"ROAR!"

Tana let out a low roar as the Qi and Blood from her Divine Elephant Demon Suppression technique erupted. A faint golden light shimmered around her body.

A wild and heavy aura spread out, forcefully breaking through part of the Domain Suppression and increasing her speed once more.

But she was still affected, nonetheless.

Relying on his Domain’s slowing effect and Instant Shadow Step, Xu Wuyi narrowly avoided one Heavy Hammer after another.

The arena thundered ceaselessly as the alloy floor was smashed with shallow craters, sending shockwaves rolling through the air.

However, Tana’s attack range was too wide and her power too ferocious. Xu Wuyi’s Body Technique wasn’t his specialty, making it impossible for him to completely evade all the aftershocks and her relentless pursuit.

BANG!

Another Heavy Hammer grazed his body. The violent force of the blow scraped hard against his ribs, aggravating the already aching wound. Xu Wuyi let out a muffled grunt as a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

His injuries were worsening, and his already dwindling Qi and Blood was being rapidly consumed.

’This can’t go on...’ Xu Wuyi’s mind raced, calmly analyzing the situation.

There was a limit to how long he could passively dodge. A single direct hit could mean utter defeat.

His gaze swept over the relentlessly pursuing Tana. Her eyes were fierce and her momentum was at its peak, but it seemed... she was unusually concerned about her own stamina consumption?

An idea flashed through his mind like lightning.

He needed to create an opportunity—one that could turn the tables, or at the very least, severely injure his opponent.

His physical Qi and Blood was nearly depleted, but it had mainly been consumed maintaining Melting Furnace Boiling Blood and his defenses. Under the nourishment of his Heart Fire, his Spiritual Power still held considerable strength.

’Time to gamble!’

A flicker of determination flashed in Xu Wuyi’s eyes.

After narrowly dodging another hammer strike, his figure came to an abrupt halt. He stopped retreating and suddenly spun around!

He gripped his spear with both hands. The dark red shaft let out a low hum as he poured his remaining Qi and Blood into it without reservation.

The spear’s tip pointed directly at the pursuing Tana, his eyes resolute. He postured as if ready to risk his life for a mutual-destruction gambit!

Tana’s pursuing steps instinctively slowed.

Qin Rui’s warning echoed in her mind—’Be careful of his strange tricks.’

Seeing Xu Wuyi’s life-or-death posture, she instantly weighed her options. ’My condition is perfect and my advantage is huge. There’s no need to trade injuries with him right now, let alone trade my life for his.’

’If Xu Wuyi manages to seriously injure or even kill me, the East Courtyard still has two members left. Our side’s chances of winning would plummet.’

’On the other hand, if I just play it safe, victory is within my grasp.’

In that split second of weighing her options and hesitating, she chose the safest course of action.

She pushed off her feet and retreated rapidly, simultaneously bringing her Heavy Hammer across her body in a defensive stance, preparing to face Xu Wuyi’s "last-ditch counterattack."

However, the anticipated earth-shattering collision never happened.

The instant Tana retreated and her momentum shifted from offense to defense, Xu Wuyi’s seemingly unstoppable forward charge came to an abrupt halt.

He feinted with his spear, pushed Instant Shadow Step to its absolute limit, and... turned and ran!

He burst away in the opposite direction, instantly creating a gap of several steps!

Tana was stunned.

An uproar erupted from the spectators’ seats.

"He ran?"

"What kind of tactic is that?"

But Tana immediately realized—she had been tricked!

He was just bluffing, trying to buy time to recover!

Fury at being played surged through her. Tana’s pretty face flushed red with anger. "Bastard! You dare trick me!"

Intense rage made her instantly lose her cool. The Qi and Blood in her body erupted like a volcano, and her petite frame exploded with astonishing speed. Like an enraged leopardess, she charged madly after Xu Wuyi!

She was going to smash this cunning bastard to pieces, right here, right now!

The distance between them closed rapidly.

Tana’s eyes were fixed only on Xu Wuyi’s back. Her Heavy Hammer was already raised, stirring a vicious wind once more!

Just as the force of the hammer was about to strike—

Xu Wuyi, his back still to her, suddenly whipped his head around!

Within his eyes, it was as if two clusters of crimson-gold flames were burning!

BOOM!

There were no physical flames, but a searing, explosive Spirit Shock that seemed capable of incinerating all illusions erupted from Xu Wuyi, sweeping out like an invisible storm!

This was his imitation of Zhao Qingwei’s mind-stealing sword strike, using his own vast Spiritual Power as a foundation to channel the fundamental intention of the wisp of Heart Fire in his Dantian for an all-out, unrestrained burst!

The imitation was crude, of course, but it carried the innate, soul-burning, bone-corroding properties of Heart Fire. It was earth-shattering!

Tana, who had been about to swing her hammer, felt as if a burning sun had been dropped into her sea of consciousness!

Her vision instantly vanished, replaced by endless crimson-gold flames!

It wasn’t physical heat, but a pain that directly burned her Spirit and will!

"AAAAH—!"

She let out a piercing scream, feeling as if her very soul was being set alight. The excruciating pain overwhelmed her senses, her body froze completely, and the raised Heavy Hammer froze in mid-air.

Although this Spirit Shock was nowhere near as swift as Zhao Qingwei’s Sword Intention and couldn’t truly "steal the mind," the explosive, burning sensation it caused was far more painful!

In that fleeting moment, as Tana’s Heart and Spirit faltered and she stood frozen, Xu Wuyi made his move.

This was the chance he had been waiting for!

He forcibly squeezed out the last dregs of Qi and Blood in his body. He and his spear practically became a single dark-red streak of light—man and spear as one—as he charged unhesitatingly toward the paralyzed Tana!

There was no technique, no variation—only the condensed might of all his remaining strength and will.

A single, decisive thrust!

The spear tip aimed for Tana’s heart!

Amidst the excruciating pain of the spiritual burn, Tana’s Martial Artist instincts sensed a fatal threat!

The will to survive overrode everything. She forcibly dragged a sliver of clarity back from the spiritual storm, and seeing the spear tip already at her chest, a hint of madness flashed in her eyes!

’Can’t dodge it!’

’Then we’ll die together!’

Ignoring the spear aimed at her heart, she gathered her Qi and Blood—which had been scattered by the spiritual assault—and swung her Heavy Hammer down fiercely at the close-range Xu Wuyi!

Trading a life for a life!

PSHH!

The spear accurately pierced Tana’s heart. The immense Power, along with a trace of the Heart Fire’s intention, instantly extinguished her Life Force.

At almost the exact same moment, the black Heavy Hammer slammed solidly into Xu Wuyi’s chest!

CRACK... SPLURT—!

The sickening sound of cracking bone mixed with the sound of someone vomiting blood.

Xu Wuyi felt his chest completely cave in, his internal organs seemingly pulverized into dust. Blood gushed from his mouth like a fountain.

His consciousness rapidly faded, his vision was swallowed by darkness, and he was the first to dissolve into a flash of white light, disappearing from the arena.

The moment after he vanished, Tana—her heart pierced and her Life Force rapidly draining—could no longer hold on. Her body swayed, and filled with endless unwillingness, she too dissolved into white light.

In an instant, the arena was empty.