Ma Hongjun tumbled backward through the air, but with a flap of his fiery wings, he quickly steadied himself. Blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth, his body aching, yet he grit his teeth and dove toward Oscar again.
He thought to himself, " The Boss must also have suffered from that last clash.
But in truth, he was overthinking.
Although the backlash from their collision had been terrifying, Oscar's jade sword had absorbed much of the force. His External Soul Bone, fused into his left palm, made that hand tougher than steel. Coupled with a body already close to a Soul Emperor's in physical strength, Oscar had hardly taken any damage at all.
As Ma Hongjun dove once more, this time he abandoned flashy fireballs. His right hand transformed entirely into a massive claw of condensed flame and soul power, bursting with overwhelming Phoenix pressure, like an eagle stooping upon prey.
"Flame Phoenix — Phoenix Claw!"
The claw radiated not only blistering heat but also a razor-sharp, tearing force. While less explosive than Phoenix Burst, its direct power and penetrating strength were even more dangerous. Boosted by his dive momentum, it might increase further.
Yet Oscar's strength, enhanced by the 50% passive boost from his external soul bone, was already at the level of a junior Soul Emperor. Against such a gap, Ma Hongjun's diving force was insignificant.
Oscar's tri-colored jade sword danced magnificently in his hand, executing the Frostmoon Sword Style, the family art taught by his teacher Gai Yue.
The style contained nine fundamental forms, broken into twenty-seven variations and eighty-one distinct moves, covering the essence of swordsmanship from form to formlessness, attack to cultivation.
At this moment, Oscar unleashed its fourth form: Falling Star, Flying Moon.
The sword turned ice-blue as he swung, radiating freezing intent. In his hands, it seemed a dazzling moon of frost, beautiful yet deadly. The strike carried his profound Sword Intent, its chilling aura peaking as a crescent of icy moonlight slashed toward Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Claw.
Ice and flame collided. Mist exploded outward once again. Ma Hongjun's clawed palm stung painfully despite being wrapped in fire and soul power.
Even though he had poured his full strength into the blow, he could only barely hold even for a heartbeat — then he was forced to retreat quickly, wings thrashing, lest his arm be frozen solid or cut clean off.
His purified Phoenix flames were considered invincible among peers of the same level. No common element could suppress him.
But Oscar had done it.
Yes, Oscar's rank was two higher, but what truly threatened Ma Hongjun was the fusion of Sword Intent and Ice Attribute, perfectly complementing his already lethal cutting sword qi. Against that sharpness and frost, even the Phoenix fire was pushed back.
Still, Ma Hongjun refused to yield. He had yet to use his strongest weapon — his third spirit skill.
His third ring was a 4,000-year soul ring, its power already equal to most Soul Masters' fourth skills. Because he had absorbed it across levels, its true might even surpassed ordinary fourth skills.
Unlike the original story, this third ability was not a flight skill. Nor did it come from the "Earth King" beast lacking Phoenix blood.
Instead, it came from a Cloud-Piercing Bird with Phoenix lineage. With both fire attribute and Phoenix blood, it birthed an immensely destructive single-target attack.
Now, in the aftermath of his retreat, Ma Hongjun gathered his soul power and invoked this trump card. With the amplification of his Bathing in Phoenix Flames, his third ability's might surged to the absolute maximum.
If even this could not defeat Oscar, he would admit total loss.
"Third Soul Skill — Phoenix Cloud-Piercing Strike!"
A massive flaming Phoenix materialized behind him, spreading its wings. Its sharp eyes instantly locked onto Oscar.
And the moment Oscar felt that gaze, he knew something was wrong. This was not a mere pressure lock — it was like Zhao Wuji's tracking skill, a positional lock-on.
Oscar frowned. So it's a locking-type offensive skill… just as Teacher said. Its name may match the fourth-ring ability in the original story, but the power and effect are worlds apart.
Indeed, Ma Hongjun's version lacked the control-based "aftershock" effect, but its destructive power was vastly greater. The Cloud-Piercing Bird's lineage granted true lock-on properties. Once the Phoenix targeted someone, it would not stop until it hit, unless its energy was entirely exhausted.
Combined with Ma Hongjun's explosive speed, this strike was nearly impossible to dodge. The only option for most enemies was to endure it head-on.
Oscar, however, did have an option — he could eat his third skill sausage, gaining flight speed from the Swift-Tailed Swallow, and outpace the attack.
But he didn't bother.
Because he wasn't afraid.
With a flick, Oscar hurled his jade sword skyward. The blade dissolved into three-colored light, and from it condensed dozens of spectral swords — sky-blue, ice-blue, and fiery-red — filling the air.
Over fifty blades floated above, dazzling to behold.
"Sword Style — Tri-Element Sword Rain!"
With a low shout, the storm of swords descended.
At the same time, Ma Hongjun's fire Phoenix shrieked and charged, locked unwaveringly onto Oscar.
The clash was explosive.
First, the ice swords struck, twenty blades shattering against the flaming Phoenix, draining nearly two-thirds of its energy and freezing much of its body.
Next came the fire swords. Fire met flame, igniting steam in great plumes. The Phoenix disintegrated, dissolving into mist.
The final dozen sky-blue jade swords hurtled onward, unstoppable, directly toward Ma Hongjun.
But Ma Hongjun was spent. His soul power barely kept him aloft; he had nothing left to defend himself.
Seeing the incoming blades about to pierce him through, terror struck his heart. He threw up his hands and shouted desperately:
"Boss, I was wrong! I'll never challenge you again! Please stop, spare me!"
Instantly, the swords dissolved into pure soul power, reforming into two giant azure hands that grabbed Ma Hongjun and flung him back toward Oscar.
This was the special property of Oscar's external soul bone — Condensation. He could shape soul power into anything he imagined. But the sharpest, most lethal form was always the sword, since his external soul bone came from the Purple-Gold Sword Bamboo.
That was why Oscar had chosen the path of the sword, not the staff.
(Of course, the Dragon-Pattern Staff Techniques he once studied from Li Yusong had not been forgotten — but with his bone, swordsmanship was superior.)
Now, Ma Hongjun squirmed and wailed as he was caught. Oscar grabbed him by the collar and lifted him with one hand.
"Kid, you're strong," Oscar said evenly, "but not strong enough. So don't show off in front of me again. Next time, I won't let you off this easily."
Ma Hongjun's head bobbed like a chicken pecking rice. Yes, yes, Boss! I swear I won't dare again. Just let me off this time!