Chapter 56

"Gu Gao!" Guo Deyun shouted the name that filled him with intense hatred, his eyes bloodshot as he glared up at the Hu family successor. This was no longer the anger of a killer or the killed, but the mockery of a sneak attacker, which only deepened Guo Deyun's resentment.

"What? What does Young Master Guo Deyun want to say?" Gu Gao flicked off the blood droplets from the Shadowless Sword and raised an eyebrow at Guo Deyun. "This sword is really great. Shadowless, shadowless, it comes and goes without a trace, and before you can even see it, it has already tasted blood. Thanks!"

"Good! Very good!" Guo Deyun focused his gaze on Gu Gao's face, avoiding the sight of the lost sword and the blood droplets it had flung. "Today, I will use your blood to refine the Flame Lance. It will burn you to ashes, you Hu family scum!"

"Very good, I was thinking the same thing." Gu Gao provocatively twirled the sword and said, "Little Five, you don't need to act. I'll deal with him alone!"

On the surface, it was not a wise decision for Gu Gao to provoke his opponent, who was more powerful. Unlike his brother Guo Desheng, Gu Gao, as the elder brother, had more combat experience and had been through life-and-death battles. The current anger only made him more focused and more eager to eliminate Gu Gao.

Gu Gao had no choice but to do this; he was worried that Guo Deyun might run away. Although Gu Gao was relatively weaker, he was in a favorable position, especially with a five-clawed golden dragon capable of instantly killing a Seventh Rank Condensation Shadow Realm warrior nearby.

"Oh, let him live a bit longer." A disappointed voice came from behind Guo Deyun, belonging to Little Five.

Only then did Guo Deyun realize that the golden figure that had attacked the two Seventh Rank Condensation Shadow Realm warriors had silently approached his back.

Guo Deyun broke out in a cold sweat as he watched the slender, golden figure glide past him and head toward Gu Gao. His heart raced. "You... you can speak? Are you a Fourth Rank beast?"

"I am a divine beast! Even though I'm in the juvenile stage, I can still easily kill you!" Little Five turned and raised a claw, speaking in a high-pitched, slow voice, his face showing disdain and his eyes filled with disappointment.

"Divine beast?" Guo Deyun swallowed hard, his heart pounding. "Impossible! How could Ningcheng have a divine beast? Gu Gao, don't try to scare me with such a despicable trick!"

"Brother Deyun, don't be afraid. Your opponent is only Gu Gao."

Gu Gao's ill-timed words of comfort instantly distorted Guo Deyun's expression. He swung the dark red spear tip straight at Gu Gao, his inner yuan force flowing, and roared, "You're asking for death!"

"No, I'm just sharpening my blade. It's a bit painful, but the blade becomes sharper!" Gu Gao continued to provoke Guo Deyun with his words, his hand moving to press the sword tip toward Guo Deyun.

"Kill!"

Both of them roared simultaneously. Their weapons, sharp and swift, cut through the air.

The Shadowless Sword, shorter and more dangerous, split into several sword lights, each at a different angle, using the technique of Seven Stars Sword. Like seven hummingbirds, they were slender and agile, responding to each other, fast and silent, descending the mountain swiftly.

The Flame Lance, longer and stronger, transformed into a dragon's head, a blood-red mouth, and a yellow dragon's body. The yellow dragon charged forward, breaking through the air with a forceful momentum.

One was domineering, the other was clever. Their auras were evenly matched, but the hummingbirds were faster. One of the hummingbirds collided with the dragon's head, emitting a clear ringing sound, and was immediately swallowed by the blood-red mouth, which then closed slightly.

Then, the second, third, and subsequent hummingbirds collided one after another. When all seven were gone, a brilliant red light burst forth, and the Shadowless Sword, which had been controlling the seven hummingbirds, emerged silently.

The Flame Lance, freed from the dragon's body, remained domineering. The dark red spear tip was still fierce, and the red tassel was proud, as if it were devouring the red light or exploring the silent bird-controlling weapon.

The Flame Lance, heated by the yellow yuan force, emitted a scorching heat, as if it were burning or undergoing a rebirth, transforming from a dead yellow dragon into a more domineering fire dragon.

But the Flame Lance did not succeed. The Condensation Shadow Realm only condensed the self, and even at the Seventh Rank, Guo Deyun did not have the ability to transform weapons, let alone make them reborn and regain power.

Lacking the necessary conditions, the Flame Lance, like a blade that had shed its unnecessary thoughts, remained a straight spear, colliding with the Shadowless Sword without any fancy moves, sending it back up the mountain.

Gu Gao steadied his sword, inwardly acknowledging the skill...

Although he had the ability to quickly adapt to techniques, which was beyond the norm, he was still far from being able to use them effortlessly. Moreover, his expertise was not in swords or other weapons. From the Battle Academy to now, he had always focused on his own cultivation, the integration of yuan force and physical strength, and the perfection of his combat skills.

A person who had only ever handled a kitchen knife, no matter how smart, was not a legendary genius. The ability brought by the blue jade pendant was just an accelerator, all of which had been applied to physical cultivation. Being able to split the sword into several lights was already a significant achievement...

So, when Gu Gao was pushed back by the opponent's move, he did not feel discouraged. The opponent was a seasoned spear user, and Guo Deyun was a step above him in terms of the integration of body and yuan force, with faster speed and greater strength.

Come on, this is the real sharpening!

Without using the [Nine Swords of Dugu], Gu Gao used the technique of integrating body and force, quickly twisting his body and thrusting the sword at the Flame Lance...

Since the sword lights could not stop the spear, he decided to use the sword to cut and hurt the opponent...

Guo Deyun, who had been on guard against the golden dragon, was now reassured that Gu Gao was indeed fighting him alone. His aura became even more intense.

"Ha ha, let me show you the difference between a Sixth Rank and a Seventh Rank Condensation Shadow Realm!"

Guo Deyun's yellow yuan force flowed like a tide, gathering in the sweeping movements of the Flame Lance, bombarding Gu Gao.

Although Gu Gao had just disabled Gu Hai, a fellow Seventh Rank, he was no longer worried. Upon reflection, Gu Gao's success was due to a sneak attack. Although Gu Gao had the ability to fight a Seventh Rank, there was still a significant gap, which Guo Deyun had confirmed.

Therefore, Guo Deyun's attacks were now even more ruthless and merciless, using the high-level yuan technique [Raging Sea Divine Technique] to the fullest, with the spear movements rolling like waves.

Guo Deyun's spear movements became even more intense, and Gu Gao's sword strikes became faster. He moved like a spinning top, slashing out one sword after another.

Determined to use Guo Deyun to hone his skills, Gu Gao unleashed all the techniques he had learned at the Battle Academy with the Shadowless Sword, regardless of whether they looked right or were effective, throwing them all at Guo Deyun. With his faster movements, Guo Deyun found it difficult to hurt him.

None of the techniques could harm Guo Deyun, but Gu Gao was still very satisfied. In such a life-and-death battle, the opportunity to use all the techniques was rare. After going through them, Gu Gao's understanding of the various techniques deepened, which was exactly what he wanted, as he was still exploring how to create techniques suitable for himself.

At first, Guo Deyun was startled by Gu Gao's use of various techniques, but upon closer inspection, he realized that Gu Gao's techniques were all mismatched, having the form but not the essence, unable to break through his spear waves. He inwardly laughed at Gu Gao's greed for more, and his Flame Lance moved even more confidently.

From such an opponent who could not harm him, experiencing various techniques and improving his [Raging Sea Divine Technique] was an opportunity that Guo Deyun did not often have.

Guo Deyun's techniques were not just superficially fierce and domineering but also contained hidden threats, which Gu Gao had noticed early on. However, by using different techniques, Gu Gao kept Guo Deyun off balance, preventing him from fully unleashing his attacks, which frustrated Guo Deyun.

At the same time, Gu Gao also noticed the flaws and weaknesses in Guo Deyun's techniques but did not deliver a killing blow, only engaging in a battle with the spear.

After all, killing Guo Deyun would provoke the anger of the Gu family, which would bring no benefit and only cause trouble.

After several rounds of intense fighting, Gu Gao's blood was boiling, and his hands were aching from the impact of Guo Deyun's domineering spear techniques.

Gu Gao sighed inwardly, knowing that continuing the fight would not be to his advantage. However, letting Guo Deyun off so easily seemed too lenient.

Since he could not use a killing move, Gu Gao decided to end the fight. He stepped out of the spear formation and threw the Shadowless Sword to the ground.

Huh?

Guo Deyun frowned at the sight, inwardly sneering, thinking that Gu Gao had run out of moves.

"What? Are you giving up?"

Guo Deyun raised his spear and approached, trying to pressure Gu Gao into surrendering and also to threaten the golden dragon, in case it suddenly attacked.

"Go to hell!" Gu Gao spat back, clenching his fists.

"Hmph!" Guo Deyun thought Gu Gao was being stubborn, glancing at the floating five-clawed golden dragon and shaking the spear tip.

Little Five scratched his nose with a claw but did not respond.

"Just sharpening my blade. Now it's time to kill the chicken!" Gu Gao, feeling the numbness in his arms subside, clenched his fists and charged at Guo Deyun.

Seeing Gu Gao charge with bare hands, Guo Deyun thought the guy had gone mad.