"Silver Demon Hand."
Those three words rolled slowly from Doctor Mo's lips, and the deep voice seemed to drift in from somewhere beyond the heavens, carrying an almost supernatural magnetism that made Han Li freeze in his tracks, halting his advance.
The moment the words left his mouth, a towering killing intent erupted from Doctor Mo's body like a sudden tempest, growing fiercer by the second as it radiated outward, filling the entire small room.
Han Li, who had been walking toward him, was hit head-on by the sudden, violent surge of pressure. He was forced to stumble back several steps before he could regain his footing and steady himself.
Han Li's expression changed dramatically. A chill ran through him as he realized his opponent had likely unleashed his true trump card. That last sword strike must have provoked him more than he'd thought.
"Heh heh! Boy, consider yourself blessed across three lifetimes to witness my legendary Silver Demon Hand."
Doctor Mo's thunderous, arrogant voice buzzed in Han Li's ears. Fortunately, it carried no inner force behind it, so the impact was minimal. It seemed Doctor Mo disdained using the same failed method against him again—and that put Han Li slightly at ease.
But having now heard Doctor Mo proudly invoke the name "Silver Demon Hand" twice in a row, Han Li couldn't help but glance at his opponent's hands.
What he saw filled his eyes with shock, and his tightly pressed lips parted slightly.
From the elbows up, Doctor Mo's arms—previously withered and skeletal—had suddenly swelled as if inflated with air, expanding to more than their original thickness. Even more astonishing, the dry, sallow skin had turned a silvery white, reflecting a cold, metallic sheen under the sunlight. They looked unbreakable, as if forged from real silver.
"This is Doctor Mo's true strength?"
At the sight, Han Li's heart sank. The hand gripping the sword hilt was slick with cold sweat without his realizing it, his palm turning clammy. After all, his combat experience was far too limited. The dramatic shift in his opponent's aura alone, combined with the sinister appearance of those hands, was enough to make even breathing feel heavier.
Still, Han Li maintained an outward composure. His calm expression betrayed not the slightest hint of unease, as though he were oblivious to Doctor Mo's triumphant display.
Doctor Mo grew somewhat displeased. Though he had already begun to reassess Han Li, he still felt that unleashing his signature technique against a teenager was like using a butcher's cleaver to kill a chicken. He wanted to see Han Li terrified and helpless—that would justify the effort.
"Do you realize how much I despise that look on your face? A brat who still smells of milk, yet you go around acting like you have everything figured out and under control," Doctor Mo said coldly, making no effort to hide his contempt.
"Oh, really? If I can earn the disgust of Doctor Mo, that's an honor. I'll be sure to cultivate this particular talent of mine even further," Han Li shot back with biting sarcasm, hoping to provoke some opening through words.
But his attempt was clearly unsuccessful. Doctor Mo said nothing more. Instead, he brought both palms together with a loud clang—the sound of metal grinding against metal—that set Han Li's nerves on edge.
Then his figure blurred, and he was already airborne. He swung those massive silver palms, his entire body transforming into a violent gale, bearing down on Han Li with the crushing force of a mountain.
It seemed he had no intention of prolonging this and intended to end it with a single decisive assault.
Han Li's expression turned grave. He focused every ounce of his attention on his opponent's trajectory. At the last possible moment—when Doctor Mo was already above his head—he raised his short sword and thrust it straight at the one spot his enemy couldn't afford to leave unguarded: the throat.
Seeing Han Li so recklessly stand his ground rather than dodge his powerful attack, Doctor Mo was secretly delighted. A savage grin spread across his face as he snarled, "Die!" He then separated one silver hand to barehandedly grab Han Li's short sword, while the other aimed for his shoulder and chopped down.
Yet this palm strike toward Han Li's shoulder, though it looked ferocious, actually carried only a fraction of his true power—nothing like the murderous tone of his words. He seemed almost afraid of dealing too serious a blow. Some unknown scheme lay behind this.
Han Li, of course, had no way of knowing the truth, but even if he had, he would never have used his own flesh and blood to test the hardness of those palms. His wrist flicked lightly, turning the short sword horizontal and whipping it into a silver wheel the size of a cartwheel to shield his upper body.
A mocking smile tugged at Doctor Mo's lips, but both hands continued on without hesitation, plunging directly into the curtain of sword light without any intention of evading.
Clang! A sharp ring echoed as Han Li's short sword struck one of the silver palms, sending sparks flying. Not only did it fail to so much as scratch the skin, but the blade was deflected high into the air.
Doctor Mo seized the opening, flipping his palm and extending a single finger to lightly flick the retreating blade. Han Li felt a searing heat in his grip, and the weapon shot away from his hand with a whoosh, embedding itself deeply into the far wall without a moment's hesitation.
The second silver hand followed close behind, suddenly shifting from a palm into a claw aimed at Han Li's shoulder blade, attempting to seal his mobility and capture him alive.
The situation had turned dire in an instant, and Han Li was in grave danger. Yet he showed no panic. His shoulder gave a subtle shrug, and his entire body became blurry—then, right before Doctor Mo's eyes, he dissolved into a wisp of pale mist and shot straight forward.
Doctor Mo was startled by this ghostly movement technique, but he used his falling momentum to sweep both hands into a thick silver barrier, enveloping the mist completely with no intention of letting Han Li escape.
But this mist was unnervingly strange. It suddenly spread in all directions, then slipped through the silver barrier at an impossibly devious angle, seeping out as if it were liquid. Then it made a sharp turn, darting to the corner of the room on Doctor Mo's left, where it halted and gradually solidified, revealing Han Li's true form.
(End of Chapter)