Wang Tuo had learned from Li Yuan's mistake and adopted a primarily defensive strategy.
Wu Chen had declared that surviving ten of his moves counted as a win. Though Wang Tuo found this Wu Chen insufferably arrogant, Li Yuan's recent example had taught him caution. He planned to simply hold out for ten moves first.
Seeing Wang Tuo's defensive posture, a trace of contempt flickered in Wu Chen's eyes. He reached to his waist, and a long whip suddenly appeared in his hand.
The whip was a full two or three zhang long. With a light flick of Wu Chen's wrist, it emitted a deep humming sound, as though he were brandishing a green flood dragon. Under the surge of his spiritual energy, it seemed to come alive, radiating fierce, vital power.
"Hiding behind your guard is going to get you through ten moves?!" Wu Chen sneered, stepping forward. The whip carved a graceful arc through the air.
The blurring shadow of the whip generated countless gusts of wind, sending sand and stones flying, sealing off every inch of space.
Wang Tuo had brought his contract beast along with the intention of attacking Wu Chen from both sides. But amid the whirlwind of that whip, he couldn't spot a single opening.
Whip attacks were notoriously difficult to defend against.
Their reach was enormous, and once fully deployed, they were a nightmare for any defender.
Wang Tuo was truly suffering.
He had assumed Wu Chen would continue relying on those mysterious gloves and had prepared a defensive approach. He never expected Wu Chen possessed so many techniques—let alone a whip.
Under the sweeping coverage of the whip, his room to maneuver was being squeezed relentlessly. The spiritual-energy-formed whip shadows sliced through the air one after another, cutting the space into ever-smaller sections.
Wang Tuo felt his range of movement shrinking by the moment. He knew that if this continued, his fate would mirror Li Yuan's—not lasting a single exchange.
He let out a sharp whistle, communicating with his contract beast. Then Wang Tuo gave a low growl, and the beast dove straight into the ground, vanishing in an instant.
Meanwhile, Wang Tuo grabbed another weapon—a tiger-head saber.
The blade danced wildly, and wave after wave of slashing energy erupted outward, sweeping aside the incoming whip shadows to carve out some breathing room.
Wang Tuo knew his attacks posed no real threat to Wu Chen. But fighting to reclaim a bit of space was still worth a shot.
As long as the contract beast maintained its threatening presence and kept Wu Chen distracted, there might still be a chance.
Wu Chen let out a cold laugh, then his ear twitched slightly, as if he had caught something.
Suddenly, his gaze turned icy and a faint smile curled at his lips. He flicked the whip, and it instantly went rigid as iron, plunging straight into the ground.
Whoosh!
The whip seemed almost alive, thrumming with spiritual energy as half its length sank underground.
Boom!
The next instant, Wu Chen's arm jerked upward with savage force. Like pulling up a radish, the whip burst from the earth—dragging the contract beast out with it.
The whip coiled and constricted, wrapping the beast tight as a rice dumpling.
The creature let out shrill wails of panic, its eyes filled with terror as it cried out to Wang Tuo for help.
Wang Tuo and his contract beast had relied on each other for years—they were as close as brothers. Seeing his beast bound by Wu Chen, he was horrified. Completely disregarding his own safety, he charged forward in a frenzy, his saber flashing toward Wu Chen's face.
"Hmph! One isn't enough, and neither are two!"
Wu Chen's voice was cold as iron. A layer of golden radiance suddenly bloomed along his arm and surged down into the whip. The golden glow flashed once, and a devastating blast erupted with a thunderous boom.
Crack!
The contract beast, trapped in the whip's coils, shattered in an instant—like a block of tofu being smashed apart. Blood and flesh sprayed across the sky.
Splat, splat, splat—Wang Tuo had been charging fast, and the rain of gore drenched him head to toe in the remains of his own beast.
A length of intestine even dangled around his neck.
The stench of blood nearly split Wang Tuo's eyes, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
His contract beast—the one that had been with him for years—obliterated into a paste by a single technique, and splattered all over him.
Wang Tuo had been active for so many years, reigning across the four great sects. When had he ever suffered such a humiliation?
Gritting his teeth nearly to cracking, teetering on the edge of madness, he roared: "I'll fight you to the death!"
Wang Tuo swung his saber with the ferocity of a cornered beast, charging forward in a desperate frenzy. The blade flashed, unleashing a devastating arc of cold, frost-like saber energy aimed at Wu Chen's neck.
But without his contract beast's cover, Wang Tuo was like a predator stripped of its fangs—utterly incapable of posing a threat. He was even less effective than Li Yuan had been.
Wu Chen swayed lightly, strolling as if through his own garden, and simply shifted aside. Then he raised his foot and kicked Wang Tuo square in the rear.
Bam!
Wang Tuo's body sailed through the air like a ball, launched high into the sky.
Not good!
The Nine Lion Old Ancestor of the Wanling Sect could no longer watch. His figure flickered as he shot forward, catching Wang Tuo with a single hand.
Fortunately, though the kick had been savage, it wasn't fatal. Still, Wang Tuo would be bedridden for at least several months.
The Nine Lion Old Ancestor had a fiery temper. He glared at the young man whose head was held high in insolent pride: "So young, yet so ruthless?"