'What a weird old man,' Niu Chang thought to himself, 'he said he disdains the demonic creatures for their demonic way of cultivation, and yet now he claims he will show the true demonic art as a human? Tsk tsk, he must have become senile after eating that weird thing.'
Niu Chang criticized Feng Ning's lack of consistency in his words.
Then Niu Chang saw Feng Ning change his body posture into a striking position and launch a direct attack on Huang Zhi.
Huang Zhi was cautious about what kind of weird skill Feng Ning possessed, but she felt somewhat disappointed with the outcome. In her opinion, the technique she had prepared for him seemed overly powerful. Her qi reserves were not abundant, thanks to Feng Ning's interference during her transformation.
The yellow dragon had already destroyed the large palm and charged towards Feng Ning. However, upon seeing Feng Ning's confident expression regarding his physical abilities, Huang Zhi called her yellow dragon back.
Fighting a martial artist with a large body became a disadvantage instead of an advantage if the difference in strength was not significant. The yellow dragon turned its body and flew back towards Huang Zhi.
The yellow dragon shrank and merged into Huang Zhi's dress, transforming it into battle armor, leaving Niu Chang astonished once again.
Adorned in her extraordinary battle armor, Huang Zhi stood before the astonished onlookers. The once majestic yellow dragon had become an exquisite ensemble, seamlessly merging with Huang Zhi's dress. Every inch of the armor exuded a seductive allure, captivating all who beheld it. Delicate vines adorned her limbs, their verdant tendrils intertwining with her movements, evoking a mesmerizing dance. Though prioritizing aesthetic appeal over practicality, the armor offered little defensive capability. Nevertheless, its enchanting beauty and undeniable sensuality made it a work of art.
'This... Little Zhi really knows fashion. This battle armor may prioritize sexiness and attractiveness over practicality, but it still covers her vital parts... Well, at least with this kind of armor, she is indeed protecting her 'vital' parts,' Niu Chang remarked, capturing the sight in his memory. 'Tsk tsk, how can such a small armor protect Little Zhi's prominent assets? It's like an ant trying to hold a mountain with its body alone.'
Unable to contain his astonishment, Niu Chang gazed at Huang Zhi's alluring battle armor. The intricate design left him in awe, appreciating her remarkable fashion sense. Though not the most practical choice for battle, the armor possessed its own value. It accentuated Huang Zhi's curves, drawing attention and admiration. Niu Chang marveled at the daring protection the small armor provided for her physique, emphasizing the contrast between the delicate attire and her formidable presence. He pondered how such an enchanting ensemble would fare in the face of true danger.
Somehow, Niu Chang desired to be that danger, but he shook his head, dismissing these thoughts as he watched Feng Ning closing in.
Unlike before, Feng Ning appeared to have become a master of martial arts. His movements were agile and fluid, devoid of any unnecessary actions.
His eyes were cold, resembling a killing machine. He skillfully moved his palm, utilizing his dark purple qi to launch a palm attack towards Huang Zhi.
Huang Zhi observed Feng Ning, searching for an opening to exploit, but found none.
After absorbing her yellow dragon into her body, Huang Zhi's strength had greatly increased. It was not merely due to the design of her battle armor, but also the hidden enhancements that were added to her body.
The dragon engraving on her battle armor seemed to swim alongside the yellow qi river, and faint sounds of dragon roars could be heard. Huang Zhi faced Feng Ning head-on with her sword.
On the ground, Niu Chang finally had the chance to witness the true fight between martial artists.
Both Feng Ning and Huang Zhi possessed the ability to stand on air effortlessly. They exchanged blows endlessly, their movements too fast for Niu Chang to track, with flashes of purple and yellow here and there.
However, the yellow color managed to push back the purple color. With a powerful explosion of yellow qi, Huang Zhi remained airborne while Feng Ning was sent crashing to the ground like a falling meteor.
Thanks to his qi protection, Feng Ning avoided any significant damage from the fall, but his clothes were already torn, and he had sustained numerous injuries. Blood started to drip onto the ground.
Huang Zhi glanced at Niu Chang to ensure he wouldn't attempt to escape. The look in her eyes seemed to say, "Next, it's your turn."
Slightly shocked, Niu Chang could only giggle at this feeble threat.
Then, he felt a tug on his heartstrings and quickly turned his head, only to see a flash of dark purple rushing towards him.
'Sigh, must you do this?' Unable to move his body to avoid the sneak attack, Niu Chang shook his head and activated Closed Loop Protection to its maximum.
The verdant green qi surged, transforming the qi barrier into a mix of white and green that became more visible around Niu Chang's body.
Unlike before, the advanced version of Closed Loop Protection included the physical body within its safe area.
Layer upon layer of qi barriers interwove, creating a delicate sphere where the outer layers were pushed outwards and dissolved, making room for new barriers constantly forming from the inside.
Feng Ning launched two attacks—one aimed at Huang Zhi and the other at Niu Chang.
Easily blocking the dark purple palm attack with her wooden sword, Huang Zhi swiftly rushed towards Niu Chang.
The qi barriers were pierced by a hand covered in master qi, pushing into the inner area but encountering great resistance before ultimately being unable to advance further.
Feng Ning showed a perplexed expression on his martial instructor's face. Unable to accept his failure, he pushed again, this time using the Mountain Crushing Palm on Niu Chang.
Time was short, and the mountain crushing palm was unleashed with great force. The large palm shattered the inner layer of qi barriers, finally reaching the core area and blasting Niu Chang's body.
It was unavoidable since this was a genuine attack from a stage above the grandmaster level. Huang Zhi had managed to break the Closed Loop Protection before primarily due to the use of grandmaster qi.
Because her cultivation level had been insufficient at the time, she needed to concentrate her mind into one sword to control the grandmaster qi.
Being directly struck by the large palm, Niu Chang immediately grabbed by Feng Ning. His vision blurred before finally realizing that he was being held in the air by his neck.
"Stop!" Feng Ning shouted loudly, his eyes bloodshot upon seeing Huang Zhi approaching.
Huang Zhi slowed down but continued to advance. She took small steps, closing the distance.
"Do you want to use him to threaten me?" Huang Zhi asked, her expression amused as she observed Niu Chang in his pathetic situation.
Niu Chang's face was turned towards Huang Zhi, and due to Feng Ning's strong grip, he struggled to breathe. Even with enhancements from the first level of the Impossible Idea and a powerful physique like that of a demonic snake, he still felt suffocated.
Lowering his gaze, Niu Chang noticed that Feng Ning was using his mastery of qi to strengthen his grip. Niu Chang merely gave a disdainful look, deeming the excessive violence unnecessary.
Turning his eyes back to Huang Zhi, he found her smiling at him.
"Having fun there?" she taunted, taking another step forward.
Feng Ning flinched and increased his grip strength, but he found it increasingly difficult to close his hand due to the powerful force pushing it back.
Although not perfect, the new Closed Loop Protection now allowed the production of a new qi barrier at the skin level, inside the body. This enabled Niu Chang to push against Feng Ning's grip without any issue.
'What is this?' Feng Ning felt cornered and threatened by Huang Zhi's true strength. He wanted to escape but couldn't find a suitable opportunity to do so. Thus, he turned his attention to Niu Chang, who seemed close to Huang Zhi and appeared weaker.
However, he encountered great resistance from this seemingly ten-year-old boy. Despite releasing a significant amount of qi, Niu Chang's cultivation proved to be nothing but a joke—a pile of sand without any structure to support it..
Only when he attacked Niu Chang did he realize that the boy possessed peculiar defensive skills. The skill itself wasn't particularly powerful, but when combined with Niu Chang's seemingly endless qi, it provided formidable protection.
"Boy, stay still, or I will break your neck," Feng Ning threatened Niu Chang in a cold voice, pouring more qi into his hand.
Yet, his hand trembled greatly against the increasing force that pushed it back.
"You, human, your greed is always your weakness. You could have lived peacefully after forming your core, but instead, you chose to plunder what belongs to others and risk your life," Huang Zhi's cold voice resounded.
She continued to advance, and even Niu Chang also continued the qi barrier to push Feng Ning's hand away from his neck. Feng Ning knew that killing Niu Chang would be difficult without a powerful attack.
So far, Feng Ning had only displayed mediocre skills, with only one that posed a threat to Niu Chang. However, that skill was unusable in the current situation unless Feng Ning chose to blast Niu Chang from close range, thus losing his only meat shield to slow down Huang Zhi.
Even if he blasted Niu Chang off, he wouldn't gain anything since killing him would be challenging. Niu Chang possessed the first level of the Impossible Idea, and his physical attributes were one level higher than Feng Ning's own, not to mention Huang Zhi and the demonic snake.
"Release me, and I will never trouble you again," Feng Ning finally faced reality.
Huang Zhi shook her head, her black silky hair mesmerizing to behold. "Even if I release you, will you spare me?"
Speaking in a perfunctory manner, the sword in Huang Zhi's hand started to emit a yellow glow.
"Must you push me to the limit?" Feng Ning teetered on the brink of losing control. His voice trembled greatly, and his eyes oscillated between madness and calmness. "Even if you kill me here, you won't have a good ending."
Suddenly, Huang Zhi halted her steps, and the distance between them was now only three meters. But before she could speak, Niu Chang interjected.
"Um... can I say something here?" Niu Chang awkwardly raised his shoulder. Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "Can I recite my poem?"
His gentle voice and the unexpected request added a strange atmosphere to the already tense situation.