In Zhu Xian, people start to rise from plundering entries

"This can't go on." Su Han's mind raced. Trying to outlast the sword puppet was the most foolish choice; the opponent had no stamina limitations and seemed tireless, while his own star power, though quickly replenished, had its limits. Moreover, prolonged stalemates were inevitable; he had to break the deadlock.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes. As he parried a diagonal slash, his left hand formed a sword-like shape with his fingers pointing towards a seemingly ordinary spot on the Yin Puppet's left rib.

"Star Tribulation Finger!"

This move was swift as lightning, sharp and deadly, targeting a specific point in the flow of spiritual energy within the Yin Puppet's body. This was a minor divine ability he had comprehended from the Primordial Star Codex, specifically designed to break through protective qi and spiritual energy defenses.

"puff!"

The finger strike landed firmly on Yin Kui's ribs. Yin Kui's body trembled, and his movements faltered for a moment. A small hole tore in his robe on his left rib, revealing grayish-white skin underneath—a dark gold metal plate was embedded in that skin. At this moment, a faint white dot appeared on the metal plate, but it had not been pierced.

Su Han's pupils contracted. Sure enough, this sword puppet had been implanted with an enhancement device!

In that instant when the Yin Puppet hesitated, Su Han seized the opportunity. The starlight on the Starfire Sword surged, and the sword's momentum suddenly changed, transforming from its previous agile and ethereal nature to a heavy and fierce one. With a horizontal slash, carrying an overwhelming force, it slammed into the Yin Puppet's hastily defending black longsword.

"clang--!"

A louder crash resounded. Yin Kui was slashed backward several steps by the sword, his feet carving two shallow tracks in the bluestone ground. But his hand holding the sword remained as steady as a rock, and his gray eyes remained empty, as if he could not feel the force of the impact.

Su Han pressed his advantage relentlessly, his figure like a shadow, unleashing the Starfire Sword and fully unleashing the Star and Moon Sword Intent. In an instant, the starlight and moonlight on the arena blazed brightly, the sword light like a reversed Milky Way, or like moonlight pouring down, enveloping the Yin Puppet within. Each sword strike contained the power to split mountains and shatter rocks, and also carried the unique purifying and evil-dispelling properties of the Primordial Star Power, subtly restraining the cold and filthy Heart-Corroding Sword Intent.

"Excellent swordsmanship!"

"This Su Han can actually suppress the sword puppet!"

The crowd below the stage perked up. Many had been holding their breath seeing Su Han forced to defend more than attack earlier, but now, seeing his sudden outburst and the unstoppable momentum of his sword, they couldn't help but cheer.

However, Su Han, who was in the center of the sword light, felt no relief whatsoever.

His sword did indeed strike the Yin Puppet time and again, either tearing its robes or leaving sword marks on its body. But no blood flowed from those wounds, only revealing the grayish-white, withered skin beneath, and the occasional flash of metallic luster. Although the Yin Puppet's movements were slightly chaotic due to the continuous attacks, its defense remained steady, and it even occasionally used its body to withstand non-lethal sword strikes, retaliating with fierce killing blows.

What alarmed Su Han even more was that, as the battle continued, the chilling and foul aura emanating from the Yin Puppet grew stronger, and the dark red patterns on its black longsword seemed to come alive, pulsating slightly like blood vessels. With each clash of the two swords, an even stronger corrosive force attempted to invade his body. Although it was blocked by the Primordial Star Power and the illusory sword intent, it still constantly impacted his mind, accelerating the depletion of his Star Power.

"This won't do." Su Han's mind raced. "We must find its core weakness. No matter how human-like the sword puppet is, it's not a living being; it must have a driving core or control hub!"

While maintaining his relentless offensive, he pushed his divine sense to its limit, meticulously observing every detail of the Yin Puppet. The transitions between its movements, the flow of spiritual energy, even the extremely subtle changes in the light within its greyish-white eyes…

Suddenly, he noticed that whenever the Yin Puppet made a large movement or unleashed a powerful attack, a faint, dark red light would flash briefly beneath its robes at the center of its chest, and the chilling aura surrounding it would fluctuate accordingly. "There!" Su Han's eyes flashed with brilliance.

Just then, the Yin Puppet, which had been relentlessly attacked, seemed to have triggered some kind of mechanism. It suddenly abandoned all defense, taking Su Han's sword strike head-on with its shoulder. The blade pierced its flesh three-tenths of an inch, but was stuck in some kind of tough material. At the same time, the Yin Puppet's left hand shot out, its five fingers forming claws, the tips as black as ink and reeking of a foul stench, aiming straight for Su Han's heart! Its right hand, wielding a black sword, slashed upwards at Su Han's lower abdomen from an unsettling angle!

A lose-lose situation! No, it's a desperate gamble where you risk minor injuries for Su Han's serious injury or even death!

A gasp rippled through the audience. Master Ziyang abruptly stood up, and Ye Lingxiao and the others were speechless.

In a flash, Su Han made a decision. He didn't withdraw his sword, for that would mean losing the initiative and falling into an even more dangerous pursuit. Instead, he took half a step forward, his body slightly turning to the side, avoiding a fatal blow to his heart. The dark claws grazed his left ribs, instantly corroding five holes in his robes. A burning pain shot through his skin as a chilling and vicious energy tried to penetrate him.

At the same time, he released the hilt of the Starfire Sword with his right hand, but his left hand shot out like lightning. Starlight shone between his five fingers, and the Primordial Star Power was highly compressed and condensed into five finger strikes that were refined to the extreme. Using the technique of "Star Tribulation Finger", he fiercely stabbed at the dark red light that was faintly visible on the chest of the Yin Puppet!

"Pfft! Sizzle!"

Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously.

The Yin Puppet's pitch-black claws left five charred scratches on Su Han's left ribs, as the power of the Heart-Eating Demon Seed surged wildly into it. Meanwhile, Su Han's five "Star Tribulation Finger" strikes landed solidly on the Yin Puppet's chest!

"boom--!"

A low, muffled thud sounded, as if striking leather-covered hardwood. The Yin Puppet's robes ripped open at the chest, revealing grayish-white skin beneath, and a fist-sized, dark red, crystalline protrusion beneath. At that moment, five fine cracks appeared on the dark red crystal, its light flickering rapidly and erratically.

Yin Kui's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. He trembled violently as if struck by lightning, and for the first time, his gray-white eyes showed a clear fluctuation, a trace of chaos and pain flashing in their emptiness. His left hand, which had been grabbing at Su Han, fell limply to his side, and the black sword he had swung upwards lost its aim, slicing past Su Han's waist and only tearing his robe.

Su Han endured the excruciating pain in his left rib and the chilling, maddening sensation coursing through his mind. With a swift movement of his right hand, the Starfire Sword, still embedded in the Yin Puppet's shoulder, hummed and flew back into his palm. Without hesitation, he moved with the sword, becoming one with it, transforming into a blazing, star-moon-like rainbow, piercing straight towards the cracked, dark red crystal in the Yin Puppet's chest!

"Stars and Moon Piercing the Rainbow!"

This was a sword strike that pushed his Star Moon Sword Intent and movement technique to their limits, and it was also the strongest attack he could unleash at the moment! Where the sword light passed, the air emitted a shrill tearing sound, and the ground of the arena was plowed open by the dissipated sword energy, leaving a shallow trench.

"Not good!" Li Wuhen's expression changed drastically, and he suddenly stood up.

On the high platform, Youmingzi, who had been keeping his eyes closed as if it were none of his business, suddenly opened his greyish-white eyes, a hint of surprise and coldness flashing across them. (End of Chapter)