Chapter 477: Disparity in Strength Leads to Defeat

A roaring burst of water vapor filled the entire Yinxu Hall, shrouding everyone within it.

As the water vapor permeated the air, Long Qi chased after the Longyuan Sword without hesitation and dove straight in; when the water mist dissipated, only a gasp from Adao could be heard.

"Hiss!"

The water mist finally cleared, and Adao hurriedly looked around, just in time to see Long Qi thrusting his sword at the Demon Lord.

The dignified Demon Lord, just...

Was it finished just like that?

If that were truly the case, it would indeed be a cause for universal celebration and joy for all.

But how could it be that simple?

Adao was, after all, still a child and would not overcomplicate things. From his perspective, he saw the Demon Lord hunched over with Long Qi holding the sword opposite him, which led to the mistaken belief that the Demon Lord had been stabbed.

In reality, Mo Zun Boyan had clamped the Longyuan tightly with just two fingers; the tip of the sword was only a paper's thickness away from his chest, yet Long Qi could not advance even half an inch.

Just as Long Qi had struck with his sword, Mo Zun Boyan had sensed something amiss and was forced to channel his Spirit Power to perform a technique.

After all, with a body possessing a Chaos Spiritual Root and profound cultivation, he had blocked the Longyuan Sword with ease; had it been anyone else, they would likely have been run through the chest long ago.

What Mo Zun Boyan had not expected, however, was that this boy before him had seen his cultivation leap by leaps and bounds in the span of a mere cup of tea; had he not been alert, he would have died under that sword strike just now.

Mo Zun Boyan glanced at Lingxiang, who was leaning against the wall not far away, and could not help but feel a sense of unease—what on earth had this little girl done...

It was not just the Demon Lord; even Long Qi was astonished by his own changes.

When he first woke up, he felt full of energy, as if he had set down a thousand-pound burden, his body feeling incomparably light.

After moving with agility, his entire body's energy channels were clearer than ever before, as if shackles that had bound him for a long time had been removed, and his Spirit Power surged continuously like a gushing spring.

The changes in his body left Long Qi somewhat at a loss, so he attempted to execute the fourth form of the Dragon Chant Sword Technique—Dragon Chant One Sword.

But having been influenced by the Hanyu Pill previously and grown accustomed to the limitations of his body, he had not controlled his strength well; only after executing the move did he realize it was a bit excessive, which was why he had hurriedly chased after it.

Having practiced painstakingly with the Old Ancestor for these three years, he had long since mastered his own way of channeling Spirit Power, so how could he have used too much force?

Long Qi clenched and stretched his free hand; it was indeed different from before, and following the Demon Lord's gaze toward Lingxiang, he suddenly understood.

Could it be that Lingxiang had helped him dissolve the Hanyu Pill within his body?

The Old Ancestor always praised Lingxiang for having great wisdom, and sure enough, it seemed that when Lingxiang had him take the Hanyu Pill, she had already foreseen this day.

He had been puzzled before, but now everything was clear.

Only...

Only he had also underestimated the Demon Lord.

He had not expected that the Demon Lord could easily block the Longyuan—which even he had almost failed to control—with just two fingers, which showed his profound power; it seemed he could not be dealt with using ordinary means.

However, since the Demon Lord had blocked this sword, it meant that this strike had posed a threat to him.

If this were three years ago, the Demon Lord would not have held him in such high regard.

After settling his thoughts, Long Qi abruptly withdrew his sword, hopped back a few steps to distance himself from the Demon Lord, then lunged into a crouch, holding his breath and focusing his mind.

The Demon Lord instantly regained his focus and stopped paying attention to Lingxiang.

The boy before him was overflowing with Spirit Qi, and his oppressive aura was enough to chill one's heart; his power also showed signs of further growth, and if this dragged on, it might become a threat.

He must not give him another chance to strike.

No sooner said than done, the Demon Lord flicked his wide sleeves, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished; only the sound of his robes flapping was heard before he was already close to his ear.

Long Qi had been prepared; the moment the Demon Lord appeared, he turned his body and raised the Longyuan to block in front of him. The Demon Lord struck with a finger, hitting the blade of the Longyuan and emitting a hum that left the web of Long Qi's thumb numb, the powerful force compelling him to retreat two steps.

While stabilizing his stance, Long Qi recited an incantation, formed a bolt of thunder-fire in his hand, and as he turned, threw it toward the Demon Lord.

How could mere thunder-fire possibly do anything to the Demon Lord? The Demon Lord merely flicked his robe sleeve and easily brushed it away.

However, when the smoke cleared, Long Qi was nowhere to be seen.

The Demon Lord looked left and right but did not see Long Qi, nor could he detect even a trace of his aura.

To actually conceal his form and hide his aura in an instant—he was truly different from before.

This boy could not be underestimated!

Just as the Demon Lord was concentrating, a murderous aura came from above; looking up, Long Qi's sword tip was already right before his eyes.

It turned out that while the Demon Lord was brushing away the thunder-fire, Long Qi had leaped up to hide on the roof ridge of the hall.

The Demon Lord's pupils suddenly constricted and he bent his waist to dodge, but the sword tip pressed in relentlessly, so the Demon Lord pressed his palms together and caught the blade of the Longyuan Sword with his bare hands.

The body of the Longyuan Sword suddenly turned red-hot, and the blade became incomparably scorching; a sizzling sound came from the Demon Lord's hands, emitting a pungent, burnt smell.

The stinging pain in his hands made the Demon Lord frown; a mere sword was actually able to injure him.

Whether it was his pride at work, or he was feeling annoyed, or perhaps he felt fear, Mo Zun Boyan's eyes sharpened; he twisted his waist forcefully, dodged the sword tip sideways, and then flicked his finger against the Longyuan Sword.

In an instant, sparks flew; Long Qi felt a powerful force that sent him stumbling, and when he stood firm, a cracking sound came from the blade.

Following the sound, he saw that the original cracks on the sword had widened significantly, circle by circle, like a fragile, fractured ice surface; a fissure extended from the cracks, spreading all the way to the tip, as if the blade would split in two with the next strike.

Long Qi felt a panic in his heart; he had checked the cracks on the Longyuan earlier, and they were so tiny as to be almost invisible, so he had not taken them to heart. He never imagined that after enduring just one strike, it would become so fragile.

Steadying himself, Long Qi straightened his back and faced the Demon Lord directly without the slightest fear, though in his heart he was praying incessantly—

Longyuan, oh Longyuan, you must hold on!

The Demon Lord let out a cold snort: "A mere piece of trash, just lingering on."

As soon as the words fell, tiny flashes of light suddenly appeared behind the Demon Lord; before Long Qi could see clearly, streaks of fire snakes suddenly shot out, gushing in from all directions, hissing as they swarmed toward Long Qi.

Long Qi's expression tightened, and he hurriedly twisted and dodged to avoid the fire method that was like a sudden downpour.

However, the fire snakes were far too dense, coming one after another in relentless pursuit; even with Long Qi's agile movements, he gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Just as he dodged one fire method, two more came crashing toward his face; Long Qi was about to use the momentum to retreat, only to realize in shock that there was nowhere left to retreat behind him.

The heat of the flames scorched his face, and Long Qi had nowhere to hide; helpless, he had to raise his sword to block in front of him.

Fearing that the Longyuan would suffer more damage, Long Qi really did not want to use the sword anymore, but there was truly no other way at this moment.

Long Qi poured in his Spirit Power, and the Longyuan instantly erupted with Spirit Qi, acting like a shield to block all the incoming flames.

After a burst of scorching, the Longyuan Sword looked as if it had just been quenched, with sparks spreading across the cracks, truly a spectacular sight.

And at the very moment the flames vanished, the Demon Lord suddenly appeared, striking out with a palm toward Long Qi's face.

This palm strike carried a fierce wind and was full of power; if the Longyuan Sword were to suffer such a blow, it would surely shatter.

But there was no time to dodge!

Long Qi did not hesitate to withdraw the Longyuan Sword, mobilized all his Spirit Power, and raised his palm to meet the attack.

The two palms collided, and a current of air burst forth, blowing Adao over several times; when he stood steady and looked, he saw only Long Qi and the Demon Lord locked in a palm strike.

The two appeared to be locked in a test of strength, but all around them, it was like firecrackers going off, with Spirit Power clashing and bursting, dazzling to the eyes.

However, the disparity in strength was too great, and after a long standoff, Long Qi was ultimately defeated...