Chapter 196: Lust vs. Yan Moxie

'Damn it! When did he get behind me?'

Yan Moxie, normally supremely confident in his speed, felt his composure slipping. He had left the Law Enforcement Bureau first and chosen their destination, yet Lust had somehow gotten ahead of him?

But he had no time to dwell on it. He spread his hands, and the surrounding shadows instantly surged in utter silence. They morphed into thousands of black threads converging in his palms, madly weaving together like a ball of yarn.

Just as he prepared to hurl the Shadow Magic Orb, an even more bizarre sight unfolded. Lust, who had been charging at him from a hundred meters away, vanished as if teleporting.

Before he could even spot how his opponent had disappeared, a bone-piercing chill struck from behind. The hairs on his back stood on end!

Without a second thought, he hurled the Shadow Magic Orb over his shoulder.

The orb instantly unfurled into a curtain of shadow.

Swish!

A flash of sword light swept past as Lust tore open the shadowy curtain and violently burst out from within.

He launched another strike at Yan Moxie. Lust had fully seized the initiative this time, forcing Yan Moxie into a hasty, passive defense.

Standing off to the side, Su Mu wore a faint smile. Yan Moxie was no pushover, and since he couldn't guarantee Taoist Priest Xuanqing a certain victory, he naturally had to step in and offer a little help.

With his current strength, he couldn't injure a Gold powerhouse, but he could certainly provide a distraction.

The Lust who had charged over with a sword from a hundred meters away was merely an illusion forged by Myriad Phenomena and the Endless Demonic Sound. He had kept his distance solely to prevent Yan Moxie from spotting the flaws.

While Yan Moxie's attention was drawn, the newly arrived Taoist Priest Xuanqing seized the opening to attack, firmly seizing the initiative.

Yan Moxie truly lived up to his title as a vice-commander of the Revolutionary Army. Following a brief moment of panic, his power erupted. He sank into the darkness in the blink of an eye, putting distance between himself and the Taoist priest as if teleporting.

Reaching out, his powerful fingers clamped down on the shadows. The darkness felt almost tangible as he caught it in his grip. It surged like ocean waves, and with an immensely forceful swing of his arm, he unleashed hundreds of Shadow Magic Orbs that shot forth like miniature black holes.

Densely packed together, they blotted out the sky and completely sealed off every avenue of escape around Taoist Priest Xuanqing.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing's expression shifted. He leveled his longsword upright before him and formed a hand seal with his free hand.

"Longevity Dao Art: Ten Thousand Swords!"

Hum!

A crisp sword chime rang across the wasteland. The blade in his hand split into two, then four... In an instant, it transformed into an ocean of swords, rising to meet the oncoming swarm of orbs.

A relentless barrage of collisions deafened the air. The Shadow Magic Orbs carried terrifyingly concentrated energy, obliterating every longsword they touched inch by inch. Fortunately, the sheer volume of blades outnumbered the orbs, keeping the priest from immediate defeat.

Yan Moxie caught the opening and pressed a hand downward. "Dark Surge!"

The darkness spanning several miles seemed to be dragged in by an invisible force, converging madly beneath Taoist Priest Xuanqing's feet as terrifying energy brewed.

Boom!

Shadow energy erupted like a volcano. The frenzied torrent of darkness engulfed the priest, carrying an aura capable of destroying everything in its path.

'My Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, are the youngsters nowadays all this fierce?!'

Taoist Priest Xuanqing cried out in his mind, though his hands didn't slow for a second.

"Longevity Dao Art: Wither and Flourish of All Things!"

A burst of cyan light erupted beneath his feet, rapidly unfurling into a massive cyan array that stubbornly blocked the Dark Surge.

Upon touching the cyan array, the frenzied Dark Surge seemed to lose its strength, gradually weakening as if exhausted.

Yan Moxie's heart lurched. What kind of Law was this?! Did it involve time?

As the caster, he could clearly feel his shadow power deteriorating. Just like a flower blooming, withering, and dying, the power within it decayed relentlessly.

Simultaneously, the cyan array thrived—akin to a seed taking root, sprouting, growing, and blossoming!

'Damn it! If Lust alone is this troublesome, to what terrifying heights has their Leader, Pride, reached?'

He suddenly understood why Lust had been so dismissive when he had challenged Pride earlier. Given the current circumstances, he truly lacked the qualifications to fight Pride.

Still, as a Gold powerhouse, he wasn't going to give up the fight just because his enemy's methods were bizarre. Taking a deep breath, his expression turned solemn as his aura skyrocketed.

Drawn in by this invisible aura, the surrounding darkness trembled like ripples on water. Strands of shadow constantly gathered upon Yan Moxie, wrapping around him like countless strips of black silk.

As the darkness accumulated, his figure was practically swallowed by it. His appearance completely transformed as he donned a thick layer of Shadow Armor. Long, razor-sharp spikes jutted from the armor's joints, palms, and soles, while two thick shadow horns crowned his helmet.

He looked like a demon king stepping straight out of the shadows!

The shadows continued pouring in, and his stature swelled inch by inch—two meters, three meters...

'My Celestial Sovereign of Longevity! Lord Divine Envoy, this kid is putting his life on the line against this poor Daoist! Do you have any lifespan left? Hurry up and give me some more, otherwise I won't be able to hold him down!' Taoist Priest Xuanqing screamed inwardly.

Su Mu naturally wouldn't let the pair fight to the death. If both sides suffered heavy losses here, the rest of his plans would be ruined.

"He hasn't fully absorbed the shadow energy yet. Attack him now, and I will back you up."

Receiving his instructions, Taoist Priest Xuanqing didn't hesitate for another second. Frantically burning his lifespan, he unleashed a radiant sword light that shredded the Shadow Magic Orbs blocking his path and lunged at Yan Moxie like a phantom.

He had to shatter that Shadow Armor before his opponent finished transforming, or he was in deep trouble.

A gleam of cyan flared from the sword's tip, bursting with the blinding brilliance of the rising sun and instantly scattering the encroaching shadows.

Yan Moxie manipulated the ambient shadow energy, commanding the dark silk suspended in the air to thrash out madly, immediately stalling the priest's advance.

Seeing that the enemy's transformation was on the verge of completion, Su Mu activated his Endless Demonic Sound at the most critical moment!

Appearing right beside Yan Moxie, he directed the Endless Demonic Sound straight into the man's ear, perfectly mimicking the Sea God's Whispers!

Hum!!

Evil, depraved, and ominous—an indescribably horrific whisper detonated right against Yan Moxie's eardrum!

Backed by the Sea God Divinity, the whispers Su Mu simulated were virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

Caught completely off guard, Yan Moxie took the Sea God's Whispers point-blank. His mind dissolved into chaos in an instant, and the thousands of shadow energy bands he controlled immediately fell apart. Even the shadow energy clinging to his armor stalled for a brief second.

He regained his clarity just a split-second later, but in a clash between masters, a millimeter's mistake meant a mile's miss. That fleeting moment of distraction became the deciding factor in victory or defeat.

Old Taoist Xuanqing seized his chance. His glowing cyan sword slashed through the air, piercing straight through a gap in the thick Shadow Armor the exact moment the shadow energy stopped flowing.

Squelch!

It was the sound of a blade burying itself in flesh.