Mo Qi unleashed the Dragon-Suppressing Pearl, which emitted a blinding radiance as it shot forward, its roar shaking the heavens and earth.
The radiance from the Dragon-Suppressing Pearl initially held back the innermost layer of heavenly lightning, but it quickly contracted, as if being devoured.
Simultaneously, the middle and outermost layers continued to assail Mo Qi with their fury.
Mo Qi tapped his storage pouch again, and the Qiankun Ring whizzed out. As the ice and snow from the middle layer descended, a continuous series of cracking sounds echoed, and it rapidly collapsed.
Elder Xiong remained unfazed. With a slight shift of his hand, the flames from the outer layer swiftly permeated the middle layer, resisting the divine abilities of the Qiankun Ring and preventing its descent.
Thunderous roars erupted continuously. Where the various divine abilities clashed, a kaleidoscope of colors and dazzling hues flashed, with flames and ice shards scattering everywhere.
From a distance, it resembled fireworks exploding in mid-air.
Under the scorching heat of the flames, the ice and snow layer not only failed to melt but grew even stronger, as if mutually promoting each other's power. The flames also became more vigorous.
The middle and outer layers spurred each other on, propelling the Qiankun Ring and its emitted radiance towards Mo Qi.
Mo Qi channeled spiritual energy, but even from a distance, his body was already suffering backlash, forcing him to retreat rapidly.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Elder Xiong stood as still as ever, his face beaming with a spring breeze.
"This is even easier than I imagined!"
The surrounding onlookers scoffed, "Since you dared to accept the challenge, you might as well last a bit longer. Is this the level you're at, and it's already over? How boring!"
Linghu Xiaoxian, who had returned at some point, walked into the crowd. As she watched Mo Qi, her palms began to sweat.
Mo Qi struggled to hold on, finding it incredibly difficult.
At this moment, even unleashing a single arrow of energy was impossible.
With a deafening roar, both the Dragon-Suppressing Pearl and the Qiankun Ring were struck down simultaneously. Lightning, fire, and ice and snow all surged towards Mo Qi.
He didn't know the consequences of being hit, but Mo Qi certainly didn't dare to find out.
He retreated rapidly, simultaneously forming hand seals and unleashing the Phoenix Fire Dance Art.
The crisscrossing crimson radiance clashed fiercely, like two colossal gears closing in on each other, their roars akin to a stampede of ten thousand horses.
As the lightning, fire, and ice and snow surged forward, the two colossal gears perfectly meshed. A grinding sound echoed as they tore at each other. The light of lightning, fire, and ice shards spilled out from the crimson radiance, assaulting Mo Qi's body wave after wave.
The crimson light gradually dissipated, while Mo Qi's body retreated at an accelerated pace. He continued to forcefully channel his divine ability, striving to sustain it.
However, the immense backlash was already striking him in waves.
Lightning, cold, and fire assailed him in turns, the pain, chill, tearing sensation, and pressure intensifying with each passing moment.
Mo Qi felt as if his soul were about to be ripped from his body.
While bracing against the pressure, he tapped his storage pouch, and several emergency pills dropped into his mouth.
Instantly, spiritual energy surged wildly within him!
It flowed like a great river, rising and falling!
The crimson light erupted with renewed vigor, and the grinding motion resumed.
The lightning, ice, and fire gradually began to churn into a swirling mist, growing fainter and fainter.
Elder Xiong frowned. "Still struggling?"
He suddenly clenched his left hand. Mo Qi felt as if his internal organs were being squeezed, and a suffocating pain overwhelmed him, making him feel as though he were about to die.
Meanwhile, the crimson light continued to contract.
"What kind of technique is this?" Mo Qi marveled inwardly.
"If this continues, I'm doomed."
"This is Elder Xiong's ultimate skill, the Shadowless Claw. It's silent and unseen; no one has ever been able to resist it. It seems Mo Qi is destined to die," the surrounding onlookers whispered, their faces filled with anticipation.
Linghu Xiaoxian froze, wishing she could rush forward to help.
At some point, Linghu Zhong appeared beside her and held her back.
"Alas, I had high hopes for him. I didn't expect him to be so short-lived!" Linghu Zhong remarked.
"Can't you wish him something good for a change?" Linghu Xiaoxian retorted angrily.
At this moment, Mo Qi was on the verge of collapsing.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. Silent and unseen – could it be a transformation of mental power?
He decided to try resisting with his mental power.
The Divine Mind Art of the Witch God was silently unleashed, spreading out like an invisible net, or perhaps like countless invisible tentacles.
Once the tentacles extended, they sensed countless unseen palms grasping his internal organs. The tentacles then transformed into myriad invisible blades, severing those palms one by one.
Following that, the invisible blades extended further forward, slashing towards Elder Xiong.
This was how Mo Qi had stealthily torn people apart in the past!
However, Elder Xiong now felt the fatal threat. His expression shifted slightly, and he immediately opened his hand, then closed it again.
Countless unseen hands emerged from the air, attempting to block the blades, only to be torn apart inch by inch by the relentless advance.
Elder Xiong retreated rapidly.
No one could see the clash between the blades and the hands; they were utterly bewildered.
"What's happening? Why is Elder Xiong retreating?"
"Perhaps it's a strategic retreat. He must have some trump card left."
"Yes, he definitely has a trump card."
Mo Qi's use of mental power was effortless, so it did not impede the execution of his Phoenix Fire Dance Art.
Elder Xiong, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling to manage both sides. While fully engaged in countering Mo Qi's mental power, he relaxed his control over the Purple Jade Cushion.
The lightning, ice, and fire rapidly retracted. The crimson light surged, pressing down on Elder Xiong with a roar.
"Whoa!"
The surrounding crowd let out gasps of surprise!
"What happened to Elder Xiong?"
"Is he intentionally letting him win?"
"This is a fight to the death; he can't hold back."
Elder Xiong hastily formed hand seals and pointed. The lightning, ice, and fire surged again, fiercely pouncing towards Mo Qi as the crimson light rapidly contracted.
But on the other side, the invisible blades advanced swiftly, tearing through the unseen palms layer by layer with unstoppable force.
Elder Xiong was greatly alarmed and retreated rapidly, repeatedly opening and closing his hands.
The crimson light surged once more, striking Elder Xiong.
This cycle repeated, forcing Elder Xiong to retreat step by step, sweat beading on his forehead, his gaze filled with anxiety.
What astonished him most was that Mo Qi could actually break his Shadowless Claw.
What kind of method was that?
And who exactly was he?
Had he made a mistake in deciding to duel him?
But this was no time for idle thoughts; he had to maintain his concentration and face the challenge head-on.
Even without injury, his body was constantly retreating, and he was on the verge of stepping off the stage.
"Elder Xiong, don't retreat further! You'll lose if you do," Elder Liang immediately called out.
What was wrong with Old Xiong today?
Hadn't they agreed to kill him?
Why was he starting to hold back before the decisive moment?
But at this very moment, only Elder Xiong knew that the issue he faced was not about winning or losing, but about survival.
Linghu Xiaoxian also found it inexplicable. "Wh-what's going on? How did he gain the upper hand again?"
Linghu Zhong was also completely baffled.
"This person just exudes an uncanny aura; he cannot be explained by common sense."
Not only this situation but many other things about him defied normal explanation!
"Isn't this what you wanted to see? Congratulations, your wish has been granted," Linghu Zhong said.
But Linghu Xiaoxian remained extremely tense, her eyes fixed on Mo Qi.
She had a nagging feeling that Mo Qi wouldn't win.
At this moment, Mo Qi seized an opening and subtly flicked out a bolt of arrow energy.
The arrow energy silently traversed the air.
Elder Xiong, fully focused, became acutely aware of his surroundings. From a distance, he clearly heard the sound of air being cleaved and slightly shifted his body, dodging it.
However, at this point, Elder Xiong had already retreated to the edge of the stage.
Under the relentless pressure, Mo Qi's burden lessened considerably. As the lightning, ice, and fire rapidly contracted, he abruptly withdrew the Phoenix Fire Dance Art, his hand already grasping the Xuanyuan Sword.
He channeled Pangu's divine power into the sword, his body soaring, enveloped in a golden radiance.
The sound of rushing wind and flickering sword shadows could be heard!
The Heavenly Beyond Flying Immortal Sword Art had been unleashed!
If he continued to use the Divine Mind Art of the Witch God and the Phoenix Fire Dance Art, he would undoubtedly force Elder Xiong off the stage, resulting in Elder Xiong's defeat.
But his goal was not merely to make him lose!
Therefore, he switched to the Heavenly Beyond Flying Immortal Sword Art.
In an instant, his figure was shrouded in sword shadows, as if he had merged with them, or perhaps vanished entirely.
Only faint, ethereal afterimages and the whistling of strong winds remained in the air.
Elder Xiong's pressure significantly decreased, and a smile appeared at the corner of his eyes.
"If you had continued fighting in the same manner, I truly wouldn't have had many options, and I might have had to concede. But for you to switch to swordplay and expect to kill me is sheer delusion. My Purple Jade Cushion's power is impregnable; no sword art of yours can penetrate it."
He then intensified his channeling of power. The Purple Jade Cushion emitted an even more dazzling radiance, its inner and outer layers spinning at an accelerated pace.
The initially distinct layers of lightning, ice, and fire began to interweave and fuse during the rotation, instantly forming a chaotic curtain of light.
A falling leaf was instantly swallowed by it and disappeared without a trace.
And that sword light, without any surprise or hesitation, plunged into it, disappearing like the leaf.
"Ah!" Linghu Xiaoxian cried out!
The surrounding onlookers glared at her. "What's there to be so surprised about?"
"Wasn't Elder Xiong trying to kill him? Isn't that natural?"
"He was seeking his own death."
However, suddenly, without any warning, a beam of light shot out from the chaotic curtain of light, flashing and disappearing in an instant.
Immediately after, Elder Xiong's eyes widened, filled with terror.
The Purple Jade Cushion fell to the ground.
All the light dissipated.
Mo Qi reappeared, landing on the stage.
He held his sword, which was still stained with blood, dripping crimson droplets.
"What happened?"
The onlookers exchanged confused glances.
"Was someone injured?"
"Who lost? Who won?"
Elder Xiong's face contorted, and he pointed at Mo Qi, "You..."
Then, like a burst water pipe, streams of blood erupted from his body.
Following that, his body split apart, fragmenting into countless pieces that piled on the ground, forming a small mound.
The onlookers were stunned!
"Elder Xiong was killed by him?"
"How is that possible?"
After a long silence, the air seemed to freeze.