Chapter 194 - 149 Never Breaking the Heart Demon

Chapter 194: Chapter 149 Never Breaking the Heart DemonZhao Manying, because she had activated her Steel Body, remained in place and was unable to pursue promptly. Ji Xinghuo raised his hand and unleashed another Ultrasonic Sword Energy. And there was another Thunderbolt Hand! Just as Zhao Manying was about to cancel her Steel Body to recover speed, she saw the attack coming. Unable to dodge in time, she maintained her steel defense; Ice Armor condensed, the repulsion field attached to her Arm Armor expanded as well, and she wrapped herself in a kinetic shield on the outside. Ji Xinghuo glanced at it and felt a headache coming on, deciding to first take care of the Sword Shadow Clones. The four Sword Shadows merged into the night, invisible and formless. If there were anyone present, they would not be able to see them at all, but within Ji Xinghuo’s perception, they were crystal clear, entering within five meters of him in the blink of an eye. This was exactly the range of his Microscopic Perception. Each Sword Shadow moved at a different angle and speed, some fast, some slow, each cutting in a different manner – drilling, paring, stabbing, slashing – as if four swordsmen were wielding them, besieging him from all sides. Ji Xinghuo was utterly concentrated, a nearly invisible ring of light flickering in his right eye; his body nimbly moved to and fro, his hands wielding both sword and blade. Clang, clang, clang, clang! Four consecutive bursts of sound. The Thunder Blade and Demon Sound struck four times in succession, each timed exquisitely, as if dancing upon the blade’s edge, striking the four Sword Shadow Clones with incredible precision. The Sword Shadows, condensed from Ability, were after all not as substantial as real swords and blades. Within one second, all four Sword Shadow Clones were shattered by Ji Xinghuo, breaking apart and dissipating. He immediately turned off Myriad Phenomena and rushed towards Zhao Manying. Myriad Phenomena consumed too much Star Power to sustain; it had to be activated only at a decisive moment. Zhao Manying had already moved through the Ultrasonic Sword Energy and released her Steel Body. The two collided head-on. As blade and swords struck continuously, amidst the flashes of light and shadow, they frequently used Flash Step to swap positions, Sword Qi crisscrossing with thunderous roars as the mountaintop ground was carved with trenches and holes. After one minute of head-on combat, Ji Xinghuo realized this was disadvantageous to him. He was merely an Advanced Mutant. His Star Force was far less robust than Zhao Manying’s, and such a war of attrition was unfavorable to him; once his Star Force was exhausted, Zhao Manying could easily win. Clang! With a burst, Ji Xinghuo unleashed a strike that forced Zhao Manying back, taking the opportunity to Flash Step away and increase their distance. "Huff, huff..." He was breathing heavily, opting not to attack further. "Can’t go on?" Zhao Manying asked with relaxed levity, her voice teasing. By this point, she hadn’t even broken a sweat, her breathing still even, and aside from a torn leather shoulder strap, she displayed no other damage; the exposed shoulder adding to her alluring appearance instead. Ji Xinghuo had no response, the reputation of the number one on the Sky Ladder was indeed not unearned. He had figured out some tricks. Zhao Manying’s Star Force was much stronger than that of an ordinary Super Mutant, but that was not her only advantage; she undoubtedly possessed one or two extremely unique Abilities, at least at Starfall Level. That unknown Ability gave her incomparably calm and swift reactions and Perception, allowing her to remain unfazed by any perilous situation. Moreover, her physical fitness was incredibly strong. Whether it was strength, speed, or stamina, she was far superior to her peers, especially her speed which, combined with her super-fast neural reactions, was unbelievably quick. He, wielding both sword and blade, should have had the upper hand in attack frequency, yet came close to not keeping up with her single sword’s offense. Within one minute, he was repeatedly caught off guard and barely able to defend. Her Fast Sword alone could have made her famous worldwide. Ji Xinghuo’s breathing soon slowed down, and he nodded, saying, "Your strength indeed goes beyond Martial Arts; the Virtual Platform limits you." "Are you conceding?" A smile appeared on Zhao Manying’s face. "No, quite the opposite!" Ji Xinghuo confidently said, "The Virtual Platform also limits me. Next, I’ll let you see that challenging me offline is your biggest mistake. You’ll never be able to overcome your Heart Demon, and for the rest of your life, you won’t be able to forget me!" "Oh?" Zhao Manying raised her chin proudly, her pink hair fluttering in the cold wind, "I really want to see that, come on!" She reached out and lightly stroked her Sword Blade, once again condensing four Sword Shadow Clones. Ji Xinghuo took Qing Hong out of his pocket and said, "Go aside and watch, don’t attack." The miniaturized Qing Hong nodded and quickly scrambled to the edge of the mountaintop, revealing its true several-meter-long body and coiling around a short tree to watch the battle. "Your War Pet?" Zhao Manying asked in surprise, "Why not let it join the fight?" A Mutant’s War Pet was also part of their strength, like Weapon Equipment, and was never excluded from battle. "I alone am enough." Ji Xinghuo answered calmly; he wanted Zhao Manying to lose convincingly. Bringing Qing Hong along might lead to it getting hurt. "Hehe..." Zhao Manying chuckled lightly, completely undisturbed. She watched as Ji Xinghuo also discarded his bow and arrows to the side, leaving only a blade and a sword in his hands. Taking no chances, she willed the four Sword Shadow Clones to merge into the darkness and attack Ji Xinghuo. At the same time, her Spiritual Energy lifted a large amount of rubble and soil, forming a torrent that crashed down upon him. In the midst of the booming sound, a figure burst out from the dusty haze. In that moment, Ji Xinghuo’s body was covered with scales of green and gold, currents of electricity jumping between them. Any fragments that hit him were repelled, causing no harm. He didn’t Flash Step but charged forward at a sprint, bursting forth at a speed comparable to Flash Step. Electricity sparked from the tip of the Thunder Blade. He slashed out a swath of Ultrasonic Sword Energy. Zhao Manying showed no fear, her empty left hand reaching out towards Ji Xinghuo with focused eyes, as her Spiritual Energy transformed into kinetic energy in a mad outburst, attempting to bind Ji Xinghuo. His speed immediately slowed, and the four Sword Shadow Clones stabbed out from behind him. Boom! Ji Xinghuo’s body emitted white waves of energy as the sound explosion broke through the kinetic bindings. However, Zhao Manying had already seen this move before and was prepared. She promptly slowed down her four sword shadow clones by half a step, skillfully avoiding the peak of the sound explosion’s shockwave. They moved through the ripples like agile fish swimming through the waves, cleverly navigating the sonic waves and then suddenly accelerating, slashing towards Ji Xinghuo’s body. Ji Xinghuo seemed not to see the sword shadow clones, and continued to charge forward. The four streaks of sword light had already caught up to him. But what Zhao Manying didn’t notice was the faint ring of light in Ji Xinghuo’s right eye. As he sprinted at high speed, his figure flashed, and he instant-stepped half a meter backward, positioning the four sword shadows directly in front of him. Lei Chi’s Thunderbolt Battle Blade swept to the left and right, instantly shattering the four sword shadows into pieces that dissipated. Then came a flash step. In the blink of an eye, Ji Xinghuo rushed forward over twenty meters, appearing like a bolt of lightning right in front of Zhao Manying, his body almost touching her face. This flash step was even faster and farther than any he had performed before! Zhao Manying was not caught off guard and thrust her sword forward. This stab was extremely skillful and precise, locking onto Ji Xinghuo’s many potential follow-up movements. No matter how he responded, he could not threaten her; he would either have to retreat or sustain a severe injury. Ji Xinghuo chose a third outcome. The sound of Demon Sound rose, and struck against the Jinghong Sword with a clang, immediately deflecting it, but it still pierced into his chest. The sword met resistance, catching on tough, azure-gold scales and could not penetrate any deeper for the moment. Zhao Manying urged the Tidal Force within her, and the Star Force exploded from the sword blade inside Ji Xinghuo’s body, but he did not even frown. Boom! At that moment, Ji Xing’s Thunderbolt Battle Blade burst forth with a bolt of lightning. But the lightning had barely been emitted when it scattered into countless tiny arcs, forming an electric arc field that instantly covered every inch of space within a ten-meter radius. Zhao Manying couldn’t dodge it. The electric arcs traveled along her longsword to her body, causing her entire body to go numb, paralyzing her limbs and slowing down her reactions and speed. Even though her speed was reduced, she was still faster than Ji Xinghuo! Jinghong immediately withdrew from Ji Xinghuo’s chest, and in the blink of an eye, seven swords were unleashed. Clang, clang, clang... all seven consecutive strikes were parried by Ji Xinghuo. Even as each strike was faster than the last with different forces and angles, real and feigned, the illusions of the sword all blocked by Ji Xinghuo. Zhao Manying finally showed a change in her complexion. After five hundred matches with Ji Xinghuo, she was very aware of his martial arts prowess, but in this moment, Ji Xinghuo displayed a level of skill far surpassing anything previous. Using slower moves to best faster ones, he was watertight. This simply did not seem like a level of martial arts a human could possess, almost as if he could foresee the future! Zhao Manying felt that every variation she made was anticipated by Ji Xinghuo. Her seven consecutive strikes were ineffective, and Ji Xinghuo was already counterattacking and closing in. Despite their continuous speed, she could not block his strikes, and within seconds, he had inflicted over a dozen wounds on her, each accompanied by currents that left her entire body paralyzed. Ji Xinghuo’s sword attack was like a tidal wave. In the close-quarter and intense fight, even breathing became difficult for her. She had no chance to gather her sword shadow clones, nor could she deploy her kinetic power. Ji Xinghuo launched a barrage of attacks, gradually building his advantage with flashes of electric light in his eyes. Clang! A burst of sound. Zhao Manying’s longsword flew out of her hand. She forcefully endured a slash from Ji Xinghuo to her back as she flash-stepped to catch her own longsword, only to find that Ji Xinghuo had not taken the opportunity to strike, but had instead flash-stepped ahead. He didn’t even attempt to snatch the Jinghong Sword, instead sending it flying down the mountain with a slash and stabbing at her with his left hand wielding the Demon Sound Longsword. A chill formed, and Zhao Manying instantly conjured an Ice Sword in her hand, augmenting it with the swordsman’s core ability "Ethereal Blade," with a might not inferior to the Superpower Sword. Ji Xinghuo’s Demon Sound continued without changing its course, its tip touched the Ice Sword, and the explosive Beng Force erupted. The Ice Sword instantly shattered. The Ultrasonic Sword Energy surged forth, engulfing Zhao Manying. The newly formed Ice Armor crumbled, and the black bodysuit she wore was cut up as if by a paper shredder, turned into countless fragments. Zhao Manying’s skin reflected a metallic gloss as she transformed into her Steel Body. Boom! A long-charged Thunderbolt Hand struck her, rendering the Steel Body’s defense invincible, but her resistance to electricity decreased instead. Zhao Manying experienced severe pain all over, her Steel Body involuntarily disengaged, and she was blown away. In such an extreme situation, she still maintained her composure. Sёarᴄh the NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Kinetic energy swept through the air, exploding between her and Ji Xinghuo in an attempt to push him away. The left arm armor unfolded a shield to block Ji Xinghuo’s subsequent sword attacks, while at the same time she remotely grabbed the Jinghong Sword fallen on the slope to fly back to her. However, all this was within Ji Xinghuo’s calculations. With a surge of Demon Sound! The wave-shaped sword blade vibrated at high frequency, releasing a piercing, raging screech like a drill boring into the ear canal, striking directly at the brain along the auditory nerves. Before this moment, Ji Xinghuo had never used the "Beeping Scream." Now, suddenly releasing it, Zhao Manying’s face showed immediate pain, her eardrums ached, and blood flowed out. Her mind wavered for an instant, but that moment determined the outcome of the battle. The spiritual energy was interrupted. Ji Xinghuo flash-stepped to pursue her, while Zhao Manying was still tumbling in mid-air. Lei Chi’s handles struck harshly against her abdomen, knocking her down onto the hard rocky ground. Ji Xinghuo straddled over her, pinning her down with his body, crossing his sword and knife like scissors around her neck. With just a thrust forward, he could end her life. Zhao Manying instinctively struggled, but a constant stream of electricity flowed from Ji Xinghuo’s body, leaving her paralyzed and limp, unable to move. She stopped and they looked eye to eye. From his height, Ji Xinghuo looked down at her and laughed, saying, "Now, do you know whether I can do it or not?"