Chapter 422: Liu Xia and Huiwu Exchange Blows

Huiwu dragged Liu Xia along for a long time, only stopping once they were far from the battlefield.

The last time he saw Huiwu was during the time Yuanqing was in distress; back then, his entire being was filled with a menacing aura, but looking at him now, he seemed somewhat different, though it was hard to say exactly what was different for the moment.

It was also that very time that Huiwu severely wounded Banxia!

Liu Xia had clearly wounded Huiwu heavily during that battle at Ding'anju, so why did he look perfectly sound of limb now?

Moreover, Huiwu was pulling on the vines of the Huasheng Sword, yet there was no reaction at all; it was truly strange.

Liu Xia was puzzled and looked closely, only then seeing that the hand Huiwu was using to pull the vines was different from his other hand.

This hand was covered in scale-like furrows, with sharp, hook-like talons, and it was overflowing with demonic aura.

This was not a human hand, nor was it a demon's hand; it was...

It was a dragon!

Liu Xia had once read in a book within the Langhuan Pavilion that the dragon claws of the legendary flood dragon looked just like this.

Furthermore, the sturdy armor on Huiwu's body also resembled dragon scales, looking as if he were wearing a suit of dragon skin.

No!

It wasn't just looking like it!

That was dragon skin!

Dragons are not ordinary things; even if it were just a flood dragon, it is not something an average person could handle.

"You betrayed your sect, consort with demons, and slaughter your fellow disciples—do you not feel any shame?"

Although Liu Xia hated Huiwu to the core, he was not so irrational as to be reckless.

Regardless of how Huiwu obtained this dragon armor, judging by the current situation, he was in an unfavorable position.

If he went all out, he might be able to fight, but the odds of victory were unknown.

Besides, there were definitely more enemies behind them; he would need to measure things carefully, and conserving some strength was the long-term strategy.

When faced with indecision, use the stalling tactic; dragging things out would eventually lead to a solution.

This was a method Lingxiang often used; he never expected that one day, he would actually use it himself.

But Huiwu did not give Liu Xia the chance to stall.

Liu Xia only felt a strain on his hand; it was Huiwu pulling on the vines, and although Liu Xia pulled back with force, his body still involuntarily leaned toward Huiwu, leaving two deep tracks under his feet.

He had looked like a rather frail person before; he never expected him to have such great strength.

This could not go on, so Liu Xia hurriedly undid the transformation of the Huasheng Sword.

Huiwu did not give Liu Xia a chance to catch his breath; he leaped up, his feet—talons like blades—kicking toward Liu Xia with a fierce, windless chill.

Liu Xia could not dodge in time and had to raise his sword to block in front of him, taking the kick head-on; his entire body was pushed back a full ten feet, and the webbing between his thumb and index finger throbbed with pain.

But before he could steady himself, he felt a sharp force approaching; looking up, he saw a blade of Qi, wrapped in dust, already right before his eyes.

Liu Xia was startled and hurriedly twisted his body, using his sword to support himself on the ground, spinning and flipping to barely dodge it.

A deep mark was left where he had been standing, as if it had been cleaved by a giant axe.

It was fortunate he had dodged; if he had been hit by that blade of Qi, his life would have ended right there.

Liu Xia steadied his mind and then looked at Huiwu.

He remembered that when he saw Huiwu at Ding'anju, he hadn't been this formidable; looking at him now, his cultivation had clearly improved quite a bit.

After all, three years had passed; no one would just stand still and make no progress, right?

Although there were strong enemies behind them, he had to get past this hurdle first.

Composing his thoughts, Liu Xia decided not to hold back his strength anymore.

With a flick of his fingers, the Huasheng Sword instantly turned into fragments, spinning and flickering around Liu Xia like birds and leaves.

This was what he had used at Ding'anju. Seeing Liu Xia unleash this move, the look in Huiwu's eyes changed instantly, but it wasn't fear; it was...

Excitement...

That's right, Huiwu had been waiting for this move from Liu Xia.

At Ding'anju, Huiwu had lost an arm because of this move; seeing it again now, he was determined to break it.

Liu Xia did not hesitate, hooking his fingers, and the sword blades shot toward Huiwu one by one.

Huiwu smiled at the corner of his mouth; without hesitation, he focused his mind and gathered his Qi, wind rising at his feet, and began to dodge.

It was strange; previously at Ding'anju, although Huiwu was extremely fast, the Huasheng Sword could always keep up, but this time, he was left far behind.

Not only that, Huiwu seemed to be doing it on purpose, constantly dodging around Liu Xia without launching a counterattack.

Liu Xia was suspicious, but he dared not stop his hands, channeling his Spirit Power to manipulate the Huasheng Sword, yet no matter what, he could not catch up to Huiwu even a little.

This footwork and Body Movement had improved by more than just a little compared to three years ago.

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Even if Huiwu's Body Movement was excellent, there would be a time when he would be exhausted; as long as he could be grazed by the Huasheng Sword, he could win.

Now was the time to test endurance against Huiwu; it all depended on whose Spirit Power ran out first.

Over these three years, although Liu Xia had been collecting Banxia's soul, he had not been negligent in his cultivation.

Chengxin Zhenren had once said that Liu Xia's Body Movement was superb, but his Spirit Power was his weakness, so he had been constantly practicing the Inner Elixir Method all these years.

Now, both his Spirit Power and cultivation were much deeper than they had been three years ago.

If it came to a battle of endurance, he might not necessarily be the one to lose.

But clearly, things were not as simple as Liu Xia had thought.

A moment later, perhaps Huiwu had grown tired of it; after dodging a flurry of blade fragments, he stood in place, motionless.

Liu Xia did not know what Huiwu intended, but he did not overthink it; with a turn of two fingers, the fragments flew toward Huiwu.

Just as he was about to succeed, Huiwu let out a roar, and a current of air, wrapped in a terrifying aura, burst forth, knocking all the fragments away.

Perhaps disturbed by this aura, the fragments became like headless flies, colliding with each other and falling to the ground; no matter how Liu Xia channeled his Spirit Power, they could only roll helplessly on the ground.

Liu Xia's brows were tightly locked; once his Spirit Vision was activated, he saw that the Spirit Silk between the blade fragments was like a loom with broken threads, all completely thrown into disarray.

The broken blades of the Huasheng Sword relied entirely on Liu Xia's Spirit Power, controlled through the connection at the hilt.

Yet Huiwu, relying solely on a roar, was actually able to suppress the Spirit Power of the Huasheng Sword.

It seemed that over these three years, Huiwu's cultivation had also improved a great deal, perhaps even surpassing his own.

Liu Xia sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, let out a long breath to adjust his breathing, and then redirected the Spirit Qi throughout his body, manipulating the broken blades once more.

Huiwu had finally gotten his wish and become stronger, but he, Liu Xia, was no pushover either!

As his finger seals changed, Spirit Power flowed like a spring into the hilt, and the Spirit Silk connecting the blade fragments grew somewhat thicker.

Every single broken blade was wrapped in a layer of Spirit Qi, and one could faintly hear the sound of whistling wind.

Everything seemed to have stopped; Liu Xia did not move, and Huiwu also showed no intention of moving, his expression dark and unreadable.

Suddenly, the wind rose, Liu Xia's robes fluttered, he opened his eyes abruptly, performed a backflip to his feet, and once steady, began to dance with his sword.

Ignoring the bladeless hilt, the sets of Sword Technique were as smooth as flowing clouds and moving water, a delight to behold; as his figure turned and twisted, his sleeves fluttered, possessing quite the air of an immortal.

Following Liu Xia's Sword Technique, the broken blades, wrapped in Spirit Qi, danced along with him, like swarms of butterflies vying for beauty, full of vitality yet elusive and confusing.

Yet Huiwu remained unmoved, arms crossed over his chest, standing where he was with an appearance of utter fearlessness.

What was he thinking?

Was there a trap? Why was he so calm?

(End of chapter)