Chapter 70

How did this assassin know that Ning Yue was originally an unparalleled grandmaster? And how did he know that at least half of the battle was against Ning Yue?

Although Ning Yue only provided strategic and tactical guidance to Bailuolu and did not specifically instruct on combat techniques, it was due to his far-sighted vision that it was surprising he did not feel frustrated.

Since the start of the battle, Ning Yue had taken advantage of the assassin's overconfidence and seized the long sword, giving Bailuolu a weapon. Using the fast sword technique "Chasing Lightning," he forced the assassin to be unable to fully display his strengths, utilizing every opportunity to the utmost and applying martial wisdom to its peak, thus temporarily suppressing him.

If the assassin had fought steadily, relying on his cultivated giant bell combat spirit and his significantly higher cultivation, he could have gradually turned the tide.

Bailuolu had only recently condensed her virtual phase, and she had truly started practicing martial arts for just over a month. Her real combat strength was far inferior to his.

But in his eagerness to win, the assassin used two martial arts techniques simultaneously, giving Bailuolu the opportunity to use the most powerful technique of "Chasing Lightning," the "Nine Thunder Strikes," to repeatedly force him into hard battles during his power transitions, eventually severely injuring him.

The "Nine Thunder Strikes" involves nine strikes with a single sword, as fast as lightning and as fierce as thunder.

However, Bailuolu could not perform all nine strikes; three was her limit.

The powerful enemy was frustrated, but Bailuolu did not relax at all. She knew that the assassin's martial arts far surpassed hers, but he had made a very foolish mistake at the beginning by letting go of his sword, which gave her a chance to counterattack.

This one mistake prevented him from turning the tide.

"This person's martial arts far surpass mine. If he were willing to get injured and fight to the death, the outcome would still be uncertain. Now, I must strike while the iron is hot and not give him a chance to catch his breath."

Bailuolu leaped up, and her long sword spun seven times in the air, reaching the peak of sword intent and momentum. This technique is called "Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel." Using the sword's own inertia, each spin increased its speed slightly. By the eighteenth spin, the sword's force was immense, and with the momentum of a downward strike, it could split a large tree from the crown to the roots.

However, this move had a significant flaw; it was difficult to change in mid-air. If the enemy still had the strength to dodge, such a powerful move would likely miss.

If it were only Bailuolu, she would never dare to use such a move with no retreat. But before she acted, Ning Yue had already calculated the enemy's every move, knowing that this assassin would not be able to avoid this move. He secretly transmitted a mental command, urging Bailuolu to attack decisively.

Previously, Bailuolu used the "Nine Thunder Strikes" multiple times, striking the opponent during his power transitions. After being hit dozens of times, the assassin finally realized his mistake and fully activated his giant bell combat spirit, no longer attempting to switch to another power.

This approach was correct. If he could withstand ten more strikes, he could recover his true qi and regain about 70-80% of his strength. At that point, it would be difficult for Bailuolu to gain the upper hand.

In such a life-and-death struggle, it's not just about who has the higher martial arts or stronger techniques, but also about who has superior martial wisdom and the ability to adapt quickly. His choice fell right into Ning Yue's calculations, allowing Bailuolu to switch from "Chasing Lightning" to "Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel." This move, descending from the sky, left the assassin with no choice but to resist.

With a loud clang, Bailuolu was thrown back by the giant bell combat spirit's counterattack. She tumbled several times in the air and landed on the ground, her legs and hands still numb, her face showing lingering fear.

The assassin's face showed a look of disbelief, as if he still found it hard to accept what had happened.

His giant bell combat spirit outside his body disintegrated, and a thin line of blood slowly appeared on his forehead. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only managed to utter three words—How—Can—This—Be—.

Bailuolu focused on the Great Pagoda Technique. She could barely stand, but fortunately, the Great Pagoda Technique is the first protective skill of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism. Although her body was shaken, the soul force circulation gradually calmed her blood and qi.

As the elemental energy of heaven and earth entered her body, Bailuolu suddenly felt a connection with the moon in the sky, entering a state of profound meditation.

Boom!

Bailuolu experienced her first breakthrough beyond the innate stage, her Heavenly Gate opening, and she entered a state of unity with heaven and earth, sensing the wonders of the growth and change of all things.

Her soul force suddenly condensed, gathering in one place, and then exploded outward. The few life souls she had been struggling to cultivate suddenly formed and gradually opened, connecting with each other, making her soul force circulation ten times smoother.

As Bailuolu's soul force circulated, the Great Pagoda Technique, which had been on the verge of a breakthrough, finally broke through the barrier. Her soul force penetrated her bone marrow, successfully advancing to the fourth level of the Great Pagoda Technique, the "Bone Marrow Washing" stage, allowing her to practice the fifth level, the "Sea Swallowing" stage.

With the critical breakthrough in her martial arts, Bailuolu leaped up and saw a sword light that seemed to come from a celestial being.

If it were earlier, even at her peak, she would have had no chance to dodge this sword.

But now, Bailuolu smiled slightly, drawing a square with her left hand and a circle with her right. Two different soul forces generated opposing and hard-to-grasp forces. These forces, reaching their peak, struck the sword light. Each force produced different changes and attracted each other, following the sword light and penetrating deep into the enemy's heart meridian.

The sword-wielding assassin, having escaped Li Hangu, intended to kill Bailuolu to avenge his companion.

He had observed the battle between Bailuolu and his companion and believed he knew Bailuolu well. He was certain that this little girl could not dodge his sword.

But he never expected that Bailuolu would make a critical breakthrough at such a crucial moment, understanding the mysteries of soul force and using it like internal energy.

Ning Yue, being the most top-tier martial arts grandmaster, was unparalleled in his manipulation of true qi, even surpassing the Wolf God Guo Kan.

The martial realm of the Wolf God Guo Kan was about slaying all things in heaven and earth, slaying the self, and slaying the ego, a ruthless and domineering path. True qi emphasized purity and refinement, and he did not care about changes or techniques. No matter how many changes you made, his single strike would break them all.

The martial arts of the Nine Heavens Realm followed an external-to-internal path. In terms of manipulating true qi and its myriad changes, no one could compare to Ning Yue. Even Emperor Yan Chongguang of the Great Xia Dynasty, who had cultivated the Qilin combat spirit and whose martial arts far surpassed Ning Yue's, might not match Ning Yue in controlling true qi, due to the differences in their martial arts systems.

The "Ten Directions Annihilation Technique" that Ning Yue personally taught Bailuolu, with its "Heavenly Circle and Earthly Square" move, easily inflicted a severe injury on the assassin.

The assassin spat out a mouthful of blood, retracted his sword, and suddenly sprouted a pair of light wings, soaring into the air and rising three zhang.

Realizing the situation was hopeless, the assassin changed his movement and fled into the dense forest, about to escape.

But at this moment, Ning Yue, who had been watching from the sidelines, quietly made his move!