21 Victory and Defeat Beyond Expectation, The Clash of Ultimate Moves

The battle took an unexpected turn.

"Heh, you sure jump around a lot, kid." Yan Tu smirked, his lips curling up in a faint, mocking smile.

Without warning, he thrust his right hand forward. Even from dozens of steps away, his fingers spread like claws, and the mark of a Gu worm on his palm glowed as he aimed at Qi Tian.

Whoosh!

A fiery wind howled as a massive flaming claw manifested in the air, shooting straight at Qi Tian.

The claw had only three fingers, resembling an eagle's talon, its entire form blazing in a deep orange-red hue.

—Flame Claw Gu! (Third Rank)

Qi Tian reacted instantly, activating his Eagle Wing Gu. His wings unfurled, his speed surged, and in an instant, he soared into the sky, rapidly widening the distance between them.

He had already anticipated this move. Through careful intelligence gathering, he had learned of Yan Tu's arsenal.

This Flame Claw Gu was powerful, but its effective range was limited. Unlike the Dan Fire Gu, which could be launched freely, the Flame Claw required Yan Tu to be at the center of its attack radius, limited to just a few dozen meters.

More importantly, while Yan Tu did possess a Fourth Rank Movement Gu, its mobility paled in comparison to Qi Tian's flying abilities.

The flaming claw repeatedly clenched and grasped at the air, but Qi Tian deftly evaded each attempt. In just three breaths' time, he had completely exited its attack range.

Spectators' Shock

"Qi Tian actually had such a trump card?"

"No wonder he dared to accept Yan Tu's challenge! With flight this refined, even a Fourth Rank Gu Master like Yan Tu can't do much to him."

The crowd murmured, their excitement growing.

Yan Tu's expression darkened, but he quickly forced himself to calm down.

He had underestimated Qi Tian's flying skills. He had assumed that, given Qi Tian's youth, even if he could fly, his mastery would be limited. As long as he struck fast enough, he could clip the wings before they were fully spread.

But now, he realized his misjudgment had cost him dearly.

Yan Tu let out a low snort and withdrew the Flame Claw Gu, quickly adjusting his strategy.

From his nostrils, two thin streams of fire slithered out, twisting and expanding at a terrifying speed.

In the blink of an eye, they transformed into two massive flaming serpents, each over ten meters long and as thick as a barrel.

—Flame Serpent Gu! (Fourth Rank)

The Twin Serpent Strike!

The two fire serpents flanked Qi Tian from both sides, lunging toward him with gaping, ember-lined jaws.

"This is it! Yan Tu's signature move!"

"With this, his attack range has expanded significantly. Even in the air, Qi Tian won't have it easy now."

The audience erupted in a flurry of discussion.

Qi Tian's situation instantly turned dire.

Yan Tu's fire serpent control was nearly flawless, honed over hundreds of battles in the Martial Arena. Each strike was deliberate, precise, and coordinated.

More than that—Yan Tu could multi-task three actions simultaneously.

Controlling the two serpents alone was already a significant mental burden, but in addition, he was continuously launching Dan Fire Gu, both to harass Qi Tian and to replenish the flame serpents' vitality.

With each ember he fed them, the serpents burned ever fiercer.

Qi Tian's predicament worsened.

"Young one, just surrender already." Yan Tu laughed, pressing his advantage.

At the edge of the battlefield, Wei Yang observed closely, his brows furrowing. His eyes flickered with both concern and a faint hint of puzzlement.

"Something isn't right… Qi Tian is deliberately holding back his ultimate move. But why? He could have escaped the serpents' range earlier…"

Wei Yang continued analyzing, his sharp gaze scrutinizing every detail.

Then—his expression shifted.

A realization struck him.

Qi Tian had been feeding something into the serpents all along.

In that instant, Qi Tian moved.

His figure suddenly twisted, breaking free from the serpents' envelopment.

Yan Tu's heart clenched.

His instincts screamed danger.

Too late.

The moment he recalled his serpents, Qi Tian smirked. His left hand lifted, pointing at one of the serpents.

A surge of true essence erupted.

Qi Tian's voice rang out like a blade striking stone:

"Explode."

—Boom!

One of the flame serpents detonated.

Searing embers scattered across the battlefield, instantly igniting the grassy terrain. Wild flames spread violently.

Yan Tu staggered back, his face contorting as blood spewed from his mouth.

The backlash from losing a Fourth Rank Gu struck deep into his meridians.

The explosion caught him off guard, and his body bore the brunt of the impact.

He was heavily injured.

Wei Yang's Analysis

"So that's it!" Wei Yang's eyes flashed in understanding.

Qi Tian had been subtly injecting fire energy into one of the flame serpents during their clash.

Because fire and fire were of the same origin, Yan Tu hadn't noticed.

By the time he realized something was wrong, Qi Tian had already laid the trap.

And when Yan Tu reflexively retracted the serpents to himself—

Qi Tian pulled the trigger.

Had the explosion occurred just a moment closer to Yan Tu, he would have been crippled on the spot.

Unfortunately, Yan Tu sensed danger at the last moment and backed away.

Still—he had suffered a grave injury.

The battle had shifted.

Final Clash

Yan Tu's breathing grew ragged. He wiped the blood from his lips, his fury evident.

"You—"

Before he could finish, Qi Tian cut him off.

"Old man, just surrender."

He raised his right hand, summoning his final trump card.

A chilling aura surged.

The Qi Yuan Slash!

A massive arc of pure frost-infused blade energy materialized, its icy edge gleaming ominously.

Yan Tu's pupils shrank.

His instincts screamed mortal danger.

In desperation, he summoned his final defense—

He spat out a torrent of amber-colored oil, which spread across the battlefield, forming an ignitable swamp of fire.

"Trying to buy time?" Qi Tian smirked.

Not a chance.

The frost blade descended.

This was the end.