CLANG—CLANG—

With a crisp ringing, a Copper Mirror engraved with eight demonic runes and talismans hovered high above Yue Rong’s head. It cast down streams of light, blocking two sharp, cunningly aimed streams of Sword Qi.

"You’ve hidden yourselves quite well. With that Illusionary Body Concealment Technique alone, you have every right to be proud in the Outer Mansion."

Staring coldly at a spot before him, Yue Rong spoke with a sneer.

"To receive such praise from Brother Yue, we two brothers should be content." A sinister chuckle suddenly rang out.

Before the words had even faded, the hard ground where Yue Rong was looking rippled like the surface of water, transforming into a deep, ink-black pool.

Two nearly identical tall, thin figures silently and slowly rose from that "deep pool."

"Song Ping, Song An. I’ve heard you two are known as the Ghost Shadow Double Fiends, that you have cultivated the Taiyou Concealing Form Technique to the peak of perfection, even deriving other mysterious variations from it.

However, rumor also has it that you two are as timid as mice.

So, what’s with the change of heart today?" Yue Rong watched the Song Brothers calmly as they materialized. Even without his demonic form, his oppressive aura was undiminished. His praise was a thin veil for his insults; he was openly calling the two brothers cowards.

"Hehehe, Brother Yue seems to know quite a lot about us.

That’s right, we are indeed cowards. Otherwise, why would we have waited until you were exhausted and weakened before daring to launch a sneak attack?"

Completely unfazed by Yue Rong’s insults, Song Ping grinned, looking entirely self-satisfied.

’Holy crap... There are other experts here!’

Watching the Song Brothers, who had made their move before he could, Qi Yun clicked his tongue in surprise. He hadn’t expected anyone else to be hiding here.

’After this assessment is over, I have to find a chance to learn a Tracking and Fixing technique.’

’Know yourself, know your enemy. Only then can you be secure.’

"Since you’ve shown yourselves, you must be confident you can take me down?" Even having dispelled his demonic form, Yue Rong’s figure was still burly. His bronze-colored eyes looked down on the Ghost Shadow Double Fiends before him, showing no trace of fear.

"Time is almost up. We have to try, no matter what," Song Ping and Song An said in unison. Their voices, as if cast from the same mold, overlapped with a strange resonance.

The moment their words fell, the two brothers moved in perfect, mirror-like unison, without the slightest hesitation. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Four pale hands rose simultaneously, their fingers flying as they formed the identical Spell for Basic Sword Qi.

The two of them were twins, their minds connected as if they were one person.

They had also cultivated a refined Secret Technique for combined attacks.

At this moment, their True Qi resonated at the same frequency, and their minds merged into one.

What was originally the most common and basic Sword Energy Technique in the Outer Mansion now radiated a completely different, dangerous aura in their hands.

VMMMM—!

Two streams of pale green Sword Qi instantly burst from their fingertips.

The Sword Qi didn’t shoot straight at Yue Rong. Instead, like two living vipers, they suddenly coiled, spiraled, and fused in mid-air.

A terrifying sharpness, far greater than the simple sum of two streams of Sword Qi, erupted violently.

The fused Sword Qi took on a dim, gray color. It was nearly transparent, its edges slightly distorting the air.

Fast as a thunderclap, it tore through the air with a piercing shriek, aimed straight at Yue Rong, whose breathing had yet to steady after blocking the earlier sneak attack.

Yue Rong’s bronze pupils contracted. He could clearly feel the terrifying power of that spiraling, fused Sword Qi.

The Penetration Power it contained was on a completely different level from the disorganized rabble he’d faced before.

The Three Demons Protective Treasure Mirror had just blocked the sneak attack; the flow of its light screen had not yet recovered to its strongest state!

"Want to bite off more than you can chew? I’ll shatter your teeth first!" A savage light flared in Yue Rong’s eyes, and he charged forward instead of retreating.

His right hand shot behind his back, and a long saber was drawn with brutal force. Its entire body was dark red, as if forged from endless blood.

The blade was long and narrow. A nauseatingly thick, bloody Evil Qi surged from it like a tangible wave, instantly dispelling most of the chilling aura from the Song Brothers’ Sword Qi!

Yue Rong roared, the muscles on his arms bulging like coiled dragons. He recklessly poured his remaining True Qi into the Blood Saber.

He didn’t use any fancy Saber Skill, only the purest, most violent slash.

The Blood Saber carried the will to tear everything apart. Where its edge passed, the air was violently displaced, forming a visible white shockwave as it fearlessly met the grayish-white, spiraling Sword Qi!

BOOM!!!!

The saber’s aura and the Sword Qi clashed violently!

An indescribably loud bang exploded in an instant.

The violent Energy Turbulence transformed into a visible, ring-shaped shockwave, sweeping out in all directions like a furious tidal wave.

A layer of the ground was forcefully scraped away. Dust and smoke mixed with the raging shockwave, completely engulfing the entire battlefield.

With simultaneous muffled groans, Yue Rong and the Song Brothers were all forced back.

’Two Magical Artifacts?!’

The Song Brothers’ faces fell. They hadn’t expected Yue Rong to have two Magical Artifacts. A sense of foreboding crept over them.

"Die!"

Just as they steadied themselves, a roar filled with murderous intent and brutality exploded like a clap of thunder!

Yue Rong used the force of the recoil to launch himself forward again like a wounded beast from the Primordial Chaos. Ignoring his churning insides, his saber left a piercing, blood-red streak in its wake!

Taiyou Concealing Form!

Exchanging a glance, the Song Brothers’ four hands became a blur, forming countless Spells. In an instant, their bodies turned into faint, indistinct phantoms, as if they had stepped into another dimension—tangible in form but without substance!

The Taiyou Concealing Form Technique was originally just an Illusionary Body Concealment Technique.

But the two of them were naturally attuned to the Great Dao of this technique. Through diligent cultivation, they had touched upon its Daoist Intent and evolved a new, profound application.

They could hide themselves within the "Taiyou" to evade all attacks.

RUMBLE—

The blood-red saber arc passed through the Song Brothers’ figures without any resistance, but it couldn’t harm the two men hidden within the "Taiyou."

"Blood Slaughter!"

A savage light exploded in his eyes. Yue Rong, whose combat instincts were terrifyingly sharp, quickly discerned the Song Brothers’ state, and the momentum of his saber suddenly changed.

The light of his saber was no longer a simple slash but a continuous curtain of blood-red light that carried a thick, metallic stench!

His speed pushed to its absolute limit, it was like a bursting dam of blood-red tide, completely engulfing everything before him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!!

The seemingly possessed Yue Rong swung his saber relentlessly, as if he would never tire.

"Brother!"

Fear finally showed in Song An’s eyes. Their time in the Taiyou Concealing Form was almost up; they couldn’t hold on much longer.

"We’ll fight him to the death!"

’I can’t believe Yue Rong can still activate two Magical Artifacts and unleash this much power even when he’s exhausted.’ Song Ping was filled with regret, but he could only grit his teeth and risk it all.

PFFT! PFFT!

But the Song Brothers, who specialized in the way of assassination and ambush, were no match for Yue Rong in a direct confrontation.

The instant they were exposed to the raging tide of blood-red light,

they burst apart like punctured waterskins, transforming into two clumps of Black Feathers that slowly drifted away.

THUD—

The moment he slew the Song Brothers, Yue Rong fell heavily to one knee. Only by tightly gripping the Blood Saber, which he had stabbed into the ground, did he manage to support his teetering body.

After a moment of heavy, ragged breaths that sounded like a bellows, Yue Rong raised his head with lonely pride. Like a wounded lion, he scanned his surroundings and roared at the sky:

"WHO ELSE!!!"

"Tsk." A faint click of the tongue was heard.

...