Chapter 426: Not on the Same Level
The slovenly man's words weren't necessarily extremely insulting, but Xiujuan, being an Evil Spirit, couldn't tolerate them. Even a slight provocation could stir the intense resentment within her.
Xiujuan had originally intended to control herself, but the slovenly man's remark about her being "neither human nor ghost" provoked her considerably. Resentment flared in her mind, and she ignored Old Master Wu's attempts to stop her, directly unleashing the Evil Spirit's most powerful technique: illusion. The moment Xiujuan deployed her illusion, Old Master Wu knew things had gone awry. If they engaged in combat, his plan to stall for time would be ruined.
Given the slovenly man's strength, it was possible that before reinforcements even arrived, he and Xiujuan would have already been dealt with. However, since Xiujuan had already made her move, he naturally had no time to hesitate. He had to cooperate with Xiujuan to confront the slovenly man head-on for a wave, hoping to inflict more damage in that instant. If he faltered, and the slovenly man broke free of the illusion, he would miss the prime opportunity to strike.
The instant Xiujuan's illusion took effect, the slovenly man's body subtly trembled, and the movements of his hand paused.
At the same time, Old Master Wu's eyes instantly sharpened. He waved his hands, and several chains formed from condensed Spirit Power appeared from different directions, creating a clanking sound as they attacked the slovenly man.
The immense disparity in strength meant that Xiujuan's illusion only affected the slovenly man for a mere instant. Just as Old Master Wu's Spirit Power chains were about to strike, the slovenly man immediately broke free from the illusion.
Green Star Spirit Power suddenly erupted from within the slovenly man's body, enveloping his entire form.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The incoming chains crashed against this layer of green light but couldn't penetrate an inch further. They were entirely blocked by the Star Spirit Power, making several dull thudding sounds but failing to affect the slovenly man in the slightest.
This strike was Old Master Wu's full-power attack, yet his full-power strike couldn't even breach the protective layer of Star Spirit Power that had suddenly formed around the slovenly man.
One should know that he wasn't the only one attacking; there was also the Evil Spirit Xiujuan. Even with their combined efforts, they hadn't inflicted the slightest injury on the opponent. This clearly showed the vast disparity in their strength. If the opponent counterattacked, their fates were easily imaginable.
Old Master Wu's brows furrowed as he increased his Spirit Power output. Empowered by more Spirit Power, the chains rapidly moved around the slovenly man, attacking him wildly as if suddenly imbued with life, attempting to break through the Star Spirit Power defense on his body.
As for Xiujuan, upon seeing her illusion instantly shattered by the slovenly man, not only was there no trace of fear on her face, but her expression grew even more twisted and ferocious, her Yin Qi becoming even stronger than before.
A strong gust of Yin wind suddenly swept through the area, making Xiujuan's long hair whip wildly. Her face filled with malice, she once again unleashed an illusion upon the slovenly man.
Dull thuds echoed continuously as fierce combat unfolded. Both Old Master Wu and Xiujuan were exerting their full strength, yet the slovenly man remained utterly casual. Not only did he not appear to be fighting with all his might, but his attitude seemed entirely unconcerned.
Fighting with all your might against an opponent's casualness was the most demoralizing kind of battle. But no matter how demoralizing, the fight had to continue; they couldn't simply stand there and let the opponent slaughter them.
To lose the courage to resist and stand still, letting the opponent do as they pleased, simply because one's strength was inferior—that would be the true tragedy.
Old Master Wu and Xiujuan attacked the slovenly man with all their might, only wishing to inflict more damage. However, the Star Spirit Power on the slovenly man's body never dissipated. No matter how Old Master Wu's chains attacked, they couldn't break through this layer of Star Spirit Power.
And each time Xiujuan cast an illusion, it only affected the slovenly man for a brief instant. After that instant, the slovenly man regained his clarity.
Shattering Xiujuan's illusions instantly was a minor matter for the slovenly man, consuming little of his Star Spirit Power. However, for Xiujuan, the caster, each use of her illusion technique was a tremendous drain.
In just a short span, both Old Master Wu and the Evil Spirit Xiujuan had suffered significant depletion. The Yin Qi emanating from Xiujuan had weakened considerably, appearing far less intense than before, while Old Master Wu was panting heavily, his face covered in a dense network of sweat beads.
In contrast, the slovenly man, completely enveloped by Star Spirit Power, remained utterly unharmed. Not only that, but the Star Spirit Power within him had barely been consumed. What was even more infuriating was that he was leisurely sipping a beer, as if, in his eyes, this wasn't a life-and-death struggle at all, but merely a playful game.
Outside the Star Spirit Power shield, several arm-thick chains continued to launch ferocious attacks. The slovenly man paid them no mind, continuing to leisurely drink his beer. Only occasionally would his movements pause, but these pauses lasted merely an instant before he resumed as normal.
His pauses were naturally due to the influence of Xiujuan's illusions, and his return to normal after a pause was because he had broken free of Xiujuan's illusions.
Downing the rest of his beer in one gulp, the slovenly man crumpled the empty can in his hand. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the wadded-up can whistled through the air, striking Xiujuan directly with extreme speed as she attempted to cast another illusion.
Thump! With a dull thud, Xiujuan's body was sent flying by the empty can, slamming into the villa's main gate. The powerful impact even tore the gate off its hinges.
Then, with a single-handed suction gesture, the slovenly man caused the long sword embedded in the ground to vibrate. After a sword hum, the long sword pulled itself from the earth and was caught firmly in his hand.
The long sword swung rapidly, sending several streaks of sword light whistling out. They struck the several chains that were fiercely attacking him around his body.
With several crisp snaps, the chains were severed by the sharp sword light. The immense power shattered the broken chains, turning them into Yin Qi that dissipated into nothingness.
There were no flashy moves, just a few simple sword swings, yet the power unleashed was utterly terrifying. The chains that Old Master Wu had controlled with all his might appeared utterly fragile before the slovenly man's few strikes, instantly annihilated.
Judging by the slovenly man's demeanor, these seemed to be just a few casual swings from him, merely delivered at an incredibly fast speed.
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