Daoist scrolls.
"The first, Ninefold Dragon Metamorphosis, is a Qi-Refining technique that cultivates the 'True Dragon Fiend', making one a dominant force at the same level. The second, Imperial Dragonrise Scroll, is a Foundation Establishment method capable of forming the 'Imperial Dragonrise' Dao Foundation, granting a real hope of reaching the Golden Core Stage."
But then Zhao Xuhe's expression shifted.
"However, Brother Lü, I am injured and low on Qi. If I give you both scrolls now, what if you turn on me afterward?"
"That's simple."
Lü Yang replied smoothly:
"You give me the Imperial Dragonrise Scroll first and keep Ninefold Dragon Metamorphosis. I'm only at Qi Refining—no matter how good a Foundation technique is, I can't cultivate it yet. You'll have nothing to worry about. Once you're out, you can hand over the other scroll."
Zhao Xuhe hesitated, then nodded. It sounded reasonable.
"Deal."
He handed over the Imperial Dragonrise Scroll. Lü Yang did not show himself, instead using a technique to draw the scroll out of the air. Zhao Xuhe could only sigh silently and surrender the technique.
Lü Yang scanned the scroll and committed every word to memory. Then, a grin spread across his face.
"Farewell."
In the next instant, Lü Yang drove his Qi into his dantian and activated the Life-taking Spell—detonating himself on the spot.
Boom!
When the dust finally settled, Zhao Xuhe stood alone, staring blankly where the scroll had turned to ashes.
Gone…?
Suicide was one thing.
But waiting until after receiving the method before self-destructing?
He hadn't even had time to read it himself!
"Lü Yang…"
Zhao Xuhe stood in the wind, expression slowly twisting as he whispered the name.
"Bastard!"