Even when facing Doroze, Lin Yun remained perfectly calm, his movements fluid and seemingly effortless.
Doroze was certainly not an easy opponent. But the threat he posed to Lin Yun was, frankly, negligible. If, before this, Doroze had even a sliver of a chance of defeating the members of the Red Ghost Sect, that possibility had now completely vanished.
Watching Lin Yun suppress Doroze, Zhou Damao and Fang Yu'er understood their priority was to ensure Lin Yun's safety. The disciples of the Red Ghost Sect might have agreed to cooperate, but they were fickle allies who could turn on them at any moment. To prevent such a disaster, they had to remain vigilant at this critical juncture. If those disciples truly chose to betray them, it would be a fight to the death.
Lin Yun placed one hand on his sword case, and in an instant, a volley of flying swords shot forth.
Although Doroze was already aware of Lin Yun's methods, the sheer power behind the attack was still more than he could handle. As the battle dragged on, large beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Whether he admitted it or not, the strength Lin Yun displayed made him an incredibly formidable foe. He had initially thought he could end this quickly with his own power, but now, that seemed highly unlikely. Lin Yun was too dangerous.
This human's power is affecting me, Doroze thought, his shock growing. I had assumed humans were as frail as they were in the Ancient Era, masters of nothing but a few petty tricks. But it seems that after all these years, they have become far more powerful than we ever imagined.
He was secretly astounded. No matter how he attacked, Lin Yun seemed to instantly perceive his intentions and counter them perfectly. Despite his confidence, Doroze had failed to gain any advantage after the prolonged exchange. Instead, he was being steadily pushed back, forced to acknowledge the vast gap in their abilities—a gap he had no way of closing in a short time.
For his part, Lin Yun had no intention of killing Doroze just yet. He hoped to use this opportunity to pry the man's secrets from him.
A quarter of an hour passed like this.
Suddenly, Lin Yun let out a sharp cry. The Great River Sword Art surged forward like a torrential flood.
Doroze's face hardened as if facing a cataclysmic threat. The power emanating from the young human was immense, and the sword in Lin Yun's hand, in particular, seemed simply unstoppable. Even for someone as experienced as Doroze, there was no room for carelessness.
With a roar, he wrapped his arms in a shroud of blue flame and met Lin Yun's Cold Flame Sword head-on.
Strangely, Lin Yun's attack had no discernible effect. It felt like a mere tickle.
"Is that it? I was wondering how long you could last. It seems you're not so tough after all," Doroze mocked.
He foolishly assumed that the prolonged battle had depleted Lin Yun's energy, leaving him unable to fight at his peak. If that was the case, then it was time for his counterattack.
But just as he prepared to move, he found his body wouldn't obey his commands. When he looked down, he was stunned to see a layer of thick frost sealing his feet to the ground.
"Do you know why I let you stay?" Lin Yun asked, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips as he watched Doroze's face twist in disbelief. "You didn't really think my goal was that simple, did you?"
He continued calmly, "Perhaps you believe you are quite powerful, that you don't need to take opponents like us seriously. But in my eyes, you are nowhere near as strong as you imagine. I have countless ways to defeat you."
At first, Lin Yun had been wary, concerned that the Qiluo people were a dangerous race. But after clashing with Doroze, he understood. The Qiluo's advantage was their psychic power, which could exert immense mental pressure on an opponent during combat. That was why Cao Yuze and the others had been unable to handle them; facing such a constant mental assault in battle was nearly impossible to defend against.
But Lin Yun was different. All he had to do was close his eyes, and all of Doroze's mental attacks became utterly useless against him.
It might not have mattered in a short skirmish. But over time, it became a fatal problem for Doroze. His greatest advantage had been completely nullified. This was the primary reason he was losing this fight. And unfortunately for him, there was no way to reverse the outcome now.
Faced with Doroze's every challenge, Lin Yun had responded with unshakable composure, effortlessly breaking through his techniques time and again.
A thousand thoughts raced through Doroze's mind. Have humans truly progressed this far?
He had believed he could resolve everything with his own power. He never imagined this would be the result. This battle with Lin Yun had shown him the truly terrifying power modern humans possessed. No matter what he tried, he couldn't alter the course of their duel. Now, as he watched the ice creep steadily up his body, he finally accepted that he could never defeat Lin Yun.
Still, ensuring that a portion of the Qiluo had escaped was a small victory in itself.
"Just as I told you, your methods are useless to change this," Lin Yun said. "In this situation, you have no other choice. I'm letting you live this time only because you still have your uses."
Doroze let out a cold laugh.
"You just want to get information about my people out of me. It seems all records of us have vanished from human history. You don't even know who we are anymore."
Doroze was certain of this. He had confirmed it during his earlier fight with Cao Yuze and the others. They had no idea who the Qiluo were. They had even looked utterly shocked upon seeing them. It made sense, of course. After that great war, the Qiluo had gone into complete hiding. So many years had passed, and only now had some sort of calling awakened them once more.
He never expected to encounter something so interesting right after waking up.
As for the information Lin Yun wanted… to Doroze, it was hardly a secret.