Chapter 45

Once both sides fully unleashed their speed, the two figures began to move rapidly, and the scene instantly escalated to a fever pitch. Hanbi and Kuangniu had worked together for a long time; how could Hanbi not know the kind of injuries a direct hit from his shield would cause? Although Xu Dong barely managed to deflect the fatal blow, his chest still suffered a severe impact.

In combat, breathing techniques are also crucial, hence the saying "Qi gathers in the dantian." With his chest injured, Xu Dong's lung function inevitably became disordered, leading to labored breathing. Hanbi, targeting Xu Dong's breathing difficulties, played his cards in a completely unconventional manner, taking the initiative from the start and launching an aggressive offensive.

Once an agile Awakened begins to fight, taking the first step gives them the advantage. The one who seizes the initiative has a greater edge, and with Hanbi's rich experience, he was even more at ease after gaining the upper hand, almost overwhelming Xu Dong.

From this, it was clear that Hanbi was a very seasoned fighter.

Although the audience didn't know Xu Dong's state of mind after Hanbi took the lead, the adventurers could clearly feel a surge of anger, "I told you not to hold back and to use your full strength. Didn't you say you knew? You fool!"

The two combatants in the arena attacked each other with incredible speed, their exchanges happening in the blink of an eye. All that could be heard were the continuous clanging sounds. Both fighters had sharp eyes, always focused on their opponent, and their movements were swift.

Hanbi's fighting style became smoother, and he couldn't help but grin, "Kid, your combat experience is quite weak. You're just a bit faster than I expected."

As he spoke, the blade in his hand, thin as a cicada's wing, spun continuously, darting in as it crossed Xu Dong's blade. But with a slight flick of his wrist, a piece of cloth and flesh flew out, revealing a bizarre, frozen wound. After landing the hit, Hanbi quickly retreated, calmly evading Xu Dong's furious counterattack.

Hanbi's steps were delicate and light, and as he retreated, his toes tapped the ground twice, allowing him to re-engage with undiminished speed. If the thrusting blade's steps were straight and swift, Hanbi's were unpredictable and agile. After flipping and re-engaging, Hanbi sneered and, after a brief exchange of blows, suddenly struck with his elbow, then flicked his wrist, positioning the cicada-wing blade where Xu Dong was trying to dodge, making it seem as if Xu Dong was deliberately colliding with the blade.

Another careless move, and Xu Dong was left with another wound. His face turned pale, and he felt a sense of frustration from being constantly outmaneuvered. Hanbi's fighting style was different from the thrusting blade's. The thrusting blade's single attacks were highly damaging, either not attacking or striking like a venomous snake. Hanbi, on the other hand, had less damaging single attacks but excelled at controlling the rhythm of the fight and predicting his opponent's moves, making the fight feel restrictive and frustrating.

Xu Dong was now feeling extremely frustrated, his face alternating between red and blue, so upset he wanted to vomit blood. The more he struggled, the more he felt like he was sinking into quicksand, making his situation even worse. As a result, Hanbi remained unscathed from the start.

"If this continues, I'll be dragged to death!" Xu Dong racked his brain for a strategy. Suddenly, scenes from his battle with Kuangniu flashed through his mind, bringing a surge of inspiration.

Xu Dong's eyes lit up, and he suddenly stomped his feet hard on the ground, splashing mud everywhere, giving the impression of being rooted to the spot.

Seeing this, Hanbi merely sneered, "Putting on a show!" He continued his attack, closing in and using the same technique, the cicada-wing blade spinning and flashing like a cold cicada's wings, emitting a buzzing sound.

Faced with Hanbi's attack, Xu Dong suddenly abandoned his attempts to dodge and block. His left hand, which had been hidden, suddenly shot out, aiming to grab Hanbi's hand holding the blade.

This sudden move caught Hanbi off guard. Hanbi's expression changed, but his reaction was quick. In the next second, he sliced horizontally, ready to sever Xu Dong's fingers if he dared to reach out.

A smirk appeared on Hanbi's face, but the next second, Xu Dong used the hilt of his blade as a weapon, striking Hanbi's forehead with a powerful blow. The three-sided blade was hard and sharp, and the hilt was made of durable wood. This blow, fueled by Xu Dong's frustration, caused a bright splash of blood to bloom on Hanbi's forehead.

In pain, Hanbi sliced horizontally to block Xu Dong's follow-up attack, then quickly retreated three steps. Clutching his forehead, he glared fiercely at Xu Dong. The impact had caused a lump to form, and blood flowed freely, giving him a disheveled and battered appearance.

In fact, Xu Dong had no intention of continuing the fast-paced fight and did not pursue Hanbi. Having finally hit his opponent, Xu Dong seized the opportunity to taunt, "You're so tough, right? But I still hit you on the head. Hanbi, you're nothing special!"

Hanbi sneered, "Don't worry, if I were the type to get angry easily, I would have died long ago. But you've surprised me, knowing how to apply what you've learned on the spot."

Xu Dong said nothing, just hooking his finger in a provocative gesture.

Provoked by this young man, Hanbi couldn't deny that he felt a surge of anger.

Hanbi lunged again. Xu Dong's mindset was now one of trading injuries. With his talent for devouring, he could quickly recover from any non-fatal injuries, so he wasn't afraid of trading blows. On the other hand, Hanbi's attacks, while flashy, were not highly damaging. Xu Dong, wielding the three-sided blade, could inflict bleeding wounds with each strike, and if he got lucky, he could even create a deep puncture wound, which he saw as a profitable exchange.

In a short time, both sides suffered injuries.

This process lasted for forty-three seconds. Finally, before launching another attack, Hanbi said coldly, "Have you been counting how many wounds I've inflicted on you since the start?"

Before Xu Dong could think, Hanbi was already charging at him fiercely. Hanbi, who had been holding the blade in a reverse grip, now switched to a forward grip. The advantage of a reverse grip is that it is more concealed and better for slicing and cutting. By switching to a forward grip, Hanbi was no longer hiding and no longer relying on slicing and cutting.

The significance of the forward grip was clear: he was going to end the fight!

A sense of foreboding swept over Xu Dong. He had thought about Hanbi's ability before, but after being hit by Hanbi, the cold sensation had remained dormant, almost lifeless. The intense fighting had sometimes made him forget about the cold sensation. Now, with Hanbi's reminder, he suddenly became aware of it.

As Hanbi charged straight at him, Xu Dong instinctively raised his hand to attack, planning to continue trading injuries. But at this critical moment, the cold sensation in his arm wounds suddenly became active. The four wounds on his arm quickly gathered the cold sensation, which then exploded.

The cold sensation erupted, and Xu Dong felt as if his arm had been frozen in a sub-zero freezer for hours and then taken out. It was like a dead body, with stiff joints that couldn't move.

Hanbi's ability had finally been fully triggered at this crucial moment.

A victorious smile appeared on Hanbi's lips, and a cruel glint flashed in his eyes. The cold sensation had invaded Xu Dong's right hand, causing his movements to slow. To an ordinary person, this delay might not seem significant, but to Hanbi, it meant Xu Dong couldn't block his attack.

The thin cicada-wing blade stabbed straight out, and the sharp tip easily pierced Xu Dong's wrist, slicing through the flesh and exposing the white bone beneath.

Blood spurted out, and Xu Dong let out a scream of pain, swinging his left hand to strike.

However, the cold sensation in his left hand also erupted, and in an instant, Xu Dong lost all sensation in his left hand. His punch hit Hanbi's shoulder with the force of swatting a fly, causing no damage.

At that moment, Xu Dong's knees trembled, and he thrust his right knee upward.

Although Hanbi quickly retreated, he was still hit in the abdomen.

Thanks to the Blood Armor, his right leg was stronger, and the knee strike lifted Hanbi off the ground by about ten to twenty centimeters. His face turned a deep red, and he bent over like a shrimp when he landed.

Hanbi roared, "Damn it!"

As he spoke, another wave of cold sensation erupted from Xu Dong's body.

This time, it gathered in his abdomen and left foot, paralyzing him. The pain in his abdomen was the most intense, feeling as if a cold blade had been thrust in and twisted.

Hanbi had been planning this from the start. For him, success or failure hinged on these few seconds.

Biting his teeth and enduring the pain, he finally revealed his true nature, charging at Xu Dong and stabbing the cicada-wing blade into his abdomen.

"Ah!"

Xu Dong screamed in pain, gasping for breath.

But his eyes burned with madness and anger, and he suddenly headbutted Hanbi's nose.

The forehead is one of the hardest parts of the human body, much harder than the nasal bone.

Under Xu Dong's hate-filled blow, Hanbi's nasal bone snapped with a crack, and two streams of blood gushed out like open faucets.

Young Master Yang's playful expression vanished, replaced by shock and amazement. He muttered, "If it were me, being stabbed in the abdomen, my first instinct would be to retreat. Is this guy not feeling the pain?"

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