"You've got the map you wanted. What do you plan to do with me, the defeated?" After finishing his thoughts, Haibodong realized that his life and death were now in someone else's hands, and he solemnly asked Lin Yuan.
"Defeated, huh? It seems the Ice Emperor isn't satisfied with losing to me in that way!" Lin Yuan replied, his tone laced with a hint of mockery.
With a snort, Haibodong didn't respond. Although he felt somewhat regretful for his carelessness, he couldn't help but feel a bit indignant; he hadn't even made a move before being ambushed and taken down.
"Well, it's time to let my future ally see our strength. Let's go. We'll fight outside the city. I will temporarily lift the seal I just placed and suppress my fighting spirit to your level. If you can defeat me, as a sign of respect for a strong opponent, I will return the incomplete map and lift the seal. But if you lose..." Lin Yuan looked at Haibodong.
"If I lose, Haibodong will willingly submit and follow your orders in the future." When it came to direct combat, Haibodong was very confident and didn't believe he would lose to a younger opponent, so he readily accepted the challenge, preparing to stake everything on this match.
"Then it's settled. I swear by this." Lin Yuan raised his right hand.
"A deal." Haibodong clapped in agreement.
Seeing Haibodong's confidence, Lin Yuan's eyes held a hint of amusement.
"Got him."
"The more confident the bet, the easier it is to lose more!"
In a desert outside the city, Haibodong, exuding the aura of a peak fighting spirit, stood opposite Lin Yuan.
"Kid, let me tell you, direct combat and ambushes are two different things." Feeling his power returning, Haibodong radiated cold fighting spirit and coldly addressed Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan said nothing more and waved at Haibodong.
In an instant, both figures vanished from their spots, dashing toward each other like lightning, colliding in the middle. A fierce explosion of ice and fire energy erupted from their clash, sending sand swirling around them.
As the energy exploded from the center, both were sent flying backward.
Haibodong quickly regained his footing and began to move rapidly within the battlefield they had defined. The icy fighting spirit emanated from him, creating a chilling mist that quickly enveloped the area, obscuring Lin Yuan's vision.
"Interesting, this mist can slow a person's speed, but... this trick is useless against me."
Lin Yuan gathered his power, stomped his right foot heavily on the ground, and a powerful surge of fire erupted from him, instantly dispersing the icy mist. Haibodong, who was moving within the mist, was also pushed back a few steps by the fiery force.
"Ice Emperor, there's no need to play around anymore. Show me your true combat level as a strong opponent." Lin Yuan looked at Haibodong indifferently.
Haibodong, stopping his movement, said nothing. He charged at Lin Yuan, enveloped in cold fighting spirit, engaging in close combat.
As their bodies collided, their fighting spirits clashed, and they became entangled in a fierce battle. The more they fought, the more Haibodong was astonished; the young man before him was incredibly strong in close combat—fast, powerful, skilled, and with exceptional control over his fighting spirit. It was as if he could see through Haibodong's attacks, effortlessly countering everything thrown at him.
"I can't keep this up." With that thought, Haibodong suddenly stomped on the ground, creating distance between them, and brought his hands together.
"Profound Ice Spike!"
Dozens of long ice spikes formed and shot toward Lin Yuan. Seeing this, Lin Yuan used his skill to intercept the first ice spike, dissipating its force, and with his fighting spirit enveloping it, he flicked it away like a sword, sending the subsequent ice spikes flying.
Seeing this, Haibodong's expression darkened. He waved his hand, and dozens of spiral-shaped ice spikes rapidly formed in front of him. With a sweep of his hand, they shot toward Lin Yuan like a torrential storm. At the same time, he opened and closed his palms, creating countless thin ice threads that began to wrap around Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan, noticing this, focused his thoughts, igniting a large amount of azure flames that instantly enveloped him. Under his control, the flames transformed into a rapidly spinning azure fire shield, incinerating the ice spikes and threads upon contact.
After neutralizing this wave of attacks, Lin Yuan launched a counterattack. The azure fire shield, under his manipulation, spun and compressed at high speed, ultimately condensing into a rapidly rotating fire spear at his fingertips. Simultaneously, several azure flame whips emerged, attacking Haibodong.
"This kid has incredible control; he can condense such strong energy into a small fire spear while manipulating so many flame whips to restrict my movements. This is troublesome," Haibodong thought as the battle dragged on.
As the fire spear was completed, several flame whips joined the assault, quickly sealing off Haibodong's movements. Lin Yuan seized the opportunity to launch the fire spear.
"Dan Fire Technique—Flying Star."
Seeing Lin Yuan shoot the fire spear, Haibodong realized he couldn't dodge. He quickly formed a hand seal with his dry hands and shouted, "Ice Mirror!"
As the hand seal finished, a transparent ice mirror about half a meter wide suddenly formed in front of him.
The moment the high-speed rotating fire spear collided with the transparent ice mirror, the energy compressed to its limit exploded at a single point on the ice mirror, as if trying to penetrate it. Haibodong, seeing this, continuously infused his fighting spirit to reinforce the ice mirror. The hot wind blew his hair wildly, and the powerful energy impact pushed him backward, leaving deep grooves in the sand beneath his feet.
"I held on." Before Haibodong could catch his breath, a sound of rushing wind came from behind him. He quickly turned, crossing his arms to block a kicking whip leg, but even so, the powerful force still sent him flying backward.
With his rich combat experience, Haibodong managed to flip in the air and land steadily after a few rotations. He looked at the figure in front of him—Lin Yuan, who had already moved behind him after shooting the fire spear. Shaking his somewhat numb arms, Haibodong warily regarded Lin Yuan. "This guy has an incredibly strong physique and power."
With a smile, Lin Yuan asked, "Ice Emperor, do you still intend to continue?"
Looking at the young man before him, whose breath remained calm and steady as it had been before the battle, Haibodong understood that this person was an absolute powerhouse within the same realm, strong in every aspect. The odds of winning today were slim. With a blink of his eyes, he made his decision and resolutely said, "If I take this move, Haibodong admits defeat."
"Then bring it on." Lin Yuan flipped his hand, azure flames filling the sky, accepting Haibodong's decisive challenge, determined to completely defeat him this time.
"Profound Ice Spiral Kill!"
With his hands quickly forming seals in front of him, crescent-shaped ice blades began to spin and emerge around him, ultimately enveloping Haibodong's body within them, connecting to form a small spiral storm made entirely of ice blades.
"Go!" A low shout came from within the storm, and the ice blade storm suddenly surged toward Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he changed his hand seals. A purplish-red blood essence was drawn from his blood core, and the blood essence, azure flames, and fighting spirit gathered in front of him, forming a law seal with blood essence as the base, azure flames as the mountains, and fighting spirit as the river. The seal shimmered with mysterious runes, and the energy of heaven and earth subtly converged toward it, exuding destructive power.
"Heavenly Fire Calamity, Mountain and River Seal."
"Go!" Under Lin Yuan's control, the azure-red law seal shot toward the spiral storm.
When the Mountain and River Seal collided with the ice blade spiral storm, the energy erupted violently. After a brief stalemate, the ice blade storm was completely shattered, and Haibodong at the center of the storm was sent flying as if struck hard, crashing to the ground, his breath weakened significantly. Looking at the raging energy and mist ahead, Haibodong's eyes were bitter; he had lost, utterly lost.
Not far away, Lin Yuan raised his right hand, slashing downward with his palm. A gust of wind dispersed the surrounding mist and energy, and then he walked toward Haibodong, smiling as he asked, "Ice Emperor, how was this battle?"
Looking at the young man who walked toward him as if strolling leisurely, with deep eyes and a steady breath, Haibodong's voice carried a hint of resignation mixed with admiration. "In this battle, I lost, and I lost wholeheartedly. Haha, I never expected that after hiding here for over twenty years, I would be completely defeated by a junior in a battle of the same level. Truly, the younger generation is to be feared."
"From now on, I will follow your lead." Adjusting his emotions, Haibodong said solemnly, acknowledging the agreement based on their victory and defeat.
"Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation, Ice Emperor Haibodong."
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(End of Chapter)