Harmony of Two Seas was a good sword. Liu Xing acknowledged this, but it was not his stone blade. It was not as sharp, familiar, or special. While his stone blade sometimes failed to kill an enemy in a single blow, the same was true of Harmony of Two Seas.

  The sword moved horizontally. Its extended jet of water cut through the air, making the long-reaching sword—even longer than his stone blade—whistle. The moment his sword touched Shen Ye’s neck, Liu Xing knew it was capable of beheading him. However, a sharp ringing, like metal striking metal, echoed as the swing stopped. Harmony of Two Seas failed to penetrate Shen Ye’s skin.

  Shen Ye looked at him with eyes full of profound hatred, his whole body surrounded by a golden light. This light fluctuated like boiling water transforming into vapor, and Liu Xing understood what had happened. Shen Ye had a defensive treasure that had stopped his attack.

  Without pause, Liu Xing swung his lightning blade downward, again trying to kill Shen Ye. However, Shen Ye rose from his position and swatted his left hand to the side as if at an annoying fly. The moment the lightning blade met Shen Ye’s hand, a sharp sound rang out, and the blade shattered into a thousand fragments of blue light.

  Shen Ye then opened his mouth. His tongue, teeth, and the entire inside of his mouth glowed as if made from molten lava. Then, he shouted. His shout was akin to a lion’s roar, and a tsunami of fire shot from his mouth.

  Liu Xing kicked the ground and rolled to the side, letting the attack pass him by.

  As Liu Xing watched the condensed fire, he could feel the hot, searing air it emitted, and he narrowed his eyes. The strength and scale of the attack were too great for a Lock Opening cultivator; it was an attack more suited to a Core Splitting cultivator. As he observed the fire and Shen Ye, who was surrounded by the golden light like a liquid barrier, he realized that whatever treasure Shen Ye used not only boosted his defense but also strengthened his attack.

  "You said that you will bring me to my death?! What an arrogant prick. I, Shen Ye, will not be killed by a nameless disciple like you!" Shen Ye shouted. "It is I who will emerge from this fight as the victor!"

  The moment he finished shouting, Shen Ye cut off his attack and kicked the ground hard. The ground beneath him shattered, and a golden blur sped toward Liu Xing.

  Seeing this, Liu Xing added more qi to his Lightning Cloak Technique and sharpened his focus.

  The moment Shen Ye arrived, his opponent maneuvered in the air and tried to deliver an axe kick to the top of Liu Xing’s head. Liu Xing saw it. However, instead of dodging, he swung Harmony of Two Seas upward, intending to cut Shen Ye’s feet. When the sword and foot met, a boom erupted. The impact blasted the air, and the shockwave was strong enough to blow several trees away. Liu Xing was dragged back, his feet digging through the ground, while the force sent Shen Ye flipping through the air.

  Liu Xing looked at his sword, saw that the jet of water it emitted had lessened, and pushed more potent qi into it. The sword began to hum, and a jet of water shot from its tip. His sword and Shen Ye’s defense were equal, but Liu Xing still had something to add. He activated the necklace inside his robe. Instantly, a stable qi emerged, and Liu Xing willed it to surround his sword. A yellow spiral line adorned the blade, and he could feel the sword hum deeper. The jet of water was now tinted with a faint yellow, and Liu Xing began to swing the sword as if it were a long whip. The jet of water followed Shen Ye.

  Seeing the attack, Shen Ye snarled and aimed his left hand toward the extended blade, shooting a jet of fire from his palm. The moment the water and fire met, an explosion occurred, and white vapor erupted between them.

  "The same attack will not work against me again!" Shen Ye shouted.

  At that moment, Liu Xing glanced to the side, where his gun and Yu Yongrui were locked in battle. Yu Yongrui was still trying to slash the gun, while it moved left and right, trying to shoot him. If he could summon his gun, the fight would be easier. However, doing so would free Yu Yongrui, who could then attack Yu Heng as he tried to recover his whale.

  Gritting his teeth, Liu Xing missed his Thunderstrike Gauntlets. Shaking the thought away, he kicked the ground hard, launching himself toward Shen Ye. Shen Ye saw him and sent another torrent of fire his way. Using his shield, Liu Xing zigzagged and maneuvered until he was behind Shen Ye. He swung his sword diagonally, aiming for his shoulder. The moment the sword landed, a sharp ringing could be heard, and Harmony of Two Seas once again failed to penetrate the defense. However, the power was strong enough to throw Shen Ye to the side. Shen Ye’s feet dug into the ground before he turned and extended his one remaining arm, his palm aimed at Liu Xing.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Anticipating this, Liu Xing kicked the ground hard. In an instant, he was in front of Shen Ye and slashed his sword diagonally again. Once more, it failed to cut Shen Ye, but it succeeded in throwing him back.

  "Bastard!" Shen Ye growled.

  Liu Xing summoned his turtle behind Shen Ye. Shen Ye’s back slammed into the turtle. He lost his balance. Liu Xing summoned his shield, positioned himself, then kicked it and launched himself toward Shen Ye.

  Liu Xing knew he could not do the same thing over and over. While he could probably chip away at Shen Ye’s defense, it would be better if his attack actually worked. As he flew toward Shen Ye, his mind raced and time slowed because of his focus. An idea emerged, and he instantly implemented it without thinking too much about it.

  Harmony of Two Seas could extend its reach by shooting a jet of water. The attack was strong, making the weapon feel like a versatile sword whose length he could adjust at will. However, its power against Shen Ye’s defense was lukewarm. It was not sharp enough; it needed to be amended.

  Liu Xing pushed more qi into his sword. Instead of willing it to shoot a jet of water, he willed the water to surround the surface of the blade. Then, he willed that water to move in a rapid, circular motion. Harmony of Two Seas hummed deeper and vibrated in his hand, thanks to the fast-moving water that coated the sword.

  His idea was simple. He had essentially created a chainsaw.

  "Eat this!" Liu Xing arrived in front of Shen Ye and again swung his sword diagonally, this time aiming for his left shoulder. The moment his sword touched Shen Ye, a ringing sound was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. Then, Liu Xing felt the sensation of his sword hitting flesh. The defense surrounding Shen Ye flickered, and his sword successfully sliced from Shen Ye’s left shoulder to his waist. The wound was long, not quite deep, but not shallow either. The water circling Harmony of Two Seas—already tinted yellow by the stable qi—began to take on a red hue as it integrated Shen Ye’s blood.

  Shen Ye howled in pain. Amidst the pain and force of his killing intent, Liu Xing saw Shen Ye's left hand begin to move. He sensed that Shen Ye was attempting to activate a technique by chaining hand signs.

  Realizing that the technique he was about to use must be special, Liu Xing said, "I won't let you do that!"

  He activated his Lightning Palm Technique. In that instant, his left hand was covered in condensed electricity shining with blue light. Then, he slammed the technique into Shen Ye's slashed, undefended chest. The moment the attack landed, Shen Ye was thrown back. There was a tree right behind him, and his back slammed into it, shattering the trunk. Blood leaped from his mouth and his face grimaced in pain, but his eyes remained focused. Instead of defending himself, he continued the hand signs.

  Liu Xing leaped into the air, rotated his body, summoned his shield, kicked it, and descended toward Shen Ye. In the air, Liu Xing changed his grip on his sword to a reverse grip and stabbed downward, intending to pierce Shen Ye’s heart.

  The world suddenly slowed down. Liu Xing was serious. He seized every opportunity to defeat Shen Ye, but suddenly, he had a premonition. The situation was similar to before. He had almost killed Shen Ye, but then Shen Ye activated some kind of treasure to strengthen himself. Liu Xing was sure that Shen Ye was trying to do the same thing again, but this time with a special technique.

  Indeed, the moment the tip of his sword pierced Shen Ye’s skin, Shen Ye finally activated his technique.

  In that instant, something like a ripple spread from Shen Ye’s body. The world turned a shade darker, and before his sword could pierce Shen Ye’s heart, an explosion detonated from his body, as if he had self-destructed.

  For a moment, the world was filled with only bright light, and Liu Xing was thrown back from the sheer power of the explosion. Luckily, while it was quite painful, it was not actually strong enough to inflict a serious wound on him.

  A trail of smoke followed Liu Xing through the air before he rotated and landed on his feet. The momentum made him slide back until his back hit something hard.

  Liu Xing looked behind him and saw a black wall that was almost transparent, like dark-tinted glass. He narrowed his eyes. This must be what had spread from Shen Ye’s body.

  Looking up, he realized they were both now inside some kind of barrier.

  "Another treasure?" Liu Xing muttered.

  In front of him, a white cloud of smoke was gathering in one place, as if trying to obscure Shen Ye.

  Liu Xing looked around again. He felt that there was something amiss with this barrier. It was not like a normal barrier created with formations or treasures; he felt that the thing that had created it was different. At the same time, it also felt familiar, as if he had encountered something like this before.

  He jogged his memory, trying to find where this familiarity came from. When he remembered, his eyes widened.

  He had indeed encountered something similar to this before. The last time was in the middle of a fight against an army of abominations. A woman had suddenly appeared amidst the battle. She had mysteriously taken over an abomination’s body, severed her own arm, formed that arm into a stone blade, and given it to him.

  At that moment, she had also created a barrier, one that froze enemies inside it. He remembered that she had used a chant to activate it.

  "This is similar," Liu Xing muttered, and his heart beat faster and faster inside his ribs.

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