"Who would have thought Bai Ningbing would be so fierce? She can actually fight Lord Yantu to a standstill."
"She's using her Second Transformation Ice Cone Gu to contend with Yantu, and she's not losing ground at all."
"Deploying Gu Insects while on the move — this is basic combat for any Gu Master. But Bai Ningbing executes it perfectly."
"There's no doubt about it, Bai Ningbing is a genius, and her fundamentals are rock solid. No wonder she's always been undefeated."
Among the crowd, Fang Yuan watched with a calm expression.
Wei Yang and Shang Xinci had also come, standing beside him at the moment.
All three were disguised, blending into the crowd.
"Bai Ningbing is fighting very aggressively. Even though she's using Ice Cone Gu, the more she fires, the more True Essence she'll burn through." A hint of worry surfaced on Wei Yang's face.
"There is a gap in True Essence between the Third and Fourth Transformations, after all. But Yantu is also using his Pill Fire Gu, so his True Essence is draining just as steadily. Even though Yantu is at the Fourth Transformation, he only has Grade B Aptitude. Bai Ningbing is trying to leverage her Grade A Aptitude's superior True Essence recovery to match Yantu's Fourth Transformation cultivation." Fang Yuan saw through Bai Ningbing's strategy in a single sentence.
"If that's the case, then for Bai Ningbing, today's battle is going to be incredibly grueling," Shang Xinci remarked.
Now she too was a Gu Master. Under Shang Yanfei's careful guidance, her perspective had broadened, and she could see a great deal.
While the three were talking, the situation on the field suddenly shifted.
"Little girl, you're dancing quite merrily." Yantu tugged at the corner of his mouth into a half-smile. He suddenly extended his right hand and, from dozens of paces away, clawed toward Bai Ningbing.
His right hand formed a claw shape, and the Gu Insect mark in his palm flashed.
Whoosh!
Flames roared forth, instantly forming a giant fire claw that flew toward Bai Ningbing from a distance.
The claw had only three fingers, like an eagle's talon, and was entirely orange-red. The flames burned fiercely, and the moment it swooped in, Bai Ningbing felt searing, intense heat.
This was a Third Transformation Fire Claw Gu!
Bai Ningbing hastily activated her movement Gu. Her speed surged as she pulled away.
She had prepared in advance, having researched Yantu's capabilities. She knew that the Fire Claw's attack range was not as wide as the Pill Fire — it could only operate within a radius of several zhang centered on Yantu.
But Yantu let out a cackling laugh and likewise activated his movement Gu, closing in on Bai Ningbing like a shadow.
His movement Gu was a Fourth Transformation Gu, far superior to Bai Ningbing's. As a result, instead of widening the gap, she was actually being chased down by Yantu.
The fire claw struck down repeatedly in midair, snatching and tearing.
Bai Ningbing struggled to dodge. Under Yantu's skilled control, the fire claw was both agile and steady.
Bai Ningbing's situation grew increasingly desperate. She rolled across the grass again and again.
Boom.
The fire claw grazed past Bai Ningbing and slammed into the ground, instantly igniting a patch of grass. Flames roared to life, forming a fire front that spread outward.
With a thought from Yantu, the fire claw rose once more from the flames, though it appeared slightly diminished compared to when it was first deployed.
But as the True Essence sea level in Yantu's Empty Orifice dipped slightly, the fire claw regained its full vigor in the blink of an eye. The weariness vanished without a trace.
Frost Arrow Gu!
Bai Ningbing steadied herself and extended her little finger. The Frost Arrow Gu was hosted upon it, forming a blue pattern.
A burst of icy blue frost erupted forth.
In the blink of an eye, the frost coalesced into a flying arrow in midair.
The arrow struck the fire claw dead on, forcefully suppressing its raging flames.
The Frost Arrow Gu was also a Third Transformation Gu, which Bai Ningbing had obtained at the auction house. The moment she deployed it, it proved its worth.
Seeing the fire claw about to be extinguished, Yantu furrowed his brows slightly, churning his True Essence without regard for the cost. The fire claw showed signs of recovering once more.
But Bai Ningbing would not allow him to succeed.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh — a volley of Ice Cone Gu fired out.
At the same time, she secretly activated her Ice Detonation Gu.
Bang bang bang — the ice cones pierced into the fire claw and detonated one after another. The powerful explosions shattered the fire claw completely.
The Fire Claw Gu flew back to Yantu. Unwilling to lose it, he quickly strode forward and caught it with his hand. The Fire Claw Gu transformed back into a mark.
Bai Ningbing pressed her advantage, condensing two slender ice blades, one in each hand, and slashed toward Yantu.
Before the blades even reached him, Yantu felt a piercing killing intent, like an icy wind blasting his face.
"Good blades!" Yantu let out an odd laugh, then suddenly snorted, spurting two fire serpents from his nostrils.
The fire serpents were initially only the size of a necklace, but they rapidly swelled upon meeting the wind.
In the blink of an eye, they became two massive pythons, several zhang long and as thick as barrels.
One fire serpent reared its head and coiled before Bai Ningbing, forming a snake array to block her dual blades. The other fire serpent circled around from the side, slithering through a winding path before launching an attack from behind Bai Ningbing.
"It's come out — Lord Yantu's Twin Serpent Attack!"
"Sigh, that's exactly the move I fell to."
"Yantu's control of the twin serpents is truly exquisite — it leaves you defending one side only to lose the other. Terrifying."
The twin fire serpents stirred a wave of commotion through the crowd.
Bai Ningbing's expression turned grave, her blue eyes sharpening with a battle intent as cold and solid as ice. The twin fire serpents brought her immense pressure, but this only fueled her fighting spirit.
For a time, Bai Ningbing clashed with the two fire serpents using her dual blades, while Yantu stood outside the arena, controlling them with focused intent.
Yantu possessed the ability to split his attention three ways. Though he was only操纵ing these two fire serpents now, the intricacy of his moves and the coordination they required actually demanded even greater mental exertion from Yantu.
The Fire Serpent Gu was a Fourth Transformation Gu. Under the pincer attack of two Fourth Transformation Gu, Bai Ningbing was gradually being pushed onto the back foot.