When Jue Tian saw the azure-blue flame in Shi Feng's hand, he was struck with alarm. The flame appeared tiny, yet the temperature it radiated was scorching, instantly making his mouth go dry and his throat parched.
However, the arrow was already nocked—he had no choice but to let it fly.
In an instant, the Ice Blue Demonic Flame engulfed Shi Feng's entire body, transforming him into a man of fire.
The cold blade plunged into Shi Feng's back.
"You… can move." Jue Tian was horrified.
For top-tier experts, the judgment of timing was extremely precise, with a margin of error no greater than one second.
Jue Tian was certain that the six seconds of Death Lock hadn't elapsed, yet Shi Feng had already used Sword Control Return to Heaven to deflect his finishing move, Eviscerate.
"You were having a pretty good time earlier, weren't you?" Shi Feng smiled faintly, his voice cold. "Now it's my turn."
As he spoke, the Abyssal in his hand blazed with azure-blue flame, and a single slash transformed into a streak of fire that cleaved toward Jue Tian.
"You have less than 500 HP, and you think you can take me?" Jue Tian sneered, launching a counterattack of his own.
The moment their weapons collided, a flash of shock crossed Jue Tian's icy expression.
It was as if he weren't clashing with Shi Feng but with a massive bear—the sheer force numbed his entire arm, sending him stumbling back several steps before he managed to steady himself.
"How does he have such strength?" The last time Jue Tian had fought Shi Feng, the man hadn't possessed this kind of terrifying power. Now, Jue Tian had replaced much of his equipment and his stats had jumped significantly, yet somehow the gap had only grown wider.
A failed ambush, and a frontal kill was now impossible. He could only wait for the next opportunity.
Having forced Jue Tian back, Shi Feng pulled out a Minor Healing Potion and chugged it. His HP surged back to over 700.
"Jue Tian, seems like you're not all that impressive after all. Two ambushes and you still couldn't finish me. Now it's my turn. Don't even think about running today." Shi Feng glanced at Jue Tian, who was brimming with killing intent, and smiled coolly.
He had to admit that Jue Tian's assassination skills were formidable—stalking him all the way here in silence, waiting for that exact moment of relaxation when he was fighting the Iron-skin Hippopotamus to strike. It had nearly worked.
Unfortunately for Jue Tian, he didn't know that Shi Feng's constitution had been strengthened by the Ice Blue Demonic Flame, which had also slightly shortened the duration of Death Lock. Otherwise, he really would have been done for.
Now that he was back to normal and using the Ice Blue Demonic Flame to supplement his attacks, a 20% boost to attack power was no joke.
"Laughable. You only survived this time by sheer luck. Next time, I'll definitely finish you. As for keeping me here—you couldn't do it last time, and you won't do it this time either." Jue Tian felt that Shi Feng was being absurdly arrogant, actually claiming he could kill him. Rage burned in his heart as he resolved to craft a more thorough plan next time, one that would leave Shi Feng completely helpless.
"Hei Zi, let me handle this." By now, Hei Zi had recovered his vision and glared furiously at Jue Tian, ready to unleash Evil Thrash.
Shi Feng waved his hand, smiling. "No need. Dealing with him is something I can handle alone."
"But Brother Feng, he's an assassin—he's bound to have plenty of escape skills. He's fast too. What if he gets away and comes back to ambush us again?" Hei Zi had seen assassin escape skills before. Without a counter, there was absolutely nothing you could do about them.
"Don't worry. He won't get away."
"Fine then."
Since Shi Feng was set on it, Hei Zi had no choice but to back down.
Against an expert like Jue Tian, killing him wasn't easy. You had to strike at his mind first—provoke him, throw him off balance—then look for an opening. That was why Shi Feng had deliberately said what he did.
"You've got quite the mouth on you, kid. Let's see how you handle me." Jue Tian laughed through his rage, eyes blazing with fury.