Empowered by the Daoist Sect Dragon Tiger Pill, Li Haomiao even felt as if he had stepped into the Organ Cultivation Realm. His stamina was endless, and the force contained in every punch was astounding.
Each time he threw a punch, Li Miaoyun was forced to pull back and defend. Her fingers moved as if plucking a flower, a strange fluctuation dancing at their tips, neutralizing his attacks from an inch away by dissipating the force through the air with her qi.
'It was still not quite enough. If my control over my strength was better, I would have already taken her down.'
Li Haomiao sighed inwardly with regret. Although his limbs had grown back, he still needed some time to get used to them. After all, he had been missing his hands and feet for several months. Recovery required adaptation, and besides, regrowing limbs demanded an immense amount of Vitality; a single Dragon and Tiger Pill was barely enough.
As time went on, Li Haomiao's control over his own power grew more and more masterful.
At that moment, a world-shaking roar erupted from his chest, like the bellow of an ancient beast. The sound waves rolled out, making the surrounding snow tremble.
His legs were planted firmly, sinking deep into the snow. Veins like writhing serpents quickly crawled across his arms. As his muscles tensed, they bulged in layers, each one tracing lines as hard as steel wire.
His palm closed, his five fingers locking together precisely to form a fist.
Then, his arm shot out like a long-loaded cannon, thrusting forward with ferocious speed. The moment he punched, the muscles in his shoulder and back engaged simultaneously, causing the force in his arm to stack layer upon layer, like surging ocean waves, each stronger than the last.
"True Power?"
Li Miaoyun's eyes sharpened. Reacting nimbly, she swiftly raised her arms to defend. The thin gauze of her sleeves billowed with qi, fluttering wildly, but her posture remained steady.
With a loud BANG, both stumbled back several steps.
'This is not good.'
Li Haomiao's heart sank. He had already mobilized the active True Blood in his body for that punch, yet he still couldn't injure Li Miaoyun.
'The Outer Three Harmonies nourishes one's qi, allowing one to fight across two major realms and battle those in the Blood Refining Realm. Now that my True Blood is stimulated, I thought I would have the upper hand, but I never expected…'
Li Miaoyun had reached a conclusion. Instantly, countless, bizarre, hair-thin, black-and-blue veins crawled across her entire body, even spreading over her face.
Yet, it did not detract from her beauty. Instead, it gave her a breathtaking appeal, and every jagged, black-and-blue vein on her body seemed as if it were natural.
"If you had cultivated True Qi, I would turn and leave. But you've merely managed to activate your True Blood. Such arrogance is a death wish…"
Her thin lips pressed together. 'Since he has True Power, I don't need to hold back so much. I'll just beat him until he has one breath left. As for the rest, as long as his head is still on his shoulders, there will be a way to save him.'
Her bare feet tapped the ground, and her figure closed the distance in an instant, like a phantom.
'So fast!'
Li Haomiao's pupils contracted. His feet planted in a solid stance, he pivoted on his body as an axis, his fists and palms blurring to create a gale of force that shielded his entire body.
However, Li Miaoyun's hands moved like phantoms, darting around Li Haomiao. Every attack was incredibly precise, carrying a sharp gale as it slipped past his defenses to strike his vital points.
Though Li Haomiao tried his best to dodge, his newly grown limbs were not yet fully accustomed to his movements. His evasions were a fraction of a second too slow, and he was soon struck by Li Miaoyun's attacks in multiple places.
Blood seeped continuously from the corners of Li Haomiao's mouth and his wounds, staining his clothes crimson.
But his gaze remained resolute. He gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain as he constantly searched for an opportunity to counterattack.
Meanwhile, as Li Miaoyun attacked with such ferocity, her own breathing grew increasingly unsteady. This high-intensity Body Technique, much of which was being used to protect her own body, was consuming an extreme amount of energy.
The wisp of qi she had cultivated was nearly exhausted from such a high-intensity battle.
Suddenly, facing the approaching Li Haomiao, Li Miaoyun brought her hands together before her chest, forming a strange mudra. She then uttered a bizarre, single-syllable word.
OM!
It was like the tolling of a great bell, yet also like the greatest sound, which is silence. The sound of this strange syllable was not loud; one could even say it was a whisper.
Yet, this sound tugged at the heart, causing Li Haomiao to lose focus. The rhythm of his attack abruptly slowed by more than half.
In a battle between experts, such a moment of hesitation is a fatal mistake, enough to decide victory and defeat.
Li Miaoyun's finger flicked. She pointed once more, her finger stirring up wind and thunder as it plunged into Li Haomiao's chest, sinking deep within.
Li Haomiao let out a muffled grunt, but he ignored the pain. His two fists struck like hammers, making the air snap and creating a heavy BUZZING sound.
BANG!
With a dull thud, Li Miaoyun was sent flying back like a leather drum. But in mid-air, she performed a flip that defied logic, her body becoming as light as willow catkins or a goose feather before she landed gracefully on the snow.
Although her every movement possessed an ethereal grace, Li Miaoyun's face grew even paler than snow. One could see that all the color had drained from beneath her skin, and her breathing was extremely unstable.
At this point, Li Haomiao was also staggering. He stumbled back a few steps before plopping onto the ground and collapsing completely. His chest heaved rapidly a few times, then his breathing became extremely shallow.
Li Miaoyun's finger had pierced his heart. He needed to regulate his heart, control its contractions and beat frequency, or he would die on the spot.
Li Miaoyun steadied her breathing and slowly walked over to Li Haomiao. Her gaze was no longer cold; instead, it held a trace of killing intent. But then, as if remembering something, the sharp look in her eyes quickly faded.
"If His Majesty didn't want you alive, you would have died just now."
The moment her words fell, a black shadow shot out from the side like a bolt of lightning. He moved with the momentum of a fierce tiger, his frantic dash carving deep pits into the snow. The newcomer was none other than Xu Yunfan.
Xu Yunfan grabbed Li Miaoyun and clamped down on her tightly, wrapping his arms and legs around her and tackling her to the ground.
Li Miaoyun had never been treated this way before. She was visibly stunned for a moment, but then she quickly recovered, her expression showing anger for the first time.
"Let me go!"
She tried to use her qi but found it had been completely depleted during her fight with Li Haomiao. If she were to use it now, regardless of the consequences, the qi she had spent years cultivating would be ruined. This momentary thought made her hesitate.
Seeing this, Li Haomiao, who was lying on the ground, forced his tottering body to turn over and rise. He mobilized what little True Power he had left.
A faint, almost invisible golden light appeared on his fingertip as he suddenly jabbed a finger toward Li Miaoyun's chest.
This imperceptible golden glow instantly surged into Li Miaoyun's body, tightly sealing the wisp of qi within her, which was already faint and barely present.
Li Miaoyun let out a pained, muffled groan, and her tense body instantly went limp and powerless.
Her eyes filled with unwillingness and disbelief. 'My qi has been sealed?!'
After landing this blow, Li Haomiao also completely lost his ability to fight. He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. The bloody hole Li Miaoyun had poked in his chest pulsed open and closed as blood began to gush out. He was exhausted and could no longer hold his body together.
But when he heard the CRACKING sounds of Xu Yunfan's hold on Li Miaoyun, Li Haomiao said through the pain.
"Don't… don't kill her. I've sealed the qi in her body. She's no different from a weak woman now. She's very useful."