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The night market streets, though brightly lit, were in disarray as vendors swiftly retreated amidst the commotion, leaving behind scattered goods and overturned tables and chairs.
"Hmph, take my punch, Old Zhao!" Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed, and he stomped his foot, cracking the bluestone pavement. Like an unbridled beast, he charged towards Tang Chuan and Xiao Ruier. Seeing this, Tang Chuan's spirit power surged, and he shifted his foot. Just as he was about to move, he heard Xiao Ruier's deep voice beside him. "Let me do it."
No sooner had she spoken than she, too, stomped the ground, sending stone chips flying. She shot forward like a golden lightning bolt, meeting Zhao Wuji head-on. In the blink of an eye, the two collided in mid-air, their fists meeting, and the air suddenly exploded.
"Bang!"
Amidst a deafening explosion, a violent gust of wind swept through, instantly overturning the surrounding stalls. Both figures trembled and simultaneously slid back several steps. Zhao Wuji slid several meters across the ground before he stabilized himself, but his expression had turned grim. He slowly placed his right hand behind his back, his palm trembling slightly, and his brows furrowed.
A wave of disbelief surged in his heart as he thought, "How can this little girl have such great strength? My spirit, the Mighty Vajra Bear, has always been known for its power, but that punch just now... it actually numbed my entire arm?!"
Seeing Zhao Wuji's shocked expression, Xiao Ruier's lips curved into a subtle arc. She slowly raised her right hand, gently clenching her five fingers, and a golden light surged in her palm. The next second, a golden spear materialized from the light.
"Again!" she shouted. Xiao Ruier surged forward once more, her spear cutting through the air like a Golden Dragon breaking the wind, thrusting directly towards Zhao Wuji's chest.
"This is... the Golden Dragon Spear?" Tang Chuan's expression also changed slightly as he looked at the 3.6-meter-long spear that was entirely golden, just like Xiao Ruier's spirit. He gasped softly in his heart. With the spear in her hand, Xiao Ruier's aura suddenly became sharp. Even when facing Zhao Wuji, whose spirit power had reached level 76, she showed no signs of slowing down.
Zhao Wuji's expression changed slightly as he watched the golden-haired woman charge at him with a murderous intent, holding the golden spear. His initial disdainful expression had long vanished, replaced by an indescribable sense of foreboding in his heart.
"Damn it, I won't lose today, will I?" he cursed angrily, his heart sinking. He really wanted to summon his spirit to fight, but he remembered his earlier boast that he could deal with them without using his spirit.
If he went back on his word now, fearing battle before it even began, what face would his Immovable King Zhao Wuji have left? Zhao Wuji was not someone who went back on his word. Face was still very important!
"Take another punch from me!" So, Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth, took a step forward, roared, and threw a punch, directly meeting Xiao Ruier's attack.
"Boom—!"
The two clashed again, fist and spear meeting in mid-air, erupting in a deafening roar. After only two rounds, Zhao Wuji's expression completely changed. As he used his arm to block Xiao Ruier's sweeping Golden Dragon Spear, the spear's edge grazed his arm. With just a touch, it carved a hideous wound into his rock-hard skin.
Zhao Wuji immediately grunted and retreated several steps. What shocked him even more was that in that instant, he clearly felt an extremely strange power seeping into his body from the wound, as if the spear was devouring his life force!
"What kind of weapon is this? How can it be so evil?" Zhao Wuji suppressed the shock in his heart as he stared intently at the approaching Xiao Ruier. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and all of his initial disdain had vanished.
Seeing Zhao Wuji's expression suddenly change, with obvious fear in his eyes, Xiao Ruier's lips curled slightly, and she spoke calmly. "The weapon in my hand is called the Golden Dragon Spear. Not only is it unstoppable, but it can also absorb an opponent's life force. You dare to fight me without activating your spirit? You're simply courting death!"
After speaking, she stomped her foot forcefully on the ground, raised the spear in her hand, and a golden light surged, thrusting directly towards Zhao Wuji's chest once more.
"Spirit, Possess!"
Seeing this scene, Zhao Wuji's face changed drastically. What face could he still care about? He finally realized he had underestimated his opponent and dared not be arrogant anymore, letting out an angry roar. As his surging spirit power erupted, his body suddenly swelled, his muscles bulged, and all his fur stood on end. A giant brown phantom bear slowly appeared behind him. It was none other than Zhao Wuji's spirit, the Mighty Vajra Bear!
The next moment, Zhao Wuji suddenly dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding the Golden Dragon Spear's fierce thrust. At the same time, he lunged forward, his arm suddenly extended, and he firmly grasped the shaft of the Golden Dragon Spear.
"Hehe, caught it!" he said. "Now, how do you plan to fight me?"
After grasping the Golden Dragon Spear, Zhao Wuji's lips immediately curled into a contemptuous smile. His eyes were filled with the confidence and triumph of having suppressed his opponent. However, no sooner had he spoken than his brow suddenly twitched, as if something was slowly and silently being drawn from his body.
"What?!" Zhao Wuji's expression suddenly changed. Looking down, he found that his hand gripping the Golden Dragon Spear was faintly tinged with a grayish-white color, as if his life force was rapidly draining away! The feeling was as if his blood was slowly being drawn out and his bone marrow was trembling slightly.
"It can devour life force even without a wound?!" His heart filled with inexplicable horror, Zhao Wuji let out a muffled grunt, then quickly let go. His body swayed, and he rapidly retreated several steps, increasing the distance between himself and Xiao Ruier. His face was extremely grim, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Seeing Zhao Wuji's terrified and disheveled retreat, Xiao Ruier's lips curled into a triumphant, cold smile. She held her spear horizontally, her figure as straight as a spearhead, and with a hint of playfulness in her eyes, she said lightly, "Oh, big bear, didn't you just say you could deal with us without using your spirit? What, after only a few rounds, you couldn't help but reveal your true form? Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, my Golden Dragon Spear is the pride of the Dragon God.
No one can wield it except for the owner of the Golden Dragon Spirit. Anyone who touches it will have their life force absorbed by it, which is then purified and returned to me.
Without my control, within a hundred-meter radius, nothing will grow, and the life force of all living beings will be continuously absorbed, and no material can block it."
Not far away, Tang San's brows were tightly furrowed. When he heard Xiao Ruier softly describe the abilities of the Golden Dragon Spear, his expression changed slightly, and he said with a trembling voice, "Cultivate by devouring the life force of others? I remember my teacher once said that when he was young, he saw an ancient book in Spirit Hall.
It recorded that Spirit Hall once drove a group of evil cultivators into the Land of Degradation, and these evil cultivators relied on devouring the life force or spirit power of others to cultivate. Could this golden-haired woman be from that Land of Degradation?"