At the peak of Mount Yan, Lu Yang's ability to neutralize Guo Shouren's powerful palm strike left Guo Shouren in shock. His palm strike, a result of over fifty years of arduous cultivation, possessed immense power. Even a Grandmaster, if they survived, would undoubtedly be gravely injured. Yet, Lu Yang appeared completely unharmed, as if he had effortlessly diffused the attack.
"It seems you are more powerful than I imagined. But this is only the beginning. The real show is about to start!"
Guo Shouren roared and instantly appeared within a meter of Lu Yang, striking towards his chest. Lu Yang, having predicted Guo Shouren's move, clenched his fist and engaged him in close-quarters combat.
They fought as they moved, from the mountaintop to the mountainside, and back to the peak. They exchanged over a hundred blows, neither gaining an advantage.
"Kid, I didn't expect your martial skills to be so formidable. At twenty, you can withstand fifty years of my cultivation. What kind of monstrous talent are you?"
Seeing that he couldn't gain an upper hand in martial arts against Lu Yang, Guo Shouren coldly questioned him.
"How could you possibly fathom my methods!"
"What other tricks do you have? Bring them all out. Without anything new, I won't be interested!"
Lu Yang sneered.
"Kid, you're courting death!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Shouren's face darkened instantly. He casually produced a leather whip, covered in dense, terrifying barbs. It had turned a purplish-black hue from prolonged immersion in blood, exuding a fearsome malevolent aura.
"It's an evil magical artifact!"
Lu Yang immediately recognized it upon seeing the whip.
"Hmph, kid. This whip is called the Bloodthirsty Whip. It's been fed with blood. However, it hasn't tasted the blood of a master for a long time. Once it drinks your blood, its malevolence will destroy your entire vital energy, causing you to fester and die!"
"You are the first, and you will be the last, to force me to use the Bloodthirsty Whip!"
As Guo Shouren spoke, he hurled the Bloodthirsty Whip. The whip seemed to possess sentience, swiftly lunging towards Lu Yang like a large serpent, its gaping maw ready to bite.
Lu Yang drew the bone sword he had just taken from the black bear and engaged the Bloodthirsty Whip in battle. The bone sword was also a magical artifact, refined from the bones of a powerful ancient expert, and was undoubtedly extraordinary. For a long time, the Bloodthirsty Whip could not pierce the bone sword, let alone draw Lu Yang's blood.
"Kid, you dare use my bone sword against my Bloodthirsty Whip? You're asking for death!"
Seeing this, Guo Shouren instantly formed a strange hand seal and muttered incantations. A few seconds later, Guo Shouren spat a mouthful of fresh blood onto his fingers. The bone sword in Lu Yang's hand suddenly became uncontrollable, desperately trying to break free from Lu Yang's grip.
"Hmm? You can control this bone sword? But your meager trick won't stop me. Watch as I sever your connection!"
Lu Yang sneered, placing a finger on the ancient sword. A pure spiritual energy flowed from Lu Yang's arm directly into the bone sword, forcefully severing the connection between Guo Shouren and the sword.
With a "boom," the bone sword stopped trembling and returned to its previous state.
"Pfft!"
Guo Shouren, his connection severed, instantly spat out a mouthful of blood, suffering a backlash from the bone sword. The bone sword had been refined with his own heart's blood, and its disruption by Lu Yang naturally caused a backlash.
Lu Yang grasped the bone sword, squeezed out a drop of his own heart's blood, and fused it with the sword. Instantly, the bone sword shimmered with a brilliant radiance, its power even greater than before.
"This is the true Bone Sword!"
Lu Yang sneered and slashed the bone sword towards the Bloodthirsty Whip. The sharp sword energy was unprecedentedly powerful, directly cleaving the Bloodthirsty Whip in two.
With a "bang," after being cut, the malevolent aura of the Bloodthirsty Whip dissipated without a trace, reducing it to an ordinary leather whip.
The breaking of the Bloodthirsty Whip once again backlashed against Guo Shouren, causing him to spit out another mouthful of blood.
Now suffering from the double backlash of the bone sword and the Bloodthirsty Whip, Guo Shouren's cultivation had dropped to the Grandmaster realm. Dealing with the current Guo Shouren, Lu Yang could easily kill him.
Guo Shouren, naturally sensing this, immediately retreated, backing directly into the villa.
Lu Yang, eager to save others, followed him inside. The moment he entered, Lu Yang saw a large net in the sky converging upon him. The net did not appear to be a physical object but rather something condensed from true qi, looking ethereal yet brimming with danger.
"Kid, do you know what this is?"
"This is called the Thousand Mechanism Net. It's a great net I formed over countless years of cultivation here at the peak of Mount Yan, drawn from the qi emanations of my fingertips. Any solid object that touches the Thousand Mechanism Net will be directly divided into countless small pieces. I once used the Thousand Mechanism Net to tear a giant steel ship into fragments!"
"Kid, I admit you are very powerful. If you had used your full might against me earlier, I might have lost by now. However, you are still too young. When it comes to methods, I am leagues ahead of you!"
"Kid, perish! To die beneath my Thousand Mechanism Net is also a blessing from your past life!"
Guo Shouren sneered, gently clenching his hand. The Thousand Mechanism Net began to contract towards the center. At this moment, Lu Yang was like a fish caught in a large net, and as the net continuously shrunk, the fish would eventually be cut into countless pieces.
However, at this moment, the corner of Lu Yang's mouth curved upwards once more.
"You think this useless net can kill me? You must think too little of me!"
"You have magical artifacts, do you think I don't?"
Lu Yang sneered and slashed at the Thousand Mechanism Net with the bone sword. To his surprise, the Thousand Mechanism Net remained motionless, and the bone sword felt as if it had struck solid steel.
"Haha, if this bone sword could cut through my Thousand Mechanism Net, would I be foolish enough to use this against you?"
"Can you use your brain a little?"
Seeing Lu Yang's actions, Guo Shouren laughed contemptuously.
Lu Yang remained silent. He tossed the bone sword aside and produced the Black Dragon Token. Lu Yang lightly activated the Black Dragon Token, and it instantly transformed into a small sword about three feet long.
The small sword emitted a dark, ethereal light, and as Lu Yang held it, it felt like an extension of his own body.