The Battle Begins

Two figures, one in black and one in white, stood facing each other from a distance. Li Yi's expression showed no particular change, but with a slight flick of his right hand, the peculiarly shaped Soul Severing Blade appeared in his grasp. With a casual flick, the blade emitted a dragon's roar.

"You will regret this," Li Yi said calmly.

Seeing Li Yi's action, Nalan He placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, then slowly drew it. A bright sword aura flowed out as the sword left its sheath, with a dazzling gleam on the blade. The two bells on the sword hilt chimed together with a "dingling" sound in the breeze.

"Under my sword, there have been no less than a thousand strong opponents who have met their end... And from now on, you will become yet another soul beneath my blade! This is the price for your ignorance of the vastness of heaven and earth!"

"Hehe... It seems... we won't know until we fight!" Li Yi smiled lightly, his hand shaking the Soul Severing Blade slightly. As he moved, the boiling purple Dou Qi, along with thunder and lightning, wrapped around his entire body like fierce flames, "Then, let's begin!"

With a light tap of his toes, Li Yi burst out towards the arena. On the other side, Nalan He also sneered lightly, his sword swirling with fiery red Dou Qi like a tornado, while a wisp of pale blue Dou Qi spread over his body, carrying his figure lightly across to the arena like a white shadow.

"Then, let me make the first move!" Li Yi, having landed on the arena, did not hold back. He surged forward like a black shadow towards Nalan He, the Dou Qi on his Soul Severing Blade igniting a deep cold sword light, appearing to grow several times in an instant.

"Shh—" The air was split by Li Yi's movement, creating a cutting current that fiercely struck towards Nalan He. Nalan He watched the approaching shadow with a light gaze, his white clothes fluttering in the wind, confident in his speed and strength with his dual attributes of fire and wind Dou Qi. What seemed like a swift speed to others was nothing special in his eyes.

As Li Yi approached within less than ten meters, Nalan He lightly tapped his toes, his figure shifting aside like a phantom, while his silver sword swept through the air, creating a wave.

"Shh—" Unlike Li Yi's assault, Nalan He's control over wind attribute Dou Qi was extremely refined. As he swung his sword, a giant wind blade formed on the blade's edge, slicing fiercely towards Li Yi. The wind blade, infused with traces of fire due to his dual attributes, was eerily wrapped in flames.

Sensing Nalan He's attack, Li Yi abruptly sidestepped, simultaneously launching the Soul Severing Blade like a striking serpent towards him.

"Clang—" A sound of metal striking metal echoed, a burst of sparks exploded in mid-air, but the wind blade dissipated under the collision with the purple Dou Qi.

After blocking the attack, Li Yi's movements remained fluid. With a flick of his right hand, the Soul Severing Blade that had fallen to the ground trembled and traced a peculiar arc, stabbing fiercely towards Nalan He's back.

Feeling the intense pressure from behind and the frontal assault from Li Yi, Nalan He simply smiled coldly, his figure sharply turning as his sword, now glowing with a faint red light, drew a circle in place.

"Clang—" This sword forced Li Yi back, then, as if breaking through time's limits, swiftly met the Soul Severing Blade. The contained Dou Qi in both weapons exploded almost simultaneously upon contact.

However, Li Yi's long-range attack stance with the Soul Severing Blade wasn't suited for a clash of Dou Qi, and Nalan He had similar concerns, leading to their forces separating after the clash.

Simultaneously, both figures retreated several steps. Nalan He flicked his sword, dispelling the clinging sparks, before letting it hang loosely. Li Yi, with a slight gesture, brought the Soul Severing Blade back to his hand with a "swooshing" sound, readying it again.

"Well done! I underestimated you... Indeed, Li Yi, you're far stronger than the others I've killed. With such skill, no wonder you have the confidence to boast!" Nalan He's gaze fell on Li Yi's Soul Severing Blade, shining with an odd glow, and commented lightly.

"Mutual feelings," Li Yi responded with a light smile, "I initially thought Nalan Young Master was merely a name without substance. Seeing you today proves otherwise; you're indeed worthy of serious consideration. Speaking of which, Nalan Young Master... if you agree to the marriage annulment now, I'll concede and leave. How about it?"

Nalan He laughed heartily, "After all the fighting! You think you can leave so easily? It was your move just now! Now, it's my turn to be unreserved!"

With those words, Nalan He's figure lunged towards Li Yi, his white silhouette ghostly. Mid-air, he twisted, his sword circling again but this time creating a wave-shaped wind blade, slashing down towards Li Yi.

"Interesting!" Li Yi smiled lightly, his foot stomping the ground, his Soul Severing Blade's Dou Qi brilliance boiling over, then with a slash, he sent out a light blade of his own.

"Boom—" The two Dou Qi-based strikes collided fiercely, causing the arena to crack slightly, then rapidly spread like spider webs.

However, under this strike, Nalan He was after all in mid-air, suffering a bit of an unexpected disadvantage. The force of the impact violently slammed him, causing him to flip over in mid-air. Merely using this flip, his figure suddenly began spinning rapidly, with the shadow of his long sword continuously appearing, as if instantly forming a sword net surrounding him.

"Damn! How are both of them so powerful, using their qi as if it costs nothing?"

"Exactly, it's just the beginning, without even probing, and they're already using up so much qi. I think they're going to use martial skills next, right?"

"If someone takes the lead in using a martial skill, doesn't that mean the outcome will be decided?"

"I don't think so... These two seem evenly matched. To decide the winner, it won't be in just a moment or two."

"Ah, it's really hard to say! We'll just have to keep watching to find out!"

The whispered discussions around did not affect the mood of the two on the field. Li Yi simply narrowed his eyes, watching Nalan He's figure continuously spinning in mid-air. He could naturally feel that, under his rapid spinning, the elemental qi of the world around was being drawn over, suggesting that his next move would be astonishingly powerful.

"However, powerful as this move is, obviously, the long preparation time is its biggest flaw!" Li Yi sneered, his right hand suddenly flinging out, with the Soul Severing Blade once again leaving his hand, fiercely shooting towards Nalan He's position.

"Ding—" Suddenly, a burst of sword light violently exploded, deflecting Li Yi's Soul Severing Blade, and at this moment, Nalan He in mid-air, his figure had already stopped spinning, but now he was eerily floating in mid-air, although appearing somewhat unstable, yet it was bizarre to an extreme.

"Too slow!" Nalan He sneered, "You're indeed very powerful, fast, and your reaction is not bad, but... you're still a few moments too slow! So, please pay attention, Mr. Li Yi!"

"Green Snake! Sword Shadows!" With a roar, Nalan He's long sword fiercely swung towards Li Yi's direction, and then, one, two, three... soon there were countless sword lights, almost simultaneously appearing around, following Nalan He's swing, covering the sky and smashing towards Li Yi!

"That Li Yi, he's done!" Someone sighed, "This Green Snake Sword Shadow is a low-level Zhuque martial skill, capable of condensing qi into sword shadows, as if countless people are striking with swords at the same time. The only way to counter this move, other than dodging, is to use a similarly large-scale attack martial skill, but such large-scale attack skills are rare... not so easy to come by..."

In the field, watching the infinite qi sword shadows suddenly pounce down, Li Yi's expression did not change in the slightest, merely saying lightly, "Worthy of being a student from Roland Academy, indeed having all sorts of martial skills... But do you think, only you know martial skills, and I don't?"

Li Yi sneered, not even glancing at the deflected Soul Severing Blade, his hands suddenly clapped together, then quickly pulled apart, and with his movement, purple qi in front of him formed a huge vortex, then, the first touch of the sword shadow gently touched it, and was instantly reversed back!

"Backwind Palm! Convert Force!" Ignoring the sword shadows fiercely pouncing towards Li Yi's direction, but Li Yi, maintaining the same posture, those striking sword shadows were eerily deflected, seeming to crash into the sword shadows behind them, creating a series of violent explosions. One, two, three... until at last, in the space between the two, the colliding sword shadows became nearly countless, the swiftly moving sword shadows formed two huge lotus shapes, continuously fiercely colliding together, a series of thunderous explosions, breathtaking!

"Boom—" As if the last sword shadow violently collided together, this bizarre scene finally disappeared from everyone's eyes, and before everyone could react, Li Yi's figure suddenly dashed, fiercely charging into mid-air, his right hand gently tugging, and the Soul Severing Blade, which was launched later, was already chopping towards Nalan He.

Seemingly not expecting his martial skill to be completely ineffective, but Nalan He's reaction was still extremely fast, his long sword picked and waved, creating a series of wind blades to smash Li Yi's Soul Severing Blade, then fiercely charging towards Li Yi.

"Shh—" Li Yi sneered, his right hand lightly swaying, the Soul Severing Blade quickly retracting, landing in his hand, directly facing Nalan He!

"Boom—" A blade and a sword once again fiercely collided, with a surge of air waves around them, purple qi and red and blue qi in mid-air violently colliding, then like two giant snakes, entwining and soaring into the sky!

Both figures were violently swung open in mid-air, each drifting back. But Nalan He in mid-air suddenly sneered, his toe fiercely stepping in the void beside him, as if stepping on something, his figure fiercely pouncing towards Li Yi!

"Whoosh—" Almost like a ghost, Nalan He's figure instantly arrived behind Li Yi, in mid-air Li Yi had no leverage, and both were not Emperor-class fighters, unable to fly with qi wings... In this situation, it can only be said, Li Yi's back was completely exposed to Nalan He's eyes!

"Hehe... Li Yi, I have to admit, you're really powerful... But even if you're powerful, I now have to tell you, everything... is already over!" The silver long sword slightly trembled, the sword tip already bursting with a clump of firelight, under the shocking gaze around, fiercely chopping towards Li Yi's back!

"Fire Cloud Burst!"