Li Jia Yi detested Bai Ye. Not because Bai Ye was powerful, but because Bai Ye was powerful and troublesome. Experience, sometimes, was truly useful, able to bring clarity to one's combat strategy.
Take Bai Ye, for instance, at this very moment.
You're on defense? Then keep defending! Bai Ye paid no mind to Li Jia Yi; Li Jia Yi wasn't Bai Ye's target. Bai Ye's objective was to stop the masked man.
"Heaven and Earth Without Limits, Law of the Universe!" Seeing that he couldn't catch up to the sword light, Li Jia Yi quickly produced a brush, drawing a talisman in mid-air, and then thrust his palm forward, unleashing: "Palm Thunder!"
*Boom!*
A blue-white lightning bolt shot from Li Jia Yi's palm, striking the center of the sword light. With a deafening roar, it shattered the five beams of sword light.
However, just as Li Jia Yi managed to narrowly avert the crisis, Bai Ye attacked again, wielding the Frost Sword and slashing towards Li Jia Yi's head.
Seeing this, Li Jia Yi quickly spread his palm. A silver-white Jungle King combat knife appeared, and he swung it horizontally in front of him.
*Clang!*
Their weapons collided with a crisp ringing sound.
But in that instant...
A wicked grin spread across Bai Ye's face, and large swathes of venom suddenly appeared on his body. Li Jia Yi, also a seasoned veteran, felt a sudden lurch in his heart upon seeing Bai Ye's state. Sensing trouble, he immediately leaped backward, attempting to create distance from Bai Ye.
But it was evidently too late!
Bai Ye flicked his arm, and the venom splattered forward. The venom landed on Li Jia Yi's body, rapidly corroding his clothes. Upon touching his skin, it hissed and sizzled. The piercing pain contorted Li Jia Yi's rather handsome face into a grimace, his body trembling uncontrollably.
In the next moment, Li Jia Yi quickly grabbed a purple fruit and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it vigorously. Only then did the excruciating pain begin to subside. Furthermore, it was fortunate that only a small amount of venom had splashed onto him, and it hadn't caused continuous damage. Nevertheless, after just one exchange, the minor injuries and the special ability of the poison fruit left Li Jia Yi thoroughly shaken.
Li Jia Yi's first thought was: What a terrifying ability! The poison was extremely potent. Secondly, being able to release it from his entire body – did that mean he couldn't even touch Bai Ye?
On the other side, Bai Ye's assault continued. He took a step forward and then raised his fist.
"Poison Dragon!" Bai Ye roared, unleashing another punch forward. A large amount of venom was once again sprayed out, but instead of scattering, it coalesced into a dragon of poison, lunging forward with bared fangs and claws.
Li Jia Yi's heart sank. If he took the full force of this attack, he'd likely be reduced to bones instantly!
As Li Jia Yi contemplated this, he quickly produced a prop and threw it onto the ground. "Crystal Barrier!" The prop Li Jia Yi tossed was a thumb-sized crystal. The moment it hit the ground, it shattered, followed by a rumbling sound from the earth. Then, a colossal crystal erupted from the ground, rising like a small mountain to block Li Jia Yi's path.
*Bang!*
The Poison Dragon struck the crystal mountain, shattering into pieces and splattering across its surface. However, the crystal mountain was impervious to the corrosive venom. The purple liquid flowed over it without causing any apparent damage.
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes and swiftly formed a sword seal with his right hand.
"Seven Rainbows Pierce the Sky (Seven swords combine to attack the enemy target)." As Bai Ye's sword seal took shape, the seven-colored Rainbow Seven Swords, suspended in the air, began to tremble, emitting a series of metallic hums. Instantly, seven hues of light bloomed simultaneously, intertwining in the air like a vibrant rainbow across the sky, and then… it descended!
The sword light, condensed into seven colors, transformed into a long rainbow that streaked across the sky, then slammed down onto the crystal mountain.
*Boom!*
A tremendous roar echoed. While the crystal mountain was resistant to corrosive venom, its pure defensive strength wasn't formidable. Upon being struck by the seven-colored rainbow, it instantly shattered into countless tiny crystal fragments that scattered in all directions, glittering beautifully in the air.
However… behind the crystalline mountain, Li Jia Yi was gone!
"He's quite fast at escaping!" Bai Ye sneered, scanning his surroundings. "But does hiding do any good? If you don't want to fight, then I'll complete my mission!" Bai Ye had Li Jia Yi cornered. As long as he remembered that completing the hidden mission was paramount, Li Jia Yi had only two choices: either abandon his own mission and watch Bai Ye succeed, or come out and fight Bai Ye.
"Shoot him, Divine Spear!" Li Jia Yi's voice suddenly boomed from the forest behind. Bai Ye spun around abruptly. A silver glint appeared in front of Bai Ye, and then… Bai Ye instinctively raised his hand…
*Thwack!*
An intense pain shot from the back of his hand. Bai Ye's expression shifted slightly. He quickly leaped to the side and then looked down at his hand. It was bleeding profusely! A deep gash had opened on the back of Bai Ye's hand. The silver glint, it turned out, was a blade of unimaginable length, at least twenty to thirty meters long, extending from the forest. Then… the silver light flashed, and the blade vanished.
"A sword that can freely extend and retract?" Bai Ye furrowed his brow slightly.
On the other side, Li Jia Yi spat on the ground, a hint of disappointment on his face. That attack should have killed Bai Ye, but the Zanpakuto he held, Li Jia Yi had only recently acquired and hadn't used much in combat, so he wasn't very proficient with it. Bai Ye's reaction speed was one factor, and on the other hand, Li Jia Yi's attack had been slightly off. And an opportunity for such a surprise attack… if it failed once, Li Jia Yi doubted it would work on Bai Ye a second time.
As Li Jia Yi mused, he sheathed the Zanpakuto and crouched low, slowly moving to the side. He had little confidence in a head-on confrontation with Bai Ye. During the Death Amusement Park, Li Jia Yi already knew Bai Ye was powerful. Now, with Bai Ye possessing this venomous ability from who knows where, a direct confrontation was even more difficult. However, by avoiding a head-on clash and engaging in a drawn-out struggle, Li Jia Yi felt he still had a chance.
Moreover, from the current situation, Li Jia Yi believed he held the advantage. Bai Ye's target was the Lizardman Chief, Gawel. Li Jia Yi's target was the masked demon, Krulmit. Bai Ye had to engage to save Gawel, while Li Jia Yi only needed to wait for Krulmit to complete his bewitching of Gawel.
But, at this very moment…