Chapter 80: Heaven-Sundering Crescent Slash!

"Courting death!" Although the Peerless Demon’s mind was clouded with madness, his battle instincts remained sharp. Seeing Sikong Xu charge forward with the sword Expositor blazing in his hand, the Peerless Demon let out a furious roar.

At once, a torrent of qi erupted from his body. Though his control over qi lacked Sikong Xu’s finesse and the purity of his energy paled in comparison to the refined force produced by "Unity of Myriad Arts," in terms of sheer volume, the Peerless Demon easily overwhelmed Sikong Xu by several magnitudes.

Watching the visible surge of qi enveloping the Peerless Demon, Sikong Xu cursed inwardly: This is bad!

He had indeed been careless. Because the Peerless Demon had fought so far using only raw strength and his formidable physique, Sikong Xu subconsciously overlooked the fact that his opponent was also a martial arts master.

The Peerless Demon was one of the Four Kings of the Quicksand Organization—though he ranked last, it was not a position secured by brute force alone.

Now, as the Peerless Demon unleashed his true qi, Sikong Xu’s heart trembled. Had he known his opponent was capable of such power, he would never have dared to charge in!

Alas, there was no "Regret Pill" available for exchange in the academy's reward hall.

"Boy, prepare to die!"

The Peerless Demon shouted wildly, his eyes gleaming with savage brutality. The immense yellow qi wrapped around his fists as he launched a punch straight at Sikong Xu, clearly intent on meeting force with force.

"Damn it! Here goes nothing!"

Seeing the Peerless Demon’s overwhelming punch, Sikong Xu quickly reined in his stray emotions. If it was a contest of strength, the outcome was far from certain!

With that thought, the sword energy enveloping Expositor grew even thicker; Sikong Xu summoned the greatest, most potent sword force he could muster.

Boom!

The razor-sharp sword energy and the massive iron fist collided instantly, the two distinct streams of qi merging and detonating in that moment.

Bang—

A surge of violent energy exploded outward from Sikong Xu and the Peerless Demon, radiating toward every direction.

The force unleashed by the collision of qi was unimaginable—even disciples of the Xiang Clan standing thirty or forty meters away were knocked off balance by the shockwave.

Those who were closer—Tianming and Shaoyu—were sent flying outright.

Yet the most battered and bruised were, inevitably, the instigators themselves: Sikong Xu and the Peerless Demon.

The Peerless Demon fared somewhat better; his powerful body withstood the fierce clash, leaving him with only countless small wounds and, at worst, a few mouthfuls of blood spat out.

Sikong Xu, meanwhile, was in dire straits. His slight frame was no match for the Peerless Demon.

He was now tattered from head to toe; only the silver-threaded silkworm shirt he wore next to his skin and the Lightweight Boots on his feet remained intact. The rest of his clothing had been reduced to scraps, with even the lower legs of his trousers missing. The sight was not only pitiful, but faintly comical.

"I... cough, cough..." Sikong Xu tried to speak, only to spit out a mouthful of thick, dark blood.

Due to his lack of qi, Sikong Xu’s sword strike had failed to inflict much harm on the Peerless Demon—indeed, he himself suffered significant internal injuries as a result.

This disparity was hardly surprising. Sikong Xu had only reached the upper tier of the Black Ink rank, while the Peerless Demon’s level, according to the academy's classifications, had long since attained the initial stage of the Radiant Yellow rank—and not an ordinary initial stage at that.

For Sikong Xu to perform so well despite the difference of an entire major rank was already a remarkable feat.

After spitting out the blood, Sikong Xu felt lighter and quickly retreated a few steps.

The Peerless Demon did not pursue him, either. He had regained some composure; though he had the upper hand in the clash with Sikong Xu, he had also sustained a number of moderate injuries.

"I seriously suspect Ye Fei has set me up. This trial isn’t meant for freshmen who've only been here a month!"

Wiping the crimson from the corner of his mouth, Sikong Xu cursed under his breath.

This monthly examination was a team event, its difficulty higher than the previous two trials. Yet for new students, no Radiant Yellow-level adversaries were supposed to appear.

After only a month, how much could these freshmen have improved? Reaching the middle tier of Black Ink was already considered outstanding at Dawn Academy—even Cao Dongcheng, acknowledged as the strongest first-year, had only reached the upper tier of Black Ink.

"Damn Ye Fei, trying to push me to my grave! Claiming it’s for my growth, but one misstep and I’m dead!"

"Sikong, you’re injured," said Ge Nie, who stood behind him, unable to suppress his concern.

With his years of experience, Ge Nie could easily gauge Sikong Xu’s wounds. Lacking qi, Sikong Xu had forced a contest of internal strength with a master like the Peerless Demon.

He had likely suffered grave internal injuries—his organs might even have shifted. Such wounds were as severe as any external injury.

"Haha, Master Ge, don’t worry! It’s nothing, just a scratch," Sikong Xu patted his chest. In truth, his internal injuries were serious, but his "Giant’s Regeneration" was no joke. Though only a pseudo ability, it could easily heal wounds like these.

The true Giant’s Regeneration could even regrow a severed head; even with the "pseudo" prefix, this skill was hardly lacking.

"Sikong, could I ask you to help restrain the Peerless Demon for a moment?" Ge Nie said after a brief pause.

"Restrain him?" Sikong Xu blinked, then his expression brightened with understanding and excitement. Ge Nie’s words meant: Sikong, you’re the tank—hold his attacks while I prepare to unleash my ultimate move!

"Are you sure your injuries won’t be a problem?" Sikong Xu asked.

"No problem."

Hearing Ge Nie’s cool reply, Sikong Xu gritted his teeth. Fine, I’ll play the tank for now! But he didn’t forget Shaoyu.

"Shaoyu, come with me!"

"Why should I follow you?" Shaoyu protested angrily from nearby, yet he still charged toward the Peerless Demon.

This time, Sikong Xu did not hold back. His feet shifted rapidly, and his form flickered.

He moved with a mysterious step, his body shifting at high speed. Though he took only a few steps at a moderate pace, the distance seemed to shrink rapidly, as if the ground itself were compressed beneath him.

"Ha! Witness my Heaven-Splitting Crescent Slash!"

Hearing Sikong Xu’s shout, the Peerless Demon was startled. This brat suddenly revealed such a profound footwork—had he been hiding his strength all along?

If so, the next attack could be dangerous! The Heaven-Splitting Crescent Slash—such a formidable name, could it be a sword technique more powerful than the Hundred Pace Flying Sword?

Hesitating thus, the Peerless Demon’s momentum faltered. In that instant, Sikong Xu flashed before him and slashed horizontally with his sword, its edge gleaming with lethal energy.

Whoosh—

The sharp blade cut through the air, leaving a beautiful afterimage of sword energy. Yet Sikong Xu’s so-called "Heaven-Splitting Crescent Slash" was dodged by the Peerless Demon!

Because the name of the move was so intimidating, the Peerless Demon dared not meet it head-on—but to his surprise, the attack was…

"This guy…" Watching the Peerless Demon’s frustrated expression, Shaoyu was left speechless.

Heaven-Splitting Crescent Slash… it was just a simple horizontal strike! Anyone with quick reflexes could evade it!

Yet Sikong Xu was acting like some enlightened master.

"Hmm… to dodge my Heaven-Splitting Crescent Slash… impressive, impressive."

"Ah… you dare to fool me!" Even the slow-witted Peerless Demon now realized he had been tricked!

Enraged, the Peerless Demon charged at Sikong Xu, determined not to rest until he tore him limb from limb.

"Hmph, seeking death!" Sikong Xu glanced behind him, then said, "Since you’ve taken my Heaven-Splitting Crescent Slash, try my Hundred Pace Flying Sword!"

As soon as Sikong Xu’s words fell—

Swish!

A flying sword shot toward the Peerless Demon faster than the eye could track.

Rip—

A faint sound, and in the next second, the Peerless Demon collapsed, motionless, a blood-filled hole piercing his chest—a terrifying sight!

Not far behind, the sword Rainbow Abyss, Ge Nie’s blade, was already embedded in the trunk of a large tree—who knew when it had been placed there.