Star Martial Soaring Cloud

In the center of the ruins, Wang Xiao and Qin Wuming faced each other from a distance of three zhang.

This was their second encounter.

Last time, Wang Xiao transformed into Yang, catching Qin Wuming off guard and forcing him to flee in a sorry state.

This time, both of them had figured out each other's background, and neither dared to be careless in the slightest.

"Boy, I told you I'd make you pay a hundredfold! Today is your death day!" Qin Wuming grinned maliciously, slowly raising his pitch-black broadsword, its blade surging with dense demonic energy.

Wang Xiao did not answer, but simply gripped the Seven Star Sword tightly in his hand.

He could clearly sense that Qin Wuming was stronger than last time—this strength was not a breakthrough in cultivation. Under the suppression of the Demon Island, no one could break through the limit of the Fish Leap Realm.

Qin Wuming's strength lies in his increasingly refined control over power and his increasingly thorough understanding of swordsmanship.

His previous crushing defeat, ironically, transformed him completely.

Such an opponent, who can learn from failure and break through in actual combat, is especially formidable.

"What? Scared?" Qin Wuming's lips curled into a mocking smile when he saw his silence. "Don't worry, I won't let you die too easily. I'll cut you piece by piece, letting you slowly experience what it means to wish you were dead!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly took a step forward!

"boom--!"

The ground beneath his feet cracked instantly, and Qin Wuming's figure, like a black lightning bolt, carrying violent demonic energy, rushed straight towards Wang Xiao!

The broadsword slashed down, its dark blade flashing and tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.

This strike was faster, fiercer, and more powerful than the last time they clashed!

Wang Xiao's pupils contracted slightly, and he instantly unleashed the Seven Star Rain Steps, his figure gliding three feet to the right, barely avoiding the direct impact of the blade's light.

"So fast." Wang Xiao felt a chill run down his spine and dared not slack off in the slightest.

Qin Wuming gave him no chance to breathe, his sword strikes relentless, each strike faster and more ruthless than the last.

His swordsmanship has shed the previous style of sweeping, unrestrained, and purely aggressive techniques, and has become more unpredictable and varied—sometimes fierce and unparalleled, sometimes subtle and cunning, with each move aimed directly at vital points, making it impossible to defend against.

"Clang clang clang clang—!"

The clang of metal against metal was deafening. Wang Xiao parried with his sword, but with each collision, dense demonic energy flowed along the blade, attempting to invade his body and erode his meridians.

The demonic energy was chilling and piercing, making the circulation of his internal energy somewhat sluggish.

"Is that all you've got?" Qin Wuming laughed wildly, his sword strikes growing increasingly ferocious. "Last time you succeeded through a sneak attack, did you really think you were my match? Today I'll show you what true power is!"

He suddenly roared, and his demonic energy surged. A layer of dark demonic flames appeared on his black broadsword—a sign that he had pushed the Tianyi Sect's "Demon Flame Slash" to its limit.

"Seven Slashes of Demonic Flame!"

The first strike was powerful and heavy, aimed straight at Wang Xiao's face!

Wang Xiao raised his sword to parry, but felt a tremendous force coming from him, and was forced to take three steps back.

The second cut followed immediately, sweeping across the waist and abdomen!

Wang Xiao dodged quickly to the side, the blade grazing his clothes and sending sparks flying.

The third, fourth, fifth strikes... Qin Wuming's sword aura was like a raging sea, wave after wave, forcing Wang Xiao to retreat step by step, the space around him locked by the sword energy.

Wang Xiao gritted his teeth, using the Seven Star Rain Steps to nimbly weave and dodge amidst the dense flashes of blades, seeking opportunities to counterattack.

"The sixth cut!"

Qin Wuming roared and slashed down with his broadsword. The blade's light suddenly swelled several feet, like a black waterfall, pouring down towards Wang Xiao's head with unstoppable force!

Wang Xiao's eyes sharpened, his inner energy surged wildly, and the Seven Star Sword suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light. He gripped the sword with both hands and bravely met the attack!

"boom--!"

A deafening roar shook the heavens as golden sword light and black blade light clashed violently. A violent shockwave swept in all directions, sending rubble flying and turning it into dust that obscured half the sky.

"The seventh cut!"

Qin Wuming gave Wang Xiao no chance to catch his breath. In a flash, he caught up and brought the seventh blade down on Wang Xiao's head with earth-shattering power!

This strike was more terrifying than the previous six combined; the pressure of the blade was enough to suffocate someone.

Before the blade even arrived, its sharp pressure had already distorted and deformed the air around Wang Xiao, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

Before Wang Xiao could think, he kicked off the array stones behind him and shot forward like an arrow—not backward, but charging straight at Qin Wuming's blade!

He would use force against force, violence against violence, and face the opponent's strongest move head-on. As long as he could make Qin Wuming's emotions waver even slightly, the opportunity for victory would emerge.

"You're courting death!" A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Qin Wuming's eyes, and his sword strikes became even more ferocious, adding three more points of force.

Just as the blade was about to strike, Wang Xiao suddenly lowered his body, almost sliding along the ground, and precisely passed under Qin Wuming's blade!

Qin Wuming cleaved through the air with his sword, the blade's edge striking the array stone behind Wang Xiao with tremendous force. The massive array stone instantly shattered into countless fragments, filling the air with dust and smoke.

"Transforming myself into Yang—to subdue demons!"

Wang Xiao shouted loudly, his internal energy circulated to its limit, and his body suddenly burst forth with a blazing golden light like the sun.

Qin Wuming was prepared. He sneered, immediately closed his eyes, and used his spiritual sense to its fullest extent to accurately lock onto Wang Xiao's location.

His swordplay remained perfectly composed; instead, he subtly altered his path under the cover of the dazzling light.

"The same trick won't work on me!"

He slashed out with his sword, striking the dazzling golden light directly!

"clang--!"

The sound of metal clashing was deafening. The Seven Star Sword was knocked out of his hand by the slash, twirled several times in the air, and fell to the ground far away with a crisp clanging sound.

"Hahahaha!" Qin Wuming roared with laughter, the sound echoing through the ruins, filled with smugness and arrogance. "Kid, without your sword, what skills do you have left? You got away with it last time, did you really think you could use this trick a second time? This day next year will be your death anniversary!"

However, his laughter stopped abruptly—a sudden, sharp pain shot through his chest without warning, as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer or pierced by lightning.

He could even clearly hear the sound of his ribs breaking—"crack, crack," crisp and piercing, one after another.

Qin Wuming looked down and saw a fist slam into his chest.

That fist had no golden light, no fluctuations of energy, only pure and savage physical strength, yet it shattered his protective demonic energy and broke at least three of his ribs.

"The moves are the same, so there won't be any other changes?" Wang Xiao's icy voice came from close by.

Qin Wuming suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking: he saw Wang Xiao standing in front of him, his right hand empty—the Seven Star Sword had already been knocked away, and his left fist was pressed firmly against his chest.

Man and sword separated!

It turned out that when Wang Xiao used the "Transform into Yang" technique, he did not concentrate all his power on the sword. He used some of his energy to maintain the dazzling light and threw the Seven Star Sword at Qin Wuming at the same time!

That flying sword was a disguise—a body transformed into Yang!

As Qin Wuming parried the Seven Star Sword with all his might, his chest and abdomen were wide open; while Wang Xiao, under the cover of the light, had already silently closed in, gathering all the power of his body into a single punch, and unleashed it with a bang!

This punch embodies all the results of his water-based body tempering and fire-based mind tempering, carries the experience of all the life-and-death battles of the past few days, and is infused with all his anger and determination—one punch to decide the fate of the world.

"You...you..." Qin Wuming's eyes widened as he flew backward, blood gushing from the corner of his mouth, his face filled with disbelief.

He lost, lost again, and this time, he lost even more miserably than before.

Last time, at least he managed to escape in a sorry state, but this time, he didn't even have the strength to get up and run away.

The broken ribs pierced his lungs, and every breath brought excruciating pain. His vital energy was leaking out like a flood from a burst dam, and he could no longer gather it.

"If I can defeat you once, I can defeat you a second time." Wang Xiao's voice was as cold as frost, each word seemingly coming from the deepest hell. "However, I won't give you a third chance."

He picked up the Seven Star Sword that had fallen to the ground, and the long sword cut through the air with a sharp sword aura, aiming straight for Qin Wuming's heart.