Sha Wuji glanced at Yao Yao, who showed no reaction, then looked at me as if seeking permission with his eyes. Since Shen Xingyue had already engaged, it meant Yao Yao’s intimidation plan had failed. What else could be done? Engage! I nodded twice. Sha Wuji, without his weapon, simply extended his palms and stepped forward, blocking the white-clothed man's evasive route. However, he seemed to realize he couldn’t defeat the purple-energy-infused man bare-handed. After a moment’s thought, he withdrew his palms, stood up, and transformed into a tiger!
The three experts remained unfazed, likely having already seen through its demonic identity. But the surrounding underlings were terrified, retreating in droves. Some even scrambled onto the villa’s wall, illuminated by the bright lights.
This time, there was no moving or inspiring pre-battle speech. Neither side wasted words. The black-clothed leader struck first, thrusting his sword towards Yao Yao. Immediately, the two sides paired off, engaging in a fierce battle in the courtyard.
During the previous group battle in the desolate village, Yao Yao had primarily used spells, and I had hidden behind a wall, unable to witness the frontal assault. Today, I stood outside the perimeter, observing clearly. This kind of combat was nothing like the movies—movie fights were presented with distinct, elegant moves, but in reality, the clashes between experts of this caliber had almost no discernible techniques. It was all head-on collisions, like colliding planets, employing the most direct assassination methods. It even resembled elementary school children pretending to fight with sticks. Look at the black-clothed leader; he used the same move five times in a row, and Yao Yao countered each with an identical move, pushed back five steps by the heavy sword. On the sixth step, the black-clothed leader changed his technique from a slash to a sweep, executing it multiple times and sending Yao Yao staggering back several steps. It was evident that the black-clothed leader’s raw power surpassed Yao Yao’s.
Could it be that their so-called red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple energies referred to power levels? It couldn’t be that simple, could it!
As the fight progressed, Yao Yao realized she was outmatched and resorted to spells, manipulating stones on the ground, tiles from the walls, and shrubs from the corners, attacking the black-clothed man with the arts of the five elements. However, it was ineffective. The black-clothed man seemed to be surrounded by an invisible barrier. All objects that snuck up behind him collided with this barrier, falling to the ground automatically, unable to harm him.
Meanwhile, the situation with Shen Xingyue and Sha Wuji was even worse. The man and the tiger were no match for the white and gray duo. The tiger demon had already sustained two sword wounds, thankfully not to vital areas. Shen Xingyue also had blood on her face. I had been focused on Yao Yao earlier and hadn't noticed whether Shen Xingyue’s face was cut or if Sha Wuji's blood had splattered onto her. Regardless, their opponents were undoubtedly unharmed, their clothes spotless.
Though the description is lengthy, all these actions actually occurred in less than ten seconds.
Seeing our side on the verge of defeat, I knew I couldn't stand by any longer. I reached back, fumbling for Shen Xingyue’s handgun hidden at my waist. But before I could draw it, my wrist was grabbed by a pair of hands like vice grips. I turned to see a scruffy-looking subordinate. Even this subordinate was enough to subdue me with one hand, twisting my arm behind my back, rendering me immobile.
“Little runt, watch your rear!” he said with a heavy northeastern accent.
I ignored him and continued watching the unfolding drama. He snatched the gun away, kicked me, and I stumbled forward two steps. I focused my energy, managing to stay on my feet.
Suddenly, a scream rang out from the center of the battlefield!
I looked in the direction of the sound. It was Shen Xingyue. She had been cornered by the gray-clothed woman against a tree. The fight had stopped. Shen Xingyue’s sword had fallen, and she was tightly gripping the blade of her opponent’s sword. The tip of the opponent’s sword had not only pierced Shen Xingyue’s shoulder deeply but also embedded itself into the tree trunk. Shen Xingyue's hands were barely ten centimeters from the hilt.
The gray-clothed woman tried to pull the sword out, but it was stuck deep and held by Shen Xingyue’s grip, making it difficult to dislodge. They were locked in a stalemate.
Sha Wuji, not far away, saw Captain Shen trapped and immediately lunged towards the gray-clothed woman, who was also unable to retrieve her sword. The tiger roared with the speed of the wind. The gray-clothed woman sensed danger, abandoned her weapon, and leaped away. But as the tiger landed, the black-clothed man caught up from behind and stabbed the big tiger’s hind leg. The tiger recoiled in pain, swiped its tail at the black-clothed man, who, unable to draw his sword in time, also separated himself from his weapon and dodged.
It appeared that both the black and white devils had lost their weapons, but in reality, they had won decisively. This was because Sha Wuji and Shen Xingyue, this pair of unfortunate companions, had completely lost their ability to fight…