"Enough," Chen Jie said, a hint of impatience in his voice. "Considering you are a descendant of the God of War, I'll spare your life this time. But dare to lay a hand on me again, and don't expect mercy!"
After a dozen exchanges, Chen Jie found Zhao Zilong still eagerly engaging him in combat and was growing tired of it.
"Hahaha... no mercy? I'd like to see how you won't show any!"
"You fell for it!"
Zhao Zilong roared with laughter.
His aura suddenly erupted.
His strength surged with astonishing speed.
Zhan Tian and Zhan Zhuo rushed to Chen Jie's side, their faces filled with alarm. "Young friend Chen, Zhao Zilong's cultivation technique is strange. It seems he grows stronger with each battle."
"Is that so? Let's see just how strong he can become!"
Seeing Zhao Zilong charge at him again, Chen Jie's hand flicked, and a long whip appeared.
With a swish, he unfurled the whip, creating a blur.
The tip of the whip directly ensnared Zhao Zilong.
He was then tossed around like a kite.
Roar!
Zhao Zilong bellowed and actually broke free from the whip's restraint, lunging at Chen Jie.
Chen Jie's gaze sharpened. His hand flicked again, and a bronze sword was drawn.
With a swift slash, he swung the sword at Zhao Zilong.
Zhao Zilong's hand also moved, unfurling a white fan to block the bronze sword.
With a crisp clang, the white fan completely deflected the bronze sword's attack.
"Kunlun Fan?" Zhan Tian and Zhan Zhuo exclaimed in unison.
The Kunlun Fan was the signature weapon of the God of War of Kunlun, renowned for its incredible resilience. The God of War had used it to slay countless formidable enemies.
Now, it was in Zhao Zilong's hands.
"Heh heh, Chen Jie, you're as good as dead today!" Zhao Zilong gripped his folding fan, fanning himself with a flourish, cooling his face.
His bold declaration wasn't baseless; it was tied to his cultivated technique.
His technique allowed him to grow stronger with each battle. While Chen Jie's current strength surpassed his, he was confident that he would soon surpass Chen Jie.
Chen Jie had also noticed this anomaly.
Zhao Zilong's cultivation method was incredibly peculiar; it seemed to absorb his strength and use it for his own gain.
He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to continue the fight.
"You're afraid to fight, aren't you? Then, it's my turn!"
Having been on the defensive all this time, Zhao Zilong could no longer hold back his counterattack.
He leaped high, swinging the Kunlun Fan with force.
Chiu chiu chiu...
A volley of silver needles, as if possessing eyes, flew towards Chen Jie.
Chen Jie responded by slashing his sword repeatedly.
Ding ding ding...
Each silver needle was deflected by his sword.
Swish swish...
Zhao Zilong wielded the Kunlun Fan in a crescent moon-shaped arc, clashing with Chen Jie's bronze sword.
This...
Zhan Tian and Zhan Zhuo watched the scene with grim expressions.
Zhao Zilong's aura continued to rise.
It wouldn't be long before he surpassed Chen Jie.
"You're finished! Today, I will kill you!" Zhao Zilong said sinisterly as he closed in on Chen Jie.
Chen Jie's face remained calm and composed, showing no panic as Zhao Zilong's strength grew.
"Die!"
Zhao Zilong, unwilling to waste any more time with Chen Jie, intensified his attacks.
"It's over!"
Zhan Tian and the other thought to themselves.
In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged hundreds of blows.
Silver needles continued to fly out, creating a constant tinkling sound.
Chen Jie, wielding only his sword, kept Zhao Zilong at bay.
"Still not dead? Die for me!" Zhao Zilong, unable to land a hit on Chen Jie, became impatient.
He roared in fury.
"Die, hurry up and die!"
Chen Jie retreated strategically, maintaining his composure.
After a short while, Chen Jie stopped and looked at Zhao Zilong. "You want me dead? You're still far from it! I haven't even used half my strength yet. How can you possibly fight me?"
"You're bragging!" Zhao Zilong said disbelievingly.
Zhan Tian and the others, however, looked at Chen Jie with surprise.
They didn't believe Chen Jie was bragging.
After all, Chen Jie still appeared to be fighting with ease.
He showed no signs of exertion.
"Damn it! You dare to look down on me! Show me your full strength!" Zhao Zilong roared.
His cultivation technique had not yet reached its limit.
He could continue to absorb the opponent's strength.
If Chen Jie used only half his power, he could only absorb half. But how could he defeat Chen Jie this way?
Only by absorbing all of Chen Jie's power would he have the confidence to eliminate him.
"You want me to go all out? Very well, I shall oblige!"
Chen Jie sneered.
"Hahaha... that's more like it! I can't wait! Come on!"
Zhao Zilong excitedly charged at Chen Jie once more.
"Immobilize!"
Chen Jie suddenly pointed forward.
Zhao Zilong's body stiffened, and he said incredulously, "What did you do to me?"
He felt his movements severely restricted, losing all his previous fluidity.
What's more, this binding energy was something he couldn't absorb for his own use.
"You wanted me to use my full strength so you could absorb my energy? How could I let you have your way?"
Chen Jie sneered and stepped back.
"Fire!"
Then, a fireball rose from Chen Jie's palm.
A spell, Fireball!
Swish!
Chen Jie threw it forward. "Here, dare you absorb it?"
"Ah..."
The fireball struck Zhao Zilong's body.
Zhao Zilong screamed in pain as he used his Kunlun Fan to extinguish it.
He couldn't absorb this power at all.
"A spellcaster!" Zhan Tian and Zhan Zhuo exclaimed.
"He's also a master of spellcasting? This is incredible."
It was no wonder they were shocked.
Generally, martial arts and spellcasting were entirely different disciplines.
It was already remarkable for one to reach the pinnacle of a single field. To excel in both was unimaginably difficult.
Their thoughts were understandable.
In fact, if Chen Jie and Lin Shuang hadn't accidentally activated the true power of their marriage contract, Chen Jie's martial arts realm would have stagnated.
He would have been destined not to cultivate both paths.
But now, it was different. Chen Jie's martial prowess had reached its zenith, and his cultivation of immortal arts was also approaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
He was far more powerful than before.
Even during his recent exchange with Zhao Zilong, he had not used his full martial strength.
Chen Jie was no fool; he wouldn't let his power be absorbed for free.
"You still want to absorb my power? You're not even fit to absorb my excrement!"
Chen Jie contemptuously waved his hand, and ice shards materialized in the air, shooting towards Zhao Zilong at high speed.
"Ahhhhh..."
"Why does it hurt so much!"
Zhao Zilong blocked with his Kunlun Fan, but he still felt intense pain.
This pain seemed to originate from the depths of his bones.
"Chen Jie, you bastard! If you have the guts, don't use those underhanded tricks! Fight me head-on!"
"Come on! Do you dare to fight me honorably?"
Zhao Zilong knew this approach wouldn't work, so he began to provoke Chen Jie.
"Do you think you can absorb my power for your own use? Fine, I'll grant your wish! I'll use just one move!"