Tangled Struggle

Li Yi was genuinely shocked this time. He couldn't help but clap his hands, praising, "Impressive insight! Indeed, impressive! Since I made my debut, you're the only one who has recognized my Heavenly Devil Nine Transformations! And these few strands of my Dou Qi essence, I'm using them for the first time since I cultivated them. It seems that Sister Gong and I really are fated... How about, I give the rest of these strands to you as well?"

This time, it was Gong Wushuang's turn to bitterly smile. Recognizing the source of the Dou Qi in her body, she knew she had no way to deal with the man before her with her current strength. But there were things she had to understand, or she wouldn't rest in peace. "I don't understand," she sighed, "I clearly had your pulse points locked, how could you still break free?"

Li Yi replied indifferently, "Although I don't have the same fortune as Sister Gong to break through to Emperor in a desperate situation, I have a set of Dou Techniques that can be activated without any Dou Qi. I call it Phantom Kill... When used, even without a trace of Dou Qi, it makes one invincible below the Warrior level. While it might not be enough to take Sister Gong's life, it's more than sufficient for me to free myself."

"And your Dou Qi, why..." Li Yi said softly, "Originally, I thought I couldn't mobilize my Dou Qi, but when you fainted, I, rather unluckily, absorbed a cluster of Yuanqi Essence, making my Dou Qi extremely abundant... Such abundant Dou Qi might not have been enough to break free from the constraints you placed on me, Sister Gong, but it was just enough to force out a few strands for use..."

"Yuanqi Essence?" Gong Wushuang was slightly startled, then chuckled, "I can't believe your luck is so good. If you hadn't absorbed that, how could you have had the chance to turn the tables today?" Li Yi smiled faintly, "That's hard to say. Maybe Sister Gong will turn the tables again soon... How about I disable your Dou Qi first, and then we continue chatting?"

Although Li Yi believed that his malicious Dou Qi could cause significant harm, he was not so confident that he could keep a Fighter of the Emperor rank incapacitated for long. Gong Wushuang's recent turnaround had indeed given him a scare. The boiling Dou Qi in his palms grew more intense, but Li Yi didn't bother trying to break free from his locked pulse points. Instead, he cautiously approached Gong Wushuang, intending to disable her Dou Qi.

Gong Wushuang still lay weakly on the ground, but there was a strange look in her eyes. As Li Yi approached, she sighed lightly, "Li Yi, I must say, forcing an Emperor level fighter into such a state, you are indeed the first of your kind in history... It's just a pity... you don't understand Emperors. You don't think that just because my Dou Qi Wings have disappeared, I have no means to fight back, do you?"

"Hmm!?" Li Yi's expression changed slightly, and without hesitation, he swiftly struck down with his palm. At the same moment, Gong Wushuang smiled lightly, "It's just a pity, you're only a Fighter. If you were a Warrior, maybe I'd be finished by now..."

How could Li Yi not realize at this point that he had missed another opportunity? His movements quickened, but after all, he was just a Fighter... His movements were fast, but Gong Wushuang suddenly leapt up from the ground, even faster than him, striking his abdomen with a palm before his own landed. An ice-cold Dou Qi almost froze Li Yi's entire body, but he gritted his teeth and continued his strike!

"Bang—Puff—" The sounds of impact echoed as both were knocked into the air, crashing down hard inside the cave. They both spewed blood as they fell. Such a scene would be amusing if it happened to someone else, but happening to oneself, it was not amusing at all. Li Yi chuckled bitterly, his feelings indescribable. He was usually the one laying traps; when had he ever been outwitted by someone else? Yet, in this small cave, he had been outmaneuvered twice in what should have been sure victories, a feeling of utter frustration welling in his heart. Fortunately, while his body was almost frozen, his opponent was certainly no better off. At least he was confident about that. Looking up, he saw Gong Wushuang sitting disheveled in a corner, blood continuously flowing from her mouth. Despite still being stunningly beautiful, she no longer had the air of an invincible Emperor.

"Hehehe..." A strange laugh emerged from the depths of Li Yi's throat. If he had been able to move, he would have clapped, "Brilliant move! Sister Gong truly has brilliant tactics! Now both of us are gravely injured and can't move a muscle. The contest now is who moves first to kill the other... Quite a fascinating competition!"

Gong Wushuang's face was deathly pale. Although she had managed to hit Li Yi with her Dou Qi, she had been struck again by his Dou Qi. The two forces of Dou Qi entangled, causing her greater damage. She might not have been frozen like Li Yi, but her meridians were in excruciating pain, as if they were about to break at any moment. However, she still had a slight advantage over Li Yi – she could move a little. Biting her teeth, she stood up and, under Li Yi's surprised gaze, staggered towards him. The distance of just a few steps took her several faltering movements, more awkward than a toddling child.

Li Yi was utterly astonished to see Gong Wushuang staggering toward him. He concluded that her meridians were in disarray, but he never expected her to endure such pain and make this move. Startled, Li Yi bit his own tongue, the intense pain seemingly bringing a hint of sensation back to his body, but it was barely enough to make a few slight movements. "One more minute! Just give me one more minute, and I can stand up!" Li Yi's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but his eyes were fixed on Gong Wushuang, who was getting closer. Yet, the minute felt agonizingly long. Before his prayer was answered, Gong Wushuang had already stumbled up to him. Without a word, their eyes met briefly before she raised her hand and struck down at Li Yi's forehead.

"Smack—" Gong Wushuang's palm landed on Li Yi's forehead, but at the same instant, Li Yi, gritting his teeth, kicked her abdomen. Her palm instantly lost its strength, and the kick merely pushed her away. However, after this double exchange, Gong Wushuang no longer had the strength to steady herself. She swayed slightly and fell forward, heavily collapsing onto Li Yi. The impact sent waves of excruciating pain through Li Yi's nearly numb body, as if his frozen limbs were about to shatter. He almost blacked out from the pain but instead, it ignited a fierce determination within him. Struggling, he reached out to choke Gong Wushuang, attempting to strangle her. However, she bit down on his chest, forcing him to loosen his grip. Unfortunately, with neither able to mobilize their Dou Qi, their street fight-like tactics were ineffective. Yet, both were driven by a murderous intent, frantically struggling and using the last bit of their strength.

Their bodies entwined, bumping into each other's sensitive spots countless times, but in such a situation, who would care about the ambiguously intimate nature of their fight? They rolled around on the ground, changing positions more than even the most passionate lovers might. Eventually, Li Yi managed to pin Gong Wushuang beneath him, but he lacked the strength even to choke her. They both gasped for breath, Gong Wushuang glaring coldly at Li Yi, probably planning to strangle him the moment she regained her strength. Li Yi also wanted to kill her but lacked the strength. His eyes darted around the cave, looking for something to use. If only he had the strength to retrieve something from his Storage Ring, he would have strangled her already.

Suddenly, Li Yi's gaze shifted and fell on a small mud pill near Gong Wushuang's ear. Seizing the opportunity, he mustered the strength to grab the pill and shoved it into Gong Wushuang's mouth without looking. Gong Wushuang, not knowing what Li Yi had given her, desperately tried to avoid it, but she was too weak to do so and could only let Li Yi push the pill into her mouth. Although she lacked the strength to spit it out, she clenched her teeth, refusing to swallow. Li Yi, after several attempts, failed and collapsed back onto Gong Wushuang. She groaned but dared not make a sound, struggling to spit out the pill. But Li Yi, determined, lunged forward, his mouth covering hers again, his tongue trying to pry open her teeth. Caught off guard by his sudden move, Gong Wushuang's teeth slightly parted, and before she realized, the pill was already in her mouth. Bitterness filled her mouth, and knowing it was no good, she tried to spit it out, but could only move her tongue. Thus, their physical fight turned into a battle of tongues, devoid of any romantic sentiment. This was perhaps the strangest and most sensual fight between two powerful fighters on the Dou Qi Continent.

Ultimately, Gong Wushuang miscalculated. Seemingly inexperienced in passionate kissing, she quickly weakened, her agile tongue losing its strength. Finally, Li Yi fiercely bit her tongue tip, mashing the mud pill, which then flowed down Gong Wushuang's throat with their combined movements. Gong Wushuang shuddered, losing even the last bit of her struggling strength. Only Li Yi continued to kiss forcefully. Moments later, he lifted his body, both seemingly regaining a bit of strength. Their eyes met briefly, the feeling between them indescribably strange...