Suddenly, another cold gust rushed towards Li Yi, clearly indicating that the opponent had no intention of giving him any chance to dodge. Gritting his teeth, Li Yi could only face the attack head-on. A surge of black Yuanqi, mingled with traces of blood, erupted suddenly from his dagger. In haste, Li Yi, sticking close to the ground, lunged forward. With a "clang", his dagger seemed to hit something metallic. Delighted, Li Yi stirred his dagger, and an unpleasant grinding sound indicated that he had pierced the opponent's armor.
Taking advantage of this strike, Li Yi was about to follow up when suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. A tremendous force hit him squarely, and although the opponent hadn't used much Fighting Qi, Li Yi still grunted, retreating repeatedly. The blood in his chest roiled, and the icy Fighting Qi that entered his body stabbed him internally like a sharp knife. Finally, he couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
A cold chuckle seemed to echo in the darkness. Li Yi snorted, his Yuanqi continuously flowing through his meridians following the pathway of the 'Nine Transformations of the Demonic Art'. The boiling blood gradually calmed down. However, Li Yi knew well that it was unlikely for him to recover from that strike anytime soon. The opponent's Invisible Fighting Technique was indeed mysterious; even now, Li Yi couldn't determine their exact location. He took a few steps back, holding his dagger across his chest. After taking a few deep breaths, he decided to close his eyes. Since he couldn't see the opponent anyway, it was better to abandon sight and rely solely on his hearing to face the enemy.
Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from the right. Li Yi quickly opened his eyes and threw his dagger. A "ding" sound followed, and sparks flew in the darkness – the opponent had parried the thrown dagger. Seizing the opportunity, Li Yi darted forward, not caring whether there was someone ahead, and slashed down fiercely. A muffled grunt indicated that his hand had landed on a piece of leather armor. But simultaneously, the opponent also struck Li Yi's chest. With a "wah", Li Yi felt his ribs break, and a gush of blood spurted out.
However, a startled cry followed, and the blood Li Yi spat out congealed in mid-air, revealing a strange, floating half-face of the opponent. Seeing the opponent's partial appearance, Li Yi sneered. If the opponent had remained completely invisible, he would have had no way to counter. But now that they had revealed themselves, why should he be afraid? Li Yi flashed forward, dodging the opponent's Qi-infused sword and struck the wrist joint. A muffled grunt followed, and the long sword fell from the opponent's hand, which Li Yi promptly caught and swung aimlessly.
The opponent's eyes flickered with surprise, but instead of advancing, they lunged at Li Yi. Li Yi's sword swung, and with a "ding", the blade broke in half. A faint chuckle echoed, but Li Yi just smirked, discarding the broken sword. He thrust both hands out, slipping through the opponent's attack, and his palms firmly landed on their chest. The person, caught off guard by Li Yi's exquisite skill, spurted blood and stumbled backward.
Li Yi swiftly closed the distance, using his shoulder to strike. A series of cracking sounds indicated that he had broken several of the opponent's ribs, sending them crashing against the wall. Li Yi flicked his toe, lifting the fallen dagger, and quickly placed it against the opponent's neck, commanding in a low voice, "Kneel down!"
Suddenly, Li Yi felt a chill on his back, a slight pain at his spine, followed by a hoarse voice, "Young Master Li Yi, I suggest you kneel instead." The voice was cold to the extreme, devoid of any human emotion.
"Two of them?" The thought flashed through Li Yi's mind. But he knew showing any weakness now would spell his end. His dagger vibrated slightly, the Yuanqi on it glowing faintly in the darkness. After this, Li Yi scoffed, "Step back, or I'll kill your companion."
The person behind him casually replied, "Go ahead and kill. With the Li family's young master as compensation, my companion's death would be worthwhile."
Li Yi laughed coldly, exerting a bit more pressure with the dagger. The person in front groaned as the blade pierced their skin, drawing blood. However, with this move, the person behind Li Yi chuckled coldly, and Li Yi suddenly felt a cold sensation at his back. The opponent's Fighting Qi had penetrated his body, sending a chilling sensation down his spine.
Then the cold voice seemed to laugh, "Young Master Li Yi, shall we see it? Will you kill my companion first, or shall I kill you first?" Li Yi sighed and slowly moved the dagger away from his hand, asking indifferently, "Who sent you? Those old immortals? Or someone from the Mo family?" The person behind him sneered, "A dead man doesn't need to know so much. Besides, even if you knew who sent us, what could you do about it?" "Nothing can be done, it's just that..."
Before Li Yi could finish his sentence, he suddenly heard a low shout, and a burst of firelight suddenly lit up the room. "Fiery Gentleness!" The person behind seemed to exclaim in surprise, and retreated a few steps. Li Yi was delighted, knowing that Li Nana had made her move at the crucial moment. The opponent had not seen Li Nana act until now, probably mistaking her for an ordinary girl, otherwise they wouldn't have suffered this great loss. In this situation, Li Yi didn't hesitate. He flicked the dagger in his hand and had already slit the throat of the person in front of him. With a backhand swing, he stabbed towards the back. A muffled groan was heard in the darkness, followed by the sound of someone being flung against the wall, and the room plunged back into darkness. Li Yi quickly retreated half a step, but inwardly groaned. He felt a throbbing pain in his chest; his ribs had been broken by the opponent's hit. Now, any slight movement caused intense pain. Moreover, the opponent clearly could use Dou Qi, and how could he be their match now? Besides, the life or death of Li Nana was unknown, adding to Li Yi's anxiety. If after all his hard work, Li Nana ended up dead at the enemy's hand, that would be the worst luck. At this moment, the smell of blood had already spread throughout the room. The remaining person seemed to realize something, and exclaimed in disbelief, "Li Yi! You really killed him?" Li Yi sneered and replied in a low voice, "You want to kill me, why can't I kill you?" The person let out a wail of despair. A silver light shone brightly in the darkness, and a long sword, imbued with a chilling aura, lunged at Li Yi. Clearly enraged, the opponent made no effort to hide and aimed to take Li Yi's life with one strike. Li Yi, lacking the strength to dodge, retreated a few steps and leaned against the wall. As the sword approached, he sidestepped slightly at the last moment, stabbing his dagger into the opponent's chest. "Puff—puff—" two sounds almost simultaneous. The opponent's sword had pierced Li Yi's left shoulder, pinning him against the wall. The icy Dou Qi from the sword had entered Li Yi's body, freezing his entire left side. However, at the same time, Li Yi's dagger had pierced the opponent's chest. Caught off guard by Li Yi's deadly move, the opponent collapsed in front of him with a look of unwillingness. It took a while before Li Yi finally relaxed, but as soon as he did, he felt numbness in half of his body and intense pain in his chest, with blood continuously welling up in his throat. With great effort, Li Yi pulled out the long sword from his chest, but this action made him black out and cough up blood. Eventually, he collapsed on the ground, gasping, "Old Coot, you bastard... I almost lost my life, and you didn't even come to help." The figure of the Snake Venerable floated out from the Yunhuang Ring. He looked down at Li Yi, then lightly waved his hand. With his movement, the oil lamp in the room lit up, revealing everything around Li Yi. He saw that the two assassins, both dressed in black robes with their faces covered, leaving only their eyes exposed, were already dead, their blood soaking the floor. Li Nana was collapsed on the bed, her condition unknown.