Ouyang Shuang was triumphant!

The humiliation of that night still burned in her eyes. The searing pain, being driven into a miserable escape from the abandoned factory by Wang Wu, the silent mockery of the two black balls on the stage… but now, all of it was wiped away in an instant.

Now, it was Xu Ke lying on the ground, howling in agony! It was the Wang Family forced into a disadvantaged position, begging her to stop.

Ouyang Shuang cackled hoarsely.

From the life-and-death seats, Huang Qi's voice was even more sinister. "He deserves to die. He deserves to die," he uttered. Although he hated Huang Sheng and Huang Zhenyang for treating him like a disposable pawn, his hatred for Xu Ke was just as fierce.

After she finished laughing, Ouyang Shuang abruptly lowered her head and fired another Silver Needle from her hand. She still wanted to torture Xu Ke to death.

Just then, a ghostly voice whispered in her ear.

"Ouyang Shuang, was my performance of agony convincing?"

At his words, the smile on Ouyang Shuang's face froze, and terror slowly crept into her eyes.

A small knife was plunged into her Dantian.

Blood spurted out.

The entire arena fell deathly silent! The pupils of everyone present contracted sharply!

Everyone knew how powerful the Guanyin Poison Needle was. Even experts like Wang Wu and Chen Xiong would be left half-dead if they took a direct hit.

But Xu Ke's actions were a stinging slap across everyone's face.

The triumphant expressions of the Huang and Ye Families had barely formed before they froze solid. Huang Qi's gloating was cut short, as if a hand had clamped around his throat. Despair began to bleed into his eyes. This time, it's my turn to die!

Wong Qifu closed her eyes. Thank goodness... Xu Ke isn't dead.

"You…" Ouyang Shuang's face didn't even have time to register shock. How is this possible? Wasn't Xu Ke already poisoned and collapsed? How can he still get up and attack?

The entire knife was buried to the hilt in Ouyang Shuang's abdomen, dripping with blood. It wasn't that Xu Ke didn't want to stab her heart. He knew the Inner Armor protecting her heart would be her strongest defense, and he wasn't certain he could break through it. During their brief exchange, Xu Ke had already determined that the Dantian was the only place he could damage with his blade if he used his full strength.

From the beginning, Xu Ke was clear about one thing. To kill Ouyang Shuang, he either had to force a breakthrough in his cultivation within four days or rely on scheming. But the first option was a near impossibility. Therefore, he could only rely on scheming.

He had prepared several methods, but he never expected Ouyang Shuang to be so easily fooled by Quicklime. Afterward, she had descended into a hysterical rage, completely losing her sanity. From that moment, Xu Ke knew she was as good as dead. He then deliberately created an opening for her to hit him. Having already lost her wits, she was sure to take the opportunity to humiliate him. Seeing him struggling on the ground, Ouyang Shuang would inevitably grow complacent and reckless.

The moment of her overconfidence was the moment of her greatest weakness.

And in that moment, Xu Ke seized his chance.

He had initially prepared for a life-and-death battle, hoping the pressure might force a cultivation breakthrough. But that was only if a breakthrough were even possible. Since it wasn't, he wouldn't be foolish enough to clash head-on with Ouyang Shuang. Clash True Qi with an Innate Expert while at the Innate Middle Stage with no hope of a breakthrough? Wasn't that just brainless?

As Ouyang Shuang's True Qi steadily leaked away, Xu Ke didn't press his advantage. Instead, he took several steps back. The knife had long been poisoned. He wasn't in a hurry now; he was like a patient hunter. Once the poison spread throughout her body, he could eliminate her. If he fought her desperately now, he would only invite a fierce counterattack. His earlier "pursuit" was a feint to set up this ambush. If he were to recklessly try and finish it all in one blow now, he'd be the one getting killed. It was a lesson every warrior knew: never pursue a cornered foe. The final lash-out of a dying Innate Expert was unimaginably lethal.

"Why… aren't you poisoned?" As the poison gradually numbed her body, Ouyang Shuang paid no heed to her draining True Qi, muttering the question instead.

Seeing her in such a state, Chen Xiong shook his head. Xu Ke had managed to completely shatter the mind of an Innate Expert. It was both lamentable and a pity.

Ouyang Shuang stared at Xu Ke, so full of life, her disbelief so great she forgot the immediate danger she was in. She no longer cared about finding an antidote. All she could think was... the art of poison she had pursued her entire life had been defeated. Defeated by someone she considered an ant. Xu Ke had personally shattered the pride of her lifetime.

While cautiously watching for any sudden move, Xu Ke answered, "It's simple. Your poison is too weak."

"Too… weak?" Ouyang Shuang's eyes went vacant. Her poison? Too weak?!

"What did you say…" she murmured, then suddenly shrieked, "Xu Ke, what did you say?!"

Instantly, the True Qi in Ouyang Shuang's body boiled over, and her aura crashed down on Xu Ke like a mountain.

Wang Wu's expression changed drastically. "She's throwing her life away!"

Burning one's True Qi could double their strength, but it meant staking everything and abandoning any chance of retreat.

"To think Xu Ke could actually push an Innate Expert this far." Chen Xiong's expression shifted slightly. Even though Ouyang Shuang wasn't a top-tier Innate Expert, even though she relied on Hidden Weapons, and even though she had grown soft from years of comfort and lost the ferocity of a true Martial Artist… for Xu Ke to force her into such a corner was still a testament to his own terrifying power.

And he was only at the Innate Middle Stage!

Meanwhile, the members of the Huang Family, including Huang Sheng, had all become eerily calm. Huang Qi even looked immensely relieved.

Good! Even if Ouyang Shuang miscalculated and was pushed to the brink of death by Xu Ke… as long as she was willing to sacrifice her life now, Xu Ke would die! And he would live! As for whether Ouyang Shuang survived, that was no concern of his.

After igniting her True Qi, Ouyang Shuang's figure shot toward Xu Ke like a phantom. The power in her hands was ferocious. She had abandoned her Hidden Weapons, choosing to clash with him head-on!

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Xu Ke's eyes.

I can't retreat… If I do, I won't be fast enough to dodge her. Her power has reached a terrifying level, and she'd chase me down and kill me before the poison finished her! Even if she's burning her True Qi, her Dantian is leaking, so the boost is limited! I can fight this! I can't retreat!

"HAH!" Xu Ke dug into a horse stance, clenching his teeth as he circulated his Cultivation Technique. His entire body instantly became as solid as steel.

In the blink of an eye, Ouyang Shuang's attack was upon him.

"DIE!" she roared, slamming her palm down.

PUH!

Xu Ke met her palm with his own. The next instant, he sprayed a mouthful of blood

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