Evil Mage Cultivation: The Immortal Enslavement Path-Chapter 85 - 2nd vs 3rd of Azure Peak

Han Shi, feeling the pulse of energy shift in the air, adjusted his stance, letting the fluidity of his sword technique guide him.

He had never encountered Feng Zhou’s flaming armor before, but instead of feeling daunted, a thrill surged through him.

This was an opportunity to test his limits!

"COME!!" He declared, determination shining fiercely in his eyes.

Feng Zhou, his flaming armor flickering like a living dragon, grinned with a mix of confidence and arrogance. "Let’s see if you can keep that stupid face up!"

He channeled heat into his arms, the flames coiling like a serpent ready to strike. With a roar, he unleashed a barrage of fire bolts, hurtling toward Han Shi like a rain of arrows.

The bolts sizzled through the air, leaving trails of heat in their wake.

"I’ve seen these moves before; they’re useless!" Han Shi said, a glint of confidence in his eyes.

In an instant, his sword began to move slowly, before shifting into a flowing state, embodying the essence of a river.

With a graceful sweep, he swung his blade, weaving through the incoming projectiles as if they were mere raindrops.

Fizzzz...

The flames dispersed into steam, evaporating upon contact with his blade.

A smirk playing on his lips, igniting the fury in his opponent.

"My turn now," he announced.

With a flick of his wrist, Han Shi redirected his energy, unleashing a wave of sword Qi aimed directly at Feng Zhou.

The shimmering arc sliced through the air, creating a dazzling spectacle.

The sword arc was incredibly thin, resembling a delicate layer of droplets reflecting the light, but the speed at which it flew was terrifying. It rushed toward Feng Zhou like a current.

Feng Zhou, caught off guard by the sheer swiftness, instinctively raised his axe to deflect the incoming attack. "Not so fast!" He shouted, his eyes widening as the arc approached.

As the sword Qi collided with his flaming armor, the impact sent a shockwave through the air.

The flames erupted, momentarily obscuring Feng Zhou in a cloud of steam and smoke.

But Han Shi wasn’t done.

--

Han Shi pressed the attack, moving fluidly through the mist, using the moment of distraction to close the distance between them.

Feng Zhou’s eyes widened as he realized he was caught off guard.

With a swift motion, Han Shi’s sword wove behind him, as if it were a massive weight tugging at the air, before swinging upward with devastating force.

Torrential Strike!

The sword slash was powerful, like a heavy splash of water crashing against a mountainside.

Feng Zhou reacted just in time, raising his axe to block, but the impact rattled his flaming armor, causing it to flicker dangerously

He felt the weight of the blow seep through his defenses, and a wave of frustration surged within him.

"How much stronger did you get?!" Feng Zhou exclaimed, annoyance creeping into his voice.

This wasn’t the first time he had faced Han Shi’s sword style, with its relentless flow and adaptability, but now it felt different, much smoother and more serene.

He could no longer find any openings as Han Shi’s movements continued to weave like water, relentless in their flow.

Han Shi, sensing his opponent’s growing frustration, capitalized on it.

He continued his assault, his sword moving in a seamless rhythm that felt almost like a dance.

Each slash was coordinated, forcing Feng Zhou into a purely defensive stance.

"You think this is all I have?!" Feng Zhou grunted, struggling to maintain his footing against the relentless strikes.

The flaming armor flickered, struggling to keep up with the onslaught, and Feng Zhou could feel his energy waning

"Damn it! You won’t take me down that easily!" He shouted, desperation fueling his resolve.

He summoned the heat within him, igniting his armor to a blinding brilliance.

Flame Burst!

--

A concentrated wave of fire erupted from his armor, a desperate bid to create distance and wrest back some semblance of control, or at minimum, a single breath.

"Huff... Huff..."

Feng Zhou’s chest heaved. No sweat ran down his brow, every drop had long since turned to steam, burned away by the sheer heat he had channeled through his own body.

"You disappoint me, Feng Zhou."

Han Shi exhaled the words like a sigh rather than an insult, watching his once-rival reduced to such a wretched state.

It was almost pitiful.

To think that his power had surged so violently after receiving treatment, he found himself genuinely wanting to visit the doctor and offer his thanks.

No wonder he warned me I would be crippled. To think my body had been rotting from the inside like that.

Not only had his techniques sharpened to a new edge, but every injury he had silently accumulated over years had been stripped away entirely.

His true ceiling, the one his own broken body had sealed behind a wall of accumulated damage, was finally exposed.

"Once I’m done with him," Han Shi said, leveling his sword toward Han Suwen,

"you’re next. Traitor."

He had killed the doctor’s disciple. So, in return, he would deliver his head back to the doctor’s doorstep, a debt repaid in kind.

"Do you need my help?" Han Suwen asked, ignoring her brother’s declaration entirely, his eyes sliding past him to Feng Zhou.

"No." The word came out immediately.

Even like this, when the gap between them are obvious, Feng Zhou refused.

He threw away his axe. He couldn’t match Han Shi’s sword.

The axe was dead weight now, nothing but an anchor dragging him down.

Then the armor. And the fire bolts, he stopped those too.

Which left him with one thing.

Blazing Cloud Palm!

Feng Zhou drew the fire inward, compressing it, forcing the blaze into a thin ray.

A single concentrated beam launched straight from his palm, cutting through the air between them.

"Tsk."

Han Shi sidestepped sharply, the beam grazing past him. The heat was enough to burn a red streak across his face without even touching it.

Compressing fire, not bad.

With the same amount of fuel, if you compress the spread you can increase airflow, and in turn make it hotter. Han Suwen commended the method, he would have done the same if fire bolts proved useless to him.

And since it’s a ray, you can just cut through it!

As the beams kept coming, Han Shi was forced to rush in. His steps quickened, sword dragging along the ground as he swung into a wide arc.

Wave Slash!

The water blade redirected the heat for just a moment, but the beam pushed through anyway

It was enough to close the gap.

---

Feng Zhou fired at close range.

Han Shi saw it coming, a straight line!

He leaned aside, letting the beam pass, and wound his sword back hard.

Massive amounts of Qi flooded into the blade before he swung, the strike crashing out like a wave breaking against shore.

"I got you now!" Han Shi confidently said.

Feng Zhou smirked.

The flame dropped. Fire erupted from his elbows instead, and it shot backward.

Back Blast!

The punch came faster than the sword, slamming into the flow of the technique and snapping it apart.

Water-based techniques lived and died on momentum, break the flow, and you break the move!

Han Shi’s eyes went blank for a second.

That second was all Feng Zhou needed.

Blazing Cloud Palm, continuous strike!

Fire erupted directly in front of Han Shi’s face, consuming him in heat before he could recover.

"Ah!!!"

He screamed, swinging his sword wildly trying to cut free, but Feng Zhou was already switching, fire into speed into fist, fist into fire, back and forth without pause, each hit landing before the last one finished.

Han Shi couldn’t read it. Couldn’t block it.

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.

"Die!!"

Volcanic Punch!

His fist glowed red before driving straight into Han Shi’s stomach with full force.

BOOM!!

The impact exploded outward like a volcano erupting and sent Han Shi flying.

When he hit the ground, there was a hole burned clean through his gut.

One final strike.

"You dared to underestimate me."

Feng Zhou’s face was pale, but he still stood.

It had been a gamble, he banked on Han Shi wanting to end the fight quickly, so he held back the flame, saved the power, and funneled it all into speed instead.

That was where the opening came from.

"Nicely done. I thought you were going to fail there for a moment."

Han Suwen clapped, congratulating Feng Zhou on his victory.

"Let’s get out of here. Don’t forget your part of the deal," Feng Zhou told him.

"Yes, of course." Han Suwen pulled out his sword.

Feng Zhou’s eyes widened. "Hey, what do you think you’re doing!"

"Come on, you can’t actually expect me to keep my end of the deal now." Han Suwen sighed.

"If you kill me, my father and yours will hunt you down. You have no escape. And Luo Chen too, think before you act." Feng Zhou tried to reason with him while quietly recharging his technique.

"Luo Chen? Your father? Han Rui?"

Anyone else would have gone pale hearing those three names together.

The three strongest in the city, all coming for one man.

But Han Suwen smiled. "That was my plan from the start. Why would I be afraid?"

He stepped forward.

"Damn you!"

Blazing Cloud Palm!

The strike that even Han Shi had struggled to dodge. Han Suwen smiled and vanished.

Rank 2 Magic, Shadow Step.

He reappeared behind Feng Zhou in an instant, sword gleaming as it cut clean through his neck.

But as the dust settled, a voice erupted behind him, thick with killing intent.

"HAN SUWEN!!!"

Half the people Feng Zhou had just named had arrived.

Han Suwen dropped his sword and turned around with a smile.

"Hello, father."