"Clang~ Bang~ Crackle~ Clang~"
Having experienced the draining of blood earlier, Ye Feng maintained a distance from the Sphinx, engaging in combat with his three-meter-long mecha katana.
"Whoosh~ Clang!"
"Crack~ Clang~ Crackle!"
"Clang! Bang~ Clang! Clang!"
...
"What?"
After a burst of flames, Ye Feng cried out in surprise, sent flying by a punch from the Sphinx. He crashed onto a stone slab, shattering it instantly.
He was astonished!
Ever since the Sphinx's mecha began emitting red light, its speed and agility had drastically increased. Ye Feng felt as though he was fighting not a mecha, but a person encased in mecha armor...
More outrageously, during a recent clash of blades, the Sphinx's mecha had momentarily melted, forming a human-like arm that struck Ye Feng at an unexpected angle, sending him flying...
"In that case..."
Ye Feng quickly rose, arcane energy surging around him. The greatsword he wielded soon glowed with white arcane energy.
"Hmph, arcane energy without any elemental attunement!"
The Sphinx sneered.
"Whoosh!"
Ye Feng's gaze sharpened. He stomped the ground and charged directly at the Sphinx.
"Clang! ~ Whoosh!"
"Ah! ~"
A scream of pain erupted from the Sphinx after their mecha katanas, one glowing red and the other white, clashed.
"Clang! ~ Clang~ Clang~"
"Ah~ !~ Ah~ ! Ugh ah~ !"
Ye Feng's arcane-enhanced greatsword met the Sphinx's in a series of exchanges, each blow eliciting a cry of pain from the Sphinx.
"Boom! ~"
Suddenly, the Sphinx plunged its hand into the ground, uprooting a massive structural support pillar along with a large amount of stone. It hurled the debris at Ye Feng, then used the momentum to leap backward, creating distance.
Ye Feng either dodged or blocked, avoiding the impact of the pillar and stones.
"Kid, you..."
"Clang~ ! Clang! Bang! ~"
"Ah! ~ Ugh~ Clang~ Ah~"
A cacophony of metal impacts, punctuated by the Sphinx's sharp, pained yelps, followed by both combatants retreating once more.
Ye Feng felt a sense of surprise, but this time it wasn't directed at the Sphinx, but at himself.
He realized during their intense exchange that he could clearly feel two currents of arcane energy within him.
As the battle wore on, the arcane energy that had previously been difficult to control now felt as manageable as ordinary arcane energy.
Furthermore, Ye Feng noticed that the portion of arcane energy he had always possessed seemed to be transforming into that peculiar new energy...
With this transformation, Ye Feng felt a clearer, mystical sensation from his Tang blade. It was as if he was closer to the energy he had sensed within the blade when he broke through to Silver rank, an energy he could call upon at will!
"Is the mysterious power within the Tang blade related to the peculiar arcane energy in my body?"
A thought suddenly struck Ye Feng.
"Damn inferior human, if I hadn't used the power of the Blood Ancestor just now... I would have devoured you alive!"
"Pfft! ~"
Abruptly, the Sphinx roared in frustration, spitting out a mouthful of blood. It formed another hand seal.
"Buzz!"
Instantly, the Sphinx's mecha began to melt and reshape, soon resembling a robust human. The crimson chains previously used against Shen Botian started appearing on its body.
Seeing this, Ye Feng's expression grew even more serious.
"Whoosh!"
At this moment, the Sphinx stomped the ground and lunged at Ye Feng with incredible speed.
Ye Feng frowned slightly and retreated behind a section of a ruined building.
"Hmph!"
The Sphinx snorted. A flash of red light, and it appeared before Ye Feng. The blood-red chains on its body sealed off all possible escape routes from various angles.
"Die!"
The Sphinx roared, and the blood-red chains blazed with intense light, sprouting numerous sharp spikes as they swept towards Ye Feng.
Ye Feng's face was grim. He showed no intention of dodging. Just as the blood-red chains were about to bind him, he gripped his Tang blade, arcane energy flaring brightly, and swung.
"Whoosh~ Slish!"
A crisp cutting sound echoed, followed by "Clang! ~ Clang~ !", as the blood-red chains shattered under the arcane energy from Ye Feng's blade.
"Ah! ~ Ah~ !"
Almost simultaneously, the Sphinx let out a shrill scream.
"Clang~ Clatter! ~"
Then came the sound of metal hitting the ground. Ye Feng's strike had cleanly bisected the Sphinx's mecha.
The lower half of the mecha fell to the ground, its red light rapidly fading. It lost its organic, writhing appearance, reverting to the metallic form Ye Feng had seen before.
"Blood Sacrifice Nether... Nether Thorn... It was actually severed by your arcane energy... No... Impossible..."
"Kid, you..."