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Chapter 49: The Battle of Wits
Ji Zichen and Lifeng exchanged three moves, and seeing Lifeng's rapid assault, Ji Zichen quickly retreated into the row of blooming buds that resembled a fence. As Ji Zichen hid among the buds, he was completely engulfed. Lifeng, noticing Ji Zichen's reluctance to engage directly, laughed heartily, " Ji Zichen, hiding won't help you! Don't you have the Five Elements Pearl? Why not summon the White Lotus and see if it can still entangle my legs!"
Ji Zichen thought to himself, "He's as quick as a mouse now; using the White Lotus to ensnare his legs won't work anymore. Facing two opponents, they know what artifact I’m using. Just hiding won’t suffice; it seems I have no choice but to fight back."
Fire Lion watched from the sidelines and quickly realized something unusual about the fence of buds. He called out to Lifeng, "Brother, he's hiding in the blooming bud!"
Lifeng glanced at the fence of buds and saw that the central bud was open while the others remained tightly closed. A smile crept onto his lips. "So that's how it is. As long as someone approaches, the bud will bloom."
With a black pouch at his side, Lifeng reached inside and pulled out three finely trimmed claws. He shouted loudly and threw the sharp claws toward the blooming bud. Despite their thin and short appearance, their lethality was no less than that of hidden weapons.
The claws embedded themselves into the bud fence, causing it to collapse with a crash. Lifeng's eyes were fixed on the nearby buds, but they remained closed. This made it clear to him that Ji Zichen was still behind that particular bud. Lifeng raised an eyebrow; since Ji Zichen hadn't moved to another spot, why hadn't he heard any cries of pain?
Lifeng couldn't help but wonder, "Could he have vanished into thin air?"
Of course, Ji Zichen was not a ghost and would not simply disappear. He remained in place; the collapsed bud fence had formed a mound of earth shaped like an arc, covered with buds. As the buds shook and slid off to either side, Lifeng finally saw a mound of earth—an illusion created by Ji Zichen using his Earth Pearl. Realizing this, Lifeng smiled slightly. "So you created an earthen mound to block my claws. I thought you had some ability to fly through the ground."
Ji Zichen's laughter came from behind the mound of earth. "I thought you were more capable than this; you're just a third-rate assassin using hidden weapons. Besides your speed, you have nothing that can threaten me!"
Suddenly, Ji Zichen sprang out from behind the mound. Lifeng was taken aback. "You even gave up your defensive mound!"
Ji Zichen's unusual move clearly indicated he was about to attack. As he leaped from the mound, his Fire Pearl glowed dimly, and four fire dragons swirled around him, carrying searing flames toward Lifeng. Lifeng felt as if a massive furnace was pouring down on him; the fire dragons were overwhelmingly fierce and arrogant, like surging waves of fire. Seeing such dragon fire made his heart nearly leap out of his mouth.
The four fire dragons converged around Lifeng with a thunderous crash, igniting a blaze that spread several yards wide. The surrounding buds were reduced to ashes by the fierce flames, thick smoke billowing upward.
Suddenly, Ji Zichen felt something unusual; his eyes widened as he stared at Lifeng's original position. "This feeling is..."
Before the smoke cleared, Fire Lion's voice rang out—relieved yet laced with cold sweat—"That was dangerous; I almost didn't make it in time."
However, Lifeng responded with an unusual chuckle. "Interesting, very interesting! This move is truly terrifying."
As the smoke gradually dissipated, Fire Lion stood protectively in front of Lifeng, his body unscathed. He looked at the astonished Ji Zichen with an expression of pride and said, " Ji Zichen, it seems your little trick can't harm me."
Ji Zichen exclaimed in disbelief, "Impossible! You actually managed to withstand my Fire Dragon with just your body!"
Lifeng laughed disdainfully. "Well then, it's my turn now."
Ji Zichen's gaze shifted to Fire Lion's Red Boots. He had seen Fire Lion sprinting without breaking a sweat last time, and now that he had transformed into a mouse, he feared he would be even faster. Unable to discern anything unusual about Fire Lion's Red Boots, Ji Zichen suddenly decided to flee. No matter what, it was best to put some distance between them. As he attempted to escape, Lifeng chuckled, "Trying to run? You underestimate me!"
Lifeng drew his nails and shot them toward Ji Zichen like hidden weapons. Ji Zichen tilted his head just in time as two nails grazed his cheek mere inches away. This momentary dodge caused him to hesitate. Lifeng leaped into the air, wielding his Sharp Sword aimed at Ji Zichen's head. With no chance left to escape, Ji Zichen could only draw his Demon-Slaying Sword to block the attack. The clash of swords produced a spark.
Lifeng laughed heartily. "I hear you're a master of magical artifacts from The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant. Yet every time you see us, you want to flee. That doesn't seem very masterful at all."
Ji Zichen retaliated with a kick, attempting to send the Severing Wind Blade flying towards Lifeng, but Lifeng was already prepared. With a quick flick of his wrist, Ji Zichen kicked nothing but air. Lifeng smirked and said, "Oh dear, don't get angry now; I haven't even thanked you properly yet."
The Severing Wind Blade trembled as it released several sword shadows. Ji Zichen's keen eyes quickly identified the true shadow among them. As their swords clashed again, both their wrists jolted from the impact. In the midst of counterattacking, Ji Zichen asked, "What do you want to thank me for?"
With his right hand attacking with the sword while his left hand discreetly launched nails at Ji Zichen, Lifeng replied, "Without you bringing us here, how could we possibly become part of the Divine Clan? Shouldn't I thank you for that? This is exactly what I wanted; others used to call me a monster all the time, but now I've truly become one. From now on, I will hunt humans."
"I feel like this is who I am; I have finally been reborn!"
Ji Zichen furrowed his brows and scoffed, "If that's the case, then I should congratulate you!"
As droplets of water darkened in the air, White Lotus appeared before them. A Water Rope shot towards Lifeng. Just as the Water Rope was half an inch away from Lifeng's heel, he leaped away in anticipation. The Water Rope missed its target—something Ji Zichen had expected all along. What he wanted was for Lifeng to create an opening by dodging; as Lifeng shifted slightly to the right by a few feet, Ji Zichen had already predicted this movement and swiftly turned his Demon-Slaying Sword towards Lifeng's head.
Lifeng leaned back as the tip of the Demon-Slaying Sword scraped across his cheek, leaving a blood-like scratch resembling a finger's length on his face. He hovered momentarily while Ji Zichen stopped several yards away from him. Lifeng ran a finger over the wound on his cheek and brought it to his mouth to suck on.
With a sinister grin, Lifeng said, "Haha, the taste of blood is delightful! Let me tell you something: there’s a fatal flaw in the bodies of the Divine Clan."
Ji Zichen stared silently at Lifeng and asked, "What fatal flaw?"
Lifeng's expression was one of excitement. "I always feel like my throat is so dry. Drinking water doesn't quench my thirst; only blood—only your blood can relieve my thirst!"
Ji Zichen smiled slightly. "If you want to drink my blood, go ahead and try! Just don't blame me for not warning you in advance—my blood is deadly poison for you."
Lifeng laughed maniacally. "You can't scare me! I want to drain your blood and then tear you apart!"
Ji Zichen also laughed, suddenly spreading his arms wide in a seemingly defenseless manner. "If you want to drink, come on! If I dodge, I'll take your last name!"
Lifeng was enraged by Ji Zichen's provocation. "You want to die? That's just perfect!"
Suddenly, Lifeng lunged at Ji Zichen. Ji Zichen had no intention of dodging; he was confident in his ability to face Lifeng. However, as Lifeng charged, the water droplets around him darkened for the second time. He had unleashed another wave of water, and beneath Ji Zichen's feet appeared a small puddle, only about two palms wide.
Seeing Lifeng charge at Ji Zichen in anger, Fire Lion roared out, sensing something was off. "Stop it, Second Brother! Something's wrong!"
Lifeng ignored the warning. Seeing Ji Zichen standing still, he opened his bloody mouth and bit down on Ji Zichen's neck. As Ji Zichen's blood flowed into Lifeng's throat, he took a greedy gulp but then clutched his throat, his face contorted in pain. "Ugh..."
"Your blood... your blood..."
Fire Lion noticed Lifeng's strange behavior and rushed toward him. Ji Zichen furrowed his brow, seizing the opportunity. Just as Fire Lion closed in within an arm's reach, Ji Zichen suddenly stepped back. As he retreated, Fire Lion stepped into the puddle and froze momentarily. "How could there be a puddle here?"
Recalling Ji Zichen's willingness to be drained of blood and the unexpected appearance of the puddle, Fire Lion thought, "This is bad! I must be falling into a trap!"
He grabbed Lifeng by the shoulders, intending to pull him away from the puddle. However, it felt as if Lifeng's feet were stuck in the water. Realizing something was amiss, Fire Lion quickly withdrew his foot from the puddle.
Ji Zichen shouted at that moment, "You may not fear fire, but do you fear electricity?"
"Furnace Thunder!"
A massive electric serpent descended from above with overwhelming force.
The Fire Lion sensed the impending danger and, without a second thought for Lifeng, swiftly turned away, moving three to four feet from the water's edge. Suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed as lightning struck Lifeng, the sound of the electric shock overwhelming and terrifying.
Even though the Fire Lion had retreated a few feet, he was still caught in the aftermath, the residual electric currents scorching his chest.
In pain, the Fire Lion let out a loud cry and rolled several yards away.
Ji Zichen stood five yards away from them. The Fire Lion, truly a remarkable figure among men, saw him clutching his chest as he stood up and turned to look at Lifeng, gasping in horror; Lifeng had become nothing more than a charred corpse.
Furious, the Fire Lion glared at Ji Zichen and shouted, "Why is there stickiness in your water?"
Ji Zichen met his gaze with a cunning look and explained, "Stickiness? I have no such ability to make the water sticky."
He pointed behind the Fire Lion into the air, where the White Lotus still hovered.
"You can't pull him out of the water because of its stickiness; it's because I hid a Water Rope beneath it," Ji Zichen said.
As the illusion of the water faded, it revealed that Lifeng's ankle was ensnared by a Water Rope.
The Fire Lion laughed maniacally in anger. "What a cunning trick! You know that using a Water Rope directly won't bind our legs; instead, you created an illusion of the water to hide the Water Rope beneath it."
With a victorious expression, Ji Zichen replied with a smile, "I learned this trick from the Yomi Town Judge. Thanks to him, I understand the benefits of deception."
His expression turned serious. "I thought I could kill two birds with one stone using the water illusion, but you reacted well. The Water Rope couldn't catch your legs in time for you to escape. Sorry about that; I still have some matters to attend to. You two have already delayed me enough. In three moves or less, let's settle this!"
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