Chapter Fifty-Four: Battle—Si Poxiao Faces a Foundation Establishment Opponent Alone-Infinite Immortal(His given name was Qi, and his courtesy name was Fangyuan.)

"This is impossible. A mere mortal first killed my nephew, then destroyed my spirit beast, and finally vanished without a trace right before my eyes. This is a humiliation beyond words. I, Si Dawnbreaker, will hunt you down and tear you to pieces." A black streak transformed into a long rainbow, arriving at the spot where Qi had disappeared. As the rainbow faded, a furious middle-aged man appeared, shouting in rage.

The middle-aged man was livid. He, a dignified mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, had locked onto the mortal with his divine sense, yet still lost him right under his nose. How could he endure such a slight?

"Is that so? I feel the same way. Unless I tear you to shreds, my mind will never be at peace. That's why I spent several hundred energy points to return specially," came a sudden voice, startling Si Dawnbreaker. But he was, after all, a Foundation Establishment expert. With a flick of his hand, a fire serpent several yards long coiled toward the source of the voice. "Who is it, playing tricks? Show yourself!"

"Aren't you looking for me? Why so suspicious? Old fool, does your whole family really think I'm some pushover, to be kneaded at will? Today, let me send you to reunite with your nephew," Qi sidestepped the fire serpent’s attack with a light step.

"So it’s you. I thought you’d truly vanished right under my nose!" Si Dawnbreaker turned, narrowed his eyes, dangerous light flickering within as he stared fixedly at the youth who had vanished and reappeared so abruptly, as if afraid he’d disappear again.

"Are you wondering if I have some strange treasure that lets me evade your senses? Well, you’re not wrong. The question is, do you have what it takes to claim it?" Qi’s lips curled into a cold smile.

"Boy, let’s see what skills you have to kill my nephew and my spirit beast, the Arrowwing Serpent, and dare to provoke me." Si Dawnbreaker, a veteran Foundation Establishment cultivator, was not angered by Qi's words.

"Recently—or rather, always—I’ve enjoyed close combat. Let me see how your old face looks when it’s flattened like a little cake." As the words fell, Qi appeared before Si Dawnbreaker like a specter, his diamond fist whistling toward the elder’s face.

The sudden attack made Si Dawnbreaker’s expression change slightly. A red spirit shield appeared around him, but before he could react, the diamond fist struck the shield, shattering it in less than a second. But a second was all Si Dawnbreaker needed. A red shield blocked Qi’s diamond fist, standing firm without a tremor.

All this happened in a flash. Qi withdrew his fist and retreated, mocking, "I thought you and your turtle-grandson both relied on turtle shells for defense."

---

"Though your cultivation is only at the third layer of Qi Refining, your strength rivals the early Foundation Establishment. No wonder you could slay the Arrowwing Serpent. I nearly fell for your trick myself. I suppose you’re hiding your true cultivation, but it doesn’t matter now. Today, you will die here." Si Dawnbreaker slapped his storage pouch, sending out a streak of red sword light, then stepped atop it and soared into the air.

After all, ninety-nine percent of battles between cultivators take place in the sky. Qi was a body cultivator, so on the ground, he’d have the advantage.

Seeing Si Dawnbreaker soar into the sky on his sword, Qi was undaunted. Three pairs of flesh wings unfurled from his back, and his entire body was covered in half-inch-thick diamond armor. Spreading his wings, he chased after the rainbow, unleashing even more powerful blows, one after another.

Si Dawnbreaker, shocked and angry, defended himself with his fiery red shield against the crazed assault. He hadn’t expected his opponent to be so fast even in the air, rivaling late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Qi’s fists thundered against the shield, producing muffled booms. Seeing Si Dawnbreaker form a hand seal, Qi kicked off the air, flipped, and delivered a kick to his opponent’s back. The red spirit shield shattered instantly, and the shield shifted to block the kick.

Qi relentlessly attacked from every angle, pulling Si Dawnbreaker into his rhythm, leaving him no spare energy to counterattack.

This continued for a quarter of an hour, Qi’s furious assault never flagging. Si Dawnbreaker, who’d hoped to exhaust his opponent’s spiritual power, looked grim. Gritting his teeth, he sent a red bead from his storage pouch to the surface of the shield.

Qi noticed, simply thickening his diamond armor without stopping his attack. He was confident in his immortality; as long as he wasn’t obliterated in one strike, his reserve spiritual power would restore his peak strength.

Seeing his opponent continue attacking rather than dodging, Si Dawnbreaker sneered coldly. As expected, the fire bead exploded even though Qi deliberately avoided striking it. A purple-red flame dragon roared forth, following Qi’s arm toward his face.

Si Dawnbreaker retreated with a cold smile, forming hand seals, ready to finish the job. He didn’t believe the fire dragon would kill his opponent, but as long as he could break free and cast an offensive spell, avoiding close quarters, the fire dragon would have served its purpose.

Yet his cold smile froze on his face. Before he could finish the seals, a diamond fist burning with red-purple flames smashed toward his face, forcing him to break off his spell and focus on defending with his shield. The backlash from abruptly ending the spell left him at a disadvantage.

---

He paid no mind to his own setback, his gaze fixed on the spot where the fire dragon entangled his opponent. The transparent armor there had melted, but the flames couldn’t penetrate. The destroyed armor regenerated before his eyes, growing as fast as it burned away.

Greed gleamed in Si Dawnbreaker’s eyes. This youth possessed quite a few treasures. Yet, being suppressed again, and seeing that his opponent seemed as energetic and full of spiritual power as ever, he realized killing him would not be easy.

Thinking of his opponent’s treasures, Si Dawnbreaker decided not to wait any longer. His eyes flashed, and a three-inch-long small sword, red as crystal, shot from his mouth, expanding in the wind to three feet three inches—a standard flying sword.

This was Si Dawnbreaker’s newly reforged life-bound flying sword, nurtured in his core, just after he’d heard news of his nephew’s death and rushed over. Though not yet fully refined, it was stronger than ever, more than enough to deal with a body cultivator like Qi. Si Dawnbreaker was confident. The flying sword was a superior grade, named Crystal Rainbow.

Sensing the threat of the Crystal Rainbow Sword, Qi’s eyes flickered but he didn’t stop his attack. Instead, he unleashed even greater speed and force, assaulting Si Dawnbreaker from every direction. Under such pressure, Si Dawnbreaker could only control one artifact—either continue defending with his shield, or attack with his flying sword. The answer was clear: having released the flying sword, he would use it to fight.

In the moment the shield and sword swapped, Si Dawnbreaker focused on the sword, abandoning defense. The sword shot straight for Qi’s head as Si Dawnbreaker retreated again, trying to widen the gap. The sword was faster than Qi’s flight, and Si Dawnbreaker believed that if Qi kept attacking instead of defending, the sword would sever his head before his fist could land.

(Chapter One, As Promised.)