Tang Bai Li

Chapter 201 Borrowing the Sword

In Ai Yan's eyes, there was undisguised ferocity, as green and demonic as a beast's. He hunched his body and slammed his thick, yellow-furred, bone-knuckled palm towards Xu Mu.

"Leave quickly, leave it to me."

Xu Mu glanced back at Nangong, took a deep breath, then clenched his fist and met Ai Yan head-on. As they clashed, their power was terrifying, shaking the space into ripples of white clouds.

On the surface, it seemed an even match, but in reality, Xu Mu had gained complete dominance. He deliberately did not blast Ai Yan away, but controlled him firmly in close combat, his immense strength breaking the limbs of this royal court genius, and shattering over a dozen ribs into four or five pieces.

"So weak."

Xu Mu shook his head. Channeling all his strength, he grabbed Ai Yan's head with one hand and his foot with the other, folding him into a ball. Then, with a kick infused with star power, he sent the latter hurtling out of the clouds and plummeting towards the Divine State below.

"Ai Yan!!!"

The elder from the royal court cried out in alarm, his eyes splitting with rage. He was about to rush down to rescue him, but Agudamu stopped him with a hand.

"No need." Agudamu's expression was calm, his eyes fixed on Xu Mu with a hint of apprehension. "His strength has exceeded my expectations, but if it's only this, Ai Yan wouldn't lose."

"The power of Changzheng lies in its ability to grant the user the most resilient physique and fighting spirit. The more arduous and difficult the task, the more it will stimulate the user's potential. By attacking Ai Yan like this, Mu Xu will only be the one to suffer."

Listening to Agudamu's words, the royal court elder hesitantly withdrew his hand, his gaze fixed intently on the sky below, anticipating a miracle.

Meanwhile, the cultivators from the Hundred Clans' territory had already accepted victory and were preparing to mock, but unexpectedly, in the next second, Ai Yan flew back up from below.

He still exuded the wild aura of the nomadic horsemen, unique to the grassland people, but this time it was even more powerful, so powerful that Xu Mu's blood energy could not suppress it. They exchanged a punch, and the result was an equal match.

"Boom boom boom boom!!!"

The brilliance of the stars merged into his flesh, and the Sacred Glazed Heart beat frantically, driving Xu Mu's iron fists to swing hundreds, even thousands, of times in the blink of an eye. Each blow carried the power to shake mountains, and all these fists landed on Ai Yan's fists.

Thus, despite the terrifying enhancement Ai Yan gained through his special ability, he was still gradually suppressed by Xu Mu. Finally, his limbs were torn off, and Xu Mu pinned him down, subjecting him to the erosion of the Will of the Great Dao of Death.

Ai Yan's face was pressed into the ground, his internal organs crushed. The Changzheng special ability gathered countless essences, attempting to repair his body, and his aura gradually ascended, but it was suppressed by Xu Mu's Will of Death, preventing any recovery.

"You're really hard to kill."

Xu Mu's face was flushed red, all his strength exerted on suppressing Ai Yan's arms. Ai Yan's bones were all broken by him, even his internal organs were shattered. Except for his heart and dantian, there was no part of him that was not severely injured.

Logically, he should have died long ago.

Even if he hadn't died, Ai Yan should have had no ability to resist, but that was not the case. Even with his mangled body, Ai Yan still had the capacity to resist. His wild aura continued to rise, even beginning to invade Xu Mu's body, resisting even his Dao Origin and starlight.

"—Ah!!!"

Ai Yan roared with a contorted face, breaking free from Xu Mu's grip. The protection of the Changzheng heroic spirit restored his body instantly, and his strength surged once more.

Xu Mu's expression was grave. Facing Ai Yan's subsequent tempestuous assault, he also unleashed his full power. Tai Chi style, Bagua Zhang, Arhat Fist—combining hardness and softness, he deflected all of Ai Yan's offensive maneuvers.

However, at this point, Ai Yan's strength had reached a level where he could suppress Xu Mu. The two fought fiercely, leaving a string of sonic booms in the space, lasting for the duration of an incense stick.

"They're both so strong!"

The cultivators in the arena were all amazed. Both Xu Mu and Ai Yan had displayed strength far surpassing the battle between Nangong Huaitian and Xuanyuan Shennian.

Ai Yan, in particular, grew stronger as the battle progressed. In terms of aura pressure alone, he had perhaps already reached the peak of the third stage, and Xu Mu was no match for him. Yet, he was still able to entangle with him, relying on his rich combat experience, making it a fierce and drawn-out fight.

"Bang!"

With another clash, Xu Mu and Ai Yan exchanged blows. Xu Mu was sent flying back fifteen steps, while Ai Yan only flew back five.

Seeing this, Agudamu breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "I must say, this Mu Xu's strength is far greater than Nangong's, but even so, he cannot defeat Ai Yan."

Hearing this, Heavenly Daoist Priest felt a surge of anger and was about to retort, but he forcefully suppressed it, fearing that the other party might be right.

Thus, he cast a rare glance at the Wine Immortal nearby, knowing that Mu Xu was acquainted with him. This glance was an inquiry for the latter's opinion.

"Can Mu Xu win?"

"Impossible to lose."

The Wine Immortal gave Heavenly Daoist Priest a very certain answer. Though half-believing, the priest could only feign an indifferent expression and scoff, "Don't think that just because you have a short-term advantage, you can win the match.

"Just as Mu Xu said earlier, he and the Saintess were only letting your royal court's geniuses win, not wanting them to lose too miserably. And yet, you are so unappreciative."

Agudamu let out a scoff upon hearing this, "You're still talking tough even now. Aren't you afraid of being slapped in the face when the results are out?"

"—Bang!"

Before Heavenly Daoist Priest could reply, in the space, Xu Mu was struck on the right shoulder by Ai Yan's elbow. The bone immediately caved in. But immediately, he used the momentum to clamp Ai Yan's head between his legs, intending to twist his neck, but unfortunately, he was shaken off.

Seeing this, Agudamu laughed again, "See? Ai Yan is a natural warrior. With the enhancement of Changzheng, no one can suppress him forever."

Staring at the steadily rising aura of the royal court youth, Heavenly Daoist Priest narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "We'll know the outcome when we see it."

"Very well." Agudamu smiled confidently and said no more, his gaze focused intently on the battle.

Xu Mu's combat strength was formidable. Even if he was not as strong as Ai Yan, he possessed enough power to command Agudamu's respect and make him remember him carefully. He wanted to observe every aspect of the latter, his special abilities and movements, and see how he would give up struggling and eventually be defeated by Ai Yan.

However, as the battle intensified, Agudamu did not see what he had hoped to see.

What he saw was only a Xu Mu with exquisite boxing, whistling palm strikes, mysterious movements that redirected force, and absolute refusal to show any weakness even when at a disadvantage, and an Ai Yan who was forced into trading blows.

Although both of them sustained new wounds, Ai Yan's strength had escalated to this point, yet he could not overwhelm Xu Mu. Instead, he was constantly restrained by him, which made Agudamu's expression very grim.

But fortunately, it was good that he could win.

Agudamu snorted coldly. Although Xu Mu's close-quarters combat was strong, it was only up to this point. Because Ai Yan had the enhancement of Changzheng, his physical recovery speed was exaggerated to the point of being monstrous. Xu Mu trading blows was the most unwise choice, and he would soon fall into despair.

But soon, Agudamu realized he was wrong, because he discovered that Xu Mu was not despairing, but becoming increasingly frenzied.

He was covered in blood, soaking his robes, engaging in close-quarters combat with Ai Yan at any cost, like a madman. But no matter how severe the injuries, he would not fall, just like Ai Yan under the enhancement of the Changzheng heroic spirit.

But how could Xu Mu possess Changzheng?

Agudamu couldn't understand, but he knew he was wrong. Xu Mu's strength could absolutely overwhelm Nangong, and both he and Ai Yan had underestimated the latter, believing him to be merely a defeated opponent of Nangong.

In reality, he was the third person, after the previous Nangong Saint Son and Ji Chang, who could push Ai Yan's Changzheng special ability to its limit.

Ai Yan had now reached the critical point, his aura no longer ascending, his body drenched in blood.

He still had not managed to defeat Xu Mu.

They exchanged another blow, both sent flying backward, landing on the clouds. Then they both stood up again and charged at each other, like two desiccated corpses fighting, unaware of pain or fatigue, astonishing all under heaven.

Thus, after an unknown duration, they stopped with incredible tacit understanding, standing forty paces apart, facing each other in silence.

Two figures, covered in blood, gazed at each other with mutual disgust.

Ai Yan looked at Xu Mu, his eyes struggling, but in the end, he relented. A javelin reappeared in his hand, and an aura of vast desolation instantly materialized in the space.

"It's that spear!"

Agudamu was shocked. Ai Yan had actually brought out his most treasured weapon. This spear contained Ai Yan's lifeblood and totem, and thus could also be enhanced by the Changzheng special ability.

It could be said that this javelin was Ai Yan's ultimate trump card. When the Changzheng special ability reached its peak, he could use this spear to transcend the limit once more and launch a killing blow.

Now that he had taken out this spear and aimed it at Xu Mu, it meant that Xu Mu had indeed pushed him to the brink of desperation.

"A true monster," Agudamu murmured, his expression grave as he looked at Xu Mu. The latter's strength earned his admiration, for Ai Yan was the most talented hunter in their royal court in nearly a thousand years. Xu Mu being able to push Ai Yan to this extent was perhaps unprecedented.

But fortunately, Xu Mu was about to die.

—This was, of course, Agudamu's assumption.

But as Ai Yan hurled the javelin from his hand, the assumption seemed poised to become reality, for facing such a spear, Agudamu couldn't imagine what Xu Mu could use to block it.

He couldn't possibly use his fists, could he?

"What should I use..."

Xu Mu's eyes were weary. He forced himself to stay alert and opened his spatial ring, then reached out and grasped the hilt of his hunting knife from a distance, but hesitated to draw it.

He wanted to conceal his identity for as long as possible, for once exposed, he would face endless pursuit.

But if not the knife, then the bow?

Xu Mu shook his head. Although he had used the Goblin Bow, it was within the Jade Pond Immortal Realm, separated by space from the real world.

If he were to use the Goblin Bow here, he feared that the behemoths of the cultivation world would see through him.

Xu Mu began to feel agitated.

This couldn't be used, that couldn't be used. So what should he use?

"Use a sword."

At the critical moment, a dark golden sword light arrived in an instant. The hilt precisely settled into Xu Mu's fingers.

This was the Sword of Spoken Dao.

He knew Xu Mu had no weapon, so he lent Xu Mu his sword.

Now, Xu Mu could kill Ai Yan.