Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Chapter 310 It’s hard to guard against hidden arrows

Chapter 310 Hidden Arrows Are Hard to Defend Against

The burly man stopped arguing with Shi Potian, leaped several feet into the air, and hovered there. He then swung his double maces in turn, each swing sending a dark yellow beam of light towards Shi Potian like lightning. As his hands swung faster and faster, more and more mace beams were unleashed, like a barrage of arrows, covering Shi Potian in a dense hail of light.

Although the burly man had temporarily restored his cultivation to its peak using the forbidden technique of the Blood Melting Art, he had learned from his previous experience and dared not recklessly use his combat domain again, only attacking Shi Potian from a distance. The burly man, a seasoned veteran, had already discerned the weakness of Shi Potian's combat techniques after his first defeat. Shi Potian's Power Shock Domain only reached its maximum advantage when in close combat with the opponent's weapon. However, in close combat, weapon clashes were inevitable, and once weapons clashed, the opponent would immediately be trapped within Shi Potian's combat domain. Their advantage would vanish, leaving them only able to passively resist with brute force.

The big man was glad that his cultivation level was not far from Shi Potian's, and that he cultivated the earth-type profound art with the most outstanding defensive power; otherwise, he might have already become a dead soul under Shi Potian's blade.

Seeing that the big man only dared to attack from a distance and dared not get close, Shi Potian had no choice but to swing his Ghost King Blade to block the incoming mace beams. The Ghost King Blade, which was five feet long and more than one foot wide, was like a shield in front of him, able to block most of his body, not to mention swinging it up and down.

Amidst a flurry of 'bang, bang' sounds, Shi Potian blocked all of the big man's attacks in front of him.

The attacks of a Heavenly Realm expert could be described as capable of shattering mountains and rocks with every strike. The burly man's fierce attack shook the entire Xuan Iron Arena, causing it to tremble violently. Although the Qiu family's defensive shield was of extremely high level, capable of protecting against any attack from either side and isolating all sounds emanating from within the arena, both Shi Potian and the burly man were already highly skilled experts of the Tianxuan Continent. The force of their attacks was approaching the limits of the defensive formation. Therefore, although the defensive formation covering the arena did not break, it was like a bubble being blown by the wind, constantly fluctuating.

Although the sounds of fighting within the arena were blocked, the immense force of the collisions caused the entire arena to tremble. Everyone was stunned by the vibrations emanating from within the defensive barrier, especially the martial artists below the Heaven Rank, who were utterly shocked by the massive tremors. They all rushed to watch from around the arena. Although the fighting on the three arenas on the eighth floor never stopped, most of the combat was between those below the Earth Rank, with very few even reaching the early Heaven Rank, let alone the extremely rare duels between mid-Heaven Rank experts.

In fact, fights between Heaven-rank experts are not as exciting as those between Earth-rank experts. After reaching the Heaven-rank, the power they emit is more restrained, and all their spiritual energy can be precisely controlled. Unlike Earth-rank experts, whose spiritual energy is difficult to control after being released, and whose various elemental spiritual energy lights drift everywhere, like fireworks, which are very dazzling.

Laymen watch the spectacle, experts watch the details. If the viewer's cultivation level is below the Human Rank, they basically cannot see or understand the moves and mysteries of Heaven Rank combat. However, those with cultivation levels above the Earth Rank can comprehend many profound mysteries and gain a lot of inspiration from watching Heaven Rank exchanges.

Although Mo Yuming's Spirit Gathering Pill was of excellent quality and had a fast conversion speed, it was still a low-level pill, and it would take some time for it to be fully converted and absorbed. The burly man clearly didn't want Shi Potian to recover quickly, so he launched an attack with all his might. However, the burly man's ranged attacks were really limited in their lethality, especially when the two sides were evenly matched, making them even less effective.

Although Shi Potian had to use his internal energy to defend himself, he expended significantly less energy than the burly man. As a result, although Shi Potian's cultivation had only recovered to less than 50%, the unrefined pills continued to transform, providing him with spiritual power. Therefore, Shi Potian managed to barely withstand the burly man's attack and did not suffer a clear defeat.

Seeing that his attacks had failed to achieve their intended effect, the big man became anxious. He knew that if he continued to wear down his opponent like this, it would become increasingly disadvantageous for him. He had to severely injure the enemy before he could recover in order to have a chance of winning.

Before the aftershocks of the mace's power had dissipated, the burly man suddenly slammed onto the arena, forcefully plunging his iron maces into the platform with both hands. Then, with a twist of his hands, several rows of ten-foot-long, sharp stalagmites suddenly sprang up from the ground in front of the maces, like a dense array of spears stabbing wildly at Shi Potian.

Shi Potian hurriedly swung his sword horizontally, and after a series of flashes of green light, a large section of the stalagmite was cut in half. But the matter did not end there. The severed stalagmite immediately grew new stone tips, continuing to pierce towards Shi Potian at an even faster speed. Shi Potian leaped into the air, temporarily escaping the stalagmite's siege, and then slashed towards the burly man. The blade of the Ghost King's Blade flew out a crescent-shaped blade light ten feet wide. The green blade light flashed like lightning, instantly cutting off another large section of the wildly growing stalagmite. Although the blade light consumed some energy while cutting the stalagmite, and the ten-foot-long crescent shrank to about three feet, it still cut through all the stalagmites blocking the burly man's path and swiftly slashed towards him.

The burly man snorted coldly, and a bluish-gray stone shield immediately appeared before him. With a 'bang,' the stone shield shattered, and the blade's aura also shattered into fragments, which ultimately dissipated into nothingness about an inch from the man's cheek. Although it didn't injure the burly man, it successfully interrupted his stone forest attack and seized control. Various combat techniques collided violently between the two. Although the enormous energy was blocked within the defensive array, strong vibrations still emanated outside the array. Many people with low cultivation levels were struck as if by lightning, and those below the Earth Rank were blasted, bleeding from their mouths and noses, unable to stand. The onlookers were so frightened that they retreated again and again.

Because the arena was only fifty feet in diameter, it greatly restricted the space for the two to move around. Top experts like them were somewhat restricted in their fighting, which was even more obvious for metal-type Xuan Gong practitioners who were known for their speed.

Shi Potian's spiritual power was also being rapidly depleted. Although the two had only fought a few rounds and their moves were extremely simple, both of them had used their most powerful combat techniques, and their spiritual power was being greatly depleted.

Shi Potian's power, which had recovered to fifty percent, was completely depleted again, leaving him with less than ten percent of his spiritual energy. The burly man was in no better shape; the profound energy he had recovered through the Blood Melting Technique was also mostly used up. Although he seemed to have the upper hand, only he knew the true extent of the damage. The aftereffects of that forbidden technique were beginning to appear. He clearly sensed that his profound energy cultivation was on the verge of collapse. If the depletion continued, it wouldn't just be a drain on spiritual energy, but a decline in his profound energy cultivation. Without prompt healing and treatment, his profound energy might be completely destroyed!

At this moment, even the surface of the arena, made of black iron, was cracked by their profound power. The defensive formation also became extremely unstable and could break at any time. The spectators around the arena had been dispersed to a safe area by the Qiu family, and several formation experts were sent to reinforce the formation outside.

The Qiu family had spent a fortune building this arena; even those below the third level of the Heavenly Rank could fight within it for three days and three nights without suffering any damage. However, they never expected that a fight between Shi Potian and his companion would nearly shatter it. The manager in charge of this floor, his face contorted with grief, watched the two still battling within the magic array from afar, speechless for a long time. Even so, the manager dared not stop the fight; it was a rule established by the Qiu family themselves. Any future repairs to the arena would be at the family's expense. The arena was provided free of charge to customers, and the fighters were not responsible for any damage to it.

Shi Potian, in a disheveled state, swallowed the remaining seven Spirit Gathering Pills in the bottle all at once. Although the burly man now possessed less than half of his former power, he was still stronger than Shi Potian. Shi Potian could only rely on his strength in metal-based profound arts to dodge quickly, trying his best not to confront the burly man. Meanwhile, the burly man went berserk and attacked Shi Potian with all his might.

"Let's see where you can hide now!" the burly man roared hysterically.

The giant was on the verge of collapse and desperately wanted to kill Shi Potian. However, due to the inherent disadvantage of earth-type and metal-type cultivators in terms of speed, Shi Potian, though seemingly battered and bruised, was actually only suffering superficial wounds. He could dodge each attack with extreme speed, at most breaking his skin and leaving a few streaks of blood.

"No matter what, I'll be the one laughing last!" While dodging the burly man's pursuit, Shi Potian circulated his internal energy, rapidly absorbing the Spirit Gathering Pills in his stomach to restore his strength. He could clearly sense his energy slowly decreasing and his stamina gradually recovering. Meanwhile, the opponent's attacks were noticeably weakening. He estimated that he would be able to turn the tide of battle in about fifteen minutes.

"Where's the hidden arrow Ming'er gave you? Why wait any longer?" Just as Shi Potian was dodging the big man's attacks, Fu Ye's information appeared in the Soul Jade in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Oh right, how could I forget that?"

Shi Potian then remembered that he still had a set of hidden darts strapped to his arm. These were the first generation of hidden darts designed by Mo Yuming, capable of firing three at a time. Although they weren't as powerful as the later improved versions, making them impossible to defend against, their lethality was far greater. This was because the arrowheads of these hidden darts were miniaturized versions of the Demon-Slaying Arrows, possessing a power one-third that of the Demon-Slaying Arrows. If hit, even a Heavenly Rank cultivator would suffer greatly.

Mo Yuming originally gave them these hidden darts for emergency use when it was inconvenient to reveal their strength. However, these darts were not fast enough, their concealment was lacking, and their range was only about twenty feet. They were somewhat effective against those below the Heavenly Rank, but almost useless against Heavenly Rank cultivators. However, in the current situation, with both sides severely depleted, their spiritual energy less than one-tenth, and their combat strength possibly even weaker than a peak Earthly Rank cultivator, using hidden darts for a counterattack would definitely be effective, especially since the burly man seemed to be experiencing some mental issues.

After narrowly dodging the burly man's attack, Shi Potian suddenly said to him:

"You can't kill me, so why don't we just give up? If you admit defeat, I might spare your life."

"You want me to stop and admit defeat? You're hilarious! You don't even have the strength to fight back, and you're saying you'll spare my life! Haha... huff huff..." the big man laughed breathlessly.

"Then prepare to die!" Taking advantage of the burly man's distraction and laughter, Shi Potian raised his Ghost King Blade and slashed at him. The burly man was taken aback when he saw Shi Potian suddenly launch a counterattack, and it was quite fierce. He thought that Shi Potian's profound skills had really been restored, so he hurriedly raised his maces with both hands to block the blade, and at the same time used his internal energy to condense an earthen shield in front of him for defense.

Just as the broadsword and the iron mace clashed, there were no sparks as expected, nor did the mace pierce the burly man's defensive earthen shield. Instead, the broadsword was bounced back, and Shi Potian, using the force of the rebound, was sent flying several feet away, sword and all. The burly man was completely bewildered by Shi Potian's bluff, a feint devoid of any spiritual power.

"You don't even have a trace of spiritual power left, and you still want to fight me! Are you courting death? Heh, watch me grant your wish!" The burly man immediately concluded that Shi Potian had no spiritual power left and was just pretending to put on a brave face. So he gathered all his strength and swung his double maces, attacking Shi Potian with all his might!

"Well done!" Shi Potian lightly touched the ground with both feet, dodging the big man's attack while pointing at him with his left hand. With a 'whoosh', a hidden arrow shot from the side towards the undefended big man's chest.

Shi Potian's series of bluffs and feigned lack of spiritual power were all intended to make the big man careless and reveal his weakness. The big man had very rich combat experience and was very cautious, making him a very difficult opponent. Even now, every move he made was very precise, combining offense and defense, and he had basically not made any major mistakes.

With a loud bang, the hidden arrow exploded in the burly man's chest. The man never expected Shi Potian to carry a hidden arrow and launch a sneak attack at this opening. The man quickly tried to summon his protective inner energy, but it was too late. When the arrow was fired, Shi Potian and the man were only about ten feet apart; it was a matter of seconds. Before his protective inner energy could even fully form, the arrow had already struck an inch from his chest. The demon-piercing arrow struck the protective spiritual energy and exploded without penetrating the man's body.

A visible spear is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. The burly man was blasted backward by the massive shockwave, landing a considerable distance away, his chest a bloody mess, a truly gruesome sight. However, the man was, after all, a fourth-level Heavenly Rank expert, possessing extraordinary physical strength. Although the arrow had the power to kill a peak Earthly Rank cultivator, it only tore off some of his flesh, causing no real harm. But the massive explosion left him dizzy and disoriented, his head buzzing.

But this was enough to change his fate. Shi Potian was already prepared. Before he could react, he kicked him in the abdomen. Even though Shi Potian's spiritual power had recovered to less than 20%, this kick still had immense force, enough to cripple the man's cultivation. Moreover, the man's profound skills were already on the verge of collapse.

The burly man cried out in anguish, “Despicable!” before spitting out blood and collapsing.

"There are so many rules in a life-or-death battle? Isn't it despicable for you to use forbidden methods to restore your power?"