Indeed, Mo Rouxin had the arrogance to back her actions. Her thunder-attribute technique was indeed mysterious and elusive! Li Yi sneered inwardly. Despite the numbing paralysis affecting half his body, he lightly tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, darting towards Mo Rouxin like a phantom. The distance between them, only a dozen meters or so, was closed in an instant. As Mo Rouxin drew closer, Li Yi's palm surged with black Dou Qi, ready to strike. But at that moment, a whooshing sound came from behind, and Li Yi's face changed slightly. He abruptly halted and rolled to the side.
"Boom"—another whip struck the ground, the jumping electric light continuously dazzling. Had Li Yi not moved quickly, he might have been electrocuted. At this point, Li Yi could no longer afford to be careless. Although Mo Rouxin was not incredibly powerful, being only at the Fighter level, her Dou Qi and techniques were abnormally twisted, rivaling the peak Fighter from the Li family he had previously encountered. Moreover, due to her peculiar Dou Qi and techniques, she was much more difficult to deal with.
Furthermore, Li Yi was injured, moving slower than usual. He hadn't yet fully dispelled the force from the Great Elder's final palm strike. Even using Dou Qi was limited. Thus, this battle had to be swift; otherwise, the reputation he had so hard-earned would crumble.
Ignoring everything else, Li Yi tapped his palm, and a long spear hidden in his ring appeared in his hand. Grasping the spear, a surge of black Dou Qi spread over it like boiling flames. Pointing the spear towards Mo Rouxin from a distance, Li Yi called out, "Again!"
The spear cut through the air, its sharp black Dou Qi shooting towards Mo Rouxin's chest like lightning. Mo Rouxin, facing the incoming spear, remained expressionless. She flicked her wrist, and her silver whip, like a venomous snake, entangled with Li Yi's spear.
"Ding"—at the moment of contact, a sharp sound echoed. Both of them shook slightly, clearly not expecting their moves to be blocked. Mo Rouxin's thunder-attribute Dou Qi, with its paralyzing effect, was notoriously tricky. It was common knowledge on the Dou God Continent to avoid direct confrontation with practitioners of thunder-attribute techniques. However, Li Yi's cultivation of the demonic Nine Transformations technique was even more peculiar. The indescribable black Dou Qi contained an intense aura of malevolence, capable of easily breaking through an opponent's Dou Qi defense.
The moment their peculiar Dou Qi met, both were taken aback, not expecting their tactics to be ineffective. Li Yi, failing to land a hit, relaxed his grip slightly, his black Dou Qi swiftly swirling in his palm, "Backwind Palm, Twisting Force!"
"Whoosh"—the released spear spun violently, creating whirlwinds in the air. Mo Rouxin was caught off guard, the rapidly spinning spear breaking free from her whip's entanglement and speeding towards her even faster. Mo Rouxin retreated quickly, her whip touching the spear in an almost impossible instant, sparking a burst of fire in midair. The spear shattered into dozens of pieces, but its momentum was undiminished. Mo Rouxin's face changed slightly as her silver whip's Dou Qi intensified, emitting a faint purple hue. The whip moved like a phantom, touching each fragment of the spear, which then reversed direction, hurtling towards Li Yi.
Li Yi clapped his hands, and small whirlwinds of black Dou Qi formed in the air, diverting the incoming spear fragments back towards Mo Rouxin. "Whizz—whizz—whizz"—under Li Yi's Dou Qi, the fragments seemed even more potent. The Backwind Palm, adept at deflecting an opponent's force, now made these fragments even more lethal. Mo Rouxin's face finally showed concern, not expecting Li Yi to have such ability. Unaware of Li Yi's display of power earlier in the hall, she had underestimated him.
In a blink, the spear fragments were upon Mo Rouxin. She hesitated no longer, her silver whip vibrating rapidly, its purple Dou Qi intensifying as if drawing the energy of the world around her.
"Thunder Net!" With a low shout, countless strands of purple lightning spread from her whip, intertwining to form a massive net that enveloped her. The Thunder Net, a high-level Xuanwu fighting technique, formed a protective barrier resistant to most attacks. Practitioners of thunder-attribute techniques on the Dou God Continent commonly used this move, creating a defensive shell like a turtle in its shell. Unless faced with an opponent several times more powerful to break through, the only option was to wait for the practitioner to drop the defense.
The flickering electric light spread through the air, giving onlookers a tingling sensation, incredibly bizarre. "Puff puff puff—" Countless spear fragments hit the Thunder Net, immediately turning into powder and vanishing like smoke. Watching the flashing electric light around Mo Rouxin, Li Yi frowned slightly. His only option was the Backwind Palm, and charging in recklessly would be akin to suicide. This situation left Li Yi feeling like a dog biting a turtle, helpless and frustrated.
"Old Coot, is there any way to deal with this Thunder Net?" Li Yi quickly asked in his mind. After a moment, the voice of the Venerable Serpent echoed faintly: "Kid, I have a myriad of ways to deal with such a technique, but with your strength... you basically have no chance. Do you want me to teach you a technique to resist the Thunder Net?"
The Venerable Serpent's voice carried a hint of mockery, prompting Li Yi to chuckle bitterly. "Old Coot, is there really no way? I can't afford to lose at this moment."
"There is a way," the Venerable Serpent said, "but the success rate isn't high... If you can trick this girl into withdrawing the Thunder Net, wouldn't that solve it? If not, just wait it out. Once the Thunder Net is deployed, it can't be moved at will, so wait until her Dou Qi is exhausted."
Li Yi was stunned, then chuckled bitterly again. Was his only option to wait? Watching the skirmish, it seemed Li Yi had the upper hand, but with Mo Rouxin using the Thunder Net, many speculated whether Li Yi could do anything. The various gazes made Li Yi more determined – he could not lose under such scrutiny.
With this thought, Li Yi smiled faintly, looking at Mo Rouxin shielded by the Thunder Net, and lightly said, "Miss Mo, are you preparing to concede?"
Mo Rouxin didn't expect Li Yi to ask such a question. She scoffed, "You haven't defeated me, so why talk of conceding?" Li Yi walked slowly around the hall, chuckling, "Hiding in a turtle shell, isn't that conceding? If you really want to fight, come out and fight me. If not, continue hiding in your shell, and let's see how long your Dou Qi lasts. Either way, when your Dou Qi runs out, I win without fighting."
Whispers filled the room, the spectators finding the situation quite odd. If Li Yi initially seemed impulsive, his current demeanor made everyone rethink – perhaps Master Li Yi was not just a brute. Long Aotian, terrified of Li Yi, found his feelings complicated. After suffering a loss from Li Yi, and with the Long family now in disarray due to the Blood Wolf Mercenaries' retaliation, his hatred for Li Yi was undeniable. But remembering the tragic fate of Yin Xu, Long Aotian shuddered, not daring to think of revenge.
Seeing Li Yi's calm demeanor, similar to that day, Long Aotian's heart pounded wildly. Mo Rouxin, though composed, couldn't hide her gritted teeth. Despite her calmness, she was, after all, only a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, not used to such provocations. Her gaze landed on Li Yi's face, finally nodding, "Very well, since you seek death, I shall oblige!"
Li Yi smiled slightly, "Wonder who's seeking death!" "Don't be too happy, Li Yi. I've waited long for this moment," Mo Rouxin muttered to herself. Her hand flicked, and the electric light surrounding her slowly contracted, refocusing on her silver whip. The whip, like a living thing, danced rapidly as the electric light flowed into it. Mo Rouxin grunted, the faint purple Dou Qi on her body surging into the whip. The whip crackled, forming scales in the air, the electric light emitting a chilling sound. The spectators watched in awe as the whip transformed into a thick water snake.
"Vermilion Bird mid-level fighting technique, Purple Lightning Electric Snake Break!?" Someone exclaimed, but the cry was cut short. The robust electric snake seemed to roar, charging ferociously towards Li Yi. At that moment, everyone held their breath.
"Boom"—the electric snake, alive with energy, bit down fiercely. An invisible wave rippled through the hall, filling the area around Li Yi with smoke and flashing electric light. Such an attack could make even a Warrior strong man retreat, let alone a Fighter. But Li Yi had already given too many surprises; what would be his fate now? Everyone watched the center of the hall, the answer seemingly about to be revealed...