"Hu Po, no need to waste words with him—attack."
A golden dragon chariot appeared behind Hu Po.
From within came Yang Cheng's voice.
"It's you!" Liu Wuji suddenly understood everything. "Damn it, you're the masterminds behind all of this!"
Just then, Hu Po vanished from where she stood and thrust her sword toward Liu Wuji.
There wasn't a hint of fear on his face.
Ten days ago, this woman from the Xu clan still seemed untouchable in his eyes. Now, she was nothing.
"You think I'm still who I was ten days ago? I'm a Martial Saint too now."
Liu Wuji sneered and calmly struck out with a palm to meet her attack.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They clashed immediately in a fierce battle.
As expected of a former Realm God, Liu Wuji's combat experience was terrifying. Even someone as powerful as Hu Po was being forced back under his assault.
"Hu Po, strike three inches below his left rib!"
Yang Cheng's voice rang out.
Inside the chariot, his pupils turned pitch-black—two sets of them emerging.
He had activated the Supreme Dual Pupils.
Deep within those ink-like eyes, countless Dao laws intertwined and evolved.
In his view, space itself seemed frozen. Time slowed. All secrets of the world were laid bare before him.
He could see through illusions, glimpse the origin, even peer into karma and deduce the future.
'So this is the power of the Supreme Dual Pupils…' Yang Cheng marveled inwardly.
Even he had to admit—it was broken beyond belief.
In his eyes, Liu Wuji's moves no longer held any secrets.
Liu Wuji was fast as lightning, but under Yang Cheng's gaze, he might as well have been crawling.
Hu Po instinctively chose to trust Yang Cheng. After all, he had no reason to harm her.
She stabbed three inches under Liu Wuji's left rib.
Liu Wuji couldn't dodge in time. Her sword left a bloody gash at the exact spot.
As he backed off, his eyes were filled with shock and doubt.
How did the Crown Prince of Great Zhou know that was his weak point?
"His palm technique is called 'God-Breaking Palm.' The five fingers represent the five elements, and the palm center holds yin and yang—endlessly changing. But his back is the flaw where the technique can't adapt. Hu Po, attack from behind."
Yang Cheng continued offering guidance.
He already understood Liu Wuji quite well. Now, with the Supreme Dual Pupils, he had him completely read.
Liu Wuji's pupils shrank. That feeling of being countered grew stronger.
It felt like Yang Cheng knew everything about him.
"He's switching to 'Rising Dragon.' Did you see how his right elbow dipped when he raised his palm? That's the setup for the technique. Step three paces to the southwest, and you'll dodge the edge of the strike."
"Three steps of Qian, six breaks of Kun. Step half a pace forward and you can break his kill move."
"Quick, use 'Swallow Returns' to dash northeast. Plant your left foot on the Xun position. Take the sword in your right hand and strike his Huantiao point with 'Meteor Chasing the Moon'—yes! Now!"
"..."
With Yang Cheng's constant instructions, Hu Po found the fight getting easier and easier.
Liu Wuji, on the other hand, was being forced into increasingly dangerous situations.
"I, Liu Wuji, will not be beaten so easily!"
His eyes turned blood-red as he unleashed an even deadlier move.
"That's the 'Seven Steps of Destiny'?"
Yang Cheng's tone was calm. "Hu Po, it looks fearsome, but the flaw lies at his old wound. Yes, three inches under his left rib."
Hu Po's eyes lit up. Her swordplay suddenly shifted, her movements ghost-like as she weaved through the battlefield, her blade locked on Liu Wuji's left rib.
Liu Wuji's face changed slightly, then he sneered. "So what if you know? A mere Martial Saint dares to try breaking my defenses?"
A golden qi barrier appeared around him, repelling all of Hu Po's sword energy.
Yang Cheng's voice rang out again, laced with mockery. "What a nice 'Wall of Ten Thousand Weights.' That shield is made of earth qi. A wood-element sword can counter it. Hu Po—catch!"
He tossed his wooden sword toward her.
Hu Po caught the sword without hesitation and thrust it toward Liu Wuji.
Chi!
The wooden sword pierced through Liu Wuji's shield in an instant, stabbing precisely three inches beneath his left rib. Blood spurted out.
"How… how is this possible?"
Liu Wuji stared in disbelief at the wound on his side.
Hu Po said coldly, "His Highness was right. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance."
If Liu Wuji hadn't been so full of himself—if he'd chosen to run the moment he saw them—there'd have been nothing they could do.
Unfortunately, he hadn't taken Hu Po seriously as a Martial Saint and thought his victory was guaranteed.
Now, this was the result.
Liu Wuji's face twisted in fury. Qi surged madly within his body.
But then Yang Cheng's voice came again. "Hu Po, it's his Greater Demonic Art. He's about to unleash a final strike before dying. Fall back!"
Hu Po didn't hesitate. She immediately retreated.
The moment she pulled away, a strange black rune appeared at Liu Wuji's wound.
Then the rune exploded.
Boom!
A violent power of annihilation burst from the wound. Half of Liu Wuji's body was instantly blasted into a bloody mess.
"Ahhhh!"
He let out a painful, ear-splitting scream. For the first time, fear filled his eyes.
That was his final card, and Hu Po had dodged it.
His last desperate play had failed.
Hu Po didn't give him another chance. Her figure flashed. Sword light shot like lightning straight for his throat.
Chi!
The blade pierced through.
Liu Wuji's eyes widened as all life drained from him. He collapsed heavily to the ground.
Hu Po sheathed her sword and respectfully looked toward the golden dragon chariot. "Your Highness, it's done."
This time, the way she looked at Yang Cheng was different—carrying a newfound sense of admiration.
His Highness was incredible, like a born god of war. He'd predicted Liu Wuji's every move with stunning precision.
Without Yang Cheng's guidance, she never would've been able to win.
Yang Cheng stepped out from the carriage and extended a hand. "Hu Po, hand me the sword."
The system hadn't given him the task completion prompt yet.
Which meant Liu Wuji wasn't actually dead.
He was faking.
This kind of reincarnated Realm God was ridiculously hard to kill.
Yang Cheng walked over to Liu Wuji's body.
Right now, Liu Wuji showed no signs of life. No one would be able to tell he was still alive.
Even Yang Cheng, with his Supreme Dual Pupils, couldn't see through it.
But he didn't hesitate. He stabbed the sword straight into Liu Wuji's heart.
Hu Po watched from behind and silently admired how cautious Yang Cheng was.
Then he gave the sword a flick.
A small bronze cauldron was pried out from the crack in Liu Wuji's chest and landed in Yang Cheng's hand.
Hu Po's face changed in surprise. She could tell this little cauldron was no ordinary object.
"Liu Wuji, no need to play dead."
Yang Cheng said casually, "Relax, I'm not going to kill you. Someone like you could be a huge help to my future growth."
"In the short term, you can guide me in martial cultivation. In the long term, your background and connections in the Divine Realm can help me rise quickly once I get there. Why would I kill you?"
The bronze cauldron remained silent.
"If you don't answer, I'll take it as you're really dead. Then I'll bury this thing 10,000 feet underground. You probably won't see the light of day for tens of thousands of years."
Yang Cheng said calmly.
"Fine, you win."
A wisp of black smoke rose from the cauldron and condensed into Liu Wuji's face.
Hu Po's eyes widened.
Liu Wuji was still alive?
At that moment, she was deeply grateful Yang Cheng had been here.
Otherwise, even as a Martial Saint, she'd have been dead meat in Liu Wuji's hands.