Chapter 189: Sweeping Strike
Qiao Jiajin's face was ashen.
He looked at the hole beside him, then at Xiaoxiao before him.
Why wasn't this woman dead?
Had she come back after falling?
Was this also a form of "Echo"?
Right now, Qiao Jiajin was in even more pain than if he were sinking into a mud pit. Both his arms and legs were locked in place by massive stone restraints.
He couldn't pull free, and trying to break loose by force only tore large patches of his skin, blood flowing down in streams.
How was he supposed to win this game?
"Tough guy, where's that fighting spirit of yours now?" Xiaoxiao walked over and crouched in front of Qiao Jiajin, a look of wild arrogance on her face.
"Heh heh..." Qiao Jiajin chuckled. "My fighting spirit's still here. What are you gonna do about it?"
"What am I gonna do?" Xiaoxiao sneered as she stood up. "I killed you once, I can kill you again."
She reached behind her and said to Old Sun, "Give me some stone."
Old Sun stared blankly at Xiaoxiao, stunned for a long moment before replying, "Don't go bullying people here..."
"Old Sun!" Xiaoxiao shouted angrily. "Snap out of it! The reason we came here is to kill all three of them!"
"Winning is enough... don't bully people..." Old Sun shook his head, eyes vacant. "I won't give it to you. No matter what you say."
"Hmph... I can beat him to death with my fists anyway." Xiaoxiao stopped paying attention to Old Sun and slowly raised her fist. "Tough guy, aren't you supposed to be agile? Can you dodge this punch?"
"Dodge...?" Qiao Jiajin grinned. "You big-boned woman throw such a weak, limp punch, I don't even need to dodge it."
"Haha! Good!" Xiaoxiao laughed. "Then let's see you take it!"
In that instant, her thick arm swung that massive fist straight toward Qiao Jiajin's face.
Suddenly, a nimble figure leaped out, kicking Xiaoxiao's fist away, then sprang into the air again, delivering several rapid kicks that forced Xiaoxiao back five full steps.
After landing, the figure settled into a solid horse stance, then shifted her right foot forward into a suspended stance. One hand spread wide like a crane, the other curled forward like a tiger's paw.
"Oh?" Xiaoxiao massaged her stung arm. "I almost forgot about you. What, do you plan to take all three of us on by yourself? You think you stand a chance?"
Cold sweat slowly trickled down Li Xiangling's forehead.
"I don't know if I can do it, but I will never give up." She took a deep breath, muttering to herself, "Grandpa, I'm sorry. I've lost my composure, but this time I really have no other choice."
Luo Shiyi chuckled and shook his head. "Xiaoxiao, there's no need for you to act. Let me handle this."
He stretched his limbs and stepped in front of Xiaoxiao.
"What? You're interested?"
"I really enjoy killing people..." Luo Shiyi said with a grin. "Especially beautiful women."
Old Sun stared blankly at him. "Don't bully people..."
"Shut up." Xiaoxiao snapped coldly.
Unfazed, Li Xiangling flexed both her wrists, muttering to herself, "It's a pity I don't even have a staff... I keep using forms I'm not familiar with."
"Huh?" Luo Shiyi was amused. "What? You don't actually expect us to conjure up a staff for you, do you?"
Conjure up... a staff?
Li Xiangling glanced at Old Sun, and suddenly an idea struck her.
"Hey!" she called out to Old Sun. "Watch my moves carefully!"
As she spoke, Li Xiangling closed her eyes, abandoning her crane-tiger form. Slowly, she curled her hands as if gripping an invisible long spear.
"Aunt Tong said... the most important thing to activate 'Echo' is 'Belief'..."
With that thought, she began to practice the forms with the spear that wasn't there.
"Eye and mind unite..." She thrust her empty hands forward sharply and shouted, "Breath and strength unite!"
Then her hands moved continuously, as if twirling the spear in a spin.
"Footwork and technique unite!"
Driven by muscle memory, Li Xiangling kept her eyes half-closed, spinning the invisible "spear" in her hands repeatedly. Then she hurled it into the air, leaped up, and caught it again.
"Spirit, energy, and mind unite in inner harmony!"
She soared into the air, her hands swinging down in a steady, graceful arc. The posture was flawless.
"Waist, hands, and eyes unite in outer harmony!"
"Kung Fu girl... you..."
Qiao Jiajin's eyes widened as realization dawned. If this could actually work... it would be a game-changer.
Old Sun stared blankly at the scene, his brow slowly furrowing.
What was this woman doing?
What was she swinging?
Why did it look so strange?
Her movements looked like...
"Shit..." Xiaoxiao finally reacted. She turned her head quickly and reached out to cover Old Sun's eyes. "Old Sun! Don't look!"
She knew Old Sun had overused his "Echo," severely impairing his perception and cognition.
Even with his eyes covered, a faint smile slowly spread across Old Sun's face.
"That's it... she's swinging a staff..." Old Sun said with a grin. "So it was a staff... I knew it..."
The moment he spoke, a slender stone staff materialized in Li Xiangling's hands.
Li Xiangling's eyes snapped open. She drove the stone staff forward, gripping its end, and thrust it upward straight toward Xiaoxiao's throat.
"Green Dragon Offers Its Claw!"
The strike was precise and lightning-fast. Xiaoxiao didn't even have a chance to block. She felt something slam into her throat, her breath cut off entirely, and she was knocked to the ground.
"Mass Block Formation!"
In a blur of motion, Li Xiangling swung the stone staff horizontally, sending Old Sun flying. Xiaoxiao, still on the ground, reached out and grabbed him just in time.
Seeing things turn bad, Luo Shiyi rushed forward.
But the stone staff had too much reach.
Li Xiangling pulled the staff back, spun it around her waist, and delivered a vicious sweep toward Luo Shiyi's legs.
"Parting the Grass to Find the Snake!"
Luo Shiyi felt no pain, but he lost his balance entirely. With a resounding crash, he hit the steel beams.
"Damn it..." He scrambled back to his feet and charged at Li Xiangling again.
"Erlang Carries the Mountain!"
Seeing the heavy stone staff descending from above, Luo Shiyi suddenly had an idea.
This time, he didn't dodge. Instead, he drove his head straight into the incoming staff.
*SMACK!*
With a sharp crack, blood and flesh flew from Luo Shiyi's forehead. The stone staff snapped clean in two.
Stone was far too brittle. Hitting something hard like his skull shattered it easily.
"Shit... Kung Fu girl! Run!" Qiao Jiajin shouted. "Get off the bridge!"
He knew that while Li Xiangling's spear technique was lethal, she lacked real combat experience. With her opponent throwing caution to the wind, she was in grave danger.
"No..." Li Xiangling's expression shifted as Luo Shiyi rushed at her.
She quickly regripped the remaining half of the stone staff and thrust it at his chest.
*THUD!*
A dull sound rang out as the staff struck his chest.
Luo Shiyi smiled faintly, blood gushing from his mouth. But he didn't stop. He grabbed Li Xiangling by the collar and threw her to the ground.
"Kung Fu girl...!" Qiao Jiajin struggled, but he was completely pinned.
Now Li Xiangling could clearly see how terrifying the man holding her down was.
The blow to his forehead had torn away a large patch of skin, exposing a yellowish-white section of skull. Blood streamed down his face, dyeing it completely red.
He looked like a demon crawling out of a grave.
"I've got you now..." Luo Shiyi grinned savagely. "Too bad for you. Even if you pierce my heart, I won't stop."
For the first time, genuine fear crept into Li Xiangling's heart.
Was this man in front of her... even human anymore?
"Our goal is to kill you..." Luo Shiyi laughed loudly. "Whether I live or die doesn't matter at all!"
Gritting her teeth, Li Xiangling kept striking his body with the broken staff, but it was like beating a corpse. He felt nothing.
"Come on, come on... let's die together..."
Luo Shiyi grabbed Li Xiangling by the neck and dragged her step by step toward the edge of the bridge.
"You... you madman... let me go..." Li Xiangling struggled, her eyes now filled with terror.
Qiao Jiajin turned his head with great difficulty. "Hey... don't do this... kill me first... you can only kill her after you've killed me..."
"Don't worry, don't worry. None of you are getting away..." Luo Shiyi called back to Xiaoxiao with a smile. "I'll take her first. Leave the rest to you."
Before Xiaoxiao could answer, Luo Shiyi grinned widely, hoisted Li Xiangling, and leaped off the bridge with her. They both plunged into the darkness below.