Chapter 183 - 182: Jiang Li’s True Strength

Perhaps because he was unfamiliar with Chu Liangyu’s methods, Jiang Li found himself scrambling to respond.

But it was only for a moment. A white longsword materialized in his hand.

Each swing of the sword carried a sharp, murderous intent. He forcefully created distance from Chu Liangyu with his swordsmanship alone.

Chu Liangyu’s eyes narrowed slightly. The feeling was distinctly different from their last battle, and she knew her guess had been correct.

’Jiang Li really did hide his strength back then.’

Perhaps that was why he hadn’t panicked earlier, even knowing she had deliberately lured him here. As the saying goes, the skilled are fearless.

But Chu Liangyu didn’t care how much strength he had hidden. The Soul Chasing Needle in her hand found its moment, piercing into Jiang Li’s left shoulder.

In an instant, a pain that struck straight at his soul coursed through his body. The longsword in Jiang Li’s hand began to tremble uncontrollably, and the speed of his swings faltered.

The mere sight of the Soul Chasing Needle had made even Chu Liangyu’s heart race when she first acquired it. How could anyone be unharmed after being pierced by it?

Chu Liangyu saw her chance and moved to plant the remaining Soul Chasing Needles in him, but as she closed in, Jiang Li swiftly pulled away.

His face was visibly pale, his lips as white as paper, yet he calmly pulled the needle from his shoulder.

He held the silver needle up to his eyes, examining it for a moment before looking at Chu Liangyu. "This is quite something," he asked. "Where did you get it?"

"I don’t have to tell you."

Seeing that Jiang Li intended to keep the silver needle, Chu Liangyu frowned. With a flick of her hand, the needle flew back into her palm.

"Fair enough."

Jiang Li chuckled and nodded, as if in agreement.

The Soul Chasing Needle’s power acted directly upon the soul. Even one needle had a tremendous effect on him.

Now that he was on his guard, it would be useless for Chu Liangyu to try the same move again.

However, Chu Liangyu wasn’t about to give up on a weapon as useful as the Soul Chasing Needle. ’If I want to hit him with it again, I just need to change my method.’

Chu Liangyu’s lips curled into a smirk. She raised a hand, and in the next instant, the trident appeared.

The trident transformed into a Crossbow. As Chu Liangyu placed her hand on it, three black feathered arrows materialized.

She drew the Crossbow taut and released. The feathered arrows shot toward Jiang Li, shrieking through the air.

Chu Liangyu was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, Jiang Li was surrounded by a sky filled with feathered arrows.

At the same time, the Thunder Spirit commanded bolts of Thunder to strike down at Jiang Li relentlessly.

Now, Jiang Li not only had to defend against the Thunder, but also face the sky-blotting barrage of feathered arrows, all while watching out for the silver needles that could appear at any moment.

No matter how vigorous one’s energy, it was impossible to escape unscathed under such a mentally taxing assault.

Chu Liangyu had counted on this. ’I’ll drag this out, exhaust his strength, and then finish him in one blow.’

By now, Jiang Li bore numerous wounds from the Thunder and the feathered arrows piercing his body, yet he remained utterly calm.

Seeing this, Chu Liangyu grew more vigilant.

As Chu Liangyu watched Jiang Li’s every move, a jade-green flute appeared in his left hand.

In the next moment, the longsword shot from his grasp, blocking the arrows for him automatically, without a wielder.

Suddenly, Chu Liangyu’s breath caught in her throat. ’This... this must be his true strength.’

Chu Liangyu’s grip on her trident tightened—not from fear, but from excitement.

With his longsword gone, Jiang Li’s hands were free. He brought both of them to the jade-green flute.

The sound of a flute often evokes a sense of heroic spirit, but as Jiang Li played, it not only amplified this quality to its peak but also infused it with a chilling, murderous aura.

For a moment, Chu Liangyu’s mind went blank. She frowned, and after she recovered, she began to speculate on the purpose of the flute’s song.

’Could it be meant to affect my mind?’

’That’s certainly what it felt like for a second, but if that’s all it is, Jiang Li is seriously underestimating me.’

Having come this far, Chu Liangyu’s mind wasn’t so easily swayed, much less by the mere sound of a flute.

A man as cunning as Jiang Li would surely know that. Therefore, Chu Liangyu suspected that something far more troublesome was about to appear.

Chu Liangyu kept firing her Crossbow, but she subtly began to increase the distance between herself and Jiang Li.

However, just as she retreated to a certain distance, she felt the ground beneath her begin to vibrate.

It felt as if something was about to burst from the earth!

Chu Liangyu’s expression changed. Black wings unfurled from her back, and she shot into the air before whatever it was could emerge.

Moments after Chu Liangyu took to the air, a massive fissure split the ground where she had just been standing.

Something shot out from the pitch-black maw of the fissure.

It was so fast that Chu Liangyu couldn’t get a clear look before the thick stench of blood washed over her.

Without hesitation, Chu Liangyu dodged to the side.

Her reflexes were not slow by any means, but even so, an unknown claw still managed to scratch her left wing.

It was only then that Chu Liangyu finally got a clear look at what had burst from the ground.

It had the body of a tiger, a pair of black feathered wings on its back, and claws as sharp as an eagle’s, which glinted coldly in the sunlight.

Unlike an ordinary tiger, the canine teeth on either side of its upper jaw were so long they appeared to be level with its chin.

There was no telling what the beast had been doing before Jiang Li summoned it. Its tiger-like face was covered in crimson blood, with shreds of flesh still clinging to its mouth.

Its eyes were crimson, and it stared at Chu Liangyu as if she were its prey.

Chu Liangyu stared at the monster with a deep frown, alarm bells ringing incessantly in her mind.

She had never seen this creature before, but the aura it gave off was utterly terrifying.

With a flicker of her thought, the trident in her hand changed form. In the next instant, a long spear, pale blue from end to end, appeared in her grasp.

The fear of the unknown did make Chu Liangyu’s resolve waver, but only for an instant. Then, it vanished completely, as if it had never been there at all.

Chu Liangyu tightened her grip on the spear. Before the monster could make the first move, she shot forward at incredible speed, her spear aimed straight for its vital points.

Chu Liangyu’s thinking was simple. ’If you fear something, you crush it completely, so it can never threaten you again.’

And that was why she attacked first.