A losing battle

Ren Yue noticed that Zhu Hui seemed a bit dazed and utilized this opportunity. She launched a thick torrent of flames from her sword.

This thick torrent of flames enveloped Zhu Hui very quickly.

Long Chen felt that this surprise attack should have hurt Zhu Hui quite a bit.

Unfortunately for him, Zhu Hui had anticipated that Ren Yue might attack him and instantly released Flame Energy from all points of his meridians.

This allowed him to counter Ren Yue's flames.

Ren Yue's eyes widened as she witnessed that Zhu Hui wasn't injured in the slightest despite her surprise attack.

Zhu Hui turned his head and gazed at Long Chen. Without wasting a second, Zhu Hui rushed toward Long Chen.

Zhu Hui swung his mighty sword at Long Chen.

Long Chen rolled out of the way, but the shockwave still struck him. This shockwave was generated when Zhu Hui's sword made contact with the floor.

Long Chen was a bit rattled upon being struck by that shockwave. Zhu Hui used this opportunity to attack Long Chen again.

Long Chen raised his hands to block that incoming sword. However, his hands rubbed against the sharp side of the blade.

Fortunately, Long Chen was utilizing Ardor to safeguard his hands or else this sword swing would have cut his hands off.

Actually, Long Chen wasn't safe for long. His strength couldn't be compared to Zhu Hui's. His hands would be cut off if he remained in this position for another ten to twelve seconds.

Ren Yue soon appeared and stabbed Zhu Hui's back.

Zhu Hui noticed those movements and utilized the Whirling Flames technique. Flames were released from his palm that immediately revolved around his body, protecting him from Ren Yue's attack.

Long Chen, however, saw an opportunity and utilized Intense Gust!

His target wasn't Zhu Hui's but rather the flames revolving around his body.

The wind was so great that the flames exploded and threw Zhu Hui away. Long Chen inhaled a breath of relief as he gazed at his bloodied hands.

While Zhu Hui was lying on the ground, a few of Long Chen's subordinates tried to take advantage of this opportunity and kill him. Unfortunately, Zhu Hui rolled out of the way and sliced them apart as he quickly swung his sword.

Ren Yue soon approached Long Chen and whispered, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Long Chen responded while his eyes remained fixed on Zhu Hui.

"You are a bit different from a typical 3-Star Warrior. Your Ardor is much stronger…I wonder if it's just your physique or if you possess a secret," Zhu Hui spoke casually.

"Whatever. I will find out soon enough," Zhu Hui added before suddenly moving from his spot. He was utilizing his movement technique.

This movement technique's name is Hyena Dash! This technique allowed the warrior to move rapidly for short distances.

In one leap, a user could cover more than twenty feet. The warrior's speed would become so fast that it would be difficult to make sharp turns.

In this treasury, Zhu Hui didn't need to change his directions all that much. He easily covered the gap between him and Long Chen.

Long Chen was indeed startled to witness this quick speed. Before he could react, Zhu Hui was in front of him.

However, before Zhu Hui could strike Long Chen, Ren Yue swung her sword, enveloped with thick flames.

Zhu Hui was forced to give up on attacking Long Chen and decided to focus on Ren Yue.

He easily parried her sword and utilized his Sword Technique: Hurricane Assault.

Using the Hurricane Assault, Zhu Hui slashed Ren Yue's body multiple times. His attacks were somewhat weak, but the sheer number of times he attacked made up for it.

Ren Yue blocked a couple of those swings by moving her sword but couldn't block them all as these attacks came from myriad angles.

Long Chen saw this scene and clenched his fist in a fury.

'Shit! Ren Yue can't take on that assault for much longer! I need to help her somehow! But how?! This guy hasn't utilized Flame Ardor since I used Intense Gust on him. How can I beat him?!'

"I need to do something…" Long Chen whispered with a determined look.

Long Chen pulled out his dagger and silently approached Zhu Hui. He had already utilized an illusion to mask his presence.

After a few seconds, Long Chen stood right behind Zhu Hui and stabbed his back with a dagger.

However, before his dagger could pierce Zhu Hui's body, Zhu Hui suddenly turned around. There was a scornful look on his face as he spoke, "You think your pitiful illusion will work on me again?"

Long Chen's eyes widened as he heard those words. A second later, his guts were pierced by Zhu Hui's sword.

Long Chen instantly puked a mouthful of blood. He didn't expect Zhu Hui would be ready for him.

However, a sense of relief washed over Long Chen's body when he gazed at Ren Yue's trembling body.

He had accomplished his primary objective, which was to save Ren Yue.

"…Feel the heat!" Zhu Hui whispered as his iron longsword suddenly turned orange due to Flame Ardor.

"Arghh!" Long Chen experienced a scorching pain as the hot iron sword burned his skin, muscles, and vital organs.

Long Chen gritted his teeth as he suddenly struck the sword with a karate chop.

The sword was extremely hot, so the iron had turned softer. Thus, it was much easier for Long Chen to break it with pure strength.

Zhu Hui was slightly surprised as he saw Long Chen using this tactic to break his sword. Long Chen instantly jumped back while pulling out the rest of the blade from his gut and throwing it away.

Long Chen's hands burned as he pulled out that blade and threw it away.

Zhu Hui seemed satisfied as he witnessed Long Chen's condition. He had lost a lot of blood and injured his vital organs. There was no way he could fight in his peak condition.

Since Long Chen was nearly done, Zhu Hui switched his target to Ren Yue.

Even though his sword was broken, Zhu Hui was rather proficient in using his fists.

He stepped forward while utilizing his personally created combo. Iron Fist Barrage!

Ren Yue utilized her sword to block those fists, but every time Zhu Hui's fist struck her sword, it broke a part of the sword.

Moreover, Ren Yue couldn't block Zhu Hui's combo completely. His speed and experience were much more remarkable when compared to Ren Yue.

Thus, Ren Yue barely managed to protect her vital organs, while her bones were taking significant damage as they had to absorb the tremendous shockwave from Zhu Hui's fists.

While Ren Yue handled Zhu Hui, Long Chen slowly stood up. There was a sense of fatigue in his eyes as he gazed at the battle with his ocean-blue eyes.

'We can't win like this. I need power…More power…' Long Chen thought. He took a deep breath while gathering his energy. He managed to temporarily seal his wound by utilizing his Ardor.

'…I have one last shot at this,' Long Chen thought while staring in Zhu Hui's direction.

Long Chen pulled out multiple knives from his sleeves and enveloped them in Wind Ardor before launching them at Zhu Hui.

Zhu Hui naturally sensed these knives and acrobatically dodged them.

Long Chen was delighted as he saw Zhu Hui moving from his spot. He instantly utilized Traceless Breeze Striding Steps to rush toward Ren Yue quickly.

Ren Yue was significantly injured at this point as her entire body had to endure Zhu Hui's strikes. Even walking had become an arduous task for her.

Long Chen soon whispered to Ren Yue, "…Lend me all your Ardor."

"W-What?" Ren Yue was startled to hear those words.

"Lend me your Ardor, Ren Yue. Or else we will die. Don't worry. I can take it," Long Chen spoke seriously.

In reality, Long Chen's body couldn't actually handle Ren Yue's Ardor even in his peak condition, let alone now.

However, only by combining his Ardor with Ren Yue's could he fight Zhu Hui equally.

Zhu Hui soon stood on his feet and noticed that the two were up to something. However, he wasn't scared.

He prepared his attack that would undoubtedly kill the two.

"Majestic Flame Lotus."