Roar!

The white tiger loosed a deafening roar at the heavens. The aura that erupted from it sent Ye Feng crashing backward, blood streaming from his seven orifices, the ringing in his ears drowning out all other sounds.

But just as everyone believed Lu Xiuzhong had finally been forced to release his spirit void, the sword spirit void mark between Ye Feng’s brows manifested on its own.

The blood-streaked Wrathful Slaughter Sword released a mysterious, overwhelming sword force.

Lu Xiuzhong, on the verge of releasing his own spirit void companion sword, spat a great mouthful of blood skyward.

The outcome was obvious to everyone. With a single cry of Ye Feng’s blood-streaked sword, Lu Xiuzhong’s sword spirit void had shattered. There had been no warning. It simply shattered and dissipated into the world.

Not even Ye Feng and Li Guanqi knew what had just happened, let alone Lu Xiuzhong.

Only Sword Spirit, deep within the sword coffin space, smiled faintly and murmured, “Still the same foul temper as always.”

Lu Xiuzhong coughed up another mouthful of blood. His qi and blood churned violently, and the vital force coursing through his body fell into complete disarray.

His face turned white as paper. His head throbbed violently, as if a pair of colossal hands were trying to pry apart his sea of consciousness.

Sensing Ye Feng charging at him again, Lu Xiuzhong could only dodge frantically. Ye Feng pressed his advantage, unleashing a relentless barrage of sword strikes. For a time, all the crowd saw was Lu Xiuzhong scrambling to evade him, his vital force churning wildly as his face twisted in pain.

Just like a cat hunting a mouse, the mouse was forced to scurry in every direction.

“Hahaha! Graceful Tiger? More like a cornered rat!”

“Ye Feng, keep going!”

Boom! Boom!

The stage shook. Terrifying sword light shot in all directions.

Then Lu Xiuzhong’s complexion recovered a little. The tiger-striped spirit patterns across his torso glowed faintly before fading, and he stopped in his tracks.

With his sword in hand, Lu Xiuzhong’s aura changed drastically. His body tensed like an ancient beast poised to devour its prey.

Ye Feng stomped through the void, his eyes narrowing. Instead of retreating, he charged straight ahead.

Cold killing intent flashed in his eyes. Only one thought remained in his mind: kill the enemy before him and avenge his two brothers.

“Fearsome Tiger’s Roar, Splitting the Mountain!”

Ye Feng, like a bow drawn taut, gripped his sword in both hands. A deep, rumbling roar rang out.

A tiger’s phantom enveloped Ye Feng. The golden tiger’s eyes were pitch-black, every strand of its fur so vivid it seemed real. With all four claws treading on dark Yin Hellfire, it leaped and charged forward with a roar.

Roar!

A deep furrow stretched across the martial stage behind Ye Feng, as though a huge ox had plowed through it.

Lu Xiuzhong met Ye Feng’s overwhelming momentum and charged as well. His pride would not let him keep retreating.

Boom!

“Yan Tiger, Bright Moon Returning to the Heart!”

Boom!

The ground exploded beneath his feet. His charging figure blurred into a snow-white tiger. In the blink of an eye, the two slammed into each other.

Thud!

A terrifying shockwave erupted, blasting the stone tiles into the air across a three-hundred-zhang radius.

The two tigers savagely clawed at each other in midair, and fierce sword lights crisscrossed the field.

Clang clang clang! Clang clang! Boom! Boom!

Sharp sword qi sliced through the air, sending sparks flying between the two men.

Feet planted at the center of the platform, the two men traded blows in a frenzied clash of swords. In the Sword Dao, only speed could sustain an impenetrable defense.

Like tireless machines, both swung their swords faster and faster. With every exchange, wisps of spirit light were torn from the tiger phantoms.

Slash slash!

Sharp, explosive cracks rang out as the swords sliced through the air. Ye Feng’s face twisted with ferocity as he slashed again and again in a frenzy. Even when the blade cut into him, he didn’t notice.

Sparks showered from the clash and scattered across the platform. Lu Xiuzhong’s face grew increasingly grim. With his sword spirit void shattered, his sword strikes lacked the force to match his opponent’s. Even after employing secret techniques, he still fell short.

The scene unfolding on the stage made the spectators forget to breathe, every eye locked on the two fighters. The fight left them all in a cold sweat.

Though the earlier fights had been equally fierce, the sight of two men standing their ground and trading blows openly still made their blood run hot.

Fresh wounds continued to open across their bodies, yet neither yielded even half a step.

Their sword forces grew more ferocious, each chasing raw, extreme power in wide-open exchanges. They traded blow for blow, no longer bothering to defend against every strike.

The ground exploded and cratered over and over. Through the swirling dust, all that could be seen were chaotic flashes of sword light, striking out relentlessly.

Bit by bit, Ye Feng and Lu Xiuzhong sank lower and lower. They drove the center of the stage a full zhang deeper.

Blood splattered as more and more wounds opened across their bodies. Their exchange had already lasted dozens of breaths.

Boom!

A violent blast rang out, sending Lu Xiuzhong flying.

A long furrow ripped across the ground in his wake, and he slid a full hundred zhang before barely managing to stop himself.

At the same moment, a blood-drenched figure burst from the settling dust. Ye Feng’s hair flew wildly around him, demonic qi coiling around the left side of his body. He raised his left hand and clenched it toward the distant Lu Xiuzhong.

A palm of flame ten zhang wide formed in the air and smashed down.

The instant Lu Xiuzhong sensed it, he frantically shattered a jade pendant. A vast torrent of water erupted from it, and he vanished.

Lu Xiuzhong dragged himself out of the water at the edge of the platform, blood-soaked and bedraggled, heaving for breath.

Ye Feng laughed coldly, his eyes fixed on Lu Xiuzhong. “Yin Hell Technique, Burning Heavens!”

Boom!

Black flames engulfed the entire realm.

Lu Xiuzhong’s heart pounded. An unprecedented sense of danger surged through him. The instant it arose, black flames ignited within his meridians.

He had no idea when the flames had taken root inside him.

“Aaargh!”

With a roar of fury, Lu Xiuzhong proved just as ruthless. He turned the blade on himself and slashed seventy-odd times in succession, gouging out his own flesh.

But before he could catch his breath, Ye Feng appeared at his side once more.

Ye Feng’s icy voice rang out beside him. “Is that all you’ve got?”