The Crushing Claw and the Withering Array

“I never imagined you could shatter my Thousand Silk Sword Array so swiftly.”

Ye Shi gazed at Chi Qiu, who stood before him, eager for battle, her fists clenched. The casual indifference that had once graced his features slowly gave way to a solemn gravity.

“A formation, as they say, merely relies on array patterns and banners to draw upon the power of heaven and earth,” Chi Qiu explained. “It’s then supplemented by true qi, all to trap and kill.”

Despite the seemingly advantageous situation, Chi Qiu did not rush to confront Ye Shi. Instead, she stood her ground, offering her explanation.

“Your sword array, using flying swords as banners, condensing sword qi into Dao patterns, and making your own body the eye of the formation—it is truly profound.”

It’s just a pity that your understanding of the Grand Dao of Heaven and Earth can’t compare to mine… Chi Qiu left the latter half of her thought unspoken.

Moments earlier, while trapped within the sword array, Chi Qiu had been in a desperate predicament, besieged by a torrent of flying swords. Yet, she maintained her composure. Swiftly, she used her comprehension of the “Dao” to locate the array’s core. Disregarding her injuries, she then charged through, shattering the core and bursting free from the grand formation.

Ye Shi’s expression grew heavy. His hand lightly clenched, and a slender sword materialized in his grasp. The fine sword was entirely black, five chi long and about a finger wide, devoid of any sheen. Ye Shi knew Chi Qiu wouldn’t grant him the time to deploy a second sword array. His only option now was a direct confrontation to create an opening.

Chi Qiu lightly shook her hands. Her figure blurred instantly, a dark shadow flashing across the grey-blue arena. In the blink of an eye, she was before Ye Shi.

“Don’t assume I only know flying sword techniques,” Ye Shi declared.

His longsword flicked, precisely intercepting Chi Qiu’s incoming palm strike. With a twist of his wrist, the black slender sword arced through the air, drawing a dark crescent as it slashed towards Chi Qiu’s face.

Once the close-quarters combat began, Ye Shi’s speed seemed sluggish to Chi Qiu. With merely a light tap of her foot, her body paused for a fraction of a second, causing the sword strike to miss its mark. Having evaded the sword, Chi Qiu pressed forward again before Ye Shi could retrieve his weapon. Her fists and palms struck out in unison, unleashing a barrage of incredibly dense combination attacks.

This forced Ye Shi to activate his defensive spiritual treasure and struggle to protect himself. Chi Qiu relentlessly advanced, and the two quickly became a blur of motion. Fist winds and sword qi surged, while palm prints and blade marks appeared everywhere. So rapid were their movements that many spectators struggled to follow.

“Under such immense pressure, Ye Shi still chose to divert his focus to construct a sword array? His mental fortitude is truly commendable.” Su Hanxing breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Chi Qiu out of danger and now holding a distinct advantage.

“If he manages to deploy a second sword array, Senior Sister Chi will be in trouble again.” A Tianyan Sect disciple beside Su Hanxing heard his words, and their recently eased mind tensed once more.

“Little Chi won’t let him set up a second sword array,” Su Hanxing said with a confident smile.

The battle on the arena was nearing its end. Ye Shi wielded a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, both spiritual treasures of exceptionally high grade. However, against the bare-handed Chi Qiu, these spiritual treasures were utterly suppressed, unable to unleash even a fraction of their power.

“These damn flowers…”

After his shield blocked a heavy punch from Chi Qiu, Ye Shi retreated around the arena, simultaneously trying to restore feeling to his numb hands. His eyelids twitched when he saw his large azure shield, now densely covered with White Spirit Flowers. He cursed under his breath.

He watched as the spiritual energy within his great shield was steadily devoured by the White Spirit Flowers. He was helpless against Chi Qiu. If this stalemate continued, his shield would surely be destroyed. The thought alone caused a pang of distress, even for someone as affluent as Ye Shi.

Chi Qiu looked at Ye Shi, who was still trying to hide behind his shield. She then spoke calmly.

“That shield of yours won’t last much longer,” Chi Qiu declared, a faint azure True Dragon’s Aura flashing around her hand.

Then, with a powerful strike, her palm slammed against the azure great shield.

“Where’s your shield now?!”

Bang!

A crisp sound echoed, and several cracks instantly appeared on the great shield. Ye Shi’s body stiffened, his hands suddenly feeling as though they were about to lose all sensation.

Seeing the cracks spread across the great shield, Chi Qiu’s heart rejoiced. She took another step forward, curving her fingers into a claw, and tore downwards. A surging wave of azure-gold qi diffused outwards. As Chi Qiu unleashed her claw attack, a hazy azure-gold dragon phantom manifested behind her. The dragon phantom roared towards the heavens, then mirrored her movement, striking out with a claw directly at the great shield before Ye Shi.

Boom!

The azure-gold dragon phantom’s earth-shattering claw strike cleaved the massive shield before Ye Shi into three pieces. The spiritual energy contained within the shield, now shattered, dissipated into the heavens and earth, vanishing without a trace.

This claw strike was executed by Chi Qiu using the True Dragon’s Aura and Yinglong’s divine power, perfectly aligning with the “Dao” methods depicted in the Nine Yinglong Combat Diagrams. The sudden manifestation of the Yinglong phantom behind her served as proof of her profound comprehension of the Dao of Yinglong.

Struck by this devastating claw, his great shield shattered, Ye Shi retreated in disarray. However, Chi Qiu’s movements were swifter. Her figure flashed past, and Ye Shi immediately felt a dull ache in his lower abdomen. A sweetness rose in his throat, his limbs began to lose control, and his body was sent flying backwards from the impact.

“My… my formation is complete,” Ye Shi gasped, his face pale. “You’re going to lose.”

He struggled to maintain his footing, barely preventing himself from being knocked off the arena by that punch. Seeing his body just half a step from being sent flying, he spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned.

“Is that so? Then activate your grand formation for me to see,” Chi Qiu challenged.

Chi Qiu’s expression remained largely unchanged. She stood her ground, her hands subtly trembling, though barely perceptible. It seemed she had sustained some minor injuries.

“Let me show you the ultimate formation technique of my Array Sword Manor… but where is my true qi?”

Ye Shi raised both sleeves, intending to summon his sword array. Yet, after a long moment, not a single ripple appeared on the arena, leaving him in an awkward silence.

Chi Qiu slowly advanced, closing in on Ye Shi. She raised a hand, gently pointing to his lower abdomen, a meaningful expression on her face.

Ye Shi immediately looked down. There, on his lower abdomen, White Spirit Flowers bloomed like jade. These few White Spirit Flowers were as large as washbasins, their Dao patterns clearly visible, indicating they were thoroughly sated.

Chi Qiu stood before Ye Shi and slowly spoke, “Do you understand now why you have no true qi?”

Without giving him a moment to recover, Chi Qiu delivered a swift kick, sending him tumbling off the arena.

“In this martial arts competition, Chi Qiu successfully defended the arena!”

The black-robed middle-aged man struck the large bell beside him, announcing the results of the competition.

Chi Qiu’s taut nerves finally relaxed. She stood on the arena, surveying her surroundings, until her gaze found Su Hanxing amidst the cheering crowd. At that moment, Su Hanxing’s face showed both joy and lingering concern in his eyes.

Chi Qiu offered Su Hanxing a slight smile, then slowly descended from the arena.

On the other side of the arena, Ye Shi watched the White Spirit Flowers on his chest and lower abdomen slowly wither. He then turned his head, gazing at Chi Qiu’s retreating figure. There was no great sadness in his heart; instead, a peculiar emotion began to stir within him.

Watching the elegant figure disappear through the arena’s main gate, Ye Shi lightly pressed his chest, engraving ‘Chi Qiu’ into his mind.

“Chi Qiu, I remember you…”