CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35 DIVIDING WATER DIVINE SHUTTLE

The third prince of the dragon’s realm was evidently higher than Nezha had anticipated. As he used Earth Style to rush to this place, his mind was still worried about what unexpected magical means the opponent might use.

But as he took a step forward, speeding up as the fierce wind brushed the sweat off his face, he couldn’t help but laugh.

He had no way out now. Whether he could win or not, he must win, without reason, just win.

Nezha was incredibly fast, and the distance between them was quickly closing, yet Ao Bing remained still and just smiled as he watched everything unfold.

The generals to his left and right also laughed. The intelligence said that Nezha of Chentang Pass was born with divine strength far exceeding that of ordinary people, and indeed his physique was extraordinary.

However, the third prince of the dragon clan had only recently become an Independent Immortal. Even when transformed into human form, with the power of his Golden Core at the Golden Core Realm, he had tempered his body thousands of times, embodying the way of the Dao, containing his Primordial Spirit. How could he fear competing with a God Absorption Realm human cultivator in physical might?

When Nezha came within a zhang of the third prince, the prince finally reached for the hilt of the treasure sword at his waist, his fingers feeling the familiar touch of wolf whisker grass, as if catching a trace of chilling wind in the heat of summer.

Watching Nezha closing in, Ao Bing felt he had seen through all of Nezha’s attack methods. They were nothing but getting close with a punch forcing a positional disadvantage. Once the opponent gave way, regardless of treasure or Daoist skills, a killer move would undoubtedly follow.

But Ao Bing had no intention of retreating.

With his speed, if he drew his sword to slash horizontally now, Nezha would die if he didn’t dodge. If Nezha dodged, he would immediately charge forward. Whether slicing down diagonally or thrusting forward, either attack was almost certainly fatal.

Ao Bing’s mind dwelled in his Primordial Spirit, in an instant thought a thousand times, sighing to himself, thinking how naive the ideas of a child who had never experienced a real life-and-death fight were.

Within a zhang.

Ao Bing’s heart tightened, and his previously calm, even indifferent face changed drastically.

Nezha’s movements didn’t change a bit, but his extremely fast speed suddenly increased by another 30%!

This 30% turned all of Ao Bing’s prior thoughts into mere illusions.

If he was this fast, Ao Bing couldn’t draw his sword from its sheath in time!

Nezha still aimed directly with a right punch.

An incredibly simple move, Ao Bing could easily evade with a step back, but he knew he couldn’t retreat. Once he gave way, the opponent’s subsequent attacks would only grow fiercer.

In that moment, Ao Bing suddenly recalled his sister in the Dragon Palace, whose cultivation had never matched his, yet he couldn’t defeat her. A phrase suddenly floated through his mind.

"These tacticians are all deceitful!"

Nezha’s punch carried the force of thunder, and Ao Bing didn’t want to take it directly. As he reached to deflect Nezha’s punch, he turned to dissipate the force, striking Nezha’s abdomen with a spinning kick, sending him flying back even faster.

Ao Bing broke into a cold sweat, thinking with anxiety that he was fortunate to have battle experience. All those days sparring with Dragon Palace experts had paid off. His improvisation was flawless.

Not wanting to give Nezha any chance, he immediately went to draw his sword to press the attack forward, but upon reaching for his waist, he realized the Seven-star Treasure Sword he always carried was nowhere to be found.

"Looking for this?"

A short distance away, Nezha squatted on a rock, smiling broadly, waving the Seven-star Treasure Sword in front of Ao Bing’s eyes.

"You little thief!"

Ao Bing gritted his teeth, and his killing intent towards Nezha intensified as his two subordinate generals exchanged puzzled glances.

They hadn’t seen Nezha’s sudden change, only thinking how careless the third prince was, not using the sword but competing in hand-to-hand combat. Though the prince took the lead in an exchange, losing the sword was disgraceful unless the opponent was killed.

They were considering the Dragon Palace’s dignity, while another observer was concerned with more.

In the Nine Heavens, besides the hunting hawks, there was a Bai He.

It came from the Golden Light Cave on Qianyuan Mountain, secretly watching Nezha on Taiyi Zhenren’s orders.

Seeing Nezha about to clash with Ao Bing posed a dilemma. Though Taiyi had ordered it to only monitor and not intervene, he wondered how the newly cultivating Nezha could be a match for the Dragon Palace’s third prince.

If Nezha died at Ao Bing’s hands, it wouldn’t be easy to report back to Taiyi.

Just as the Immortal Bai He was preparing to intervene, Nezha suddenly changed speed, causing Ao Bing to lose the sword.

Startled, it saw clearly what Ao Bing missed - Nezha’s split-second judgment was impressive and proof of Taiyi’s esteem. Nezha likely didn’t just rely on luck and magic treasures to slay the Yaksha earlier.

The wind in the Nine Heavens was fierce, but on the ground, it blew even harder.

Nezha pouted, stood up, straightened his back, and stood against the wind, hand on the Seven-star Treasure Sword, smiling, "Dragon Third Prince, you’re truly stubborn."

"Laugh while you can, you’ll laugh to your death."

"Thanks for the kind words, I’ll surely laugh until the end."

"Hmph! Prepare to die!"

As he spoke, Ao Bing flipped his wrist, conjuring an iron-glossed long sword with complex engravings.

He stepped forward, and a spontaneous wave two zhang high surged forth, submerging Nezha in water no matter how he maneuvered.

In the swirling currents filled with rocks, even the adept in water could struggle to survive.

Ao Bing submerged like a dragon, moving with incredible speed, sword striking in every direction, arriving before Nezha, who inflated his cheeks, limbs flailing, barely able to breathe.

As soon as he struck, Nezha transformed, moving as if a fish, breathing naturally underwater, counterattacking unexpectedly with a sword at Ao Bing’s head.

Ao Bing narrowly blocked it, knowing he was tricked. Nezha had another magic treasure that could repel water!

With a frown, Ao Bing’s sword lashed out like a storm, the blade seemingly slow until it pierced with extreme speed.

Nezha barely defended, facing constant danger!

He thought to himself how Ao Bing’s swordsmanship was indeed genuine. Able to conjure waves, if not for his Water-Repelling Pearl and prior training in the East King Sword, he might not have lived long enough to use Water Style and avoid dying by Ao Bing’s sword.

While Nezha was pushed to his limits, Ao Bing grew more shocked.

The initial exchanges showed speed and strength on par, then swordplay, initially gaining an advantage, but Nezha, like a novice swordsman honing his craft, grew stronger as the fight progressed. After a hundred and twenty moves, he began matching Ao Bing move for move.

Nezha hadn’t realized, but this swordplay with Ao Bing felt thrilling. The attacks confirmed much of the East King Sword’s techniques and his own ideas.

Just then, Ao Bing withdrew his sword and retreated. Unwilling to spar further with Nezha, realizing their martial arts were evenly matched, he clasped his hands in a spell, intending to use Daoist skills and divine powers to decide life and death!

Instantly, the water temperature plummeted, icy blossoms spreading toward Nezha like snakes.

Nezha felt bone-chilling cold, ice covered his limbs, shaking like a sieve, trying to swim up only to find solid ice overhead. Punching twice, finding it unbreakable, until his Qiankun Ring vibrated, finally breaking through the ice.

"What a great magic treasure!"

The two adjacent generals exchanged another glance, their shock evident.

Though Ao Bing had instructed them not to intervene, they understood that in cultivator duels, unless the gap in strength was vast, a great magic treasure could turn the tide.

If this confrontation with the third prince ends in a fluke defeat, even the slightest possibility of punishment from the Dragon King means no chance of survival for them.

With iron clamps on their arms flashing coldly, the two were poised to act!

Nezha hung on the cliff’s edge, watching beneath the icy river, a shadow taking dragon form. Narrowing his eyes, he launched the Qiankun Ring again!

Just then, Ao Bing’s figure flashed, swiftly slicing through the water like teleportation, easily evading Nezha’s attack.

Nezha was startled, realizing if Ao Bing had moved this swiftly underwater earlier, he’d have had no chance. But why was his power hidden until now?

Unbeknownst to Nezha, Ao Bing had a water-based magic treasure called the Dividing Water Divine Shuttle, allowing water manipulation and rapid underwater movement, beyond the reach of even the fastest fish.

Just then, Nezha sensed danger.

Instinctively, he gathered Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to protect his organs, suddenly feeling a shock in the air. His consciousness wavered, the hand holding the cliff loosened, and he fell straight into the icy river valley below!