As Liu Xing projected his potent qi outward, it suffused the air and began to wrestle for control against Shen Ye's qi. Liu Xing knew that a technique higher than Heaven Grade would not have such an easy and obvious weakness. He was sure that either wrestling control of the surrounding qi would be difficult, or the domain’s user would have enough willpower to engage in a battle of wills. However, Shen Ye had likely not yet mastered this technique, or perhaps Liu Xing’s potent qi once again proved to be otherworldly. As easily as it spread, his potent qi overpowered Shen Ye’s, flooding the inside of the barrier like water pouring into a room.

  As his potent qi spread, Liu Xing looked forward. The fire leaking from Shen Ye lessened. The man's eyes were open so wide they looked as though they would pop from their sockets, and the flames surrounding them, which had made him look like a demon emerging from the depths of a fiery hell, trembled.

  Seeing this, Liu Xing could not help but let out a ferocious smile. His simple idea was working wonderfully. He had never thought it would be so effective. It was too easy.

  "W-what happened? My control over my domain…" Shen Ye whispered as the momentum that carried him faltered. He dropped to the ground and looked at Liu Xing as if he had seen the unthinkable.

  "Is it faltering?" Liu Xing said, and he kicked the ground, launching himself forward. The ground beneath him erupted. In that instant, he arrived right in front of Shen Ye, his sword coated in a circular saw made of water, and swung as hard as he could, aimed straight at Shen Ye’s shoulder.

  Shen Ye saw the attack, snarled, and aimed his palm at the wrist holding the sword. His aim was true. However, instead of pulling or changing the trajectory, Liu Xing channeled more power into his swing, intending to face the attack head-on. When Shen Ye's palm—still burning like molten lava, though lessened a little—made contact, Liu Xing felt the heat bite his skin, and the force of their meeting created a shockwave that rippled outward. Though he was hit and his power lessened slightly, his swing connected with Shen Ye's shoulder. Shen Ye had failed to stop him.

  The moment his attack connected, the sword slashed deep through skin and flesh, and a burst of blood mixed with fire erupted from the gash. As his sword finished its attack, Shen Ye jumped back, his eyes wide with disbelief. He extended both of his hands as if trying to shoot another river of fire at him. Yet, Liu Xing's potent qi had already suffused the area. It was as if the domain was nothing but an empty cage. Liu Xing had already taken control over all the qi inside it, making Shen Ye as weak as his original cultivation level. Seeing the gesture, Liu Xing instead jumped forward and thrust Harmony of Two Seas forward. A jet of water extended out toward Shen Ye. The speed was the same as before, but Shen Ye failed to react, and the jet of water pierced his stomach and came out of his back.

  "Die!" Liu Xing said as he swung his sword to the side. The jet of water, already piercing Shen Ye, moved and cut through his organs and flesh until it exited his waist. The blood that followed the jet of water out of Shen Ye's body was merely red, not mixed with fire. At that moment, Shen Ye spat a mouthful of blood. The fire that surrounded his eyes, and the ribbons of fiery hair that had framed his face were gone. His skin was pale, and he fell to the ground, landing on his back. His strength seemed to be abandoning him.

  At this point, Liu Xing knew he was winning. He kicked the ground lightly and arrived at Shen Ye's side. He looked down, his eyes cold.

  "Why are you siding with a demonic sect, Shen Ye?" Liu Xing asked, pointing the tip of Harmony of Two Seas at his forehead. He knew letting the man live to ask questions was risky, but he could not help but be curious. "Why aren't you focusing on the treasure hunt? If you did that instead of siding with the Nether Lotus Sect, the situation wouldn't have ended like this."

  Shen Ye, still bewildered, looked at Liu Xing. Then, slowly, his eyes morphed into anger and hatred. "How could you break my domain?"

  Liu Xing looked around. The area was decimated. No tree had survived the fight, and the ground was pockmarked with upturned dirt and riddled with holes. He turned back to Shen Ye, then shrugged. "I merely projected my qi outside."

  "A domain is not something that can be overcome so easily," Shen Ye stated. "Using it, I could beat inner disciples, even if I'm a realm lower. My clan has worked hard to create a domain, and it was one of the key reasons my empire rose to prominence. There's no way my clan's domain could be overcome easily. To fight a domain, you need to create a domain too!" At that, his eyes widened. "You were using a domain! That's it, that's the only explanation that makes sense!"

  Liu Xing had not used a domain. He had just projected his potent qi outward. Personally, Liu Xing believed the reason Shen Ye's domain was so easily overcome was because of his own lousy control over it. However, continuing this conversation was not the reason he had kept Shen Ye alive.

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  "You still haven't answered my question," Liu Xing said. "Why are you siding with the Nether Lotus Sect? What did you get from it?"

  Shen Ye snorted. "There are plenty of reasons. However, I won't tell you."

  "Even if you die for not answering?" Liu Xing pushed his sword lower, to the point that the tip touched his skin. Blood trickled from the point of contact.

  "I am defeated, yes, but I have not lost. Did you think that I, Shen Ye, would walk around without protection?"

  "Is that so? Then let me try it," Liu Xing answered. Then, without hesitation, he thrust his sword down, intending to pierce his brain. He did not hold back. Using his Lightning Cloak, his speed was no joke, and his physical prowess was off the charts. As he thrust, he felt his sword pierce skin and embed itself in Shen Ye's skull. Shen Ye was spent. He did not cycle his qi, chain hand signs, or activate one of his treasures. Yet, the moment Liu Xing's sword pierced deeper, Shen Ye instantly burst into orange fire. The burst was not bright, nor hot; it was as if Shen Ye himself had truly turned into a lukewarm fire. A moment later, the fire was gone, and Shen Ye was no longer there.

  "I see," Liu Xing muttered as he rubbed his chin. From the start, it seemed Shen Ye had a treasure that would ensure his survival. Come to think of it, he remembered the moment he had been concealed by white smoke. Aside from the ripple of qi he had sensed when Shen Ye regenerated his limb, he had also felt his medal fill with qi for a brief moment. However, he had dismissed it since he was focusing on other things. It seemed that at that time, Shen Ye had activated the treasure, and that treasure would function the moment he was about to die.

  "It was likely a teleportation treasure," he muttered. That explained his disappearance. He was sure that by now, Shen Ye had already arrived in his own empire.

  Liu Xing projected his qi further, suffusing the area and trying to spread it not only through the air but also into the ground. There was a chance that Shen Ye was hiding, and he intended to use his potent qi to probe for him. It was merely a precaution, and indeed, even after a full thirty seconds, he could not sense Shen Ye with any of his senses. He concluded that Shen Ye was truly gone.

  Liu Xing inhaled deeply. He had won this fight, but he had failed to kill Shen Ye.

  "No matter," Liu Xing murmured. At least, his enemies were reduced to one.

  Liu Xing looked around and saw the barrier, which looked as if it were made from black, slightly transparent glass, was still erected. He took his stance and thrust his sword forward. A jet of water shot from the tip of his sword and extended until it hit the barrier. The moment it did, the barrier shook a little. To his surprise, it was still standing, not even scratched. Liu Xing thrust his sword once again and realized that this barrier was actually quite tough.

  "Am I trapped here? How can this barrier be this tough?"

  There must be something he had missed. Liu Xing jumped forward, landed in front of the wall, and pressed his palm against it. The barrier felt cold and emitted a peculiar feeling, as if he were inside his own consciousness. At that moment, Liu Xing realized what the barrier was. It was like the hole he made whenever he used the Flowing Meditation Method. It obeyed its owner's will.

  At that thought, Liu Xing nodded and tried to will the barrier to shatter. In that instant, the barrier rumbled as if it were about to break. However, it resisted, likely because he was not its true owner. Since he could not will the barrier to open, he needed to break it forcefully using something imbued with his will. Such a thing was easy enough to come by; after all, qi was manipulated by will, and his potent qi was especially obedient.

  "Break," Liu Xing commanded. At his will, the potent qi surged outward, pushing against the barrier. As it pushed, he sensed the barrier begin to tremble. The toughness of its physical form did not matter.

  His potent qi surged more and more, but then, something unique happened. It began to clump together, creating brilliant, shining blue blobs of qi. Then, they began to transform on their own. Two beautiful wings emerged from each blob, and the feet and the body began to take shape, until finally, each of the blobs—and there were thousands of them—formed into a butterfly.

  Liu Xing’s eyebrows rose. It was happening again. His qi was moving on its own and shaping itself into a butterfly. The last time this had happened was when he trained his Eyes of Lightning Technique.

  Liu Xing did not know the reason for it.

  For a moment, he almost willed each of the butterflies to return to being qi again. However, he remembered how hard it had been to shape the Eye of Lightning technique into a ball and decided that this was not the time to fight his own qi. Instead, he let his qi form more and more butterflies. Their number skyrocketed, to the point that the barrier was filled with them.

  All of them pushed against the barrier, and a moment later, a sound like shattering glass echoed, and the barrier shattered, and the blue butterflies trapped inside the dome rushed outward. Liu Xing looked up at his qi in the shape of butterflies. They were blue and shining as if made from light. It was a beautiful sight, so much so that Yu Heng looked at the butterflies, and even Yu Yongrui stopped his attack.

  It was a bad move from Yu Yongrui, though. Seizing the opportunity, Liu Xing turned, kicked the ground, and launched himself at his remaining enemy.

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