Chapter 149: Breaking the Deadlock?

The Gate of Life—Open!

The Gate of Life is the final safe zone within the “Eight Gates of Escaping Technique.” Generally, opening the first three gates of the Eight Gates does not cause physical harm. For someone like Sikong Xu, whose physical constitution is weak, forcibly opening these gates is an exception.

However, once the Eight Gates advance beyond the Gate of Life into the fourth gate, the body suffers damage from pushing beyond its limits. Overall, the Eight Gates bestow devastating power upon the user, but also inflict unimaginable harm—damage so severe it can ultimately lead to death.

The moment Sikong Xu opened the Gate of Life, his body instantly flushed a deep red, blood rushing through his veins due to the extreme strain he placed on himself.

Though the sensation of this blood rush was uncomfortable, Sikong Xu clearly felt his strength surge explosively. The rush of wind in his ears sharpened, the falling ice shards in the sky seemed to slow, and every punch and kick felt imbued with overwhelming force.

“This feeling… the sensation of boundless power…”

At that moment, Sikong Xu’s entire body glowed red, his disheveled hair standing on end. Surrounding him, clusters of green energy radiated outward—the surplus “potential” stored within his body.

These latent reserves had quietly awaited Sikong Xu’s command, but now, stimulated by the opening of the Eight Gates, they were unleashed prematurely.

“Locked on—”

In an instant, Sikong Xu’s eyes, emitting a ghostly green light, fixed upon Bai Hao. There was no killing intent in his gaze, yet such a look alone caused Bai Hao to clench his fists instinctively. It was a gaze of overwhelming power.

As for the ice shard rain pelting from above, Sikong Xu ignored it entirely. With a mere toe tap, he could instantly accelerate beyond the shards’ coverage.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, Sikong Xu leapt forward, vanishing completely from everyone’s sight. Then, a fierce gust swept through as he reappeared directly in front of Bai Hao. At this speed, it was no longer a question of reaction time, but of whether one could even track his movement.

Previously, Sikong Xu’s speed was already so fast that Bai Hao struggled to react, yet relying on their distance and years of battle-honed instincts, he could erect ice walls to defend against the attacks. But now...

This speed, surpassing human limits in a monstrous way, defied even dynamic vision. Bai Hao truly did not know how to face such a beast.

Unable to even see the opponent’s form—if he died, he probably wouldn’t even understand how.

“You have two choices: one, leave here with your people voluntarily... or two, I’ll break every limb of yours and force you out!”

Surrounded by green energy, Sikong Xu’s eyes glowed ominously as he stared down Bai Hao, a faint mist escaping his lips.

“I... refuse!”

Bai Hao was mad, driven by reasons that brooked no retreat. Fueled by this resolve, he feared death not in the least. Sikong Xu’s threat only further provoked him.

“Then grit your teeth!” Sikong Xu’s arm blurred into a shadow, slashing past Bai Hao’s face.

Bang!

In an instant, Bai Hao felt as if his head had been struck violently by a speeding truck. The brutal impact tore through his skull. If not for the thin but sturdy ice shield he instinctively formed over his head in the crisis, his brain might have shattered.

“One blow, just one!”

Under Sikong Xu’s immense force, Bai Hao flew backward, smashing through several telephone poles and even crashing through multiple shop walls, barely stopping.

“Ah! I’m still... not strong enough!”

Driven by intense frustration, Bai Hao used his power to conjure ice walls behind him, desperate to halt his backward flight.

After shattering seven or eight ice walls in succession, Bai Hao finally came to a stop. Though steady once more, blood streamed profusely from his head.

Sikong Xu, having just opened the Gate of Life, had wounded Bai Hao so severely with a single strike! Though Bai Hao was not skilled in close combat and had weak physical defense, this still spoke volumes about Sikong Xu’s current strength.

“What kind of monster has this school recruited this year?”

Machiu Xing stood stunned, watching Bai Hao inexplicably flung away, yet lacking even a shred of courage to confront Sikong Xu.

“Damn it!”

Bai Hao rose from the shattered ice pile, no longer wearing his usual cold, poker-faced expression. Sikong Xu’s power left him shaken.

After freezing the wound on his head with his ice ability, Bai Hao slammed his right hand down fiercely.

“Ice Age!”

In an instant, a vast chill radiated from Bai Hao’s body. The air grew unbearably cold; anything touched by the cold instantly froze solid.

“Hm?”

Seeing Bai Hao unleash such a massive amount of cold, Sikong Xu instinctively tried to dodge. But the sheer volume and terrifying speed of the spread overwhelmed him before he could react, completely encasing him in freezing air.

The cold lingered for several minutes until a whole street, even an entire district, was completely frozen by Bai Hao’s power. Had the school not evacuated the surrounding crowd beforehand, onlookers would have surely thought the apocalypse had arrived.

“Huff... huff...”

Bai Hao panted heavily. Such large-scale freezing was a considerable strain; after using this move, he seemed on the verge of collapse from exhaustion.

Yet he refused to fall, steadying himself and locking his icy gaze on the figure enveloped by the freezing mists ahead.

“Huff... you can’t freeze me, but my speed is somewhat hindered... If that was your intent, it might not be worth it.”

With a single wave of his hand, Sikong Xu dispersed the surrounding cold. Bai Hao’s attack was indeed formidable, but it barely affected Sikong Xu.

“Wha—”

Bai Hao’s hoarse voice broke out, then he swallowed it back.

He was utterly exhausted, his earlier indifference replaced by grim reality. Sikong Xu, having opened the Gate of Life, was like a mountain blocking his path—impossible to overcome despite every effort.

Bai Hao felt miserable. Sikong Xu, too, was far from well. Forcing open the Gate of Life weighed heavier than expected. At the moment of its opening, Sikong Xu felt as if his body would collapse. Fortunately, his iron will and “Giant’s Regeneration” power kept him upright.

Now, Sikong Xu was but an empty shell. After enduring Bai Hao’s devastating assault, he couldn’t even move a finger.

“One last chance—leave on your own, or I’ll make you leave, broken and helpless!”

Though a hollow frame, Sikong Xu’s aura was no less imposing—if anything, more domineering than before. Even Bai Hao was momentarily intimidated.

As a consummate actor of strength, Sikong Xu considered this merely a brief moment of self-recovery.

“Sorry, I have reasons I cannot yield to, even if it costs me my life!”

Bai Hao raised a frozen ice shard in his hand and spoke more words to Sikong Xu than ever before. Perhaps, he was truly prepared to die.

“Hey, hey, you’re not afraid of death? What’s wrong with you?”

Seeing Bai Hao refuse to back down and instead charge headlong, Sikong Xu could no longer pretend. His flushed skin paled, and the green energy dissipated.

“Boss, help me! I can’t move!”

Sikong Xu never imagined his opponent would be so reckless—knowing he would die yet pressing forward without hesitation.

Most enemies he’d faced before would have fled by now. But Bai Hao, brain seemingly missing a few screws, inadvertently shattered Sikong Xu’s ruse.

Helpless, Sikong Xu could only call out to Katsumura for aid.