Heat waves? A mirage spell similar to his Illusion Beast Steps? Or some other sort of invisibility spell?
Bubai couldn't tell what it was nor how exactly it worked, but one thing was certain: it burns Qi!
And with over an hour left on the timer, can this invisible ghost afford to keep it up?
Then again... spirit stones were a thing.
"Tch."
He could wait it out. Passively force the other to make the first move…
But long nights led to more dreams! Best to take the initiative!
Since their current fighting ring was only so big, there's not much space to hide. So let's flush him out!
Bubai fell back to the wall and took center point.
His hand hooked the storage pouch on his waist and tipped it over. Water come!
Splish—splatter—splash!
Seeing the little waterfall pouring out brought a grin to Bubai's face.
Whether it be illusion or invisibility, both can't hide the physical existence like space-time power!
He doubted grassroots disciples like this fan boy can have such a game-breaking skill.
Now, let's see if it's just like he guessed…
Eyeing the outflow of water, Bubai didn't forget to taunt in his most disgusting impression of a singsong voice.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are~! Don't think your half-baked tricks can hide from my two heavenly Xia-Ren-Gan eyes~!"
Silence was his answer. Still, Bubai continued his distraction no jutsu.
"Heh, heh... what's wrong? Why are you hiding? What happened to all your big talk from earlier?"
His eyes prowled the area, watching the water cover more and more ground…
"Hey, they call you a genius? Pooh! You're all talk but useless once you have to do it. No wonder she didn't bother with a dog-licking coward like you!"
"I think we should just give you a new name! How about… Gui Gouqi! Bahahaha!"
That nickname and cackle sounded so cringe when he said it, but that still didn't get a single peep in response.
However…
At the corner of his vision, Bubai finally noticed the unnatural ripples at a certain spot in the flowing currents.
Hehe. Target locked.
Qi circulated inside, but his arrogant face didn't change one bit.
"Since you won't say anything, I'll take it you agree! From now on, you're a real head-shrinking turtle! Haha! Great! Great! Now let grandpa here come give your cowardly turtle head a pet!"
Facing thirty degrees off the mark from the spot, Bubai acted like he noticed nothing and started slowly walking out while randomly looking around like he was taking a casual stroll.
Arriving at the optimal positioning to cut off most of the other's escape routes, Bubai smiled like a cat toying with a cornered mouse.
"Stop hiding! I know... exactly where you are! This is your last chance to crawl out! If you do, I'll be generous and let you die with a shred of dignity instead of the coward you are!"
No answer. Figures. Only a hot-blooded idiot will answer.
Bubai was banking on the fact that the young tend to be more hot-blooded, but this grassroots genius seem to have really good forbearance.
Well, let's finish this little game the hard way then.
Bubai's smirk sharpened like a knife and he suddenly took a hop closer in the direction of his target!
"Found you!!!"
That classic jump scare should've scared a reaction out of most, but…
There was nothing. No flinch. No sound. Not even a ripple. It was like the invisible ghost really wasn't there.
Bubai's smile thinned out into a visible frown and he began slowly turning around…
Halfway through the motion, he froze.
Then without any warning—Fwsshhh!
The docile water got split apart into twin rising tides!
Before the parted curtain of water could even splash back down, a blurring-fast palm swatted out at empty air—SLAP!
A few bloody teeth fell out from empty air!
The mirage shimmered and an invisible someone got slapped back to reality, flying straight out towards the sea of black fire!
KO?!
But how can it be so easy to knock out a foundation builder!
Ge Tianqi came back to his senses mid-flight and saw himself falling towards the sea of fire.
Not good!
He reacted immediately and a swing of his fan whipped out a gust of wind that rebounded against the burning ground then bounced him back into the air like a kite carried by an updraft!
But just when he soared back to the safe area, Ge Tianqi turned to see the cunning lowlife grin like a devil and leap up to be a roadblock in his return route!
This lowlife really wants to cut off all his retreat?! Courting death!
Qi channeled to the pouch hidden within the folds of his sleeve and a flick of his sleeve flung out a little folded doll no bigger than a child's toy—
In the blink of an eye, that grew into a full-size human woman! Shadow Sun Doll!
Barely after the folded doll started its boot-up process, Ge Tianqi heartlessly stomped on her back, hurling her toward Bubai like a boulder!
Leveraging that stepping stone, Ge Tianqi somersaulted up into the air and his leg came smashing down from overhead like an executioner's axe!
Just in time, the doll cannonball arrived in front!
It was pincer attack again! What absolutely great timing!
Too bad what they were facing was absolute power!
The next few moves got sorted out in Bubai's mind in a flash and he immediately put them into action!
A foot kicked out at the incoming doll!
But instead of kicking her away, the foot stuck to her, using her as a stepping stone to shift his own center of gravity just in time to let the drop kick from above pass by mere inches from his skull!
Miss! And it seemed like the drop kicker will simply let gravity take him all the way down just like that!
Bubai was having none of that! "Where do you think you're going?!"
Snap! Bubai grappled the fan boy in mid-air, but in the same breath, Ge Tianqi sneered and his fingers formed the activation seal!
"Explode for me!"
Hisssss! The Bubai tingle flared to life and Bubai's eyes darted to the awakened doll that was hugging his leg like an octopus.
Her thin gown got ignited from inside-out and he could already see the glowing flames of the explosive tags layered underneath!
Bloody Merlin, why do all these clowns like playing suicide bomber?! What a waste!
But Bubai's reaction wasn't slow at all.
A foot stomped down on that doll's delicate porcelain face, completely caving it in and giving his other leg a chance to break free! But—BOOM!!!
Can't escape the thunderclap of explosive flames!
Three figures got blasted out from the inferno in two different directions!
Flying outwards was the poor abandoned doll, who eventually crashed right into the sea of black flames.
The black flames greeted her lustfully, licking her all over...
Immediately, her skin and face started visibly melting away, yet… there was not a trace of fear on her face.
If there was anything that can be read from her eyes, it was… relief.
But nobody spared time to care about what the poor disposable thought.
Back on the other side, the two grappling figures tangled into a ball, trying to one-up each other all they way till they smashed into the ground!
CRASH! Both took a hard hit from that shoulder-first fall!
But while Ge Tianqi coughed out blood, Bubai only suffered from some numbness on one-half of his body and even capitalized on the chance to kick the other in the guts—WHUMP!!
""KUUH—!" The defenseless Ge Tianqi's body folded from the force then got blasted away, skidding across the ground!
But a blink later, Ge Tianqi regained his senses and did a roll around, slapping the ground to spring back up!
But he barely had time to lift his head before a knee came smashing right into his face—CRACK!!
Not only did his nose get hammered crook, but his head snapped back so hard that he seemed to be out for good!
In the next blink, somebody lost his grip on his fan and got sent flying straight at the wall like a ragdoll—THUMP!
Seeing his prey crumbled against the wall, Bubai conveniently pocketed the magic fan then rushed over, ready to finish the job and claim the rest of his loot!
But just when he took a few steps closer, his Bubai tingle flared to life! Danger!
Bubai immediately braked hard in place, kicking up a splash of water that drenched the source of the danger: the bloody-faced man coughing out blood and crawling on all fours.
Despite his broken state, Ge Tianqi's shaky fingers formed a hand seal while his eyes burning with venom and madness locked onto Bubai with a bloody, daredevil grin.
"Kukuk… I dare you... to come closer!"