Chapter Eighty-One: The Battle of Spells

Yi An’s expression grew tense. He did not initiate an attack. It was only by relying on the Myriad Dragon Armor that he temporarily possessed an almost invincible defense in the mortal world. Yet his own offensive abilities still lingered at the level of the Origin-Returning Realm; even if Shen Baiyu stood motionless before him, he might not be able to inflict any harm. So why bother making a fool of himself?

Shen Baiyu had already fallen into his trap—he only needed to withstand ten of her moves.

“No need. My modest skills are hardly worth displaying. Please, Miss Shen, you may begin,” Yi An replied with a faint smile, maintaining a calm yet unyielding demeanor.

“Hmph, I’m afraid a single strike from me would cost you your life,” Shen Baiyu shot him a glare, then continued, “What exactly are you scheming? Speak plainly; playing riddles with me is pointless. Or perhaps you have some hidden ace, so much so that you’d choose to walk this path to death?”

From their previous encounters, she knew Yi An was a clever man. In this situation, either his mind had failed him, or it was as she suspected.

“There’s no need to dig so deeply, Miss Shen. Just make your move. All I ask is that after ten strikes, you hold true to your word,” Yi An’s eyes were fathomless, like a bottomless abyss, impossible to read.

“I may not be a paragon of virtue, but I, Shen Baiyu, disdain the ways of duplicitous villains,” she retorted.

“Then let me see whether your confidence is truly justified—or just a facade!” Shen Baiyu gave a cold laugh. No matter where Yi An’s composure came from, she was determined to shatter it without mercy. He had opposed her time and again—did he really think her patience endless?

“Miss Shen, you are a heroine among women; of course you would not deceive me. My caution was unwarranted,” Yi An had barely finished speaking when he saw Shen Baiyu quietly channeling her strength, ready to attack at any moment.

He dared not be careless and quickly activated the defense of the Myriad Dragon Armor.

“This won’t do, Master Yi, you and the Daoist must leave at once! That enchantress is immensely powerful. Don’t risk your lives for my sake,” Miao Shihai leapt up, trying to stop Yi An. He had already resigned himself to death, but Xuan Yangzi and Yi An were innocent; if not for him, they would never have been dragged into this.

Setting that aside, Xuan Yangzi and Yi An had already spent the whole day running about for his sake, and that weighed heavily on his conscience. Now that their lives were truly at stake, he could not bear to implicate them any further.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing,” Yi An replied with a reassuring look, then turned his gaze back to Shen Baiyu.

“Ah!” Miao Shihai could only sigh, cursing his own uselessness, and worry in silence.

A sharp sound tore through the air.

In the next moment, Shen Baiyu leapt forward. There were no flashy techniques—just a seemingly simple strike, yet one that contained an unstoppable force. A fierce wind surged as her palm shot toward Yi An.

“Boy, get out of the way!” Xuan Yangzi’s expression changed, and he shouted at Yi An.

He sensed the breath of death in that blow. If it landed, he dared not imagine the consequences.

But what happened next left him utterly speechless. Shen Baiyu’s form flickered, and she was suddenly right in front of Yi An. Yet Yi An made no move to evade; instead, he took up a defensive stance.

Facing Shen Baiyu’s assault, Yi An remained unmoved, merely raising his arms to block. Shen Baiyu was briefly stunned, but she did not halt her attack.

A muffled thud echoed out—Yi An stood firm, utterly unshaken. Shen Baiyu, on the other hand, was sent flying.

“What! He actually withstood it?!” Xuan Yangzi, who had already envisioned Yi An’s tragic fate, was stunned—surprise and delight written across his face.

Truly, a man favored by heaven cannot be measured by ordinary standards. The old Daoist admitted he had underestimated the weight of those words.

Compared to Xuan Yangzi, Shen Baiyu’s reaction was far more exaggerated. She stared blankly at her reddened palm, knowing better than anyone the true force behind her strike. No matter how extraordinary Yi An might be, under that blow, he should have been either dead or gravely injured—there was simply no other possibility.

Miao Shihai, however, had no such thoughts. Seeing Yi An unharmed, the heavy stone in his heart finally dropped. As for what it meant that Yi An had taken Shen Baiyu’s attack without so much as a flinch, he had no idea—all he cared about was that Yi An was safe.

Especially now, seeing that Yi An was not inferior to Shen Baiyu, a spark of hope rekindled in his once desolate heart. Heaven had not abandoned him after all.

With this realization, his admiration for Yi An surged like an unending river—here was a man accomplished in both civil and martial arts, a true exemplar of their generation.

“It seems Master Yi possesses a remarkable protective artifact. No wonder you dared to wager against me. Still, you underestimate me,” Shen Baiyu, after a brief daze, quickly deduced the truth. Yi An’s cultivation was only at the Origin-Returning Realm; for him to withstand her blow, it could not be his own strength—it had to be some external treasure.

What surprised her was the origin of Yi An’s defensive artifact. Judging by Xuan Yangzi’s expression, even he had no idea.

Clearly, this young man’s background was anything but ordinary.

With that thought, a sense of wariness rose in Shen Baiyu’s heart.

“Please proceed, Miss Shen. Nine moves remain; I will take them all,” Yi An’s demeanor was calm as still water. He was not surprised that Shen Baiyu had seen through the secret; he had been prepared for this when he chose to speak up for Miao Shihai.

“Very well. This time, your precious defensive artifact will be of no use.” A cold gleam flashed in Shen Baiyu’s eyes. Her figure vanished, transforming into a stream of light that first circled high above. Dazzling glimmers filled the sky, each one the size of a grain of rice, but there were so many that together they formed a dense, magnificent spectacle.

Yet neither Yi An nor Xuan Yangzi was in any mood to admire the view.

“This is bad!” Xuan Yangzi, with his breadth of experience, instantly realized Shen Baiyu’s true intent at the moment she made her move. A protective artifact could defend against physical attacks, true—but it had a fatal weakness: no defensive treasure could shield one from attacks on the soul.

Clearly, Shen Baiyu had set her sights on this very flaw.